If you’ve never heard the term “light trespass,” don’t feel bad. It’s not exactly what people are talking about in line at Starbucks.
But you might have experienced it — if a neighbor’s misdirected landscape lighting blasted into your bedroom window at night or blinded you as you pulled into your driveway.
Cue the swear words.
There’s kind of a dilemma when you’re planning to sell your house, and we’re not talking about how to hide that spot where your dog ate half the windowsill.
You know landscaping and home value are connected, but you don’t want to invest a ton of money in a house you’re leaving. At the same time, you know your home will sell faster and for a better price if it has impressive curb appeal.
When you’re landscaping for curb appeal, what projects are your best bets?
When you head out to get groceries, do you hit one store for bread, another for fruit, a third one for chicken and another one for those frosted cookies you love?
If you have an artificial turf lawn, have you looked at it closely lately?
You’re probably too busy deep sea fishing or taking tango lessons or doing all the fun stuff a homeowner can do when they don’t have to mow, weed or fertilize their lawn. Lucky.
But if you’ve had your easy care lawn for a while, take a close look. Your artificial turf’s lifespan isn’t forever.
Sure, Florida is known for its bright golden sun, and it’s why so many tropical plants thrive here.
But everybody needs a break from the blazing rays once in a while — even plants.
Have you looked at the front of your house lately? Are the plants out there working hard for you, or just hanging out?
Your foundation plants have a lot on their plates. They should offer great curb appeal, enhance your home’s best features and soften its hard edges.
They’re the plants that connect your home to the surrounding landscape.
Are yours up to the task?
Your yard is dark and gloomy. You want it bright and welcoming.
Add a few lights, right? Sounds simple enough.
Uplights? Downlights? Path lights? Well lights? Step lights? Wall wash lights?
Um, yes?
What are all these different types of landscape lighting?
Let’s shed some light on it.
Maybe you used your garden hose to outline a nice curving edge for your new landscape bed. Then left it there.
That was a good start. But when it comes to great landscape edging materials, garden hose rarely makes the list.
Which landscape edging is best?
When you start looking for outdoor plants safe for dogs here in Central Florida, it’s doggone disappointing at first.
Asiatic jasmine? Nope — toxic. Podocarpus? Toxic. Croton? Ti plant? Bougainvillea?
Nope, nope, nope.
Aw, man, so many Florida favorites! We’re clearly barking up the wrong tree. This might be ruff.
If you’re standing in the backyard with a ruler and your Pinterest patio printouts trying to decide how big your new patio should be, you might be overwhelmed.
You don’t want your cool new outdoor space to be way too big and cost more than it has to, but you don’t want things to feel too cramped, either, and have your party spill over into your pretty petunia beds.
What size patio do I need?
Ground Source landscape designer Eric Frisch says there’s no average patio size — the beauty of patio design is creating a space that perfectly suits your lifestyle. But he offers some helpful tips: