A pesticide is any chemical used by man to control pests. These intruders come in various shapes and sizes. They include but aren’t limited to: fungus, bacteria, insects, plant disease, snails, slugs, or weed infestation.

A pesticide can attack and kill by touch or ingestion. It can kill immediately or over time. It really depends on what you’re trying to control and the recommended use of the chemical in play. There are significant differences between many common household pesticides, so before you put them to the test, understand what they’re designed to control. It goes without saying, but weed control isn’t going to stop aphids from devouring your rose buds.

If you don’t want to use pesticides, there are alternative methods of controlling pests and producing a healthy garden, which we’ll get into a little below. First, we will focus on pesticides, specifically the differences between two popular types: herbicides and insecticides.

Photo credit: Lorri

An herbicide is used to control weeds or kill unwanted plants. Usually, dandelions in the lawn or crab grass that germinated in the spring. Some herbicides will eliminate every plant they touch, while others are designed to eradicate only specific types. Nonselective types of herbicides are use on railroad tracks or to control weeds around industrial areas. Selective herbicides are designed to kill broad leaf plants and weeds. This chemical is commonly used on lawns and golf courses.

An insecticide is often confused with pesticide. The truth is an insecticide is just one of many pesticides. It’s designed to control or eliminate insects. It kills by touch, ingestion, or both. If a plant is sprayed with an insecticide and is eaten by an insect, the insect will die. There are several variations and uses of insecticides. Most households use a short-term insecticide. This acts quickly and then soon turns into a non-toxic agent. These chemical include: snail bait, ant killer, and wasp killer. Residual insecticides are long-term killers. They’re useful in the control of flies, termites, and roaches.

Now, can we live without insecticides and still produce a superior garden? There are several natural methods you can use that are definitely worth a shot. (more…)

Photo credit: Stonebrook Design Build

Now that I’ve gotten your full attention with that title I’ll let you in on a little secret - I’m talking about your front yard.

Ever feel like you’re being watched in your own yard? Some of us have nosy neighbors, some have yards facing busy streets — whatever the reason, we all want to feel like we are in our own private oasis when we spend time outside our home.

There are several ways in which you can enclose your front yard, depending on your main goal. If you simply desire privacy, an old-fashioned fence or masonry wall may be all you need to shut off your undesirable views. The drawback to a wall or fence is that they can give your home the sense of a cold fortress. For most people, privacy needs to come in a prettier package, where what people see from both sides of the barrier is important.

One of the prettiest solutions to gaining more seclusion in your yard is a privacy hedge. They are fairly simple and inexpensive to set up, but they take time and patience. With the right types of plants (like spirea, holly, azalea, boxwood), you can raise shrubs to the desired height or train climbing plants to fill in the area you need to create a very beautiful seclusion.

Photo credit: Stonebrook Design Build The key to this solution is to consult with or hire a reputable landscaper to help you find the right plants and maintain them to grow in quick, thick, and in the right shape. Hedges are also a great noise and pollution reducer, if heavy traffic is what you’re trying to get away from.

Another great idea for creating more privacy in your front yard is to build an outdoor living area that enhances your life while separating you from your neighbors or traffic. (more…)

It’s time to enjoy the warm weather and soak up the summer sun out on the deck. Well, hopefully, not directly on the deck, but on your comfy deck furniture. So many stores sell the same patio and deck furniture all spring and summer long and they are truly of the cookie cutter variety - sure they have different colors and patterns, but they are basically the same.

If you’re not a cookie cutter person, yourself, you’ll be pleased to know that there are alternatives out there that are unique, eco-friendly, and attractive, to boot.

Gaiam is a Colorado-based company that is committed to marketing products that are good for the environment and the people who use them. They have a line of patio furniture that is made of wood and is very beautiful and classic-looking. The most unique in their line is the recycled wine barrel chair, but it’s matched by the beauty of the company’s teak and eucalyptus table and chairs set. They also have some distinctive accessories like a hammock made of recycled soda bottles and solar lanterns for nighttime entertaining.

Maku, a Carlsbad, CA company, is making sustainable deck, patio, and lawn furniture out of teak that is eco-friendly and designed for comfort and style. One of the things I like best about their products is that some of them look like they should be in your living room. And isn’t that what we’re really going for on our decks? That feeling of sinking into our sofa and relaxing? Maku makes a sectional for the deck that looks like a comfy couch. (more…)