Garden Archives - Page 2 of 4

Happiness is found in the garden. Read about gardening, growing, yardwork, and outdoor DIY projects.

Trash to Treasure - DIY Patio Chair Transformation

Patio Chair – “Trash to Treasure” DIY Transformation

August 14, 2018

Do you ever pass furniture and random items that people have put out at the curb for trash pickup? Well, I recommend taking a closer look when that happens and you might find your next cheap and easy project! I’ve started doing this in the last few months and have picked up a coffee table (which just needed some screws tightened to make it like new again), a small desk (which I up-cycled into an entryway bench and garden supply…

11 Facts that will make you want a cordless electric lawn mower

11 Reasons You Should Switch to a Cordless Electric Mower

July 2, 2018

Joni Smith

Saving on Shopping, Yardwork

Buying a cordless electric mower ten years ago has been one of the best purchases we’ve ever made!!! In fact, I feel that way about a lot of the electric items that we’ve switched to using over the years, like our electric car and robot vacuum cleaner. But back to the electric mower. Did you know that the average lifespan of a lawn mower is 8-10 years? If you have a traditional push mower, you’ll have all those years of…

DIY easy outdoor pillows for free

June 19, 2018

Joni Smith

Outdoor DIY

I made a bench for our outdoor space and decided it needed some pillows. But outdoor pillows can cost anywhere from $10-$20 or more each at the store. These outdoor pillows cost me zero dollars to make. “How,” you ask?

Make a bench for less than $10 and transform your porch space into a reading nook

June 12, 2018

Joni Smith

Outdoor DIY

Is your porch space underutilized? Would a bench transform it into an area where family could sit and enjoy the scenery or read a book-or even just make it nicer on the eyes? But you don’t want to spend the upwards of $100 for a new bench (that may or may not even fit the space perfectly)? Well, I have a solution for you! In this post, I am going to show you how you can make your own bench-…

Skip the straw blankets and use your ornamental grass to spread over grass seed

June 7, 2018

Joni Smith

Gardening & Growing, Yardwork

I left my ornamental grass tall and uncut all winter for these 7 beneficial reasons. If I’m being totally honest, the main reason was there was plenty of other yard work to do in the fall without adding this to the list! So when we hit spring, and I couldn’t put off cutting down that huge mound of ornamental grass any longer, I seized the opportunity to use it as straw to protect the grass seed that I needed to plant…

Save Thousands By Fixing Existing Patio Pavers Yourself

Save Thousands and Fix Your Patio Pavers Yourself

June 4, 2018

Joni Smith

Outdoor DIY

Do you have patio pavers that are sinking and becoming uneven?

Maybe you’ve checked with a few landscaping companies and realized that they cost thousands of dollars to fix it for you?

If that sounds like you, I’m here to tell you that this is a project that you can take on yourself. Save that money and give it a try first. I decided to do just that because I figured, if it doesn’t work out, then I’ll hire the experts. And if it does work out, #winning!

Just Add Curtains for DIY Patio Oasis

May 22, 2018

Joni Smith

Outdoor DIY

I love the look of gazebos and pergolas. In all those home and garden magazines, they always make the outdoor space something special. And I wanted that for my backyard! For me, it turns out that patio curtains are a viable and waaay more affordable alternative. I’d stare out the window at our patio and daydream about how it would look with some kind of wall or roof. Our patio overlooks the backyards of about 5 of our neighbors’ backyards,…

Make your own tall planters and save over $100 on each

May 15, 2018

Joni Smith

Gardening & Growing, Outdoor DIY, Saving on Shopping

Since moving into our home nearly four years ago, I had a plan to put some nice tall planters on our front stoop. But I just never got around to it. Whenever I saw them for sale in the store or online, the tall planters (nearly 3 feet high) would go for more than $150 EACH! So I resolved to figure out how to make my own. Luckily, Pinterest came to my rescue and I found this wonderful tutorial on…

7 Benefits of cutting down ornamental grass in the spring

April 12, 2018

Joni Smith

Gardening & Growing, Yardwork

Sometimes, I feel a little embarrassed in the winter time when my neighbors have already cut down their ornamental grass, but then I remind myself of the benefits of waiting- both for me and nature! Why should you wait until the spring to cut down your ornamental grass?

Start a flower bed without pulling a single weed or using any chemicals – 5 steps

March 23, 2018

Joni Smith

Gardening & Growing

Do you have an area in your yard that you’d like to use as a flower bed, but you don’t know how to get started? Or maybe you have an existing flower bed that’s just become overgrown with weeds and you’d like a fresh start with it? Well, it can be done, and– It’s actually easier than you think! In this post, I’ve got easy and cheap directions for you to get it done in 5 steps, in one afternoon!…