Landscaping

Outdoor Landscape Lighting

Since most outdoor landscape lighting is low voltage, it’s safe and easy enough for any DIYer to install. In fact, the only special tool you’ll need is a wire stripper, however, now many light systems have come out with a quick, screw on coupler.

LED lighting around a pond

To prevent accidental cutting of wiring for ground-level fixtures, install wiring after your landscape has been planted. That way you won’t accidentally chop through it with a shovel. Also, don’t install wiring in digging areas like garden beds, and be sure to bury low-voltage wire at least 6 in. below the surface or use a conduit just under the surface.

LED lighting illuminating on tree

Expect to pay about four times more for an LED bulb, but they use less energy and you’ll get up to 20 years of life from one compared with only two or three years from a halogen.

Options for solar landscape and deck lights have exploded at home centers. And there are some reasons to love them: instant installation, no wiring and no increase in your electric bill. Just don’t expect the same kind of light you’d get with other systems. Solar fixtures typically produce fewer lumens, which means they’re not as bright.

Solar torches in a planter
Solar torches in a planter

You can buy complete ground-level landscape lighting kits at home centers. Kits are convenient and adequate if you only need a few fixtures. But the transformer—sometimes called a power pack—will be too small if you decide to add more fixtures down the road, and style options for fixtures will be much more limited with a kit. For a deck lighting system, plan to buy individual components.

Design layout for lighting

Before you buy anything, make a sketch of your deck or patio on graph paper (or use a program like Sketch-Up) and plan the location for each of your new light fixtures. To get an idea of the effect a fixture will give, pick up a clamp light—the kind with a metal reflector shade—and a few different types of lightbulbs with different brightness’s. Then, when it starts to get dark, try out the clamp light using different bulbs in a few different spots so you can observe their effect. Mark the most desirable locations on your drawing and pay particular attention to lighting areas like stairs and transitions to different levels for safety.

Container gardening, Herbs

Growing Herbs in Pots and Planters

By growing herbs in pots and planters, you can grow tender perennials, such as rosemary and flowering sages year-round. I just bring them indoors in the fall. In addition, container gardening is a good option for gardeners who have limited space or soil that doesn’t drain well or just want fresh herbs to use in the winter.

Start with good-quality potting soil, which ensures good drainage. Do not use ordinary garden soil, which does not drain well when used in a container. As with other plants in containers, herbs require regular watering and fertilization throughout the growing season. Mediterranean native, such as rosemary, can tolerate fairly dry soil between waterings. Other herbs with broader leaves need more attention to watering.


During the outdoor growing season, use liquid fertilizer at the rate recommended on the package. If you bring plants inside for the winter, they require much less fertilization; once a month is sufficient. Place in a sunny location.

My Top 7 List

Basil
A close relative to mint, basil has a floral anise- and clove-like flavor and aroma. There are two main types of basil: Sweet, or Genoese, basil and Asian basils. In Western cuisine, basil is most often associated with Mediterranean foods like pesto and tomato sauce. Sweet basil pairs naturally with tomatoes, but it can be used with almost every type of meat or seafood. Asian basil has a more distinct anise flavor and is often used in soups, stews, stir fries and curry pastes.

Parsley
One of the most common and versatile herbs used in Western cooking, parsley has a light peppery flavor that complements other seasonings. It’s most often used in sauces, salads and sprinkled over dishes at the end of cooking for a flash of green and a fresh taste. Flat-leaf or Italian parsley has the best texture and flavor for cooking. Curly parsley is best used only as a garnish.

Mint
Although more commonly associated with sweet treats, mint lends its cooling, peppery bite to plenty of savory dishes, particularly from the Middle East and North Africa. Fresh mint is perfect for summer-fresh salads, to liven up a sauce and or to brew fragrant teas. The cooling flavor is also used to temper spicy curries.

Rosemary
A tough, woody herb with a pungent flavor, rosemary’s spiky leaves can be used fresh or dried for long cooking in soups, meats, stews or sauces. Because the flavor is strong, it’s best to add rosemary sparingly at first and more if needed.

Thyme
One of the most popular herbs in American and European cooking, thyme can be paired with nearly any kind of meat, poultry, fish, or vegetable. To use fresh thyme, peel off as many of the leaves as you can from the woody stem by running your fingers along the stem. Particularly with younger thyme, some of the main stem or little offshoot stems will be pliable and come off with the leaves, which is fine.

Sage
Most people use dried sage once a year for their Thanksgiving stuffing, but there are many other delicious uses for this herb, particularly in dishes with pork, beans, potatoes, cheese, or in the classic sage and brown butter sauce. The flavor can be somewhat overwhelming — particularly with dried sage — so start off with a small amount and build on that.

Oregano
Dried oregano can be substituted for fresh but use half as much dried oregano as you would fresh since the flavor is more concentrated. Oregano can also be used as a substitute for its close cousin, marjoram.

Home Improvement

The Front Door is the Soul to your Home

Perhaps your front door is simply too weather-beaten to repair, or maybe you want to go with a new look. They say the front door is the soul to your home.

The first decision to make concerns materials: steel, fiberglass or wood.

Concrete door
Concrete door

Steel doors are affordable, durable and strong. They can be ordered with windows, glass inserts and other details.

Fiberglass has some of the more desirable qualities of wood, but its cost is usually lower, and it has greater durability.

Wood doors can be mid-priced or expensive; the type of wood, number of windows and complexity of construction can increase the price dramatically. They also require regular maintenance. But to some people, there’s no substitute for the rich, natural look of a well-designed hardwood door with an attractive grain, highlighted by the right stain.

Doors go through trend cycles, just like other elements of home design.

Door configurations depend on the size of the entry hall. Double doors create a feeling of grandness, but even a sidelight on each side of the door can achieve the same effect if you’re short on space.

The sweep of the door swing should be planned according to clearances and traffic patterns. Most exterior doors open inwards for security reasons, hinge plates and pins should be kept inside, not on the outside, where they’re accessible to burglars and intruders. Door handing refers to the direction of the door swing. For example, if the hinges are on the left as you open your front door, it’s a left-hand inswing door. Evaluate door handing when you replace your old door. Perhaps it makes sense to move your hinges to the opposite side.

Glass or panel inserts give the front door a more substantial and designed look. Opt for opaque glass if you want light to enter the home yet are concerned about privacy.

Lastly, how do you want visitors to announce themselves? A doorbell? A fancy knocker? An intercom system? Make sure there’s space for them and get something as classy looking as your new door. Every small element helps make a good first impression — even new address numbers and a nice welcome mat.