Hiya Mike. I remember when I first started following you years ago, you said if money is tight, spend it all on soil the first year (or something to that effect). I’m planning to lay down cardboard over the existing weeds/lawn and then planting on top of that. When establishing new beds, do you recommend top soil/compost mix, straight compost, peat and compost or some other combination and then top with mulch. (I’m also planning to do some cut flower farming in the near future).
Mike, I was just wondering about the plants you put around the house. This work was obviously done years ago, and I was wondering if you ever had a problem with water seepage into the basement.
I wanted to do similar plantings at my place but was advised it would eventually cause water problems.
I don’t believe that for a second. Water entering a basement is the result of a lot of things, but landscaping done properly directs most of the water away from the basement wall. We always extend the downspouts so they empty on the grass and not into the landscape beds. To keep water away from your basement walls add soil and grade so that water runs away from the house.
Mike, with what I learned from your website and YouTube channel, I was able to grow into a first generation, family-run wholesale operation, selling thousands of 3-5 gal and thousands of 1 gal shrubs every year. I owe you so much appreciation and gratitude! Rock on, Mike!
Come visit us in Oregon during August and come see our nursery association exposition; Huge event and lots of fun!
Hi Mike,
I would like to do some cuttings from my Salix dappled willow (tri-color). Do I apply the same principle you teach about cuttings? 5-6″ cuttings, use soft new shoots with 3 leaves on top, or use more hardwood for cuttings? Thanks. I am also trying to do rosemary cuttings.
Dominique
Dapple Willow are really easy as hardwood cuttings in late winter, but you can also do them now. Do them as you described and place them in the shade and keep watered or covered.
Mike,
I am sorry for the confusion here. In my previous reply I was talking about California Lilac (not rosemary) having flowers on the off-shoots, and not sure which part to use for cuttings?
I will also do cuttings with rosemary by applying same technique, leaves in top and 5-6 inch cutting.
It’s not my house. We had permission to record it then, but now. How it looks now is completely up to how well the homeowners maintained it. A good landscape, properly trimmed, will look better in 10 or 15 years than on day one.
thank you Mike for all u do i am finally back in my nursery after a 18 month clean up due to 3 yrs off due to illess.and Irma You have inspired me to go forward. We are 74 and 77 with ten acres hope to open up soon. Nana’s Nursery
Followed you for a long time, we are do it our self people, We have built and remodeled for years, Age 76 and 78 we still have more want to than can do. We finally found the right people to help and do what we could not, the really labor intense stuff………. Together we created a lovely low maintenance yard. Two acres with 180 mature fir trees a lawn, shrubs, special areas. A simple design, all with Mother Natures blessing. It is pleasing from every angle. Thank you for your tips and sharing your experience with us. Together we achieved what others envy. Our garden makes our golden years perfect through every season. It has been a work in progress for years , a joy every day in every way.
When you are in the landscaping business you deal with what you face on the day you are hired to do the job. Evergreens are far more forgiving than other plants.
That was a lot of work and will be wonderful in a few years. I noticed that the mulch was almost touching the siding in my neck of the woods that is a big no-no. Termite problems around here and you would be setting up a huge issue about the time the bed matures. Thanks for the videos and info you have shared over the years..
Think your emails and plantly wisdom are wonderful.
As far as this yard goes, wouldve like to either see windowboxes to perk up the windows or leave hedge along the front of the house under the windows. Looked better with more green along the front. Will have to see how those rhodos(?) look in a couple of years.
All in all, sure would be nice to see some nice rocks / little features like a birdbath or sculpture placed as well… would make it much more interesting. Perhaps you were working with a small budget but I do love me some perfectly placed rocks 😉
I learned years ago from a business perspective, keep it simple. Topsoil, plants and mulch. If the homeowner wants to enhance it once I leave, that’s up to them.
Surprised I didn’t see a comment for weed wrench (I didn’t (do not) have time to watch videos as I prefer to read , but looking at the comments using the ctrl (copy) + f (for the find box didn’t see wrench for weed wrench. which is a tool that goes around the trunk ,and pries out the tree like a pry bar wood with the laws of mechanics or whatever )
We used a lot of different things in this landscape but it would be difficult to identify them in this video. We do have landscape design ideas pages on this site and at http://freeplants.com as well that detail the plants in the landscape.
Three years later – can you give us an update to show how plants have filled in? A new landscaping job always looks skimpy, so it would be nice to know what we can look forward to.
Mike, looks nice. Many people, including myself have houses where we have windows just a few inches from ground level. I never see you showing how one would landscape that. Also full grown
trees about 30-40 feet from house. This is on the west side of house, zone 4. Would be interesting to see what you would do with something like my house.
Great job!!!!Thanks for the video it gives me hope & encouragement.I’ve been following your news letters at least three years.You have done a wonderful job putting together a program that has great support behind it!!!
I love the landscape. What do you have planted? I love the purple and the pink plants. What are they and what are the other plants you have planted in front of them? I want to plant a Japanese Maple in my back yard and maybe the front. Can they be planted in full sun, and are can you purchase dwarf ones? Thank you
Laura, this job had pink azaleas, purple rhododendron and some huchera among other things. Japanese maples like some shade but I do grow mine in full sun here in Ohio.
Hi due to the extreme heat in Oklahoma last summer we sadly lost 2 pecan trees our apple tree which still has some living branches but is otherwise dead and a very large maple tree that was in our front yard. Can you recommend some fast growing trees that I can plant to replace these or do you think it would be better to start from scratch and get some large already rooted trees. thanks muchly..
Tracylynne, I am not a big fan of fast growing trees. It is my observation after a lifetime of doing this is that the slower growing the plant, the higher the quality. So my recommendation would be buy larger trees that are medium to slow growing. If you really want fast growing consider any soft maple like Silver maple.
But be forewarned- silver maple is brittle, breaks easily in high winds(you are in Tornado Alley) and loves water so dont plant it where there are water lines within 150 feet, and dont plant it within 100 feet of the house, in case you have high winds when it’s grown and it blows over.
Perfect timing for the video….we were in our front planting bed this week re-landscaping and didn’t know our process had a “name”! WE removed several (never healthy) holly plants in the middle of the bed and replaced with gladiola bulbs….also other aging woody plants were taken out to be replaced with more colorful and pleasing perennials. Our removal was not as extensive as your however we think our changes made a considerable improvement as yours did!
I like reading and watching your videos.I have a problem a hope u can handle for me,I bought some tupils and another type floweer that has bulbs in them,they have already bloomed and they both have bulbs that look healthy,I have aready separted the bulbs and I found some tiny bugs in the bulbs,My Question-what can or do with the bulbs? please help,Beverly S.
Mike:
You give so much to your fans! Some day I would like to meet you. You have been a great help with all the information you post. Thanks. Robert M.
It is great that they show a before and after picture at the end of the video BUT what I would LOVE to see is an after picture of the current new landscaping after a couple of years. Everything looks great now but how big will those plants get? How well, easy is the area to maintain? How well did they choose the plants to be healthy in their zone?
I just got rid of an huge evergreen that had grown to big to trim well – NOW I have all that bare land I am trying to fill with something else and the weeds are coming faster than the new plants! Weeds are a BIG problem for me since I have a neighbor who cannot cut his pasture weeds because of money and time. I will not use weed killer because I am trying to start a strawberry patch and other food. SO think twice before re landscaping!!!
Haha, nice job. If I had pretty black dirt like that I could do that too. Try that with my red clay that is so hard that you can’t get a shovel in. But it looks nice. Thanks for all the great tips Mike, I really enjoy them.
We used a 12 inch augur on the back of my Kubota tractor to make planting holes for my plants in this shale soil. Its the only thing that worked. A 26 tree orchard, 24 grape vines, 2500 flower bulbs(done with a bulb auger on a power drill) and over 100 perennial plants and shrubs, done that way. Approximately 4000 sq ft of beds. Growing well!
good video but I just once would like to see how these professionals would landscape a raised ranch with the front on the north side of the home, some sun but not much 40-50%. not much avail when I google it.
Those appear to be tamping bars. You can find a variety of root cutters listed online as mutt (root axes), post hole diggers, or tamping bars, some have sharper heads and fiberglass handles and others rely more on weight. Mine vary a bit between twelve and eighteen pounds, and I use a few different axes as well, to deal with the heavy soil in my area. Hope this helps you find the right tool for you. <3
Oh I have one of those bars forgot the name of it though my husband got it from my father in law some years ago I am sure you can ask in the larger hardware home improvement stores such as homedepot those bars are great for digging out hard clay dirt and rocks
I think it’s a “pry bar.” You have to be fairly strong to use one the way the man in the video is using it: pry bars are made of iron and weigh almost 20 pounds.
Mike, that is beautiful, opened the view of the house up. Now this 65 yr old Alberta women, needs to borrow your nice strong young buck….he looks like he knows how to garden. My young buck looks more like you….lol.
Great video; perfect choice of music! It did make me tired watching you work. I was hoping it also involved showing the removal of turf. My lawn is terrible with weeds and especially that kind of coarse grass that is very invasive of adjacent flower beds – close to 5000sq ft. of lawn. Did you use an edging around the edge of the lawn & mulch? I could not tell from the video.
Hi : have a question. I have some private hedge at the side of my house used for a windbreak.They are about 8 yrs old and this year have grown spindly..I prune them from the top they are about 8 ft tall. how can i fix them so as not to loose them, as I need them thanks
I liked the ‘before’ a lot more. You have to wait so long for the plants to fill in and mature, why on earth would you cut them unless they are somekind of a hazard to the house. Also i can’t stand the look of a big mulched area with a couple of lousy little plants. But that’s just me, i prefer a jungle as my husband says.
Some of the plants were so big they were blocking the view of the windows, making it dangerous for robbers to be able to hide from view. I myself like a fuller bed too. I would put some annuals in until the time comes that these plants grow and fill out and fill up the beds. Also, some cute little lawn ornaments can help fill in bare spaces. You do have to have a place to store those away for the winter in certain states where it snows and freezes. That can be hard on certain materials such as ceramic, resin, cloth and paint on items such as wood.
Yep, I agree. I would have carefully pruned back the established shrubs( made it the background) and put the new flowering shrubs in front of them in the wider deeper bed. But it isn’t my yard!, 😉
Looks great, Mike! Really great. But . . . with all due respect, I didn’t see much “we” in the video. tee hee! That was hard work. And I don’t blame you a bit!! It paid off in spades!
Nice job! As Realtors, we always advise our sellers to “up the curb appeal.” Yes it is a lot of work, bur if you can’t get buyers to see the front of your home, they will have no interest in coming inside!!! GOOD STUFF!
One thing to be really careful about when relandscaping is the placement of trees. When choosing distance from the house people tend not to visualize the tree at full size years down the road. At that point the only options are removal or relocation. Moving a tree is expensive and often not successful. What looks best when planting is usually way too close. I don’t know what the tree off the corner of the house in the video is, but unless it is something really dwarf it is too close. It looks like it could be a flowering crabapple. That or something comparable will get too big for the placement.
Video worked fine for me–I think it is hilarious we are all thinking we would like to have a hot little “Duston” helping us out around the yard, alright! LOL I re-landscaped my property and I used alot more shrubs than what is in this video. As much as I like azaleas, I have removed so many of them because to my eye, they only look nice for the short bloom period. The rest of the time, they look half dead and require that dead-heading and pruning process and unless you have a hedge full of them, they are not my fave. I love perennials that are maintenance free and have gotten into quite a few grasses and lots of hostas. Cut them down and then get a lovely gift again, all spring and summer–and a few annuals for color scattered here and there and you’re done. Love the gold-dust “acuba” – that’s a huge fave too.
Your yard is so beautiful. I love everything you send out. It gives us hope. lol. Yep, agree, I could use a Duston too! I will soon be retiring to Idaho and will be purchasing your program. I can hardly wait. Thanks again.
Video worked great here on my trusty old XP Pro (which I would give my eyeteeth to keep). Just want to know where I can get a sturdy young guy like that to help with my landscaping;) Hubby is always too busy or too tired to help me even though he has a nice little Kubota.
Nice job, I use to work for a landscaper when I was younger and I enjoyed the work but it is very hard work. Especially when the temp is in the 90s lol.
If only I had muscles of two strong men to dig up those huge mature plants! It looks beautiful. I could not tell, but are you laying down mulch? I have some sort of fungus that came with my last batch of mulch. Is there a way I could send you a picture of it? Really enjoying your newsletter. Thanks…
Laurie, mulch can get a fungus if its kept to wet for a long period of time. From what I’ve read, it is very beneficial to the earth. It will come up, show its color, then die off. Nothing to worry about.
I enjoyed the video. I’d love to see the yard in a year or whenever showing how it fills out. (that’s always true for any photos i see of newly landscaped yards too).
Hi Mike, we are currently re-lanscaping our front yard, took out a bunch of junipers, yews and Mugo pines. Your video on how to do it would’ve been helpful to have about a week ago. Any ideas on the best way to get rid of Lily of the Valley? We’ve been digging it up but the root structure is so developed I know we aren’t getting all of it. Some have suggested using Roundup. Any advice?
Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
West Tennessee here with lots of
Lily of the Valley. You can have them all!
Abisays
Never ever use roundup (glyphosate) in domestic situations. Glyphosate is dangerous and is probably in your bloodstream right now due to commercial use based on tobacco science. However there have recently been warnings issued about it.
✔️ You could rather put a lots of salt in the area where you want to upset the plant or run a hose connected to your very very hot water tap and occasionally send boiling water over it. Then pick the left over shoots out and you’re done. Find out what the plant likes and alter the soil in the exact opposite way. If you do use salt or vinegar use them separately (or you might start craving potatoes chips )
Never ever use roundup (glyphosate) in domestic situations. Glyphosate is dangerous and is probably in your bloodstream right now due to commercial use based on tobacco science. However there have recently been warnings issued about it.
You could rather put a lots of salt in the area where you want to upset the plant or run a hose connected to your very very hot water tap and occasionally send boiling water over it. Then pick the left over shoots out and you’re done. Find out what the plant likes and alter the soil in the exact opposite way. If you do use salt or vinegar use them separately (or you might start craving potatoes chips )
Thanks yet again Mike. Used to work with a Landscape architect from a nursery in Michigan. Did very similar work, though most of the time we did not have to drudge through taking out a lot of extraneaous plantings. Did not particularly enjoy ‘root-balling’ trees back in the nursery, but once planted in folks’ landscape, the results were truly visually pleasing, — especially when compared to what had been there originally (as y’all did in your video), or just lawn. I always admired how beautifully designed these landscape features were and the pleasing color coordinations and visually contrasting plantings as well as the differing heights and levels when finished.
Try changing the quality of the feed – at the little spoke on the bottom of the black screen. I changed mine to 240p and it played just fine. Picture isn’t real clear, but I could view the video without any stopping.
Great video! I love to see hard-working men working in the yard. Those roots sure looked like they might have taken a lot of effort.
I like your choice of replacement shrubbery too! Good job!
I love the new land scape, great job guys. I have done this 2 times now. But I do have a question, what kind of bushes is that on the left side of the yard with the big blooms? Its not a hydrangea is it ? Thanks
I know taking out the bushes and the small trees had to be a hard job but you made it look fairly easy. You and your son did a fantastic Landscaping job. I like the colors of the flowers that you chose. Thank you for sharing your information.
I’ve been following you for about 8 yrs and I’m finally ready to start but I’m having a hard time finding the seedlings for the Japanese Red Maple that I have come to love. I have some seeds on the way and I know to put them in a zip bag for 120 days but if you could tell me where to find the seedlings. Also, are you selling the regular or the bonzi? Your awesome!
hello, i have ordered seeds from the following site
seedrack.com there you can buy all sorts of exotic seeds. they are trustable and the seeds arrive from 4-5 days.
Thank you. Your honest approach makes me believe all things garden/plant/landscape/healing environment are possible. Been reading your emails for YEARs and am always so grateful for your down-home, real way of everything from making a batch of fudge to creating a lotta plants. You are a peach, Mike 🙂
Hiya Mike. I remember when I first started following you years ago, you said if money is tight, spend it all on soil the first year (or something to that effect). I’m planning to lay down cardboard over the existing weeds/lawn and then planting on top of that. When establishing new beds, do you recommend top soil/compost mix, straight compost, peat and compost or some other combination and then top with mulch. (I’m also planning to do some cut flower farming in the near future).
Thanks,
~Angela
Angela,
Compost or a soil compost mix depending on the quality of the soil or topsoil. Topsoil would be fine but much topsoil sold is really not good topsoil.
Really looks good if you like the organized look. I much prefer the Helter/Shelter look. You would understand if you saw my landscaping
Mike, I was just wondering about the plants you put around the house. This work was obviously done years ago, and I was wondering if you ever had a problem with water seepage into the basement.
I wanted to do similar plantings at my place but was advised it would eventually cause water problems.
Joe,
I don’t believe that for a second. Water entering a basement is the result of a lot of things, but landscaping done properly directs most of the water away from the basement wall. We always extend the downspouts so they empty on the grass and not into the landscape beds. To keep water away from your basement walls add soil and grade so that water runs away from the house.
Mike, with what I learned from your website and YouTube channel, I was able to grow into a first generation, family-run wholesale operation, selling thousands of 3-5 gal and thousands of 1 gal shrubs every year. I owe you so much appreciation and gratitude! Rock on, Mike!
Come visit us in Oregon during August and come see our nursery association exposition; Huge event and lots of fun!
Dean,
That’s amazing, I am proud of your success!
Hi Mike,
I would like to do some cuttings from my Salix dappled willow (tri-color). Do I apply the same principle you teach about cuttings? 5-6″ cuttings, use soft new shoots with 3 leaves on top, or use more hardwood for cuttings? Thanks. I am also trying to do rosemary cuttings.
Dominique
Dominique,
Dapple Willow are really easy as hardwood cuttings in late winter, but you can also do them now. Do them as you described and place them in the shade and keep watered or covered.
Thanks Mike. Will do!
Thanks Mike. Will do.
Would it be the same with rosemary?.Most of the off shoots have flowers on them. So not sire wuat to use for cuttings?
Mike,
I am sorry for the confusion here. In my previous reply I was talking about California Lilac (not rosemary) having flowers on the off-shoots, and not sure which part to use for cuttings?
I will also do cuttings with rosemary by applying same technique, leaves in top and 5-6 inch cutting.
Dominique,
Remove the flowers and use the remaining stem for cuttings.
OK. Remove flowers
Thanks again!
Oops, I forgot. Will you do the same for rosemary?
Beautiful it looks , the guy did a great job on your home ” ..Thanks for sh@ring with us all” 😉👋
Hey! No fair. We want to see what it looks like now in 2019!
It’s not my house. We had permission to record it then, but now. How it looks now is completely up to how well the homeowners maintained it. A good landscape, properly trimmed, will look better in 10 or 15 years than on day one.
thank you Mike for all u do i am finally back in my nursery after a 18 month clean up due to 3 yrs off due to illess.and Irma You have inspired me to go forward. We are 74 and 77 with ten acres hope to open up soon. Nana’s Nursery
Mary Ann,
That’s awesome, keep making those baby plants!
Followed you for a long time, we are do it our self people, We have built and remodeled for years, Age 76 and 78 we still have more want to than can do. We finally found the right people to help and do what we could not, the really labor intense stuff………. Together we created a lovely low maintenance yard. Two acres with 180 mature fir trees a lawn, shrubs, special areas. A simple design, all with Mother Natures blessing. It is pleasing from every angle. Thank you for your tips and sharing your experience with us. Together we achieved what others envy. Our garden makes our golden years perfect through every season. It has been a work in progress for years , a joy every day in every way.
Show a picture
Mike, what percentage chance to you give that rhody to survive the transplant? Thanks, I enjoyed the music.
Dean,
I’d say 90% chance of survival. They are fibrous, shallow rooted plants.
But it was in bloom…….
Jan,
When you are in the landscaping business you deal with what you face on the day you are hired to do the job. Evergreens are far more forgiving than other plants.
I’ve transplanted stuff all times of year. No problems. But I make sure to keep everything well watered.
Great Job Mike and Dustin. You kept the Big Rhododendrons! Good save. Like your lay out, that should grown in really nice! Super
What happened to my comment?
Al or Gary,
Comments have to be approved before they appear.
That was a lot of work and will be wonderful in a few years. I noticed that the mulch was almost touching the siding in my neck of the woods that is a big no-no. Termite problems around here and you would be setting up a huge issue about the time the bed matures. Thanks for the videos and info you have shared over the years..
beautiful landscape Mike and Duston you guys do nice work, wish I had you in my area to do my yard like this
Thanks Darrel.
how did you create the curve on the landscape, and how do you keep the grass from growing into the landscaped area?
Think your emails and plantly wisdom are wonderful.
As far as this yard goes, wouldve like to either see windowboxes to perk up the windows or leave hedge along the front of the house under the windows. Looked better with more green along the front. Will have to see how those rhodos(?) look in a couple of years.
All in all, sure would be nice to see some nice rocks / little features like a birdbath or sculpture placed as well… would make it much more interesting. Perhaps you were working with a small budget but I do love me some perfectly placed rocks 😉
MaryAnne,
I learned years ago from a business perspective, keep it simple. Topsoil, plants and mulch. If the homeowner wants to enhance it once I leave, that’s up to them.
Surprised I didn’t see a comment for weed wrench (I didn’t (do not) have time to watch videos as I prefer to read , but looking at the comments using the ctrl (copy) + f (for the find box didn’t see wrench for weed wrench. which is a tool that goes around the trunk ,and pries out the tree like a pry bar wood with the laws of mechanics or whatever )
Mike how long did this re-landscaping take. Have been reading your blog for some time but this is my first post. Thanks for all of the inspiration!!
Miriam,
I think we spent two days on this job, no more than that for sure.
Mike, what are the names of the plants that you used?
Karen,
We used a lot of different things in this landscape but it would be difficult to identify them in this video. We do have landscape design ideas pages on this site and at http://freeplants.com as well that detail the plants in the landscape.
Nice! Thanks.
Three years later – can you give us an update to show how plants have filled in? A new landscaping job always looks skimpy, so it would be nice to know what we can look forward to.
Mike, looks nice. Many people, including myself have houses where we have windows just a few inches from ground level. I never see you showing how one would landscape that. Also full grown
trees about 30-40 feet from house. This is on the west side of house, zone 4. Would be interesting to see what you would do with something like my house.
Greetings! I’ve been reading your blog for a while
now and finally got the courage to go ahead
and give you a shout out from Huffman Texas!
Just wanted to say keep up the good work!
Great job!!!!Thanks for the video it gives me hope & encouragement.I’ve been following your news letters at least three years.You have done a wonderful job putting together a program that has great support behind it!!!
I love the landscape. What do you have planted? I love the purple and the pink plants. What are they and what are the other plants you have planted in front of them? I want to plant a Japanese Maple in my back yard and maybe the front. Can they be planted in full sun, and are can you purchase dwarf ones? Thank you
Laura, this job had pink azaleas, purple rhododendron and some huchera among other things. Japanese maples like some shade but I do grow mine in full sun here in Ohio.
Hi due to the extreme heat in Oklahoma last summer we sadly lost 2 pecan trees our apple tree which still has some living branches but is otherwise dead and a very large maple tree that was in our front yard. Can you recommend some fast growing trees that I can plant to replace these or do you think it would be better to start from scratch and get some large already rooted trees. thanks muchly..
Tracylynne, I am not a big fan of fast growing trees. It is my observation after a lifetime of doing this is that the slower growing the plant, the higher the quality. So my recommendation would be buy larger trees that are medium to slow growing. If you really want fast growing consider any soft maple like Silver maple.
But be forewarned- silver maple is brittle, breaks easily in high winds(you are in Tornado Alley) and loves water so dont plant it where there are water lines within 150 feet, and dont plant it within 100 feet of the house, in case you have high winds when it’s grown and it blows over.
Perfect timing for the video….we were in our front planting bed this week re-landscaping and didn’t know our process had a “name”! WE removed several (never healthy) holly plants in the middle of the bed and replaced with gladiola bulbs….also other aging woody plants were taken out to be replaced with more colorful and pleasing perennials. Our removal was not as extensive as your however we think our changes made a considerable improvement as yours did!
I like reading and watching your videos.I have a problem a hope u can handle for me,I bought some tupils and another type floweer that has bulbs in them,they have already bloomed and they both have bulbs that look healthy,I have aready separted the bulbs and I found some tiny bugs in the bulbs,My Question-what can or do with the bulbs? please help,Beverly S.
Mike:
You give so much to your fans! Some day I would like to meet you. You have been a great help with all the information you post. Thanks. Robert M.
Hi Mike, great little video. What are the shrubs with the big purple flowers called? Thanks!
Rhododendrons
It is great that they show a before and after picture at the end of the video BUT what I would LOVE to see is an after picture of the current new landscaping after a couple of years. Everything looks great now but how big will those plants get? How well, easy is the area to maintain? How well did they choose the plants to be healthy in their zone?
Why no weed block cloth . It works well for me, but it is expensive. What’s the secret?
I just got rid of an huge evergreen that had grown to big to trim well – NOW I have all that bare land I am trying to fill with something else and the weeds are coming faster than the new plants! Weeds are a BIG problem for me since I have a neighbor who cannot cut his pasture weeds because of money and time. I will not use weed killer because I am trying to start a strawberry patch and other food. SO think twice before re landscaping!!!
can anyone tell me what the big plant that the gentleman was moving in the wheel-barrel
Rhododendron,
Similar to Azalea but larger and bulkier. Both are great and very common down the east coast.
Great video,
a lot of hard work, but worth the effort!
beautiful job.
Haha, nice job. If I had pretty black dirt like that I could do that too. Try that with my red clay that is so hard that you can’t get a shovel in. But it looks nice. Thanks for all the great tips Mike, I really enjoy them.
We used a 12 inch augur on the back of my Kubota tractor to make planting holes for my plants in this shale soil. Its the only thing that worked. A 26 tree orchard, 24 grape vines, 2500 flower bulbs(done with a bulb auger on a power drill) and over 100 perennial plants and shrubs, done that way. Approximately 4000 sq ft of beds. Growing well!
To the person who wants a handy, strong young man like Mike’s helper…..just like everything with Mike…..you have to grow one from seed!
Dear Dottie:
Many thanks the advise but please let me know where to purchase the seed.
Cheers,
that is too funny but, so true! You can also adopt one.
good video but I just once would like to see how these professionals would landscape a raised ranch with the front on the north side of the home, some sun but not much 40-50%. not much avail when I google it.
Looks great, show us a pic when it gets bigger. Wish you did business in Knoxville TN. I sure could use new landscaping.
What is the pointy stick tool that guy is using to pry up the shrub? I need one!
Those appear to be tamping bars. You can find a variety of root cutters listed online as mutt (root axes), post hole diggers, or tamping bars, some have sharper heads and fiberglass handles and others rely more on weight. Mine vary a bit between twelve and eighteen pounds, and I use a few different axes as well, to deal with the heavy soil in my area. Hope this helps you find the right tool for you. <3
Pry bar. Heavy solid metal.
Around here they sell them as breaker bars, used to pry up concrete slabs so they can be broke
Often called a spud bar or landscaping bar, available at any full service hardware store. But keep in mind, he’s not prying, he’s using it to cut roots. See this http://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2010/06/tree-stump-removal-instructions/
Where we came from, they are called Dolly bars, used in railroad work to reset rails by hand. Ours weighs at least 20 lbs and is 5 feet long.
Oh I have one of those bars forgot the name of it though my husband got it from my father in law some years ago I am sure you can ask in the larger hardware home improvement stores such as homedepot those bars are great for digging out hard clay dirt and rocks
I think it’s a “pry bar.” You have to be fairly strong to use one the way the man in the video is using it: pry bars are made of iron and weigh almost 20 pounds.
can i know ,how much dose it cost?
Yasser,
Probably about $35.00
Mike, that is beautiful, opened the view of the house up. Now this 65 yr old Alberta women, needs to borrow your nice strong young buck….he looks like he knows how to garden. My young buck looks more like you….lol.
Christina I was thinking the same thing!!!
You made my day. I couldn’t stop laughing.
Great video; perfect choice of music! It did make me tired watching you work. I was hoping it also involved showing the removal of turf. My lawn is terrible with weeds and especially that kind of coarse grass that is very invasive of adjacent flower beds – close to 5000sq ft. of lawn. Did you use an edging around the edge of the lawn & mulch? I could not tell from the video.
This is great! Just in time because I have been looking for ideas. I can always count on getting good ideas from you Mike. Thanks, again.
Hi : have a question. I have some private hedge at the side of my house used for a windbreak.They are about 8 yrs old and this year have grown spindly..I prune them from the top they are about 8 ft tall. how can i fix them so as not to loose them, as I need them thanks
try some renewal pruning: prunging from the bottom rather than the top
I liked the way you curved the flower bed, and how you stretched it around the corner.
I liked the ‘before’ a lot more. You have to wait so long for the plants to fill in and mature, why on earth would you cut them unless they are somekind of a hazard to the house. Also i can’t stand the look of a big mulched area with a couple of lousy little plants. But that’s just me, i prefer a jungle as my husband says.
Some of the plants were so big they were blocking the view of the windows, making it dangerous for robbers to be able to hide from view. I myself like a fuller bed too. I would put some annuals in until the time comes that these plants grow and fill out and fill up the beds. Also, some cute little lawn ornaments can help fill in bare spaces. You do have to have a place to store those away for the winter in certain states where it snows and freezes. That can be hard on certain materials such as ceramic, resin, cloth and paint on items such as wood.
Me too!
I think it looked better before . They could have made the flower bed larger and put more flowering plants in front of the established shrubs .
Yep, I agree. I would have carefully pruned back the established shrubs( made it the background) and put the new flowering shrubs in front of them in the wider deeper bed. But it isn’t my yard!, 😉
Looks great, Mike! Really great. But . . . with all due respect, I didn’t see much “we” in the video. tee hee! That was hard work. And I don’t blame you a bit!! It paid off in spades!
Nice job! As Realtors, we always advise our sellers to “up the curb appeal.” Yes it is a lot of work, bur if you can’t get buyers to see the front of your home, they will have no interest in coming inside!!! GOOD STUFF!
I agree with Shelia!
One thing to be really careful about when relandscaping is the placement of trees. When choosing distance from the house people tend not to visualize the tree at full size years down the road. At that point the only options are removal or relocation. Moving a tree is expensive and often not successful. What looks best when planting is usually way too close. I don’t know what the tree off the corner of the house in the video is, but unless it is something really dwarf it is too close. It looks like it could be a flowering crabapple. That or something comparable will get too big for the placement.
Video worked fine for me–I think it is hilarious we are all thinking we would like to have a hot little “Duston” helping us out around the yard, alright! LOL I re-landscaped my property and I used alot more shrubs than what is in this video. As much as I like azaleas, I have removed so many of them because to my eye, they only look nice for the short bloom period. The rest of the time, they look half dead and require that dead-heading and pruning process and unless you have a hedge full of them, they are not my fave. I love perennials that are maintenance free and have gotten into quite a few grasses and lots of hostas. Cut them down and then get a lovely gift again, all spring and summer–and a few annuals for color scattered here and there and you’re done. Love the gold-dust “acuba” – that’s a huge fave too.
I would enjoy doing a job like that if I was 50 years younger.
Hope you took the burlap & ropes off the tree/shrub before you really planted it.
Nice job! I’ve been redoing some of my landscape. It’s hard work, but worth it when its done. Thanks for sharing! Now take a break. LOL!!
Your yard is so beautiful. I love everything you send out. It gives us hope. lol. Yep, agree, I could use a Duston too! I will soon be retiring to Idaho and will be purchasing your program. I can hardly wait. Thanks again.
Oh, my! I want a Duston.
Very nice!!
Video worked great here on my trusty old XP Pro (which I would give my eyeteeth to keep). Just want to know where I can get a sturdy young guy like that to help with my landscaping;) Hubby is always too busy or too tired to help me even though he has a nice little Kubota.
I could view the video just fine and it was clear. Good video and the music made my morning.
Nice job, I use to work for a landscaper when I was younger and I enjoyed the work but it is very hard work. Especially when the temp is in the 90s lol.
If only I had muscles of two strong men to dig up those huge mature plants! It looks beautiful. I could not tell, but are you laying down mulch? I have some sort of fungus that came with my last batch of mulch. Is there a way I could send you a picture of it? Really enjoying your newsletter. Thanks…
Laurie, mulch can get a fungus if its kept to wet for a long period of time. From what I’ve read, it is very beneficial to the earth. It will come up, show its color, then die off. Nothing to worry about.
I feel sad when existing plants are torn out and dumped instead of being saved or re-used.
GREAT VIDEO. I wish I had your soil here in AZ. You make it look so simple. Thanks
Dear Mike:
Excellent job. How I wish you could do this for me.
I would also like to purchase Japanese Maple from you. Do you ship out of country?
Hoping to hear from you soon.
Cheers,
Nice Job Mike!
I enjoyed the video. I’d love to see the yard in a year or whenever showing how it fills out. (that’s always true for any photos i see of newly landscaped yards too).
Hi Mike, we are currently re-lanscaping our front yard, took out a bunch of junipers, yews and Mugo pines. Your video on how to do it would’ve been helpful to have about a week ago. Any ideas on the best way to get rid of Lily of the Valley? We’ve been digging it up but the root structure is so developed I know we aren’t getting all of it. Some have suggested using Roundup. Any advice?
Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
Don’t know where you live but sure wish I was close, I would take your lily of the valley! I love it.
Perry, Ohio
I want some too! sD
West Tennessee here with lots of
Lily of the Valley. You can have them all!
Never ever use roundup (glyphosate) in domestic situations. Glyphosate is dangerous and is probably in your bloodstream right now due to commercial use based on tobacco science. However there have recently been warnings issued about it.
✔️ You could rather put a lots of salt in the area where you want to upset the plant or run a hose connected to your very very hot water tap and occasionally send boiling water over it. Then pick the left over shoots out and you’re done. Find out what the plant likes and alter the soil in the exact opposite way. If you do use salt or vinegar use them separately (or you might start craving potatoes chips )
I agree with Abi. that roundup should be outlawed. It’s dangers are only now becoming evident and more will come to light in future.
Never ever use roundup (glyphosate) in domestic situations. Glyphosate is dangerous and is probably in your bloodstream right now due to commercial use based on tobacco science. However there have recently been warnings issued about it.
You could rather put a lots of salt in the area where you want to upset the plant or run a hose connected to your very very hot water tap and occasionally send boiling water over it. Then pick the left over shoots out and you’re done. Find out what the plant likes and alter the soil in the exact opposite way. If you do use salt or vinegar use them separately (or you might start craving potatoes chips )
WOW! Mike that is beautiful. Dustin & You did a great job. I love it.
Great video – thanks Mike…you make it look much easier than it really is!
Thanks yet again Mike. Used to work with a Landscape architect from a nursery in Michigan. Did very similar work, though most of the time we did not have to drudge through taking out a lot of extraneaous plantings. Did not particularly enjoy ‘root-balling’ trees back in the nursery, but once planted in folks’ landscape, the results were truly visually pleasing, — especially when compared to what had been there originally (as y’all did in your video), or just lawn. I always admired how beautifully designed these landscape features were and the pleasing color coordinations and visually contrasting plantings as well as the differing heights and levels when finished.
Great video. I had no problems viewing it.
I just had a look at the video. Thank you for sending me the link. Very encouring.
Nice results. How about a video showing how to put in irrigation in a new landscaping.
Try changing the quality of the feed – at the little spoke on the bottom of the black screen. I changed mine to 240p and it played just fine. Picture isn’t real clear, but I could view the video without any stopping.
Worked fine for me.
Very nice!
What a difference, but a lot of hard work!!
worked for me. Great video guy’s!!!!!
Thanks Mike & Duston
Great video! I love to see hard-working men working in the yard. Those roots sure looked like they might have taken a lot of effort.
I like your choice of replacement shrubbery too! Good job!
Mike.
Now looks nice and fresh. And colorful.
Howard
Worked for me, Ann. Upgrade your viewer application.
Cheers,
Howard
I love the new land scape, great job guys. I have done this 2 times now. But I do have a question, what kind of bushes is that on the left side of the yard with the big blooms? Its not a hydrangea is it ? Thanks
I’m not Mike, but it’s a rhododendron. Blooms in May.
Hi Mike, your video on relandscaping your backyard is not working
It will work, it just takes time. I tried it. My yard looks great. Work on it a little at a time. The results will amaze you.
Ann – you may have to go back and forth a couple of times to this page to get it to click, it finally came on for me. I have Windows Vista home basic.
It’s funny, I just did this to a section of me house frount. Had old Azalia’s that only greened on top. Replaced the headge with a new flower bed.
I know taking out the bushes and the small trees had to be a hard job but you made it look fairly easy. You and your son did a fantastic Landscaping job. I like the colors of the flowers that you chose. Thank you for sharing your information.
I’ve been following you for about 8 yrs and I’m finally ready to start but I’m having a hard time finding the seedlings for the Japanese Red Maple that I have come to love. I have some seeds on the way and I know to put them in a zip bag for 120 days but if you could tell me where to find the seedlings. Also, are you selling the regular or the bonzi? Your awesome!
This all makes sense! Thanks…
hello, i have ordered seeds from the following site
seedrack.com there you can buy all sorts of exotic seeds. they are trustable and the seeds arrive from 4-5 days.
Thank you. Your honest approach makes me believe all things garden/plant/landscape/healing environment are possible. Been reading your emails for YEARs and am always so grateful for your down-home, real way of everything from making a batch of fudge to creating a lotta plants. You are a peach, Mike 🙂