Yard Ideas Blog

Create Your Own Small Pond This Weekend

Ponds and water gardens are great assets to the landscape and provide much interest for the homeowner. Small ponds are not expensive; you can purchase a pre-formed hard-plastic variety and dig a hole to fit its contours, or, a flexible pond liner that will lay down and follow the shape of the hole you’ve already dug.

Grow Up! Ideas For Climbing Plants

When you’re running out of space in your yard, or you need some height to create additional interest, grow up! There are numerous twisting, twining and climbing plants available—both annuals and perennials.

Make Room For Nature On Your Patio

A patio is a transitional space between your home and the great wilderness (AKA: your backyard). Unfortunately, many of these spaces languish as barren concrete deserts. It’s time to think about ways to bring in the green without sacrificing the utility of your patio.

Annuals: A Cure for Spring Fever

Before you go out on your annual spring trek to the garden center this season, be sure to make a list of the sites in your garden you want to brighten up by adding annuals. Without a plan, you may find yourself tempted by the many varieties offered, seemingly everywhere you go.

Rocking Your Yard With Stone

You may keep your favorite pet rock in a shoe box in the closet, but the rest of the mineral family has to make its own way in the cold, hard world outside. That’s OK. There are plenty of places in your yard where they can feel right at home.

Ornamental Grasses to the Rescue

Ornamental grasses are multi-task plants: they offer attractive foliage, flowers and seedpods; their beauty is heightened by sunlight and they dance with the wind; they require little maintenance; they provide almost year-round interest in the garden—and—they are problem solvers for less-than-ideal sites in the yard.

The Many Uses of Roses

Gertrude Stein famously wrote, “A rose is a rose is a rose.” You can't really argue with that, unless you want to split hairs. However, her implication seems to be that a rose is just a beautiful flower and that's all, end of story.

How To Grow Exotic Air Plants

All they need is the air they breathe, bright light—but no direct sun—and a bath two to three times a week. Do not add soil; they’ll just hang out wherever you plop them down and in whatever container you plop them in.

Is Your Landscaping Pet Approved?

Backyard landscaping isn’t just for the birds (and raccoons and squirrels). Pets need a safe place to frolic and have fun too. It’s good for their mental and physical well being – plus the more hair they shed outside the less ends up on your couch.

Don't Just Admire Your Flowers – Eat Them

You grow your flowers for their beauty, of course. But did you know that quite a few of them are edible? No, no, don't look at this column as if YardShare had gone nuts. Think about it.

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About Yard Ideas

Our landscaping blog is built around the real yards shared by our community. Each article takes a topic, from outdoor kitchens to garden design, and pairs practical advice with photos from homeowners and pros who've actually done the work.

You'll find ideas for projects of every scale: front yard curb appeal, backyard patios, fire pits, water features, container gardens, and more. Whether you're a weekend DIYer or planning a major landscape redesign, there's something here to get you started.

Browse all yards to see the full collection, or explore by feature, garden type, yard size, or climate zone.