“Tell me more!” That was the response I received from a number of readers to a recent column in which I suggested some landscaping plants that you might not have considered. In that column, I discussed the merits of Pink Flowering Almond, Sourwood trees and colorful varieties of Althea. If you missed it, you can find it archived under the “Plant Man” heading at my Web site, www.landsteward.org Look for the column titled “Unusual plants add unique look to landscape.” So, for those of you who want a few more ideas that are off the beaten path, here are some suggestions to get your creative...

Here's a useful tip you should remember when you next plant trees, shrubs or other garden plants. It's something that professional landscapers always do, but the rest of us might overlook. You've unloaded all the plants you've just bought from the Lawn and Garden store and fetched the shovel from the basement. Before you dig into that first clod of soil, do what the pros do. Place each plant still in its container approximately in position. Lay all of them out, then stand back and take a minute or two to look over your layout. Are they too close together? Too far apart? Should this one swap...

You look out of your window and all you see is wide expanse of nothing but grass, but what you really want to see is a vista of attractive landscaping with colorful shrubs and trees. Or perhaps you’re looking at a tangle of brambles and ugly bushes that have gotten out of control and you’d love to create an easy-care outdoor oasis. Does this sound like you? If so, read on. As with any project, the biggest hurdle is getting started. And the biggest problem to that is knowing HOW to get started! Today, I hope to give you some inspiration to help you do just that: get started. It all begins with...

Can planting trees actually save you money? Not just you, but the entire United States according to a report that I read recently at a fascinating web site called Pioneer Thinking. According to the report prepared by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), urban America has 100 million potential tree spaces (i.e., spaces where trees could be planted). NAS further estimates that filling these spaces with trees and lightening the color of dark, urban surfaces would result in annual energy savings of 50 billion kilowatt-hours -- 25% of the 200 billion kilowatt-hours consumed every year by air...