How to use plants or trees for privacy Hi friends! I was going to name this post "What to do when you're neighbor is a big jerk" but Google says only 67 million people search for articles like that.  So I switched it up to how to use plants for privacy. Plus maybe being a little less bitchy about what a stranger does with his own property sounds like I take the high road. More then I actually do. I could have named it Best Laid plans but that might be too repetitive. My plan this week was to make a nice outdoor tablescape in the backyard.  With flowers and everything!  That is until last Monday when landscape crews started showing up at the (now closed for good) business that had an empty field across the street from me. They didn't have a landscape plan except to let a nice long row of trees grow which blocked my view of a major artery here in Indiana, and the noise. Below see a pic I found. I had to crop it a lot but you get the idea. Especially when I say that if......

Backyard Patio and Garden Tour Hi Garden friends! Where oh where do I start? I have been wanting to show you all the updates around the yard, but trying to keep it pristine, weed free and free of dog poo is a full time job. Apparently so is pooping, going by the amount I am cleaning up from Blitz. I think flies are literally coming in from England for this damn dog.  Also, I have a Weirdo Magnet Episode for ya. I know it's been awhile, I was shocked I went this long too but this one is a doozy. So y'all better be wearing waterproof mascara. I'll go over the yard first. Greg and I have been working on irrigation in all the flowerbeds, both front and back. Almost everything is on a timer now with the exception of my containers. I want to get the soaker hoses all dialed in before I add more. There's a limit on how far you can run soaker hose and I don't want to over burden it and then it not work. I still need to re-mulch a lot of areas because I have also been plant......

Lake County Indiana Master Garden walk - House 5 Hi garden friends! Well this is it, the last house on the Lake County Garden Tour. If you are a fan of the color red, you are going to love this home.  By this time it was around 12:30 and I was definitely feeling the heat. The backyard did look inviting with the impressive pool. In the gazebo was a pizza oven and sitting area. Which was being heavily occupied by people trying to escape the hot weather. I was debating on jumping into the pool and trying to make it look like an accident.  Logic won out and I didn't think anyone would buy that excuse. Across from the patio on the opposite side of the pool was a large fireplace that would be stunning to look at when eating dinner on cooler nights. The use of evergreens was wonderful. Even though the heat index was close to 100, I could imagine how pretty everything would look in December. The triple tier fountain was a crowd pleaser all planted up with annuals.  It's......