The GardenOwl Audits
Deep-dive diagnostics, design critiques, and visual master plans to solve your toughest landscape challenges.
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Retaining Wall Bulging? Why That "Belly" Means It’s Time to Demo
Is your stone wall bowing out? Learn why a bulging retaining wall is a structural failure, how tree roots cause it, and why you must rebuild, not patch.
Fixing a Shady, Sloping Yard Without Creating a Swamp
Struggling with bare grass under trees and a muddy backyard slope? Learn how to turn a drainage problem into a beautiful shade garden with native plants.
Updating a Brick Facade: Why Your Front Door Needs to Be the 'Calm Anchor'
Updating a front door on a brick house? Learn why ornate glass dates your home and how to choose the right wood stain to brighten a recessed entry.
Adding a Front Porch to a Brick Ranch? Avoid the "Bowling Alley" Mistake
Planning a porch for a brick ranch? Learn why depth beats length, how to solve low eave heights with a reverse gable, and the right way to add stone veneer.
Planting Shade Trees Near Your House? Read This Before You Dig
Planting a shade tree to cool your home? Learn the safe distance for foundations, why Chinquapin Oaks work in Texas, and how to avoid the 'volcano' mulch mistake.
The "Height Trap": Why You Must Cut Your Cherry Laurel to Make It Grow
Trying to grow a dense Cherry Laurel hedge? Stop letting it grow wild. Learn why "tipping" the branches now creates the privacy screen you want later.