The GardenOwl Audits
Deep-dive diagnostics, design critiques, and visual master plans to solve your toughest landscape challenges.
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Turning a 70s Guest House From ‘Utility Box’ to Welcoming Entry Court
How we used a wider walk, layered native planting, and a simple wood screen to turn a blank 70s guest house façade into real curb appeal.
That Annoying Gap Beside Your Step: How to Block It Properly (So It Never Washes Out Again)
Got an ugly gap beside a concrete step and garden bed? Here’s how to fill it with a solid edge that holds soil and stone, and actually looks built-in.
Shrunken Colonial Porch? How a Bigger Stoop and Better Beds Fix the Whole Front
This colonial had a tiny, pinched porch and boxy shrubs. See how a wider brick stoop and layered planting turned the entrance into a real front arrival.
Retaining Wall on a Steep Slope: Where You Can Dig (and What Will Break It)
New yard, big slope, and a block retaining wall? Here’s how to add paths and planting berms without overloading the wall or causing a failure.
Planting a Tall Hedge in a 2‑Foot Strip: What Actually Works in Los Angeles
Tight 2 ft bed next to a wall in LA? Here’s how to get a tall, full privacy hedge without wrecking your brick or ending up with sick, overgrown plants.
My Neighbor Butchered the Shared Hedge: What Happened and How Do I Fix This View?
Your lush privacy hedge is now three Dr. Seuss poles and a gap. Here’s why it happened, what your neighbor was thinking, and how to reclaim the view.