The GardenOwl Audits
Deep-dive diagnostics, design critiques, and visual master plans to solve your toughest landscape challenges.
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How to Remove a Small Backyard Stump (Without Wrecking Your Fence Corner)
That ugly stump in the fence corner can go. Here’s a realistic DIY vs. stump grinder breakdown, plus how to reclaim the space the right way.
Turning an Awkward Backyard Outhouse Into a Modern Garden Feature
Case study: how a brick outhouse in the middle of a lawn went from ugly eyesore to modern pavilion using slat screens, plants, paint, and smart layout.
That ‘Ugly’ 70s Brown Brick Isn’t the Problem (Your Trim Is)
A 1970s brown brick house looks dated and flat. Here’s how lighter trim, better contrast, and a simple front planting plan can modernize it without bagging.
Weeds in Your Gravel Walk: Why They Keep Coming Back and How to Fix It for Good
You’ve got a gravel strip along a concrete walk and porch post that was supposed to be low‑maintenance. Instead, grass and weeds have moved in and turned it into a patchy mess: half dead, half green, all ugly. You can still see some rock, but there’s a lot of bare soil showing and the edge where the gravel meets the concrete looks fuzzy and overgrown instead of clean and intentional.
Sewer Lines vs. Eucalyptus Roots: How to Protect Your Tree When You Have to Dig
You’ve got a mature eucalyptus in a desert yard and a contractor who wants to run a new sewer line about 7 feet from the trunk. You’re picturing a big open trench, half the roots severed, and your tree slowly keeling over in the summer heat.
How We Hid an Ugly Stormwater Drain and Gained a Usable Corner Patio
A homeowner recently asked: How to disguise this eyesore of a storm water drain? In this post we answer the question and show you how to hide an ugly stormwater drain and gain a usable corner patio.