Just found your channel. Good stuff. What I would like to see is more of this, but have a bad design and good design for each concept. I think it would help alot of people. Maybe a drawing pad to circle the areas too. Good to have someone doing landscape design though.
Absolute gold! This comment is so amazing and I’m so grateful that you let me know somethings I can definitely implement into the channel. I promise you I will bring some of this continent in the next couple of weeks. Thank you again!❤️❤️❤️
I agree about the red mulch. It looks terrible but, with some color schemes I could see it looking alright. As for mistakes, I dug a whole for a fire pit, then found out on the next rain storm the area floods making it less than ideal. I also have trouble deciding where things should go in the backyard. Something about how to design a layout could be good.
I’m new to your channel and gardening. I really like your photo examples illustrating your points. If you can, more specific points on what to do. I like knowing you hate something (red mulch, blech) but it’s more important to me to know why something works, why you like it (eg arbor vitae create a lush rhythm, the stained wood is rich and provides a backdrop for the featured plants). I will keep watching and learning! Thank you. Your kids are darling BTW!! 😊
@Barbara Henn-Pander. I totally Laughed Out Loud! Good one. Less hate, more love, and get to the goods! Got it! I will be making some new content next week so I will make sure to drop in some of these videos for you over the next few weeks. Thank you for the comment!
Glad I found this channel. I just bought a house with over half an acre of flat dirt mixed with overgrowth and weeds. And I have no idea where to start. Earlier tonight I was thinking I would hedge the entire chainlink fence around the property with rose bushes and then I realized I might be having a nervous breakdown and came on UA-cam instead. Cheers!
I love that you find me! Hang tight and watch a few more videos and I promise you will start to get some ideas and start to formulate a plan. Thank you for the comment!
Thank you! I’m a waterproofing expert (heavy commercial). Moisture at the foundation is BIG TROUBLE! Thank you for your recommendation to get the water AWAY fr the house. Repairs are extremely expensive and will tear up the landscaping to address. I love the privacy fence comparison and may implement your “good” example. Lastly…. I HATE red mulch. Nothing natural looking about it. I use the brown mulch. It’s beautiful and looks like dark rich soil from the street and doesn’t compete with my Cordylines, Crotons, and Gold Mound plants (I’m in Florida). Thanks so much for your content! I ripped out my hideous plastic edging thanks to you… HUGE improvement 😎
@Lizzie B. Let's Go LIZZIE!!!! Plastic edging bye bye!!! Thank you for watching and sharing your knowledge about water. It's definitely an issue when not addressed! :)
@Mamamumma. Just wait until you see my fro! LOL! I'm going to be Bob for Halloween this year, I think. He's one of my idols! Thank you for the comment and watching!
You're exactly correct on all pictures. In fact, what bugs me the most is when people buy perennial plants and don't READ the tags. First, perennials cost more, so plant them right the first time. Second, plan out your design and take the time to choose plants for the amount of sunlight and water the plants need to grow properly according to your specific soil and yard. Look, we all make mistakes, but if it looks bad, then try again and fix it. And please STOP planting under your eves/windows, give the roots some room, and READ the tags.😊
I just found you and I'm loving your vids. I'll be watching everyone for your GREAT ideas. Thanks for sharing your talent and knowledge. Your kids are adorable.
Hi Bobby. I totally agree with you about red mulch. Actually, over the years I have purchased different types of mulch from box stores. They usually have all sorts of garbage mixed in it. I’ve come across nails, plastic, pieces of metal, rags, and even a dead rat once. I have red brick pavers. I like the black mulch as a contrast but can’t find a quality black mulch. Now I put in 100% natural cedar mulch. It costs a lot more but I like it better. Your videos are great. I only have a 60 x 100 property but we do what we can with it. My big problem now is a tree root lifting up the pavers on a side path.
I hear ya about the big box stores mulch. I think the best place to get mulch is from a local material supply store/nursery. Thank you for the comment!
Well if that isn’t a shot in the arm I don’t know what is! Thank you so much for the comment and I’m so pumped that you’re getting value out of the channel. Stay tuned as I’m switching it up and going to be showing lots of videos from design to the finished product. The channel is getting a facelift! ❤️❤️❤️
😂 totally purchased Japanese hollies the other day and husband wanted to line them up on driveway (not really for privacy screen) but I got a better idea with making it symmetrical and balanced after watching this videos and some before. It’s chef kisses 😘 now!! I decided to line up my narrow garden bed leading up to my door and flanking in front of my column posts without obstructing my view out into the hills - such nice flow! 😂 Thanks Bobby K- you’re making this DIY’er on a budgets’s landscaping look better! Also, would you happen to know what kind of creeping plants those are that are hanging over the retaining wall/garden bed?! 😍
Aw, I really like the "hodge podge" flagstone! 😆 But I'm all about overgrown ground cover, moss, wildflowers... guess it's good we're in the country! 😅
One of my mistakes is over planting my flower beds in the backyard and making them too crowded, but not planting enough in my front yard flower bed and it looks kinda bare and boring. Mostly because I spend WAY more time in my backyard than I do my front yard. But, I need to give my front yard some more attention because having good curb appeal really gives you that good feeling when you pull up in your driveway when you get home from work and see how nice everything looks. I had it looking good last year, but we had a tree cut down and it looks kinda plain out front now.
@Cody Gifford I 100% hear ya! I did the same thing at my house. Gave the backyard a huge renovation but left the front yard a little boring. This spring I ripped everything out of the front yard and redid it. Very satisfying and I highly recommend!
I'm not a fan of red mulch but have been using it because the cypress mulch was the only one I could find at my garden center that mentioned being termite safe. I live in the SE, and termites are no joke. Would love to know if there are other options/ how to choose a mulch. Thanks for the great videos!
@Melissa Cobos. Thank you so much for another comment!!! I love dark brown or black bark mulches BUT if termites are that bad sometimes decorative stone has a place in the design. May be worth exploring as there are lots of colorful stone options.
I've always used pine bark nugget mulch since it doesn't contain the cellulose that termites need to eat to survive. I don't know if it's as good as the red mulch you're using, but worth looking into. It is my understanding though, that it is the cool moist soil underneath the mulch that termites really like. So I don't know if the type of mulch really matters as much as keeping mulch away from the house. Treating the foundation with that termite repellent spray is what everyone in my area does. I forget what it's called, but any local pest control person would know.
Bobby these are great observations and you are on point. Have you ever had any clients who have been able to include projects like installing proper drainage systems or other cases where you have used your functional landscape design and creativity to replace older ris5u43w and/or been able to moitvate these types of projects where insurance kicked-in which lowered landscaping costs? Or, have you had clients who were able to leverage insurance to make repairs to real-property or home repairs and/or build out new fixtures or make other improvements e.g., home repairs where insurace covers costs to replace old sunrooms or fix issues causing wet basements or other real-property issues casused by flooding or water damage,, etc? If so, that may be a great video to explore how to achieve your functional landscaping design at a low cost.
Love your videos, great advise! Almost done building our home on 1.4 acres and there is just so many different ways to design our front and backyard it’s a little overwhelming!
Thank you and I can completely relate. I design for people all over the country (big and small yards) so if you’d like to talk about it, just reach out. bobby@bobbykdesigns.com
too late for you, but for anyone else about to build a house, it is a very good idea to design your garden and house at the same time, people are totally removed from nature these days, my house has two indoor ponds,we walk up the side of a waterfall to the bedroom, one wall is ''missing'' and the birds ,frogs ,lizards etc come and go as they please, also a 14 foot high fiddle leaf fig, a couple of tree ferns, there is an indoor feeder for the birds , and they also hunt for spiders around the rafters, you don't have to live in a boring box like everyone else...............
I don't like red mulch either. I just found your site and enjoyed those videos I've watched...will watch more. I say I have a yard and property. I have a hard 'yard' to landscape for several reasons. 1. Rock, we had to blast to put in our house and can't put a trowel in w/o hitting rock. 2. Deer, + other critters and we have 1200+ acres conservation land adjacent to our 5 acres. 3. Hill, our lot is 750' deep x 350' wide and about a 30-35% grade 4. Trees, it is 85-90% trees, oaks, hickory, maple, black walnut, elm, dogwood and cedars +; we took out only the necessary trees for building access and lots of less than 12" diameter cedars wherever they were. Our house is built in the upper 1/3 of the property but approximately 75' from the road. We have been forced/blessed, more or less, to use that 'blasted rock' for terraces, walkways, steps, defining areas, placements, etc. Created two dry/seasonal creeks to try and direct/control down hill water. We had to purchase top soil to fill terraces and raise the area to create space for grass and ease slopes. My 'yard' is an irregular 100' circumference around the house. I don't do much of anything to the lower 3.5(?) acres of woods except to try and keep invasive Asian honeysuckle at bay and a trail for my 4x4. Extremely little 'full' sun, mostly part and dappled. I live in the Midwest a zone 6A. I am VERY grateful....most of the time. But boy do I need your experience, knowledge and ideas!
I completely agree about the drain pipes from the house and I currently have my 91-year-old mom wanting me to fix her broken plastic drain pipe and I just wish she would invest in a good landscaper to fix the issue as she has the funding. So exhausting. And she loves red mulch. I hate it. Thank you for hating it. Lol.
My mistakes is I piece meal my DIY projects and by the time I'm ready to do the next part, the materials that I initially used to do the completed section are no longer available. I'll bet you anything that's what happened with the red mulch design. lol Thanks so much for your videos. Love them
Just discovered you and haven’t made it through all your videos yet but here is one thing I’d love to see more pointers on: how do you select the colors of pavers, gravel, boulders etc? I currently have an existing concrete patio, a recycled asphalt parking area, and some existing river rock, pea gravel, and decomposed granite areas. Color of house is warm gray (SW Peppercorn) and we are in Denver area. We paid for a master design and are doing DIY install.
Hey there! Welcome to the channel! Color comes down to a few things. 1) The color of your house 2) The concept/theme you were going for. 3) The materials you like (Belgard, Unilock, Techo-Block) Lots of things to consider. I’ll put this in the queue for a future video. Thank you for the feedback!🔥
Hi Bobby, Just found your videos popping up on my feed and I love the content. Clear and concise and great tips. My wife and I want to do a section in our backyard with dwarf carpet if stars and my wife likes the idea of bending board for the edge but now that I’ve seen some videos of yours haha I wonder what other ways we could approach it without too much money or issues with the dwarf carpet of stars impeding on other landscaping. Thanks for all of your great videos!
@Matt L Thank you so much for the comment and I’m so happy that you found me! I’m gonna have a lot more of these type videos coming out along with the design videos that are going to be super helpful and can be a template for you to use in your yard. Stay tuned and I hope to see you again in the comments!💪
@darlene sawyer Hey there! I know I have a super polarized view on certain things but what I definitely wanna share with you as I have made every single one of these mistakes myself and there’s nothing wrong with learning from them. Please continue to watch and throw some comments down there with any questions that you have and I’ll get back to you. It’s so fun to hear from you guys and I truly value what you have to say. Thank you again for watching and the comment and I look forward to hearing from you in the future!😃❤️👍🏼
We know where I live that a fence always needs a lot of spaces to allow the wind to pass thru. When I see new solid types of fencing or deck railings I wait with anticipation for the next big rain-wind event which happens several times a month to knock it over. I am never disappointed. People make big changes after about the 3rd time. heheehee I always wonder if they took that magazine they saw that fence & whipped it at the wall of the toolshed.
Trying to figure out if I should have a paver brick border between planted bed and lawn. Want to stop grass from spreading, be able to mow, and keep it tidy. I don't like those plastic or metal edges but mulch from the bed spreads too easily into lawn if there's no separation. Maybe just dig out the edge like my British friends do? But that's high maintenance. Just found your channel, good stuff.
@McHardyL I definitely think you can do your brick edging. One tip I would do is just make sure it doesn’t stick up too high. It’s really nice when you can take your lawn more over the brick while still cutting your grass. It separates the grass and the bed, looks great, and you can cut with ease with the lawnmower. Good luck!
@number pie. I think it looks good but I would only use it in small areas. It's expensive, isn't the easiest to clean out, and doesn't spread that far. The color is great and it's nice for kids play areas.
I am loving your videos with the tips and things to think about for us gardeners. I am starting to put flower beds in our backyard so your videos are useful! Thank you I appreciate your knowledge and experience! 🏆
My mistake was in trying to hide the view from my neighbors, I planted 5 camellia yuletide - which I think was 'good' and I planted them all together -- the problem is they were only 1-3 gallon plants so it will take YEARS to build privacy --- wheras I need to have a strategy where I get mature plants so I can have 'instant privacy'. I hate the red mulch too. I really liked what you shared about the PVC pipe for drainage -- our drainage issue is what got us thinking about how to transform our back yard. Awesome video Bobby!
Some useful information! I think one thing to be careful of is being too negative about other people's gardens. I know you're quite meticulous and you might want things a certain way (which can be good!), but imagine if somoene watched this video and saw a picture of their back yard that they posted on Facebook. It might make them feel bad about their garden. Anyways: some mistakes we made were to get rid of all the grass and just having all paving :D Wasn't my decision, it was my mother's as she didnt want to maintain it. Also, 20 years ago when we moved into our home we had several trees (I think 8 or 9). My dad got rid of them all and built a big brick wall using some weird engineering bricks. Its ugly. I dont own my own home because housing is too expensive in London and I will NEVER rent out and pay someone elses mortgage - but if I ever do get my own home then I would probably come back to your channel and take some tips :)
@Rabi Ahmad. I agree with you. I feel I was a bit harsh and in upcoming videos you will see that I have changed how I deliver the content to not offend. Well, at least the best I can. Thank you for the comment and watching!
Ha! Definitely more than the 10 comments you asked for! Anyways. My yard is a blank canvas. Tearing everything out to make a permaculture/ sustainable landscaping thing. Working with my cousin who’s a certified arborist looking to break into these kind of projects. Short version, need some zone 6 ideas and tips. Sharing your channel with my cousin so we can add your advice to our research. Thank you!
Nice! Thank you for watching! I’ve got some nice 3D design videos coming you’ll get lots of ideas from. Stay tuned. One is coming Monday. I’m in St. Louis, MO and so is the design I’m talking about. Zone 6!
Hey Bob. I just found your channel. Great stuff. Very entertaining and great ideas. We just moved to a new house last year that has great potential but the truth is that the work the previous owners did is bad. I'll be busy over the next few summers fixing stuff. Last summer I brought back to life the lawn. This summer I will be staining a deck and fence that was never stained over the last 10 years. Anyway. I like your videos. Thanks.
@Edward Cruz. Thank you so much for the comment and watching!! It's a journey my friend. We bought and remodeled our house (inside and out) over the last 5 years and I'm still doing stuff. You'll get there! Thank you for watching and I hope to see you in the comments again! :)
Hey Bobbi, great video. You’re insights are amazing. I find that contractors are all agreeable before you give them the job, then they show up and randomly do what they want, without even measuring. It drives me nuts, and it’s expensive because stuff needs altering afterwards, which can cost a lot of $. It makes me frightened to have anyone else to the house now, and quite a bit more needs doing. 😯 Any tips on that?
Lady!!! Great to hear from you. How to hire a great contractor can be tricky. Don’t just check references, go look at their actual projects without them there. Schedule a time with their past client to go see the work and ask the client in person how they handled the job.👍🏼💰💰💰👍🏼
Ever so often UA-cam's Algo gets it right. Now I'm waiter rest of your videos. Trying to incorporate more indigenous and evergreen in my garden. Texas summer's are not a joke, for messing around with maintenance in the heat.
Hello! First time watching. We purchased a home about 4 1/2 years ago with a blank slate yard. It’s overwhelming, but I’ve researched and watched lots of videos! We have 1.25 acres, with approximately 1/3 woodlands. We have added many smaller trees, shrubs, a shed, and a large fenced in garden. Now I am connecting some of those trees and shrubs with beds for less mowing. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Sounds like lots of cool opportunities to make the place AWESOME! Happy to talk details with you about our design process and how we can help make this so much easier for ya. Shoot me an email at bobby@bobbykdesigns.com 👍🏼
Great advice! I was planning to buy six sky pencil holly on Monday but your comments on them made me rethink. Neighbor built a house above mine and I lost all privacy so I need something fast. Planning on arborvitae where I have room but I’ve got 20-30 feet long stretch at the top of my property where I’ve only got 2-3’ wide space to fit a 12-15’ tall trees. Sky pencil is about the only thing I can find that’ll fit that space. Thoughts?
@Mark S. Hey there! Thank you for the comment! YES. Try Green Giant Arborvitae bushes. They are beautiful, fast growing, and will provide that height you are looking for faster than anything out there! :)
Thank you for your great comments and ideas. Have a couple of mistakes to fix. ;-) With our area constantly in some level of drought we collect water for our gardens. How would you suggest doing this without the UGLY water catchment barrels? This is really needed on the SW side of our house as there is no other accessible water? Need the trees so the house stays protected.
I bought a house in December and have been waiting for Spring to plant. I was planning to put in a River bed from the front downspout that makes the small front yard a swamp- I’ll make sure to get some big boulders to balance it out 😊👍 thanks!
Hi Mary! I’m so glad! My companies are in St. Louis, MO but I design for people all over the country/world. If you’re interested, there is a link to my website in the description.👍🏼
Watching from NZ. Enjoyed the content and your commentary. I don't mind the chalkboard for kids... Its only for a short time. ... Anything that gets them outside is good with me
@Andrea Chadfield. Hey NZ!!! On my "bucket list". It's funny because I came around on the chalk board. Check out my latest video "Parents...this video is for you" where I share some really clever ideas with a chalk board in the backyard.
We have a new pool and need to landscape around the perimeter of the travertine pool deck. Mulch vs river rock? What are your thoughts? Concerned about mulch ending up in the pool but river rock seems odd with travertine. Would love your opinion. Thanks.
@Michelle Bollinger. I would go with rock around the pool if you are afraid of the wind brining it into the water. That's not fun to constantly deal with. However, if the weather is pretty mild I like mulch better. It's softer, comes in beautiful colors, and IMO looks better.
I have a deck made from a product called trex (a plastic composite) It was here when we bought the house in 2012. My question is how can we revive it? It's faded and stained black in places. Can it be painted? What paint should we use that it won't flake off?
I'm watching...I have a red slab patio in my back yard at my new house...the owners put this rather large area in and thats it...it looks so unfinished..I want to fix it but im not sure how. It would be a great area for furniture, I want to use a sail shade over it. Ideas??
@MichNative01 Sight unseen I would guess that the red slab Has to go. I would recommend starting from scratch and putting in a beautiful paver patio with some awesome LANDSCAPING creating the space that you deserve! Life is short so I say go for it! Stay tuned as I got some cool videos coming up that break down lots of designs and may be of some use to you.💪❤️👍🏼
Hate red mulch too. Any advice for trying to visualize when the existing yard you want to change is super busy. So when there are so many things happening you can’t focus on what you can do to change it.
Question we have a back yard with one side sloping 6 ft into a culvert. We were thinking about a hedge walls verse fence? Ideas. Also the down spout what side pvc do you get and how far from the house. We are thinking as t least the culvert side we could have drain come out on the slope?
Just found your content, love it! We are building a house right now and I’m starting to plan out the foundation gardens. Can’t wait to dig in to more of your videos for inspiration!
Will be pushing out our backyard fence so we'll have a lot more room in our yard and we're trying to figure out how to landscape it definitely want native plants as well
@Sharon Beatty. It sounds like you and I are on the exact same page! I'm actually going to be showing something very similar to what you are describing in the next couple of weeks where I take my front yard and pull off this exact concept! Thank you for watching and stay tuned! I'd love to hear your comment on that and future videos. :)
Do you have any videos about terraced and/or xeriscaped landscaping that’s NOT all rocks and cacti? The house we just bought has a terraced yard (read: 20% lawn, then brick retaining wall and the rest is rock and clay soil with nothing done to it). We live in Colorado and I want to landscape responsibly but I want something that looks lush without using a lot of water. Any thoughts?
@Lauren Fuerst. Hey there! Thank you for watching and the comment. I don't have anything with this combination BUT I can absolutely help you with this! If you're interested in working together to create the yard you envision, then check out my website where you can sign up for a 3D design. www.bobbykdesigns.com
Fantastic video! I love that you hit so many of the design components that I’ll be working on in our new homes garden. We purchased a new home last fall, so we start off by installing new patio, But it’s very squared often very boring and I want to add some flowerbeds mulch beds things like that. Would you consider if I sent you a few pictures in my backyard would you be willing to use them as an example of what you should do and what you shouldn’t do?
@Nick. Thank you so much for the comment and how exciting to get going on your own place!!! Most of the designs on this channel are from UA-cam subscribers who signed up for a design on the website. You can sign up for a design and it's definitely possible that I will feature it in a UA-cam video!!! www.bobbykdesigns.com
Nice content, I am similar to you....have been a landscaper for 10 years now studying landscape architecture and going down the design route. I enjoy your videos
@Sushi Samurai. Sweet!!! It's a great transition! Field work is GRUELING on the body so General Contracting/Designing is pretty AWESOME! You'll love it! Thank you for watching and the comment!
Thanks for the videos. As far as the yard in the one above with the red mulch: They clearly put a lot of hard work in and the color does detract from the overall visual. I thought the other end of the patio would feel better on the eye if it were rounded at the left corner that meats the plantings as well. We have a 1900's house in New England that comes with so many issues (with older landscape and retaining walls), I mean opportunities for learning, that are tripping me up. I'm new to your feed and hope to find some videos on dealing with old landscape redesign. So far- Good stuff- keep it up!
@Tonya del Castillo. I should have some coming up that help with some more traditional landscaping. Thank you so much for the comment and I look forward to seeing you in the future comments!!!
Love your videos!!!! Just bought a new home and have awful yard. Back yard we will need to re-grade next year as surrounding yard pool in ours. But in the mean time, trying to not do anything that loots like doo doo 💩 Do you have a video about fence lighting. How far to distance, do you centre between posts or on them, how much is too much/busy?
@Michelle Angela O’Driscoll Hi Michelle! Thank you so much for the comment! As far as lighting along the fence, I usually like to focus on hitting the bigger plants which would be your trees or some type of focal point, and then hitting the dead spaces in between the post. You don’t want to hit every single panel between the post but you do want it to be well it to the point where it doesn’t look like there’s any dead areas. Thank you and I’ll see you again in the comments!❤️
@@BobbyKDesigns oMG thank you for replying! Haha. I have no trees along fence, I was thinking of trying to break that wall up with the lights! I would of put them every section, won’t now :)
@@michelleangelaodriscoll3060 all good. I would start with lights every couple of panels and if you decide that you want to put more and you always can. Get 12/2 wire, LOW VOLT LED landscape lights, and a transformer. If you need to splice the 12/2 wire make sure you get outdoor electrical wire nuts. They are blue.
We solved a problem by converting a play structure into a garden shed. Our mistake was to “hide” the door by putting it in the back of the shed/not facing the house. That put the door on the south side of the shed, where the desert sun just destroys the door and wood trim. Doors on the north, facing the house for the win from now on!
great tips! i can't stand red mulch either and just bought a house with every garden bed full of red mulch 😬 can't wait to get rid of it!! What's a better alternative?
I’m in Wi, still planning on my landscaping game, I’m afraid to make anything permanent and not like it, I have a side yard with mature trees and nothing can grow under the canopy, what can I do to make that area more interesting?
@PaHoua Lo. I would say start with a design before you start spending $ and planting. See "into the future" by letting the design show you what the finished product will look like. This will make you feel much more comfortable and ready to start. If you're interested, the link to my website is in the description. Thank you for watching and the comment!
Absolutely hate red mulch. Tacky! Love how you coordinate colors, and up the look and appeal. New Englanders have so much brick on walkways. Tradition here, but newer designs are more appealing. Thank you.
You’re sweet! I seriously feel bad. If you want to use red mulch you go for it! Variety is the spice of life! Lol. I just have fun with these videos. Thank you for watching!❤️❤️❤️
Recently came across your channel so I don’t know if you even get notifications of messages but wanted to let you know I’m watching! My issue with my landscape is that our family lives in a pine forest. The variety of potential growing areas is very wide as we get some sun in select areas (filtered morning light, some afternoon sun in other areas), shady spots by the tree line and behind the house’s shadow, rock wall, lakeside, etc. I am the only one “working” on our landscape. I’m only planting the immediate areas closer to the house but with the manpower of a tiny female, it takes a long time to get projects done and I don’t have tens of thousands of dollars to have a contractor transform it all to my vision. Thoughts, suggestions? Turn my yard into an experimental project from afar (I’m located in MA)?
@Cynthia KJ. Thank you so much for letting me know you're watching!!! Unless someone comments, I don't know. Your yard sounds interesting! I do offer consultations on top of the actual designs. That may be of interest to you? www.bobbykdesigns.com. under "get started"
What size PVC pipe should it be for drainage? Since our yard is flat, taking the pipe out 10' or so would only create a huge pond in the back yard! Love your enthusiasm!
Biggest mistake I ever made? Never let the Daikon radish go to seed....ever. I don't even know why the damn thing is sold honestly its a cal-ipc listed invasive plant. YOU WILL SPEND HOURS PULLING THE SEEDLINGS! Another mistake I have seen that ended up being very costly is people planting geophyte vines. Star Jasmine for example can end up getting through structures, underneath roofs, and into attics. Smells great but definitely not a fun plant to maintain. English Ivy is always horrible. Don't care what others say, that plant was nature's mistake.
We've done our backyard 3 times over. Now we're going for the gold. Built a beautiful deck and dug out the little patch of grass we had and will start landscaping this patch that runs up against the deck. We have a statue fountain I'd like to incorporate into the design. Your video's are very helpful by the way.
Hi ! I have a question , in my backyard one side has wood fence and the rest of the neighbors have small fencing so it looks off , how can I make it look nice? Also i have a large bed in the back . I been putting perennials but , iam in the point were I don't know how to fix it.. have lots going on but if i add more looks more busy if I take stuff out looks empty 😕
@Yaneth Sanchez. I think that this comes down to the landscaping to hide those unsightly areas and give your yard a cohesive feel. If you're interested, I could put together a point perspective design for you that would more than likely do the trick. A game plan is always a good idea before you start spending $ on landscaping. www.bobbykdesigns.com under "get started". Keep watching videos as I'll have lots of content to look through but to find the exact solution for your yard a design is probably the way to go. Thank you for watching!
My landscaper when he cuts my backyard all the grass goes into my garden and all I have is a lot of grass weeds my question for you would it be better if I took all the grass out of my backyard and make it a full garden?
great video - new sub here! I have a bank that quickly falls to my driveway and originally had a ditch with rip-rap rocks put in to help with drainage. I used to mulch the bank but Overtime the mulch would fall into the rocks and stop all water flow. What would you recommend as a better drainage solution and what should I do with the bank? Thanks for your videos they are so helpful.
@Funk Skunk. Thank you so much for subscribing! I really like the look of a dry creek bed. It breaks up beds, is a functional way to retain soil and allow water to run through, and are pretty easy to install. This may be a solution for you. Also, the combination of boulders to retain larger areas and add interest to the dry creek is a must. :)
Can you do a video of how to bury downspouts effectively/cheaply? I don't have the time or money to dig trenches super far. Wondering how that pop-up valve works, etc. Thanks! (new subscriber).
Hello. Thank you for subscribing. Bury your downspouts in PVC. I’d say at least 10 feet away from the house. I don’t typically do videos on installation but I will make sure to incorporate some really solid tips and upcoming videos that talk in more detail about drainage and where to get those kinds of products. Thank you for watching!
I have a yard that is 50+ years old. I have just moved in as Covid hit. I need help getting rid of overgrown foundation planting. The hard scape is hard to figure out. I have a raised deck in the back that was built 20+ years ago and I am not sure how to make it look like is part of the yard. I would love if you could point me to your videos that could help with this. Love the channel I just discovered your videos. You do a great job!
@shirley Rule Thank you so much for the comment! I have quite a few videos where we took out an old deck, old patio, or something that is unsightly and created a new space. One that comes to mind is "How to landscape design a backyard by removing a nasty deck". Hopefully this video helps and gives you some ideas. Thank you for watching and make sure you subscribe as I have quite a few really cool project videos coming some of which have old decks.
Absolutely!!! I design all over the country. I’d love to hear about your project! You can sign up for a consultation here: www.bobbykdesigns.com Go under “contact” and there is a link to my calendar.👍🏼
Great video, so glad i subbed! I just have to add that on that last example those super wavy bed lines make me dizzy. Lol i see that a lot... super wavy bedlines that don't make sense in the overall design. Don't get me wrong, I love a good curve, but sometimes too much is distracting.
@Tricia I’m so excited to have you as a subscriber!!! One of my guiding design principles is K.I.S.S. (keep it simple st*pid) I think that you have a very good point and sometimes needs can be way over done!!! Thank you so much for subscribing, watching, and the COMMENT!!! Please keep them coming as I love hearing comments. It heroes guide me so that I continue to put out content you all like. Cheers! ❤️❤️❤️🤜🏻
@Raquel Sepulveda. Then I have failed you. Sigh. I absolutely want to encourage you to take some things on in your yard. I know I have a polarized view on some things but it is meant to educate and as a guide. I will try to be more encouraging on the next video. Thank you for watching and stay tuned as some upcoming videos are going to be of tremendous value to you and I would love to get your feedback in the comments. Take care and talk to you soon!
@Roxanne Sides. Well, you are in luck!!! Tomorrow's video is PERFECT! It showcases a sunny/shady yard that also needs to be DEER RESISTANT. Quite a challenge. I think you will definitely find some value there. Thank you for watching and I appreciate the comment.
I thought about building a wooden wall like that one you showed for privacy but use if to hide the cinder block walls around my yard. The problem is the intense SW Utah heat that stays above 100* from June to Sept, single digit humidity, frequent 20+ MPH winds, and severe UV levels that destroys wood. I've bought new plants that did fine, until the first high temps/humidity/wind and within hours literally looked cooked.
Great videos! I dug out a garden bed to realise that my 2 neighbours' concrete driveways/sheds drain RIGHT into that spot (Scotland rain! Lol) 😅. Drainage and figuring out a way to shelter my garden from insane winds while keeping as much sunlight as possible are driving me crazy. Do you have any tips on diffusing strong winds in a large garden?
@Andrea K that’s a good one! I may have to make a segment in a video for that. Short answer, some strategic landscaping to cut down the wind is a possibility. Privacy fencing can also be a solution…I have many other ideas. I’ll get that in the video queue.
Hi this video was very helpful. I just found your videos and love them. I been watching one after the next. I've got a great topic that I hope you feel its great enough to do a vid on. First off, I live in the high desert in Littlerock California. We get all the seasons and we get alot of high wind. 2nd I got 1 acre of land thats completely FLAT. and its dirt everywhere. I'm a DYI person but I like to hire out if I know its gonna look like crap..I'm a stickler for professionalism..I want my house to look amazing despite the majority of people in Littlerock seem to like this sandy dirt. They don't do anything with their acreage. Anyways I'd like you to address on how would you use landscaping to make a flat land have some beauty..I want a ranchy/ country style blend if that makes sense.
Hello. I’m so glad you are enjoying the channel and thank you for the great ideas! I’ll have some videos coming out late fall and some for sure in the spring that touch base on lots of these types of California yards. Thank you again for watching and stay tuned!👍🏼
Love your videos! I feel like I'm about to make a ton of mistakes lol! as we have just moved into a fixer upper and the back yard is one disaster after another. Ex, the gate opens to a view of ugliness under the deck. The deck is too low to walk under comfortably, but too high (4 feet to 6 feet) with windows to the basement and garage that we do not want to obstruct. Any ideas? thanks
@Pam S. Thank you for watching,. Many times when a door is too high from the ground and you don't want a bunch of stairs this is a perfect opportunity to have a multi-level outdoor living space. You would have a few steps that come down to an upper level patio or deck AND then another few stairs to step down to the lower level deck or patio. *Depends on what materials you select The point is, you can split the difference and create interest so you don't have to go down 10 steps to get the grade. I hope this helps. :)
I just hired a landscape designer for my backyard and am super excited to see what they come up with! I gave them the added challenge of using Florida-native plants and not the boring nonsense you see at Home Depot.
Definitely a great move! A designer will save you so much time and money in the long run! Plus, the headaches are minimal. Thank you for watching and commenting!💥
We're hoping to update our house with a localscape more fitting to our intermountain region fauna and water-consumption (especially since we're heading into another year of drought). The Localscapes group (FB) recommends that when you put mulch down, you don't walk on it so you don't create places for weeds to grow and to instead use pavers of some kind. I think I want to use flagstone pavers in the areas we either currently have mulch or will put mulch but that we walk on (like around our fruit trees), but now I worry if I will install them wrong. I also wonder about mulch colors (and honestly that part is embarrassing since my bachelor degree is in interior design). Is there any mulch color that goes well with the existing grey concrete-paved areas we have in our yard that the previous owners put in?
@MrsTips. Thank you so much for watching!! A few things to consider when selecting mulch 1) Color of Home 2) Color of Hardscaping For Grays I like Black or really dark brown mulch For Earth tone homes I like a really dark brown mulch OR brown OR light brown Thank you for watching and I look forward to seeing you comment in future videos!
@@BobbyKDesigns Phew! We've got a white house and we've been going with the dark brown mulch, but maybe we'll consider using black mulch in the future since that would go well.
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Just found your channel. Good stuff. What I would like to see is more of this, but have a bad design and good design for each concept. I think it would help alot of people. Maybe a drawing pad to circle the areas too. Good to have someone doing landscape design though.
Absolute gold! This comment is so amazing and I’m so grateful that you let me know somethings I can definitely implement into the channel. I promise you I will bring some of this continent in the next couple of weeks. Thank you again!❤️❤️❤️
I agree about the red mulch. It looks terrible but, with some color schemes I could see it looking alright. As for mistakes, I dug a whole for a fire pit, then found out on the next rain storm the area floods making it less than ideal. I also have trouble deciding where things should go in the backyard. Something about how to design a layout could be good.
Thank you so much for watching and the comment!
I’m new to your channel and gardening. I really like your photo examples illustrating your points. If you can, more specific points on what to do. I like knowing you hate something (red mulch, blech) but it’s more important to me to know why something works, why you like it (eg arbor vitae create a lush rhythm, the stained wood is rich and provides a backdrop for the featured plants). I will keep watching and learning! Thank you. Your kids are darling BTW!! 😊
@Barbara Henn-Pander. I totally Laughed Out Loud! Good one. Less hate, more love, and get to the goods! Got it! I will be making some new content next week so I will make sure to drop in some of these videos for you over the next few weeks. Thank you for the comment!
Hey Bobby I am watching 👀 . Burying your downspouts makes a world of difference. Thanks for the info.
It truly does! Thank you for watching!
Thanks for the great videos, just found you tonight and already 6-7 videos deep into my binge!
Heck YES! So excited to have you part of the community!!! If I may ask...where are you from and what’s the biggest tip you’ve learned so far? 🔥❤️🔥
Glad I found this channel. I just bought a house with over half an acre of flat dirt mixed with overgrowth and weeds. And I have no idea where to start. Earlier tonight I was thinking I would hedge the entire chainlink fence around the property with rose bushes and then I realized I might be having a nervous breakdown and came on UA-cam instead. Cheers!
I love that you find me! Hang tight and watch a few more videos and I promise you will start to get some ideas and start to formulate a plan. Thank you for the comment!
Thank you! I’m a waterproofing expert (heavy commercial). Moisture at the foundation is BIG TROUBLE! Thank you for your recommendation to get the water AWAY fr the house. Repairs are extremely expensive and will tear up the landscaping to address. I love the privacy fence comparison and may implement your “good” example. Lastly…. I HATE red mulch. Nothing natural looking about it. I use the brown mulch. It’s beautiful and looks like dark rich soil from the street and doesn’t compete with my Cordylines, Crotons, and Gold Mound plants (I’m in Florida). Thanks so much for your content! I ripped out my hideous plastic edging thanks to you… HUGE improvement 😎
@Lizzie B. Let's Go LIZZIE!!!! Plastic edging bye bye!!! Thank you for watching and sharing your knowledge about water. It's definitely an issue when not addressed! :)
Can anyone else appreciate the BOB ROSS mug he has in the background?! 😂 Classy 😎
@Mamamumma. Just wait until you see my fro! LOL! I'm going to be Bob for Halloween this year, I think. He's one of my idols! Thank you for the comment and watching!
@mamamumma1041 grew up watching Bob on the networks on weekend. He was amazing
Hello from Ontario Canada! This video came up on my feed & I watched it. I liked it & have subscribed.
@C Mur. Thank you so much!!! So excited to have you in the community!
You're exactly correct on all pictures. In fact, what bugs me the most is when people buy perennial plants and don't READ the tags. First, perennials cost more, so plant them right the first time. Second, plan out your design and take the time to choose plants for the amount of sunlight and water the plants need to grow properly according to your specific soil and yard. Look, we all make mistakes, but if it looks bad, then try again and fix it. And please STOP planting under your eves/windows, give the roots some room, and READ the tags.😊
I just found you and I'm loving your vids. I'll be watching everyone for your GREAT ideas. Thanks for sharing your talent and knowledge. Your kids are adorable.
Thank you so much! That’s very sweet! Best thing ever...I love being a daddy!❤️
I'm laughing because I have the downspout with the plate because it came with the house 8 years ago, lol! Thanks for raising awareness.
@Joe Pizzo. All good Joe! That's how we learn.
Thanks for your videos - bought an old neglected house last year, looking at landscaping ideas now. Appreciate your forthright advice!
@Axelboot. Let's Go Axel! A little at a time and all of a sudden...BOOM! This place is AWESOME! You'll get there. Thank you for the comment!
Hi Bobby. I totally agree with you about red mulch. Actually, over the years I have purchased different types of mulch from box stores. They usually have all sorts of garbage mixed in it. I’ve come across nails, plastic, pieces of metal, rags, and even a dead rat once. I have red brick pavers. I like the black mulch as a contrast but can’t find a quality black mulch. Now I put in 100% natural cedar mulch. It costs a lot more but I like it better. Your videos are great. I only have a 60 x 100 property but we do what we can with it. My big problem now is a tree root lifting up the pavers on a side path.
I hear ya about the big box stores mulch. I think the best place to get mulch is from a local material supply store/nursery. Thank you for the comment!
This is great. Very helpful Bobby!
Thank you so much!!!❤️❤️
After one video I knew I had to subscribe. I see many videos that can help me. Bought a,115 year old home with terrible landscaping 😊Thank You
Well if that isn’t a shot in the arm I don’t know what is! Thank you so much for the comment and I’m so pumped that you’re getting value out of the channel. Stay tuned as I’m switching it up and going to be showing lots of videos from design to the finished product. The channel is getting a facelift! ❤️❤️❤️
😂 totally purchased Japanese hollies the other day and husband wanted to line them up on driveway (not really for privacy screen) but I got a better idea with making it symmetrical and balanced after watching this videos and some before. It’s chef kisses 😘 now!! I decided to line up my narrow garden bed leading up to my door and flanking in front of my column posts without obstructing my view out into the hills - such nice flow! 😂 Thanks Bobby K- you’re making this DIY’er on a budgets’s landscaping look better!
Also, would you happen to know what kind of creeping plants those are that are hanging over the retaining wall/garden bed?! 😍
I think it looks like creeping jenny. Maybe wrong, but creeping jennybis usually lime green and gold in winter.
Thanks for the tips! Love these videos! Keep em coming please
You bet! I’m so glad you commented!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Aw, I really like the "hodge podge" flagstone! 😆 But I'm all about overgrown ground cover, moss, wildflowers... guess it's good we're in the country! 😅
I hear ya! That native/wild look is pretty cool. Just depends on what you like. Thank you for watching.
Great Videos. Thanks for the ideas.
@Brian Powell Thank you for the comment!
One of my mistakes is over planting my flower beds in the backyard and making them too crowded, but not planting enough in my front yard flower bed and it looks kinda bare and boring. Mostly because I spend WAY more time in my backyard than I do my front yard. But, I need to give my front yard some more attention because having good curb appeal really gives you that good feeling when you pull up in your driveway when you get home from work and see how nice everything looks. I had it looking good last year, but we had a tree cut down and it looks kinda plain out front now.
@Cody Gifford I 100% hear ya! I did the same thing at my house. Gave the backyard a huge renovation but left the front yard a little boring. This spring I ripped everything out of the front yard and redid it. Very satisfying and I highly recommend!
I'm not a fan of red mulch but have been using it because the cypress mulch was the only one I could find at my garden center that mentioned being termite safe. I live in the SE, and termites are no joke. Would love to know if there are other options/ how to choose a mulch. Thanks for the great videos!
@Melissa Cobos. Thank you so much for another comment!!! I love dark brown or black bark mulches BUT if termites are that bad sometimes decorative stone has a place in the design. May be worth exploring as there are lots of colorful stone options.
I've always used pine bark nugget mulch since it doesn't contain the cellulose that termites need to eat to survive. I don't know if it's as good as the red mulch you're using, but worth looking into. It is my understanding though, that it is the cool moist soil underneath the mulch that termites really like. So I don't know if the type of mulch really matters as much as keeping mulch away from the house. Treating the foundation with that termite repellent spray is what everyone in my area does. I forget what it's called, but any local pest control person would know.
Bobby these are great observations and you are on point. Have you ever had any clients who have been able to include projects like installing proper drainage systems or other cases where you have used your functional landscape design and creativity to replace older ris5u43w and/or been able to moitvate these types of projects where insurance kicked-in which lowered landscaping costs? Or, have you had clients who were able to leverage insurance to make repairs to real-property or home repairs and/or build out new fixtures or make other improvements e.g., home repairs where insurace covers costs to replace old sunrooms or fix issues causing wet basements or other real-property issues casused by flooding or water damage,, etc? If so, that may be a great video to explore how to achieve your functional landscaping design at a low cost.
@@kevinmcgee2280 I’ve had clients use insurance claims and refinancing their homes to open cash flow.
Love your videos, great advise! Almost done building our home on 1.4 acres and there is just so many different ways to design our front and backyard it’s a little overwhelming!
Thank you and I can completely relate. I design for people all over the country (big and small yards) so if you’d like to talk about it, just reach out. bobby@bobbykdesigns.com
too late for you, but for anyone else about to build a house, it is a very good idea to design your garden and house at the same time, people are totally removed from nature these days, my house has two indoor ponds,we walk up the side of a waterfall to the bedroom, one wall is ''missing'' and the birds ,frogs ,lizards etc come and go as they please, also a 14 foot high fiddle leaf fig, a couple of tree ferns, there is an indoor feeder for the birds , and they also hunt for spiders around the rafters, you don't have to live in a boring box like everyone else...............
@@michaeljoncour4903 whoa! Do you have pictures of this online anywhere??
I like the rustic flagstone look. But I love your videos and thank you for the channel!
@Stevie DuFresne thank you Stevie!! Always nice to read a positive comment!👌
I don't like red mulch either. I just found your site and enjoyed those videos I've watched...will watch more. I say I have a yard and property. I have a hard 'yard' to landscape for several reasons. 1. Rock, we had to blast to put in our house and can't put a trowel in w/o hitting rock. 2. Deer, + other critters and we have 1200+ acres conservation land adjacent to our 5 acres. 3. Hill, our lot is 750' deep x 350' wide and about a 30-35% grade 4. Trees, it is 85-90% trees, oaks, hickory, maple, black walnut, elm, dogwood and cedars +; we took out only the necessary trees for building access and lots of less than 12" diameter cedars wherever they were. Our house is built in the upper 1/3 of the property but approximately 75' from the road. We have been forced/blessed, more or less, to use that 'blasted rock' for terraces, walkways, steps, defining areas, placements, etc. Created two dry/seasonal creeks to try and direct/control down hill water. We had to purchase top soil to fill terraces and raise the area to create space for grass and ease slopes. My 'yard' is an irregular 100' circumference around the house. I don't do much of anything to the lower 3.5(?) acres of woods except to try and keep invasive Asian honeysuckle at bay and a trail for my 4x4. Extremely little 'full' sun, mostly part and dappled. I live in the Midwest a zone 6A. I am VERY grateful....most of the time. But boy do I need your experience, knowledge and ideas!
I will continue to do my best to help you with some great tips to come! Thank you for watching!
I completely agree about the drain pipes from the house and I currently have my 91-year-old mom wanting me to fix her broken plastic drain pipe and I just wish she would invest in a good landscaper to fix the issue as she has the funding. So exhausting. And she loves red mulch. I hate it. Thank you for hating it. Lol.
great video BobbyK - very inspiring!
@Daniel Parrott. Thank you Daniel!!!
Just found you- in the nick of time. Just bought a new home and hoping to apply your tips. Thank you for these.
@ralph8884. That's so great! Congrats on the house!! See you in the comments in future videos!
My mistakes is I piece meal my DIY projects and by the time I'm ready to do the next part, the materials that I initially used to do the completed section are no longer available. I'll bet you anything that's what happened with the red mulch design. lol Thanks so much for your videos. Love them
lol! That’s a good one. Thank you for watching. I don’t hate red mulch that much…we’ll, maybe I do. 🙃
This is so relatable! I have a guerilla gardening style 😂
Just discovered you and haven’t made it through all your videos yet but here is one thing I’d love to see more pointers on: how do you select the colors of pavers, gravel, boulders etc? I currently have an existing concrete patio, a recycled asphalt parking area, and some existing river rock, pea gravel, and decomposed granite areas. Color of house is warm gray (SW Peppercorn) and we are in Denver area. We paid for a master design and are doing DIY install.
Hey there! Welcome to the channel! Color comes down to a few things. 1) The color of your house 2) The concept/theme you were going for. 3) The materials you like (Belgard, Unilock, Techo-Block)
Lots of things to consider. I’ll put this in the queue for a future video. Thank you for the feedback!🔥
Hi Bobby, Just found your videos popping up on my feed and I love the content. Clear and concise and great tips. My wife and I want to do a section in our backyard with dwarf carpet if stars and my wife likes the idea of bending board for the edge but now that I’ve seen some videos of yours haha I wonder what other ways we could approach it without too much money or issues with the dwarf carpet of stars impeding on other landscaping. Thanks for all of your great videos!
@Matt L Thank you so much for the comment and I’m so happy that you found me! I’m gonna have a lot more of these type videos coming out along with the design videos that are going to be super helpful and can be a template for you to use in your yard. Stay tuned and I hope to see you again in the comments!💪
Lmao.. i am guilty of everyone of your don'ts. I need help so i will keep watching. 🤣
@darlene sawyer Hey there! I know I have a super polarized view on certain things but what I definitely wanna share with you as I have made every single one of these mistakes myself and there’s nothing wrong with learning from them. Please continue to watch and throw some comments down there with any questions that you have and I’ll get back to you. It’s so fun to hear from you guys and I truly value what you have to say. Thank you again for watching and the comment and I look forward to hearing from you in the future!😃❤️👍🏼
We know where I live that a fence always needs a lot of spaces to allow the wind to pass thru. When I see new solid types of fencing or deck railings I wait with anticipation for the next big rain-wind event which happens several times a month to knock it over. I am never disappointed. People make big changes after about the 3rd time. heheehee I always wonder if they took that magazine they saw that fence & whipped it at the wall of the toolshed.
Love you input I'm currently working on redoing my front yard and I'm totally lost and been watching your videos for some info thanks
Let’s go Andrew! I’m pumped for you my friend. Hopefully you gather up some great ideas and create a masterpiece!
Trying to figure out if I should have a paver brick border between planted bed and lawn. Want to stop grass from spreading, be able to mow, and keep it tidy. I don't like those plastic or metal edges but mulch from the bed spreads too easily into lawn if there's no separation. Maybe just dig out the edge like my British friends do? But that's high maintenance. Just found your channel, good stuff.
@McHardyL I definitely think you can do your brick edging. One tip I would do is just make sure it doesn’t stick up too high. It’s really nice when you can take your lawn more over the brick while still cutting your grass. It separates the grass and the bed, looks great, and you can cut with ease with the lawnmower. Good luck!
id like to know your thoughts on rubber mulch.
@number pie. I think it looks good but I would only use it in small areas. It's expensive, isn't the easiest to clean out, and doesn't spread that far. The color is great and it's nice for kids play areas.
I am loving your videos with the tips and things to think about for us gardeners. I am starting to put flower beds in our backyard so your videos are useful! Thank you I appreciate your knowledge and experience! 🏆
@Teresa Fjeld. Thank you so much!!! I really appreciate the comment and I'm so happy this is helpful!
My mistake was in trying to hide the view from my neighbors, I planted 5 camellia yuletide - which I think was 'good' and I planted them all together -- the problem is they were only 1-3 gallon plants so it will take YEARS to build privacy --- wheras I need to have a strategy where I get mature plants so I can have 'instant privacy'. I hate the red mulch too. I really liked what you shared about the PVC pipe for drainage -- our drainage issue is what got us thinking about how to transform our back yard. Awesome video Bobby!
Drainage is so important! So is selecting the right plants… I’ll get you all taken care of!
Some useful information! I think one thing to be careful of is being too negative about other people's gardens. I know you're quite meticulous and you might want things a certain way (which can be good!), but imagine if somoene watched this video and saw a picture of their back yard that they posted on Facebook. It might make them feel bad about their garden.
Anyways: some mistakes we made were to get rid of all the grass and just having all paving :D Wasn't my decision, it was my mother's as she didnt want to maintain it. Also, 20 years ago when we moved into our home we had several trees (I think 8 or 9). My dad got rid of them all and built a big brick wall using some weird engineering bricks. Its ugly. I dont own my own home because housing is too expensive in London and I will NEVER rent out and pay someone elses mortgage - but if I ever do get my own home then I would probably come back to your channel and take some tips :)
@Rabi Ahmad. I agree with you. I feel I was a bit harsh and in upcoming videos you will see that I have changed how I deliver the content to not offend. Well, at least the best I can. Thank you for the comment and watching!
Ha! Definitely more than the 10 comments you asked for! Anyways. My yard is a blank canvas. Tearing everything out to make a permaculture/ sustainable landscaping thing. Working with my cousin who’s a certified arborist looking to break into these kind of projects. Short version, need some zone 6 ideas and tips. Sharing your channel with my cousin so we can add your advice to our research. Thank you!
Nice! Thank you for watching! I’ve got some nice 3D design videos coming you’ll get lots of ideas from. Stay tuned. One is coming Monday. I’m in St. Louis, MO and so is the design I’m talking about. Zone 6!
Hey Bob. I just found your channel. Great stuff. Very entertaining and great ideas. We just moved to a new house last year that has great potential but the truth is that the work the previous owners did is bad. I'll be busy over the next few summers fixing stuff. Last summer I brought back to life the lawn. This summer I will be staining a deck and fence that was never stained over the last 10 years. Anyway. I like your videos. Thanks.
@Edward Cruz. Thank you so much for the comment and watching!! It's a journey my friend. We bought and remodeled our house (inside and out) over the last 5 years and I'm still doing stuff. You'll get there! Thank you for watching and I hope to see you in the comments again! :)
Garden Day May 1, 2022 found your channel just in time. I was just about to f*** up too many colors of non-plant landscaping. Thank You BobbyK💕💕
@mswillowglen. LOL! Love it! You're all good and thank you for the comment!
Hey Bobbi, great video. You’re insights are amazing. I find that contractors are all agreeable before you give them the job, then they show up and randomly do what they want, without even measuring. It drives me nuts, and it’s expensive because stuff needs altering afterwards, which can cost a lot of $. It makes me frightened to have anyone else to the house now, and quite a bit more needs doing. 😯 Any tips on that?
Lady!!! Great to hear from you. How to hire a great contractor can be tricky. Don’t just check references, go look at their actual projects without them there. Schedule a time with their past client to go see the work and ask the client in person how they handled the job.👍🏼💰💰💰👍🏼
Ever so often UA-cam's Algo gets it right. Now I'm waiter rest of your videos. Trying to incorporate more indigenous and evergreen in my garden. Texas summer's are not a joke, for messing around with maintenance in the heat.
Let’s go!!! Texas is absolutely no joke! HOT! So glad you found me!
Hello! First time watching. We purchased a home about 4 1/2 years ago with a blank slate yard. It’s overwhelming, but I’ve researched and watched lots of videos! We have 1.25 acres, with approximately 1/3 woodlands. We have added many smaller trees, shrubs, a shed, and a large fenced in garden. Now I am connecting some of those trees and shrubs with beds for less mowing. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Sounds like lots of cool opportunities to make the place AWESOME! Happy to talk details with you about our design process and how we can help make this so much easier for ya. Shoot me an email at bobby@bobbykdesigns.com 👍🏼
Great advice! I was planning to buy six sky pencil holly on Monday but your comments on them made me rethink. Neighbor built a house above mine and I lost all privacy so I need something fast. Planning on arborvitae where I have room but I’ve got 20-30 feet long stretch at the top of my property where I’ve only got 2-3’ wide space to fit a 12-15’ tall trees. Sky pencil is about the only thing I can find that’ll fit that space. Thoughts?
@Mark S. Hey there! Thank you for the comment! YES. Try Green Giant Arborvitae bushes. They are beautiful, fast growing, and will provide that height you are looking for faster than anything out there! :)
Thank you for your great comments and ideas. Have a couple of mistakes to fix. ;-)
With our area constantly in some level of drought we collect water for our gardens. How would you suggest doing this without the UGLY water catchment barrels? This is really needed on the SW side of our house as there is no other accessible water? Need the trees so the house stays protected.
This might be an option ua-cam.com/video/q4A5SEsLmG4/v-deo.html✅
I bought a house in December and have been waiting for Spring to plant. I was planning to put in a River bed from the front downspout that makes the small front yard a swamp- I’ll make sure to get some big boulders to balance it out 😊👍 thanks!
@Sarah Jones. Right on! Congrats on the house!!!
@@BobbyKDesigns thank you 😊
@@SarahJones-un9xh You bet!
Like your videos… we are getting close to finishing a new home and will be starting our landscape… where are you located?
Hi Mary! I’m so glad! My companies are in St. Louis, MO but I design for people all over the country/world. If you’re interested, there is a link to my website in the description.👍🏼
Watching from NZ. Enjoyed the content and your commentary. I don't mind the chalkboard for kids... Its only for a short time. ... Anything that gets them outside is good with me
@Andrea Chadfield. Hey NZ!!! On my "bucket list". It's funny because I came around on the chalk board. Check out my latest video "Parents...this video is for you" where I share some really clever ideas with a chalk board in the backyard.
We have a new pool and need to landscape around the perimeter of the travertine pool deck. Mulch vs river rock? What are your thoughts? Concerned about mulch ending up in the pool but river rock seems odd with travertine. Would love your opinion. Thanks.
@Michelle Bollinger. I would go with rock around the pool if you are afraid of the wind brining it into the water. That's not fun to constantly deal with. However, if the weather is pretty mild I like mulch better. It's softer, comes in beautiful colors, and IMO looks better.
I have a deck made from a product called trex (a plastic composite) It was here when we bought the house in 2012. My question is how can we revive it? It's faded and stained black in places. Can it be painted? What paint should we use that it won't flake off?
That's a good question. I would guess that a power washing would do the trick BUT if it doesn't work then it may be time to replace the boards.
Great video Bobby!
@Athena Thank you so much!!! Love your name❤️ I appreciate the comment!!!
I'm watching...I have a red slab patio in my back yard at my new house...the owners put this rather large area in and thats it...it looks so unfinished..I want to fix it but im not sure how.
It would be a great area for furniture, I want to use a sail shade over it. Ideas??
@MichNative01 Sight unseen I would guess that the red slab Has to go. I would recommend starting from scratch and putting in a beautiful paver patio with some awesome LANDSCAPING creating the space that you deserve! Life is short so I say go for it! Stay tuned as I got some cool videos coming up that break down lots of designs and may be of some use to you.💪❤️👍🏼
Hate red mulch too. Any advice for trying to visualize when the existing yard you want to change is super busy. So when there are so many things happening you can’t focus on what you can do to change it.
@Carol Paris. I agree. Simplicity is key. :)
Question we have a back yard with one side sloping 6 ft into a culvert. We were thinking about a hedge walls verse fence? Ideas. Also the down spout what side pvc do you get and how far from the house. We are thinking as t least the culvert side we could have drain come out on the slope?
Take downspouts at least 10 ft from house but the further the better. Hedge, not sure. I’d have to see it
Just found your content, love it! We are building a house right now and I’m starting to plan out the foundation gardens. Can’t wait to dig in to more of your videos for inspiration!
Let’s go!!! Glad meet you!!
Will be pushing out our backyard fence so we'll have a lot more room in our yard and we're trying to figure out how to landscape it definitely want native plants as well
@Sharon Beatty. It sounds like you and I are on the exact same page! I'm actually going to be showing something very similar to what you are describing in the next couple of weeks where I take my front yard and pull off this exact concept! Thank you for watching and stay tuned! I'd love to hear your comment on that and future videos. :)
Do you have any videos about terraced and/or xeriscaped landscaping that’s NOT all rocks and cacti? The house we just bought has a terraced yard (read: 20% lawn, then brick retaining wall and the rest is rock and clay soil with nothing done to it). We live in Colorado and I want to landscape responsibly but I want something that looks lush without using a lot of water. Any thoughts?
@Lauren Fuerst. Hey there! Thank you for watching and the comment. I don't have anything with this combination BUT I can absolutely help you with this! If you're interested in working together to create the yard you envision, then check out my website where you can sign up for a 3D design. www.bobbykdesigns.com
Fantastic video! I love that you hit so many of the design components that I’ll be working on in our new homes garden. We purchased a new home last fall, so we start off by installing new patio, But it’s very squared often very boring and I want to add some flowerbeds mulch beds things like that. Would you consider if I sent you a few pictures in my backyard would you be willing to use them as an example of what you should do and what you shouldn’t do?
@Nick. Thank you so much for the comment and how exciting to get going on your own place!!! Most of the designs on this channel are from UA-cam subscribers who signed up for a design on the website. You can sign up for a design and it's definitely possible that I will feature it in a UA-cam video!!! www.bobbykdesigns.com
Nice content, I am similar to you....have been a landscaper for 10 years now studying landscape architecture and going down the design route. I enjoy your videos
@Sushi Samurai. Sweet!!! It's a great transition! Field work is GRUELING on the body so General Contracting/Designing is pretty AWESOME! You'll love it! Thank you for watching and the comment!
Thanks for the videos. As far as the yard in the one above with the red mulch: They clearly put a lot of hard work in and the color does detract from the overall visual. I thought the other end of the patio would feel better on the eye if it were rounded at the left corner that meats the plantings as well. We have a 1900's house in New England that comes with so many issues (with older landscape and retaining walls), I mean opportunities for learning, that are tripping me up. I'm new to your feed and hope to find some videos on dealing with old landscape redesign. So far- Good stuff- keep it up!
@Tonya del Castillo. I should have some coming up that help with some more traditional landscaping. Thank you so much for the comment and I look forward to seeing you in the future comments!!!
I'm so happy to hear I'm not the only one who doesn't like red mulch. My brother likes it.
Lol! Yes. Not my favorite but if you like it no problem.
Love your videos!!!!
Just bought a new home and have awful yard. Back yard we will need to re-grade next year as surrounding yard pool in ours.
But in the mean time, trying to not do anything that loots like doo doo 💩
Do you have a video about fence lighting. How far to distance, do you centre between posts or on them, how much is too much/busy?
@Michelle Angela O’Driscoll Hi Michelle! Thank you so much for the comment! As far as lighting along the fence, I usually like to focus on hitting the bigger plants which would be your trees or some type of focal point, and then hitting the dead spaces in between the post. You don’t want to hit every single panel between the post but you do want it to be well it to the point where it doesn’t look like there’s any dead areas. Thank you and I’ll see you again in the comments!❤️
@@BobbyKDesigns oMG thank you for replying! Haha.
I have no trees along fence, I was thinking of trying to break that wall up with the lights! I would of put them every section, won’t now :)
@@michelleangelaodriscoll3060 all good. I would start with lights every couple of panels and if you decide that you want to put more and you always can. Get 12/2 wire, LOW VOLT LED landscape lights, and a transformer. If you need to splice the 12/2 wire make sure you get outdoor electrical wire nuts. They are blue.
You are keeping me from making mistakes!
@Denise La Plante. YES! Thank you for the comment and continue to watch. Got some great videos coming!
We solved a problem by converting a play structure into a garden shed. Our mistake was to “hide” the door by putting it in the back of the shed/not facing the house. That put the door on the south side of the shed, where the desert sun just destroys the door and wood trim. Doors on the north, facing the house for the win from now on!
great tips! i can't stand red mulch either and just bought a house with every garden bed full of red mulch 😬 can't wait to get rid of it!! What's a better alternative?
I love a deep dark brown or even a black for some houses.
I’m in Wi, still planning on my landscaping game, I’m afraid to make anything permanent and not like it, I have a side yard with mature trees and nothing can grow under the canopy, what can I do to make that area more interesting?
@PaHoua Lo. I would say start with a design before you start spending $ and planting. See "into the future" by letting the design show you what the finished product will look like. This will make you feel much more comfortable and ready to start. If you're interested, the link to my website is in the description. Thank you for watching and the comment!
Absolutely hate red mulch. Tacky! Love how you coordinate colors, and up the look and appeal. New Englanders have so much brick on walkways. Tradition here, but newer designs are more appealing. Thank you.
@Norma Milne. Thank you so much for watching and I look forward to seeing you again in the comments!
I'm guilty of red mulch! Lol....off to home depot to get dark brown. Awesome channel, learning alot.
You’re sweet! I seriously feel bad. If you want to use red mulch you go for it! Variety is the spice of life! Lol. I just have fun with these videos. Thank you for watching!❤️❤️❤️
Nice tips!
Thank you! I’m filming some more videos tomorrow. Stay tuned!👍🏼
Recently came across your channel so I don’t know if you even get notifications of messages but wanted to let you know I’m watching!
My issue with my landscape is that our family lives in a pine forest. The variety of potential growing areas is very wide as we get some sun in select areas (filtered morning light, some afternoon sun in other areas), shady spots by the tree line and behind the house’s shadow, rock wall, lakeside, etc. I am the only one “working” on our landscape. I’m only planting the immediate areas closer to the house but with the manpower of a tiny female, it takes a long time to get projects done and I don’t have tens of thousands of dollars to have a contractor transform it all to my vision. Thoughts, suggestions? Turn my yard into an experimental project from afar (I’m located in MA)?
@Cynthia KJ. Thank you so much for letting me know you're watching!!! Unless someone comments, I don't know. Your yard sounds interesting! I do offer consultations on top of the actual designs. That may be of interest to you? www.bobbykdesigns.com. under "get started"
Enjoying your videos
I appreciate that. Thank you for watching!
How do you do a plan I am taking all my lawn out and putting plants in how do I start the design
I actually really like the last design. I really like the red mulch and the patio
@Victroy Arthur. I think it has potential. A few tweaks and I think it would soften up. Thank you so much for watching and the comment!!!
What size PVC pipe should it be for drainage? Since our yard is flat, taking the pipe out 10' or so would only create a huge pond in the back yard! Love your enthusiasm!
@Denise Hackman. Thank you for the comment Denise! 4" schedule 35/40
Biggest mistake I ever made? Never let the Daikon radish go to seed....ever. I don't even know why the damn thing is sold honestly its a cal-ipc listed invasive plant. YOU WILL SPEND HOURS PULLING THE SEEDLINGS! Another mistake I have seen that ended up being very costly is people planting geophyte vines. Star Jasmine for example can end up getting through structures, underneath roofs, and into attics. Smells great but definitely not a fun plant to maintain. English Ivy is always horrible. Don't care what others say, that plant was nature's mistake.
We've done our backyard 3 times over. Now we're going for the gold. Built a beautiful deck and dug out the little patch of grass we had and will start landscaping this patch that runs up against the deck. We have a statue fountain I'd like to incorporate into the design. Your video's are very helpful by the way.
Sounds beautiful! Thank you for watching!!!❤️
Great advice! Thank you
You’re welcome. Thank you for watching and commenting! Where are you from?
Hi ! I have a question , in my backyard one side has wood fence and the rest of the neighbors have small fencing so it looks off , how can I make it look nice? Also i have a large bed in the back . I been putting perennials but , iam in the point were I don't know how to fix it.. have lots going on but if i add more looks more busy if I take stuff out looks empty 😕
@Yaneth Sanchez. I think that this comes down to the landscaping to hide those unsightly areas and give your yard a cohesive feel. If you're interested, I could put together a point perspective design for you that would more than likely do the trick. A game plan is always a good idea before you start spending $ on landscaping. www.bobbykdesigns.com under "get started". Keep watching videos as I'll have lots of content to look through but to find the exact solution for your yard a design is probably the way to go. Thank you for watching!
I need to re-stain. Yard is without a plan as I am removing an in ground pool!
My landscaper when he cuts my backyard all the grass goes into my garden and all I have is a lot of grass weeds my question for you would it be better if I took all the grass out of my backyard and make it a full garden?
Option 1) tell him not to blow the grass into your beds Option 2) Weed killer to kill grass not plants Option 3) Create a bed
New to your channel- loving it!!
Wow!! Thank you so much! Been super busy with the kiddos. Ill have some new content coming out soon. ❤️
great video - new sub here! I have a bank that quickly falls to my driveway and originally had a ditch with rip-rap rocks put in to help with drainage. I used to mulch the bank but Overtime the mulch would fall into the rocks and stop all water flow. What would you recommend as a better drainage solution and what should I do with the bank? Thanks for your videos they are so helpful.
@Funk Skunk. Thank you so much for subscribing! I really like the look of a dry creek bed. It breaks up beds, is a functional way to retain soil and allow water to run through, and are pretty easy to install. This may be a solution for you. Also, the combination of boulders to retain larger areas and add interest to the dry creek is a must. :)
Can you do a video of how to bury downspouts effectively/cheaply? I don't have the time or money to dig trenches super far. Wondering how that pop-up valve works, etc. Thanks! (new subscriber).
Hello. Thank you for subscribing. Bury your downspouts in PVC. I’d say at least 10 feet away from the house. I don’t typically do videos on installation but I will make sure to incorporate some really solid tips and upcoming videos that talk in more detail about drainage and where to get those kinds of products. Thank you for watching!
I have a yard that is 50+ years old. I have just moved in as Covid hit. I need help getting rid of overgrown foundation planting. The hard scape is hard to figure out. I have a raised deck in the back that was built 20+ years ago and I am not sure how to make it look like is part of the yard. I would love if you could point me to your videos that could help with this. Love the channel I just discovered your videos. You do a great job!
@shirley Rule Thank you so much for the comment! I have quite a few videos where we took out an old deck, old patio, or something that is unsightly and created a new space. One that comes to mind is "How to landscape design a backyard by removing a nasty deck". Hopefully this video helps and gives you some ideas. Thank you for watching and make sure you subscribe as I have quite a few really cool project videos coming some of which have old decks.
do work in nyc, by Westchester & do u charge for first consultation?
Absolutely!!! I design all over the country. I’d love to hear about your project! You can sign up for a consultation here: www.bobbykdesigns.com
Go under “contact” and there is a link to my calendar.👍🏼
Solid advise! Thank you!
You’re welcome! Thank you for the comment Katie. ❤️
Great video, so glad i subbed! I just have to add that on that last example those super wavy bed lines make me dizzy. Lol i see that a lot... super wavy bedlines that don't make sense in the overall design. Don't get me wrong, I love a good curve, but sometimes too much is distracting.
@Tricia I’m so excited to have you as a subscriber!!! One of my guiding design principles is K.I.S.S. (keep it simple st*pid) I think that you have a very good point and sometimes needs can be way over done!!! Thank you so much for subscribing, watching, and the COMMENT!!! Please keep them coming as I love hearing comments. It heroes guide me so that I continue to put out content you all like. Cheers! ❤️❤️❤️🤜🏻
Hi! I have a blank canvas HUGE backyard half an acre. Can you do a video on big spaces??
@Lely Benito. Yes I can! I am posting one TODAY in Augusta, GA where I show how I plant an estate. I hope you enjoy it!
Well I was already hesitant about trying to do my own DIY but now I’m scared … ThAnks
@Raquel Sepulveda. Then I have failed you. Sigh. I absolutely want to encourage you to take some things on in your yard. I know I have a polarized view on some things but it is meant to educate and as a guide. I will try to be more encouraging on the next video. Thank you for watching and stay tuned as some upcoming videos are going to be of tremendous value to you and I would love to get your feedback in the comments. Take care and talk to you soon!
Shade! What plants do well in complete shade. I have a couple areas that are complete shade.
And how to spuce up a cape front?
@Roxanne Sides. Well, you are in luck!!! Tomorrow's video is PERFECT! It showcases a sunny/shady yard that also needs to be DEER RESISTANT. Quite a challenge. I think you will definitely find some value there. Thank you for watching and I appreciate the comment.
@@BobbyKDesigns I have deer too. i live in PA near Philly.
I thought about building a wooden wall like that one you showed for privacy but use if to hide the cinder block walls around my yard. The problem is the intense SW Utah heat that stays above 100* from June to Sept, single digit humidity, frequent 20+ MPH winds, and severe UV levels that destroys wood.
I've bought new plants that did fine, until the first high temps/humidity/wind and within hours literally looked cooked.
You might want to try composite as an alternative.
Great videos! I dug out a garden bed to realise that my 2 neighbours' concrete driveways/sheds drain RIGHT into that spot (Scotland rain! Lol) 😅. Drainage and figuring out a way to shelter my garden from insane winds while keeping as much sunlight as possible are driving me crazy. Do you have any tips on diffusing strong winds in a large garden?
@Andrea K that’s a good one! I may have to make a segment in a video for that. Short answer, some strategic landscaping to cut down the wind is a possibility. Privacy fencing can also be a solution…I have many other ideas. I’ll get that in the video queue.
@@BobbyKDesigns thank you so much! 🙂
Hi this video was very helpful. I just found your videos and love them. I been watching one after the next. I've got a great topic that I hope you feel its great enough to do a vid on. First off, I live in the high desert in Littlerock California. We get all the seasons and we get alot of high wind. 2nd I got 1 acre of land thats completely FLAT. and its dirt everywhere. I'm a DYI person but I like to hire out if I know its gonna look like crap..I'm a stickler for professionalism..I want my house to look amazing despite the majority of people in Littlerock seem to like this sandy dirt. They don't do anything with their acreage. Anyways I'd like you to address on how would you use landscaping to make a flat land have some beauty..I want a ranchy/ country style blend if that makes sense.
Hello. I’m so glad you are enjoying the channel and thank you for the great ideas! I’ll have some videos coming out late fall and some for sure in the spring that touch base on lots of these types of California yards. Thank you again for watching and stay tuned!👍🏼
Love your videos! I feel like I'm about to make a ton of mistakes lol! as we have just moved into a fixer upper and the back yard is one disaster after another. Ex, the gate opens to a view of ugliness under the deck. The deck is too low to walk under comfortably, but too high (4 feet to 6 feet) with windows to the basement and garage that we do not want to obstruct. Any ideas? thanks
@Pam S. Thank you for watching,. Many times when a door is too high from the ground and you don't want a bunch of stairs this is a perfect opportunity to have a multi-level outdoor living space. You would have a few steps that come down to an upper level patio or deck AND then another few stairs to step down to the lower level deck or patio. *Depends on what materials you select
The point is, you can split the difference and create interest so you don't have to go down 10 steps to get the grade. I hope this helps. :)
I just hired a landscape designer for my backyard and am super excited to see what they come up with! I gave them the added challenge of using Florida-native plants and not the boring nonsense you see at Home Depot.
Definitely a great move! A designer will save you so much time and money in the long run! Plus, the headaches are minimal. Thank you for watching and commenting!💥
We're hoping to update our house with a localscape more fitting to our intermountain region fauna and water-consumption (especially since we're heading into another year of drought). The Localscapes group (FB) recommends that when you put mulch down, you don't walk on it so you don't create places for weeds to grow and to instead use pavers of some kind. I think I want to use flagstone pavers in the areas we either currently have mulch or will put mulch but that we walk on (like around our fruit trees), but now I worry if I will install them wrong.
I also wonder about mulch colors (and honestly that part is embarrassing since my bachelor degree is in interior design). Is there any mulch color that goes well with the existing grey concrete-paved areas we have in our yard that the previous owners put in?
@MrsTips. Thank you so much for watching!! A few things to consider when selecting mulch 1) Color of Home 2) Color of Hardscaping
For Grays I like Black or really dark brown mulch
For Earth tone homes I like a really dark brown mulch OR brown OR light brown
Thank you for watching and I look forward to seeing you comment in future videos!
@@BobbyKDesigns Phew! We've got a white house and we've been going with the dark brown mulch, but maybe we'll consider using black mulch in the future since that would go well.
Not doing anything because I can’t decide and afraid of doing wrong thing
Don't let fear hold you back. The best way to learn is to try. :)