Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. The old adage, what goes around comes around is especially true in your garden. Because plants aren t the only things living there, your garden should be a friendly place for children, pets and you. Blanketing it with petroleum-based pesticides and fertilizers is not only toxic, it kills the friendly insects, bacteria and fungus that are essential to a healthy garden. Fortunately, there are a lot of great natural options, like iron phosphate pellets for slugs, citrus oil-based weed killer and Pyola spray for pest insects. Products like these use naturally occurring chemicals to solve common garden problems, and they re worth a closer look. Probably the best thing you can do for your garden is to add organic material to the soil with compost. Unlike chemical additives, nutrients in compost are available to plants as they need them, making it very difficult to use too much. What you plant is even more important than how you plant it. If it s native to your area, it ll probably do better in your garden and require far less water, fertilizer and hassle than something exotic. Rather than coddling a vast expanse of lawn, design areas with mulch, low groundcover plants or even a rock garden. You ll use far fewer chemicals that can leach into the soil and the water supply, and you won t have to work as hard all season! Another way to be green in the garden is to use non-polluting garden tools. Instead of cranking out exhaust with the rototiller or tractor, pick up a shovel or a hand mower and save yourself a trip to the gym. Find out more at BobVila.com: The ultimate home improvement web site! BobVila.com 2008

Jay Triandafilou and a crew from Architectural Fence are on location to install the exterior fence in this episode. The fence is a square spindle ornamental picket fence made from white cedar with an opaque stain finish. The fence is installed section by section, progressing along the length of its run. The first step is to determine the landscape's grade, and set the first support post directly into the ground at a predetermined height. Postholes are dug using a mini Bobcat-like skid steer that is fitted with a boring attachment. The crew first digs a posthole about three feet deep, and then makes fine adjustments to the hole's depth with a shovel. With the post in the hole, it is checked for level and plumb, and then the hole is backfilled. Next, a section fence is brought in and attached to the post. The fence is checked for level and plumb before being secured, and then the next post is installed.

A new tree can improve the look of a yard and add personality to a home.