Last month I visited a renowned house, the home of Charles and Ray Eames, in Pacific Palisades, Calif.

Gardening and landscape-design books can take you away from your weeding while the weather's overheating. Here are a few good ones to check out. - [Read more]

What do you want in a plant? Flowers, berries, foliage color in summer and fall? Perhaps resistance to deer and drought? Should it be evergreen and low maintenance? - [Read more]

It's easier than you think to make your house more environmentally friendly.

Most floral clocks are simply outdoor motorized timepieces with ornamental flowers in the shape of a clock. But what if you could coordinate the blooming so that the flowers would open and close at set times of the day? Now that would be an innovative way to tell time. - [Read more]

Q: DEAR TIM: I need to build a gravel driveway on some land I bought. Is a gravel driveway going to hold up as a permanent solution? What types of gravel are used? Can I do it myself? - [Read more]

Q: DEAR TIM: You seem to have tested many gutter guards but are still not satisfied. I have the same problems you have with year-round debris from my trees, though spring is the worst time. What is the best gutter cover? The mesh-type gutter guard seems like it has the most promise. Do you agree? - [Read more]

Q: DEAR TIM: The instructions on the can of paint I am getting ready to use say to use primer on bare wood. Is that necessary? It seems like a waste of time. What are the benefits? I think the paint company just wants another sale. - [Read more]

For especially fine wood pieces, sanding by hand is a good idea. But for big jobs that require more than a few light passes over the surface, a power sander is the way to go. - [Read more]

Here is a brief glossary of common landscape terms that may come in handy: