One really valuable tool in the arsenal of any hardscaper is a laser. There are a few different varieties available, and if you’re someone that’s “in the business,” you’ll want to make sure you have one that’s tough, reliable and accurate over long distances. But those can cost hundreds and even thousands of dollars.

But you’re not a pro. You’re a do-it-yourselfer looking to get the most bang for your buck and you probably don’t have loads of money to throw at a bunch of expensive tools.

Fear not, my intrepid weekend warrior. Even among us tool hogs we like finding deals on tools that are also very functional. In this case, it’s a palm laser. The one pictured at the right was about $50 at the local big box store and it can do a lot of things the expensive lasers can do, and even do a few extra things the big boys can’t.

What Can a Palm Laser Do?

The one you see pictured is considered “self leveling.” That means if you place it on a tripod or even just on a flat surface, the laser-emitting device inside will naturally adjust itself to emit level laser lines that you can use to check elevations at multiple locations.

They can emit tight beams of light in multiple, perpendicular directions. For a hardscaper this is really useful when laying out the path of retaining walls, patios and walkways, because it allows us to make sure the bond lines of the pavers or the wall construction will be perfectly perpendicular to a house foundation or other structure.

It can also send a beam of light straight up, which can be useful indoors, like when you’re cutting can light holes into the ceiling drywall and want to make sure you don’t miss the can.

These lasers do have their limitations, however. They aren’t known to be extremely accurate over great distances - once you’re past 30 feet or so, the laser may be 1/2″ off in any given direction. Also, the beam of light isn’t particularly intense, which means that outdoor work on a sunny day can be a little frustrating, when you can’t find that little spot of red light that’s fading as you move further away.

But for $50? It’s a great tool.

There are few terms in the world of hardscaping that sound similar but have very different meanings.  But “screed” and “screen” are two that are often confused.

In hardscaping, screeding is the process of striking a board along two screed rails (also called “screed guides”) to evenly distribute crushed aggregate stone between those rails.

The screed board itself can be a piece of 2×4 lumber or square tube aluminum or magnesium alloy.  The alloy boards are far more expensive and typically only the pros go to the expense of having these in their toolboxes, as they never warp and will last a lifetime.  But even the professional hardscaper will use dimensional lumber for screed boards, for those times when the areas to be screeded has obstacles, or requires a notch be cut in a board, or the area is of a size that an alloy board just won’t fit.

So for you, the weekend warrior, it’s off to the local lumber yard or big box store for your screed boards.  It’s a safe assumption that you won’t be working during a downpour, so buying treated lumber won’t be very helpful.  Not to mention it roughly doubles the weight of the board, so unless you’re trying to build a new patio and 20″ biceps at the same time, just stick to the interior stud grade lumber.

Make sure the boards are nice and straight with no twists, and don’t buy any that are longer than 8′ in length.  Anything longer than that and the board will bow as you pull on it, either putting an unwanted crown or swail in your patio base prep.

While every hammer ever made has at least two things in common (long handle to generate head speed, and a flat, solid head to impact a target), there are differences among the the various types of hammers that make them particularly useful for a given task.

In this case, the form of the hammer is designed to best modify and adjust stone (and brick and block).  The head of the hammer is a simple, blunt instrument, usually in the shape of a square.  But the business end of this hammer isn’t the head.  It’s the tail.  In place of a claw or other nail-removing tool, the end resembles something more like a pick or mattock, and it’s function is to chip away at hard materials like stone and cast concrete block.

When using a stone hammer it’s important to wear eye protection because the natural direction of a hammer blow on stone or brick seems to send little bits flying right at the hammer user’s face.

And the hammer will perform better, removing more material per swing, if it’s kept sharp.  We like to put ours under a grinding wheel once or twice a season.

This one’s known by lots of different names, including a Jumping Jack, Rammer-Tamper, or just Rammer.  It’s function is straightforward - jump up and down with as much force as possible, as often as possible, to compact the materials beneath it.

A rammer is different than a vibratory plate in that instead of violently shaking materials to get them to settle and compact, a rammer simply applies brute force to the material beneath it, like a fist pounding into the dirt or a person jumping up and down.

But make no mistake - unless you weigh 3,000 pounds and are still able to jump, you won’t be able to manually generate the same compaction force as a rammer.  Stick to the power tools - they’ll always do a better job for you.

The reason you’d want to use a rammer over a plate vibrator has to do with the material you’ll be compacting.  Crushed aggregate stone compacts to a higher density and greater uniformity under a plate vibrator, while a material like clay, where each particle is flat and wide like a platelet,  a vibratory compactor will do little to settle out this material because it won’t naturally settle out with vibration.  What’s needed are repeated, compacting blows to the material, like a fist pounding on dough.  This will remove air pockets, water pockets and help align those soil particles.

For poorly compacting soils, the use of a rammer is the preferred way to achieve maximum material density.

Just like most things in life, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  If purple blooms put a smile on your face, then you should most definitely use plants with purple blooms.  The same is true for any color you find pleasing.  There are different disciplines to pull from when trying to decide on color choices, but those disciplines speak in generalities; your own personal experiences mold your tastes into something unique, something your own, something a text or curriculum can’t possibly pinpoint.

That being said, one of the disciplines I like to pull from often, especially when it comes to color choices, is Feng Shui.  While I’m not part of the Feng Shui orthodoxy, the design and layout lessons I’ve taken from Feng Shui are fundamentally grounded in sound design.  They can be used inside and outside the home, no matter if you have each and every room aligned to maximize it’s chi (energy), or you just want to make a garden space more appealing.

For example, a ‘room’ (defined by either an indoor or outdoor space) with metal energy tends to be very clean and structured.  Some colors that are considered to have metal energy are white, silver and gold.  And in my opinion, some lighter blues, when considering plant blooms, could be grouped with those colors as well.  Metal energy tends to allow for clear and concise thinking and the carrying out and completion of tasks.

On a much smaller scale, when I finish a landscape design and want to begin the next design, I need some of the cleansing effects of metal energy.  I remove every template, pencil, eraser bag and architect’s scale from my drafting table and I wipe down the table.  I’m left with a stark white table, and with that I am able to lay down a new piece of vellum and wash the previous design from my mind and begin to get involved with the next space I’ll design.  I find that structure and the absence of color leaves my imagination open to consider new design possibilities.

The very same can be true for a garden space.  An organized, mass planting of white Tulip bulbs can provide a space in your yard to give you clarity of thought or purpose.  Add some yellows and earthy tones to blend a nurturing feeling into that planting.  It’ll give you the same feeling as you get with an early morning cup of coffee, watching the sun rise to greet a new day; full of warmth, potential and purpose.

You’ve heard of the power tie or the power dress, right?  Take that flame red color to the blooms in your yard and you may be filled with those same feelings of power and confidence.  Are you more the strong, silent type?  Blues and violets can lend a feeling of inner strength and serenity.

I believe the first decision you should make when planning your color scheme for your yard is to decide how you want to feel when you’re taking in the beauty of that space.  Once you have a sense for that, I recommend finding a book or two to help you make your selections.  ‘Feng Shui in 10 Simple Lessons’ by Janet Butler-Briggs, is a wonderful beginning to learning that approach to using color.  ‘Color Harmony’ by Bride M. Whelan, shows you hundreds of different color combinations with real-life examples of their use, to help you create the perfect space, indoors or out.

Q: I enjoy spending time in the yard, working with my plants, but I don’t seem to have a green thumb.  I don’t like the everyday plants you see in most people’s yards, so I try different plants with different looks, but most times they end up dying.  What am I doing wrong?

A: Well, it’s hard to say exactly what might be killing the different plants you’re working with.  Sometimes it can be too much water, other times not enough.  The plant can be in a location that’s too sunny, or too shady.  Every plant has it’s own special needs, and if you aren’t familiar with those needs, you can quickly become a serial killer of plants.  This is particularly true if you like to stray from the well-worn path of Hostas, Spireas and the like.  But don’t get discouraged.  I can just about guarantee that I’ve killed hundreds more plants than you ever will, and will continue to do so.

Why kill plants?  I’m not making a conscious effort to kill them, it’s just that sometimes I like to push the limits of a plant.  Dr. J.C. Raulston, one of the more famous American horticulturists of our time, once said “You’re not stretching yourself as a gardener if you’re not killing plants.”   So I use my own yard as a laboratory, seeing if a microclimate in a certain part of my yard is just warm enough and protected enough to be a good home for a laceleaf Japanese Maple, or some other plant that is just on the edge of winter hardiness in our area.

So while I don’t have specific answers for you and your plants, I give you kudos for having the courage to stretch yourself as a gardener, pushing the horticultural envelope in hopes that you’ll have a garden like no other in the neighborhood.  Just make special note of the needs of the plants you’d like to use, and place them in an environment that best fits those needs within your yard.  They may require a little extra TLC, or a winter blanket to keep them warm.  Do what you can to provide those things your plants need, keep a journal of the things you’ve observed, and learn from your mistakes.  That’s all a gardener can do.

Good luck!

This article originally appeared in my local paper, where I was the resident landscaping expert, periodically answering reader questions about plants in their landscape.