Yard Coach | DIY Landscaping Mastery & Professional Advice

VIDEO VERSION HERE: https://youtu.be/mslUPM_z87U 
Our pond was nearly 90% gone after an unusually dry stretch, creating a rare opportunity to bring in an excavator and tackle some much-needed pond work.
In this episode, Coach Matt shares what the pond looked like during the drought, why we decided this was the right time to excavate, and what we hoped to accomplish before the water returned. It’s a real-world look at responding to changing conditions and making the most of an unexpected opportunity at Brook & Pond.
This is the audio-only version of the Yard Coach video. To see the pond and excavation footage, look for “Drought Nearly Emptied Our Pond—So We Brought In an Excavator” on the Yard Coach YouTube channel.
Visit Yard Coach: https://www.youryardcoach.comQuestions or comments: youryardcoach@gmail.com

That dream property with acres of space can quickly become a nightmare if you’re not realistic about the time, money, and effort it takes to maintain it. 
VIDEO VERSION HERE https://youtu.be/UakoG7E_ExM 
In this episode, Coach shares real stories from nearly 40 years in the landscaping industry—including a beautiful five-acre property that fell apart just two years after a complete landscape transformation. He also discusses first-time homebuyers, downsizers, busy families, and retirees who often underestimate what “all that potential” really costs.
You’ll learn:
How to know if a property is simply too much yard for your lifestyle.
Why neglected landscapes usually point to bigger issues.
The hidden financial cost of deferred maintenance.
How to honestly evaluate your time, skills, and resources before buying.
Why smaller, manageable landscapes often provide greater long-term enjoyment.
Practical advice if you’re already feeling overwhelmed.
Whether you’re shopping for your first home, downsizing, or wondering where your weekends disappeared, this episode may change the way you look at your property forever.
Need help creating a landscape you can actually enjoy?
🌿 Visit https://www.youryardcoach.com to learn more about our consultation services, DIY resources, and homeowner education.

Episode: Landscape Designing for Continuous Color All Season Long
VIDEO VERSION HERE: https://youtu.be/IsceTOOf5eI
Yard Coach COLOR CONTINUUM GUIDE: https://www.youryardcoach.com/continuous-color-guide 
Does your yard look amazing for a few weeks… and then fade into a whole lot of green?
In this episode, Coach explains how to think like a landscape designer and build a true color continuum — a landscape where one plant hands the spotlight to the next from spring through fall.
You’ll learn why buying only what’s blooming at the garden center is one of the biggest DIY mistakes, how annuals should be used as fillers instead of the whole show, and why flowers are only one part of long-term landscape color.
Coach covers:
How to plan color by season
Why foliage, bark, texture, grasses, shrubs, and evergreens matter
How to avoid the “two-week wonder” landscape
The power of mass plantings and drifts
Simple plant examples for spring, summer, late summer, fall, and winter interest
How to build a stronger, more professional-looking landscape over time
If your yard feels flat after spring, this episode will help you start planning for color that lasts.
Visit: https://www.youryardcoach.com
To your landscape success.

Online Plant Purchases – Is This the New Wave on How to Landscape? 
VIDEO VERSION HERE: https://youtu.be/4FLyvTlSeCQhttps://youtu.be/4FLyvTlSeCQ
For more than 45 years, Coach Matt has relied on a simple rule when buying plants: see them, touch them, inspect them, and bring them home yourself.
This year, that changed.
In this episode, Coach shares his first-ever experience ordering fruit trees, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries online and having them shipped directly to his property in northern Maine.
Did the plants arrive healthy? How did they handle the stress of shipping? Were online prices worth it? And can internet plant purchases really replace the traditional nursery experience?
You'll hear:
• The pros and cons of ordering plants online  • What arrived in good condition—and what struggled  • How Coach handled bare-root fruit trees and berry plants upon arrival  • Common mistakes homeowners make with shipped plant material  • Tips for planting and caring for bare-root trees and shrubs  • Whether online plant buying has earned a place in Coach's landscaping toolbox
If you've ever wondered whether ordering plants online is worth the risk, this episode offers a real-world, first-season perspective from someone who spent decades in the nursery industry.
Have you purchased plants online? We'd love to hear about your experience.
Visit https://www.youryardcoach.com for DIY landscaping resources, consultations, digital products, and more.
To your landscape success,Coach Matt

In this episode of the Yard Coach Podcast, Coach Matt dives into one of the biggest mistakes homeowners make in DIY landscaping: choosing form over function.
VIDEO VERSION on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7sRVcOcivpM 
Why do so many beautiful landscapes fail after only a few years? Why do flooded yards, cracked patios, dead plants, drainage issues, and maintenance nightmares happen so often — even in landscapes that looked amazing at first?
Coach Matt breaks down the real-world difference between landscaping that simply photographs well… and landscaping that actually works long term.
Topics include:
Form vs function in landscape design
Why drainage should always come first
Common homeowner landscaping mistakes
The hidden problems Pinterest landscapes don’t show
Grading, irrigation, traffic flow & snow management
Plant survivability and maintenance realities
Designing landscapes for year 5 and year 10 — not week 5
This episode is packed with practical homeowner advice, decades of contractor experience, and common-sense DIY landscaping wisdom to help you avoid expensive mistakes and build a landscape that’s both beautiful and durable.
🌐 Explore Yard Coach Products & Services:Yard Coach Website
📘 Landscaping Simplified eBook:Landscaping Simplified
🎓 Homescape 2.0 DIY Landscaping Course:Homescape 2.0
📋 15-Step DIY Landscaping Checklist:15-Step Checklist
📧 Contact Coach Matt:youryardcoach@gmail.com
#landscaping #DIYlandscaping #yardcoach
 
 

If your irrigation system won’t turn on, won’t shut off, sprays weak, floods spots, or just plain underperforms, this episode is for you. VIDEO VERSION HERE: https://youtu.be/Y8IU-D9RmJM
 
In this Yard Coach Podcast episode, Coach Matt breaks down the big 5 irrigation problems he’s seen after working on hundreds of manual and automatic sprinkler systems over the years. From electrical issues at the timer controller to worn solenoids, clogged nozzles, broken heads, hidden pipe leaks, freeze damage, poor pressure, and underperforming zones—this is a practical, no-fluff look at what goes wrong and what to do next.
 
Inside this episode:
Why zones won’t turn on
What causes weak sprinkler pressure and poor coverage
Why a valve may not shut off
How broken heads, cracks, and leaks affect performance
What freeze damage and spring startup problems can do to your system
When it makes sense to repair a part—and when it’s smarter to replace it
 
Coach Matt also shares real-world troubleshooting advice from years in the field, including what to inspect first, what commonly fails, and how to avoid wasting money chasing the wrong fix.
 
If your yard is getting too much water, not enough water, or the wrong kind of coverage, this episode will help you think through the system before it costs you more time, water, and frustration.
 
Need more help with your landscape?
Visit youryardcoach.com for products, resources, and consultation services.
 
For a more visual approach, check out the Yard Coach YouTube channel.
 
As always—to your landscape success.