Journal · The Yardie Studio
Cover story · Studio
How to Choose a Landscape Designer in Greenville, NC
Twelve questions to ask, four red flags to watch for, and the credentials and references that matter when hiring an exterior designer in Eastern NC.
May 1, 2026 · 9 min read
Read the cover storyLatest
New from the studio.
Three recent dispatches from the desk and the field — design ideas, material notes, and project stories.
02 · Hardscapes
How Much Does an Outdoor Kitchen Cost in Eastern NC?
A range from $15,000 to $90,000+ depending on appliances, masonry, and utilities. Here's what actually drives the cost — and what we recommend at each tier.
April 8, 2026 · 10 min read
03 · Hardscapes
Pool Deck Materials Compared — Travertine, Bluestone, Pavers, Concrete
Four common pool-deck materials, compared side by side on cost, maintenance, slip resistance, heat retention, and how they age in the Eastern NC climate.
March 10, 2026 · 11 min read
04 · Landscapes
Best Plants for Pitt County Soil — A Local Field Guide
Pitt County soil is mostly Norfolk and Goldsboro series — sandy loam over a clay subsoil, slightly acidic, moderately drained. Here's what thrives in it.
February 11, 2026 · 11 min read
Topic
On hardscapes.
05 Articles
01 · 10 min read
How Much Does an Outdoor Kitchen Cost in Eastern NC?
A range from $15,000 to $90,000+ depending on appliances, masonry, and utilities. Here's what actually drives the cost — and what we recommend at each tier.
April 8, 2026
02 · 11 min read
Pool Deck Materials Compared — Travertine, Bluestone, Pavers, Concrete
Four common pool-deck materials, compared side by side on cost, maintenance, slip resistance, heat retention, and how they age in the Eastern NC climate.
March 10, 2026
03 · 8 min read
Why We Keep Coming Back to Natural Stone
The argument for natural stone — beauty, durability, eco-credentials — and where it isn't the right choice.
October 1, 2025
04 · 9 min read
Seven Hardscape Features That Earn Their Footprint
Patios, walkways, walls, fire pits, kitchens, water features, pergolas — the elements that show up most often in our finished drawings.
June 18, 2025
05 · 9 min read
A Working Field Guide to Hardscaping Materials
Natural stone, pavers, brick, gravel, and stamped concrete — when to use which, and what each one costs you long-term.
April 28, 2025
Topic
On landscapes.
05 Articles
01 · 11 min read
Best Plants for Pitt County Soil — A Local Field Guide
Pitt County soil is mostly Norfolk and Goldsboro series — sandy loam over a clay subsoil, slightly acidic, moderately drained. Here's what thrives in it.
February 11, 2026
02 · 10 min read
When to Plant in Eastern North Carolina — A Month-by-Month Guide
Pitt County sits in USDA Zone 8a. Here's a month-by-month plant-by-plant calendar for the Eastern NC growing year.
January 14, 2026
03 · 9 min read
Low-Maintenance Landscaping for the Time You Don't Have
A landscape that needs less is one designed differently. Here's what to ask for.
August 8, 2025
04 · 8 min read
Five Quiet Ways to Lift the Front of Your Home
Not every curb-appeal upgrade has to be a renovation. A handful of careful moves can transform the way a house reads from the street.
July 14, 2025
05 · 7 min read
Modern, Traditional, or Both — Finding the Right Style
A landscape's style should rhyme with its house. Here's how we read the architecture before we draw the plan.
April 2, 2025
Topic
On irrigation.
03 Articles
01 · 8 min read
Drip Irrigation — Eight Reasons We Specify It
Drip systems use a fraction of the water and produce healthier plants. Here's why they show up in almost every irrigation plan we draw.
December 16, 2025
02 · 8 min read
What Makes an Irrigation System Actually Efficient
Efficient is a marketing word. We're more interested in the engineering.
September 4, 2025
03 · 8 min read
Solving the Drainage Problems We See Most
Standing water at the foundation. Soggy lawn after a storm. Mulch washing into the patio joints. Most of these have one of three fixes.
May 22, 2025
Topic
On lighting.
03 Articles
01 · 7 min read
The Art of Uplighting — How to Make a Landscape Shine
Uplighting is the most misused tool in outdoor lighting. Done right, it transforms a property after dark.
November 22, 2025
02 · 7 min read
Pathway Lighting — A Field Guide
Path lighting is most often overdone. Here's the editing principle we use.
February 8, 2025
03 · 7 min read
Solar vs. Wired — Which One Belongs in Your Yard?
Solar fixtures have come a long way. They are still not the right answer for a designed landscape.
January 12, 2025
Topic
On masonry.
03 Articles
01 · 8 min read
Stone, Brick, or Concrete — Choosing Masonry that Lasts
Three materials, three personalities. A working field guide to the masonry choices that come up most often in our drawings.
October 28, 2025
02 · 7 min read
How Masonry Enhances Curb Appeal — and Property Value
A few well-placed columns, a brick walkway, a low garden wall — small masonry investments tend to outperform expensive landscape ones at resale.
March 5, 2025
03 · 8 min read
Masonry vs. Wood — A Long View
Wood ages, stone endures. The numbers behind a question we get more often than any other.
December 4, 2024
Archive
Everything we’ve published.
- 01StudioMay 1, 2026
- 02HardscapesApril 8, 2026
- 03HardscapesMarch 10, 2026
- 04LandscapesFebruary 11, 2026
- 05LandscapesJanuary 14, 2026
- 06IrrigationDecember 16, 2025
- 07LightingNovember 22, 2025
- 08MasonryOctober 28, 2025
- 09HardscapesOctober 1, 2025
- 10IrrigationSeptember 4, 2025
- 11LandscapesAugust 8, 2025
- 12LandscapesJuly 14, 2025
- 13HardscapesJune 18, 2025
- 14IrrigationMay 22, 2025
- 15HardscapesApril 28, 2025
- 16LandscapesApril 2, 2025
- 17MasonryMarch 5, 2025
- 18LightingFebruary 8, 2025
- 19LightingJanuary 12, 2025
- 20MasonryDecember 4, 2024
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