I'm fortunate to have a house in the city with a backyard that receives lots of morning sunlight and a front yard that basks in the strong afternoon sun.  I get to experience the best of both worlds, but many of my friends aren't as lucky, and their gardens and yards often show it.  Last week we gave you a few ideas for shade-loving plants — this week I'm going to round off the list with a few suggestions for shade-loving trees (and for an added bonus, they're also perfect for compact spaces!).  

Q: Can I recycle a slate counter from our kitchen island to an outdoor table surface? We're renovating our home and I'd like to salvage and re-use as much as possible. The 7' x 2'6" honed, black slate slab topping the island is the perfect size and shape for an outdoor dining table.

Got a little space in your backyard for an out building? Want to build a little getaway structure outside the city? Then a yurt may be just what you're looking for. These simple structures have been around for a long time and they're gaining new popularity with easy build kits.

If you've been collecting piles of seed packets this spring, it can be hard to keep track of them all, especially if you need to sort by season or variety. Keep this idea in mind the next time you browse a flea market!

If you need some simple storage for your garden but don't quite need a potting bench, this eco-minded Etsy how-to upcycles a wooden pallet into outdoor shelving.

It doesn't take a jug of toxic chemicals to clear most slow or clogged drains. A drain auger can help cut through the hair, grease and food that's clogging a drain without flushing chemicals through to the water system.

Each year Consumer Reports comes out with their latest pick for best interior paints. Judged on performance, value, washability and durability, this year a new brand emerged with the highest scores of 65 paints tested. Find out who, after the jump.

If you don't live in a house with a yard, it can be easy to dismiss flower bulbs as something you could never use. On the contrary: bulbs are great for container gardens and little indoor centerpieces. The folks at Longfield Farms offer a wide selection of bulbs, as well as a how-to section to help walk you through the process. 

Isabelle Palmer founded The Balcony Gardener because she wanted to make the most of her small balcony in North London; she wanted to create a space where she could "look, sit, relax and grow my own little bit of green in the city." From ready made container gardens to gardening tools and outdoor furniture, The Balcony Gardener has an array of products you can use to create a garden escape of your own.