Flare & Flora

Timeless references for curating the land around your home.

Notes from the crews digging, stacking, and planting across Beaver County and Pittsburgh's North Hills. Written by the people doing the work, not a copywriter guessing at it.

Fresh dark mulch blown into a terraced flower and shrub bed

Latest

Mulch Types for Flower Beds: What to Buy and What to Skip

Hardwood, dyed, pine bark, needles, cedar, compost, stone, and rubber side by side: lifespan, cost, pH, and the depth that blocks weeds.

Landscaping / Sep 2026

Sweeping paver driveway at a Beaver County estate

Driveway Materials Compared: Gravel, Asphalt, Concrete, Pavers

Driveways / Sep 2026

Mulched planting bed and lawn edge in front of a Western PA home

Dog-Friendly Landscaping: A Yard That Survives the Dog

Landscaping / Sep 2026

LAND.

Beds, mulch, grading, and the ground everything else sits on.

5 articles

STONE.

Walls, patios, driveways, fire, and light.

6 articles

WATER.

Pools, from the first quote to the first closing.

10 articles

Illuminated stone waterfall wall over an inground pool at dusk

The flagship work

The yard around the pool is the project.

Pool, deck, walls, and planting designed together and built by one crew. See what that looks like finished.

See the pool workPlan a project