Archive for the ‘Gardening’ Category
All You Need to Know About Landscape Design
August 21st, 2010 | 
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Landscape design is simple once you are used to it. Now we will explore a few of these designs and you will be developing and implementing your own ideas that utilize your talents in the field of landscaping.
From the trellis and arbor, walkways and garden lighting, you want your yard to look like you had fun creating it. This can be done by creating comforting and unique surroundings and other enchanting sights. Think about creating a small garden in part of your front yard with a small pool or fountain. Create the illusion of a larger yard, and making your yard look bigger than it really is can be fairly simple by manipulating the curves of your walkway. Make the curves of the walkway from the front of the house through the yard and then back to the sidewalk. It’s a great trick for those who have a small front yard. The plants you will be using are Blue Slavia, Coreopsis, finally trimming the front area with Youpon Holly. Your new small pond is made by using natural stone and the remainder of the semi-paved area will use crushed stone.
A popular choice for a garden is a Mediterranean garden design. For this you will need to find plants that reflect this particular theme. Start with the front yard, created with a center walkway with natural stone. It is a very comforting, cozy, and clean look. Another added benefit is it also makes it easier for others to find your front door. The next step is plant installation. Surround the walkway with Blue Salvia, Heliopsis, Russian Olive Trees, Pink Verbena, Feather Reed Grass, Lamb’s Ear, Mediterranean Palm and Rosemary. Make sure to check the climate requirements for the plants as they will not thrive in areas with cold or dry climates. Choosing plants that thrive in your climate is an important part of the process. Failure to do so could mean your plants look less than favorable and also put an unnecessary dent in your bank account.
The theme of this article is to let your imagination guide you. If you truly let your creative side rule the decision making process you will find it can be a fun and rewarding experience. Who knows, you might just find yourself a new hobby! From large gardens to Mediterranean designs, you can always find ideas from the work of others. If you like want to be original, sketching designs that come mind will allow you to see how you can build and renovate your yard to be your perfect design.
Posted in Gardening | 
Tags: Choosing Plants, Enchanting Sights, Mediterranean Garden | 
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How to Choose Great Outdoor Patio Furniture for Your Yard
Most people end up replacing their patio furniture much too often. For some people it’s almost a yearly tradidtion! I’m going to show you what to look for so that you’ll be able to purchase stylish new outdoor furniture that will look great and last for years to come.The biggest thing to pay attention to when shopping is the material that the furniture is made from. The material is the biggest factor in determining the weather proofness of your outdoor furniture and how long it will last with minimal maintenance from you.For those that don’t want to spend much time cleaning or maintaining their patio furniture, aluminum or plastic are the best bets. Furniture made from these two materials are highly water resistant and weather proof. When they start to get dirty simply soap them up and then spray them down with a garden hose.Cast iron and steel is another choice but they will corrode and rust unless varnished or sealed with some type of weather coating. Sometimes this type of furniture will be powder coated for protection.Wood on the other hand can be more of a problem. Teak is probably the best wood to choose as it is pretty weather resistant. Other woods that are used in very cheap outdoor furniture can rot or grow mold after only a few months in the rain. Waterproofing can be improved by varnishing or staining each piece, but it requires considerable effort that most homeowners would rather avoid.Outdoor furniture is available in a wide variety of styles, shapes, colors and materials. If you follow these tips when shopping, you’ll end up with a great looking yard or patio with furniture that will last.
Know your garden for better lighting effects
Before we take up any work, we should understand the basic concepts involved in the work. So before we take up garden lighting, we should understand the garden. Know your garden: The basic issue to be understood is the size of the garden. The exterior look of the house is another point to be considered. The garden should be aesthetically good. Whether the garden is being used just for relaxation or for holding any discussions or for taking lunch and supper with family and friends, etc. should be considered. These are some of the essential points to be understood before the lighting work is taken up. Next comes the cost; how much one can afford on lighting. Whether any change of landscaping is required also should be considered. Who will do the work? If one is cost conscious, then one of the options open to him is to do the gardening by himself. There are many books to teach about the art of gardening. But this depends on the size of the garden and how much time one can afford on the work, etc. There are professional agencies who take up the work. They will advise you on the landscaping. They also advise on the type of cabling work to be done and the type of lights or shades that would be appropriate for the garden. In fact some of these agencies also take up routine maintenance of the garden. But that would be quite expensive. Do it yourself: Although there are many books to guide you on garden lighting, there are some very important points that have to be considered before taking up the work. Select the right furniture for the garden. Balance the lighting both outside and inside the garden. As far as possible try to go in for solar lighting because it is easy to install and it is quite cost effective. In solar lighting, the lighting pattern can be changed any time you desire because it does not require any cabling. Before you take up the work, visit some of the gardens of your neighbors and friends. If necessary, make a sketch of their garden. That will give you enough information about how your garden should be. The lighting depends on the type of trees existing and proposed to be grown. It also depends on other factors like fountains and waterfalls, pathways provided, place provided for relaxing and discussions, etc.
Cheap Landscaping Ideas – Mulch Your Garden
Landscaping is an art. Houses and all other buildings can show their best with them. Plants can beautify your yard and will give you the more rewarding result. But if you need to start out, you can consider getting a cheap mulching option for your garden.
When you are moving to a new property, there is a high probability that there are weeds. You need to weed them out or just mulch them properly. Mulching is any material with loose properties to control weed growth and save soil moisture. They can compose of things like leaves, bark, clippings and other commercial materials such as plastic sheeting.
So if you need a cheap mulching alternative, you can opt to get the same effect with lesser materials. They can be done with some basic items such as rags, papers, barks and sugar cane mulch. They are the basic items you need to get your garden to the best condition. Here are some steps to prepare:
Organize the garden by weeding it first. Then rake the soil to make a smooth texture. You may now apply the papers, thicker is better. They must be usually 6 sheets thick. Water them down to be soaked so they won’t be easily blown away by the wind.
The next thing to do is apply the sugar cane mulch. But if you really are short of this material, you can try organic straw; just make sure there are no seeds with them. They will now cover the paper you used to apply earlier. It doesn’t need to be deep, you need to put them enough just to cover the paper. Then, you need to apply water again to dampen the mulch, this gives out a lovely color of gold.
Now you can apply the bark materials. A good amount is just handfuls within your reach to cover the golden colored mulch; they will give color and contrast to the project.
This can be the most effective mulch to prevent the growth of weeks. You can notice that after a few weeks, only some of the weeds can get through. A nuisance weed can be nut grass, just weed them out by hand. The golden color can fade due to the sun, but you can now grow your flowers or plants to your garden.
This can be one of the cost effective ways to prevent weeding. As with saving time and probably making your garden more beautiful, there are always cheap landscaping ideas which you can use to your garden.
Park Patio Globe – White
- Color: White
- Size: 80″h
Product Description
371 Lamp Finish: White Shown in black body finish with white globes Design inspired in the Italian Renaissance, these portable weatherproof globe style planters and patio lamps feature powder coated aluminum construction with resin bases, white acrylic break resistant globes, two level dimming switch and 10′ grounded cord and plug. Features: -Outdoor floor lamp -European Collection -Available in black or white body finishes -Powder coated aluminum construction with … More >>
