Garden Tips & Resources

Archive for February, 2009

Laying good paving and walkways around your garden can add considerably to the number of months during the year when you will be able to enjoy your garden and whether or not you will be able to work in it.

During the wet season, unless you have suitable areas to walk without the ground turning to mush and mud, you won’t be able to access your garden to do the necessary maintenance.

Paving can also add to the style of your garden by adding a border that will set off the plants.
It also allows you to add drainage and redirect water that could end up flowing into the garden and causing damage to the plants by letting them get waterlogged.

Paving is also a good alternative for people who don’t like mowing lawn as it is virtually maintenance free if it has been prepared and laid correctly.

Another advantage of paving is the fact that you can transport all your garden needs around the garden more easily when you have a firm surface to run wheel barrows and trolleys on.

You can also place garden furniture on paving if you allow for a little more area and this will enhance your outdoor living space, allowing for excellent and dry entertaining areas throughout the year.

You can get paving quite cheap particularly if you use second hand materials such as bricks.
While this might not sound very appealing, secondhand bricks already have that chipped and weathered look that can look really good when laid as a path and can often blend in with the garden better than new pavers.

One thing that you will need to consider when laying pavers, and particularly when using seconds, is to ensure that the walking surface doesn’t have any areas where someone might trip and fall when they are walking.

It’s no secret that water provides a number of invaluable benefits. The acoustic and visual qualities of flowing water are not just therapeutic and serene, they are relaxing as well. Few things could possibly be more relaxing after a long day at work than relaxing by a rolling seashore, sitting by a tranquil and idyllic lake, and letting the sound of water wash over your senses. Unfortunately, such excursions are quite impossible for most people; if you want to enjoy these wonderful natural settings, you almost always need to live near them. But there are ways to enjoy these effects at home. Perhaps the best way to do this is to install some unique water fountains! If you take a quick peek online, you will find that there are many distinct types of water fountains to choose from.

If you desire to have this water effect in your office you can install some indoor wall fountains. These wall mounted fountains not only perk up the looks of the office, but also help to impress the potential customers. Perhaps the most desirable characteristic of water fountains is how they tend to create an atmosphere of peace and calm that permeates through everyone and everything around them. Installing a fountain in a waiting room lets patients, clients, and other people relax and entertain themselves by looking at beautiful wall mounted fountains and listening to their pleasant sounds. This most always makes time seem to pass more quickly and more enjoyably. The calming effect of these fountains also helps your employees focus and work more efficiently because they are relieved of stress and find themselves in a relaxed state. Of course, along with all these aural benefits, fountains also serve to enhance the beauty of your office or home. You can enjoy looking at it when you feel bored, tired, or stressed. If wall mounted fountains aren’t quite your thing, however, you may want to consider investing in some quality indoor floor fountains instead.

If you have a garden in your backyard you may want garden water fountains to add extra ambiance to your floral setting. There are styles that have statues, some are tiered, and others are very artistic in nature. There are some advantages to having these garden water fountains. The main one is adding the sounds of water to an already idyllic area with flowers, birds and butterflies. The water sounds along with the birds chirping and the other sounds that nature provides gives you the ultimate place to relax.

Think about how the tabletop or floor fountains will fit into your home nicely. If your house has a lot of space as in a large porch or maybe a large foyer, a floor version of the indoor fountain would be great. If you live in a smaller dwelling you may consider the table version then. Picture this: you come home from work, grab a cool beverage, sit down in a comfortable chair and stare at your beautiful water fountain as its melodic and therapeutic sounds refresh your senses; you relax immediately. This takes all the stress away, true heaven! If you are into meditation you can use the sounds of water to tune out the surroundings so you can just relax. That’s right: your indoor floor fountains will help you relax entirely.

Again, there is a multitude of unique fountain styles and designs available today. You will surely find the perfect size, style, and price range online for your very own unique water fountain.

For your plants to survive it is essential to have an effective watering plan and this can be made somewhat easier by installing an irrigation system.

There are many products on the market that allow the home handy person to install their own irrigation system.

The first thing you will need to do is set out a plan of where the irrigation needs to go, taking into account your water supply, the types of plants that you will be watering, and the flexibility in water management that you will need.

Flexibility in water management is particularly important, as this will allow you to supply varying contents of water to specific plants to ensure all the plants in your garden are getting their optimum requirements.

Another factor that you should consider is having a timed irrigation system where you can supply water to your plants on a regular basis even if you are away on holiday for an extended period of time.

These timed watering systems are very cost effective and can save you a lot of money that could otherwise be lost in plants that die due to a lack of water.

There are a wide variety of soaker and sprinkler type water systems and they all have their specific benefits for your garden.

If you are unsure what your garden requirements are, many of the home irrigation systems have information to help you make educated decisions but if that still leaves you in doubt then a consultation with a garden professional could save you a lot of time and money.

Before buying anything check out the prices from the online garden supply stores as you will generally get a better price than buying elsewhere and if you do find you need help from a professional, you can simply get their recommendations and buy the products elsewhere to save money.

Many gardeners live in areas where almost anything can grow effortlessly.
Just plant the seeds and water it for a few weeks, and you’ve got a
beautifully lush plant. But if you live in somewhere like Colorado, you’ll
understand what its like to have a slim selection of plants that naturally
grow. It can be quite a challenge to facilitate the growth of a large
variety of plants, especially when the very world you live in seems to be
rooting against you.

Some people solve this problem by loading up their plants with every type
of chemical and fertilizer known to man. This usually works, but to me it
seems kind of unnatural to rely on man made materials to keep your plants
alive. Also, if I’m growing fruits or vegetables, I don’t feel very
comfortable eating something that is entirely composed of chemicals.

A gardening theory that I have relied on in the past to grow many types of
plants is that of creating a “microclimate” for each type of plant. This
is when you regulate the sunlight, shade, moisture, and wind factors for
each separate plant. It sounds like a challenge, and it is. But you can
regulate these factors in such a way that the plant feels just like it is
in the ideal growing conditions. This can be achieved by the use of wind
barriers, shading umbrellas, extra water, or different types or amounts of
compost.

If you’re ready to make an attempt at creating microclimates, you’ll need
to make a detailed plan in advanced. You should start by finding a large
shade providing bush or tree that will grow fast and naturally in your
area. Just look at some undeveloped plots of land and see what is there.
Most likely it grew on its own without any planting or care. This is what
you want to happen. Usually the growing of one plant can bring about the
growing of another more desirable plant.

If you have a fence in your backyard (you would be surprised at how many
people don’t) then you already have a good amount of shade to work with.
You can start the microclimate process using just the shade of the fence,
combined with (perhaps) a screen or large bush to shade your new plant for
the other half of the day that the fence doesn’t take care of. The fence
is also useful for shading against wind for very fragile plants.

Once you have established the shade, be it natural or unnatural, you have
created a slightly less harsh miniature environment. You must remember
this is a gradual process, and find a new plant to put in the shade of the
other one. Now your choices are a little more open. You don’t have to go
with a rugged plant like the one you did before; you can now choose a
plant that survives in cooler weather.

If the plant you are trying to grow next requires more moisture in the air
than your area provides, installing a fountain or small pond can fix this
problem due to the evaporation. You may think you don’t want to waste
water on a pond or fountain, but it’s all going toward the betterment of
your garden. It’s just like the watering process, only indirect. As an
added benefit, usually fountains are quite aesthetically attractive and a
great addition to your garden.

I can’t explain every stage of the process, because everyone’s goals and
setups are slightly different. But to reach your goal, you should do
research on every plant that you would like to have in your garden. Find
out everything you can about the zone that it flourishes in, and ask
yourself how you can emulate that zone within your own backyard. Almost
always you can take control of the environment and recreate whatever you
wish. Usually all it takes is some planning and strategy.