Archive for November, 2008

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Backyard Landscaping Ideas

Sunday, November 23rd, 2008

Backyard Landscaping Ideas

Backyard landscaping ideas are legion, and can be used to transform a common old block of land into something quite marvelous. Just about any backyard can be transformed to a higher level with the right ideas and the right amount of effort, let us not forget: attitude, imagination, and creativity, will go a long way in assisting, too. Given a short amount of time, you will be able to make something beautiful out of your ordinary backyard block of land.

One of the most effective methods of achieving this, is with the use of plants for landscaping. Filling a garden with plants can help transform any backyard into lively place of beauty. Over time, the plants that you have chosen for your backyard landscape, will give the place its own personality, as they grow and spread their branches.
If you wish to give your home that stately old english look, some largish evergreen trees will give that noble look that you mostly see in elegant mansions and homes. The same elegance can be implied with the addition of large evergreens in your backyard.
Color is important in any backyard, and the addition of flowering plants here and there will add contrast . Roses lined along a path-way always makes for a pleasant if not grand stroll. A garden bed, specifically for roses, gives a magnificent confetti effect, full of life – with the added bonus of cut-flowers for the house, and gloriously heady perfume all around.
If you are wanting color in your garden, but don’t have the spare time required to care for garden beds regularly, you could always create a wildflower garden. Wildflower gardens require little maintenance in order to succeed, and give your backyard a bit of a rustic look, that you may prefer over mown lawns, wickedly sharpe edges, and seemingly sterile backyard landscapes.
Filling your backyard with plants certainly solves the problem of spending part of your precious weekend trying to mow large expanses of lawn, by reducing the lawn area that you need to mow. A vegetable garden acheives much the same result.

Another way to reduce some mowing area in your backyard is the application of “hardscapes”. Hardscape, refers to all those additions to your landscape, that are not actually growing – like decks, paths, patios, etc. This is another landscaping idea that you can incorporate, with the use of plants or trees, to make your backyard even more interesting – if not practical. You could have a rock-garden, fences or walls, possibly a fish-pond or fountain, a pergola or deck perhaps, to create alternative elements of beauty in your backyard.
The use of hardscapes, to the exclusion of everything else, is not only unattractive, it is also cheating.
Not only is it pretty lazy, but also, you are cheating your family, and indeed yourself, out of the beauty and serenity, that only a planted garden can afford. Try not to overdo the big bits.

So, really, your imagination and willingness for “some” work, are the only things preventing you from implimenting some backyard landscaping ideas.
More Gardening Ideas can be found here: Gardening Videos

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Backyard Landscaping and How to Enjoy it.

Sunday, November 23rd, 2008

As with practically anything you attempt, your backyard landscape can be a place of fun, provided you put a bit of “you” into it. By this, I mean some of your own imagination and creativity. Not only is this an exercise in beautification of “your space”, but at the same time there is a satisfying sense of accomplishment involved here. However, do keep in mind that, you will never achieve this state of mind if you are only able to view the whole thing as a chore.

Let us not ignore the fact that, Yes, there is a fair amount of work involved – this is more popularly known as “gardening”. Mowing, weeding, doing the edges, digging, planning for next spring, and planting, are just a few that spring to mind. Quick! Run and hide – NOW!
Or, you could look at it from a different angle. Possibly:
“If I mow that lawn, I’ll be able to find the kids more easily”;
“If I pull-up those weeds now, whilst they are still small, the job will be much easier for me, than if I leave it till the end of summer”;
“If I weed this now, I’ll be able to see the late flowering roses”;
“Just THINK of all the pretty flowers I’ll be able to give to my wife, when this new garden-bed is up and running”;
“My wife/spouse will be SO proud of me”.

Consider Your Backyard as an Extension of Your Living Space.
Push the boundaries of your indoor living space, incorporate the backyard, and make it the outdoor living space. Have a large, sturdy, picnic-table with suitable chairs – on the patio, or near the pond, next to the rose or herb-garden perhaps. This gets the whole family out-of-doors, fresh-air, sunlight, no T.V. – “in the nature”. I can guarantee you, you will have more to discuss if you are entertaining outdoors.

Reflect on Nature’s Beauty.
What could be more pleasant than kicking-back with friends and family, in the landscape that YOU have created? Basking in the glow of everyone’s praise, as they comment on such a beautiful and relaxing environment you have invited them to share. Ah! The bragging-rights of gardening.

Start Small, Do Not Over-Do it.
One does not necessarily need an over-abundance of imagination and creativity, either, for your backyard to be looking like you actually know what you are doing.
Nor does it have to take a lot of work. Some well placed trees, can hide a great number of eye-sores in your yard. Like the corners of the block. Just a few trees to round-off the sharpness of the corners can do wonders. Fountains and ponds can hide a multitude of sins,also. We’re not talking six men and a concrete truck here. Again, start small. Buy yourself a simple pond/fountain set-up, these can be found in most nurseries these days, and see if you can handle this much. Oh, Oh, look out – Yes, there is work involved with a pond. You have to keep it clean – this means trying NOT to let it turn into a large container of green, dead-fish-leaf-filled slop. Not talking about pool vaccums here, just remove the leaves when there are too many. Outdoor goldfish are pretty hard to kill, generally, they will look after themselves.

If you find that this has been a relatively panic-less event, go on to the next project.
So, what’s next? Let us be a bit ambitious now, how about a rose garden? Too ambitious? Make it a flower-garden then. Starting small again, about 3 feet wide, 6 feet long; dig it over, remove the weeds, add a small amount of fertiliser, dig it over again (it’s easier this time), a bag of mulch to keep in the moisture, water it, then go and have a cuppa. Feeling rested? Good. Now go to the nursery, you are buying two things. A packet of sunflower seeds, and a packet of nasturtium seeds. When you get home – plant them.
No big deal here, the seeds must be in contact with the soil – that’s under the mulch. Plant two nasturtium seeds in each corner, plant the sunflower seeds one-hand-span apart, across the rest of the entire bed. Water the bed. Go and sit down – outside. Contemplate what you have just done. You got your hands in the dirt, you have immediately “changed the look of your backyard”, you have instigated the creation of life. You have done well. Pat yourself on the back.

Now you are about to embark on the greatest lesson in gardening, namely – patience. Your newly planted seeds will not have emerged by tomorrow, count on it. And don’t go fiddling. They will emerge in about 5 days, weather permitting, and sunflowers take 3 to 4 months before flowering. Nasturtiums take about 4 weeks.

Whilst you are waiting to see what will happen, start thinking about planting a few shrubs, along the sides of the yard. One day, in the near future, all of a sudden you will realise – Goodness! The backyard’s been landscaped! Hey, wow, I did that! So you see, using a bit of imagination, creativity and a bit of work, you are now able to quietly bask in the knowledge that You have created a backyard landscape, and now it’s time to enjoy it.
For More landscaping Information, Please Visit: Gardening Videos

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No Cost Landscaping Ideas.

Sunday, November 23rd, 2008

The Internet has a great many sites dedicated specifically to free landscaping ideas, thereby enabling people to initiate their own landscaping projects, at their own pace, without the cost of engaging a contractor. Generally, these sites offer easy to understand instructions, and are presented in such a way as to make it easier to achieve your desired result.
Therefore, should you be looking to start a landscaping project of your own, having never done so previously, the internet would be your best bet as a starting point place of reference, for no-cost landscaping ideas. This too, will give you a good idea of just what is involved, considering materials; space and perspective; step-by-step procedures and approximated time needed to complete each task; estimated costs; detailed elements of landscaping including patios, front and backyards, water features such as swimming pools, and other decorations, that previously you may not have considered – had you even been aware of them.

Here are just a few free landscaping ideas available on the web.
Keep in mind, that you can chop and change most of the elements in any free ideas you view on the internet, nothing is “carved in stone” as far as ideas go, AND, you will not be wanting your particular outdoor-space, to be looking exactly like everyone else. So, mix it up a little.

1. Trees.
Apart from the fact that most trees are “set and forget”, i.e. plant them, water them, but largely leave them to their own devices; trees, whether a single specimen tree, or a stand or copse of them, add a focal-point to a garden. Depends on what it is you are after – somewhere to sit in the shade; something to contemplate – a particular tree of beauty; somewhere for the kids to play; maybe as the back-drop to the rest of the garden.

2. Ground-covers.
Plants with a growing habit that covers the ground, such as thyme, chammomile, or pennyroyal – make good lawn alternatives. Those plant names are often preceded with the word “lawn”. There are many forms of daisy’s that can cover a considerable amount of ground, in a short space of time – Osteospermum, or African Daisy comes easily to mind. Although in need of a bi-annual prune, the flower show far outweighs this small task. VERY hardy. Many colours.
Violets – Violets are VERY hardy little things, able to tolerate quite a range of growing conditions. If you plant half a dozen of these, by next year they will have re-seeded all over the place. Normally planted in the shade, they fair well in half sun situations. TIP: Once they finish flowering, either mow or whipper-snip them, down to the base – VERY short. This is because, in order to flower well the following season, after each flowering they need sun-light on the base stems.
Mesembryanthem, or Pig Face – Strikingly vibrant, almost florescent, orange/red/yellow flowers, succulent stems, leaves are greyish green, flowers are daisy like, and open in the full sun. Can be established in near desert situations, even in rock-walls.
Bacopa, or Snowflake – Perennial ground cover, flowers being white or blue and tubular with expanding lobes. Scented leaves, good plant for the shade.
Nasturtium – Round waxy leaves that hold the morning dew, profuse flowering from red through to yellow, and everything in between. A fast growing annual – leaves, flowers, even seed-pods can be eaten and or pickled – a nice pepper alternative.

3. Water Features.
Water features such as fountains, fish-ponds, or still-water-ponds, are a marvelous addition to your landscape. Not only pleasing to the eye but also helps aid relaxation, through the soothing sounds created.

4. No-Cost Plants.
Well, this is an easy one. Friends, family, or neighbors, are your best source of no-cost plants for your landscape. By this, I mean cuttings and or seeds. Most, but certainly not all, plants can be reproduced by taking cuttings. If you think this is too difficult regarding your experience – try something like geraniums. Now, I use this example as, if you have never taken and planted cuttings before – it is hard to fail with geraniums. Not the big, flashy, floppy flowering Pelargonium – these are generally a little more difficult to get going.
O.K. let us do this. Cuttings should be about 6 inches long and about three eighths of an inch thick. There should be at least one leaf on this cutting – not for any magical-gardening-type-reasons, more because if this IS your first time, the leaf tells you which way is up when you plant it. With this particular plant, the cutting can be left for up to 3 days, before it needs to be planted (yet another fine reason to choose this particular plant). If you do not already have an established piece of garden to plant into, get a pot and some potting-mix. In either case, make a hole one third as deep as the cutting is long – with your finger, or a pencil, put the cutting in that hole and firm the soil around the cutting. Water it. Sit down, relax. Congratulate yourself – you are now a gardener.

Hopefully, this article has given you a small insight into no cost landscaping ideas.
For More landscaping Information, Please Visit: Gardening Videos

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Useful Ideas for Landscaping Your Front Yard.

Sunday, November 23rd, 2008

Due to the fact, that your front yard is out there for all to see, for most home-owners, this part of your garden tends to have a little more attention to detail afforded it. Actually, more attention to everything about it. Well, what would the neighbors say! Indeed, your front yard is often the yard-stick by which the occupants are judged. Let’s face it, if you see a front yard with 3 to 4 foot high grass emenating strange animal noises, you are going to wonder just what the place must be like inside. There is no denying it, a well kept lawn and garden, gives worth and will add extra value to a property.

The creation of a beautiful front yard to be proud of, doesn’t necessarily require the hiring of a landscaping expert to do the job for you. With a little imagination and creativity, a lot can be done to transform the area. There is no “rule” stating that your front yard must be a square piece of lawn, with wickedly sharp edges.
The internet is a great place to find free ideas for your front-yard landscape design. Steal some of these great ideas and make them your own, make them unique by mixing them up a little. Be a little adventurous. Given time, you will find that “what the neighbors will say”, will be “Gee, I wish I had a garden like that!”

If, for example, you were to bulk plant the area with trees and or shrubs, around the perimeter (not talking Sequoia’s here), this would then afford you the privacy to while away your spare-time reading a good book, having a quiet picnic with family and friends, or, create a “front yard outdoor living area” – as an extension of your indoor living area. More commonly, this idea is utilised for the backyard, so if you incorporate the front yard with your home’s various existing living spaces, indoor and outdoor – you will indeed have a rather unique result.

A display of artwork or statuary in the front yard can also add an element of excitement, provided you don’t overdo it. There is a place nearby my house that has too many interesting things in it, a bit of a sensory overload, really. I think that anyone on serious medication should steer clear of it. Then again, it may well be that the perpetrator of this nightmare – is in fact on serious medication. The general rule here is – less is best. Create interest, not shock.

A bird house or bird bath, possibly a pond or fountain, always adds more than a bit of interest. Not only will this attract birds to your garden, but also, nothing comes close to the soothing sight and sounds of falling water. Flowering plants (annuals, perennials), and shrubs, are a great way to attract butterflies to the garden – giving an animated flowers effect as they flitter on by.

Do keep in mind, that planting trees, shrubs, flowers, etc, as regards landscaping, is a lot easier that installing pergolas decks and patios. Living plants also afford the bonus of constant change, whether this be through the seasons, flowering, or merely the fact that they ARE growing – therefore the shape and size of your plants is a constantly changing experience.
I hope that you have found this article helpful in giving you some useful ideas for landscaping your front yard.
gardening video wall

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Vegetable Gardening

Wednesday, November 5th, 2008

Successful vegetable gardening involves far more than just popping a few seeds into the ground and waiting for a tomato to appear. I’ll briefly cover the basics of vegetable garden design, but you might also want to get some gardening books.

Planning your garden is one of the most important parts of vegetable gardening, and it’s quite simple. Whether it’s a vegetable garden, a flowerbed, indoor houseplants, or some combination, successful gardening requires planning, patience, and a little detective work. Whatever you do, do not choose garden soil, no matter how rich it might be, for indoor vegetable gardening! No matter what gardening zone your garden is located in there are catalogues with myriad variety of vegetables. Use these vegetable gardening tips to prepare your garden and keep your home full of fresh vegetables. Preparing your garden soil for planting is the most physically demanding part of vegetable gardening and may also be the most important part.

The patios and balconies of apartment buildings and condominiums often have good exposure for containers vegetable gardening. Container gardening makes it possible to position the vegetables in areas where they can receive the best possible growing conditions. Container gardening can provide you with fresh vegetables as well as recreation and exercise. Although vegetable production will be limited by the number and the size of the containers, this form of gardening can be rewarding. Soilless mixes such as a peat-lite mix are generally too light for container vegetable gardening, since they usually will not support plant roots sufficiently.

MEDIA A fairly lightweight potting mix is needed for container vegetable gardening. Soil Conditions The right type of soil for the right type of plant is key to successful vegetable gardening. Clay and sandy soils must be modified for successful vegetable gardening. Proper fertilization is another important key to successful vegetable gardening.

Buy seeds, seed starting kits and gardening supplies for vegetable gardens. If you are new to gardening, starting vegetables from seed may be too huge an undertaking, instead purchase plants. Practice crop rotation in your vegetable gardening by planting tomatoes and other vegetables in a different spot every year. Mulches can be used effectively in all types of gardening situations from vegetable gardens to flower gardens and even around trees and shrubs. I know an eyebrow or two might be raised at the suggestion of indoor vegetable gardening, but it can be done, within limits.

Added to the pleasure of gardening will be satisfaction derived from relishing vegetables freshly picked from your very own plot. Learning is a process, vegetable gardening needs time. As in so many other pursuits, so it is in the art of vegetable gardening: practice does make perfect.

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