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Water Ponds

June 25th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

With more people spending their vacation time close to home, adding a water pond in your backyard can create a paradise right at home. You can relax listening to the soothing sounds of your water feature.  If you wish, you can install a waterfall that ends in a pond, add some fish and plants and you have the perfect area to unwind and enjoy live.

Typically the water in many water ponds is self-contained and is re-circulated by pumps. You will need a skimmer to remove any debris that should fall into the pond to avoid clogging the filters and detracting from the pond. Algae can be the biggest problem you will have with your water ponds. There are treatments available to help you control the algae.

You first step in designing your water pond is to decide if you want a water garden or a fish pond.  If you decide you want a fish pond, the most common type of fish is koi.  A koi pond is usually larger than a water garden because koi can grow to be quite large and will need more room. A koi pond will also need to be deeper than a water garden. If you decide you want a water garden and fish, goldfish is an excellent selection and do well and won’t eat all your aquatic plants.

Locate your water pond close to your house so that you can enjoy the sight and sounds it will provide.  Avoid placing your pond close to trees so that you aren’t consistently cleaning leaves and branches out of the water. You’ll also want to make sure and place your water pond so that  run off from rain doesn’t flow into the pond.  This run off may carry chemicals, fertilizers and other organic debris that could affect your plant or fish life.

Installing a water pond in your backyard can create the perfect environment for years of enjoying a peaceful and soothing atmosphere.

Window Boxes - Be Creative

June 12th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

Have you ever noticed how some window boxes are beautiful while others are bland.  An attractive window box is all about the design.  You can be creative with your design but you also want to have some symmetry to make the overall finished design pleasant to the eye.  For example, a tall plant on one side of the window box with a flat carpet of blossoms filling the rest of the box will look unbalanced.  Choose a variety of plants that have different foliage and blossom colors.  A window box that has only one type of flower will have a flat look.  You need different heights to have a successful arrangement:  try tall, medium and a spillover.  Choosing a few flower colors that complement each other and have different heights and foliage types can create a beautiful, cottage feel to the window box.

Flower and leaf colors will change depending on what other plants you plant them with and where you plant them. For example, green looks paler next to yellow.  Bright colors look better in bright sun, while pale colors can fade in sun but look really good in the shade. Experiment with different colors until you create the effect you are looking for in your design.  Bright yellow looks good with red and orange while pale yellow looks good with blue.  Silver foliage makes blue look more intense, but blue can disappear against dark green.

Maintenance of your window box will mainly consist of deadheading blossoms such as pansies, violas, petunias and marigolds which are all plants that have blossoms that fade quickly. Deadheading will promote additional blossoms throughout the growing season. You will also want to trim back any plants that get too tall and rangy looking.  You should lightly fertilize your window boxes approximately once a week to encourage healthier plants and blossoms.

Be creative with your design and enjoy.

Organic Plants

June 6th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

Organic plants consist of more than having a chemical free garden. To be successful in growing organic plants you will need to work with nature and develop an ecosystem for your garden. You will want to encourage healthy bugs like ladybugs and lacewings to take up residency in your garden and feed on the bugs that you don’t want in your garden. Planting fennel, dill, allyssum and cumin will help attract the right type of bugs to your organic plants.

You should add as much organic matter as you can to your garden in order to feed soil organisms. The soil organisms will break down organic matter and help feed your plants. You can make your own compost to use in this process then not only will you be providing nourishment to the soil but you will also reduce kitchen and garden waste.

With rising food prices and the use of harmful pesticides it is almost impossible for a person to have a truly healthy diet.  This is part of the reason more and more people are choosing to grow their own vegetables. Growing organic plants is not a complicated process.  All you really need is a pot, a plant, some soil, water and sunlight.  By growing even a portion of your vegetables at home, you can help eliminate a wide number of environmental and financial issues.

Fun Outdoor Play Space for Kids

May 27th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

Here are just a few ideas to create a fun outdoor play space for kids.

Fun Outdoor Play Space for Kids#1: Create a wildlife observation area by hanging birdhouses and feeders in a quiet spot in the backyard.

Fun Outdoor Play Space for Kids#2: Attract snakes, moles and other critters by gathering twigs and branches and stacking them into a brush pile.

Fun Outdoor Play Space for Kids#3: When designing your landscaping, choose plants that are native to the area because they will attract animals and insects.

Fun Outdoor Play Space for Kids#4: Designate a flower or vegetable bed for the kids to take care of.

Fun Outdoor Play Space for Kids#5: Find spots where low branches, shrubbery or groupings of trees have created a secluded area where kids can build forts or play.

Fun Outdoor Play Space for Kids#6: Create a backyard science center with a thermometer and water gauge where the kids can track changing weather conditions.

Fun Outdoor Play Space for Kids#7: Plant herbs and other scented plants in the garden or in pots and let the kids use them to make mud pies and other delectable goodies.

Outdoor Patio Bar

April 9th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

With spring and summer just right around the corner, hopefully, now is the time to start thinking about your summer entertainment. Outdoor patio bars come in many styles and designs to fit your outdoor entertaining lifestyle. An outdoor patio bar can make the difference between an outdoor party that is so-so or one where everyone you’ve invited feels at home and comfortable.

An outdoor patio bar is an excellent way to keep your party outdoors which limits the amount of traffic going through your home. Clean up after your party is then contained to your outdoor area which will make your outdoor entertaining experience much more relaxing.

One of your first decisions for an outdoor patio bar is whether you want a wet or dry bar. A wet bar offers convenience and will provide a great touch to your deck or patio. A refrigerator and sink are a couple of options that will make a wet bar complete. The downside to this particular type of outdoor patio bar is the added expense to install plumbing for water and drainage.

An outdoor patio bar that is considered a dry bar is more flexible and less expensive. Dry bars typically do not have running water or refrigerators. They do have plenty of storage for glasses, alcohol and other drinks. One advantage for a dry outdoor patio bar is the portability. Certain styles come with wheels that allow you to place it where you want, and moving because of the weather or just needing it in a different place because of the party situation.

You can either purchase your outdoor patio bar or if you are a do-it-yourself type individual, there are a number of plans that will help you build the perfect bar that will fit your needs. And you can always use the money you’ve saved to stock your new outdoor patio bar with your favorite refreshments.

Spring Flowering Bulbs

March 18th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

After a long winter, spring flowering bulbs add a colorful display when most of us need it the most. Choose spring flowering bulbs that are best suited for your particular area.  Preparing the soil at the time you plant is the key to large, healthy flowering bulbs.

Choose healthy bulbs.  Don’t plant bulbs that are dry and withered, spongy or moldy. Most spring flowering bulbs prefer full sunlight.  Plant your bulbs in well draining soil to prevent rotting in cool weather.  If you live in an area that has cold winters, you can plant your bulbs as long as the soil is soft enough to dig. Always plant your spring flowering bulbs with the pointed side up.  This is the stem of the plant.  Bulbs should be planted at a depth of 3 times the bulbs diameter. Mix some bone meal or superphosphate into the soil at the bottom of the hole when planting to encourage strong root growth.

If you have a problem with squirrels and other animals digging up your bulbs or eating the plants, try planting daffodils, hyacinths and crown imperials. Most animals don’t like the way these plants taste. You could also sprinkle some red pepper in the planting hole to help stop rodents from eating the bulbs. A more secure method of protecting your bulbs is to make a cage out of hardware cloth.  The roots and stems of the bulbs can grow through but the rodents can’t get bulb.

Plant your spring flowering bulbs in clusters so when they bloom, the flowers will look like a bouquet. Or plant small bulbs right on top of larger bulbs.  If these two bulbs flower at the same time, it creates a colorful two-tone effect.

When selecting colors for your bulbs choose ”warm” colors like reds and yellows to evoke feelings of passion and energy and choose “cool” colors such as blues and greens for a more laid back and serene feel.  When your flowers have finished blooming, cut back the flower stalks to ground level. Don’t cut back the flowers while they are still green because they need time to photosynthesize and make food reserves for next year’s flowers.

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Credits: Work From Home | Matteo Turchetto | Andreas Viklund