Friday, July 29, 2011

Creating an Amazing Flower Garden Design

Adding a garden can be the perfect way to spice up any home. We have all seen enough boring lawns that have nothing other than a tree or a bush here and there. If you have some extra time on your hands next season , why not try getting creative by coming up with a flower garden design for your lawn and then getting to work making it happen. 

There are things to be aware of when planning your flower garden design. First, consider honestly what kind of budget you can afford to put toward creating a glower garden design. Do not let the huge gardens of your neighbours or friends intimidate you. There is no shame in starting small. The important thing is to know your own budget and then to stick to it. Creating a flower garden design can get out of hand as quickly as any other home project can. 

Another thing to be aware of when planning your flower garden design is what kind of time – realistically – you have to put in to tending your garden. Again, don’t get caught in the trap of comparison here. Your flower garden design must simply be fit to your own needs and schedule. Don’t get in over your head with a garden design that will take far too many hours to tend. Just be realistic and plan a garden design that truly fits your schedule. 

A flower garden can be a peaceful and beautiful refuge from the rest of the world. Sitting in the midst of fragrant flowers while reading a book or strolling along paths lined with flowers in cheerful colours can help you to wind down after a busy, stressful day. With some planning and work, a lovely flower garden can be yours to enjoy. 

Creating beautiful flower garden designs takes much planning and consideration. You will need to consider the types of flowers and combinations of colours you desire for the garden. You will also need to think about the placement of borders and shrubs as well as seating and ornaments. It is a good idea to choose an overall style for the garden and stick with it. When you begin your flower garden design project, you should make a scale drawing of the design to help visualize your concepts. 

Decide upon the shape and pattern for your flower garden design. Rectangular flower garden designs are a traditional shape and always popular. Circular shaped gardens add interest to the standard rectangular lawn. Flower gardens planted on a diagonal to the house can make a lawn appear larger than it actually is. 

There are a number of styles of gardens that you can plant, and many of them are not too difficult to achieve. 

Rose Flower Garden Design
Rose gardens are easy to plant and beautiful to see. In addition to modern roses, include fragrant, old-fashioned varieties of roses whose scent will delight. Plant bulbs in the beds and border them with seasonal flowers to keep the garden full of colour during the blooming seasons. 

Cottage Flower Garden Design
Informal cottage gardens have an old-fashioned, rustic look about them. These flower garden designs incorporate the use of flowers, plants and vegetables. 

Shade Flower Garden Design
Shade gardens are good flower garden designs for spaces with many trees blocking the sunlight. There are many flowers that do well in shady areas, including impatiens, begonia, azalea and viola. The lack of leaves on the trees in spring allows spring bulbs to grow, filling the space with colour. 

Wildflower Garden Design
Wildflower gardens are flower garden designs that feature plants indigenous to the area where the garden is located. These gardens tend to require less pampering than some of the other types listed here, usually not requiring much weeding or amendments to the soil. 

Butterfly Flower Garden Design
Butterfly gardens are delightful flower garden designs, planted with flowers known to attract butterflies. Plants such as marigold, lilac, lavender and goldenrod are all good choices for butterfly gardens. 

Adding a garden can be one of the best things for your home. Just do it with care. Read up on gardens and learn about the most strategic ways to create a garden design for your particular climate and soil type. There are many details to consider when making a garden design, so do it carefully und you will be enjoying the benefits of a beautiful garden for years to come. 

Take a walk through “Garden Lover’s Paradise” and you might get inspired to create your own paradise at 

Friday, July 22, 2011

Hanging Baskets Are a Great Idea

Hanging baskets can be as plain or as ornate as you choose. Full, ornate hanging baskets are absolutely lovely when found hanging from lamp posts, porches and patio rafters. Of course there are other places to show off your baskets, including Sheppard hooks and strategically places brackets attached to outdoor structures. 

The thing to keep in mind when planting your hanging baskets is you are going to want to fill them with lots of trailing, flowering plants. Then you can add an upright plant or two in the centre of the baskets for a more balanced overall appearance. 

The ideal hanging baskets are created from peat-lined wire baskets. The reason these work so well is due to the fact that once they are filled with soil, you can place your plants not only inside the basket, but also poke them through the sides and bottom of the baskets, as well. Once the plants are going well, the overall effect is an entire globe-like display of beautiful, blooming flowers. 

There are many different kinds of trailing flowering plants like Christmas cactus and fuchsias. Some of my favourites include trailing petunias, verbena and trillium. And, an absolute must have addition to a hanging basket is alyssum. While alyssum isn’t a trailing plant per se, it’s great for adding solid patches of colour that bloom the entire summer. Alyssum comes in white ant variegated shades of purple. 

It’s quite permissible to add some plants to your hanging baskets that may not bloom during the summer season. Really, the whole idea is to just stuff your basket with a variety of small plants keeping in mind they are definitely going to grow! In other words, it’s best to plant your young plants no closer than 3-4 inches apart. 

As with any other container plantings, you will need to feed those in your hanging baskets. You can choose compost which has already had sufficient nutrients added to last the entire growing season. This is a great start for annuals. You can also buy slow-release pellets which you mix into the compost in the dosage recommended by the manufacturer. The alternative is to apply a liquid feed once or twice every two weeks throughout the growing season. 

You will also need to make sure your hanging baskets are kept well watered. If you aren’t sure that you will have time to water your baskets every day during the summer, think about investing in a drip system and a water timer. 

Lastly, give due consideration as to where you will be placing your hanging baskets. Most annuals mentioned herein love full sun and will reward you with bloom after bloom all summer long with little deadheading involved. 

However, if your basket will need to be placed in a shaded area, go for trailing fuchsias which come in all sorts of gorgeous colours. 

There are so many possibilities and ideas you can work out and put in realisation and you might find something really stunning that fits exactly what you are looking for at 

Friday, July 15, 2011

Lawn Mower Maintenance – It Does Pay Off!


Trying to start your lawn mower after a long winter can be very frustrating so you should read this advice. Performing a few routine maintenance tasks before you store your lawn mower for the winter can save you time in the spring, prolong the life of your lawn mower, and save you money over the long run. 

Even if you have already put your lawn mower into storage for the winter, a few simple maintenance tasks performed before starting your lawn mower in the spring can be very beneficial. 

Wash and dry your lawn mower after the mowing season is over.

A power blower can be very helpful in removing grass and debris from the underside of your lawn mower and other hard to reach areas. If your lawn mower engine is air-cooled, use an old paint brush or wooden dowel to remove any residue from the cooling fins. If you have a lawn mower with a water-cooled engine, check the coolant level and fill the reservoir if needed.

Clean the radiator cooling fins with a strong jet of water. You should also drain the fuel tank and replace the fuel filter. The air filter housing should be cleaned and the air filter replaced. Remember to check the spark plug(s) for corrosion and wear.

Don’t attempt to clean the spark plug if it is showing some wear. It is cheap and easy to replace the spark plug. Be sure to remove any debris before removing the spark plug and by using a bit of anti-seize compound when you replace the old spark plug, you will ensure easier removal next year. Clean and lubricate the throttle linkages and the choke, and apply grease to the mower deck and all the fittings.

This will be easier if you remove the mower deck and you can replace or sharpen the blades while the mower deck is off. Sharpening the blades after each mowing season will give you a better cut next year and save you the trouble of having to sharpen them in the spring.

Clean the battery terminals and replace your old lawn mower battery if necessary. You can help prevent corrosion of the terminals if you apply grease to the posts at the end of each mowing season. Change the oil in the engine crankcase and replace the oil filter.

You should also drain the gas from your lawn mower before storing it for the winter. During the long summer mowing season, remember to wash your lawn mower and remove any debris after the mower has cooled. Keeping your lawn mower clean will add years to its life and make routine maintenance tasks a lot easier.
Lawn mowing is a job most of us face each and every year. 
A lawn mower that runs great and is well maintained will make this job more enjoyable and easier all summer long. A yearly check up for your lawn mower is the perfect way to prolong its life and keep it running like new, and your lawn will look great when you mow with a machine that is in top working condition.

Your lawn mower will perform at the highest level possible if you remember to perform these simple maintenance tasks each and every year. During the summer months periodically check the oil and the condition of the air and fuel filters. You will save money and your lawn mower will work great for years to come.

For more information about lawns and lawn mowers go to

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Friday, July 8, 2011

Are Your Flowers The Greatest Flowers Around?

Most every gardener strives to grow the best, most stunning flowers around, but that goal is hard to get hold of. Whether you want to raise prize-winning blooms or just have a home garden filled with beautiful flowers, there are some things you can do in order to ensure your garden is in the best shape possible.
What is about the soil chemistry?
The chemical make-up of the soil is one of the biggest factors that contribute to the success or failure of your garden. If the soil in your planting beds is poor in nutrients, it is unlikely that your plants will thrive or produce those beautiful flowers that you want until you enrich the soil with the nutrition the plants need.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the soil chemistry is the same all over your yard. It is important to test the soil in each area of your property that you plan to plants, especially if the areas are away from each other. This can be important if part of your property is on a slope, or if it has been used for other things in the past.

The slope of the land and the soil type in your area are important considerations to make. A complete analysis of the soil in your yard will give you a good place to start and a help to monitor the quality of the soil as your garden matures.

Get to know what your plants will need to thrive!
You probably already have an idea about what you want to plant in your garden, so it is important that you understand what those plants will require in order to grow and flourish. Although many types of annuals, perennials, and bulbs can grow and thrive in a broad range of soil and weather conditions, others can have special requirements for food, water, and soil conditions.

For example, if you are interested in cultivating roses in your garden, you will need to know the pH level of your soil, and adjust it if you need to. Roses are commonly acid loving plants, and therefore they will not thrive in soil with a higher alkaline level. Getting some humus and tilling it into the soil can amend alkaline soil. If the humus does not do the job, adding sulphur to the soil can raise the acidity level.

Keep an eye on nutrition!
The nutrients in the soil will dictate the health and vitality of your plants and flowers. If the phosphorus and nitrogen levels, as well as the presence of other types of organic matter are not sufficient, your plants may be malnourished, and not thrive at all. Nutrients can be added to poor soil by suing humus or any number of good-quality fertilizers.

Now you understand why the chemistry of your garden soil is so important in growing your ideal garden. Having the best flowers around is a big task to fulfil. Make sure that your garden soil is ready for the duty.

You will find everything related to gardening, gardening power tools, garden and patio furniture and barbecues (including some of the most beautiful recipe books) at



Friday, July 1, 2011

Setting Up a Vegetable Garden

Vegetable gardening has lately become just as popular as going to the grocery store for your veggies. Vegetable gardening can produce vegetables that are most of the times less expensive than when purchased in a grocery store, and vegetables from a home vegetable garden are without a doubt better tasting by far. Vegetable gardening is the same as growing herbs or flowers and if the right steps are taken and the young veggies are given the right care they’ll grow and evolve into very flourish vegetables. 

The first thing you will have to think about how much space you want to utilize for your vegetable garden and then choose a spot in your backyard, somewhere that has a good drainage, good flow of air and good deep ground.  

You know for certain: vegetable gardens have a lot delightful rewards, a lot of animals, such as birds, mice, insects and many others will take a chance to take some of your vegetables. The method to prevent this is to set up a fence round your garden, or install a trap so snatch the moles, insects and other animals. Ahead of planting, ‘remember’ the ground must be properly prepared. Good ground for vegetable gardening is accomplished by cultivation and the employment of organic fertilizer. The ground must be tilled to control weeds and mix mulch in the ground. Whenever you have a small garden, spading could be a more effective bet than ploughing. 

Mulching is also an all important part of ground preparation. Organic fertilizer added to the ground releases nitrogen, minerals, and supplemental nutrients plants need to grow. The most basic and most effective sort of mulch you can use is compost. While the type and amount of plant food used depends on the ground and the sorts of vegetables, there are a few plants what have particular needs; leafy plants, like cabbage, spinach, and lettuce typically grow better with a good amount of nitrogen, when root crops such as potatoes, beets, and carrots ask more potassium hydroxide. Tomatoes and beans are accustomed to a smaller extent of the plant food, when plants like onions, celery, and potatoes need a bigger amount.

The thing that is vitally important in vegetable gardening is how the yard is layed out, there’s not a single plant that will grow in all gardens due to varying circumstances. The way to set up a vegetable garden is to plant vegetables demanding only a modest distance together, such as radishes, beets, and spinach, and those that need a lot of garden space together, such as maize, pumpkins, and potatoes. Attempt to plant big growing vegetables toward the back of the vegetable garden and the smaller ones in the front so that their sunshine doesn’t get blocked. 

When you are finally done to begin planting out your vegetable garden, be sure that you plant at the right season. If you are eager to get a quick start, you may need to start your vegetable garden indoors in a hotbed and then move when the weather conditions allow it. Whenever you are done with planting, be sure your vegetables pick up the right amount of water, which depends up on the kind of plant or veggie. 

Vegetable gardening is for many people a preferred sort of gardening since you can really taste the fruits of your work. Vegetable gardening isn’t that pricey to begin and the flavour of home grown vegetables definitely beats out the supermarket veggies. 

You can find everything that is necessary and wished for gardening, lawn care, garden furniture and barbecue (in one word: a garden is a welcome retreat from the stress of the week and the hassles from the outside world) by visiting