Having an ample supply of good rich compost is the gardeners’ dream.
It has many uses, and all of those uses will result in nicer plants. However, composting can be time consuming and hard work. I place a reasonable value on my time, so spending hours and hours turning compost piles doesn’t qualify as a worthwhile exercise, at least in my book. Nonetheless, I do compost, but I do so on my terms.

I built two composting bins. Each bin is five feet wide, five feet deep, and four feet high. I built the bins by sinking 4” by 4” posts in the ground for the corners, and then nailed 2 by 4’s and 1 by 4’s, alternating on the sides.
I left 2” gaps between the boards for air circulation.

The 2 by 4’s are rigid enough to keep the sides from bowing out, and in between each 2 by 4 I used 1 by 4’s to save a little money. The bins are only 3 sided, I left the front of the bins open so they can be filled and emptied easily.

I started by filling just one of the bins. I put grass clippings, dried leaves, and shrub clippings in the bins. I try not to put more than 6” of each material on a layer. You don’t want 24” of grass clippings in the bin, you should alternate layers of green and brown material. If necessary, keep a few bags of dry leaves around so you can alternate layers of brown waste and green waste. Or, if you prefer just throw in some waste food such as pasta, the contents of your rice cooker or just stuff out of the bin – its all great organic material for composting.

When we root cuttings we use coarse sand in the flats, so when it’s time to pull the rooted cuttings out of the flats, the old sand goes on the compost pile. In our little backyard nursery we also have some plants in containers that do not survive. Rather than pulling the dead plant and the weeds out of the container, and then dumping the potting soil back on the soil pile, we just dump the whole container in the compost bin. This adds more brown material to the mix, and is a lot easier than separating the soil and the weeds.

Once the bin is full, the rules of composting say that you should turn the material in the bin every few weeks. There is no way that I have time to do that, so this is what I do. I pack as much material in the bin as I can, before I start filling the second bin. I pile the material as high as I possibly can, and even let it spill out in front of the bin. Then I cover all the fresh material with mulch or potting soil, whatever brown material I can find.

Then when I’m out working in the garden I set a small sprinkler on top of the pile and turn it on very low, so a small spray of water runs on the material. Since I have a good water well, this doesn’t cost me anything, so I let it run for at least two hours as often as I can. This keeps the material damp, and the moisture will cause the pile to heat up, which is what makes the composting action take place.

Once I have the first bin completely full, I start using the second bin. As the material in the first bin starts to break down, it will settle, and the bin is no longer heaped up, so I just keep shoveling the material that I piled in front of the bin, up on top of the pile, until all the material is either in the bin or piled on top of the heap. Then I just leave it alone, except to water it once in a while. The watering isn’t necessary, it just speeds the process.

Because I don’t turn the pile, I can’t expect all of the material to rot completely. The material in the center is going to break down more than the material on the edges, but most of it does break down quite well. The next step works great for me because I’ve got a small nursery, so I keep a pile of potting soil on hand at all times. But you can really do the same thing by just buying two or three yards of shredded mulch to get started, and piling it up near your compost bins. If you do this, you will always have a supply of good compost to work with.

Shredded bark, left in a pile will eventually break down and become great compost. The potting soil that I use is about 80% rotted bark. I make potting soil by purchasing fine textured, and dark hardwood bark mulch, and I just put it in a pile and let it rot. The secret is to keep the pile low and flat, so that it does not shed the rain water away. You want the mulch to stay as wet as possible, this will cause it to break down fairly quickly.

So I keep a pile of rotted bark mulch near my compost bins. When both bins are completely full, I empty the bin containing the oldest material by piling it on top of my rotted bark mulch. I make sure the pile of rotted mulch is wide and flat on top so that when I put the material from the compost bin on top of the pile, the compost material is only 5 to 10 inches thick.

My mulch pile might be 12’ wide, but it may only be 24 to 30 inches high. Once I have all the compost on top of the pile, then I go around the edge of the pile with a shovel, and take some of the material from the edges of the pile and toss it up on top of the pile, covering the compost with at least 6” of rotted bark. This will cause the compost material to decompose the rest of the way.

Once you get this system started, you never want to use all of the material in the pile. Always keep at least 2 to 3 cubic yards on hand so you’ve got something to mix with your compost. If you use a lot of compost material like I do, then you should buy more material and add to your pile in the late summer or fall, once you are done using it for the season.

Around here many of the supply companies sell a compost material that is already broken down quite well. This is what I buy to add to my stock pile. But I try to make sure that I have at least 3 yards of old material on hand, then I’ll add another 3 yards of fresh material to that. Then in the spring I’ll empty one of the compost bins and add the compost to the top of the pile.
The pile of usable compost will be layers of material, some more composted than others. Kind of like a sandwich. So what I do is chip off a section of the pile from the edge, spread it out on the ground so it’s only about 8” deep, then run over it with my small rototiller. This mixes it together perfectly, and I shovel it onto the potting bench.

Having a pile of rotted compost near your compost bins is great because if you have a lot of leaves or grass clippings, you can throw some rotted compost in the bin in order to maintain that layered effect that is necessary in order for the composting process to work well.

Sure this process is a little work, but it sure is nice to have a place to get rid of organic waste any time I like. Then down the road when I have beautiful compost to add to my potting soil, I am grateful to have done the right thing
earlier, and I know that I have wasted nothing.

Weeds can be a terrible drain on your garden’s resources. And using regular weedicides can be a bad idea too –they really are dangerous chemicals. But are natural weed control methods actually effective?

There’s a saying that gardeners like to pass around – it’s something about how once you let the weeds in your garden set in long enough to spread their seeds about, you’d better be willing to live with them for the next five years.

If you think that it’s hard getting rid of the weeds in your garden, you have no idea what it can be like when you have weed seeds around. They are impossible to find even when there in plain sight, and they’ll just germinate the moment they have a little light, heat and water.

Choosing natural weed control methods doesn’t mean that you have to live with an ineffective way to deal with the problem. If you’re growing a vegetable garden for instance, sometimes, natural weed control methods may be the only choice. Let’s take a look.

 A great way to get rid of your weeds would be to let them show up first before you actually plant the good plants. How do you make sure that they will germinate really soon so that you can get rid of them and get on with the task at hand? Well, you could turn the soil nicely and water the soil as if there were good plants there to take care of. The weed seeds in your soil will be overjoyed and they will germinate right away. That’ll be your cue – you can hurry up and uproot every last one of them.

Applying mulch to your garden, you know, can be a great way to keep your soil healthy and full of the nutrients that your plants need. Inorganic mulch the other hand, can be a great way to kill off weeds. How, you asking? You need to take up black plastic and apply it around the base of the good plants. This way, there won’t be any sunshine coming through, and the weeds will be able to grow.

And finally, the way you plant your good plants can make a lot of difference. If you could create raised beds for your good plants and plant all of them in closely spaced rows, again, they’re going to completely cover up the soil below. Any weeds trying to get through will have no sunshine to go on.

In a shed, you won’t need to think about those dishes sitting in your sink or that load of laundry that needs to be folded. You will have the peace and quiet needed to get your thoughts out on paper. Woodworking – Many homeowners use their sheds to store tools like power saws, hammers, and nails. If you are interested in starting your own home-based business, why not use these tools to your advantage? Grab some wood and create unique items you can sell, like bookshelves, picture frames, or jewellery boxes. Doggy Day-care – Do you have a passion for four-legged animals? Consider turning your shed into the perfect doggy day-care location. Simply fence in your backyard and stock your shed full of dog food, treats, bedding, toys, and brushes. You may also want to provide crates or kennels for dogs you will take care overnight. The garden sheds will allow the dogs to have a nice area to sleep and rest out of the sun and your backyard will provide the perfect location for them to run and play.

Hydroponic gardening is what takes place when a liquid nutrient solution is formulated and the plant is suspended above and rests its roots in the solution. Just as all plants need light/sun, water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and minerals, so also do plants grown using hydroponics. But they acquire some of these needs differently than soil grown plants. In a soil grown plant, the plant is able to live because by watering it, its roots will grow and reach out in search of the nutrients and water in the soil. The soil itself is basically there just to hold the plant in an upright position and to block the sun from the roots. Since it’s the nutrients and not the soil that allows plants to grow, this makes hydroponic gardening possible. When the liquid nutrients are flowing about freely at the plant’s roots, the roots don’t need to grow out in search of food and water. This allows most of the plant’s energy to be spent growing the good stuff above the root. Soil grown plants have much larger roots, and much less foliage than that of a hydroponically grown garden. Most hydroponic planting takes place in a greenhouse, or some other enclosed structure to allow the most controlled environment. Just about anything that can be grown through soil, can be grown through this technique. Woody plants like shrubs, rose bushes, grape vines, and just trees in general, with the exception of banana trees, don’t do too well. Though the seeds from these woody-like plants can easily be germinated using this method. Hydroponic gardening is what some would say is garden growing on steroids. When you get the correct blend of mineral nutrients for a particular plant, fruit, or vegetable, harvesting time comes considerably sooner and with a higher yield, than that of the traditional soil method. So, what is hydroponic gardening? It’s gardening without soil!
 

In the Bible, in the 2nd and 3rd chapter of Genesis, we have the story of the first man Adam, and his wife Eve, in the Garden of Eden. God created this Garden with plenty of lush, greenery and trees bearing all kinds of fruits and placed the couple to enjoy the fruits of the garden. He had given them all the freedom except, to eat from the ‘Tree of knowledge’. The story goes on to tell how man and the woman fell from obeying the command when tempted by the Serpent who symbolises the devil and sinned against God. Consequently they were driven out of the garden and also were prevented to come again in the garden or to have access to another tree, ‘The tree of Life’ which was now guarded by a guardian angel. Many Biblical students, scholars and the Christian people around the world take the story to be literal. They believe in the Eden Garden as a real physical place somewhere on the face of the earth. What is the Garden of Eden? The Garden of Eden is the Sub-conscious mind of human being! Raised bed gardening is a relatively new method of gardening that has become popular among many. It involves creating a bed in the surface of your garden, and having your plants placed in them. If you are building the bed on your own, then it can be as long and wide as you would like it to be. But stores also have ready made sizes which are available for you to order. Raised bed gardening is not too different compared to regular gardening. The length and width can be set to your discretion, and the height of the soil is always above ground level. Normally, the soil is about six to twelve inches above the soil that is outside the bed, but you can have the soil as high or low as you want it to be. Having the soil higher can give many advantages. One of the main advantages of having the soil higher is that the soil will produce more compost, which will help your plants grow. The compost will come from the grass and leaves and will enrich your soil.

They are concerned about water leaks, covering the water with slime, mosquitos and other similar issues. However one well created pond will have none of these issues and at the same time will make your garden very eye-catching. The pond also supplies freshness in hot Summer days. Building a pond yourself is more complex than the other garden projects but isn’t as hard as it looks. It just requires some digging, measuring, isolation and plcing the right quantity of cement. Having an outdoor storage shed is a must for everyone who wants their garden to stand out. The sheds can be used not only to store things and tools but also as workshops, guest houses or play space for your kids. The shed is one of the buildings that can really increase the value of your property. They also can add to your usable living space. Building an outdoor garden shed is a complex thing to do if you want to start from scratch. Fortunately there are plenty of prefabricated shed kits available so you don’t need master skills for this either.

The tranquility of the water has a calming and soothing effect on us. You can craft a relaxation corner for yourself with an outdoor waterfall. We all get associated with swimming lessons as soon as summers approach to beat the heat. If you have the space then a Terrace pool on your terrace garden can do wonders for you. It will be nothing like shear luxury combined with relaxation. Terrace Garden designers can design and construct a visually appealing terrace pool that will compliment the structure and load of your building. Misting systems is a must to keep your terrace cool and usable in the summers. A properly installed misting system will let the cool breeze encompass your entire terrace making it breathable and functional is all aspects. With a misting system you don’t need to worry about the scorching heat ruining the entire experience of a terrace. A covered sitting on a terrace is like a gateway from the sun falling upon you. You can either go in for permanently covered sitting like a gazebo or a sitting with a retractable roof. A retractable roof can be installed under the supervision of terrace designers. It has a fabric shade which moves on rollers. You can easily roll up the fabric and there you will get a covered sit-out on your terrace. Light shades and light coloured fabrics are soothing to the eyes in summers. Your outdoor furniture should have light coloured upholstery fabrics to make it appear summer friendly. Your plants is the very essence of a terrace garden. It becomes inevitable to protect your flowering and green plants from the scorching heat. Add pebbles in the planters or pots to cover the soil. It increases the moisture absorption. You can also add water retaining granules to the soil.

 However, plants draw minerals from the subsoil and it is important to our flower garden as well. Soil differs in different parts of the country based upon the kind of minerals it is derived from and the size of the particles that make up the soil. These can range from gravel to clay. For most flower gardening situations, we are usually concerned with sandy soils to clay soils. This is important to know, as it has to do with the amount of air available within your soil for your plants to access. As well, it concerns how fast water is drained away from your plants. Perhaps the best thing one can do with any flower garden soil is to add organic material. Some gardeners believe adding sand to any soil but already sandy soil is also of benefit. But organic matter is perhaps the most elegant solution for just about any type of soil problem. Companions prevent pest problems: Plants like onions repel some pests. Other plants can lure pests away from more desirable plants. Companions attract beneficial insects: Every successful garden needs plants that attract the predators of pests. Carrots and onions: Pests attracted to carrots’ sweet smell can be confused by the pungent smell of onions. Corn and beans: The beans attract beneficial insects that prey on corn pests such as leafhoppers and leaf beetles. In addition, the bean vines will climb up the corn stalks. Cucumbers and nasturtiums: Nasturtiums are said to repel cucumber beetles and can create a habitat for insects such as spiders and ground beetles which help defend the garden from destructive pests. Radishes and spinach: Radishes attract leafminers away from the spinach. The leafminers will damage the radish leaves, but since radishes grown underground, no damage is done to the radishes. Cabbage and dill: Cabbage can help support the floppy dill plants, while the dill attracts the tiny beneficial wasps that control cabbageworms and other cabbage pests.

In Mediterranean and other dry or semi arid regions, regular irrigation is an integral part of having a garden. Usually, the amount of water available to the home garden is severely restricted, but within known limits, the garden plants can nonetheless be grown satisfactorily. In climates typified by long, hot, dry summers, the gardener is dependent on the amount of winter rainfall. In the Eastern Mediterranean for example, the average annual rain amounts to about 500mm, all of it falling between November and the end of March. Naturally, during dry winter years, it is often necessary to cut back on water use during the summer. The question arises therefore, as to how this should be done. The most common reaction is to refrain from watering the ornamental landscape trees. The homeowner looks at the browned-off lawn, the wilting flowers, and at the same time, sees that the trees appear green and healthy. You should plant bulbs in September – October period. Plant them into the wet groove, which you made beforehand. Put the humus or peat on the top – it will prevent developing of the soil crust. If you use seeds for propagation, you need to remember that some species, like Allium giganteum, Allium aflatunense can come out only after influence upon them environmental conditions from autumn to spring, like soil temperature, water conditions. And also you need to know that some of the species of Allium, like Allium azureum will start blooming only after 3 – 8 years, when bulbs will develop well enough for reproduction. Also it is recommended to transplant Allium species only once in 3 – 5 years. Do not interrupt natural process of Allium vegetation period. Wait until verdure will fade naturally. You may plant Allium in group planting. Allium species with the low height can be planted on the rocky hills.

On top of this, soil that will be used for vegetable gardening in the desert should also contain at least twenty to thirty pounds per one thousand square feet of planting area of a good quality fertilizer. You can also add some gypsum at 50 to 100 lbs per thousand square feet to assist in keeping the soil broken up. For the best chance of success when you are vegetable gardening in the desert, is to implement per square foot of planting area, is a pound of manure. This will ensure you will be known for being savvy to what it takes to become a success at vegetable gardening in the desert and you will have the finest garden in your neighborhood. One key factor you must remember when you are vegetable gardening in the desert, is to ensure that the soil stays moist. This will allow the seeds to sprout. Once the plants have become established, you need only ensure that the root zone stays wet. When you are vegetable gardening in the desert, watering thoroughly every seven to ten days should be plenty when the temperatures fall below 100 degrees. When you are vegetable gardening in the desert, if you notice that temperatures are above 100 degrees for an extended period, be sure to water them at least twice a week. Keep in mind that plants will need less water when the temperatures are cooler. Fertilize your plants and give them a good watering to be sure that the precious nutrients are carried down to the roots. If you are new or planning to move to an area where you will be vegetable gardening in the desert, you can find out so much information when you search on the internet.

Space can be at a premium, especially these days when apartments and condos are so popular. A simple solution for those wanting to grow at least a few basic herbs and vegetables is to grow in containers. Maybe you don’t have the time to maintain a large vegetable garden, or you have a physical condition that prevents you bending down or using the usual gardening tools. Whatever the reason, container gardening can be a great way to produce some of your organic food needs. While container gardening may have its limitations, there are some great benefits. You have the advantage of being able to bring containers indoors through the coldest part of winter. Your pots / containers can create a focal point on a balcony or patio area, adding interest, colour or foliage. Planters can be made from just about any type of container that holds soil and allows adequate drainage. Potting mediums are easy to work with as they are the correct pH. Weeds are much less likely to become a problem. Less likely to be attacked by snails and slugs or soil borne diseases. You need to purchase premium potting mix for growing in containers.

Honestly, even if you have the space why would you go through all the bother of digging over the earth to grow something if you can get it all in the vegetable market or in most shops? This is a common question most people would ask: Why put in all this effort if you don’t have to? The ones thinking different would be a health conscious person, or having bad health experience in the past and looking for better options. Many of us also know that vegetables and fruits are not of the same quality they were many years ago. The soil being depleted of essential vitamins and minerals thanks to modern intensive agricultural methods of farming. More and more nutrients being stripped from the soil in which the food we eat is grown. Conventional grown vegetables and fruits been sprayed with pesticides to help protecting the plants from insects, mold and fungus. Plus, they’re often loaded with toxic pesticides residue that will harm our health. When planting a tree or a bush their full growth should always be kept in mind. If your home garden area is small then use smaller trees and shrubs. It is always best to use native plants for landscaping. Also one should include trees, bushes and flowers. Using native plants would ensure proper growth as the local soil and temperature would be just right and also you would not have to work very hard to maintain your garden. It would also be easy for helpers to look after the landscape. Using native plants might also make your garden landscape look different as many people go for the exotic these days. To ensure that your garden looks beautiful one must choose wisely. Choose different varieties of plants, trees and shrubs as this would add color to your garden. Have different colored leaves, not just green, choose shrubs that flower, use trees that flowers spectacularly. Do not plant flowers under a shaded tree as it would never blossom.

Building a garden in a small yard can be a challenge. You don’t have a lot of room to spread out your mistakes. But, with a little planning, a tiny garden in a small space is like a jewel. A garden will improve the look of your home and increase the value of your property. Before you begin the project, take some time to study the yard and see what you already have that you like about the space. Is there a brick path or patio? Does a small tree grow there, or a tall shrub that can be pruned to resemble a tree: If there are positive aspects already present in the yard, use them as a basis for your overall design. Think of the sunlight that reaches your yard. Sunlight will dictate the types of plants that will growl well in that environment. If you have tons of bright sunlight, you probably want to introduce some shade by planting a tree. Trees provide better cooling than an awning due to the sense layers of foliage.
 

Wait 9 months to a year for the leafmould to mature. Water conservation, harvesting, and recycling are great methods for organic gardening. Not only is rainwater is a great way to hydrate your plants, but it is also an excellent way to lower your monthly water bills, reduce storm-water runoff, and prevent flooding and erosion. It is generally clean, free of containments and byproducts such as minerals, fluoride and chlorine and has a low pH which plants and soils like. Rainwater can be collected and stored using gutters, downspouts, rain barrels and/or cisterns and can be used whenever needed, even later in the season during dry weather. A soaker hose is a great and easy way to save time and money in your garden. Water seeps out of soaker hoses and delivers water directly to your plants’ roots while keeping the leaves dry, which helps prevent disease. Hand watering is time consuming and tedious, sprinklers can be wasteful due to evaporation and runoff, and drip irrigation is expensive.

Most of these devices are activated by infra-red, the same technology used in outdoor lighting and some intruder alarms. When a cat or dog approaches the vicinity of the device, the sound will activate for a set period. I could have included this method above under “Masking Odours” but wanted to describe this product in greater detail. Silent Roar is, from what I understand, effectively lion poo pellets. There is mixed public opinion of this product with some good and bad experiences with its use. In the EU, Silent Roar is not able to be sold as a cat repellent chemical due to the inconsistency of the products make up. No two lion poos are the same. However, a quick search on Google clearly shows that it is now being sold as cat repellent so this may no longer be the case. In 2000, the BBC conducted some cat repellent product tests on its consumer complaints programme – Watchdog. It is well documented that animals in the wild have natural instincts for picking and choosing the herbs they need for not only the healing properties, but also to promote health. My goats would browse herbs (weeds) in the pasture and canyons when we went on our hiking trips with them, nibbling and tasting and choosing which plants were at the right growth phase for their needs. Dogs in the wild are able to do the same thing. I’ve seen them consume large quantities of wild sand hill plums, cactus fruits and grasses. The Gypsy people, in their many travels, became experts on herbal medicines for man and beast alike. Juliette De Bairacli-Levy learned herbalism from the Gypsies and helped many farmers and pet owners bring their animals back from the brink of death to full health. Our dogs today do not have access to the many herbs of the field like their wild cousins, but you as the owner can learn what their needs are and grow your own Dog Herbal Garden!

When you begin planning your landscaping needs you need to consider the style or styles that you’d like to integrate into your design.

First of all, make sure you look at plenty of pictures of various landscaping styles so you have a good idea of what you like and what you want to combine into your own unique style. Having photos also helps you decide if the end result will be aesthetically pleasing.

Questions to consider:

• Do you want a formal style or informal style? Perhaps you’d like areas of both aspects blending together if you have a large area to work with.

• Do you want a consistent and elegant design or something completely unique and varied? Unity works great in landscaping but you can also blend many styles together or create many sections into your design if you plan properly.

• Always think through it and decide which elements will bring different styles together in an eye-pleasing manner.

Try considering having an elegant look close to your home and a wilder, more natural environment on the edge of your property. You can divide the two with fencing, have an arbor walkway or a covered bridge so you truly get the feeling of leaving one area and entering another.

• Will you use geometric shapes? Create soft-lines or hard-lines? Can these enhance each other without seeming out of place or being an eye-sore.

• Will you use symmetry like straight lines, square angles or plan some curvy areas in the design?

• Will you use structures in some areas and not in other areas? Will these styles blend well?

Also take into consideration that the style of the landscaping itself works best when created and suited to the style of architecture of your home. A formal garden does not fit well with a small white house. An informal garden takes away from and does not fit well with a large Tudor home.

However, you can blend some elements and pull it off nicely if you plan ahead and have the majority of the landscaping fit the style and structure of your home as well as your neighborhood.

Looking at existing styles in your own neighborhood can give you a good indication of what works well for the area too. Plus you’ll also want to consider your city and even the region of the country you live in as this will help you specify which plants and trees grow best in your location. This is information you need to know so that your plantings are suitable to the environment.

No matter which style or styles you go with, they must be pleasing to you. You may want to “wow” your guests, but you’ll spend more time in your yard than anyone else. It should be designed for your personal style and needs and make you happy.

The way metal art sculptors make metal statues these days out of modern industrial refuse, you’d think that metal art was a modern thing. But it isn’t. It has been around for hundreds of years. Throughout history, metal art has been a part of architecture everywhere – palaces, places of worship, street art, fountains, you name it. Of course, ancient metal art is not something you see around North America. In Europe though, it’s everywhere in all the wonderful cultural capitals. While it may have temporarily gone out of style, it certainly is making a comeback these days – in the form of metal garden art.

Anyone who’s done a good bit of landscaping knows that good garden design requires that you do it so that your garden focuses on a permanent structure or two – a tree perhaps, or fountain or something. To fans of metal garden art, that permanent structure can be a metal statue of some kind.

Metal garden art doesn’t always have to be an artistic statue. Some garden designers like to go for something functional – like beautiful wrought iron garden furniture that’s fixed in place. A wrought iron fountain isn’t a bad idea either – it brings a touch of classical old world beauty into your garden.

Or else, your metal garden art could be actual statues. What you need to do is to find a work of art that really appeals to your tastes. You need to walk around your garden, and think about what kind of metal garden art would really bring everything together. You could get a beautiful metal bell to hang off a tree branch. Or you could get metal flamingoes. A metal screen made of wrought iron could be very beautiful too.

If you want some real ideas on what can be done with metal garden art, you need to look the Royal Botanical Garden of Burlington, Ontario up on the Internet. They’ve really gone all out there– huge metal men with tuxedos on, a beautiful scarecrow made a bronze, a huge metal spider in a huge metal web – it’s quite whimsical and it’s quite beautiful.

There’s something permanent and timeless about metal sculpture. Just finding a metal dog or a metal flower in your garden can bring a kind of ageless beauty in. You’ll suddenly find yourself looking at your garden in a different way.

These days, it is all about industrial refuse – car parts, gears and so on. Art made out of discarded bicycles are all the rage now. Even the rusted metal is considered cool. In fact, gardeners these days actually look for pre-garden rusted metal art.

When it comes to gardening, a well kept lawn can make or break it. Although it takes much effort to keep a lawn looking great, in my opinion it is definitely worth it.  It not only improves the whole look of the garden, but also the house that it envelopes.  There are many things a lawn requires to look lush and healthy, but a good haircut never goes astray.

By the way, when I see the picture of the lawn above I just want to get my mower out!  Did you know that having a great mower  makes a big difference when it comes to the health of your lawn?  A high quality mower will cut each blade of grass finer encouraging a healthier lawn.  But what should you look for when purchasing a mower?

Battery VS Petrol

My choice is petrol.  Why?  I feel they are far superior to battery operated models.  They seem provide more cutting power, and you don’t have to ever worry about charging batteries.  Yes there is perhaps more moving parts and the point of requiring higher maintenance, but have you ever wondered why you never see professional contractors with battery operated gear?

Rotary VS Cylinder Mowers

Rotary mowers feature a spinning blade which cuts each blade of grass by force.  This results in a tearing motion in comparison to a cylinder mower which actually slices each blade of grass without pulling it.  Now whilst it is true that a cylinder mower comes out on top every time, it doesn’t mean that a cylinder mower is the best mower for you.  Cylinder mowers are very expensive, and can be difficult to use as they require mastering a clutch.  You can still make a great lawn with a high quality rotary mower, so don’t feel you need to spend thousands for a cylinder cutter.

Carrying Capacity

A higher carrying capacity simply means less empties per linear meter.  The more lawn the bin can carry means less less trips to the wheelie bin.  Larger carriers can get heavy as they fill up, and may not be required unless you cut your lawn infrequently or have a large lawn area.

Engine Size

This is simple.  Engine sizes are rated in cubic centimetres, or for those who may not be familiar with this it is otherwise known as cc’s.  Walked mowers tend to range in size from about 130-190 cc’s.  Generally speaking, the more cc’s a mower has the more power it will have to cut through lawn.  You may want to choose a mower on the higher end of the spectrum if you are planning on cutting through weeds, sticks and want a mulching purpose.

Consider consulting a comprehensive buying guide for more information.  If you have had any great experiences with any particular lawn mowers, leave a comment to let others (and myself) know!

Using local or native plants in your yard is an excellent way to spruce things up and attract local wildlife with very little maintenance. In this article, by Barmekin Groundcare – a firm of leading Aberdeen landscape gardeners you will find the reason why it’s best to have local plants in your garden, as well as some advice on how to make them thrive.

Before we proceed with the benefits of having local plants, let’s answer one of the most important questions first:Why use native plants?

Many homeowners who are just starting out with gardening and landscaping usually ask questions like “why are native plants better than exotic plants,” or “what are the advantages of going for local plants for gardening and wildlife?” You’ve already probably heard that they are more cost-effective and healthier, but let us discuss the specifics. Here are some of the advantages why landscaping with native plants is the best option you’ll have for your garden:

Native plants require less maintenance because they have already evolved and adapted to a specific area, and would therefore do need very little to no watering, or require commercial fertilizers of pesticides.

Most native plants will not usually need much raking, because the fallen leaves could serve as soil-builders and natural fertilizers, so you do not have to mow your lawn.

Generally speaking, plants that are adapted to local climate will have more resistance to pests and diseases.

Having native plants in your home will contribute to the overall health of your whole community, because they will help decrease and put a full stop to the harm done by invasive alien species.

Native plants are resistant to pests, so you won’t need to spray any harmful pesticides for maintaining or improving soil condition.

Landscaping with native plants will not only be beneficial to you, but also to the animals around you. A healthy ecosystem is created if you plant with native species because they provide great sources of food and shelter for birds, butterflies, and other wildlife.

Native plants also give out a distinctive style in a certain area–so you will have sort of like a regional character that makes your area unique.

Native landscaping also reduces environmental threats. Not having to use a lawnmower or a leaf blower in clearing out your yard means that you won’t consume any electricity or gasoline. Maintenance equipment such as these are normally associated with emissions of different air pollutants (carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxide, etc.), so not using them will lessen the release of harmful air toxins.

By following these steps, you will be closer to achieving a healthy and environment-friendly garden that won’t require much fertilizers and complicated watering systems. Once you already have an idea of the possibilities offered for plant life in your area, and what you’d like to get out of them, then you will be ready to get out there and pick out your plants for your garden!

A well landscaped garden is a wonderful thing. Who wouldn’t want to look out the window and see beautiful flowers, all fragrant, healthy and orderly? And yet, almost unbelievably, it seems that none of us have the time for this. If the climate where you live is favorable for growing a garden then you have an great opportunity to enhance your environment and have a beautiful living space but, on the other hand, you were to live in a cold, wet or windy place, or if your soil was dry or rocky, you have a lot more work to do. The question is, is there such a thing as low maintenance landscaping where you can get to have all the benefits of a well-landscaped garden without doing as much work as you might normally be called upon to do?

The simple answer is, yes, there is. But you do have to limit yourself to hardy plants to put make it all work.

The good news is though that it doesn’t cost any more to do low maintenance landscaping than it does to do the regular kind. You don’t need an extra-large budget. All you need to do is to learn a few low-maintenance landscaping techniques and plant the right kinds of plants.

Let’s start with choosing the right kinds of plants for low maintenance landscaping. Coniferous or flowering shrubs can be great low-maintenance plants. Not only do they not need a lot of watering or a lot of fertilizer, they don’t even need much pruning. Dwarf evergreens can do very well in a low maintenance gardening plan, too. Just pick ones that don’t spread out too much, and you’ll be fine.

That’s okay for the shrubs. What do you do when you want beautiful flowers in your garden? Perennials are your answer and. Not only do they ask for very little in maintenance, they’re also great for your budget. If you went with regular annual flowering plants, you would have to buy new ones every year. Perennial flowering plants on the other hand are like the gift that keeps on giving. You plant a bunch once, and they actually spread around your garden on their own.

No matter what kind of place you live in – hot or cold or shady or anything in between, you’ll find flowering plants that are very low maintenance just the way you want.

Grass is a very high-maintenance kind groundcover. If you’re looking for low-maintenance landscaping, choose Lily of the Valley, periwinkle or other flowering groundcover that’ll turn your garden into a riot of color for very little outlay.