A Word About Flower Gardens

Spring is in full bloom and it is about time to do something nice in the garden. And what might emphasize the beautiful season more than a lovely flower garden? Creating a beautiful flowery space is not as difficult as one might think. Although it takes some careful planning, it pays off when everything is ready and blooming with colours.

The outline of an idea

Where to begin? Before you go on a frenzy of looking for specific flowers, think carefully what exactly is on your mind. Should the garden be neat and organized, or wild and natural? Look up some pictures of already existing gardens for inspiration. How much would you like to spend on the project? The budget might become a problem if you wish for your garden to look like an exotic oasis. And while spending thousands on expensive plants brings extraordinary effects, it might become problematic when a struggle to it them healthy and good looking whenever it gets too cold or too wet. More simple, natural ideas are not only much more favourable to the wallet, they are also easier to maintain and very natural.

A garden plan

When you have the idea formed in your head, it is good to visualize it. Use a chequered paper sheet to draw a plan of you garden. It is best to use a 1:40 scale, where 1 inch corresponds with 40 inches in reality. Even if the garden is small and you will not be dividing it into sections and the space will be filled with a flower mix, it is still good to create such plan. It will be a great help when it comes to estimating seeds and seedling quantities.

Useful tips

You should remember some simple rules, it is good to consider them while you’re still in the concept part of your garden-creating. Expansive flowers should not be planted next to the slowly growing ones. Also, many flowers virtually disappear after they shed blossom. They should be placed next to ones that have extensive leaves which will cover the empty spaces then or are in full bloom for a longer period, like annual flowers. If your garden is not very big, you shouldn’t plant big or high flowers, they will take a lot of space and make the whole garden look smaller. The short flowers should be planted in front, while the higher one should occupy the back – nothing will get covered and there will be a sense of harmony created that way.

It is always a good idea to have some decorative perennials planted around the garden, even if they have no inflorescence. They will provide color throughout the whole season and blend in nicely, giving your garden a natural look.

If you will keep that in mind when crating the plan and while planting, you will be able to create a wonderful garden. But remember that this is not the end. A nice garden is a well maintained garden. Remember to keep an eye on weeds, to fertilize and water. That way, you will enjoy your flowerbeds for many seasons.

From Liveoutside blog: A word about flower gardens

[photo by: Rosino]

How To Create An Eco Garden?

Are you tired with the simple lawn in your back yard, wish to have a special green area created in the back of your house but would like to keep it ecological and environment-friendly? Creating an eco garden is not only easy, it can save you a lot of money you would spend on all the chemicals used in modern gardening.

The concept of eco gardening is known for over fifty years now and is gaining new followers rapidly, especially since the nineties of the XX century. The idea of being able to contribute to improving environment’s condition is appealing to many and the more people take part in this process, the bigger difference it makes.

A good place to start your eco garden is compost – later it will become the perfect fertilizer for your plants, providing them with humus nutrients. Basically, you should prepare a hole in a secluded part of your garden, surrounded by low wooden walls. This way the compost will not affect the neighboring plant life too much and will be easy to use. Most of the organic products that you use at home are usable for composting. Coffee grounds, fruits and vegetables, fish, eggshells, even paper and cardboard can be used. Also leaves, and dead plants are very good, especially since you get a lot of them in the garden-cleaning. The only thing you need to avoid are meat scraps and diary products, they might produce unhealthy by-products in the decomposing process

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When choosing what plants you will use in your garden, you should consider mostly native species – they will not disturb the local ecology and will be easier to maintain in the climate. It is also good to leave at least a small area that will not be cultivated in any way – let the nature take care of it.

You should generally avoid fighting pests and weeds until it is absolutely necessary. Even then only limit its quantities rather than eliminating it completely. All kinds of insects and worms should be left to roam the garden peacefully, they are mostly useful creatures that will help the plants in going through their natural cycles.

With these advices in mind, you should be able to start a well functioning ecological garden.

[photos by: suavehouse113]

10 Benifits Of A Garden Room

Image by jo-h via Flickr

From talking to business owners on the topic of working from home, opinion is somewhat divided. Supporters claim that working from home is the best option: there’s no travel to work, no office politics. While on the opposing side of the debate others say they just can’t focus on work at home. They are a bit reluctant to invite clients to their home, fearing it creates a poor impression. They may find there are too many distractions around home to get on with their work.

There is a choice which will suit all workers: the garden building. Garden Offices/studios are installed in your own back garden, yet remain separate from your house. A garden office offers you the dedicated space to get work done in a comfortable, creative space, with oxygen producing foliage all around, and is a neutral location in which to conduct meetings. The idea that the garden office is separate from your house is a crucial one. It gives you a chance to break away from home life to business life. Modern technology like wireless or VOIP allows you to easily obtain a different phone number just for the office.

1. COST. Garden offices are very affordable when you consider the alternative business rent and rates expense; the purchase cost is an acceptable business tax allowance and the room can be built on a mobile frame – to take with you if you move. Compared to a traditional extension, studios win again on cost, time and disruption.

2. VALUE. They add value to your property so the cost is never lost. Garden offices can recoup their cost in as little as two years. Repayments on a loan for a garden studio are often comparable, or cheaper than, office rental costs.

3. ECO. Garden offices are environmentally friendly when sourced from a reputable company. The commute from home to garden takes only natural footprints, not carbon ones; the best designs have been responsibly sourced and offer eco upgrades like sedum planting or solar panels. High density insulation makes them thermally efficient, so there will be no excessive heating or cooling costs. Finished with a fully glazed south facing wall, natural light is maximized. These measures substantially reduce the building’s energy use.

4. TIME. You can conduct business at anytime. Creativity is not a commodity and cannot be turned on and off so if you have a new idea, walk into the garden office and set it free, anytime. Add up the time saved on the hour’s journey to your former place of work and you have dedicated an extra 20 days each year to spend as you wish!

5. QUALITY. It’s a warm, well-lit, natural environment. No bright fluorescent strips, grey walls and white-noise of stale offices. No annoying traffic jams en route or crisp-crunchers at the next desk.

6. VERSATILITY. It affords a versatile space which could double as a guest room. Many offices are available with partitions for toilet/shower rooms and kitchenettes.

7. ADDED INTEREST WHEN MOVING HOUSE. As an asset to your home it provides the perfect lifestyle showcase to potential buyers, as a home cinema, games room, play room, teenage den or hobby room. People are delighted to exceed their neighbour’s valuations by £10,000 - £20,000.

8. ATTACHABILITY. Few select companies have gone that extra step to achieve BBA accreditation on the structure of their buildings. Those who have can offer to attach their products to an existing building – allowing a fast and affordable extension option.

9. SPEED. Garden buildings all take less time to finish than the same size of a traditionally built extension. Many include a service where the studio is put together remotely then craned into place, offering an instant extra room. This service is very costly and such companies tend to skimp on the specifications of the building, like the thermal qualities or the guarantee offered, to bring their product in on budget to the competitive market. Generally, a flat-pack modular building will be completed in less than 3 weeks. Compare that to the traditional method of building and there is a significant reduction in the dirt, dust, mud and general disruption that traditional building inevitably brings.

10. LIFESTYLE. As THE home improvement of the moment, there are some gorgeous designs out there which will allow you to enjoy your garden more and live in a more flexible way. Some days you may choose to have that dedicated time in your studio to perfect a new solution and some days you may feel up to bracing the early traffic to attend a meeting but the CHOICE is now yours. Come the weekend, pull out the studio’s sofa-bed and have friends stay; although you did not have the space for them before, the studio is perfect in terms of privacy and comfort.

By: jewel

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

For more information about garden offices visit Studioni the UK supplier of sustainable garden rooms

Garden Design- A Way To Design Your Dream Garden

Image via Wikipedia

Every one knows about global warming. Countries from all over the world are getting worried about it. Scientists are spending their time in researches on how to control the global warming. Pollution is to be considered as the main reason for this. If people plant more and more tree, it can be controlled. But in the blind race of competition no one has enough time to complete extra works like planting, garden developing and the list goes on. They have an option in the form of garden design to control global warming. People can make it done by any expert designer because creating garden design is a way to make environment green and it is also a way to control the pollution. They are helpful to make homes and nearby surroundings beautiful and attractive.

Generally gardens are the greatest attractions in any landscape. If more and more gardens are designed, they will be helpful to decrease the pollution and also the danger of global warming because trees and plants absorb carbon-di-oxide and many other harmful gases. Gardens are maintained in parks, theme parks, amusement parks, hotels, restaurants and various other places. To make gardens attractive and environmental friendly, garden design is required.

For garden design, few elements of garden designing like water features, water fountains, garden pools, garden planting, garden buildings, garden furniture, landscape materials are required. These are the elements that play a big role in making the garden look fabulous. By using various plants, you can design gardens with themes. You can include some miniature models of famous monuments or buildings in your garden’s pavilion to make it look unique. Garden fence is a vital element for garden designs because by it you can manage your planning. It can be built from wood or stones. Vinyl fencing is also an option to make garden fencing look attractive and it is also very easy to maintain. The main advantage of vinyl fence is it is available in the market in readymade form so that you can save both your time and energy.

There are numerous garden designers available in the market but you are supposed to select one who should keep a sound knowledge of horticulture and architecture. Finding the expert garden designer is not a big work. Search over the internet and there are a great number of websites related to garden design. You are to select one according to your requirements. Compare rates from different sites then place an order because different designers have different rates. Therefore you should read terms and condition of the selected site carefully.

By: Article Manager

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Barnabylandscapes.co.uk provides Garden Design services, landscaping, and tips of gardening for commercial clients as well as residential. Here you can also find Landscape Contractor for the best service to make your home as well as commercial area beautiful and attractive.

Prepare Your Garden for Winter

Autumn is now in full bloom, the green is not so green anymore and we want to spend less and less time in our gardens. But if we want to enjoy it next year in the same (or better) state, we have to take care of some important details now. Because now is the time, when plants are going into their dormant period and by some gardening endeavors we can help them pass the winter. The important thing is not to overdo it.

Before the frost season comes, plant trees and shrubs with prominent roots. At the base of these plants raise small mounds of soil that will protect the roots from cold. Cover with mats the cold-sensitive shrubs. If it is not very rainy, water the evergreen plants, so they could build water supply for the winter. Refrain from trimming the plants, as the sprouts will have no time to lignify and will be left unprotected from cold and infections.

To prepare your flowerbeds you should dig it now, but leave it without raking, so the dampness from precipitation. Remember to scatter the phosphoric fertilizer before that. Use potassium fertilizers as well. You should also check the soil pH. The best pH range varies between 6,0 and 7,0. If the pH is too low, you can increase it by applying agricultural lime. If you do that, never apply any fertilizers – because of chemical reactions that might occur, some of important minerals might become unavailable for plants.

When it comes to the lawn, you should mow it as long as it grows. If October was warm, you should mow it even in November. Keep the lawn clean of leaves, don’t let them cover it with airtight layer, which can cause spreading of fungus called Micronectriella nivalis, that is very dangerous to plants.

Remember to take care of your pond. It is good to spread a net above the water surface that will catch the falling leaves. Try to keep it as clean as possible, removing leaves so their weight wouldn’t cause them to touch water and start rotting. Remember to take the pumps and filter out before layer of ice covers the surface of your pond. Remove leaves and algae and wash the equipment. Plants should be moved to containers with clean water, in which they will spend the dormant season. Fish should be moved to aquarium. If your pond is big (over 3,5 ft), move the fish to the aquarium, remove 2/3 of the water, remove sludge and plant remains, clean the bottom and sideS of your pond.

It is important to cut off water flow in garden taps and remove water from pipes, so they wouldn’t burst when it freezes. You should also empty all water containers, they might break under the pressure of ice during the winter. Clean and grease your gardening tools, put them in a dry shed. Sharpen the tools that require it and fix the damaged ones. All equipment should be clean and tidy.

Garden in the Middle of Winter

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Now, when bright and happy color of green, is slowly turning into red and sad brown many people feel this change in their souls - they don't want to do anything, aren't smiling and generally feel worse than in the summer. Cause there is nothing better for our mood then sunshine and flowers at blossom. We are not only feeling bad but also we have to face reality.

Summer is going away and autumn is taking its place - this is probably not a happy time for anyone. Summer and holidays that are usually connected with it are time when we can relax, forget about troubles and reality. People who want to feel those emotions a bit longer are desperately trying to keep summer in their lives by in example investment in winter garden.

Such winter gardens are usually being constructed and installed by companies that are doing also our windows. Those people know everything not only about windows but also winter gardens. They know that it is important to make a good habitat for plants - accurate temperature and hydration. Thanks to there is a chance to grow different types of plants in the winter garden. And they will look great the whole year - even exotic plants.

If we decide on having winter garden we can delight ourselves with summer all over the year. Even if the temperature outside is really low and the air is cold. We don't have to spend fortune on trips to exotic places or doing nothing just waiting for next summer. We can do something, we can have winter garden.

Not only it would be a place where we could feel like in the middle of July. It could also be a great part of garden decor, a beautiful ornament that our friends and neighbors would be jealous of.

Find something interesting for your garden like garden buildings also beautiful in winter and summer houses Article Souce: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Sorrow

Gardens - A Place For Meditation

Image by bill barber (still ill) via Flickr

Beautiful house need a beautiful garden - they make a perfect match all together. Professional designed garden is not only a great pleasure for our eyes but also a great heritage for our children. And the garden will present passions, dreams and temper of its owner.

Good garden is the one where plants and people feel comfortable with each other. To make it a good match it is very important to do this professional - know garden owner character, preferences. Well designed garden is not only beautiful but also functional and is not a problem for people who take care of it. So it is important to think also about its placement, type of soil, is it sunny.

There are many things that we can look at when talking about functionality, and one of them is type of plants that we use and structure of the garden. We can talk here about symmetrical, asymmetrical, geometrical, regular and combined gardens - the last one have more than one specific elements in its structure.

Next thing that would have a great impact on our garden would be its climate that we would like to have it designed in. Modern science even in garden design has many things to offer - many styles that might match our character, temper and individual needs and to make us feel good in there. Our garden appearance would depend on the appearance of the our house. We can inspire here with nature and make the garden in few styles - stone garden, flower garden or just cottage or modern one.

Garden should be a special place for us, a place were we could leave everything behind, spend wonderful time with our friends, family or just with ourselves thinking about the wonders of nature and our beautiful garden. It should makes us feel better and even become a better person. So don't hesitate - think about improving your garden even during the winter or autumn time!

To make your garden look beautiful you might need an original gazebos or great summerhouses - all you can find at the Liveoutside.co.uk site!