RELATED ARTICLESTeak Furniture - A Cut Above The Rest
As you shop around for outdoor furniture, you will notice that much of the higher quality pieces are made from teak wood, and for good reason. Teak furniture is not just sturdy and durable, but also very beautiful with rich warm tones. Manufacturers obtain their wood from different countries but the two that always produce top quality is Thailand and Indonesia.
How To Prune Your Roses For Stunning Results
Pruning and deadheading are essential to proper rose care. Alas, there are nearly as many opinions about how and when to prune as there are roses in need of pruning.
History of the Adirondack Chair
If you were to travel to Blue Mountain Lake, New York, you would come across a very unique museum called the Adirondack Museum. According to experts that run this museum, the Adirondack chair originally went by a different name - Westport chair, which was after a small nearby town nestled in the Adirondack Mountains. Thomas Lee first created the design of the Adirondack chair in the early 1900s. Determined to develop a chair that would be appropriate for both indoor and outdoor use, as well as a chair that was highly comfortable, he started to work using standard boards and nails.
Herbs: Growing Your Own
The first thing you need to do when deciding to create your own Herb Garden is to decide on the size of the plot of land you want to use. This will depend on what herbs and how much you want to grow. Unless you are an experienced gardener or a herb fanatic don't make your plot too big at first. Remember, you can always add to it later. You can create a raised bed to grow your herbs in and always add more when you decide you need to grow more. Remember to plan out your planting sequence and keep records of what is planted where as well as marking your planting with plastic nametags.
You Take The Vacation - Not Your Garden
If you are planning to go on vacation, there are some
important tasks that you really must undertake to ensure
that your garden continues to maintain that well cared
for condition which you constantly strive for.
Overwintering Pond Fish
The metabolism of koi and goldfish is controlled primarily by
water temperature. As the water cools, pond fish require less
protein in their diet. When koi and goldfish are fed high-protein
food in cool water, the excess protein is excreted as ammonia
from the gills. The microscopic organisms that make up the
biological filter (and consume ammonia) also slow down in cooler
water.
Ecological Landscape Design and Organic Lawn Care
There is a growing recognition, that the expanding suburban landscape is having a negative environmental impact. Suburban development often includes vast energy dependant monocultures (perfect, grass lawns). They consume a significant amount of natural resources, (water to keep them green and gasoline to keep them trimmed), and they reduce the amount of habitat available for native wildlife. Over use of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides can leach into water supplies and be harmful to children and pets. Trends toward ecological landscaping and organic lawn care are lessening the detrimental effects of these designs. Many landscape designers are recommending native plant species, and even golf course managers are moving toward organic methods.
Teak Umbrella : Add the Final Touch to Your Patio
Okay, so you have agonized for weeks and finally went out and purchased that gorgeous teak patio table that you have had your eye on for quite a while. And now that it is nestled away in that perfect spot on your deck, you realize that the only thing that would make you love your teak table even more is the addition of an umbrella. But not just any umbrella, a teak umbrella that is designed to remain beautiful and durable for decades, just like your new teak table.
All About Hybrid Tea Roses
Hybrid tea roses and the original tea rose are the worldâ??s favourite roses and are available in many gorgeous colors.
Garden Fencing
I made my very first garden when I was six in a small corner at the end of my grandmother's garden. It was a small patch, not more than six rows by 10 plants long, but it was MINE, with the flowers I picked and the dirt that I dug. And I knew that it was mine when Nana helped me put up the sections of wire fencing that set it off from HER garden.
Easter Lilies, and the Number One Gardening Question Right Now
Everybody asks about Easter lilies! Can they go outside; can I plant them in my garden? And to this I reply, "Why not?" Like other bulbs, there are two options if you plant your leftover Easter lily bulbs - either they will live and flower for many years (it is perfectly hardy into zone 4) or they will immediately die. If you don't plant the bulb, it will definitely die. So you have nothing to lose by planting.
Planting Roses In Your Garden
Roses are an old standby for any garden and one of the worlds favorite flowers. There are over 5,000 varieties of roses in the United States and they can be used to enhance your garden in many ways - as creepers, shrubs, vines, climbers, hedges or just as beds of pure colour.
Environmentally Safe Ways to Remove Weeds
There is a lot of concern about herbicides and what they are doing to our
environment. Large amounts of chemicals leech into our groundwater polluting our water supply. Cancers and strange diseases with no apparent cause are being linked to chemicals and pollutants in our environment. So how do we control all those pesky weeds in our perfectly manicured landscapes? I will outline several different ways to eradicate weeds without polluting our environment.
Cannibals on the Porch
No, ghosts of the Donner Party have not started haunting my porch, nor have others of the human type I may have reference to. I am speaking of cannibals in the insect world of which there are many, but two in particuIar that make me stop and wonder. The first is waxy black with a small red hourglass on her abdomen. She dangles on a thin thread late on warm summer nights in doorways or dark corners waiting for the what ever comes her way. I am sure you guessed, it is the female black widow spider, (Latrodectus Mactans) that I am referring to, and she is no stranger to many porches and gardens around the world . Her potent neurotoxic venom is more deadly than a rattle snake, although the actual bite is less noticeable. But she is only one of the many cannibals waiting outside.
Roses - Creating Beautiful Cut Roses
Many gardeners like to enjoy their roses twice - first in the garden, then indoors as cut flowers. By choosing the right roses, cutting them at the proper time of day, and conditioning them after cutting, you can enjoy your cut roses for the longest possible time - up to five days or more after cutting.
Hot Feeding Tips
Summer is the most enjoyable water gardening season and the time
to watch for potential problems caused by high water temperatures
during extreme or extended hot periods.
The String Algae Blues
Now that Spring is upon us and things are coming back to life in your pond with the warmer weather, many of us are battling with string algae. String algae is caused primarily by a combination of the buildup of organic nutrients in the water, and sunlight.
Indoor Gardening Tips for Jerry Seinfeld
"I have no plants in my house. They won't live for me. Some of them don't even wait to die, they commit suicide" ~Jerry Seinfeld
Come on, admit it....is your thumb not as green as you want it to be? Are you having trouble keeping your house plants alive and healthy? Can you relate to Jerry on this one? Relax?.you're not alone! Many of us (myself included at times) have felt that fake plants were our only option because we seemed to have the "touch of death" when caring for plants. Read on to find out how 10 simple changes will make you feel like a "natural born gardener"!
Release Some Tension...Spend Some Time In Your Garden
Gardening can be one of the most rewarding and relaxing hobbies that you can engage in. Picture a beautiful spring day, the sweet smell of grass in the air and you get to go out and work the soil and prepare your garden.
Want to Build a Pond?
A pond, logically, the first question you should ask is WHERE? Do you have a huge yard with a lot of trees and shrubs and flowerbeds? In other words what is the present landscape like? Would you prefer your pond in a sunny spot or in the shade? That may not seem too important, but if you should decide to surround your pond with flowers, it becomes very important. It seems (to me at least) that there are many more varieties of flowers that are sun lovers rather than ones that prefer shade. Another consideration also is that if you place your pond too near to trees, then falling leaves become a cleanup problem.
