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Entries Tagged ‘Garden’

What is your Garden Costing You?

It can be a scary exercise to sit down and work out exactly what is spent every year, on the average home gardens and lawns.

Try adding up the costs of plants, weedicides, pesticides, fungicides, fertilisers, petrol, mower and trimmer maintenance, weed eater cord, garden mulch and even water costs. Even the time and effort we go to in order to maintain a excellent-looking environment for our families and ourselves can amount to a substantial price.

So it is no wonder that many people are looking at ways to save money for more vital causes.

One of the first things that you can do to save money, is to make use of as much of that organic matter that many people throw in the bin or wash down the sink.

For instance do you throw out your lawn clippings? Do you dutifully wrap up and throw out those ancient veggie scraps?

Are you one of those people who regularly get the trailer out and make trips down to the landfill with a pile of branch prunings?

What about those pile of leaves you threw in the bin last autumn?

Do you realise that all of those things can be turned into a wonderful form of plant food, as well as being used as a barrier to prevent the soil from loosing moisture and therefore increasing the amount of time between watering your garden. An organic mulch will also improve the soil structure, increase the excellent animals like worms while assisting in decreasing the nasty pests living in the soil.

By keeping these sorts of things within your own garden you are also assisting in reducing the effects that city living is having on the environment in landfill problems and costs.

There are a number of different ways that you can recycle these piles of organic matter within your own yard. One is to apply the bulk organic matter directly to your garden beds, ensuring that you don’t pile the material directly up against the trunks or main stems of the plants. A second thought to get a worm farm and recycle your kitchen waste that way; the worms provide you with a very strong and nutritious fertilising liquid for the garden as a bonus. This liquid is so strong it has to be diluted 10-1.

Don’t, by the way, place meat products, citrus peels or onion and garlic in with the worms. A third way is to buy or construct your own compost pile/bin/tumbler and recycle the material that way.

So just by composting your ancient leaves, soft cuttings, veggie and fruit scraps, chipped branches, lawn clippings etc., you can do a lot to reduce your costs that you would have spent on such things as garden mulch and fertilisers as well as assisting your plants to last much longer between watering periods. So as you can see there are a number of reasons for not throwing away all that organic material.

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Garden and Landscape Ideas – Part 2


www.WatchMojo.com video on how to decor your garden-thoughts for different size gardens … home house garden landscape how to landscaping gardening flowers

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Garden Tools From the Kitchen Drawer

Why go and spend a fortune at the nursery on new tools, when there is probably a wealth of unused stuff tucked away unused in your own kitchen, or someone you knows kitchen that will more than adequately do the exact job you want, without having to spend a cent.

Just make sure that anything taken from the kitchen really is not wanted there. As well as the fact that such stuff is on a one way permanent trip out to the garden shed.

Here are just a few suggestions of stuff that are useful kitchen refugees,

Ancient dinner knife for digging weeds out from between concrete sections or pavers.

Ancient kitchen fork for light weeding in around tight places or where you do not want to disturb root systems that are close to the surface.

Excellent sharp kitchen knife or a pair of kitchen scissors are fantastic fro dividing up clumps of plants, or for taking cuttings off of a branch.

Kitchen tongs can be used to pick up thorny cuttings or to help you repotting thorny plants like cacti.

Serving tray or placemats to keep things organised or for carrying produce, cuttings or even weeds.

Potato Masher for pushing past a thorny plant or rose.

BBQ or Carving Forks for digging out stubborn rooted weeds and root vegies.

Kitchen funnels for pouring various liquids into containers or for accurate pouring around plants. or to get seed or even small screws & nails into storage packets or bottles.

Chopsticks make fantastic small pot stakes (metal and wooden skewers work too), or construction sets even for some jobs.

I’ve seen bamboo placemats and chopsticks cut down to make scenery pieces for bonsai planters, along with ancient aquarium ornaments.

Set of measuring cups and measuring spoons are fantastic as scoops for fertilizers and potting mixes.

Icecream or soup scoops for measuring and scooping potting mix in around new potplants.

Egg rings and biscuit cutters for shaping growing fruit just for fun, or as a simple handheld hoe for light weeding in around plants.

So theres a few things which can obtain a second life out in the gardenshed and garden, nstead of being stored for years in a drawer, or being thrown out or passed on to a charity store.

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A Garden Office is the Ideal Homeworking or Home Improvement Product

A recent survey shows that an increasing number of professionals are using home based offices. This is because a home based office not only allows one to save time in commuting but at the same time enables one to reduce work hours as well; thus getting to spend more time with the family. But, home based offices come with some innate problems like lack of living space as well as privacy. For professionals facing such a dilemma, therefore a garden office is the best solution.

In recent times, many employers too prefer professionals who work from home as they not only show improved productivity but at the same time allow the company to save on the cost of infrastructure. But, what worries the employer is the lack of peaceful ambience in an employee’s home that would let him complete his work peacefully. Garden lodges products are designed mainly to be used as garden offices and are the best solution in such a case. After conducting a careful detailed site survey of your garden, you can choose a garden office that will best suit your needs. When you are working from home there are many options. You can work from anywhere – right from your kitchen table to the loft. Whatever be the option for a home based office, a garden office still remains the best solution as it offers you an independent working space separate from your home. Most importantly you can have the much-needed privacy that a garden studio offers for carrying out your work more effectively and efficiently.

The best thing about a garden studio is that it combines functionality with aesthetics. If you do design your garden appropriately you can make an office that not only has convenient electrics and lighting but will also provide you with a professional environment. Being a separate construction that has been designed specifically for office work, it will provide the right ambience for your work all the year round in comfort and security.

Gardenlodges.co.uk will provide you with the best solution to your home working dilemma. The traditional garden lodges are priced at around £12,995 and use modern construction techniques that result in an elegant blending of functionality with aesthetics. The garden offices provided by gardenlodges.co.uk complement any property. What sets the company apart from its competitors is that it allows you to personalize your garden office and make your own unique design best suited for your exact requirements.

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Today’s Selection of Rattan Garden Furniture

The use of sleek, modern lines and sharp angles mixed with attractively crafted wicker usually makes the look of elegance and comfort. The finest selections of rattan garden furniture can add quite a bit of life to a no matter outside each piece is place. 

The Purpose 

Nearly all individuals use rattan garden furniture to produce a warm and inviting atmosphere that can benefit you, your family, as well as your guests. This furniture, especially those that come with soft cushions are noted to be very comfortable. 

Numerous people use this furniture to offer comfort for their guests. At the same time the most modern models are quite attractive. Consequently, many people (whether subconsciously or consciously) use this décor to “show off.” 

Wicker garden furniture more often than not is used in outside areas. Still, certain up-to-date models of this type of furniture can easily be used to add life and flair to any interior space. For instance, sometimes people very thoughtfully set this type of furniture in a lounge area or sun room. 

The Product (General Review) 

There is a rather lengthy assortment of models of wicker garden furniture that include items chairs, glass top coffee tables, and sofas. Although some of them may be of very low quality, some models are known to be far greater than others. 

It is to your advantage if you take time to seek the ones that are made from the most durable materials obtainable. All the same, it helps if you seek the ones that are as lightweight as achievable so they are simpler to go around and place in storage. 

If you can seek the ones of which the frames and/or legs are constructed from lightweight aluminum that is coated with a protective coating these would be your best choice. That way, each piece will be easy to transport and will also is highly unlikely to ever rust or wear out. 

Certain models of rattan garden furniture are UV treated and can be placed outside all year round with no the expectation of fading, splitting, or cracking of the rattan.  Most of these pieces are supplied with an outdoor waterproof cover that saves each piece when it is not being used. 

Recommended Models 

The appropriate models of rattan garden furniture can be mixed in such a means to make precisely the right affect. These contemporary pieces are more often than not combined with different styles of furniture to make a show, which will exhibit your unique tastes. 

Sets of recommended models include the following (pending current availability): The Juniper Garden Set which is noted for its black base and frame against bright colored 12mm cushions, The Saturn Rattan Garden Furniture set which is constructed of thick, white padded cushions, and the Havana Rattan Garden Furniture Set which is known for its rich dark brown color and sharp corners. 

As brought to your attention previously, select examples of contemporary rattan garden furniture are very durable. Furthermore, these are made of the choicest materials and were arranged by some of the most talented architects, as well as assembly persons. 

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