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Archive for October, 2009

American Style Landscape Design

October 31st, 2009

Down through the ages various nations and races have developed certain styles in gardening largely because of the different climates and topographical features in their particular parts of the world. If you want to do some extra reading on the history of the landscape art, you will find good books on all phases of the subject in public libraries. The important thing concerning the evolution of the landscape art in America is the fact that there has been developed a distinct style which is admirably suited to our modem way of life. Consequently, in professional circles, it is referred to as the “American Style.”

Years ago I remember meeting the famed Brazilian landscape design visionary Roberto Burle Marx who’s style fascinated me but was of a completely different flavor than American Style.

Public Area

Basically, American Style is built around the theory that for maximum efficiency, privacy, and beauty, the property shall be divided into three distinct sections: the public area, the service area, and the private area.

The public area is, naturally, that part which is generally seen by the public when walking or riding past the front of the property. Many of us are in the habit of calling it the “front yard.” This area, although you have paid for it, pay taxes on it, and also maintain it, does not in a sense belong to you; rather, it is more or less a part of the community, since so many people can see it. Therefore, in all fairness to your neighbors, you should attempt to follow certain set rules concerning its design.

Reciprocal Planning

This also works the other way around in as much as you have to look at the public areas of other home owners. These rules, generally speaking work toward a public area that is pleasant to look at and adds to the dignity of the neighborhood as a whole.

Service Area

The service area of a property is that portion set aside or designated for the more utilitarian activities around a home, such as the garage, driveway and turn-court, yard, garbage cans, compost piles, children’s play areas, cut-flower gardens, vegetable gardens, etc.

Since this area is important to the efficient functioning of the home, and the remainder of the garden, plan it with the same thoughtful consideration that you have given to the public and private area. You can also add some umbrella tree to highlight it.

All too often, the home gardener is prone to expend his time, money, and effort on areas where the results will be most evident. Since few outside the family will see service area, it may be neglected.

Private Area

The third or private area is perhaps the most important to the true enjoyment of your home property. This is where the landscape is arranged for you and your friends to enjoy while you are actually in the garden, or as you look out at it through windows or doorways of your home. It is an area devoted solely to relaxation, beauty, and meditation.

For more information about umbrella tree care. Drop by today at http://www.plant-care.com/schefflera-arboricola.html. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

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Container Gardening - Backyard Farmer

October 31st, 2009

UNL Extension Landscape Horticulture Specialist Kim Todd shows us different shapes, sizes and colors of containers. Produced by Backyard Farmer, Nebraska’s premier gardening program. Visit us at byf.unl.edu

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Sunsational 6′ Classic Awning (Kitchen) newly tagged "gardening"

October 31st, 2009
Sunsational 6' Classic Awning

Sunsational 6′ Classic Awning (Kitchen)
By SUNSATIONAL

Buy new: $117.10
Customer Rating: 1.5

First tagged “gardening” by Robert E. Jurgensen “tarheelinva”
Customer tags: patio, lawn, gardening, awning, sunssational, sunsational

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GopherHaul 16 Lawn Care Entrepreneur Business Show

October 30th, 2009

GopherHaul 16 Lawn Care Entrepreneur Business Show Hello everyone and welcome to Gopherhaul! If you haven’t started your business yet, what are you waiting for. If you don’t start your business this year, you’ll be at least 1 year older when you do so get started today! GopherHaul is a show for entrepreneurs and new business owners. In it we discuss business tips and tricks we have learned over the years and share with you some real world experiences on how to help your lawn care business or …

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Boy Wonder newly tagged "gardening"

October 30th, 2009
Boy Wonder

Boy Wonder
By Proflowers

Buy new: $29.98
Customer Rating: 5.0

First tagged “gardening” by B.K. BAZHE, Author of Damages, bazhe.com “B.K. Bazhe”
Customer tags: proflowers, gardening, fresh cut flowers, boy wonder

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Lawn Aerators Offer Health and Vitality, as Well as Numerous Options

October 30th, 2009

Jumping to the wrong conclusions is simple when your lawn turns brown and dead. You might blame insects for blighting your yard, or you might decide you haven’t watered or fertilized enough. These are possible reasons, of course, but in most cases, the culprit is something else entirely. Aeration might be the true need of your lawn. This is nothing more complicated than removing cores of turf across your yard so that air, water and fertilizer can reach the roots deep beneath.

If your lawn requires some help, you will find that there are several different types of aerators that can offer a helping hand. Aerators with gas-powered engines are often used to help remedy this problem. They might also be called corers or plug-aerators in your area. These devices utilize long, hollow tines that each remove a core from your yard as the tine punches into the turf. That said, these are large machines, better suited for large yards than for smaller areas.

You will also find pull-behind aerators. These are similar in function to the gas-powered options listed above, but they are designed to be connected to a riding lawnmower or other device. Often, you will need to weigh these down, using cinder blocks or bricks to provide the required weight in order to penetrate the turf. As with gas-powered aerators, pull-behind setups are excellent solutions for large expanses of grass in need of better aeration.

Yet another option on the market is the push aerator. In form, these resemble old-time push mowers, though they feature a tine-studded drum, rather than mower blades. When you push the aerator across the yard, the tines bite into the turf, giving air, water and fertilizer better access to grass roots. Of course, you might find that these need extra weight added in order to penetrate hard-packed soil, as well.

One interesting device that might work for your aeration needs is a set of lawn aerator shoes, or sandals. These devices affix to your shoes with adjustable straps and the bottom of the shoe features aeration spikes. Simply walk around your yard and let your feet do all the hard work!

Visit our site for more information on lawn aerators including lawn aerator shoes and rolling lawn aerators.

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Advantages And Disadvantages Of Buying A Lawn Tractor

October 30th, 2009

Lawn tractors are way dearer than standard lawn mowers. These machines, which Sears sells for approximately $2200, have 4 wheels and a seat; the user drives the tractor around the lawn in order to mow it.

Lawn tractors might be worth the price if you’ve got a giant lawn to mow. These mowers are more convenient to operate than standard lawn mowers, as you can drive them rather than pushing them round the lawn. Most gardeners working at commercial corporations use lawn tractors; if you want to open a gardening business it is advantageous to take a position in one.

Before buying a lawn tractor, it’s vital that you do research on the web. A quick Google search for lawn tractors will bring you to several sites offering purchaser reviews and complaints. It is also a smart idea to chat to friends and neighbors to get a fuller picture of what can be expected when employing a lawn tractor. So talking to people who have really used lawn tractors is the easiest way to get an idea of what a particular lawn tractor is actually like.

If you purchase a lawn tractor, make efforts to take benefit of extended warranties and maintenance agreements. Sears offers a maintenance agreement, in which you pay an additional fee to have a seals service person come to your home and repair your lawn tractor if it should fail to work correctly. The very last thing you need is an overgrown lawn because your seals maintenance representative is unable to make it out to your house for a week or 2, particularly for something minor that would simply be taken care of yourself, like a simple tire replacement.

The last thing you need is an overgrown lawn because your sears upkeep representative is unable to make it out to your house for a week or 2, particularly for something minor that would easily be looked after yourself, like a straightforward tire replacement. Sears sells most lawn tractor parts on-site. Most parts are not tricky to install or replace, but again, if you don’t feel comfortable, you can request a Sears’s technician install a part for you.

Because of the expense, buying a lawn tractor isn’t a call that should be regarded lightly. Parts can frequently total up to be as costly as the machine itself, so be sure to buy service and upkeep agreements along with your lawn tractor in case it breaks down! Above all, research and think things over before deciding if a lawn tractor is right for your requirements.

Andre writes home and lifestyle improvement articles as well as for many different niches. You can find more information about lawn mower parts at http://www.searslawnmowerparts.com, where you can read about Sears lawn mower parts.

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Grass Watering Dos and Don’ts

October 30th, 2009

Question: If I want lush green grass how much should I water it?

A fairly common question actually. For which a pat answer is often provided when really the best answer is “It depends.” Because there are many things that come into play when answering it.

Generally the rule of thumb answer given is you want to water about an inch a week. But sometimes rules of thumb become unquestioned rules that can’t be violated. You know, the type that are cast in stone to be followed at all costs?

But how often you need to water and how much depends on a variety of factors. So one can’t simply mutter a rule of thumb and feel that covers it. Because it doesn’t.

For instance how often to water depends on how often it rains. Obvious I know. But I had to say it.

Related to that last point is you only want to water when your lawn needs it. And it’s not like it has a calendar counting down the days to the next water-fest. But if it looks weak and limp (under stress) and when you walk on your grass you can look back and see footprints because it doesn’t spring back like it should, well, it’s fair to say that it’s time to water.

What type of grass do you have? Different varieties have different watering requirements.

The height you are cutting at comes into play too. Generally the longer you leave your grass the less often you’re going to have to water. While leaving the clippings to break down is another source of moisture that can help keep your grass looking decent in between waterings.

“How’s your roots?” is another consideration. You want the roots of your lawn to be deep because that means you’ll have less need to water as often. The way to get that is to water deeply and infrequently. Which the one inch a week rule supporters would support wholeheartedly. Just keep in mind water that soaks in beyond the root zone does your grass absolutely no good whatsoever.

Grass Truth: The height of the blades correlates to the depth of the roots. Deeper roots are associated with longer blades.

It’s also wise to let the top of your root zone to dry out. Doing so helps keep diseases at bay, weed seeds from germinating, and causes shallow rooted weeds to die off.

Another factor is how much sun the grass gets. The more sun the faster is it likely to dry out.

The final point is don’t set the output of your sprinkler to that there’s more water than the soil can absorb. Any resulting run off isn’t going to help your grass look any better

There. The science of watering your lawn involves more than chanting one inch a week. Getting these points will help you get a better looking lawn with less water.

Dewey “Jeep” Capasso writes for the popular site MowerMania.com. He’s contributed riding mowers reviews, shared hints for eliminating pesky moles, to hard hitting zero turn mower reviews. There you find a wealth of helpful ideas and grass growing advice you can use to insure your grass is bright and green too.

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Indoor Hydroponics Gardening

October 30th, 2009

Have you ever thought about getting into indoor hydroponics gardening as a hobby or way of making some extra money?

Below are some advantages of indoor hydroponics gardening when compared to traditional soil based gardening:

1. After your initial set up costs, running costs are around 20% lower.

2. With indoor hydroponics gardening you can fit more plants into a smaller area. This is despite the actual plants being larger, the roots are much smaller as they don’t need to expand to find nutrients.

3. Maintenance time is greatly reduced! Weeding doesn’t exist without the soil and there is no need to water hydroponic plants. In fact all you really need to do is pick them as and when required.

4. The yield is year round! This is because you have full control over growing conditions and you will have made them optimum for whatever you’re growing! This is great for off season periods as you can sell them for higher prices.

5. You can grow them anywhere; attic, rooftop, window ledge, garden, greenhouse, garage or bedroom.

6. Indoor hydroponics gardening will result in plants around 40% larger! This is due to them being in their ideal environment and having access to all the nutrients they need.

7. A common mistake made by many novice gardeners is under or over watering! As you don’t water hydroponic plants, this problem is eliminated!

8. Due to the reasons listed above, your plants will grow up to 50% faster too! This is great for feeding large families and for making profit!

9. There is no need to have a garden for hydroponics, so if you live in a crowded city centre apartment block you’ll be at no disadvantage! Ditto if you live in the desert, the arctic or outer space!

If you are serious about Indoor Hydroponics Gardening then you should learn more about setting it up! Indoor Hydroponics Gardening is becoming the future and is fun, exciting and potentially profitable!

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Brussel’s Satsuki Azalea Outdoor Bonsai Tree (Lawn & Patio) newly tagged "gardening"

October 29th, 2009
Brussel's Satsuki Azalea Outdoor Bonsai Tree

Brussel’s Satsuki Azalea Outdoor Bonsai Tree (Lawn & Patio)
By Brussel’s Bonsai

Buy new: $23.00
Customer Rating: 3.4

First tagged “gardening” by country girl at heart
Customer tags: bonsai tree(5), bonsai(2), tree, satsuki azalea, bonsai with with bowl, bonsai trees, gardening, gift idea, outdoor bonsai

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