Most people who own a yard will do not much more with it than mowing it now and than and making it tidy. Especially during our working life the yard usually needs to take as little time as possible. Unless gardening is your hobby or you have some extra time on your hands because you are retired for example, the yard stays a boring piece of land around your house. However this is not necessary, with some good landscaping designs you can make a real garden from this land and it does not need to take you much time at all.

Where to start with landscaping designs?

First of all you need to know where you should start with getting some good ideas for that boring piece of land around your house, the best thing you can do is take a bike and start by looking around in your own neighborhood, are there yards or gardens that you like? What did your neighbours do that catches your eye, what kind of greens did they use, what kind of flowers, do they have slopes or structures you could copy. Make notes when you move around with your bike. Looking at how your neighbors are doing it is a good way to get some ideas but you should not emulate their designs.

The next thing you need to do is to look at your own yard and see how the sun is moving through it and where the shade is during the day. Where you would like your sitting area and where you would like a pool, if you have space for a pool. And there are much more of these things you can visualize in your mind. There is however a limit to your imagination, the plants you imagine need to be able to grow in your climate and this is something you can also see in your neighbours gardens, what plants do you see that do extremely well in your climate and which ones do you like?

Let your imagination flow

There are some elements in landscaping that are popular with many people, for example in many yards you see trees with circular flowered borders under them and if you think this would be a nice element for your own yard you need to think about the place where it would be in your design, is it sunny enough, are the flowers you would like to use suitable for shade of the tree, and will they grow on the root system of the tree?

You should also think about trees and bushes, these are the most important feature points in a garden and you need to plan exactly where they need to go, you need to think about how big the trees will be and in how many years. You need to know if the trees and bushes need to be pruned and when this needs to be done. And you need to ask your self if the amount of work they require is possible for you. But bushes and trees are very important for structure, shade and privacy so they are something you should do some research about.

For more information about landscaping design and all the things you should think about before you get your hands dirty you can read about it on hour site, there are many tips about landscaping, (organic) gardening, low maintenance gardening and much more.

Hank Gordon
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/landscaping-designs-ideas-for-your-yard-or-garden-481983.html

Can you imagine any meal being cooked without spices or rather, herbs? You would probably comment, “It tastes like sawdust!” At the same time, it feels rather tiresome to keep making umpteen trips to the market just because you have run out of some herb or the other! Therefore, the best thing to do is to cultivate your own indoor herb garden.

The advantage to having herbs within your reach is that all your meals get that added spice and color. And if you collect some tips on how to take care of them, you could grow them in containers or pots the whole year round. So they are always within your reach!

Here are some suggestions on getting started with your indoor herb garden:

(1) Ensure that the soil is of very good quality. Since it is to be kept in a pot or container, the soil should have the capacity to retain water. In fact, if the purchased soil has organic matter added to it, so much the better; the herbs will grow faster. If you feel that soil quality does not matter, then you should not worry about the quality of your herbs either!

(2) Your indoor herb garden does not require all that much water – if they are watered once or twice every week without fail, it should do. This keeps the moisture at the correct level – the soil is always damp, but no water is left standing at the bottom. Too much of water will cause the roots to begin rotting.

(3) Indoors or outdoors, no plant can live without sunlight. Most of the herbs need to be under direct sunlight; so placing them near windows is best. Herbs such as chives, rosemary, basil, thyme and oregano require more than six hours of direct sunlight each day. In case it is not possible to provide direct sunlight, grow lamps or specialized natural light bulbs are available.

(4) Though the indoor herb garden requires direct sunlight, it would be wise to keep the plants a few inches away from the window and not in direct contact with the window glass or window sill. The sills become very hot in the summer months and affect the plants. During winter months, the temperature near the window is much cooler than the temperature a little inside the room.

(5) To ensure faster growth, dried or dead leaves should be removed. So also dead blossoms from plants that produce flowers

(6) The biggest leaves are found at the ends of branches or shoots. Pluck them first for the growth stays in control.

(7) The plants in your indoor herb garden need trimming from time to time. Otherwise, they may become too big for the containers or pots. Trimming should be done with a pair of sharp scissors, never with a knife. A knife can damage the plants because a pulling motion is used.

(8) For additional information, you could become a member of a gardening club or organization. Otherwise, turn to the Internet for advice. Experience is of course the best teacher to guide you regarding your indoor herb garden!

Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/indoor-herb-garden-8-wonderful-tips-for-a-wonderful-indoor-herb-garden-308379.html

Some people believe that when the weather starts getting colder and the leaves start to fall, it is time to put away the gardening tools and wait until next spring to work on their garden again. Wrong. Winter is an important time to maintain your garden’s health and assure yourself a good crop for next year. You may think that might take to long to prepare your garden, but the truth is that it takes less than one day to prepare your garden for the upcoming winter.

When the nighttime temperatures drop to less than forty-five degrees Fahrenheit for more than four days in a row, or frost is forecasted for your area (usually around late October or November) you know its time to begin preparing your garden. You should begin by evaluating your garden design, check which plants grew well in the past season, and which plants did not do well. Fall is a good time to decide which plants will remain in you garden next year, and which ones should go.

It is also a good time to decide which new plants you want to grow. To make your garden more colorful and healthy, be sure only to plant the more hardy plants during the fall so that they can withstand the winter. Some plants that will do fine being planted in fall are: rudbeckia, Aster Novi-belgii, Anemone Japonica, panicle hyandea, endive, escarole, and Brussels sprouts. You can find all of these and more in gardening magazines or your local nursery.

After you have finished this you should begin cleaning up your garden. Begin by pulling out weeds that may have cropped up, and raking fallen leaves. Weeds and rotten leaves can carry insects and diseases that might be harmful to your garden. You should also rid your garden of spent annual plants, and harvest your vegetables and other plants that cannot withstand the winter weather. After fall has come and gone, the leaves will be off your trees and you can see the rotten branches. Trimming off the unwanted branches from your trees isn’t necessary to your gardens health, but may help later on by not dropping branches on your plants and not blocking too much of the sun.

If you have younger trees you should consider wrapping them and supporting them with stakes to help them survive the winter wind and cold. Putting mulch over your garden for the winter can be a helpful way to protect plants from sudden temperature changes and heavy snow. For mulch you can use about five inches of shredded bark, pine needles, or a variety of other materials. You have to be careful not to mulch too early, because some insects may still be alive and able to take shelter in it for the winter.

Once you are finished with your gardening tools you should clean them and make sure they are in a safe place where they won’t rust and you know where they’ll be for next year. Before winter comes you should always set out slug repellent, as slugs are one of the worst bugs to have in your garden. If you have a pool or fountain in your garden, be sure to take out any fish that you have in them and bring them inside. There’s nothing sadder than a fish frozen in a block of ice.

Jasper Sayer
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/how-to-prepare-your-garden-for-the-winter-660080.html

Although the concept of growing your own garden, let alone an organic garden, may seem difficult or foreign to most of us, learning how to grow an organic garden is not as difficult as it might seem. On a base level, it begins with using 100% organic products which are chemical and pesticide free. Whether or not you have tried to grow a garden in the past, despite your success level, gardening the organic way is not that much different. Here are a few tips on how you can begin your walk down the organic gardening pathway of life.

One of the first things you should consider are the benefits that organic gardening will provide you and your family. In today’s society, with the rising prices of fuel and various food products, having the ability to grow your own food at a fraction of the cost of buying it, is a benefit for all who learn how to grow food in their own garden. Organic gardening is an extra benefit because everything that you will be eating is pesticide and chemical free which is healthier for you and your family.

Our bodies are one of the most important things that we have to take care of on this planet. Our families are also important and we need to make sure that the food that we provide for them is not laced with ingredients that can help tear them down over time. This would include things such as herbicides and pesticides that can sit in the body and begin to poison it over time. We can make better choices, and it is a matter of implementing them in order to affect a change.

Right now, take a few minutes and write down the most abundant supply of vegetables an fruits that you eat. Think of a way that you can incorporate your organic gardening to start making this natural alternative ready for you and your family. By growing it yourself, you can save yourself thousands of dollars a year in food expenses. This way, you will be safe in knowing that the food you eat is ready to be consumed without worrying about the consequences.

To start off, you will need to get some fertilizers and bug repellent as you will not be using pesticides or anything chemical as you grow your organic garden. Organic fertilizers are readily available at your local nursery or plant store. You just have to find where they are available and purchase some for your gardening area. Depending upon the type of environment that you live in, and the type of plants that you will be growing, doing early research will allow you to narrow down the supplies you will need as you go along.

You should also consider the type of climate that you are in. If you live in a very warm area that is typically continuously warm, choose your plants accordingly for this type of climate. Likewise, if you lived in an arid area, there are certain kinds of plants that will not grow well and you should do your research as to see what crops for your organic garden would be best for your area. Other things to consider are the type of soil that you currently have and also how much sunlight exposure the plants that you want to grow will need.

There is an extra amount of work necessary when you have an organic garden because of weeds. Unlike a regular garden, weeds will naturally grow and you must do your part and remove them on a regular basis to keep them from spreading. Regular watering and the use of organic fertilization products will also help your plants grow large and strong.

One other thing to consider is that you need to have the space to do this in. Sure, you can create an organic gardening paradise in your home, but you need a lot of space, light, and a desire to make it work indoors that is usually worthwhile once it is set up and going. The are would have to be out of the mainstream of usual traffic, but by keeping it indoors, you can be assured of no temperature variations and shelter from elements that might otherwise kill or harm the crops you are going to grow.

Another tip is to consult local organic gardeners in your area and ask them what type of fertilizers that they use and what plants they are growing that are working out the best. By doing your homework ahead of time, you will save yourself much time and energy, if not money, as you begin to plant your organic crops for personal use and or profit and gain. Organic gardening can be a fun experience especially if you are prepared to do it right.

Chris Dailey
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/organic-gardening-how-to-grow-a-bountiful-organic-garden-375275.html

A garden is a haven, a place to renew and refresh the spirit. From the wildest and shaggiest of wildflower gardens to manicured rose gardens and knot gardens favored by the Victorians, gardens feed the soul and bring peace and beauty into our lives. Decorating your outdoor living space can help you enjoy your garden and make it part of your outdoor living space. Here are five ways to decorate your garden and add to its beauty:

1. Plan your planting so that there’s always something in bloom.

There’s no better way to decorate your garden than with flowers, but planning an ever-blooming garden can be tricky. Before you start planting, sit down with a good garden planner and work out a blueprint that includes plants that flower at different rates and in different parts of the spring and summer.

There are several ways to make sure that your garden is always in bloom. The easiest is to choose flowers that bloom all summer long, and then stagger plantings so that as one group of flowers has reached the end of its flowering period, the next is just bursting into bloom. A second way is to pick your flowers. The purpose of flowers is to set seed, and a plant will continue to flower until it has completed its task. If you pick the flowers before they go to seed, it will continue to make more flowers to fulfill its purpose.

A third and most versatile way is to choose plants that flower at different times during the season. If you are not an experienced gardener, you will find many online nurseries that offer preplanned gardens, complete with seeds and bare root plants, a blueprint and planting instructions.

2. Decorate with life.

Hummingbirds, butterflies and birds add an element to a garden that you can’t get in any other way. There are many ways to attract butterflies, bumblebees and birds to your garden. One of the most simple is to add a bird bath to the décor. Birds need a source of still water, and will find your birdbath and add the chatter of life to your garden. Other additions that bring birds to your garden are birdfeeders and birdhouses. Just be sure that you choose squirrel-proof bird feeders unless you want to deal with the little rodents chewing away on your plants.

A second way to bring butterflies and specific birds is by planting flowers that attract specific species of butterflies or hummingbirds. Butterfly bushes attract butterflies, of course, and flowers with long necks and sweet nectar attract hummingbirds if you live in an area that invites them. If you do not want to do the research to choose your plants, you can turn to gardeners’ catalogs and nurseries that package hummingbird and butterfly gardens that will attract the life of your choice.

3. Decorate with water.

There are dozens of styles of water fountains available online and in stores, as well as easy to install ponds, waterfalls and streams. Water features are a perfect addition to your garden. They attract wildlife like butterflies and birds, and add the sound of running water to your environment – one of the most restful and peaceful sounds in the world. You can buy a simple water fountain for as little as $30, and set up a pond with a filter for less than $100, but the effect is priceless.

4. Decorate with furniture.

Add furniture to your garden to make it easier to enjoy. Whether you opt for a full patio set or a garden bench, you need somewhere to sit and enjoy what you have built. Choose colors and styles that suit the style of your garden. There are hundreds of choices, from a basic park bench to planter benches that you can fill to overflowing with plants and flowers. Add trellises, statuary and other ornaments to bring everything together and make your garden the perfect retreat.

5. Decorate your garden with light at night.

Don’t forget to decorate after dark. Your garden doesn’t go away when the sun goes down, and night lighting can extend your enjoyment of your outdoor space. There’s a wide choice of lighting for different functions, including spotlights for dramatic effects, path lighting to outline walkways and accent lights to highlight special features. Look beyond safety to decoration when choosing lights for your outdoor space – even something as simple as a string of miniature white lights strung through the trees can transform your garden into a magical place.

Stephanie Larkin
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/how-to-decorate-your-garden-413886.html

Do you think your home needs some more landscaping? You probably do, which is a good trend. As a matter of fact, you must be excited about the idea as it is more fun as compared to garden landscaping. Your imagination will have to work overtime. Besides you can have a good time planting and rearranging plants and flowers.

You can add a whole new altitude of beauty to the design of landscaping by layering your beds. When people come to your home, the yard is among the first things that they will see, and giving them a grand tour which includes an amazing garden is both exciting and fun. If you do some good garden landscaping, you could famous and for the right reasons.

It is easy to layer the garden landscaping design. However, you will have to plan which flowers you want to plant first. The way you lay out your garden landscaping will be affected by the choices you make regarding the flowers and plants. For example the shorter plants will have to be placed before the taller ones. Before you begin, you should have a rough sketch of what you want and where it is to be laid out for the landscaping, even though it is obvious. This way, things will be very simple. This will help make your task easier and you will face lesser number of problems later.

You should have three layers while layering. The back rows must face north if possible, and the tallest plants must be placed there, and the heights of the flowers and plants should descend as the rows do, . Often, we find that there is a problem when we buy baby plants. To avoid this kind of a problem, you must talk to people at the local gardening store about the height of the adult plants. This is the key to a successful garden landscape.If the last row does not grow as fast as the other rows of the garden landscaping design, it is wise to rearrange them quickly.

The layering effect of the garden landscaping design enhances and makes your garden more interesting to see. The garden landscaping will be a success based on this fact.

Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/landscaping-articles/layering-in-garden-landscaping-let-the-design-talk-754032.html

When you think of Feng Shui, you mainly associate it with the home or the office, rearranging the furniture and surrounding yourself with objects that attract good luck. However it is not only indoors that can be designed using Feng Shui. You can also use it to create the perfect garden environment.

If a garden is part of your property, Feng Shui should be incorporated into it. That will really help to bring you the best results. We all like our gardens to look impressive and beautiful. It allows us to appreciate our environment a lot more and it helps to release positive energy that helps us flourish. Feng Shui gives us the tools needed to create the most positive outside environment and the best part is that you don’t need a huge garden to use Feng Shui arrangements.

Incorporating Feng Shui into the Garden

One of the main factors that you have to take into account when it comes to Feng Shui is that clutter is always a bad thing. This also applies to the garden. If you have a lot of clutter outside of your doorway you won’t attract good energy. Make sure that the entrance to your home looks welcoming and tidy. Also make sure you clean up once Winter is gone. The cold weather and the snow will cause leaves to stick to your lawn and in your flower beds. Once you have tidied everything away, you can truly start to incorporate Feng Shui into the garden.

If you want to plant trees in your garden, aim to plant them at the sides and around the back of your garden. Don’t plant them too close to your home as, although they are fantastic producers of positive energy, they can overshadow the home and look a little too imposing if placed too close. There should always be plenty of natural light shining into your home, so don’t place anything in the garden that will block out the light.

To draw positive energy into your garden, it’s a good idea to attract birds and butterflies. You can do this by providing a birdbath and plants that attract butterflies. These animals tend to bring positive energy with them, which will help you in your Feng Shui garden goal.
Also apply the Ba Gua to your garden. A lemon or orange tree in the Wealth Area is fabulous to attract prosperity to your life. A fountain or pond is also an amazing thing to have in your garden or front lawn to the left of your front door. Also make sure that you don’t have a tree directly in front of your front door or this will block the entrance of energy to your house.

If you like cacti, never have them inside your home. Instead, try to put them outside the windows, where they will act as protectors of the home.

Statues are also a wonderful addition to your garden, but if you are single, try not to use a statue depicting a single person, try to use pairs of things. Such a statue would do wonders in your Love and Relationships Area. A statue of children playing in your Children and Creativity Area is another option.

Finally, remember that water is the “blood” of your home. Make sure there are no leaks in your sprinklers
or anywhere else, since this will be draining your wealth.
If you live in an apartment and you don’t have a garden, but you have a balcony, make sure you don’t use it as a storage area. Apply all the same principles only at a smaller scale.

The idea is to make your garden, or balcony, as peaceful and relaxing as possible. You can spend months creating the perfect home using Feng Shui techniques. However, if that area isn’t arranged properly, you might be wasting all the efforts that you made inside the home.

Once you have created a nice peaceful garden setting, you will find that it really helps to rejuvenate the mind as well as the body and nothing but good energy will come into your home.

If you want to read more about Feng Shui and find more useful information, visit me at http://www.lifewithfengshui.com

Rebeca Rambal
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/creating-the-perfect-garden-using-feng-shui-755327.html

The edging surrounding your garden is practically as important as the flowers themselves. The edging frames your garden, like the frame of a picture. It gives it well defined boundaries to separate your flower garden from the rest of your yard. A good edging enhances the beauty of your flower garden, turning it into a masterpiece.

These is an assortment of edging options to choose from, and it is up to you to pick the one that will best compliment your garden. A low retaining wall, made from brick or rock and mortar, is a popular choice, as it is solid and permanently boarders your garden. These types of wall edgings can be quite expensive; however, and you may decide that you would like to choose something not as permanent to edge your garden. You never know when you will want your garden to expand!

Another option is to simply line up bricks or rocks, using no mortar. Bricks can be lined up, stacked in a short wall, or set up diagonally, leaning against one another. Rocks can also be lined up or stacked to crate an edging for your garden. Rocks should be small enough to be easily moved, while large enough to make a visual impact. Rocks can be found while digging in your garden or for other landscaping projects, or in a friend’s yard or empty lot. Just be sure to ask for permission before taking rocks from someone elses property.

You can also purchase edging materials at a home improvement store or garden center. Have a look around and check out all the options that might look good in your garden. You can choose from plastic edging, which provides a simple border when stuck vertically in the ground, tiny fences, landscaping timbers, and boarders made from artificial rock. The options are almost endless. Just be sure that what ever you decide, that you select a good quality, durable product. You need something that will hold up, so you wont have to replace your edging year after year.

Border plants, such as perennials like alpine phlox, make a beautiful, natural edging. Low growing plants that grow quickly and can be divided and replanted each spring make a nice choice, so that you do not have to purchase new annuals every year. As with selecting any plants for your garden, make sure that you select plants that will work with your climate and the amount of sun your garden receives.

The lush, thick growth of comfrey, make it an excellent choice to border a large garden. It will stop grass from encroaching on your garden with its heavy growth. The flowers are beautiful and will be attractive in your garden, and you can use the leaves as mulch when they fall off. Comfey is only appropriate for large gardens, however, as smaller gardens can quickly become overtaken.

A delicious choice for edging your garden would be to plant strawberries or herbs. You can use the fresh herbs in your meals when cooking – just clip off as much as you need when you visit your garden.

You can select from a variety of plants, rocks, bricks or store bought edging to border your garden. Keep in mind that the edging you select should serve as a frame to accentuate and display your flower garden as though it is a work of art.

Chris Jensen
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/the-beauty-of-edging-your-flower-garden-493337.html

The cultivation of herb gardens has been around for centuries and people continue to practise this activity until this day. A herb garden has a specific purpose – to grow herbal plants that can be then used for cooking or medicinal purposes. Many herbs are grown and used in alternative medicine for their healing properties while others grow them purely for ornamental and decorative reasons. Some herbs have very distinctive leave structure and beautiful flowers which is a great way to not only spruce up the appearance of a particular section of the garden, for landscaping by using herbs as borders but also to use them to add a touch of natural fragrance to the garden. Herbs such as rosemary, thyme and mint give out a stunning fragrance all year round and they are hardy plants which require very little water and low maintenance, a perfect addition to your garden.

Getting Started

The most economical and fastest way to access information on starting your own herb garden is by using the Internet. Thousands of websites are dedicated to the ins and outs of cultivating herbs in your garden. They offer invaluable insights into the characteristics of each type of herb, how to avoid certain pitfalls, how to treat certain diseases, the optimum weather conditions and soil mixture to yield a good crop and how to fend off garden pests such as snails, slugs and insects that impact the health of these plants.

You can also invest in a create-your-own-herb-garden kit. They are widely available at garden centers, all ready to be used both indoors and outdoors. All the compost is mixed for you and all you need to do is follow the instructions, sow the seeds and watch the herb grow, simple and easy. Some herbs grow all year round while others thrive during certain months of the year and require constant sunshine and watering. When the herbs have hardened in the pot or container you can then transfer them into your garden.

It is worthwhile reading up on the different herbs on things such as their growth rate, their maximum height and spread and the type of soil that is needed to promote growth prior to creating your herb garden. Some mature herbs can grow into a large tall bush which means you will need to allocate enough space for it to grow in while others such as mint leaves spread like wild fire and would benefit from growing in a pot rather than letting it run free in the garden and overtaking patches that are reserved for other herbs. No longer are herbs home grown just to add extra flavor to cooking, they are also popular in alternative medicinal purposes. Many now swear by the benefits and healing powers of herbs to treat illnesses such as the cold, headaches and pains.

Do not rush it, take your time to research the plethora of herbs and find those that are suitable to grow in your garden and use the Internet to exchange tips with other fellow herb garden enthusiasts.

Adam Douglas
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/what-is-a-herb-garden-260030.html