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Archive for the ‘Garden’ Category

All of us involved in gardening, whether home gardeners or landscape professionals, ought to have the will and desire to learn continuously about our amazing occupation. A stroll in the local park, apart from being a pleasant experience in itself, is an opportunity for gaining just one more insight, or learning something new. This is even more so when one visits some great and famous garden, or even while thumbing through a garden design book. The question is, do you know how to learn from these experiences?It is clear to me as a garden designer and contractor that many homeowners who are anxious for design inspiration, approach the matter from the wrong starting point. Most commonly, the person relates what they see directly to their own garden. After thinking "Oh that won't grow in my backyard", or believing that a particular configuration is beyond their budget, they switch off and .. more»

A front garden design must be done with a fresh perspective. Take in the appearance of your home by strolling up and down the front street a few times. Notice how it looks to a passerby walking past your house or a visitor who walks towards it. How does the space look directly from the front or as you approach from the side?Usually, people living in the home tend to have a perspective of their own front yard as one that includes a garage and a driveway that leads to the front door, or even looking out from inside the home. It is the perspective that others have when they view the space from the street that will give you an idea of the front garden design that will highlight the best features of your home.A good garden creates the best impression for your home. The front yard design should .. more»

If you are like most homeowners, you know there's no such thing as adequate storage space, and you need a garden shed designs and plans. There is a limit, after all, that the things you can squirrel away in your basement and garage. What you really need is a garden shed, not an used shed mind you, but one that's large and nice enough to house an arsenal of outdoor power tools while providing organized space for everything from rakes and shovels to humus and gas.There are 2 options when it comes to building a wooden garden shed: You can buy a garden shed kit and put up with the manufacturer's preference of materials and layout, or you can configure what suits your own particular needs and tastes. This approach may cost more and take longer, but it's the best way to get what you want without having to buy .. more»

Many folks long for a peaceful garden space in their backyard, but don't have the time, money, or skill to create the beautiful types of gardens they see in magazines. However, if you have a shady backyard, you still be able to achieve a peaceful space by creating a woodland garden. They're surprisingly easy to establish, and once you've got them up and running, woodland gardens often take care of themselves with relatively little further help or financial input. Here are a few tips:Choose plants that would normally be found in the woods--plants that thrive in partial shade and relatively poor soils. The first candidate would be ferns, which will generally thrive in wooded areas with little or no site preparation or attention. After all, they've lived in wooded environments since the dinosaurs ruled the Earth.You may need to trim the bottom limbs of your trees, to allow you to .. more»