Fall Garden Planning

It's August, the weather has cooled a bit here and the summer monsoons where I live in New Mexico have begun. The kids are starting back to school and I feel the onset of fall. I'm getting that garden planning itch again! It happens 2-3 times a year... This time, it's time to start ordering bulbs and perennials for fall planting. I'm always planning how my garden will look better next season and I suppose most of you do the same. Fall is the perfect time to plant for established growth next spring!

Take a good look at your garden now and think about areas you need to fill in. Do you need late season color, early spring blooms? Are there bare spots or places where plants like poppies or tulips go dormant and you need a filler to keep your garden alive with color? I find the best time for next years planning is in the fall when bloom time and plant combinations are fresh in my mind.

You may be disappointed with a plant combination you chose last season. Fall is the perfect time to rearrange. Get rid of overgrown plants and revive areas with new color or foliage combinations. Think about areas in your bulb or perennial garden you want to develop. What size, shape and bloom color do you need? Plant them this fall and watch your pans come to fruition come spring.

Shrubs and trees do take years to mature and fill their place. You can get a jump start by planting them this fall. When spring arrives they'll be much more hardy and will require less babying.

Fall is the perfect time to mail order bulbs, perrenials, shrubs, hedges and trees. We're winding down the season and if you're anything like me you're just not ready to quit quite yet. Sure there's clean up to be done, but I find more planting helps to finish those mundane cxhores. As I clean out I plant new!

Ordering online or by mail

Ordering plants online can be a bit scary. How are the plants shipped? Will they be good quality? Will they arrive at the right time and will I be prepared to plant them then?

Fear not! I've ordered in fall for years and have had tremendous results!

Plant Quality and Guarantees

Nurseries do differ in what and how they ship so make sure you do some research, but almost all reputable mail order nurseries do guarantee their plants to grow or your money back. I've never had trouble collecting on that promise and I have used it a time or two for certain plants. I also admit, a bit grudgingly as a then new gardener, that I should never have ordered those specific plants for my climate. Nevertheless the nursery did stand behind it's guarantee.

How Plants Are Shipped

Some plants will be shipped bare root, others as potted plants. This depends on the plant variety and I've actually found preference to bare root plants. They do look dead when they arrive (they are actually dormant), but I assure you that unless they have visible signs of disease like rot they'll thrive come spring.

*Note - If you do get any plants that look like the crown has rotted either ship them back immediately or just phone the nursery and they'll ship out new ones.

When to Plant

While you never know exactly when your plants will arrive, they are shipped to you at the proper planting time for your gardening zone. If plants arrive and it's not convenient to plant immediately just make sure you follow the directions included in your shipment for keeping your plants viable until you can plant them. If you've planned ahead you will know where they go and it'll take you little time to get them in the ground. A Saturday afternoon will usually give you ample time to get this done.

Keep in mind these companies have been in business for years and years and have shipped bare root and potted plants for eons. They do know what they're doing and most of them do it very well. They'd be out of business if they couldn't fulfill your planting requirements.

Gardening Budgets and Selection

You can't beat the cost and selection of ordering by mail! Most mail order companies offer plant varieties you'll never find anywhere else. The selections seem endless and I've been amazed what I can grow in New Mexico. Take advantage of fall specials and free shipping and you get a double bang for you buck. For about half of what I spend on a trip to the garden center on a single spring garden binge, I can have more variety and many more plants shipped to me at home.

Get on the Mailing Lists

Make sure you're on the mailing list for the following nurseries at least! You'll get a catologue several times a year. Take it into the garden with you,look around and plan accordingly. Then hop online and place an order or order by mail, but use the online resources for their help with plant combinations and companion planting. They offer great suggestions you may not have thought of before. Remember - pictures will help any gardener no matter how experienced.

Tips For Creating A Garden To Enhance Your Home

When creating a garden at your home, there is much that needs to be considered and thought out before the spade shovel will ever hit the dirt. The location of the garden is important. What type of sunlight will the garden be receiving? Is this a garden of flowers alone? Is it a fruit and vegetable garden? Is it any combination of the preceding? How big will it be? How much time are you able to devote to cultivating it? All of these are important questions that should be answered and well thought out before you attack the chore of planting.

A backyard may be a big or small space. The space that you will devote to your garden may be big or small. The size of the garden should be the first decision made. Take into account the time that is available to you to care for the garden thoroughly. You want to keep gardening a pleasurable experience, therefore, don’t try to squeeze more than you can comfortably handle into your garden. If you work full time and have small children at home, a smaller garden that requires less care would be better for you. On the other hand, if you’re retired or have the means to stay home and have little else to do with your time, a large many faceted garden would fit your life. Be realistic with the time that you have to devote, those plants depend on you in combination with nature to care for them.

Once you have decided the size of the garden, what will go in it should be the next decision. Again, this will have to do with the time you have to devote to the garden. Some plants need just a little water and they can sustain themselves well while others require constant pruning, fertilizing on a schedule, and watering. When choosing the plants that will be included in the garden, read the labels carefully and they will tell you how much care each particular plant requires. Also, be careful not to plant too many avid growers in the same location. Otherwise your garden will look overgrown in no time and it will be difficult to keep up with pruning.

When those important decisions have been made, it’s time to plot out your land, prepare it, and plant. When plotting out the land, many will have to pull up grass that is residing there currently. In doing this, be sure that you get the grass roots or the grass will make a reappearance in the middle of your garden. When all the grass has been pulled, it’s important to work soil with a hoe or rake about six to twelve inches down. In this way you will break it up and breathe new life into soil that has had little room to breathe in quite some time. Add some fresh topsoil, perhaps with nutrients included to allow for new root stimulation and root setting, and plant according to your plan.

When the plants have all been planted and you’re satisfied with your garden, be sure to fertilize, and water thoroughly. The garden will need to be watered daily for ten to twenty minutes with a garden hose. If fresh rainwater is available, use that for watering as there are more nutrients in that than in what comes out of the garden hose. In a matter of days you will see your plants flourish in their new environment. If it is a flower garden, fresh flower buds will be seen quickly. If it is a fruit and vegetable garden, you should quickly see the beginnings of what has been planted.

Home Garden Shopping

As you run about town home garden shopping, you are looking for inspirational flowers and garden designs that will make your home living space a pleasant retreat that you can go and visit and enjoy for many hours if you have the time. You can get ideas to use in your home garden setting from every landscaped space around you that you pass including other homes and commercial businesses.

From these bits and pieces of garden designs that you find as you go about town garden shopping, you can afford yourself the opportunity to dream about how your home garden retreat could include such luxurious features as a whirlpool spa nestled in a bed of ivy, or an oceanic style retreat with a built-in pool and sauna, with fountains carefully placed for effect among the apple trees.

As you go about town home garden shopping, you can pay particular attention to ever flower garden design that you see, and compare the garden designs of many people to see which designs offer a particular flair that you want to achieve in your own home garden setting. You might be able to see exactly what an English country cottage would look from someone else's perspective, when you pass by homes that feature them on shady, well manicured streets.

As you walk about town home garden shopping, pay particular attention to the shade trees that are placed along the property lines and how the various flower beds are sculpted and manicured throughout your neighborhood. Keep a watchful eye out and take note of the various plant layering techniques that these homeowners have used to their advantage, in reaping the benefits that are provided by the shade trees on their property, and the visual drama that these layered creations have created on their landscapes.

The shading characteristics of several tree species that you find as you walk about town home garden shopping can offer you many ideas and possibilities that could have a great effect on how you might plan to arrange your garden patio furniture in the future. Home entertainment opportunities can be greatly enhanced when areas that you choose for relaxation are reinforced with cool breeze opportunities for your guest.

So, hold the gardening advice that you learned by yourself when you were going about town home garden shopping, near to your heart and it will help you create the garden of your dreams. There are many water gardening, perennials and trees that you can use to make your home garden design truly unique.

As you walk about town home garden shopping, do not be afraid to speak to the homeowners that you pass, because they may be able to give you some advice, that will certainly help you throughout the garden planting and design seasons.

There are no limits to what you can do with the clever creative techniques and unusual creations in garden designs that you will see as you walk about town home garden shopping. By accumulating all sorts of gardening ideas along the way, you can coordinate plants, trees, and other garden accessories to help you achieve the mood that you are personally looking for in your own home garden setting.

Home & Garden Lighting

RLLD serves an online community dedicated to enhancing their residences with the best home and garden lighting products and coordination strategies on today’s market. The online inventory borders on the astounding, featuring popular home and gardening lighting styles while simultaneously offering eclectic options for the innovative and the bold. Home and garden lighting really should be called “house and garden” lighting because your true home is both indoors and outdoors. With this awareness in mind, we strive to create a feeling of home with every product we inventory for home garden lighting because we know that heart and feeling define the center of the whole living experience.

If this is your first time to visit the online lighting store, you will soon notice the uniqueness of both our home and garden lighting inventory and the overall user-friendliness of our site. We have made it a point to make our inventory quickly accessible to the consumer without requiring advanced computer skills. Most home and garden lighting customers greatly appreciate the respect and accommodation we show to them as creative personalities. Imagine the frustration of trying to work as an artist and suddenly having to quit your project to troubleshoot a complicated website! We refuse to put our customers through this hassle. In the online showroom, you can find any home or garden light you need by searching by category, manufacturer, description, lighting family, or keyword. It’s that easy!

For your indoor home garden lighting requirements you will find a tremendous selection of art lights, under cabinet lights, ceiling lights, desk and table lamps, and even piano lights. There are also lighted clocks offered and special mood lights in virtually every color and style. You can find some of the best track and bathroom lighting anywhere online simply by browsing through our simple category listings or by typing in a keyword.

If you already have in mind a specific lighting design family, you will be amazed at the choices that affords you. There is a variety of selection from Baroness, Bellevue, Berkley, and Blackforest, just to name a few. Find also in online showroom Geneva, Charleston Collection, Dauphin and French Quarter lights. If your loyalties lie with specific manufacturers of home and garden lights, there are Aziano, Arroyo, Hobby Hill Lighting Inc, House of Troy, Halo Lighting, Visual Comfort, Mitronix, AdjustaPost, TIC Industries Corporation, and many, many more.

We also know that home and garden lighting is an art even more than it is a science, and art requires inspiration both as its originating force and its sustaining energy. Ideas, therefore, go hand-in-hand with products and cannot be neglected no matter how diverse and numerous product offerings become. For this reason, we frequently publish magazine-quality articles on our site that provide you with tips on how to coordinate our many home garden lighting products into aesthetic and functional schemes. These summaries recommend design strategy; spell out product technology in layman’s terms, and highlight particulars of customer interest. If at any point you can’t find the information you need on home and garden lighting in our articles or product specifications, just browse our discussion archive, or start your own dialogue with one of the lighting experts.

Garden Tips For Your Home

A lot of people may have in silence and in secret thought dreamt of having their very own garden at home. Think of getting those organic greens or picking those freshest lush tomatoes straight from its stems or perhaps imagine opening your windows early morning and being greeted by flourishing blooms from your flower garden. However, for many people these things remain but a dream reasoning that a lot of factors have kept them from fulfilling this fantasy. Keeping a great home garden is not an easy feat.

Unless you have one of those gifted green thumbs, maintaining a well tended garden can entail a lot of hard work. Further, at this time and age when most of us are always on the go, a hectic lifestyle does not allow enough time for us to attend to and cultivate a home garden. Here are however a few tips that could help you in taking care of your garden with less effort and less time.

Remember to top dress your soil. Adding two or three scoops of compost or organic matter to soil will generate you great benefits. There is little difference on whether your soil is poor or already rich. Fertilizing your soil is always a good thing. This not only adds to the soil structure in increasing its nutrients but it can also prevent weeds from spurting out. Further, you can get organic matter straight from your kitchen. Hitting birds with one stone, you get to recycle your waste and cultivate your garden soil.

One fine tip is to do your weeding regularly. The longer you put off your weeding duties, the more it would take for you to take those weeds out of your garden. Pulling a lot of weeds at one time can be quite drudgery. So try to take a little moment to pull out the weeds in your home garden each day. A few minutes spent every day may prove to be less taxing and grueling as compared to a whole day of weed yanking. Another advantage of doing the task every day is you get to pull the weeds when they are still young, smaller and easier to pull.

Make use of mulch. Mulch works a protective cover for your soil especially in areas where local climate tends to fluctuate. Mulch works to adjust the soil temperature by making it retain heat during cold seasons and water to keep the soil cool during hot summers. Weed growth is controlled as the mulch blocks sunlight and at the same time insects are repelled. Mulch is commonly composed of organic residues which may be in the form of leaves, shredded bark, sawdust, shredded newspapers, wood chips, grass clippings, hay or straw. This is an added bonus as the mulch will also act as a fertilizer nourishing the soil with more nutrients.

Water is essential in any garden, any plant or for that matter any living organism. Watering your garden may prove to be a hassle with you haggling the hose all over the area. It may help for you to have a soaker hose which you can bury in your mulch. Soaker hoses are typically inexpensive and easy to use. Because it is submerge on your mulch, the evaporation process is slowed down and your plants take the advantage of benefiting from the retained water more.

Home And Garden Decor

In most countries, home and garden décor are bought by people during December. Everyone wants to celebrate Christmas grand and to welcome the New Year in style. A lot of visitors do come during the holiday season in December. So every housewife dreams of a beautiful home to show the visitors.

Home and garden décor make the home as a whole look beautiful. Today, everyone wants to have some type of garden, even small, in a home. This is to give the eyes some relaxation. Day in and day out, for the people living in cities, what meets their eyes is concrete jungle. So, looking at something green is not only a relaxation for the eyes but also to the mind. To make the home garden look beautiful and appealing, we need Home and garden decor. The home décor also makes the sitting room, dining hall and even the stairway or the corridors look appealing.

Another type of home and garden décor is to have a pond in the garden if you have the space. It is always nice to use some theme for your garden with a pond. Wind spinners hung in the garden captivate the people who come to your home. Down by the pond, your friends and neighbours will find something to keep them fascinated for hours. You can hang a medium frog design wind spinner from a tree branch, or bracket, and enjoy the flash and fire that comes with the optical illusion. There are lily pad shaped “frames” consisting of multiple rings in softly shaded colours that surround the central cut out figure of a frog and dragonfly. Beautiful when still, it will enthral everyone when the entire unit spins in the wind.

Wind spinners are good Home and garden décor items. They come in many designs and shapes. Some of the designs of wind spinners include, butterfly like wind spinner in various hues, compass like wind spinner, dragon fly like wind spinners and many more attractive designs and colours. Everyone who come to your home will crow with delight when they see a rooster like wind spinner! Brilliantly crafted in shiny red metal, it makes a striking accent when hanging outside the kitchen window or over the patio, and becomes even more spellbinding when the wind makes the single piece of metal sculpture, whirl. You can buy these inexpensive yet attractive wind spinners every where. It does not cost so much. You can find them in home décor stores or even online.

The Home Garden

The garden should be near the house and away from trees. If it's some distance away from the house, it will not be as well looked after, nor will most use be made of vegetables grown. Vegetables near trees cannot get full sunshine; even more important, tree roots will rob them of water and fertilizer they need to do their best.

If you can, move the garden spot every 10 years or so to help keep down diseases. Proper rotation and use of disease-resistant varieties will help, but sooner or later the old garden spot becomes so full of various disease spores and nematodes that you cannot grow a good crop of many vegetables without use of special soil fumigants.

Soil should, of course, be well drained. Few vegetables can stand "wet feet." A sandy loam with a clay subsoil is best. Heavy clay soils may be made quite suitable by adding heavy quantities of stable manure or compost, or by turning under cover crops, preferably legumes such as vetch, clover soybeans.

Since the best quality quantity of vegetables cannot be duced on anything but a fertile soil, do whatever is needed to make it fertile.

Requirements for growth.

1. Proper degree of heat.
2. Moisture.
3. Oxygen in the air is essential for seed germination and good growth.

English peas, for example, will sprout when soil termperature is only a few degrees above freezing, while seed such as tomatoes will not germinate at all.

To start these tender vegetables for early crops, artificial heat, as in hotbeds, is needed. Otherwise, for early crops, buy plants from commercial growers, or from local growers who produce them with artificial heat. Tender vegetables that do not transplant such as melons, cucumbers, cantaloupes, and squash, should not be planted outdoors until soil has warmed up. These may, however, be started earlier in small pots in a hotbead.

To make the most out of your gardening efforts, take time to do some planning. Also keep a record of wheather you had too much or too little of certain vegatables at any time during the season for a continuous supply. Don't trust it all to memory.

Things to consider when planting.

1. How much of each vegetable to grow to supply your family needs.

2. Which vegetables are most need for good health.

3. How much extra to plant for storage

4. Which varities are best to plant.

5. When to plant for continuous growth and supply.

6. Which pesticides are best for control of insects and diseases.

7. Supplies needed such as, sprayers, dusters, tools, fertilizer, or mulching material.

Jotting this down on paper, plus any notes made during the season about special pest problems or how a new variety or practice turned out, will be valuable the next season when planning and planting time roll around.

10 Building or Home Renovation Survival Tips

Building or the renovation of an existing home can be an extremely stressful experience.

So here are 10 quick tips to make the whole process easier

1. Think of the project as a new diet.

Who doesn't want to lose at least 2 kilos? This is one way to do it. Between running to stores all day and evening long, meeting with contractors, inspecting the work, searching the Sydney metro area for the perfect light fixture, who has time to eat? Provided you don't sabotage this new, unorthodox diet plan, with McDonalds drive through, you're good for losing two kilos. If you are a masochistic type who does some of the work yourself - whether it be painting, laying tile, landscaping the yard - you can count on another five to ten kilogrammes of weight loss. Just think, you may be miserable, frustrated, exhausted, nd down right cynical about the good of the humankind, but your jeans will fit nicely!

2. Write cheques as aerobic exercise.

These workouts are great for toning the wrist and fingers. Usually done in hectic spurts as you race out the door in the morning while the contractors are breathing down your neck and your kids are beating each other with the lunch boxes you just prepared, the stress and frantic activity are sure to raise your heartbeat for a good hour. Grumbling under your breath that the plumber, electrician, or you name it, isn't really worth this much money adds greater intensity and calorie burn to this little publicized exercise regime.

3. Save money through shopping burnout.

Yes, even the most die-hard shopper will come to dread setting foot in any store. This affliction starts innocently enough as you go to look for light fixtures. How hard can it be? Hard! Either the light you want is being shipped from Europe and won't arrive until your youngest child buys his own home, or you just can't find the one you want. You'll shop every lighting and electrical store you know. You'll search Home Depot. You'll haunt hardware stores. And then there's plumbing fixtures. Sink centers, tap handles, finishes, special orders. What's all that about? And the cost. You'd think you were outfitting the palace for a former third world dictator. Of course, there's carpet, tile, hardwood, stairs, and windows. Enough already. And you thought it was a pain picking mints and sweet table treats for your wedding!

After your 1000th trip to Bunnings (or Mitre 10 or whatever), in addition to all the other trips you've made for items that shouldn't count as shopping (toilet seats, for example), you've had it. Your friends won't be able to bribe you to check out the latest sale at Grace Bros. You'll think it will be better when you can pick out "fun" things like paint, wall paper, curtains, fabric, furniture - but don't bet on it. At this point, the pressure to make your home look like something other than an empty rat maze will counteract any joy in shopping. Spending this much money has never been such a miserable experience. As a result, when your home becomes half-way presentable, you'll refuse to shop again - even for groceries - for at least six months. The money you save during this shopping hiatus will be sufficient for you to resume this previously pleasurable past time once more without guilt.

4. Impress your friends with obscure facts.

Only someone that has built or remodeled their home can explain the fluid dynamics of a proper toilet water swirl. Or cite the Australian Building Code that calls for no more than 150mm between electrical outlets. Or brag that triple glazed windows are really the wave of the future for light emitting device technology. See what I mean?

5. Pride yourself on your new creative skills.

You'll discover a creative side that you never knew existed. Like how to wash dishes in the bath. And how to make a full course meal for a family of four using nothing more than a toaster and hot plate. Or how to fit an entire family in a house smaller than your first flat. They say that necessity is the mother of invention. That's probably true, but I also think that the only thing that separates modern and pioneer life is just one kitchen or bath remodeling project.

6. Yell at someone other than your kids - and not feel guilty.

Honestly, as a modern man trying to juggle the running of our homes, possibly a job, and the future Olympic soccer aspirations of our children, you have the primal need to yell. At someone. Anyone. Often our spouse and children suffer from this need of ours to release pent up negative energy generated from nothing more than some miniature human leaving smelly gym shoes on the kitchen table. (Ok, that probably deserves a bit of yelling - we eat at this table!) But when you remodel your house, you have a whole cast of characters - and believe me, they're characters - that often deserve a good scream from time to time. Like when they tell you that they tore out the fireplace because they didn't think it looked right. Or when they show you a mistake made three weeks ago that now requires half the house to be torn down in order to fix. Yelling isn't immature or a result of too many steroids, it's therapy.

7. Throw out all of your junk that you have gathered over the years. You know what I mean, all the space grabbers like the old wardrobes, execise eqipment gathering dust in your garage, clothes that haven't been worn for over two years. You'll be surprised at the reclaimed space that suddenly is available.

8. Grow closer to your family through forced bathroom sharing.

The saying goes that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Perhaps that wise pundit had to share a closet sized bathroom with three kids and a spouse. In reality, there's no greater way to create intimacy in a family than by all trying to get ready for the morning in the same tiny space. You'll learn new exciting things about your children - like toilet paper is purely optional for little boys. You'll discover that there is no bond quite like the one created when the entire family brushes their teeth together over the same sink. You'll realize why the older generation of your relatives only washed their hair once a week instead of facing communal bathroom time. But most importantly, you'll no longer need to yell at your kids to hurry up for school - they're standing right next to you.

9. Earn free flights from all of your purchases.

In what is admittedly (and somewhat sheepishly) the only practical survival tip on this list, get a Fly Buys credit card. Charge everything on it - lights, plumbing fixtures, windows, doors, lumber, carpet. The windows alone can get you close to one free trip. Whether you decide to share your miles with anyone else in the family or to escape on your own to a world of quiet solitude and, preferably, an open bar, is entirely up to you.

10. Hire some good looking female contractors and feel like you're 18 years old again. Who says Hooters are restricted to bars?

Finally, remember, the end result of your new house will be worth the aggravation of the process. Plus, think of all the good stories you can tell!

Underground Dog Fence without Spending a Fortune

Upgrading Your Underground Dog Fence without Spending a Fortune

My dog used to be a darter. One of those canines that would see an opening and take off. He’s been hit by a car twice now, neither really that bad, and has been lost more times than I can count. Even at the old home, where a fence has existed for years, the 100 pound lab would simply hop the thing and joy ride if no one was around. It had gotten to the point that I couldn’t even let him outside unless he was on a leash or tied to something.

Just a couple months ago, I moved in to a new house with a huge back yard. The yard had a great garden on the interior, too. And to my pleasant surprise, the entire perimeter was wired for one of those underground electric dog fences. The former owner told me that the fence had been installed by a local company, and worked great for his fifteen year old standard poodle. Right before I moved in, he taught me how to use the electric fence, and I looked forward to allowing my dog to run free in the huge yard with no chance of escape.

The fence initially worked wonderfully. The minute my dog got that first hard shock, he wouldn’t go near the perimeter of the yard. For a good week, he played around the rest of the property while I tended to my new garden. In this week, my dog never more than edged toward the boundary, and this allowed me to feel safe and secure without having to watch his every move.

Unfortunately, that first week was the exception. After that, I noticed problem after problem with my electric fence. First, the act of keeping my dog enclosed in this back yard seemed to make him more mischievous inside the boundaries, and I came down one morning to find my newly-improved garden destroyed. This caused me to give up on my gardening for the time.

Second, the dog suddenly gained the skill to break free from the boundaries. Even with me watching, he would get a good running start, take off toward the perimeter, absorb the shock and just bust right through the thing. This caused me to turn the power up to high, which increased the shock level to a seemingly unbearable strength, and I could barely stand to watch my dog attempt to break it.

However, shortly thereafter my intelligent canine found a way to break out again anyway. He would approach the perimeter, just close enough to hear the warning tone sounding. Then he would simply sit there and let the thing beep until the battery died, an act that allowed him to run through the boundaries. Isn’t the intelligence of dogs amazing? As much as I wanted to punish him for that, I was actually pretty proud that he was smart enough to figure that one out. Soon, I had no way of stopping the dog from conquering the electric fence.

I called the local installation company to see if they could help. Apparently, most companies are now referring to the product as a “containment system.” I guess “electric fence” is a little less politically correct. They recommended an entire new setup, including new and upgraded system, thicker wire, and a new wire setup around the garden area, what they referred to as “expert installation.” All in all, the cost for products and installation was well over two thousand dollars, which was way beyond my budget.

On the verge of giving up, I ran a couple Internet searches and found some companies selling these containment systems online at a fraction of the cost I was quoted. I called a couple customer service departments and eventually gathered the information I needed. As it turns out, I didn’t even need to reinstall the system. The wire that was currently in the ground would work with any new fence I purchased.

And the new systems had everything I needed. The model I chose has a great feature called “Run Through Prevention,” which basically prevents hard headed dogs like mine from running through the fence by creating a zone of increasing stimulation as the dog gets closer and closer to the boundary. I’ve also found this feature to be more humane, as it doesn’t just hit my dog with one hard shock, and doesn’t just punish him for accidentally wandering into the zone. Instead, the level of shock he receives is only increased if he continues toward the boundary.

In addition, the new containment systems have this feature called anti-drain prevention which was created for dogs like mine that would sit in the warning zone until the warning tone caused the battery to die. When my dog attempted to linger in the warning area, he received a warning shock after a couple seconds, which continued until he moved out of the area.

And as for the garden, that part was hardly “expert installation.” A customer service representative talked me through a simple installation process, which consisted of me digging up just a foot of wire, splicing it and adding another wire which traveled out to my centered garden, around the beds, and back to the original splice in the wire. And what’s even better, I was instructed to twist the two wires going to and from the garden, a practice that cancels the signal, meaning the only active part of the wire was the section encircling the garden. Therefore, my dog can run anywhere around the garden until he comes within five feet, and that means no more eating my flowers!

The new containment system was a great success, and my dog now stays within the boundaries, safe and secure. The entire process only cost me $150, a fraction of what I would have paid my local company to come out and do it for me. So if you’re in the market for a containment system, I’d recommend going through the Internet. These online companies have prices, great products and excellent customer service.

Home Safety for Toddlers and Small Children

If you have toddlers in your home, then safety is obviously a big concern. They are big enough and mobile enough to go just about anywhere but they little to no understanding of how dangerous some things might be. So, you know that you need to toddler-proof your home but how do you go about it?

A great place to start is by placing ‘baby gates’ at the top and bottom of the stair case to prevent injuries. Be sure that you purchase a gate that is sturdy and can be easily fastened to the wall, railing or some other solid surface on or near the stairs. Even with a baby gate, never leave a toddler unattended near the stairs.

Next on the list to put child safety latches on all cupboard and cabinet doors the child could possibly reach. Remember, toddlers can climb! Pa extra attention the cabinets under the kitchen or bathroom sink or anyplace you store medicine, cleaning supplies, garden chemicals or poisons. In the garage or storage shed, store all weed killers and chemicals in a locked cabinet and place the key in a location where your child cannot find it.

When it comes to toddler safety, prevention is the best method. Store your child’s books and toys at their level so they do not have to climb to get to their favorite game or stuffed animal. If your child has a lamp, fan or other electrical appliance in his/her room, tuck cords safely behind furniture so the child cannot pull anything down on himself.

Avoid choking hazards by keeping young children away from small objects, pieces of toys, and small pieces of board games. Read manufacturer instructions for all toys and follow their guidelines. Buy only those toys and games that are appropriate for a child of a particular age. Place plastic safety plugs in electrical outlets so the child cannot stick his fingers in the outlet.

One aspect of home safety that is often overlooked is mildew and mold. Mildew and mold can cause serious illness and injury in adults and toddlers alike. Mold or mildew can be the cause of allergies and asthma in small children. Install a dehumidifier in any damp areas to mitigate the moisture in the air.

Hard-Times Gardening

Hard-Times Gardening – Sustainable Without Fertilizers

I teach the Mittleider Method of vegetable gardening. It’s often called better than organic gardening, because we use only natural mineral nutrients, and eliminate weeds and pests without pesticides and herbicides. In addition, virtually nothing is left to chance – much different from those who depend on the unknown composition of manure and compost as their only source of food for their gardens.

I teach the Mittleider Method of vegetable gardening. It’s often called better than organic gardening, because we use only natural mineral nutrients, and eliminate weeds and pests without pesticides and herbicides. In addition, virtually nothing is left to chance – much different from those who depend on the unknown composition of manure and compost as their only source of food for their gardens.

I’m asked occasionally if the Mittleider gardening method is sustainable in the long run, “since it seems to be based on the availability of modern day fertilizers.” Since some folks feel that today’s fertilizers may not always be available in the future, how viable is this system for ongoing sustainability in the long run?

First, the Mittleider method is NOT dependent on commercial fertilizers for viability. Our experience around the world for over 40 years, however, is that everywhere we have been - including several countries in Africa, Armenia, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, Russia, and 23 others - fertilizers have always been available.

The careful use of natural mineral fertilizers increases a family's gardening yield many times - sometimes as much as 10 times what they were growing without them. This is what has allowed America to change from one person feeding 4 or 5, to one person feeding 100 other people. So why would we NOT use them?? And why would we not want to teach people in the developing countries to use them - unless perhaps we WANT them to stay in the 19th century?

We recommend people obtain enough natural mineral fertilizers and seed (a #10 can of 15 varieties of heirloom seeds is available at www.growfood.com) for at least one extra year's garden. Mineral Fertilizers keep almost indefinitely, and they cost very little, compared to the yield they produce. Small storable packages of micro-nutrients are also available at www.growfood.com.

Here’s how you can grow a productive and healthy garden using manure tea. Get a large burlap bag and a 55-gallon barrel. Find cow or horse manure (chicken or turkey is twice as hot, so less will be needed), and fill the bag 2/3's full. Place the bag in the barrel and fill it with water. Let the manure "tea" soak or "steep" for 24 hours, then use the tea to water your vegetable plants.

Replace the bag of manure in the barrel and let steep for 48 hours. Use the tea, then dump the spent manure out and dig into an unused portion of the garden - it has almost no nutrient value, but can improve soil tilth.

Remember to plant your plants a little further apart when using this method, because they will be competing for less available nutrition. In addition, every watering should be with the manure tea for your plants to be healthy and thrive. You should expect to grow a smaller garden, and spend some time finding manure.

If manure just isn't available, consider saving kitchen scraps and human waste. Many countries do it all the time, so it's not the end of the world. And all clean, healthy plant residue should be saved and properly composted for re-use in the garden - again preferably as manure tea.

The Food For Everyone foundation teaches the Mittleider method of organic gardening. Know as the poor mans hydroponics you can increase your yields five to ten times. Tomatoes, vegetables, herbs, berries you name it these nutrients will produce the best results.

I’m asked occasionally if the Mittleider gardening method is sustainable in the long run, “since it seems to be based on the availability of modern day fertilizers.” Since some folks feel that today’s fertilizers may not always be available in the future, how viable is this system for ongoing sustainability in the long run?

First, the Mittleider method is NOT dependent on commercial fertilizers for viability. Our experience around the world for over 40 years, however, is that everywhere we have been - including several countries in Africa, Armenia, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, Russia, and 23 others - fertilizers have always been available.

The careful use of natural mineral fertilizers increases a family's gardening yield many times - sometimes as much as 10 times what they were growing without them. This is what has allowed America to change from one person feeding 4 or 5, to one person feeding 100 other people. So why would we NOT use them?? And why would we not want to teach people in the developing countries to use them - unless perhaps we WANT them to stay in the 19th century?

We recommend people obtain enough natural mineral fertilizers and seed (a #10 can of 15 varieties of heirloom seeds is available at www.growfood.com) for at least one extra year's garden. Mineral Fertilizers keep almost indefinitely, and they cost very little, compared to the yield they produce. Small storable packages of micro-nutrients are also available at www.growfood.com.

Here’s how you can grow a productive and healthy garden using manure tea. Get a large burlap bag and a 55-gallon barrel. Find cow or horse manure (chicken or turkey is twice as hot, so less will be needed), and fill the bag 2/3's full. Place the bag in the barrel and fill it with water. Let the manure "tea" soak or "steep" for 24 hours, then use the tea to water your vegetable plants.

Replace the bag of manure in the barrel and let steep for 48 hours. Use the tea, then dump the spent manure out and dig into an unused portion of the garden - it has almost no nutrient value, but can improve soil tilth.

Remember to plant your plants a little further apart when using this method, because they will be competing for less available nutrition. In addition, every watering should be with the manure tea for your plants to be healthy and thrive. You should expect to grow a smaller garden, and spend some time finding manure.

If manure just isn't available, consider saving kitchen scraps and human waste. Many countries do it all the time, so it's not the end of the world. And all clean, healthy plant residue should be saved and properly composted for re-use in the garden - again preferably as manure tea.

The Food For Everyone foundation teaches the Mittleider method of organic gardening. Know as the poor mans hydroponics you can increase your yields five to ten times. Tomatoes, vegetables, herbs, berries you name it these nutrients will produce the best results.

Simplicity With Your Home Wall Decor

I can still picture my roommate as she lay stretched out on the floor, rummaging through a pile of Martha Stewart magazines. It was our mutual friend’s birthday and we preferred to deliver our own personalized birthday gifts. My roommate sat on the floor, cutting out various chunks of pages from the magazines. After observing her assorted scraps, she mixed and matched the paper in what formed a fitting and creative design. She neatly wrapped the gift in her personalized wrapping paper.

In a hurry, I rushed to the nearest gift shop and purchased some pink and yellow wrapping, and then splurged on the additional decorations, including ribbons, a matching birthday card and a multi-colored bow to top it off.

In comparing the two gift appearances, we had very distinct tastes. My roommate’s presentation was well-thought of, personalized and simple. My gift looked more like a store display flaunting the loudest and most colorful wrapping offered. I realized then that I had executed decoration overkill on my gift wrap appearance in comparison to that of my roommate’s.

Simplicity Stands Out

I learned the hard way that simplicity is distinct and better. My roommate’s present was different, and it was clear that our mutual friend enjoyed her gift more than the others which were given that day. The same principle applies to your home wall décor. As you decorate, be sure to avoid what I like to call ‘the plague of generics.’ The following interior decorating ideas will help you keep simplicity in mind.

Home wall decor

Wall Decor is anything that you would display on the walls within your own home. Wall decor can range from traditional paintings, to engravings and woodcuts or to more shapely objects such as small indoor water fountains. Also popular, are the variable designs encased in glass and framed for display. Pressed flowers presented in this manner are especially popular, as the variation of color and design is flexible and assists in creating a relaxed and inviting atmosphere.

Frames

Frames of course, are in general simple, but they provide the aura of a picture, and thus can change the entire look of your home. Choose frames which provide the sense of completion for a picture. If you are distracted by a frame, choose another one. A frame is the aura of a picture, not the art.

Indoor Gardening

The products of nature are naturally simple, and therefore some of the most popular forms of wall décor. Indoor gardening also creates the healthy, robust atmosphere that so many families crave. Displaying some of natures’ beautiful outside creations to the home will bring a picturesque view along the walls of your home.

How To Clean Your Home Air Filter

Many people are unaware that the air we breathe in our homes is almost six times more hazardous than the air we breathe outside our homes. Airborne particles become trapped inside and the dirt and stale air have no outlet.

Today, there are different kinds of home air purifiers. The most common ones are carbon, HEPA, UV light air purifiers, ZEOLITE, to mention a few. Each kind of purifier mentioned gathers contaminants; some of these air purifiers have a steel rod while others, have a filter.

It is essential to have a clean air filtering system inside your home. The main function of furnace filters is to keep the heat exchanges and coils on the air conditioning and heating system free of all the dirt. Since home air filters are made of highly efficient anti-microbial filters and motors that ensure pure, clean air at home, it is wise to keep the system functioning effectively. Learn more about home air filters and furnace filters by visiting http://www.webproducts.com.

A furnace filter or air conditioning system filter can considerably decrease the dust in your home and give you an allergy free oasis from fall pollen and spring seasons. Below are some ways you can clean your Home Air Filter:

• Dusting/Rinsing/Spraying – For cleaning the home air filter, remove the air filter panel and clean the condenser and evaporator coils. Vacuum or brush the coils. Rinse the coils with a detergent and water mix using a garden sprayer/hose. Make sure you don’t rinse or spray the electrical parts of the air filter. The coils and fins should not be damaged. Clean the air filter on a regular basis to avoid molding problem caused due to moisture inside the air-filtering unit.

• Steam cleaning – For steam cleaning air filters, special chemical filters are shot into an air conditioning unit by employing powerful high-pressure steam machines at approximately 150 pounds per square inch.

• Vapor steam cleaners – The vapor steam cleaners are easy and safer as they do not use chemicals but only dry steam. When the steam enters the air conditioning unit, all the molds, fungi, dust mites and bacteria are instantly killed.

• Oiling – Liberally apply cleaning oil to the dirty side of the air filter. If you are using a squeeze bottle of oil, squeeze a bead of oil in the length of the crown of every pleat using the tip of the squeeze bottle as a guide. Use a bottle with a graduated view strip for dispensing the right amount of oil. If you are using an aerosol spray, use an equal amount of oil along the length of the crown of every pleat. Wait for about 25 minutes to allow the filter media to absorb the oil. Check the clean side of the filter for any lighter area. Continue the oiling procedure till you notice an even color over the entire filter media.

Exterior Copper Detailing Is Solid Gold In Home Sales

Home sellers find that exterior detailing, including copper weather vanes, copper planters, and Brass doorknockers provide eye-catching curb appeal that draws potential buyers. Copper weathervanes and other exterior details also add a touch of welcoming elegance and a perception of added value that can help keep sale prices high.

Even in a seller’s market, it’s important that any for-sale home stand out from other choices on a buyer’s list. “A buyer may visit several realtors and look at up to two-dozen properties in one day,” explains businessman Russell Cazeault. “That means it’s critical to make a good and lasting impression. Exterior detailing like copper weathervanes, copper wind chimes and copper planters are an affordable way for home owners to say ‘Welcome home’ to prospective buyers.”

Cazeault has been helping homes makes a good impression for 18 years. He is president of the Cape Cod Weathervane Company which offers a vast selection of decorative copper details and cooper accents for home exteriors. “Our traditional Cape Cod copper weathervanes are hand-crafted by master artisans with unsurpassed quality and attention to detail,” says Cazeault with pride.

The company also offers a line of nautical weathervanes and has recently added Cape Cod Address Plaques to its product line. Copper weather vanes, brass door knockers, and cast aluminum address plaques are “functional as well as artful,” says Cazeault. ‘This makes them an addition to the value of any home.

Command High Prices With 10 Low-Cost Fixes

Cazeault admits that copper weathervanes may not immediately spring to mind as an incentive for buyers. In fact, when it comes time to ready a home for sale, most owners grab their ladders and paint brushes, purchase lumber and tools, and make plans to do a little fixing up. Before long, “they’ve spent all their evenings and weekends and all their money making interior changes that may never be seen because the exterior wasn’t inviting,” explains Cazeault.

According to Cazeault, the best way to ‘grab eyeballs’ is with his Top Ten Quick Fixes To Improve Home Sale Prices. “These are things any homeowner can do that provides noticeable improvement. And each item takes no more than a few hours – many less than an hour.”

***Buy quality welcome mats for all entry doors (This makes an unmistakable psychological impression.)

***Paint your front door (Cracked and peeling paint on a front door signals to a potential buyer that the house has not been well maintained.)

Changing the color of your front door is also an easy way to draw attention to your house, which is helpful when the For Sale sign goes up.

***Add a brass doorknocker (“A door knocker adds old-world warmth and charm to an entry,” observes Cazeault. “Brass door knockers can be a real conversation piece. The hardest part for most people is deciding which knocker to choose… In most cases they are torn between two or three different styles.

***Substitute copper rain chains for old downspouts (“Copper rain chains channel water from the gutter to the ground, but they’re much more attractive than a downspout,” “They can drain into a basin, a rock garden, or directly into the ground

***Replace old house numbers with a new colorful address plaque. (“Nothing ‘dates’ a home more than shabby numbers that have lost their sheen,” explains Cazeault.)

***Replace aging light fixtures with a copper lantern or brass onion lamp.

(“The inexpensive plastic fixtures that the builder let you have for a song may be functional, but they do little to enhance your homes appearance,” observes Cazeault. “A modest investment in a new brass light fixture can make a big difference in how your home is perceived)

***Add a cupola (The cupola experts at the Cape Cod Weathervane Company recommend that a cupola be 1 – 1 ½” wide for every foot of roof line)

***Top it off with a copper weathervane. (“Standing high above your house silhouetted by the sky, an elegant copper weathervane adds timeless grace and gives your home that New England feel,”

***Consider outdoor art. Use barn stars or wall art to enhance large empty windowless walls on the back of a home, garage or shed.)

***Use copper urns and copper planters. (For the horticulturally challenged, try arrangements of silk and plastic flowers)

Easy To Mine Copper

Cazeault notes that consumers no longer have to chase down copper weathervanes and other exterior detailing items at local home stores or go through the sometimes frustrating process of having items delivered. “Online companies like The Cape Cod Weathervane Company frequently stock a larger selection of truly unique decorative copper than most brick-and-mortar stores,” says Cazeault. “And we offer free delivery,

For more information about The Cape Cod Weathervane Company and their copper weathervanes, brass doorknockers, customized address plaques, and other decorative items

10 Tips for Choosing and Placing

10 Tips for Choosing and Placing Unique Outdoor Yard Art

For planting roses a good garden loam with organic matter is important. It must contain peat moss, leaf mold, compost, rotted or commercial manure, and the bed should be prepared as far ahead of planting as is feasible in order to allow for settling of the soil.

Fall is the best time for setting out roses, but you can plant in spring. When they arrive from the nursery, plant at once. If they have dried en route, soak the roots and put the tops in a bucket of water before planting. Trim back any roots that are weak, long or broken at this time. Dig a hole that is wide enough to allow the roots to spread without crowding.

The rose is properly placed when the bud (the point where the top joins the roots) is just under the ground surface. Space hybrid teas about 18 inches apart in any direction. Prune the branches 6 to 10 inches from the soil.

To grow good roses it is necessary to cultivate, to prune and to spray. If you have a well-cultivated bed you need not worry about watering. But if you start to water in hot weather, you must keep it up, soaking the roots thoroughly about once a week.

Spraying every 10 days guards against the diseases and insects that attack roses. Nicotine sulphate wipes out the green lice; arsenate of lead is used against chewing insects; or sulphur and arsenate of lead may be used in a dust, as may DDT dust.

Winterize your roses by mounding sod around them after the first frost, or mulch with straw and evergreens. In cold parts of the country, remove the supports from the climbing roses and place the canes on the ground, peg them, and cover with soil mounds.

In spring, cut back your roses to within 6 inches of the ground. Ruthlessly lop off all but three or four canes on hybrid teas. This pruning will give you strong plants. When your plants grow out from spring pruning, you will have to disbud, cutting off all the buds except the top ones on the cane. This is the way to grow large blossoms.

Decorating Your Garden

Add Excitement to Your Garden! - Garden Decor - ations!

Most every garden you wander through has it - Garden Decor! There's a garden bench at the end of a lovely meandering path, the soothing sensation of a waterfall or bubbling water garden fountain, or maybe a laughable or awe-inspiring garden statue.

It's decorations in your garden. Non plant elements - "Garden Decor".

Garden Decor is part of what makes your garden inviting, comfortable, interesting, enticing, unusual, perhaps hilarious, soothing, cherished and more!

There's no place I prefer to be than in the garden. I work and relax in it, my daughter photographs it. We wander through it, dig our hands into it and we ENJOY it's bounties while we are amazed at it's complex nature and how the garden fills our senses completely. Sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste as well as our spiritual senses are all beguiled in the garden. Linger with us a bit as we saunter through the garden.

We walk into a garden and are immediately entranced by what we see whether it be a formal garden design or a cottage garden we delight in the colors, textures and plant combinations we see. Garden decor adds additional architectural elements to the garden. I love walking through a garden gate or garden arbor filled with blooming roses or dangling grapes and then into the gardens beauty beyond. Bird baths, garden statues, seating areas and water features can all add interest and create a focal point in our gardens.

A quirky collection of containers is always intriguing garden decor. We adorn our patio every year with different plant combinations in containers that are anything from pots, or old kitchen odds and ends, to discarded tubs and old logs with rotted out gnarled holes we can fill with soil and grow in. The patio garden is one of my favorite projects because it's new and unique every year.

A scare crow, garden gnome, or a funky bird feeder can all add a sense of whimsy to the garden. I collect garden decor (ations) from garage sales and display then in the garden, moving things around as the mood strikes. It's really even more fun than rearranging the furniture!

A water garden or water feature delights the birds and other wildlife providing us with a soothing sensation of the sound of running water. A water feature doesn't need to be large. You can add a small water garden to most any garden and do it quite inexpensively. I have an old bucket that I keep unplanted in my garden. This water doesn't run, it's there for the animals. We've recently had a family of foxes move in and they enjoy a fresh drink in the mornings and evenings when the garden is cool and inviting.

Finally, as you add garden decor to your garden, think of garden furniture, maybe a patio umbrella and seating area or a pergola. Every garden needs to provide a "place to be". A relaxing shady spot or a place to plop and enjoy the beautiful view you've created.

As we've wandered gardens we've also taken pictures for you focusing on the garden decor. We hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoy sharing them. We also ask that you submit your garden decor photos to use so we can share those with our readers. We welcome your projects and project ideas.

Trampolines, Health, Safety, and the Exciting

As you may be aware, trampolining has become somewhat of a backyard craze in last year or two. It’s a fantastic way to have fun and keep fit for old and young alike. Trampolines are easy to keep, require little active maintenance and come in many different sizes (typically 8ft, 10ft, 12ft and 14ft) and shapes such as round trampolines and rectangular trampolines. Trampoline safety is often the primary concern leveled towards them and it is often blown out of proportion. Approximately 75% of all accidents that occur on a trampoline at home occur when more than one person is on the trampoline. This is because all trampolines, no matter what the size, are intended for one person usage. No matter how confident the users of the trampoline are you should always take turns. By allowing groups of two or more people onto a trampoline you are greatly endangering everyone involved, especially the smallest of the participants who is likely to be overbalanced by the activities of the other people.

Falling is the main concern for many first time trampoliners but is in fact easy to overcome. An easy way to add security for new bouncers or children is to use a safety enclosure. Many modern trampolines, especially those in the MadDash range come with fixtures for recommend safety enclosures and ladders so that you easily be able to climb on and off. To build confidence before using your trampoline to it’s full potential I recommend that you get used to the feeling of ‘bouncing’. Once your trampoline is erected in a safe, clear space position yourself in the very centre of the mat. Swing your arms up gently in a circular motion and push off gently. Brace to land by maneuvering your feet to approximately 15 inches apart. While in the air you should be straight with your toes pointed downwards. Try jumping a little higher each time until you have built enough confidence for a strong controlled bounce.

Aside from fun, trampolining is an excellent form of exercise. Benefits include;

• •Helps offset osteoporosis
  
• •Relieves menstrual discomfort
  
• •Helps recovery from injuries
  
• •Can help relieve back and neck pain
  
• •Enhances lymphatic circulation
  
• •Improves balance and confidence on unsteady ground
  
• •Strengthens muscles across the body
  
• •Actually improves digestion & absorption
  
• •Simple, fun activity can help overcome depression & negativity
  
• •Is great for burning calories
  
  

  The general fitness benefit from trampolining is easily worth it, so why not go out and pick up a trampoline today. There are many retailers on the market including TP, Supertramp and MadDash. All these provide a safe and reliable trampoline for you to work with. I personally recommend the MadDash brand since I own 2 myself. They come in package deals so you can have all the safety equipment you need and are endorsed by major UK retailers such as Woolworths. A new range of MadDash trampolines are due for release in the second quarter of 2007. They will feature a special range of new coloured SE trampoline with the following features.

  
  
  
  • • 35mm thick safety padding made of strong UV resistant PVC
    
  • • An inner netted safety enclosure
    
  • • Large amount of springs on each size, size per ft diameter of the trampoline
    
  • • 320mm Wide pads
    
  • • Come in a great range of sizes, 8-14ft to suit your garden
    
  • • Excellent MadDash quality built to the highest specifications
    
  • • Easy to understand instruction, fully checked and written in English only with diagrams and check lists.
  
  

  MadDash also offer a great range with increased safety measures or a basic range if you already own everything you need, visit the MadDash home page or trampolines on Outdoor Toys Direct for a better idea on specifications of every trampoline available.
  Trampolining is great exercise and fun so look into joining the hottest trend that has hit back gardens for 10 years.

Bar Furniture For Your Home

Looking for stylish bar furniture for your home? This article will provide you with information on picking the right barstools and bar table for your home.

Need home decorating advice? Looking for stylish bar furniture for your home? Then you have come to the right place. The addition of bar furniture in homes is becoming more frequent. Everyday people are looking for bar furniture to buy so they can add more fashion to their homes. What can bar furniture do for you? It could be a place where you can take a break from everything and relax with friends and family and enjoy a drink. Having bar furniture in your house, you will be able to entertain friends and guests more easily. Socializing becomes more fun, especially with a great bar table and relaxing bar stools for everyone to enjoy. The sheer beauty of bar furniture with stylish glassware and spirits will add class to your home for the holidays. Imagine stirring a martini in your home with the look of bottles and glassware all lined up on your bar table! Buying the right bar furniture for your home, will definitely keep you and your family entertained this Holiday Season. It would be perfect for the kitchen counter, the family room, game room or anywhere you desire.

How do you pick the right bar table and barstools for your home? Well, the size and the design of the bar furniture you are looking for should depend on the available space you have at home and the budget you want to spend on your bar furniture. If your looking for something simple, then a bar table with a couple of barstools would be sufficient. A bar table and a couple of barstools are not very expensive and they would make a great addition to your home. But how do you pick the right bar furniture? You can choose from contemporary, chrome, swivel, metal and more. What’s important is that it fits with the overall decor of your home. If you decide to set up your bar in the living room, then make sure that the bar table and the barstools don’t change the whole design of your living room. There are also several colors and styles to choose from, so finding the right one won’t be a problem. You just need to decide which style fits your home best.

Let me first start with the contemporary bar furniture. Contemporary bar furniture will add a modern look to you home because they are sleek and stylish. Usually contemporary designs can fit with the existing decoration of your home very easily too. Another advantage to contemporary bar furniture is that they are very easy to clean and because of the aluminum or chrome design, they always look good. So if you’re looking for something that is stylish and comfortable, then contemporary barstools and a bar table would be the right choice for you. Contemporary bar furniture will give your home an exciting and appealing look, creating a great atmosphere for the holidays.

What kind of barstools would one recommend? I would highly recommend swivel barstools because of their decorative element and sense of style. Swivel barstools are great for homes because they have a swivel mechanism in their design that allows for one to save on space by allowing the person to sit and turn in the stool very easily. They are lightweight, practical and durable. They are also built of the highest quality of metal and fabrics and best of all they are inexpensive when compared with our barstools. Finally height adjustable stools allows you to set the size you need. This way the adjustable stool can be converted from table height to bar height very easily. So if you need another seat at the table, you can easily adjust the barstool. Our Modern Barstool is a swivel barstool made of a chrome base, and a metal footrest. This barstool is ideal for your bar, kitchen, counter or table and is easily adjusted. We also carry the bar chair, contoured barstool, high back barstool, and L barstool. All our barstools are swivel barstools built to add joy and comfort to your homes. They also come in a variety of colors to choose form. So finding the right swivel barstool won’t be a problem.

What kind of bar table should one order? Since individual preferences differ, it is highly recommended that one measure the space available before ordering or deciding on a certain style. According to One Way Furniture, it is usually most comfortable to have between 9 to 13 inches of leg room space between your barstool and the height of the bar table. There are a variety of bar tables to choose from when shopping for bar furniture. We carry the modern bar tables that are sure to spice up any room. The mirror finish chromed metal base and high gloss tabletop enhance its beauty, making it perfect for game rooms, the bar, the kitchen or anywhere else you can imagine. If your looking for a bar table that will set your home apart with style, then the modern bar table is the right choice. The table is contemporary, versatile and sophisticated.

Our barstools and bar tables are innovative and stylish. The swivel barstool has an adjustable gas piston that allows you to adjust your seat easily. They also are available in several colors, so you can mix and match when picking out your bar furniture. Our modern bar tables will set your home apart by adding style and elegance to your home. Throughout our site, you will find a large selection of barstools and a couple of bar tables to compliment your home. Currently, our web site is running a promotion for the holidays. Buy a bar table with 2 barstools and save $50 off your purchase. Visit the special’s page for more information. If you do not find what you are looking for on our site, then shop around to constantly compare prices, in order to find the best deal. Good luck!

Candle Scents To Enhance the Season

To decide on just a few candles is like choosing between eating chocolate and having lots of chocolate to eat… With so many scents to choose from, it's next to impossible to choose just one. This is part two of several articles to follow on choosing candle and fragrance scents for your home.

Having the perfect scent can vitalize my day and scents can improve one’s mood. Citrus scents rejuvenate and create energy, lavender scents are calming, and “holiday” scents are reminiscent of home. And then there’s the primordial magic of the flickering flame and poetry in certain scent combinations. So what do I use to renew myself? Home & Garden Party.

Here are some suggestions for scents that "fit" the months of November through February.

Blueberry Muffin:

Along with Hot Cinnamon Rolls, this one will make you hungry! Soft, warm and delicious.

Christmas Memories:

A little spicy, a lot warm and wonderful, this scent is a must for the holidays. I enjoy it burning with after dinner coffee!

Bahama Breeze:

This breath of fresh ocean air is most welcome during the doldrums of winter.

Crème Brulée:

This is perhaps my favorite fragrance because it is soft and creamy with a warm custard smell. Yummy!

Relax, Spearmint & Eucalyptus:

Fresh, calming with a hint of mint, this is a very soothing scent to have going in the background.

Of course, my favorite way to diffuse scent throughout my home is to use the Home & Garden Party Fragrance Lamp. The lamp uses an alcohol-based “oil” and is wicked up to a heating stone. After allowing the stone to warm for about three minutes, you blow out the flame and enjoy pure, clean fragrance that will permeate an entire floor of your home. It is very useful ridding the house of the stuffy, heated smell of winter indoors and really adds a pleasant aroma.

With refills in spiced apple, lavender, creamy vanilla, citrus infusion, floral medley, woodland breeze and passion flower, there’s at least one to please your nose and your visitors!

Flowers That Beautify Your Home and Garden

To help gardeners choose flowers, various systems for rating hardiness have been developed. A plant is considered hardy in a region if it can grow and thrive there without requiring special protective measures such as insulating with straw mulch.

Sun or Shade: After hardiness, sunlight is your most important consideration. Choose flowers that are adapted to the light levels in your garden. Don't plant sun lovers under dense trees, and don't plant shade lovers where they'll be exposed to blazing mid-day sun. Plant descriptions give the light preferences for plants, so take these to heart. You may be able to grow a sun lover in partial shade, but you may get fewer flowers or weaker growth. Place it in a spot where it can really shine!

Each year literally hundreds of new annual flowers are presented to gardeners. Some are distinct improvements based on the region where the flower was cultivated and some are not.

Inside each cell in green plants are microscopic worlds that trap and convert some of the energy in light, mix it with water and carbon dioxide, and turn it into a simple sugar. It is this sugar that plants use to grow, flower, and set seed. The best light for plant growth is sunlight. But almost since the invention of electric lights, researchers and gardeners have tested various methods to study plants and grow them.

Artificial sunlight has the great advantage of being controllable. Whereas some days might be too sunny or cold or windy to provide the right light for delicate seedlings, the intensity and duration of artificial light can be fine-tuned. However, for the typical gardener and flower grower, mother nature provides all the sunshine, water and elements needed to grow beautiful flowers.

Enjoy yourself in your garden!

Ladybugs, Ladybugs, Come to My Garden

Ladybugs, also called lady beetles or ladybirds, can be a gardener’s best friend. The ladybug’s bright coloring brings welcomed cheer to the garden, as well as helping with pest control. Since medieval times, ladybugs have been valued by farmers all over the world. Many believe that the ladybug was divinely sent to free crops of insect pests. In fact, that is how the ladybug got its name. People dedicated the bug to the Virgin Mary and therefore called it “The Bug of our Lady”, which was eventually shortened to the present name “ladybug”.

Adult ladybugs are usually oval or domed shaped and have red wings, yellow wings or shades and variations of these colors. The number of black spots can range from no spots to 15 spots and they are typically about one quarter inch in size or smaller.

The length of the life cycle of a ladybug varies depending upon temperature, humidity, and food supply. Usually the life cycle from egg to adult is about three to four weeks, and up to six weeks during the cooler spring months. During the spring the adult female ladybug can lay up to three hundred eggs in an aphid colony. The eggs normally hatch in two to five days. The newly hatched larvae feed on aphids for up to three weeks and then enter the pupae stage. About one week later, the adult ladybug emerges. There can be as many as six generations of ladybugs hatched in a year.

The ladybug enjoys popularity around the world. These pretty insects have long been considered a symbol of good luck and fortune because of their ability to eat an enormous amount of aphids. One ladybug can eat as many as 50 to 60 aphids per day. Aphids (also called plant lice) are herbivores and are one of the worst groups of pests on plants. They feed in colonies and damage plants by sucking the juice out of the leaves, stems, or roots. While aphids feed, they damage plant tissue creating a loss of plant fluids and the photosynthetic tissue needed to produce energy for plant growth. Some plants will show no adverse response to aphids, while others react with twisted, curled or swollen leaves or stems. Aphids also transmit many plant diseases from one plant to another.

Apart from aphids, ladybugs eat a variety of other insects and larvae including white flies, mealy bugs, spider mites, and other types of soft-bodied insects. They also require a source of pollen for food and for that reason are attracted to certain types of plants. Their preferred plants have umbrella shaped flowers such as dill, fennel, angelica, tansy, caraway, cilantro, yarrow, and wild carrot. Other plants that attract ladybugs include cosmos (especially the white ones), dandelions, coreopsis, and scented geraniums.

If your garden does not have adequate space to plant ladybug attracting plants, you can purchase ladybugs from numerous websites on the internet and most nurseries. Before releasing them into your garden, here are a few tips to help ensure that the ladybugs stay where you want them:

1. Release ladybugs near infested plants after sun down or before sun up. They navigate by the sun and are most likely to stay put in the evenings and early mornings.
2. Water the area where you are going to release the ladybugs. They will appreciate the drink and the moisture on the leaves will help the ladybugs to “stick” on the plants. If released in a dry garden, the ladybugs will most likely fly off in search of a drink instead of sticking around to eat.
3. In the warmer months, chill the ladybugs in the refrigerator before releasing them. This will not harm the ladybugs and they tend to crawl more in colder temperatures rather than fly away.

Another way to attract ladybugs to your garden is to place several ladybug habitation boxes around your garden. Fill the boxes with organic material such as peat or compost to encourage ladybugs to roost and lay eggs inside the box. In addition, the habitation box also provides protection for the ladybugs in the winter months.

To further promote ladybug populations, consider cutting back on spraying insecticides in your garden. Ladybugs are sensitive to most synthetic insecticides and if the majority of their food source is gone, they will not lay their eggs and therefore will not continue to populate.

Here are some interesting ladybug facts:

• There are nearly 5,000 different kinds of ladybugs worldwide and 400 which live in North America.
• A female ladybug will lay more than 1000 eggs in her lifetime.
• A ladybug beats its wings 85 times a second when it flies.
• A gallon jar will hold from 72,000 to 80,000 ladybugs.
• Ladybugs make a chemical that smells and tastes terrible so that birds and other predators won't eat them.
• The spots on a ladybug fade as the ladybug gets older.
• Ladybugs won't fly if the temperature is below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
• The ladybug is the official state insect of Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Tennessee.

As you can see, the ladybug is one of the most effective and economically important insects to have in your garden. In some cultures, seeing ladybugs in gardens indicates a bountiful harvest, an indication of good weather or a good luck omen. Create an alluring environment for ladybugs and they are sure to provide charm and pest control in your garden for years to come.

Tarps Buying the Easy Way

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For a product like a beach canopy the best place to search is a decent home and garden portal, you will easily view a mass of items such as trailer tarps on this type of websites, even such things as tarp tents and sharps tarps should generally be included.

It would be wise to bear in mind that as you research this area of home and garden that you might very well be overcome with some particular confusing search results, such results as quik shade instant canopies or silver tarps could however be particularly relevant to your needs.