If you have alot of excess room in your backyard and are looking for something a little out of the ordinary, consider landscaping bridges to fill in the gaps. You can do many things to your landscaping with a bridge and most of them do not take alot of time. These items will fit with just about any designs, whether or not water is involved.

One way to take full advantage of the landscaping bridge is to add a pond. While not necessary it will create a peaceful place for you and your guests to gather, watching the fish shimmer in the sunlight. And bridges designed to cross over the water allow you to get close up views of the fish. It will become a focal point in your yard and will elicit comments from anyone who views it.

You can go one of two routes with the bridge. You can either build it yourself or hire someone to do it. Either way will get the desired results, but building it will undoubtedly save you money. Plus you will be able to tell everyone that you built it yourself from scratch. If you have some basic carpentry skills you can do it. Try to find the right plan ahead of time to decide if you can tackle the job. Look at as many designs as you can find to guarantee your happiness with the final project.

When building it yourself make sure you have the necessary materials onhand before starting. You will need wood, nails, and some basic tools like a saw and hammer. Now you can start getting the shape of the bridge mapped out. Create the frame first before adding any slats to it, and position it where you want the final bridge to go. It will be much easier to move with less wood on it. When you are happy with the frame and position of it, add all the extra pieces including any hand rails. Make sure you apply a stain on the wood, similar to if you were building a deck. You don't want the wood to rot from exposure to the elements.

Bridges should be secured before allowing anybody to walk on them. You can do this by using heavy landscaping stones around the edges, or by burying the ends depending on the layout of the bridge. It should not move or sway at all when walked upon as this can be a hazard for your visitors.

The designs around your house should be well thought out since you spend the majority of your time there. You want them to be unique but tasteful, and to be the envy of those who see them. Using different items like bridges is a great way to break out of the usual while still maintaining a nice look. And should you have a small pond they can serve the function of allowing passage over, and to give the fish some shade from the hot sun.
About The Author

James McDonald writes for www.easylandscapingideas.com where you can find backyard landscaping ideas to suit a variety of tastes.

Tags: 70 landscaping 87114, 56 landscaping 30315, 113 landscaping pictures, garden

If you need a low maintenance, simple border for your yard, then you may want to consider using shrubs. With very little effort, you will find that shrubs can add beauty and a touch of color to your yard and home. You will find a great variety in shrubs to allow you to find the one that best fits your lawn and your landscaping design.

Different Types of Shrubs There is a great variety of shrubs that you can use in your landscaping design. These shrubs help give your lawn color and texture to help make it more visually attractive. Some common shrubs include dogwood, azalea, lilac, hardy shrub rose, and hydrangea. A border with colorful shrubs will make a beautiful focal point around your home or walkway. The landscaping shrubs can also help to add height to your garden and lawn.

A Great Border A beautiful border will consist of many different layers of colors, height, and textures. It does not matter what shrub that you choose, it will add color and texture to your lawn and landscape. Keeping your shrubs trimmed is essential to help keep them at a manageable level and allow them to show their natural beauty and style.

Shrubs can also be used to line your property line between you and your neighbors. They will make a border without closing in the space as trees do. They are a great choice for this particular purpose that you and your neighbors will appreciate and enjoy.

Taking Care of Your Shrubs Good soil that drains well is essential to keep your shrubs healthy. It may be necessary to add some compost to your soil to make it healthier before you begin planting your shrubs. When you are ready to plant your shrubs, check to make sure that the roots are not root bound. If they are, you only need to loosen the roots using a knife to make them ready to plant. Make sure that your shrubs get plenty of water so that they will stay green and healthy.

Do not be concerned if your landscaping shrubs do not look filled in at first. Before you know it, the shrubs will grow and fill in those gaps. That is one of the benefits of using shrubs in landscaping. It is not necessary to plant a great deal of shrubs to cover an area. You can use smaller flowers or plants to fill in the gaps. Use your creativity to create a landscaping plan that works for you and your needs.

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Many factors affect how often you must water your plants. Some of these factors are heat, humidity, wind, season, soil, and type of plant. The following guidelines pertain to plants recently transplanted into the garden. Remember, when transplanting, always be sure the plants were recently watered and are well hydrated before you put them in the ground. Water should be applied around the base of the plant and outwards a distance that is at least one and a half times the distance of the farthest reaching branch.

Water enough so that the soil will become wet throughout the entire root area. This will require a slow, soaking irrigation. Water should be applied only as quickly as it can be absorbed by the soil. Keep in mind your deepest roots will be located below the trunk and limbs of the plant. This area will require more water than the shallower roots located near the end of your farthest watering area. Root depths are commonly 6-12 inches for annuals, vegetables, and lawns: 12 - 24 inches for perennials and shrubs; and 28 - 36 inches or more for trees.

Newly planted plants need to be watered more frequently than established ones. It is hard to "schedule" watering frequency. It is a good idea to check newly transplanted plants every day or at least every other day. If the plants show any sign of wilting, or if the soil begins to dry out (scratch down below the surface to check it), it is time to water. As the plant becomes established, you will not need to water it as frequently, but continue to monitor your plant and soil conditions for the first growing season.

Once a plant has become established most recommendations suggest it will need at least 1 inch of rain (or watering equivalent) every week during your growing season. Fast growing plants will require more water than slower growing plants.

Keep in mind soil type will greatly affect how often you will need to water your plants. Sandy soils do not hold much water, so when you irrigate or when it rains, most of the water percolates rapidly down and out of the root zone. Plants grown in sandy soils will need to be watered more frequently. On the other hand clay based soils hold more moisture which remains available to the plant for longer periods of time. Plants growing in clay soils require less watering.

Hot, dry, or windy weather increase the need for extra irrigation. Newly transplanted plants are most vulnerable and will need more frequent waterings, but these conditions are tough on all plants. Pay attention to your entire garden and water as necessary. It is best to water during the early morning or late evening, but if a plant needs water, water it regardless of the time of day.

As cooler shorter days approach in the fall you can start backing off you watering schedule. However, windy conditions, even in the winter time, rapidly deplete moisture in plants. Giving your plants an occasional "a drink" even when they are dormant, helps insure gardening success.

Signs of "Over Watering": Too much water drowns the roots and deprives the plant of the food and moisture that the roots are supposed to supply. The first signs of too much water show up in the roots. They become brown and mushy. This is hard to see in the garden, but easy to check with plants grown in containers. In the garden, symptoms of over watering are yellow leaves (generally all over the plant) which will soon drop off. Once this occurs, it is often too late to save the plant.

Signs of "Under Watering": Too little water deprives the plant of the moisture needed to grow and live. First signs are a slightly washed out color in the leaves, followed by wilting, starting with the youngest and tenderest foliage. If wilting is severe enough, damaged leaves with brown crisp edges may remain even after watering. Very severe wilting in not reversible and plants will die.

If you are in doubt about how much to water use the scratch method to help judge the situation. Using a hand trowel or other implement, scratch below the surface of the soil and check the soil in the root zone for moisture. Moist soil tends to hold together when squeezed, dry soil typically will fall apart. If you judge the soil is too wet - stop watering for a while and let the plant dry out. If you judge the soil is too dry, obviously water it as outlined above.

Cottage Farms Direct

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Landscaping your garden is not such a difficult task. Many people enjoy doing it themselves. You"ve just got to have the ideas and know the basic principles of landscape design.

Begin by taking a close look at the gardens and parks in your neighborhood, identifying the consistency, balance, simplicity, proportions, transitions, lines and contrasts in the landscaping designs and the use of plants, garden d?cor, landscaping fabric, etc.

Then sit down and make a landscaping plan for your own garden. Take measurements and prepare a sketch. Select a theme and decide the focal points. Provide for irrigation systems, sprinklers and vehicular access.

Decide on the materials, plants, d?cor, colors, textures and positioning. Keep an eye on the details and take a bold yet simple approach.

Have confidence in yourself and see yourself landscaping your garden as a do-it-yourself gardener. Sound fantastic? Yes, you can do landscaping all by yourself and create a splendid visual. Read on.

Landscaping begins with a basic understanding of the principles involved.

? Be simple. If you"re doing it for the first time, don't make a complicated plan for landscaping. Select something simple, do it, find out how easy is it. Happy? Try something more complex next time.

? Create a theme. This helps you to be consistent. You place things that match each other in shape, size, color, texture and tone. Don't place a big red rock next to a small white one. If you are working on the theme "water", have a fountain or two and a couple of small ponds in the design. Repeat things. You get more unity in landscaping this way.

? Balance things in landscaping. It can either be symmetrical or asymmetrical. The former is the mirror image type. One part replicates the other part in layout, design, plant height, plant grouping, bed choice and color scheme. The later creates diversity in landscaping design - some abstract form with widely different shapes and layouts.

? Be creative in color choice. Color adds life, so use it imaginatively to create maximum effects in landscaping. Place contrasts, bright against the subdued and get the real beauty. Achieve depth with dark colors. Draw things close with cool colors. Make the distance noticeable with bright colors.

? Move naturally. Don't jump abruptly-use the staircase effect. Tall, small, smaller, smallest-follow this order in landscaping when planting trees and shrubs.

? Follow lines. These appeal to the eyes most naturally. Use straight lines to create sharp impacts and curvy lines to bring in pleasing effects.

? Stick to proportions. This is basic in any design and landscaping is no exception. Don't strike a discordant note by placing a big artifact in a small garden. Or set up a small fountain in a big, splashing pond! All our objects and decor should match one another in proportion to create the most appealing landscape.

All landscaping designs have a focal point. Get good garden statues, natural objects and garden decor to be your focal points. Place tall plants in the middle or behind a group of small plants-the tall plants attract us naturally. Circles have a special appeal, so placing the focal point in the deepest part of an inside curve often gives very special effects to the landscaping.

Draw out your landscaping plan. Take measurements of your plot. Make a sketch using an appropriate scale, like 1 inch=10 feet. Prepare the layout of paths, beds, objects, sidewalks, decks and driveways. Get ideas and read books. Select the appropriate style-formal or informal, classic or contemporary. Finally, give shape to the master plan. You may try the "bubble graph" for a better representation. Select a good landscaping fabric. Avoid plastics and don't let gaps get between sections of fabric. Now, your landscaping plan is ready. Go ahead and implement it, become a do-it-yourself gardner.

A simple, consistent, balanced, naturally flowing and proportionate approach with a bit of creativity can bring out the landscaping genius in you.

About The Author:

Copyright ? 2006, Heather Colman. Find more landscaping resources at landscaping-report.info.

Tags: 58 river rock landscaping, landscaping ideas, 59 87114 landscaping, 93 landscaping stone

There are many out of the box insect controls for Davisville Pa. This article tells of some of the best low cost and environmentally friendly ways of controlling pest insects.
Put up a bat box. A single bat can eat 1000 or more mosquitoes in a single night.
Put up bird boxes. Baby birds need to be feed insects. They can't digest grain. Thus an increase in birds will mean a decrease in the insect population.
Create a habitat for lizards. Bring them home if you see one and release it near a rock wall.
When on a walk in the fall, if you see a praying mantis nest, bring it home and place in on one of your shrubs. It is a great beneficial insect.
Bring home frogs and toads if your landscape has a suitable place for these critters. They can eat countless bugs in a day.
Catch a skunk that is a a friends home in a have a heart trap. Place a blanket over the trap and slowly bring home the skunk in the back of your truck and release it near your property. These smelling old timers love grubs and cutworms.
Don't kill your snakes. These slithering reptiles eat mice, bugs, and beetles. Yes, the gardeners worst pest. Do you hate Japanese Beetles? Give them away. Always remember to give away your beetles. Never place a beetle trap on your own property unless all residents of your area are attempting to control beetles. The reason is that you will most likely attract more beetles to your landscape than you destroy. If you are trap minded the best idea is to give them away.

Yes, It is better to give than to receive. This old motto is even good for Japanese beetles.

Japanese Beetles can be controlled with traps that lore the beetle with food and sex attractants. These are generally a bag trap that one hangs 4-5 feet off the ground. It is never a good idea to place them near your plants that they will eat. So I simply suggest give them to your neighbor at Christmas!!! If you want, hang the trap on open space area trees near your property. Thus the beetles will be detected away from your property.
What we do on the farm is we hang the trap on branches of a tree that overhangs our pond and open up the bottom. The little critters fall into the pound and our fish clean them up. What a way to recycle and not have to empty the traps.
Some of the effected popular flowers and trees favored by the beetles are:
annual asters
astilbe
canna
cosmos
daylilly
delphinium
hollyhoch
iris
marigold
peony
roses
zinnia
Linden trees
purple plums

When you sign up on our web site to our mailing list, you will receive more of our unusual gardening and landscape tips along with many free tree and plant offerings from our surpluses that we have.
Go to our web site at http://www.seedlingsrus.com
This is a copy of my most recent email newsletter. This was an overwhelming success.
***********************************************************
January 2006
The Early Bird Gets the Worm---Don't Delay
Free Tree Day

Jan. 28th is a Free Higan Weeping Cherry Tree Day
Greetings!
January 28, 2006 is free Weeping Higan Cherry Tree Day.....All members of our email club can receive a free Higan Weeping Cherry when you bring your pickup to our 5275 West Swamp Rd. Fountainville Pa. location. These trees are 10-12' tall and in 24" baskets. These trees must be picked up on the 28th, before 5pm. sorry, no rain checks. There is a limit of one per family and you must have been a member on or before January 27, 2006 of our email club.
Sincerely,
Bill Hirst
Free Tree Day

Jan. 28th, 2006 is Free Tree Day
5275 W. Swamp Rd.
Fountainville, Pennsylvania 18923
January 28, 2006
8:00AM-5:00PM

Reasons to Come to this Event
We are selling 150 acres of our nursery and we must liquidate many trees and plants. Some of of plants are in quantities that would supply us for many years of sales. But we can't move that number of trees. Thus they will be either sold at a discount, destroyed, or given away. I like the last option. Thus if you bring your pickup to the farm today, Saturday the 28th, we will give away 1 free Higan Weeping cherry to each email newsletter subscriber to Highland Hill Farm that picks up the tree by 5PM. Sorry you must be have be signed up by Jan. 27th, to qualify. There are no rain checks. These trees are in 24 and 28 inch baskets and are app. 10-14' tall. We will help load them in your pickup.
We have a total of 75 trees ready to give away while the supply lasts. All other trees and plants are 20% off today.
Driving Directions to the Farm

Highland Hill Farm
5275 W. Swamp Rd. Rt. 313
Fountainville, Pennsylvania 18923
myhirst@yahoo.com
http://www.seedlingsrus.com We will have other free tree offerings each month. So keep in touch.

**************************************************************
Within 15 minutes of this email being sent people started to arrive to make selections. We would have had no customers on this day. Yet we sold enough other stock to make this offering possible. We gave away 52 trees and this was even covered by the press showing up and giving us exposure in local papers.
About The Author

Bill has been growing trees and plants in Pennsylvania for over 25 years. His web sites include http://www.seedlingsrus.com http://www.huntingrelics.com and http://www.zone5trees.com

Tags: 58 river rock landscaping, 59 87114 landscaping, front yard landscaping ideas, 60 landscaping designs

If you have a postage stamp-sized lawn, you don't have room to experiment and every element has equal importance. We provide ideas on what to grow in small places.

If you live in a town home, your front and side-gardens are probably maintained by the association, and the only thing you have to call your own is a postage-stamp sized back garden, surrounded by a fence.

It's easy to landscape large gardens - you have a lot of room to work with and if one element jars its not the end of the world. But in a smaller gardening space any element out of place will stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.

Plan Your Garden
Take a sheet of graph paper and draw a to-scale plan of the area you've got to work with. You're constrained by the fence, and by any dips or extensions from your home. Include all this on your graph paper. Then take sheets of tracing paper, place those over your plan, and experiment with what kinds of flowers and shrubs you'd like to have.

Test The Soil
Soil-testing kits are inexpensive, and they are a vital tool in growing a healthy landscape. Plants grow best in slightly acidic soil - so if your test reveals that the soil is too acidic or alkaline, take corrective measures before beginning your plantings.

What To Plant
Vines and climbers: These maximize growing space in your garden, because they grow upward, rather than growing outward, taking up the scarce square footage. Because these plants grow upward, more leaves are exposed to the sunlight, which usually makes them healthier than smaller plants.

Don't let these vines or climbers do their thing on the side of your home - it may look pretty but it does tremendous damage to the walls. Your housing association will probably not want you to let those climbers and vines climbing on the fence surrounding your backyard, however this is easily solved by installing trellises right in front of the fence.

Grow 'Em and Eat 'Em
You don't have room to plant apple or pear trees, but that doesn't mean you can't grow edible food in your garden. American grapes, apple melons, asparagus beans and other types of vegetables grow best on a trellis.

Other food plants to grow on trellises are blackberries, raspberrys, and chayote, and passionfruit.

Night Lights
Because your garden is right beside your home, you should design it so that you can see as much as possible from your living room windows. Highlight it at night so that you can enjoy it- but don't light too much. Never highlight or spotlight more than three plants or structures ? otherwise it will look too busy.

About The Author:

Andrew Caxton is the consultant for http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com . Find more publications about landscaping at his website.

Tags: 56 landscaping 30315, 195 backyard landscaping ideas, 55 pictures of front yard landscaping, landscaping

A wonderful addition to the outdoor decoration of almost any space in plant life. Although trees and shrubs are always an important part of any landscape design, climbing plants can add an extra touch. When you are considering the purchase of any outdoor plants it's a good idea to visit a local expert. Almost every community has a gardening store which employs people who have a vast knowledge in the area of climbing plants. They will be able to suggest which varieties will work well in the space that you have and can also confirm whether or not what you want will actually work for you.

If you need one that will do well growing against a wall there are many choices including clematis, wisteria, climbing hydrangea, golden hop and star jasmine. Clematis is a variety that produces purple/blue bell shaped flowers and fern like plant life. Wisteria is a hardy climbing plant that boasts lilac colored flowers that grow in the shape of beans. My personal favorite climbing plants are the star jasmine, which produces leather like, dark green leaves and beautiful white blooms that have an unmatched, abundant perfume.

Flowers can add a perfumed as well as visual aspect to your outdoor area. You may choose climbing plants that flower each year. These will take several years to reach their full potential but once they do they will create climbing plants of color on a gazebo, a fence or even up the side of a house. If you are looking for a variety that will provide lots of color, try the blue trumpet vine. This climbing plant blooms from autumn through summer and has bright blue flowers on a twining stem.

Another species of this plant are also available that produce white flowers. Another colorful climbing plant is the Mandeville. It produces flowers of pink, yellow and rose, and puts out quite a lovely smell. Taking care of any type of living thing requires special care and that includes plants whether they are found indoors or outdoors. Climbing plants will require regular watering as well as fertilization from time to time. Again you'll want to consult with a gardening specialist concerning what fertilizer is best.

If you are an avid gardener, try giving one a bit of space in your garden. You may be surprised at how well climbing plants grow and are able to adapt to their environments. Some climbing plants require a stable base from which to flourish, while others can adapt quite well growing up against a wall or fence. See what climbing plants have to offer by giving one a home in your yard today.

About The Author:

Linda E. Joy provides readers with up-to-date commentaries, articles, and reviews for gardening, home as well as related information.

Tags: front yard landscaping ideas, 55 landscaping plants, 60 landscaping 80923, 63 stone landscaping

Planting a tree is a wonderful experience, and helps enhance the beauty of the earth we live on. But care and forethought should be exercised in advance to help insure that each tree can reach its full potential.

In general, it's best to try to plant young trees if you can. It's certainly possible to plant a mature tree, but it's very difficult to do for the average homeowner, and very expensive to pay for if you hire someone to do it for you. If it is necessary to have a mature tree for any reason, then it may justify the expense. But otherwise planting smaller trees that can grow into your home landscaping design may be your best solution.

The best time of year to plant trees is the springtime. The second-best time of year is late fall or even winter. You may choose to plant a young tree during the summer, but if so, then be sure to use one of the new wilt-proof sprays that help the leaves avoid moisture loss until the roots get well established. And if you are planting a tree that is taller than 6 ft., try to make sure that it's moved with a burlap root ball to protect the roots.

Preparing the soil is extremely important for both tree and shrub planting. Generally speaking, it's good to dig a hole about 2 ft. deep and about a foot wider in each direction than the full spread of the trees roots. Then make sure that the soil at the bottom of the whole is loosened quite a bit and is mixed with peat, loam, and fertilizer, before placing the tree in the hole. If for any reason you come across a layer of hard clay or building rubble as you dig your hole, be sure to remove a good portion of a that material and substitute in its place good soil that will promote growth for the tree right away. If you fail to do this, a new tree will most often not be able to get the nutrients that it needs and stands a good chance of dying.

A lot of people overuse manure as they feel that a lot ot it will benefit the tree. However manure should only be used sparingly on the top of the tree hole and not around the roots, as it can actually burn the tree instead.

For planting seedlings that are not balled in burlap, it's a good idea to protect it before planting by giving it a mud bath, or puddling it. This protects the roots from exposure to the air before planting. When you have dug the hole to the proper depth for the seedling, fill the hole with water to allow the soil to settle at the bottom. Once the water is drained, then put the tree in position and apply the soil and settle at around the tree's roots. Be sure to work the soil in closely to the roots, and don't allow air pocket's to develop in the hole. When the hole is two thirds full, pack it with soil tightly again and fill with water. Then go ahead and fill the soil up to ground level afterward.

Planting a balled tree root is somewhat easier because the root ball is being held in place by the burlap. So dig a hole about twice the size of the root ball and plant immediately. If the ground is dry when planting, fill the hole with water and let it soak in well before you actually insert the tree. Once the tree is in position, cut the top of the burlap and roll it back a few inches. It will eventually rot away into the soil that way.

After the first year, cultivate the tree as much as you can and keep weeds away by applying straw or mulch in both the spring and fall. This will also help keep moisture in the ground as well.

By following the guidelines listed here in this article you should be able to plant any tree correctly and successfully, and enjoy it's beauty for years to come.
About The Author

You can find free landscaping ideas and front yard landscaping ideas by visiting our Home Improvement website.

Tags: 54 20011 landscaping, free landscaping ideas, 81 landscaping yards, 195 backyard landscaping ideas

There are always those spots in your garden where grass just doesn't seem to grow or that are either too rocky or rooty for shrubs. Groundcovers can solve all kinds of gardening problems and are often well suited to these areas. Groundcover also demands much less maintenance than a lawn as the they need only water and don't need mowing. They are useful in areas around stepping stones where grass will only be trampled.

Groundcovers, along with being a great aesthetic plant, are often used as erosion control. Steep slopes, where rain water can wash away the soil, are often successfully planted with groundcovers. Their roots will hold the soil in place and prevent runoff. Where mowing is difficult groundcovers are a useful alternative.

Reducing the size of lawn space in your garden will make for easier maintenance while allowing you to add a variety of interesting textures and colors. Vinca, pachysandra, ajuga and English ivy all do well in the shade and provide a thick and lush green carpet. In the case of vinca and ajuga there's the added feature of purple flowers in the spring. A spot that seems too rocky might benefit from being planted with thyme or sedum. Both of these flowering groundcovers are very hardy and can withstand little soil or soil that in most cases would be considered less than ideal.

Although they vary in amount of upkeep and care required, all groundcover should be considered low maintenance. Keeping them from creeping into areas that you don't want them, such as lawns or perennial beds is one thing that needs to be done about once a month during the growing season. In the case of sedum there are flowers during the summer which you may choose to cut back in the fall along with your other perennials. English ivy is very popular groundcover which can vigorously spread into your lawn. It also can climb stone walls and rock outcroppings. Though it can be attractive as a climber, you should prevent it from climbing into your trees.

Ajuga is another wonderful groundcover which is hardy and can even tolerate being walked on. Its purple and green foliage contrasts nicely with lawn areas and the yellow or purple flowers in the spring are beautiful.

Creeping and spreading shrubs such as rambling roses, juniper and cotoneaster are great for use as groundcovers on steep slopes. Other groundcovers worth trying are sweet woodruff, ginger & lily of the valley all of which do well in deep shade. Before planting, prepare the area as you would a perennial bed by tilling the soil and adding compost or peat moss. Don't skimp when planting, the closer you place each plant to each other the quicker the area will fill in.

Until the groundcover establishes itself, be sure to pull weeds as they emerge. Ignoring them can reduce the ability of the groundcover to spread and take hold. Once the groundcover forms a dense carpet-like layer, weeds tend to be less of a problem. At this point you will have a beautiful, low maintenance and self sustaining landscape.

Tags: 56 landscaping 77092, ideas, landscaping ideas, 60 landscaping designs

Landscaping is usually a fairly big task, consuming much time and energy. But before you hire that professional, here are some tips that could save both time and money.

1. Spend some time thinking about exactly how you want the final design to be. You need to take account of the style and function of your landscape. Do you want to include an area for entertaining? A barbeque? Is there to be an area for children to play, a fishpond or a swimming pool? An idea of the plants you want to be there will also help. Focus on the area where you spend most of your time. That's a good place to start.

2. Think twice before hiring a pro. An independent designer might cost you hundreds of dollars when you may be able to access free plans on the internet or at a nursery. But if you have an awkward block such as very steep ground, a pro might give you the expertise to save costly mistakes.

3. The style of your home must be taken into account. If you have a rural cottage, formal gardens surrounding it will look out of place. Think also about your lifestyle. Do you want to spend hours caring for many beds of annuals or pruning beds of roses? If so, go ahead and plant them, but if you'd rather spend your free time at the beach, then go for an easy-care garden and landscape.

Here are the various landscape styles you can choose for your own garden:

a. Formal. This style uses lots of straight lines and perfect geometrical shapes. Orderly arrangement of plants instead of random positioning is employed. Close arrangement and pruning is seen on many landscaped gardens with this style.

b. Informal. This kind of landscaping workds well with cosy cottages. Beds with curved edges instead of straight lines and random placement of plants suit this landscape style.

c. English Garden. This style emphasizes the harmony between the house's architecture and the garden.

d. Formal/Informal Garden. This style often comes with a brick walkway that exudes formality. This walkway leads to the rear with a circle of plants. The arrangement of plants resembles the English garden style but it has no formal borders.

e. Oriental. It is often the kind of garden found in small backyards. It uses rocks, evergreens and water. A wide variety of plants create several interesting angles with this style.

f. Woodland. This landscaping suits a house that has a wooded backyard and sloping ground.
About The Author

Find more about gardening and some useful gardening tips at About Gardening

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Mulch is a layer of material spread on top of the soil to conserve soil moisture, discourage the growth of weeds, help prevent erosion and prevent large fluctuations in soil temperature. In other words, mulch modifies the soil micro-climate around your growing plants.

Ideally, mulch is light and permeable enough to allow water and air to pass through, yet dense enough to inhibit or eliminate the growth of weeds.

Mulches may be organic (usually plant material), mineral (crushed stone or gravel), or synthetic (plastics and geotextiles). Understanding their differences will help you choose the best mulch for your situation. Generally speaking, organic and mineral mulches cool the soil while synthetic mulches warm it up.

Any biodegradable material can be used as an organic mulch. Some of the most easily attainable materials include shredded or chipped bark, shredded leaves, hay, straw, and peat moss.

Avoid using whole leaves unless you mix them with straw or some other light material as they tend to mat down and get soggy. They can actually prevent water and air from reaching the soil beneath.

Grass clippings are an excellent choice of mulching material. They're so small they start breaking down and enriching the soil almost immediately. If you do use grass clippings, be sure they don't have pesticide residue on them. Many lawn treatments contain herbicides that kill broadleaf plants, including those that you may be trying to grow in your garden. And of course, if you're mulching a vegetable garden you don't want to be adding poisonous chemicals to it.

You may be fortunate enough to live near a source of industrial by-products that are useful for mulching. Some ideas are sawdust or shavings from sawmills, spent hops from breweries, or composted manure from mushroom growers.

Careful with the sawdust. It's deficient in nitrogen so you might want to mix it with some compost. Also, softwood sawdust is acidic, so you don't want to use it too close to plants that prefer a neutral or alkaline soil.

Advantages of mulching:

Mulched plant roots are not subjected to extreme temperatures. Unmulched roots get hot and dry in the summer and can be damaged by the heaving of soil during sudden frosts and thaws in winter.

Organic mulches and some mineral mulches contain nutrients that gradually wash down into the soil and fertilize the plant roots.

Weeding and hoeing the garden are practically eliminated when you mulch! The few weeds that manage to poke up through the mulch are easily nipped out, and there's no need to cultivate because the mulch keeps the soil loose.

Mulch protects the soil from the drying action of the sun and wind, and protects it from erosion from wind and hard rain. Mulched plants can often endure a long dry spell with hardly any watering.

Mulch protects vegetables such as squash, cucumber, unstaked tomatoes or strawberries that lie on the ground when they're ripe. The mulch keeps them clean and dry, preventing rot and mildew. Likewise, low growing flowers will not be splashed with mud in a mulched flower bed.

When not to mulch:

Seedlings planted in very moist soil should not be mulched until they are well established, as the higher soil moisture can encourage damping-off, a fungal infection that is usually fatal.

If the soil is waterlogged from spring rains, let it dry out a bit before mulching perennials to avoid crown rot, another fungal infection. It is best to leave an open circle a few inches in diameter around the base of each plant for air circulation.

Don't mulch a low-lying, wet soil.

There's too much to learn about mulching to fit it all into one article, but I hope you can see that mulching has great benefits for your garden and for you.

Your plants will benefit by having their roots protected from heat and dryness in the summer and from frost heaving in the winter, your soil will stay loose and friable, weeding will disappear off your chore list and you'll save water too!
About The Author

For more Garden Articles by Ian Williamson please visit http://www.real-articles.com/Category/Gardening/92

Tags: landscaping, gardening, 109 landscaping software, front yard landscaping ideas

The idea that an appealing outside is your best offense for intriguing potential buyers is based on the simple concept that first impressions really count. The great thing about learning some key elements of landscaping is that you can apply them to a home that you are just settling into, as well as one you are about to sell. For those who are selling or buying real estate in Tampa Bay Florida, some extra curb appeal advice will go a long way.

Florida is popular for nature-lovers. Instead of trying to keep up with garden hobbyists, present a clean, green impression, rather than a mini-arboretum. The decluttered impression that you want for the inside, should apply to the outside. Imagine a buyer coming to view your Tampa Bay Florida real estate house and all they can think is either, "how will I keep up with all those tropical flower beds?" or "how long will it take me to undo all of this?" Not that you should tear down all your hard work from a spectacular garden; just be sure to have it freshly pruned, trimmed and weeded for buyers, so they don't feel like they have to have a green thumb if they want to buy your home.

Select your plants according to how much sun and water they need. Then, focus on buying smaller selections (or larger if your budget allows) of some of Florida's award-winning specimens like the East Indian Holly Fern, which is wonderful for mass ground cover, and the Dwarf Golden Dewdrop for a beautiful border shrub with its yellow-gold leaves. Make up for size with color, with the purple-blooming Princess Flower, or the Yellow Elder, that will grow quickly (up to eight or ten feet tall). The plants you pick should attract the eyes to the house with their complimentary shades. For example, forest green trim on a house is complimented by shrubs with yellow leaves, and homes with neutral features can always use a few splashes of dramatic color in their landscaping.

Take a picture of the front of your house with you as you visit nurseries and garden shops. Garden professionals can suggest which colors and varieties will work best for your particular home. They should also be able to tell you what kind of mulch, pebble or lava stones you should use for each. The colors of these can also add a lovely contrast of color.

Plant a few annuals near the mailbox and an odd number of shrubs or hedges in front of the house to create depth. Make your house inviting with colors that compliment, but don't complicate. If your house is basic in design, plant a few romantic Magnolias or exotic Calathea to break up the lines. Likewise, a house with a modern exterior can be dressed down for the conservative eye with neatly trimmed Serissa Foetida hedges and simple splashes of annuals.

If you want something even more simple, try buying big, decorative pots and filling them with a few shades of hardy flowers. This takes care of catching the eyes of the buyer, yet implies the perfect level of impermanence for the more fickle-natured. You can offer to leave the pots, or take them with you if the buyer doesn't want them. This can be a quick fix for those who are trying to move, sell and maintain a family and full-time job at the same time. There are plenty of ways to get elaborate with landscaping, but if you need to keep things easy, focus on complimentary colors, hearty specimens and as neat of an exterior as possible, so buyers and visitors will see your house as a breath of fresh, tropical air.

About The Author: Bob Lipply is a licensed broker associate with Remax Realtec in Palm Harbor, Florida. He has many years of experience in selling Tampa Bay Florida Real Estate and has helped many families relocate to Florida and find their dream homes. Visit his website at http://www.lipplyrealestate.com or contact him direct at 1-888-423-5775. e-mail address is info@lipplyrealestate.com

Tags: 63 stone landscaping, 67 landscaping plans, free landscaping design program, 109 landscaping software

How Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Can Keep Your Plants Growing!

Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen make up about 90% of the dry matter in a plant. CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) in the air supplies all of the Carbon in the plant. Like animals, plants breathe in Oxygen and breathe out Carbon Dioxide all the time. The plant needs Carbon Dioxide during the hours of daylight and uses this to produce sugars. During the hours of darkness it will breathe out Carbon Dioxide, which is a waste product.

The plant uses light and Carbon Dioxide for photosynthesis. The more light there is available the greater the plant's requirement for Carbon Dioxide, It has been found that it takes about 10 photons, (quantum units of light) during photosynthesis, to create enough energy to split one Carbon Dioxide molecule into its basic components of Carbon and Oxygen and form a sugar.

Because there are trillions of photons hitting the plant's leaves, sufficient Carbon Dioxide is needed to convert their energy into sugars. If enough CO2 is not available, then the unused photons will bounce off the plant's leaves and be lost. So the more light the plant is given the more Carbon Dioxide it will need to produce its maximum yield of sugars from photosynthesis.

Plants absorb different spectrums of light in differing amounts. This light is affected in different ways by a range of factors, such as distance and percentage of reflection etc. Because any unusable light is wasted, the calculation of how much useable light the plant is getting is quite complicated. It can be measured using a special PAR meter (PAR = Photosynthetically Active Radiation).

This machine takes into account the lumen level of the light striking the leaves and discounts the unusable fractions of the available light.

Plants outside, in full sunlight, will get about 5000 lumens per square foot. This means that the plant could process about 2000 ppm of CO2. It is unfortunate that the Carbon Dioxide levels outside are nowhere near this level.

Indoors, using a light level of 3000 lumens, the plant will need approximately 1500 ppm of CO2. If the light level was at 1000 lumens this would drop to around 300 ppm CO2 (city air is about 400 ppm) which is within the normal range. The lower the concentration of Carbon Dioxide the more the air has to be moved across the plant's leaves in order for it to get sufficient exchange.

It is known that if the plant has enough CO2 and enough light it will perform to its optimum, so if we increase the light levels and up the CO2 available then we can expect a good increase in growth and subsequent yield.

About The Author

Copyright (C) 2004, 2005, 2006, John R Haughton - All Rights Reserved

A partner in a thriving retail hydroponics supply business, Rickie Haughton is the owner of http://www.hydroponics-gardening-information.com The website is packed with good content about all aspects of hydroponics and offers a free Hydroponics Club membership.

Tags: 195 backyard landscaping ideas, 59 87114 landscaping, 63 stone landscaping, 113 landscaping pictures

What good is your yard and garden if you can't take some stunning photographs to show your out of town friends? Building your own home and garden is a fun process and the most beautiful project imaginable to a nature lover. The more elaborate the landscape plan, the better. So when you take a photograph of your yard and garden you want to truly capture the essence of the scene. Consider ten tips on how to take good landscaping photos.

Tip 1: Stop Being The Center Of Attention

Or at least stop centering the main object. While this sometimes works, keep in mind different angles might bring out the subject much better than the old centering rule.

Tip 2: Keep It Straight

Always keep the horizontal lines level in your photos, otherwise it looks crooked and amateurish.

Tip 3: Have A Seat

There's no need to shoot everything from a standing position. Sometimes sitting, crouching or getting higher can produce a more interesting shot.

Tip 4: Know Your Camera

Practice a great deal with that new camera before taking the important pictures. The art of good photographing, like anything else, requires practice.

Tip 5: Create A Story

Sometimes amateur photographers attempt to cram in an entire scene rather than just highlight an attraction. There's nothing wrong with taking several photos. Create a story with one highlighted image.

Tip 6: Slow Down And Listen To The Wind

This means not only waiting for wind gusts to pass; it also entails patience. The more you hurry to take a good shot, the less great of a photograph it will make.

Tip 7: Emptiness Is Not Sexy

Don't be so quick to highlight an image that you include a large side shot of nothing. Avoid large empty spaces in your photographs. This might require adjusting the place of the primary feature; no problem, since centered photographs don't always work.

Tip 8: Consider The Scene

Some scenes are so beautiful you have to look at them from all angles and from side to side. A simple camera shot might not capture this just right. Therefore, some scenes might be better photographed with a wide-angle lens. If this is not an option, then consider backing away from the scene to take more of the view in. Consider a panoramic picture, as this will really bring out the grandeur of an amazing and continuous scene. Before any scene can look gorgeous in a photo - it must be well planned out. See these Unique Landscaping Ideas for more tips.

Tip 9: Keep It Steady

Not everyone has a stable grip on the camera. So if your hands are shaking, get a tripod to straighten things out. If you don't want to buy a tripod, then simply use any large, flat object to get a level shot.

Tip 10: Don't Drop Your Camera In The Pool

Pay attention to where you walk when photographing that beautiful garden!

Article By Adam O'Connor, Inexpensive Landscaping Tips

About The Author

Advice Columnist

Tags: 113 landscaping pictures, 60 landscaping designs, free landscaping ideas, 58 river rock landscaping

In this article we're going to go over your to do list for January when it comes to taking care of your garden.

For those of you thinking that this article may be a joke, the truth is, it's not too early to start preparing for your spring gardening. Getting a head start on some things can make your life a lot easier when the spring actually hits.

So just what can you do in January to get ready for your spring gardening chores?

The first thing is to start ordering from catalogs. There are a number of things you can get in advance like seeds so that when the spring hits you'll already have a number of things that you need and won't have to go around hunting them down in the busy stores that are now bustling with people starting their spring gardening.

The next thing you can do is rework your garden design. Tired of the way things are laid out? This is a good opportunity to decide just where you're going to plant your roses this year. Maybe you'll decide that you want to put up some small fences around a number of your plants. This is the time to get all those details out of the way so that when spring comes you're doing more working and less thinking.

Go over last year's journal and start a new one for this year making note of anything of importance that you will most likely have to do this year and even some things that you might want to add to your routine.

Check your stored bulbs and vegetables. Make sure that nothing has gone bad and that it's all usable. If not, replace what you can.

That Christmas tree that you were going to chuck in the trash? Why not instead recycle it as garden mulch or bird feeder. Certainly you can find better uses for it than the trash.

Whatever birds are still around, feed them and give them some unfrozen water. You want to make sure they come back when spring time begins.

Why not take some advanced gardening classes? You can always learn some new things even if you're an accomplished gardener. If you're first starting out, this is the time to do it so that when the spring comes you're not standing around scratching your head wondering what to do first.

Of course you'll also want to sharpen all your tools. There's nothing more frustrating than trying to dig up the soil with dull tools. Sharpening them now saves you from having to sharpen them when you could be doing more important things.

If you're in an especially cold climate, this is the time to start cool season seeds like cauliflower, leeks and geranium seeds.

In certain zones you can start seeds of annuals that grow slowly like ageratum, nicotiana petunias, portulaca, snapdragons and verbena and direct seed plants that need a period of cold.

Also, check your outdoor plants for animal damage and your indoor plants for any pests.

Doing all these things in advance will make your spring planting season go a lot smoother.
About The Author

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Gardening

Tags: 56 landscaping 77092, 60 landscaping 80923, 128 front yard landscaping, 55 landscaping plants

Wild Plants That Are Poisonous in New Hope Pa.

Remember always, anytime you want to eat something that's wild: When in doubt, leave it out. Poisonous doesn't mean deadly all the time, but who wants to get even sick?

Nightshade is recognizable by its purple and yellow flower. Don't even handle a lot and then rub your eyes or put your fingers to your mouth. Dogwood trees and flowers are poisonous, we can ONLY EAT THE BERRIES. Houndstoungue, which looks like the big dog's long tongue. Wild rose plant beyond the rose hips, IS poisonous.

MOST mushrooms. Remember they're fungus. Actually, mushrooms are the fruit of a fungus. Although only only about 1% will cause death, quite a few more can cause sickness. There are thousands of different mushrooms and other things that look like 'em, like toadstools, so don't eat ANY unless you are absolutely sure they're safe. And, don't rely on the old notion that if you cook 'em and they don't turn black, all's well. Mushrooms do have some wonderful anti-oxidants, like ergothionome.

RED elderberries are poisonous. The purple ones are okay. Fertilizers and soil amendments like man-made Ammonium Nitrate, Hydrated Lime or even natural manure can be poisonous when concentrated. Remember not to rub your eyes or touch your mouth while working with these materials.

And yes, like mom always said, wash your hands before eating
See other helpful artticles by Bill at:
http://seedlingsrus.com/Arborvitae.html
http://seedlingsrus.com/FreeFencing.html
http://seedlingsrus.com/Winter
http://zone5trees.com/Hedges
http://zone5trees.com/PlantingInstructions.html
http://zone5trees.com/ProfitsGrowingTrees.html
http://seedlingsrus.com/GrowingRhodies.html

About The Author

Bill raises Green Giant Arborvitae on his 250 acre farm in Fountainville Pa. This farm is in the heart of Bucks County near Doylestown. He usually has samples on display at his nursery that you are welcome to visit. His web site is http://www.seedlingsrus.com

Tags: 60 landscaping designs, 94 landscaping with rocks, 55 landscaping plants, 93 landscaping stone

Tomatoes are in my opinion the best fruit vegetable there is. Cherry tomatoes with their sweet and tangy taste can be eaten whole. As they are small in size you can just pop them in your mouth. Tomatoes give salads a dash of red color. Pasta and pizza are made even tastier with fresh tomato sauce poured over them. And these are just some of the benefits you will get from tomato gardening.

While tomatoes come in many different shapes, sizes and colors there are actually only two varieties of tomatoes. One is the Determinates and the other is the Indeterminates. Determinate tomatoes grow on vines that stop growing at a certain point. These tomato plants are small and compact vines that produce fruits early in the growing season. Determinates tomatoes plants can be grown in containers or even in small spaces.

The best way to grow Determinates is to space them out about 1 to 2 feet apart. The tomato rows need to have a distance of 4 feet between them. With determinate tomato gardening if you wish to plant any other vegetables near the tomatoes, then you will need to keep some additional space around those tomato rows.

Indeterminates tomatoes on the other hand continue growing. They need support in the form of cages or trellises. The distance that you should keep between the cages is about 3 feet. Once the Indeterminate tomatoes have caught on to the trellis or their cage, you will need to train them to climb the supporting frame. Sometimes it will be necessary to tie the vines to the frame stakes so that the whole tomato plant does not fall over due to its own weight.

You can start your tomato gardening with seeds or starter plants brought from nurseries. The best new tomato plants are those without any yellow speckling on their leaves. The other thing to check is to make sure that your plant roots are not coming out of the containers bottom. The root's growth can tell if your plant will grow successfully or if it will be stressed out and produce a poor harvest. For the best growth to be made, a good vegetable gardening tip is to see that your soil is a rich, sandy loam type of soil.

The best time to start tomato gardening is when all of the other trees in your garden are fully in leaf. By this time the season will be warm and your acclimatized tomato plants will receive about 8 hours or more of life giving sunlight. The roots of the tomatoes should be fully embedded within their soil bed. This lets the tomato receive all the nutrients that it can from the soil.

With tomato gardening you need to keep an eye on the weather. Hot sunny days might be great for you, but they mean that your tomato plants will need regular watering at least once a week. Other than this you can sit back and relax. Once your tomatoes are fully ripe, just pluck them off the vines and enjoy your fresh tomatoes.
About The Author

We live in Maui and grow our own fresh organic food.
Publisher of The Gardeners Handbook
http://www.ultimategardeningtipsrevealed.net

Links with Aloha Hawaii Ecards
http://www.alohaecards.com

Tags: 55 landscaping plants, 63 stone landscaping, 56 landscaping 77092, 70 landscaping 87114