Steps To A Better Lawn And Garden

If you’re lucky enough to have a lawn with a good topsoil base, much of the hard work of keeping a lawn beautiful is already done for you. But many of us do not have this luxury, and besides, even with a good topsoil base, you still have to work hard to keep a beautiful lawn and garden.

1. The best time to mow a lawn is when it is cool and dry. Wait for the morning dew to dry off, and before the afternoon heat takes hold. Alternatively, late afternoon or early evening following a watering in the morning is also a good time.

2. A hedge is a much better boundary divider than a fence. It will provide better privacy and keep pets and children in – or out. It will attract birds to its shelter, and provide a great backdrop for plants and flowers.

3. Simple, but effective weed control can be achieved on your lawn by mowing often during spring. This will prevent dandelions spreading by eliminating the yellow blossoms and preventing seed formation. Mow high during late spring and early summer. This will allow grass blades to shade the ground, and will help prevent crabgrass from sprouting.

4. Add your garden to non-garden items, such a lampposts and mail boxes. Surround these items with flowers planted to take advantage of the earliest to the latest flowerings. You could have white snowdrops, purple and gold crocus, blue hyacinths, and various colored tulips. You could also surround the posts with rocks to provide added interest.


5. Bring the beauty of your garden to you; plant hyacinths near walkways and doors. Their magnificent perfume will swamp the spring air and make your garden really come alive.

Your lawn and garden should be a source of pride and beauty. You don’t need to spend lots of money on expensive fertilizers and herbicides, or fancy lawn furniture and ornaments. A little commonsense and thought can go a long way to making your lawn and garden a much better place.

Fauxwood Plantation

One of the most romantic periods of architecture and interior designs is referred to now as the antebellum period, which literally translates as 'before the war' - in this case, the American Civil War. In particular, the antebellum design refers to the old South, with elegant plantation homes appearing in the early 1800s, characterised by Greek or Classical revival touches or the grand federal style. Today, this period is much sought after by home designers and interior design professionals, and in much demand now are those companies offering faux wood plantation shutters.

It is faux wood plantation shutters which immediately give visitors the unmistakeable feel of the old Southern charm, with their classical design evoking all the romanticism of the period, with a modern twist. Because faux wood plantation shutters are constructed from PVC based materials, they retain all the appearance of real wood, with none of the old fashioned downsides. Faux wood plantation shutters do not split, warp or crack in the way that their wooden equivalents have always had a tendency to do.

No one entering the room would be able to tell that your faux wood plantation shutters were anything but the real thing, allowing the light outside to filter across the room in an unmistakeable way that diffuses the light without restricting it.

One mustn't forget of course that faux wood plantation shutters are chosen not just for their appealing look and evocative style and charm, but for the practical ways in which they can provide both privacy and style, with much more flexibility and durability than almost any window blind equivalent. Fully closed, faux wood plantation shutters will block out a significant proportion of light, and guarantee complete privacy and peace of mind. With the slats partly open, an attractive view is available from the inside, with a beautiful diffused light effect entering the room, and with the window open, a breath of fresh air will circulate the room, whilst still providing reasonable privacy.

The faux wood plantation shutters are able to be opened fully, or the top half or bottom half opened separately, adding to the flexibility and style you wish to have.

Painted or varnished wood, especially in damp areas of places which are exposed to a significant quantity of daylight are likely to deteriorate over time, peeling, cracking or splitting, with the wood itself warping over time leaving a less than perfect fit, not to mention a less than perfect appearance. Maintenance, at both cost and time, will be necessary to keep the shutters looking as good as they should. However, with faux wood plantation shutters the problems are negligible, with the finish resistant to cracking, splitting or peeling, even in the harshest conditions.

Many people chose faux wood plantation shutters to enclose outdoor pools or spas. Even in the home, in bathrooms, the humidity and moisture levels are higher than average, and in these places, painted or varnished woods will last only a relatively short while before the continual expanding and contracting of the wood as it absorbs the water results in warping, twisting and breaking of the slats and frames.

However, with faux wood plantation shutters, the true romance of the antebellum period can be achieved at no loss, where style and longevity is concerned. What can be more romantic than having all of the positives associated with the style of the period, without any of the negatives which come with the wooden equivalents?

Another advantage of fitting faux wood plantation shutters to your home is that the effect and look does not merely compliment the inside of your room, helping to evoke that romantic old South look and feel, but from the outside the look is immediately recognizable.

The curb appeal of faux wood plantation shutters is unmistakeable, and will grant your home a romantic, classical look which will be noticed and admired by passers by and guests coming to visit. Looking to sell your home? Then fitting these will guarantee to help move your property - even before the prospective buyers have set foot inside.

Make sure that the antebellum period is continued inside with artistic and well placed period furniture - with all the class and style of the old South, your property value will be heading north!

Beautiful Garden is a work of heart

How do you begin to create a garden space that is unique to you?
Here are simple steps that will help you


1. Identify WHY you want a garden.
How will you use it? Who else will enjoy the garden? Remember that you may not be the sole inhabitant, so get input from all family members on how your outdoor space will be used.


2. Do a little dreaming.
Now that you apperceive why you wish a garden and how you intend to use it, let your acuteness play with all the accessible appearance in your appropriate space. A little absent will bare those attributes that will put your claimed banner on the garden.

Also adjudge whether you wish a academic or an breezy garden. Academic area are awful structured, disconnected by a able axial arbor and cantankerous axes. Breezy area accept a added accustomed attending with strong, abounding curves.

3. Make a list of "must haves".
What items are essential? Listing your needs up front ensures that your final plan won't be missing anything important. Do you need a retaining wall? A privacy fence? A path to the garage? More parking space? Do children need a place to play? What about pets?

Walk around your property and make note of everything that is essential. Your final design should balance dream features and "must haves" to create a satisfying and functional space.

4. Evaluate what you already have.
To get where you are going, it helps to know your starting point. Is your space large or small? Is the site flat or sloping? What is the climate? What type of soil do you have? How much water is available and from what sources? What are the predominate views?

5. Ballpark your budget.
Once you know what you want and what you need, it's time to consider what you are willing to spend. This dollar figure will influence what features you include in the final garden plan -- trees, plants, hardscape materials and architectural elements such as arbors, fountains, ponds and benches.


Remember that your "budget" comprises two elements: money and TIME. In agreement of time, does the garden charge to be accomplished by a assertive date or can you actualize it over time? (Speed costs!) Also, how abundant time are you accommodating to account to advance your dream garden? Can you additional several hours a anniversary or are you advantageous abundant to allow a caretaker?

As you advance and clarify your plan, you may charge to antithesis time and banknote costs. Be flexible. You may charge to absorb added time if you can't absorb added money and carnality versa.

6. Identify your garden's focal points.
Every garden needs an eye-catching spot that causes you to pause a moment. When you choose a focal point, you are choosing the direction you want visitors to look when they enter your garden. Did your list of "wants" include a waterfall or fountain? An arbor retreat? A blossoming apple tree? If so, you are well on your way to identifying a focal point -- or points -- for your garden.

7. Create a rough design.
Take all the information that you've gathered and incorporate it into a workable design that balances the "wants" with the "must haves". Your goal is to create a space that is both satisfying and functional.

8. Choose your plants and hardscape.
The colors and materials that you choose will create the character of your garden, adding interest, movement and visual appeal. Do you want harmonious colors or strong contrast? Warm hues or cool tones? Bold colors or soft hues? Mixing different colors and materials and textures will give your garden a strong sense of space.

9. Make a scale drawing.
Thus far, you have created a basic map of property lines and your house as well as an overlay sheet that shows focal points, "rooms" and pathways. You also have a list of the trees, shrubs and plants for each area of your garden. Now you need to create a scale drawing that shows EXACTLY where each feature will go. You will use this blueprint to lay the walkways, set the arbors and trellises, and plant the trees, shrubs and flowers.

10. Execute your plan.
Before you begin actual construction of the garden, check all local building codes and regulations to make sure that you will be in compliance. Structures such as decks, patios and retaining walls may require a permit from the local city government. Once all permits are in place, you can start to lay out the garden.


With your calibration cartoon as a blueprint, use a band admeasurement to position all structures, walkways and plants. Be abiding to admeasurement accurately so anniversary aspect in your architecture fits its assigned space.

If designing a garden amplitude sounds a bit intimidating, don't panic. Just chase these accomplish one by one and let a amplitude disentangle that feels appropriate to you. You CAN do it. After all, a acknowledged garden is just addition allowance of your house, which you've already auspiciously decorated!