Garden Tips - A Garden is Only as Good as its Gardening Equipment!

So you would like to start a flower garden, but since you have not done much gardening, you do not have much of anything in the way of gardening equipment. So, in order to get your garden off to the right start, you should make sure that you have excellent gardening equipment.

Gardening Equipment #1: The Edger

A garden is marked by its edges, and you certainly want to make sure that they are well-defined. Thus, and important piece of gardening equipment to have is an edger. The edger makes sure that you mark the edges in the most even way possible.

Gardening Equipment #2: The Garden Claw

A garden claw is perhaps the most important example of gardening equipment that you can have. Something that you never want to see in a garden is weeds, and a garden claw helps to get rid of them. A garden claw is also very important in preparing the ground for a garden, because it helps to aerate the soil.

Gardening Equipment #3: The Rake

A rake is especially important during the fall season, when leaves have a tendency to get in the way of the beauty of a garden. However, a rake is also very necessary for evenly dispersing other gardening material, such as when you want to use pebble rocks to blanket your garden.

For More Information

These are just three of many different examples of gardening equipment that you might find very helpful when constructing your garden. The kinds of gardening equipment that you choose will have to do with a few factors.

Firstly, it will have to do with the kind of garden that you want. A flower garden is, after all, different from a rock garden! In both cases, a rake might be needed, but a rake will probably be needed m ore in the case of the rock garden.

When it comes to figuring out where you should go to find gardening equipment, the first place that you should look is your local home improvement center. This is usually the most convenient option, since home improvement centers usually have garden centers as well.

Of course, if you do not know what equipment you need, you should ask for help from the professionals at the garden center, or you can search the internet. However, make sure that the websites you choose to get information from are reputable. You are sure to find the right gardening equipment for you with the proper research.

Growth Through Water: Hydroponics Plant

Often when one thinks about planting, the necessary elements to accomplish this process includes the use of a plant seed, soil, water and light. Once these items have been gathered the seed is generally planted into the ground and grows through the nutrients found in the soil. This coupled with water allows the process to continue which results in the seed becoming the fully grown plant as reflected in what type of seed was planted.

However, there is one additional way in which seeds can be grown which does not involve the use of these three elements. This particular way is known as hydroponics.

Therefore, in order to grow a hydroponics plant, it is important to know what hydroponics is, techniques of growing hydroponics plants and medium that can be used other than soil.

What Is Hydroponics?

When it comes to discussing hydroponics it is important to know what the definition of this word is. First of all hydroponics is a combination of two Greek words. The first Greek word is hydro which in Greek terminology means water. The second word that composes hydroponics is ponics. This Greek word literally means labor. Therefore, the combination of the two Greek words gives significant insight into the process of growing a hydroponics plant.

Gardening Composting - Why And What

Most gardeners use some type of fertilizer to ensure that their soil contains an adequate amount of minerals and nutrients to provide their gardens with enough food to grow healthy plants. In fact, fertilizer is so widely used that a single gardening center may carry several varieties to accommodate individual gardening needs. But buying fertilizer can be expensive, especially if you have a large garden. The good news is that you can make your own fertilizer by starting a compost heap. By doing your own gardening composting, you will have unlimited compost year round.

Why Do Gardening Composting

Making your own garden compost has several benefits, the most obvious one being that it’s extremely cost effective. So much so that it won’t cost you anything whatsoever.
Using compost improves not only the texture of your soil, but also the soil’s ability to retain water. It also increases the fertility of your soil without the use of chemicals which can be dangerous to animals or humans. Compost can also do a great deal to fix common soil issues, such as loosening clay soils and making sandy soils a bit more water retentive.

From a broader point of view, gardening composting also is very helpful to the environment. It helps reduce landfill loads. With space in landfills becoming harder and harder to find, creating your own compost means that more unnecessary waste won’t be added to the already overfull landfills.

What To Use In Gardening Composting

Any type of organic material makes for good compost. Typically, a good compost pile will be composed of both “brown” and “green” materials. Brown materials are things such as dead leaves, straw, and wood chips, whereas green materials are fresh items such as grass clippings and scraps from your kitchen. The type and ratio of these materials can make a difference in the rate of decomposition, and it may take you a while to get the right ratio down. A general rule of thumb for gardening composting is 25 parts of browns to 1 part of greens.

When it comes to natural yard waste, there are a few you’ll want to avoid using in your compost pile. Black walnuts trees, sumac, poison oak and poison ivy are all toxic and should be avoided at all costs.
If you use pine needles, be sure to chop them up because their waxy coating makes them slow to decompose. Grass clippings make wonderful compost, as they break down quickly and are rich in nitrogen. To avoid them turning sour, you can spread them out on the driveway and let them sit in the sun. This will dry them out and make them ready for the compost heap.

When it comes to kitchen scraps, pretty much anything is suitable for use in gardening composting. Vegetable matter like melon rinds, any type of peelings, etc., can be used. Meats and fatty foods can also go into the compost heap, but keep in mind that these will create a rather unpleasant odor as they decompose, and may attract pests to your compost pile. Other additions to your compost pile can include things like ashes from your wood stove or fireplace, plants or weeds pulled from your garden, hay or straw, and even manure.

Conclusion

Doing your own gardening composting not only providing yourself with a ready source of food for your garden; you’re also helping reduce landfill refuse and saving yourself a lot of money that could be spent elsewhere. Once you know what to put into your compost heap, all that’s left is to choose a spot or a composting bin to start it in.

Tips On Planning Space To Help Vegetable Gardening Be More Productive

One outdoor hobby that can be rewarding is vegetable gardening and the type and amount of plants you tend can help with meal planning throughout the year. Different plants have different times to reach maturity and some will require different spacing, but they all require food, water and air. Making sure they receive all of their needs as well as have a means of being pollinated can insure success in your attempts at vegetable gardening.

One of the common crops for vegetable gardening is sweet corn, planted in rows about 18-inches apart. While they will sometimes grow well in small lots, three rows of about two dozen stalks will insure proper pollination allowing them to grow large, succulent kernels. While corn is a difficult crop to weed, vegetable gardening should be more about the productivity of the plants and less about the manual labor needed to get them to grow.

Many different types of tomatoes can be planted when vegetable gardening and they can be used for sandwiches, made into tomato sauce or eaten fresh off the vine. A traditional blend of fertilizer will usually provide all the food tomatoes require but for a juicier crop when vegetable gardening, they must receive sufficient water and sun to grow into large ripe orbs.

First Time Planters Should Follow Directions

Many seed plants, such as beans, peas and cucumbers all have planting directions on the package and regardless of how easy you think they are to grow, successful vegetable gardening is more than shoving a seed in to the soil and hoping for the best. That is why all seed packages offer tips on how far apart to plant the rows and how deep to plant the seeds. Failing to follow these simple instructions may place the plants too far apart for pollination or too close together to give their root the room they need to grow.

Some types of tomatoes, for example can grow plants over eight-feet tall and three to four feet in diameter. If they are planted less than the recommended four-feet apart, they can be difficult to maintain and end up with one plant choking the other. With vegetable gardening, it is important the plants have the room to grow and less competition for the food in the ground.

Beans, peas, carrots and some of the leafy plants can be arranged when vegetable gardening to offer not only prime growing conditions but also a good looking patch of plants. However, taller plants should be placed further from the line of the sun to insure the shorter plants receive an appropriate amount of sunlight for growth.

Organic Gardening Supplies Every Organic Gardener Needs

Do you want to start an organic garden, but you're not sure what you need? You are not alone. Many consumers today are concerned about the prevalence these days of food-borne bacteria.

Recent news stories tell us that nutritious vegetables like spinach are contaminated with bacteria from factory farm animal waste, and that the average American child is exposed to cancer-causing pesticides four times as much as an average adult. Pesticides are also associated with birth defects, genetic mutations, and nerve damage.

It's time to start thinking about buying produce grown locally, from small organic farmers, or about starting your own organic garden. Before we get into the organic gardening supplies you're going to need, let's be sure we're on the same page about what the term "organic" means.

What Is Organic Produce?

Organic produce is food that is not grown in sewage sludge or raw manure. Organic food has not been exposed to synthetic fertilizers, weed killers (herbicides) or bug killers (pesticides). Organic food is not genetically engineered or irradiated. It contains no antibiotics, no growth hormones, and no synthetic preservatives.

Organic Gardening Supplies

The kind of gardening you plan to do will determine the kind of organic gardening supplies you need. If you are going to be taking care of an organic lawn, you need a push reel mower, organic lawn fertilizers, and organic weed control products.

If you want to grow herbs, flowers, and vegetables, the organic gardening supplies you will need include organic dry and liquid fertilizers, and sprayers or pumps to apply them with; soil pH and test kits; soil amendments; heirloom flower, herb, and vegetable seeds; organic seeds; compost bins; and plant propagation supplies.

Organic Gardening Supply Gadgets

There are plenty of optional supplies to make organic gardening more fun, or to expand your organic gardening practices.

Rain Barrels

Use a downspout diverter to save the rain water that flows into your roof gutters in 60 gallon rain barrels. These attractive, food-grade barrels automatically store water every time it rains.

Lawn Aerator Sandals

Strap on a pair of these lawn aerator sandals and drive 1-1/2" steel spikes into your lawn. Aerating your lawn literally breathes new life into it, as you form new channels for water, air, sun, and nutrients to reach the roots of your grass.

Butterfly House

Attract and retain butterflies with a handsome, hand-shingled cypress butterfly house with a solid copper roof. Enjoy watching the copper change color naturally. This is one of those organic gardening supplies that looks more like a work of art.

Gardening Tips Can Improve Yield And Mood

No matter how long you have been tilling the soil, there will always be a few gardening tips that can help your garden grow better and be more productive. However, if you are the perfect gardener, share your gardening tips with others that may lack the knowledge and experience you have accumulated over the years. Very few people will spend hours in the hot sun tending their garden just for fun and if they can improve the yield from their fruit and vegetable plants, they will be grateful for the advice.

It is very frustrating to new gardeners to look over an anemic collection of plants while a neighbor's garden seems to be flourishing with life. While a few may make the trek to their house and ask for advice, many will stay away and search catalogs and how-to books for gardening tips to help their plants develop into something special. One thing to understand, if your garden is not fairing too well and the neighbor's is, there may be something unique about the area that you are unaware of.

Many long time gardeners are reluctant to offer unsolicited gardening tips, not wanting to appear obnoxious in how they share their knowledge. A person who is having trouble with their garden should have no fear of asking what they are doing wrong. About the worse thing that can happen is the neighbor will not or cannot offer gardening tips on how to make things better.

All Tips Based On Common Factors

When considering gardening tips to help your plants grow better, consider some of the common traits of all plants. They all require food, water and oxygen to grow into healthy, fruit bearing plants. There are some commercial fertilizers that if used too frequently can actually harm the plants and soil testing can help determine what needs to be added to level out the acidity of the ground.

Too many new gardeners tend to give their plants too much water. Consider that common grass requires about two inches of water every week, preferably all at once instead of spreading it out over several days, many garden plants will require the same. In many gardening tips, advice on watering will be different depending on the plant, but they will need water.

Sometimes the ground around the plant becomes too hard for water and air to reach the roots. When this happens, the best gardening tips advise you to loosen the dirt to allow the roots to breath while they get a fresh drink of water. Considering all the basic needs of the plants will make self-discovered gardening tips more obvious.

Coming Up With Home Landscaping Design

If you are interested in doing something nice with your backyard, you will need to come up with a home landscaping design. This can be something you can do on your own, with friends, or even get a professional in garden landscaping to help you out here, so that you know you will come out of it with the results that you are looking for.

If you are really interested in coming up with a home landscaping design, there are a few things in particular that you are going to want to be aware of.

The Details

When it comes to creating a home landscaping design, you should know that color is going to be one of the most important, implemental aspects of your design. There are so many different trees and other plants to choose from, and of course flowers are available in a variety of colors. You really want to stick with some sort of theme, or at least ensure that the colors in your landscaping design are all going to be complimentary.

Another important factor to a successful home landscaping design is balance. This means making sure that there are not too many larger sized plants and features in the design and none smaller, and making sure that everything is well proportioned and that the overall design is pleasing to the eye.

Symmetrical design involves both sides of the garden being a complete reflection of the other. This does not mean that you have to do the exact same thing on both sides if you don’t want to, but this is generally the best idea because it will make the design most pleasing to the eye.

Another very important issue to do with home landscaping design is the element of unity. This means having at least some sort of a theme, so that you can integrate different items into the design but they will all work because they will go together in one way or another.

If you enjoy the arts at all you will probably find this process relatively easy, but many homeowners choose to just take the easier route and get a professional landscaping team to do the work for them. This can get quite expensive however, but in reality, especially if you have a larger sized yard and little to no landscaping experience, will be well worth every penny spent when you end up with the yard of your dreams.

Simple Tips For Backyard Landscaping For Kids

If a person looks hard enough, they will be able to find thousands of different tips for backyard landscaping for kids that will help create backyard landscaping that is impressive. People that are into landscaping want landscaping tips that can make their backyard a success. By following these simple backyard landscaping for kids tips, the person can improve the chances of success and limit the amount of maintenance needed to maintain the backyard.

Placing Plants In The Backyard

One backyard landscaping for kids tip that everyone should follow is to read the directions for caring for the plants before buying the plants. Many people go into the nursery and purchase plants that they think are pretty, which results in a majority of the plants dying because they were not cared for properly. Reading the instructions will let the person know how much work will be needed to keep the plant alive and will show the person if the level of care needed for the plants will be too advanced for them.

Another tip for anyone looking for backyard landscaping for kids is to choose plants that will be compatible with the other plants in the backyard. Do not choose plants that require a different type of climate or a different amount of sunlight than what is provided in the backyard or the plants will die very fast. By following this tip for backyard landscaping for kids and choosing plants that will grow successfully in the type of soil or the amount of light that is available in the backyard, a person will greatly increase the odds of success for the plants in their backyard.

Proper Spacing

If there is a play area for the kids present in the backyard that has equipment for the kids to run around, any backyard landscaping for kids design should place any plants as far away from the play area as possible. When children are playing, they are not going to be very concerned where they are going and the homeowner will not want the kids or the plants to get hurt. One of the best solutions would be to use a backyard landscaping for kids design that places the plants around the edges of the backyard with the play area located in the center of the backyard. Landscaping software can help the homeowner plan the design.

A person that is doing backyard landscaping for kids should not be afraid to ask questions or do research if there is something that the person is unsure about. The people that work at the nursery will typically have a great deal of knowledge about the plants that are sold in the store and will be able to help with any basic questions may come up. Following these simple tips for backyard landscaping for kids can mean the difference between success and failure for the landscaping design.

The Ways Of Creating A Beautiful Bonsai Garden

Creating a bonsai garden can be a great activity for everyone and is both enjoyable and stress relieving. It can produce a beautiful display of bonsai trees that will be enjoyed by all of the family, and with good care and practice will carry on to be enjoyed by everyone for many years. When creating a bonsai garden there are several factors to look at:

Climate – This has to be taken into consideration; a bonsai is considered an outdoor plant and therefore needs to be in the right temperatures to grow correctly.

Design – Artistic and imaginative planning should be done in order to make the garden look attractive. A simple design and layout should be created to begin with before starting to build anything.

Terraces – These make the scenery a lot more realistic.

Ideal Plants For Creating A Bonsai Garden

Ideal subjects are ficus trees, citrus, hibiscus, jade plants, podocarpus, serissa, schefflera and bougainvillea. There is also a popular flowering plant known as the Azalea tree.

To begin with, the plant should be placed in a container using well draining soil. Well draining soil usually derives from coarse sand, sphagnum moss and clay, which is a composition that has good moisture retention so the soil will not dry out.

Guidelines To Care For The Bonsai Garden

The soil should never dry out completely so the plant should be watered daily in summer and a little less frequently when the weather is cool. Rainwater is better for a bonsai plant, but a gallon of water with a tablespoon of white vinegar can be a very good alternative.

Fertilizer can also be put on the soil but growers should not use a rapid grow fertilizer, as this is not recommended. Regular trimming of the branches and trunk should be done to culture and help maintain the bonsai garden. If dead flowers or dried leaves appear they should be removed.

Pesticides in a bonsai garden must be used carefully. They should not be sprayed on a plant but in the root level of the soil.

If all of these important guidelines are taken and followed correctly, they should lead to maintaining a healthy and attractive bonsai garden. Growers should personally take care of their own bonsai garden, however if someone else maintains their garden such as a gardener that person should be informed of the guidelines to take care of bonsai plants and trees.

Many Ways To Use The Bamboo Plant

The bamboo plant is part of the true grass family of plants. These are found in a many regions of the world from cold to warm climates. The sizes and variety of the bamboo plant is plentiful, ranging from the giant bamboos up to several smaller varieties. Many countries purposely cultivate bamboo for commercial uses.

The Bamboo Plant Make Up

The bamboo is a hardy plant that can withstand heat and some species can also bear cold weather. Most bamboo plants have the same physical characteristics, which are segmented or partitioned stalks with stems erupting from the bases of each partition or segment. The leaves of the bamboo are almond shaped tapering to a pointed end. Some bamboos have yellow stems while other have black or green stems holding up the leaves. Even the some stalks have either yellow or green coloring.

The bamboo plant spreads quite easily if it is planted in an open area. In fact, some seem to move from where they were originally planted up to several meters. The reason for this is that the shoots grow outside the perimeter of the plant and some grow more in one direction than another.

There are many different uses for the bamboo plant. One primary use for the bamboo is for lumber and flooring. Many Asian countries utilize the bamboo plant to make huts or to make a very light wall covering or flooring. The bamboo plant can also be used to make outriggers or even rafts that are very useful for crossing rivers. Other uses for the bamboo plant are for scaffolding, basket weaving, furniture, musical instruments and many others.

Another use for the versatile bamboo plant is for food. The tender bamboo shoots of some species of bamboo are highly edible and are a favorite among many Asian nations. Paper has also been made from the bamboo as well as fiber for clothing (indeed, such a versatile plant!). There are many other uses for bamboo and it has proven to be a versatile and highly durable wood product. It is not only useful to people but it also serves as the main food of pandas and other animals.

The never ending uses of the bamboo plant have made it a widely cultivated plant. Some people prefer the more mature stalks for their hardiness, while others like the younger ones because these are easier to cut and manufacture into things.

Learn Why Video Surveillance Can Be Ideal For Your Home

The majority of the time video surveillance systems main use is considered as a maintenance tool for peace of mind as well as security. However, if you happen to be going through a nasty divorce and a custody fight, then these systems can also play an important role. While it is frequently missed, the reality is that putting a remote video surveillance camera at a location that is strategic may give you an amount of leverage in your battle.

While no one wants to encourage any kind of underhandedness, it is always prudent to know exactly what you are up against, with as many facts on your side as possible. In todays society with long, extended as well as bitter battles for the custody of children, the evidence that is gained from video surveillance may be helpful, not just for your personal case but also to make certain the best interest of the child is attained.

With that said, it also needs to be cautioned that employing video surveillance systems in some states is considered illegal or the evidence could be excluded from court if all parties were not made aware of the installation of the system. It is a wise course of action to look into with fully with a qualified attorney in your local area.

This would also be true in the instance of using a digital video surveillance system in your home in order to catch a babysitter or a nanny who is up to no good. While it is possible for your to have a confrontation with them, as well as firing them, based primarily on what was recorded on the camera video surveillance system, it may not be enough to stand up in the setting of a courtroom. Also, it may not be a good idea to brag about getting them on tape on your IP video surveillance system or your remote video surveillance system, until you are aware of what the laws are in your particular state.

The last thing you want to deal with in this situation is having your estranged spouse or your embarrassed nanny (or both in some instances) turn the tables on you and drag you into court for putting them under the scrutiny of a security video surveillance system without their knowledge or consent. Again, in these kinds of situations, it is always best to consult with a professional who can give you solid legal advice so that you don't end up being the one in hot water.

Howeverm lets say for instanve you move past those nagging legal issues. The next decision is what kind of video surveillance equipment you should consider. There are many choices in video and audio surveillance systems these days and many are very affordable for homeowners.

Even though the newer surveillance systems are becoming very affordable, thanks to the wonderful advances in technology recently, you will still want to design a system that stays in your budget. You will need to decide if you want just one camera to focus on a single location in the home, or if you want several cameras that are networked together. Also, do you want your video surveillance cameras to monitor the exterior areas of the home, and if so, will the equipment be exposed to the elements?

When you have gained a clear idea of what you need and what, then you should meet with a video surveillance systems professional. They will help you design a system to fit your budget. You do have the option of going over to your local home improvement outlet and buying a ready to install kit, yet if you actually widh to be certain that you have a functioning system as well as being highly reliable, then it is in your best interest to seek out the assistance of professionals in this field.

Getting Started in Herb Gardening

Just imagine your pasta and pizza without the finishing touch of oregano or the delicious mince dumplings without the pinch of sage! The outcome is sure to be bland and boring. This is what the herbs do for you’re your culinary skills - they uplift the taste and flavor of any dish. In addition to that they make the dish look colorful and inviting. Thus the defining character of any dish is the work of appropriate herbs. While you can buy them in the local grocery stores, it is always better to home grow them in your backyard; the addition of garden fresh herbs will definitely make your cooking and dining experience even more enjoyable.

Plant type

Before getting started in the task of herb gardening, you must learn about the different types of herbs. The herbal plants are of three types:

Annual - the herbs like basil, chamomile, dill, chives, lavender, lemon, mint, oregano rosemary, sage, tarragon or thyme are planted each spring and live for only one season.

Perennial - the herbs like catnip, balm, lovage, marjoram or thyme live for many years. Although they shake off the leaves during winter, their roots remain alive and in the turn of spring they bloom into new foliage.

Biennial -The plant like Parsley grow for two years. The first season is for growing foliage, next the seeds are formed. After that they die at the end of the second season.

Choosing the Location

For herb gardening the question as to where to plant is very critical. Not all the herbs have same light or temperature requirement. While most of the herbs need exposure to the sunlight for at least 6 hours per day, the herbs likes chives, cilantro, dill, and mint are grown in the shade.

The Soil Type

Make sure of the soil requirement of a particular herb before planting one. In general an extra rich and over fertilized soil is not suitable for planting good quality herbs. Over fertilization kills the flavor of the herb by reducing the essential oil content of the herbs. The herbs do better in the moderately rich soil. In addition to that, your herb garden must have excellent drainage quality, so that soil does not contain extra water. Growing herbs in raised beds or containers is also a good idea.

Herb Garden Care

Just like with vegetables, other herbs require about an inch of water per week. However, those planted in containers tend to dry out more quickly and hence need more frequent watering. To get a better grip, with the soil keep garden beds weeded.

One interesting thing about herb plants is: they have inherent power to resist pests and disease attacks. This is due the aromatic natural oil, they are bestowed with; the aroma repel pests and insects naturally. Still, herbs are susceptible to the attack of insects like aphids, and diseases such as powdery mildew.

Keep these information in mind when you are going to start your herb garden for the first time; your care for your herb garden will result into great pleasure everyday all through the year.

By establishing a herb container garden for your home, this not only gives you the chance of growing fresh herbs year-round for a assortment of uses, in addition it provides an eco-friendly method of decorating your patio, sunroom or balcony. Using ornamental ceramic pots, clay urns, wooden window boxes or any distinctive item that can serve as a plant holder for your herb container garden will add color and fragrance wherever you decide to place them.

The Benefits Of A Herb Container Garden

There are plenty of reasons for having a herb container garden versus a traditional herb garden in your yard. Besides having the ability of growing fresh herbs throughout the year right at your fingertips, the herb container garden, once set up with the proper supplies, requires little care. With proper light, soil, drainage and water, the plants tend to take care of themselves. Additionally, herb plants tend to be mostly pest free. A herb container garden can be a convenient way of growing fresh herbs without all of the work a traditional garden requires. The containers should be portable so they can be moved inside during cold weather, they're decorative and fragrant, they take up little space and they're good for the environment.

How To Create A Herb Container Garden

Creating a herb container garden for your home can be easily achieved with just a few supplies. Basically, the main item to be concerned with is the container itself. It must be large enough to accommodate the plants, stones and soil but it must also be a size that is easily moved from the outside to the inside during cold weather. If you plan to have a herb container garden only during the warmer months that are conducive to gardening, then how large and how portable the container is will not be an issue. Regardless of the portability of the container, it must provide excellent drainage for the plants.

Setting Up A Herb Container Garden

Once you've selected the type of herbs you want for your herb container garden, depending on the size of the container used, place several small rocks or stones inside the container which will help with water drainage. Fill the container with an appropriate amount of soil, place the herb plants inside, add a little water if the potting soil is very dry and then add more potting soil. Place the container in a location that will provide full sunlight and water only as necessary.

Making Fountains Work For Your Garden

Adding water to your garden, or landscape can be a daunting task filled with plumbing nightmares, and flash floods galore. When done the right way adding water to your garden can lead to envy from all the neighbors. Water is the secret luxury gardens and landscapes can’t do without. Many landscape enthusiasts turn their green thumb down at water as an over the top waste of time and money. However research has shown that water relieves stress, calms the nerves, and creates feelings of tranquility within oneself. Further water, streams, and fountains found in gardens add character and class to an average yard.

Selecting a fixture that is proportionate to your land should be the first step in adding a fountain to your landscape. Yards come in every imaginable shape, size, and form. Some yards, and gardens are as big as entire town, others are as small as few inches. The first step in selecting a fountain that will fit in your garden is finding out what size would be right. This doesn’t mean you need the measuring tape, or a ruler to find this out. Look at the bigger picture and come up with a general plan as to what size would work for your needs. For example, if you have a small garden, you might note that you want a fountain no bigger then a few feet tall and a few feet wide. This should give you enough information to make the right choice when purchasing a fountain.

Maintaining the fixture is of up most importance. For those that think it should jut work on its own, think back to that kiddy pool that was left in your yard for two months, look at the water and see all the fun wildlife that has found their new home. Unless you want a pond with critters abound, maintain your water fixture weekly, if not daily to keep it looking fresh.

Creative minds are rewarded in elegant looks that will impress the entire family. After installing the fountain your backyard try planting some flowers around it in a deliberate pattern. The more deliberate the pattern the better it will showcase your fountain.

Ready for the next level yet? Similar to a tattoo, garden fountains are the type of garden supply that once you get one you need to have more. If you’re ready for more, try thinking outside the box, and over the top, literally over the top. Creating a waterfall can add great quality, and value to a garden. Waterfalls can be custom built, or purchased a prices lower now then ever before. For those that want more then the falls, try putting an exotic fresh water fish pond at the bottom of the falls. This can be done relatively easily with some basic fixtures available and most home and garden stores.