Friday, October 3, 2008

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. Hermann Park Herb GardenUsing 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. Berkshire Botanical Garden, view of the herb g...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.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

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. Garden Pond #2When 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. Star Pond,Butchart Gardens, Victoria, B.C.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.