Better Home And Garden

Archive for the ‘Gardening’ Category

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

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

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

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

A home herb garden is a great source of fresh herbs any time of the year and has many benefits. Herb gardens can be specialized by the types of herbs grown: cooking, medicinal, ornamental to name a few. With a little bit of information, starting a home herb garden is fun and easy.

A home herb garden is a great source of fresh herbs any time of the year. Herbs have a rich history and have been referenced in many ancient documents, showing that herbs have been used by most household throughout history. Herbs are easily grown inside in containers or in an outdoor garden. Growing herbs has many benefits: as an addition to dishes to enhance flavor, to make tea, potpourri, or for medical purposes, and also to keep pests in check in outside gardens.  There are a variety of herb gardens: for cooking, for medicine, ornamentals, or for multiple purposes.

Types of herb plants include, interestingly, shrubs and trees, as well as annual and perennial plants. A short explanation of these types: annual plants live for one year: they sprout, flower, and die in the same year. Perennial plants live for two years, meaning that after growing and blooming during spring and summer, they die back during fall and winter and return again in the spring.

A key to herb gardens is using soil with good drainage. For compacted or heavy soil types, adding some organic material is recommended. Fertilizers are typically not necessary.  While a few herbs grow well in full shade, a sunny location is preferable, and a lot of herbs do just fine with afternoon shade.  Interestingly enough, herbs are not often affected by insects or diseases, with a few exceptions: in hot and dry environments, red spider mites can be a pest for low-growing herbs. Anise, caraway, dill, and fennel may be attacked by aphids and mint can be affected by rust.

To grow an herb garden, use a small area in your garden, about 6 feet by 4 feet, which would produce enough for the needs of a small family. Using indoor planters for a home herb garden is also an option. Culinary herbs are a popular herb garden use, mainly to add enhanced flavor to a dish, while other herbs are used as great colorful garnish to plates or salads. Other herbs are grown for their beautiful flowers or the aroma of their foliage.

There are two ways to start an herb garden: from seeds or from seedlings. Growing a plant from seed is a great joy, seeing the process from the beginning to the end. The majority of herbs can be started from seed. Herbs are very useful and growing an herb plant from seed is a rewarding experience. Well-drained, light soil should be used to grow seeds in. Plant seeds in a shallow box or pot toward the end of winter. The seeds should not be covered with too much soil since they do not have a deep root base. A rule to follow is: sow fine seeds in shallow soil. In the springtime, the seedlings can be transplanted to the outdoor garden. Some herbs will not thrive if transplanted, such as fennel, coriander, dill and anise and should be planted directly in the garden.

A home herb garden is particularly worthwhile and it is easy to grow. Having a good understanding of herbs and a lot of plant growing information available is important. This article is a good start and now it’s a good time to complete the journey with more information. You can find all of the knowledge you need at www.HerbGardenDIY.com – enjoy!

If you are like me you had no clue what it takes to start an organic home vegetable garden. Until recently I felt that same way but I found that a little reading and planning goes a long way.

Just imagine for a moment that in less then 2 weeks you to could start an organic home vegetable garden anywhere you want to plant. As you will see by reading this article and following just a few simple steps you will be well on your way to a beautiful garden in no time.

Soil Preparation

This is one of the most basic things that any new gardener will have to learn. Whether you plan to use a plot of land in your backyard or start a vegetable garden in plant boxes. Soil preparation plays an important role in whether your organic garden will survive or not.

Types of Soil

There are three types of soil that you need to be familiar with; sand, clay and silt. Sandy soil is loose and helps the roots of plants breathe because it lets the air pass through easily. Clay soil absorbs water faster and keeps it inside longer. Silt is a fine mixture of sand and clay particles.

Soil Preparation

When preparing the soil for your vegetable garden, dig up the soil and break off the lumps. Check if you have just the right mixture of sand, silt, and clay before you start an organic home vegetable garden.

Ideally, silt and sand should both be 40%, and clay should just be 20%, this is to make sure that the water is not trapped inside too much that the roots will choke. Also, if the water is trapped too long inside the soil, the roots will rot.

Quick Soil Test

One good way to test whether the composition of your soil is good is by scooping out a handful and forming a ball with it. The soil should hold the shape of the ball without too much difficulty. If the soil cannot hold the shape, you might have too much silt or sand in the mixture. If the soil holds the shape but does not crumble easily when you poke it, it might have too much clay in it which you need to balance out with a little silt or sand.

Choosing Vegetables to Plant

Now it is time to pick what kind of vegetables you want to grow. Keep in mind that some vegetables do not grow well when you plant them too close to certain types of other vegetables. An example, potatoes should not be planted too close to squash or tomatoes because it inhibits their growth. You may plant them in the same garden but spread them out quite a bit.

Garden Maintenance

After you have decided on the kind of vegetables you want to start organic home vegetable gardens with, you will have to learn about how to water them properly. Vegetables need lots of water on those hot summer days. When planting organic vegetable gardens in a large area, you might want to consider using a soaker hose.

To start organic home vegetable gardens requires manual labor (yes, actual work), and a lot of patience. However, the rewards of planting and growing your own vegetables considerably out ways the work it will take to grow it successfully.