Landscaping Inspiration by Mr.Andrew Caxton
You can find inspiration for your new garden design scheme from many sources. If you spend a little time researching ideas you should come up with the backyard design of your dreams.
Getting Inspiration For Your Backyard Designs It s not so difficult to come up with professional looking results when it comes to landscaping: you too can have a yard that looks like a garden designer waltzed it to give it a complete makeover. The inspiration should really come from within: you can do it if you give your design a bit of thought and are not afraid of getting to work yourself.
Planning The Design As with most design projects the first step of a successful landscape scheme comes from careful planning. A great piece of advice is to start your project with a pen and paper before you go anywhere near a spade! This will allow you to visualize the space you have to work with. You should always spend as much time as needed just thinking your ideas through. You should also keep in mind that there may be some existing features in your backyard such as building structures or trees that you will not be able to move, so take them into account in the planning stage.
Look Around For Inspiration There are plenty of places that you can check out for landscaping ideas so if you are not too sure how to go about looking for inspiration you can start browsing the gardening press or take a stroll around the aisles of your local garden center. Wherever you go for a drive or a simple walk in the neighborhood, keep an eye out for interesting ideas in other people's properties: this can also help you get a better idea of how things will look once your once garden is done.
Picking Suitable Plants And Features The actual space that you are working with dictates what you should or shouldn't use. For instance, how is the garden oriented, what area receives the most sun and whether there may be any water draining problems inherent to the plot. Once you are fully aware of the conditions you can make an informed choice when it comes to selecting the right plants for the space.
Using Artificial Materials There is a vast array of man-made materials at your disposal to build walls and delimit the various areas of your design. This is also true of using artificial materials to add break up an otherwise flat extent, or make a feature out of existing bumps. Things you can use for this purpose are only limited by what you can get your hands on to and your imagination: you may want to consider rail sleepers, timber of even boulders for this. Being creative needs not be costly!
Keeping Your Backyard Looking Neat You should always ensure that you have the kit and know-how to keep your new design looking neat and tidy at all times. A bit of careful maintenance will go a long way. For instance make sure that your plants and flowers are kept in the best possible shape with adequate feeding and watering. If you have used rocks and stones you should likewise keep them looking their best in the long run with regular cleaning.
You too can have a great looking garden by using a bit of imagination, and large amount of elbow grease. Your efforts will be repaid with long-lasting results!
About the Author
Andrew Caxton is a journalist who writes newsletters on lawn care for http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com . Find more publications about landscaping at his website.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Garden Tools
Traditional Māori Gardening Tools by Luana Noble
Māori were essentially an agricultural people, with a large portion of their time and attention being given to cultivation. According to tradition, the original inhabitants (ngā iwi taketake) of Aotearoa or those who were descendants of the gods who often came from the heavens to this land in times past, possessed no cultivated food products. They existed entirely on the natural products of the forest, inland waterways, and the sea. The voyagers who came from Hawaiki to Aotearoa, brought food plants with them, such as kumara (sweet potato), hue (gourds), taro, and yams, as well as the rituals and tools they used for cultivation. Each village was surrounded by gardens, and everyone was involved in cultivation. Homage was paid to the god of cultivated food Rongomatāne, to ensure good crops. There was little idleness. Chiefs and their families set the example of labour, which was followed by all. Ko The ko is likened to the hoe, and is the best known and most widely used of all Māori agricultural tools. Used mainly as a soil loosening tool, it had various shapes and lengths, and was made from a variety of woods, dependent on the nature of the soil and the requirements of the user. The ko was used with the teka (foot tread) as a spade to mull up refractory earth, and without the teka, to loosen earth in post holes. Some ko were elaborately carved for ceremonial purposes, and used by tohunga (experts) to conduct the various rituals pertaining to planting. Timo Timo, timotimo, or tima were used as grubbers for loosening soil. They were often made from a forked branch, the blade being flattened and the handle round. Some timo were straight, but with the forked-branch variety, their peculiarity lies in the length of the blade, being the same or longer, than the handle. The timo could be used effectively in a squatting position, and was used to loosen soil too hard to be worked by a broad-bladed tool. Kaheru The name kāheru applies to several forms of wooden spades and light cultivating tools known as ketu, wauwau and pinaki. There are three basic forms of kāheru: the spade-like form with a short blade, a long-bladed form resembling the ko, and the triangular blade form. Kāheru were not used for heavy work such as breaking up soil or heavy digging, but for lighter cultivation work, such as loosening soil, weeding, and the various tasks involved with ngaki (cultivation operations). Kāheru were made from a variety of wood including maire, manuka, matai, akeake and sometimes bone or stone. The constellation Hyades has a Māori name, Mata-kāheru, as this set of stars resembles a kāheru or spade blade.
About the Author
I own and run a maori auctions website, a place to buy and sell traditional and contemporary maori arts. I also have knowledge of maori history www.maoriauctions.co.nz
Māori were essentially an agricultural people, with a large portion of their time and attention being given to cultivation. According to tradition, the original inhabitants (ngā iwi taketake) of Aotearoa or those who were descendants of the gods who often came from the heavens to this land in times past, possessed no cultivated food products. They existed entirely on the natural products of the forest, inland waterways, and the sea. The voyagers who came from Hawaiki to Aotearoa, brought food plants with them, such as kumara (sweet potato), hue (gourds), taro, and yams, as well as the rituals and tools they used for cultivation. Each village was surrounded by gardens, and everyone was involved in cultivation. Homage was paid to the god of cultivated food Rongomatāne, to ensure good crops. There was little idleness. Chiefs and their families set the example of labour, which was followed by all. Ko The ko is likened to the hoe, and is the best known and most widely used of all Māori agricultural tools. Used mainly as a soil loosening tool, it had various shapes and lengths, and was made from a variety of woods, dependent on the nature of the soil and the requirements of the user. The ko was used with the teka (foot tread) as a spade to mull up refractory earth, and without the teka, to loosen earth in post holes. Some ko were elaborately carved for ceremonial purposes, and used by tohunga (experts) to conduct the various rituals pertaining to planting. Timo Timo, timotimo, or tima were used as grubbers for loosening soil. They were often made from a forked branch, the blade being flattened and the handle round. Some timo were straight, but with the forked-branch variety, their peculiarity lies in the length of the blade, being the same or longer, than the handle. The timo could be used effectively in a squatting position, and was used to loosen soil too hard to be worked by a broad-bladed tool. Kaheru The name kāheru applies to several forms of wooden spades and light cultivating tools known as ketu, wauwau and pinaki. There are three basic forms of kāheru: the spade-like form with a short blade, a long-bladed form resembling the ko, and the triangular blade form. Kāheru were not used for heavy work such as breaking up soil or heavy digging, but for lighter cultivation work, such as loosening soil, weeding, and the various tasks involved with ngaki (cultivation operations). Kāheru were made from a variety of wood including maire, manuka, matai, akeake and sometimes bone or stone. The constellation Hyades has a Māori name, Mata-kāheru, as this set of stars resembles a kāheru or spade blade.
About the Author
I own and run a maori auctions website, a place to buy and sell traditional and contemporary maori arts. I also have knowledge of maori history www.maoriauctions.co.nz
Container Gardening
Container gardening to me is simple yet beautiful. You can either put a ton of flowers in one container, or have several container gardens. Now a days gardening is limitless. Even for those living in an apartment building can enjoy a container tomato gardening. All you have to do is make sure you water. ;-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
