Kitchen & Bathroom Remodeling

by: Jennifer Hall
Have you ever noticed how the warm scent of a candle wafting through the air can be uplifting, energizing, or make you cozy? Or maybe there’s a certain body spray, soap, or perfume that just keeps you going through the day. Did you wonder why maybe that Key Lime candle smeeled yummy but also energized you or even motivated you to clean? Or why that Apple Pie scent really helped you appreciate fall? Wonder no longer, study after study has shown that scents do affect your mood! Take a look below of some scents that can really enhance your moods:

1. Citrus Scent - Energy
Need a pick-me-up? Grab a cup of java and light a citrus candle, citrus scents enhance energy and boost mood; so look for candles with lemon, lime, grapefruit, verbena, or orange scents.

2. Lavender Scent - Relaxation
When it’s time to wind down try burning a lavender candle. In studies, lavender has been found to correlate with slower heart rate, lower blood pressure, and lower arterial pressure. It has also been found to decrease muscle tension. Other scents that have been found to have relaxing effects are bergamot and sandalwood.

3. Citris, Minty, and Pine Scents - Uplifting, Clean
If you want to create a cheerful, clean environment in your home, choose candles scented with citrus, mint, or pine. Often these scents can be not only uplifting and motivating, but just give that “clean” feel. When you or your guests walk in, these scents will be a fresh breeze to welcome anyone.

4. Lavender, Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie, Jasmine, Gardenia, Sandalwood, and Rose Scents - Romantic
Studies indicate that lavender, vanilla, and pumpkin pie scents are the most desire enhancing. Many also believe there’s romance in the air if you’re burning scents such as floral and woody scents, they give that wistful, romantic feel to a room.

5. Season Enhancing Scents
Delve into the season with your favorite candles scents! Autumn’s a great time for burning pumpkin spice candles, as well as other baked good candle scents, as is winter. To create that cozy winter environment, choose cinnamon, apple, berry, and pine candles. Fresh candle scents such as cucumber melon are great for spring, as well as fresh cut grass candles which carry into summer. Nothing says summer like a nice citrus, like a lemonade candle scent drifting through the air.

5. Season Enhancing Scents
Delve into the season with your favorite candles scents! Autumn’s a great time for burning pumpkin spice candles, as well as other baked good candle scents, as is winter. To create that cozy winter environment, choose cinnamon, apple, berry, and pine candles. Fresh candle scents such as cucumber melon are great for spring, as well as fresh cut grass candles which carry into summer. Nothing says summer like a nice citrus, like a lemonade candle scent drifting through the air.

If you love a certain candle, soap, or body spray - whatever the scent may be - don’t do what I too often do, which is save it until that scent runs out! Light it and enjoy, it’s sure to affect you in a positive way!

About the author:
Jennifer Hall is a writer who provides inf

First, I’d like to ask you a few questions, and I want you to answer them immediately. Is your back yard an enjoyable place to sit and relax? Is it pleasing to the eye? Does it offer an escape from the world of bills, traffic jams, and noobs? Your backyard is your sanctuary, and if you did not answer “yes” to any of the above, please read on.

The most important factor to backyard relaxation is comfort. Above all, you want the most comfortable place to sit possible. A visually pleasing scene is the other important factor. A simple and very effective way to meet both of these needs is installing a gazebo in your backyard.

A gazebo is a pavilion structure commonly found in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos are freestanding, roofed, and open on all sides; they provide shade, basic shelter, ornamental features in a landscape, and a place to rest. They can be made out of many materials, but most are a stained or painted wood. They are an outstanding place to gather, prepare food, have a band, take a nap, or set as a wireless point and play some Warhammer in your own backyard.

Let me tell you a story about my very own gazebo. There was a planned gathering of friends at my house; we were going to grill a bunch of meat, and play some lawn darts. It was kind of a yearly thing, and the previous year one of my friends got a dart through his right foot which was no good. Anyway, this year we all assembled and got to cooking but soon the rain came and we were faced with a dilemma. Luckily, I had gotten a gazebo installed that spring so we simply moved the grill and chairs to the gazebo and continued our eating and conversation.

However, as time went on the rain became heavier. It was a torrential downpour, but because the gazebo provided such great shelter, we really saw no danger. I noticed it beginning to pool up on the ground, and I saw a small river beginning on the road, as the sewer intake could not keep up with the rainfall. Suddenly, a large rush of water came crashing through my fence and continued flowing through my yard. It quickly splashed up and over the floor of the gazebo, and we realized the danger of the situation. The water level continued to rise, and we needed to seek shelter.

With little time to react, we immediately began to climb the side of the gazebo and sit on the roof. Due to the strong construction of this beautiful gazebo, our lives were spared. Many of my neighbors floated past our gazebo salvation screaming for help, and we were able to save them. They now all have gazebos as well. It turned out that on that fateful day, the rain had indeed caused some flooding, but it was a mudslide on the hillside of our town that knocked over our water tower, creating a rush of water towards the town dam which was not built to withstand such a rush of water. The dam broke, and the city lake was free to flow wherever it wanted, which happened to be all around my house and the surrounding neighborhood.

The gazebo saved my life, the lives of all my friends and neighbors, a dog, and one stray cat. I thanked the builders for making such a high quality and beautiful gazebo many times. In fact, I have since rebuilt my house and now have two gazebos in my backyard. I doubled my backyard enjoyment, and life saving capacity.

While a gazebo may not save your life, it could. At the very least, you should have a gazebo so that you can enjoy the relaxation and enjoyment it provides.

By: Richard Lubin

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

The article was written by Richard Lubin. He is a writer working for Garden Getaway Gazebos. Look at the site for a good variety of Gazebos and Sunrooms that could accent your home and yard.

If you’re not the type of person that wants to spend their time managing an elaborate fruit or vegetable garden, you might consider planting and maintaining an herb garden. While the product might not seem as significant, you’ll still enjoy the constant availability of fresh, delicious herbs to flavor your meals with. First you’ll want to choose the herbs that you’ll plant. You might have a hard time doing this because of the huge scope of herbs available. But the best way to choose is to do what I did; just look at what you have in your kitchen. By planting your own collection of these herbs, you can save money on buying them from the grocery store while having the added benefit of freshness. Some of the herbs you might start with include rosemary, sage, basil, dill, mint, chives, and parsley among others.

When choosing an area to put your herb garden, you should remember that the soil should have extremely good drainage. If the dirt gets watered and stays completely saturated, you have no chance of ever growing a healthy plant. One of the best ways to fix the drainage problem is to dig a foot deep in the soil, and put a layer of crushed rocks down before replacing all the soil. This will allow all that water to escape, thus saving your plants.

When you are ready to begin planting herbs, you might be tempted to buy the more expensive plants from the store. However, with herbs it is much easier to grow them from seed than it is with other plants. Therefore you can save a bundle of money by sticking with seed packets. Some herbs grow at a dangerously fast rate. For example, if you plant a mint plant in an open space then it will take over your entire garden in a matter of days. The best way to prevent this problem is to plant the more aggressive plants in pots (with holes in the bottom to allow drainage, of course).

When it comes time to harvest the herbs you have labored so hard over, it can be fatal to your plant to take off too much. If your plant isn’t well established, it isn’t healthy to take any leaves at all, even if it looks like its not using them. You should wait until your plant has been well established for at least several months before taking off any leaves. This wait will definitely be worth it, because by growing unabated your plant will produce healthily for years to come.

Once you’ve harvested your delicious home grown herbs, you’ll want to use them in cooking. Why else would you have grown them? Well first the process begins with drying them out. This is easily achieved by placing them on a cookie sheet and baking them 170 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 to 4 hours. After they’re sufficiently dried to be used in cooking, you can consult the nearest cookbook for instructions on using them to effectively flavor a dish.

If you want to store your herbs for later usage, you should keep them in a plastic or glass container. Paper or cardboard will not work, because it will absorb the taste of the herbs. During the first few days of storage, you should regularly check the container and see if any moisture has accumulated. If it has, you must remove all the herbs and re-dry them. If moisture is left from the first drying process, it will encourage mildew while you store your herbs. Nobody likes mildew.

So if you enjoy herbs or gardening, or both, then you should probably consider setting up an herb garden. It might require a little bit of work at first to set it up for optimal drainage, and pick what herbs you want to grow. But after the initial hassle, it’s just a matter of harvesting and drying all your favorite herbs.

Sometimes, the urge to garden might be stomped out by other circumstances, such as living arrangements or space constrictions. If you live in an apartment, you can’t really operate a full garden, just because you don’t really have a yard! I think that one of the best solutions for this problem is to grow plants in containers. You can hang these, or just arrange them on your patio, window sill or balcony. Just a few baskets or pots, and your whole living area will look much classier and nicer. A benefit of growing in small containers is the fact that you can move them around to suit your needs. If you rearrange your furniture and you think that it would look nicer if it was in the other area, it’s no trouble at all to scoot it over. As long as the lighting is about the same, your plant shouldn’t mind the transition at all. Another benefit of the containers’ versatility is the fact that you can adapt it to simulate any environment depending on the type of soil you fill it with and where you place it.

If you are trying to make an aesthetically pleasing arrangement of containers and plants, you can adjust the containers to be at different heights by hanging them from the ceiling or placing them on supports. Hanging them will allow you to make the most of the space you have. This is called “vertical gardening”. If you pull it off right, you can make a very pleasing arrangement of plants while conserving your valuable space. If you live in an apartment, you know how important it is to conserve space! One method of vertical gardening is the use of a wooden step ladder. If painted correctly, you can arrange all the plants on it in a beautiful, stylish cascade of color.

The maintenance of container plants takes slightly more time, since you have to water more often and go around to each individual container. However, the square footage for container plants is much less than that of an actual garden, so the time spent on maintenance and watering is more balanced. It is important that you don’t over-water your container plants, as this can be just as fatal to their health as under-watering.

When choosing containers for your plants, you’ll want to buy them all at once along with some extras in case they break or you add more plants later. You don’t want them to be all the same shape and size, but definitely the same style so that the compliment each other. Plastic containers are the best and require the least amount of watering, but if you want to stick with clay or earthen pots then you should line the inside with plastic. This helps it retain water more, as the clay will soak up water.

Another thing to remember when buying pots is the fact that the size of the pot will ultimately constrict the size of the plant. Make a careful choice of pots according to what you wish to grow in each one. If you search for the plant you chose on the internet, you should be able to find specifications as to how much root space it should be given. This can even be an advantage for you if you choose a plant that can grow very large. If you only have a limited amount of space for it, you can constrict it by choosing a pot that isn’t large enough to support huge amounts of growth.

If the benefits of container gardening sound appealing to you, then you should start planning out your container garden today. If you write a list of all the plants you desire to have, you can do the necessary research to find out what size and shape of pots you should get. After that, it’s just a matter of arranging them in a way that makes your home look the nicest.

by: Marie K Fisher
We have once again reached the wonderful magical time of midsummer,
when the garden is aglow with sensational blooms and a fantastic
array of colors. Many of these wonderful blooms fill the air with
their tantalising perfume.

I often pause for a while especially at twilight when the scent
from the blooms are at their stongest, and feel extremely proud
of the effort that I have put into my garden.

This is when I really appreciate how worthwhile it has all been.

No doubt your garden is looking really special as well, but if by
any chance you feel there are any gaps, or plants that you think
could be doing better, might I suggest that you take some
inspiration from some of these wonderful blooms which I find
truly magnificent.

In my opinion these are some of the blooms that will enhance any
garden and delight the senses with their combined scents.

Rose eglanteria - This sweet briar rose is valued for the strong
apple aroma which comes from the leaves, but there is also much
more than a pink flower in summer, it is followed by a deep red
in the autumn.
I think that it is an extremely handsome bush, and it also makes
an impenetrable hedge.

Agastache faoeniculum (anise hyssop) - This is a stately herbaceous
perennial, whose silver green leaves release a liquorice aniseed
fragrance. The rich violet blue color flowers are particularly
loved by bees, butterflies and goldfinches among others.
I find the rich beautiful color delightful when it bursts into my
garden in the late summer, and lasts right through to autumn.

Cytisus battandeiri (Moroccan Broom) - When planted around the walls
of the house or around the patio, the crushed pineapple aroma which
comes from the cones of the yellow blossom will pervade the air.

It truly excites the senses on the warm still days of June and July,
with its wonderful aroma wafting into the house or patio area.
It should be encouraged to flower freely so that you get the most
from this absolutely wonderful flower.

Magnolia grandiflora - The large chalices are a joy in late summer
with a wonderful lemon zest aroma. It should be helped to bloom when
young by espalier-training the shoots against a warm sunny wall.
Train them horizontally, and shorten new shoots to five leaves in
August.

Dianthus (Brymton Red) - These lovely old fashioned dianthus have a
lingering clove fragrance and the “Brymton red” is a true peacock
among them. They yield a brilliant display of single deep red flowers
laced with darker markings, and are just scintillating in June. Be sure
to deadhead flowers weekly to channel your plants energy into
producing more shoots and blooms.

Eucryphia nymansay - This elegant evergreen is famous for its summer
and autumn display of large honey scented white flowers. The flower is coveted by nectar seeking bees. It needs a warm and sunny location.
I absolutely adore these.

Ferdinand Pitchard - This is an old fashioned rose with the beckoning
smell of fresh picked raspberries. The globular pink blooms striped
with crimson and purple will be your reward for planting this fantastic
rose. It thrives on humis rich soil in full sunlight, and it will bring
color to the summer season most beautifully.

Other Flowers To Bring A Fesival Of Color And Delight.

Gladiolus communis - Until recently people looked down their noses at
gladiolus but they do make really good border flowers. They are
excellent at cramming the other colors, and they barely take any space
at ground level.

Scabiosa “Ace of Spades” - This is one for the chocoholics, “Ace of
Spades” is a mass of velvet and maroon with little white pins that have
a pincushion effect. What a beautiful flower this is, nestle them amongthe green foliage of alchemilla for contemporary color scheming. Allow the last flowers to self-sow.

Delphinium Belladonna Group - If you are looking for grace and charm then Belladonna hybrids are for you. They are ideal for summoning
a romantic effect, look wonderful around cottages, and bring an English type of charm to your garden.
For a full season of color grow with peonies, poppies and dahlias.
Cut down the first spikes once they have flowered for a second
flush of blooms.

Papaver ” Lady Frederick Moore” - A charming peach poppy is much softer on the eye than the traditional pillar box red oriental, and is easier to blend with the pastels of early summer. Grow in the sun and
hope for gentle weather to prolong this tissue paper like flower.

Monarda “Capricorn” - Think magenta, think hardy geranium? Why not try an unusual monarda instead, with its beautiful aromatic foliage and spidery petals, totally adored by bees. The stunning color and shapes make it a good contender with spikes of lythrum and veronica.
It is best planted in the sun where the soil does not get too dry nor the space too crowded.

LLathyrus latifolius - A delightful sweet pea that is everlasting but
without the sweet scent I am afraid,,so you can never quite have it all can you.
However, with the strong aromas from the flowers above this pretty flower,I do think that it is worth having in your garden.
The flowers are much bigger than the annual L.odoratus,with iridescent
shells for petals, and twining tendrils that obliginly twirlup small trees or wires on sunny fences. Give them the occasional folier feed and cut down last years foliage in the winter.

Acunthus mallis - Most perennials have unremarkable leaves, but not this stunning bear’s breeches. Acunthus makes a versatile backdrop
for classic herbaceous borders or jungle style foliage. The dark
glossy leaves and spikes of dusky hooded flowers will make a show
all summer long. Water well in dry summers.

Achillea “Walther Funcke” - If pastels are not your bag, spice things up instead with paprika shades of “Walter Funcke”! Add a scattering
of yellow day lilies and mix in the wispy blonde leaves of ponytail grass, (Stipa tenuissima), for good measure. It makes a compact drought tolerant mix for a sunny border where space is tight.

Thalictrum delavayi - Verbena bonariensis is not the only see-through plant. The tall meadow rue is wonderful airy for the front of a border, with perenial ferny foliage and clouds of tiny, fluffy flowers on skinny purple stems.
Grow on the cool side of the garden where the soil does not get too
dry in summer.

These are just a few of my favorite wonderfully scented flowers and plants that I think will add a soft to dramatic color to your garden.

So why not let your imagination and flair for color work magic on your own garden.
I can tell you that I feel like a true artist when my garden is in full bloom.

About the author:
About the Author

Marie K Fisher is an avid gardening enthusiast with a passion for exotic flowers and wondeful colors. She is a regular
contributor to Garden Center Showplace a leading online Garden Center.
For more details of the superb range of products offered, and also
more Featured Articles And Tips on Gardening visit http://www.gardencentershowplace.com

While tending to my own garden, I have found that one of the most frustrating things that can happen to a gardener is to walk outside to check on your plants. It’s just a routine walk to make sure that your garden is thriving, but you end up finding holes in all of your plants that looked fine only hours before. The explanations for some of these plant-destroying holes are garden pests. Some of the main garden pests are slugs, worms, caterpillars, birds, snails, and the occasional gopher. Although you can never wipe out these pests entirely, after all your hard work in the garden you have to do something.

Insects are one of the worst things to have in your garden; they can live under the soil, in old weeds or piles of leaves, or in a number of other places. In order to help keep insects away, always try and eliminate places in your garden and near your garden that these insects and other plant diseases could be living. Remove old leaves, weeds, or any other decaying matter that insects and diseases could be living in from your yard. Also, regularly turn over your garden soil and break apart any clumps of dirt so that you can eliminate the living spaces any insects that might be hiding underground.

Another way to rid your garden of the pests is to use dormant spray, which is used to keep destructive insects and diseases under control. It is best that you use dormant spray when your plants are dormant, usually around February or early March. I have used dormant spray many times on my garden and it has worked wonders on keeping insects out. But as I learned from experience, dormant spray is only effective if you follow the correct instructions. When I first decided to use some on my garden, I just dumped it everywhere in hopes of killing everything harmful. Unfortunately I ended up killing my entire garden along with my neighbors. Some insects can be beneficial to your garden though, so be sure to find out which insects help your garden.

Another pest problem I’ve had besides insects has been birds. Whenever I see birds in my garden I run outside a chase them away, but as soon as I step inside they come right back. The solution that I’ve come up with to keep the birds away from my garden is to put a bird feeder in my yard. Instead of costing me time and money by eating my garden, the birds eat at the bird feeder. In the long run it’ll save you money. Not only can a bird feeder help keep birds away from your garden, but they can also be a new part of your yard decoration. Although not completely eliminating my bird problem, my bird feeder has made the problem smaller. Getting a dog has also helped.

If you start seeing mounds of dirt around your yard, and your plants keep unexplainably dieing, you can assume that you have a gopher problem. Thankfully, this is one of the few garden pasts that I haven’t had. However my friend has struggled with a tremendous gopher infestation, so I decided to research it. Gophers are rodents that are five to fourteen inches long. Their fur can be black, light brown, or white, and they have small tails. One method of getting rid of these root-eating pests is to set traps. The key to successfully capturing a gopher using a trap is to successfully locate the gopher’s tunnels and set the trap correctly. Another way to get rid of them is to use smoke bombs, which you place into the tunnel and the smoke spreads through out it and hopefully reaches the gopher.

If you suspect that your gardens are being pillaged by any of the pests I mentioned, I encourage you to try your hardest to eliminate the problem as soon as possible. The longer you let the species stay, the more established it will become.

Many gardeners live in areas where almost anything can grow effortlessly. Just plant the seeds and water it for a few weeks, and you’ve got a beautifully lush plant. But if you live in somewhere like Colorado, you’ll understand what its like to have a slim selection of plants that naturally grow. It can be quite a challenge to facilitate the growth of a large variety of plants, especially when the very world you live in seems to be rooting against you.

Some people solve this problem by loading up their plants with every type of chemical and fertilizer known to man. This usually works, but to me it seems kind of unnatural to rely on man made materials to keep your plants alive. Also, if I’m growing fruits or vegetables, I don’t feel very comfortable eating something that is entirely composed of chemicals.

A gardening theory that I have relied on in the past to grow many types of plants is that of creating a “microclimate” for each type of plant. This is when you regulate the sunlight, shade, moisture, and wind factors for each separate plant. It sounds like a challenge, and it is. But you can regulate these factors in such a way that the plant feels just like it is in the ideal growing conditions. This can be achieved by the use of wind barriers, shading umbrellas, extra water, or different types or amounts of compost.

If you’re ready to make an attempt at creating microclimates, you’ll need to make a detailed plan in advanced. You should start by finding a large shade providing bush or tree that will grow fast and naturally in your area. Just look at some undeveloped plots of land and see what is there. Most likely it grew on its own without any planting or care. This is what you want to happen. Usually the growing of one plant can bring about the growing of another more desirable plant.

If you have a fence in your backyard (you would be surprised at how many people don’t) then you already have a good amount of shade to work with. You can start the microclimate process using just the shade of the fence, combined with (perhaps) a screen or large bush to shade your new plant for the other half of the day that the fence doesn’t take care of. The fence is also useful for shading against wind for very fragile plants.

Once you have established the shade, be it natural or unnatural, you have created a slightly less harsh miniature environment. You must remember this is a gradual process, and find a new plant to put in the shade of the other one. Now your choices are a little more open. You don’t have to go with a rugged plant like the one you did before; you can now choose a plant that survives in cooler weather.

If the plant you are trying to grow next requires more moisture in the air than your area provides, installing a fountain or small pond can fix this problem due to the evaporation. You may think you don’t want to waste water on a pond or fountain, but it’s all going toward the betterment of your garden. It’s just like the watering process, only indirect. As an added benefit, usually fountains are quite aesthetically attractive and a great addition to your garden.

I can’t explain every stage of the process, because everyone’s goals and setups are slightly different. But to reach your goal, you should do research on every plant that you would like to have in your garden. Find out everything you can about the zone that it flourishes in, and ask yourself how you can emulate that zone within your own backyard. Almost always you can take control of the environment and recreate whatever you wish. Usually all it takes is some planning and strategy.

by: ARA
(ARA) - Avid gardeners spend a good part of the winter planning what they will plant in the spring. Even casual gardeners invest plenty of time and money in their plants. Regular watering is one key to a successful garden. So what’s a gardener to do when faced with lack of rainfall combined with water restrictions in the middle of a hot summer?

More and more gardeners are turning to rain barrels to keep their gardens happy and healthy. Saving rainwater to use during dry periods is an ancient practice that is once again becoming popular. This low-tech but ingenious solution is simple and inexpensive, and provides chemical-free water that plants thrive on.

The plastic rain barrels come in a range of sizes, with 50 to 60 gallons being most common. Simply place the barrel under a downspout in an unobtrusive part of your yard and wait for rain. Instead of letting rainwater flow down your driveway and into a storm drain, it will collect in the barrel for later use.

You can harvest a surprisingly large amount of rainwater from your gutters. Just a small amount of rain — less than half an inch — can easily fill a 50 gallon rain barrel, so you can quickly start to collect enough to keep your flower beds, garden or houseplants well watered. “It won’t be enough o water your lawn, but it will be plenty for vegetable gardens, flowers and shrubbery,” says Lars Hundley, owner of Dallas-based CleanAirGardening.com, an online company that specializes in environmentally friendly lawn and garden supplies. To collect more water, you can connect several barrels with a pip or hose, or you can put barrels under more than one gutter downspout.

Once your rain barrel is full, you can hook a hose up to the rain barrel to water your garden (rain barrels are perfect to use with soaker hoses), or you can simply dip a watering can into the barrel. Rainwater is naturally soft and free of minerals, chlorine, fluoride and other chemicals.

“Trees and plants rely on fungus, bacteria and nematodes to help them absorb the minerals and nutrients they need,” explains Hundley. “Plants have an efficient immune system that allows them to fend off diseases and other invaders as long as they have a healthy soil environment and aren’t stressed by other factors,” he adds. Chemical fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides and drought disrupt the balance and harmony of the soil, weakening trees and plants and allowing disease to take over. “The chemicals and hard water from many municipal water systems also add to the imbalance of the soil. Watering with softer, natural rainwater is a nice treat for your plants,” says Hundley.

In addition to being good for your plants, rain barrels can also save you money. Some experts estimate that lawn and garden watering make up almost 40 percent of total household water use during the summer; by utilizing collected rainwater, you can substantially reduce this amount. As an added benefit, collecting rainwater also helps control moisture levels around the foundation of your house.

Here are some tips to consider when shopping for a rain barrel:

* Make sure your barrel is child-proof. A safety grid at the top prevents children and animals from entering.

* All systems should use covered barrels that keep the water from accumulating leaves and other debris. They should also have some kind of filter to keep out silt and leaves; these can range from a funnel with mesh in the bottom that is covered by gravel to a rainwater washing apparatus that you can purchase.

* Keep mosquitoes from breeding in your barrel by keeping it tightly covered and using debris screens to filter water before it enters the barrel. Cleaning your gutters and downspouts frequently and using collected rainwater within a few days will also help control mosquito problems. You can place a nontoxic mosquito “dunk,” in the barrel for additional protection.

Some cities have started programs to give residents easy access to affordable rain barrel systems. You may be able to find a limited selection of rain barrels at your local garden supply store; for more options, visit www.cleanairgardening.com or call (888) 439-9101 for a catalog.

Courtesy of ARA Content

If your current planting goals involve plants that require good water drainage, I am sure you know how frustrating it is to have a yard that just won’t cooperate. Some plants can handle the excess water that comes about from being in an area that doesn’t drain properly. In fact, it might just cause them to bloom more lushly. However, other plants don’t cope as well, and it will cause them to die a gruesome, bloated death. You should always find out about the drainage required for every plant you buy, and make sure that it won’t conflict with any of the areas you are considering planting it in.

In order to test how much water your designated patch of soil will retain, dig a hole approximately ten inches deep. Fill it with water, and come back in a day when all the water had disappeared. Fill it back up again. If the 2nd hole full of water isn’t gone in 10 hours, your soil has a low saturation point. This means that when water soaks into it, it will stick around for a long time before dissipating. This is unacceptable for almost any plant, and you are going to have to do something to remedy it if you want your plants to survive.

The usual method for improving drainage in your garden is to create a raised bed. This involves creating a border for a small bed, and adding enough soil and compost to it to raise it above the rest of the yard by at least 5 inches. You’ll be amazed at how much your water drainage will be improved by this small modification. If you’re planning to build a raised bed, your prospective area is either on grass or on dirt. For each of these situations, you should build it slightly differently.

If you want to start a raised garden in a non grassy area, you won’t have much trouble. Just find some sort of border to retain the dirt you will be adding. I’ve found that there is nothing that works quite as well as a few two by fours. After you’ve created the wall, you must put in the proper amount soil and steer manure. Depending on how long you plan to wait before planting, you will want to adjust the ratio to allow for any deteriorating that may occur.

If you’re trying to install a raised bed where sod already exists, you will have a slightly more difficult time. You will need to cut the sod around the perimeter of the garden, and flip it over. This may sound simple, but you will need something with a very sharp edge to slice the edges of the sod and get under it. Once you have turned it all upside down, it is best to add a layer of straw to discourage the grass from growing back up. After the layer of straw, simply add all the soil and steer manure that a normal garden would need.

Planting your plants in your new area shouldn’t pose much difficulty. It is essentially the same process as your usual planting session. Just be sure that the roots don’t extent too far into the original ground level. The whole point of creating the raised bed is to keep the roots out of the soil which saturates easily. Having long roots that extend that far completely destroys the point.

Once you have plants in your new bed, you’ll notice an almost immediate improvement. The added soil facilitates better root development. At the same time, evaporation is prevented and decomposition is discouraged. All of these things added together makes for an ideal environment for almost any plant to grow in. So don’t be intimidated by the thought of adjusting the very topography of your yard. It is a simple process as I’m sure you’ve realized, and the long term results are worth every bit of work.

If you’ve been growing a vegetable garden for a while, you might be feeling slightly disgruntled at how plain it is to look at. I too began my gardening career with a vegetable garden, but I decided that it wasn’t quite as pleasing to look at as I would have liked. I heard from a friend that the use of perennial flowers could be a great way to liven up my garden without adding any extra work for me.

Perennial flowers are strong, local flowers that come back every year without having to replant or do any extra work. During their off seasons, the flowers and stems die back and you can hardly even tell the plant is there (rather than just dying and looking like hideous brown clumps in your garden). When it’s time to bloom, entirely new flowers shoot up where the old ones were.

Before deciding whether to put in perennials or not, you need to make sure that your soil has proper drainage. If the water stays saturated for long periods of time, you should build a raised bed. To test, dig a hole and fill it with water. Wait a day, and then fill it with water again. All traces of water should be gone within 10 hours. If the hole isn’t completely dry, you will need to build a raised bed.

Picking your perennials can be a complicated process. The goal should be to have them flowering as much as possible during the year, so you should create an outline of the year. Research the different types of flower you want, and create a timeline of flowering. If you plan it right, you can have a different type of flower blooming at any point in the year. Getting just the right mixture of seeds can give your yard a constantly changing array of colors.

When you go to buy the seeds from your local florist or nursery, you might be able to find a custom seed mixture for your area. This takes the really tough research part out of the job. Usually these blends are optimized for the local climate, and do great jobs of having flowers always grow in your yard. If one of these isn’t available, you can ask the employees what they think would be a good mixture. They should be happy to help you put something together which will be optimal for whatever you desire.

You should definitely use mulch when planting perennials. This will reduce the overall amount of work you have to do, by reducing the amount of weeds and increasing the water retention. Bark or pine needles work great, I have found, and depending on the rest of your yard you might have them on hand at no charge. As for fertilizer, you should use it sparingly once your plants start to come to life.

When you actually go to plant the seeds, you should put them in small, separate clumps according to the directions. This is because they tend to spread out, and if you have too many too close together then they will end up doing nothing but choking each other out. As you plant them, throw in a little bit of extremely weak fertilizer. In no time at all you should start to see flowers blooming up.