Landscaping Articles
House Painting Tips
(category: Landscaping, Word count: 241)
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Seasons wreak havoc on a home's exterior. In fact, Americans spend over $4.8 billion annually on maintenance services. Spring is the ideal time for homeowners to plan the repainting of their homes. The exterior of your home is the first impression you give the outside world and a good paint job is critical to your home's appearance.
Ed Waller, co-founder of Certa-Pro Painters, offers tips on painting the exterior of your home and ideas to make your job easier.
(*) First, evaluate the condition of your house. Look for bare wood, metal or masonry surfaces. That's where paint is worn and you need a new coat, or you have other problems such as moisture that a professional painter should assess for you.
(*) Use a cleaning solution to remove dirt on siding. Scrub well and rinse thoroughly.
(*) Prepare your house well if you are repainting it. Some loose paint is obvious, some is hard to find by just looking at it.
(*) Buy the best paint possible for the exterior of a house. The best paint will withstand the elements better than a cheaper type and in the long run may actually save money. The same goes for brushes and rollers.
(*) Be sure to paint in the shade on a bright day. Painting in the sun can cause the paint to dry too fast and blister.
(*) Brush first, then roll. Paint the trim last.
A Look At Metal Gazebos
(category: Landscaping, Word count: 308)
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If you're looking for the strength, stability, sturdiness, and longevity of a metal gazebo, you have plenty of options to fit your needs. They come as 4-sided structures, all the way to 12-sided structures, as well as irregular structures like rectangles, ovals, and multi-sectioned shapes. They often boast many flourishes, such as swirling, plant-like shapes. Despite their not being made of wood, they have a very graceful feel to them capable of complimenting any outdoor setting.
Most metal gazebos come in aluminum, or steel and wrought iron. Aluminum is the less expensive and more lightweight material. It will do just fine under most circumstances. But if you're looking for a much more permanent structure, steel or wrought iron is your best bet. These metals are much heavier than aluminum and therefore stand up better to hard winds.
Another consideration for some consumers is that steel and iron are not likely to be damaged by vandalism. So while steel and iron are more expensive than aluminum, you might save money in the long run, because they will last.
Most metal gazebos don't have a contiguous roof to keep off rain or snow. You can either leave your metal gazebo that way and appreciate it for its aesthetic value, or you can add a fitted canopy. These are often made out of a heavy canvass or polymers. This open design means metal gazebos are great for displaying plants that hang in pots from the roof or climb like vines up the sides. Adding plants to a metal gazebo will bring more shade and beauty to the area.
The best part about any metal gazebo is its ability to withstand everything that a wood gazebo is prone to. Rot, termites, fading, warping, twisting, chipping, checking, discoloring - these elements are nothing to a metal gazebo.
Flower Bulb Catalogs
(category: Landscaping, Word count: 140)
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Because of their relative ease of planting and growing, bulbs of all kinds are a popular flower choice. A wide variety of flower bulbs are available today. Tulips, lilacs, daffodils, crocuses, irises, dahlias, and gladiolus are just a few of the flower bulbs available. Even within one flower family, there are often many variations. For example, there are over one hundred tulips available for fall planting alone.
It would be difficult to house all of the different bulbs in one store, and even more overwhelming for a customer to try to decide which one is right for them. Luckily, stores don't even have to try. Consumers can simply open a flower bulb catalog and see pictures of all of the different varieties available. Many of the catalogs will give all of the pertinent information to consumers
Japanese Gardens Basic Design Questions That Should Be Addressed
(category: Landscaping, Word count: 730)
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As westerners, we are often compelled to try to control and plan all design aspects of what we want when constructing something. We try to anticipate every little detail so we don't make a mistake. Although you will still need to organize and draw out your Japanese garden design, plus determine the shape of your landscape and what you desire for your garden, you should also allow yourself to "go with the flow" and let it "speak to you" as your garden takes shape. In other words, allow for improvisation and ideas to emerge rather than being rigid in sticking to your original design plan.
Before any work begins within the yard itself, a basic garden plan should be drawn up to help you formulate your ideas and the placement of elements. There are several questions you need to address to help with this process:
1) Do you already have an existing garden in the area where you wish to incorporate a Japanese garden style? If so, what type of garden is it (flower garden, English garden, rustic wildflower garden, etc.)?
2) Will you be able to integrate your current garden into the new Japanese garden plan? What aspects and features will remain and what will have to be moved, replaced or removed entirely?
3) What style of Japanese garden are you most interested in - tea garden, courtyard garden, stroll garden, pond and island garden, Zen rock garden or a combination of two or more? For very small areas, you will most likely stick to only one style. For those that have a large landscape, you can have your choice of any of the styles to suit your desires and landscape area.
4) How large is the area of the site that you are considering using? Does it have natural hills and valleys? Are there any elements, such a stream, already present? Take a good visual view of your selected site and note down all the details on paper. Take measurements as well, so you know the exact area size you will be working with.
5) What elements and features are important to you? For example, do you wish to add a waterfall, water basin, or a rock arrangement? Would you like one small area to feature a Zen garden? Is a stepping-stone pathway that leads to a gate appealing?
6) Will you be building this garden by yourself or will you have help? The size, design and amount of work to create your Japanese garden will affect this answer. Obviously, building a very large stroll garden by yourself would take forever and be impractical.
7) If you plan to use large boulders or plant more mature trees (rather than saplings), how will you get them into your garden? Is there room and access for large machinery to help with placement? Keep in mind boulders and large trees are extremely heavy.
8) Will your garden be formal, semi-formal, or informal (rustic)?
9) Many Japanese gardens are actually built around a theme. Do you have a theme in mind for your garden? An example of a theme would be a miniaturized version of "The Bridge To Heaven", which is a marble and stone bridge that spans the famous Dragon Beard Ditch in China. This bridge was built over 600 years ago to allow the Ming and Qing emperors to cross over on their way to the Temple of Heaven. Your theme could even revolve around a smaller replica or area of an original famous garden of Japan. Read books and view photographs of existing gardens to get some ideas.
10) What do you want to achieve with your garden? Will it be used primarily for meditation? Do you wish to incorporate a strolling pathway with new visual delights beyond each curve? Do you want the invigorating sounds of water, such as a waterfall or fast moving stream? Will it be a place to sit quietly and contemplate nature? Understanding the concept behind the garden design is important.
In conclusion, these types of questions should be contemplated carefully and answered thoroughly before you begin to put your design down on paper, otherwise you could end up with a garden that holds no meaning for you or your visitors. A Japanese garden should have a "reason for being." What are your reasons?
Aluminum Sling Patio Furniture Comfortable Seating For Outdoor Settings
(category: Landscaping, Word count: 292)
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When shopping for patio furniture, people want something that will be comfortable for themselves as well as their guests. There are a number of great options in patio furniture it can be hard to choose. Aluminum sling patio furniture is a lesser known patio furniture, but nevertheless is a great choice for elegance and comfort in a patio setting.
Aluminum seating provides practical inexpensive outdoor seating with elegance. Aluminum sling patio furniture is actually one of the less expensive types of patio furniture available. The lower cost however does not sacrifice quality. The components of aluminum strap patio furniture are heavy-duty, and resistant to all types of elements including scratch and dent, stains, and intense sunlight.
Aluminum patio furniture is just as elegant as higher end types of patio furniture. Aluminum in this type of furniture can be crafted to give a more traditional furniture style like that of wrought iron. It can also be crafted in a more contemporary streamline design. As opposed to bulky wrought iron furniture however, aluminum sling patio furniture can be easily stacked for storage.
Aluminum sling patio furniture is available in a variety of styles. All traditional patio furniture elements are available including patio dining tables and chairs, patio bar chairs, and chaise lounges. However, aluminum sling patio furniture has some unique chair styles including rocking chairs, swinging benches, and recliners. All these great options will ensure a comfortable outdoor patio setting.
All these wonderful features make aluminum sling patio furniture an excellent choice for any outdoor seating. It is versatile, practical, and economical. And if comfort and elegance are top priorities for patio furniture, aluminum sling patio furniture is the way to go.
How To Use Feng Shui Oustside Your Home
(category: Landscaping, Word count: 508)
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It is fun to decorate your own house but sometimes, simple decorating can even lead to a very bad Feng Shui. It is understandable that we like to decorate our house to reflect our mood and taste; however, we will like to let you know some of the basic points to cover when decorating your house. The suggestions below are not a complete list of Feng Shui in your home but merely some essential steps to improve the Feng Shui in your house.
First, go to your house's main entry and stand facing out from your house. Make sure that there is no Poison Arrow pointing to your main entrance. Poison Arrow can come in many forms. It could be a straight road heading straight to your house or a big tree directly outside your house. If you are facing this situation, you should relocate your main door away from this poison arrow or simply just plant a few trees to block this poising arrow.
From the back door, if the land at the back of your house is higher, that is good for you because you have the support of the "Black Turtle". If there is a hill behind your house, that is excellent. If the land behind your house is low, if you are on a hill top for example then you need to install a bright light and shine it upwards to lift the receding Chi energy. You should also place a tortoise at the back of your house if possible.
Looking out from your main door, the land on your left side garden should be higher then the right side. The left side symbolizes Dragon and the right side represents Tiger. You should not let the Tiger be stronger then the Dragon or it will create problems for you in your house like arguing, family disagreement and so on. To rectify this, try to plant tall trees on your left hand side of the garden so the Dragon energy can be stronger then the Tiger. You should also plant a lot of leafy trees on the left hand side of your garden. Try not to have a garden water feature on your right hand side of your garden especially if you are married. By having water fountain on your side of the garden, it may cause a lot of married issues like sex scandals and third party relationships.
When you are opening your house main entrance door, there should be no mirror facing the main door. This is to prevent good energy, luck and wealth from flowing out again. It is also not good when your back door is facing the main door in a straight-line method. This has the same effect as a mirror. Good energy will flow into your house and then flow out from your back door. You need to capture this good energy in your house and don't let them flow out from your house..
Some Practical Ideas For Designing You Own Landscape
(category: Landscaping, Word count: 573)
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Designing your own landscape, can be both exciting and challenging. If you are considering such a project, here are some practical ideas and suggestions.
Planning the Project
Planning your landscape design is the first and most important step. Take the time to gather the information you will need to make your decisions on the elements you wish to include in your landscape design. Will you want a deck, patio, foot paths, walkways, a pond? What type of plants, trees, flowers, and ground cover will you want to use? You should research books, articles, and landscape design magazines to help you make these decisions. This will pay off in the end by saving you money, time, and frustration, enabeling you end up with a beautifully finished project to be proud of.
The Design
The landscape design is your next step. You will need to make a layout of the area to be landscaped, as close to scale as possible, and with accurate measurements. Many landscape design planning guides that will give you step-by-step instructions are available on the internet for free, and books or eBooks are abundant. Once your landscape design layout is done you can began to place your elements on the layout pad. This should be your first or preliminary plan and as you progess, changes can be transfered to your secondary or updated plans. Changing your mind often is just fine. After all this is just on paper at this point and you have not spent any money or performed any labor yet. Experimenting with a few plans is necessary before you come up the final landscape design. A well planned landscape will never look the same in different seasons. Plan your landscape design to change with the seasons. You should attempt to design your landscape as maintenance free as possible.
Landscape Design Software
If it is hard for you to visualize your finished landscape design by just looking at your layout, there is some very good landscape design software available. Much of the landscape design software was originally developed for professional landscapers, but since has been modified for the beginner who wants to do-it-themselves. There are many do-it-yourslef landscape design software programs available today. Landscape design software lets you see a virtual picture of the landscape design and enables you to move items around and see the changes you make come to life. Some software allows you to import a photo of your home or building and designs the landscape around the photo. Most landscape design software programs offer advise on using and placing the many different elements available today in your landscape design. A well designed landscape will always change with time, abd some of the landscape design software available will allow you to view your landscape as it matures. You can see what it will look like 5 or 10 years from now when the trees have grown and the plants matured.
Many people like to incorparate a garden in their landscape design. Gardens can be tucked away in the corner of an area, or be the focal point of the entire landscape design. Gardens can even be stragecly placed among the plants, flowers and trees so they blend in with the entire landscape design. If you like to garden, dont overlook all the garden design possiblities when planning your landscape design.
Unifying And Separating Landscaping Planting Beds
(category: Landscaping, Word count: 292)
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There are thousands of plant combinations, companion plantings, and color combinations that will work well in landscaping and garden planting schemes.
And form a beginner or do it yourselfer standpoint, simplicity and repitition in planting is a good starting point that can be added to later. I usually say to pick a color scheme of two or three colors and repeat it throughout the garden.
For more curious, experimental, or advanced home landscapers there may be a feel for planting in masses or even random, assorted, and wildflower and ornamental grass beds.
In any instance, there's always a chance that even the best of planting intentions can disrupt harmony, balance, and unity in the garden instead of creating it.
Periodically adding a neutral colored plant throughout your landscape can help unify planting beds that differ in color, texture, and even height.
Silver or gray plants such as Lambs Ears, Artemesia, Dusty Miller, Santolina, Sage, Horehound, and others are considered neutral colored.
Using white flowers as a neutral also works very well. Anything white is a natural focal point and especially in the garden. In a mass of green foliage, orange flowers, mixed flowers, etc., white always draws our eyes to it. Using it throughout the garden will create a sense of unity.
Use white sparingly. Too much of it tends to feel cluttered.
Unifying a garden that's out of sorts is really quite simple. As well as moving and matching existing elements, try adding a neutral color plant to the different planting areas.
Separating or "buffering" beds from each other can be as simple as adding a neutral or group of neutrals between colors or beds.
Bringing Outdoor Space In For Three Season Use
(category: Landscaping, Word count: 308)
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Imagine a beautiful spring evening spent outside on your patio. Now picture how quickly a sudden shower can turn that idyllic image into a wet dash for cover. Or consider a summer afternoon picnic out on the deck. The sun and the scenery are great, but what about the bugs?
For many homeowners, patios and decks are a terrific investment toward spending more time outdoors. But those home additions come with something unpredictable: the great outdoors itself, with all its natural wonders-and hazards. But a new concept in construction is helping turn those exterior spaces into something more: all-purpose, three-season rooms that protect against the very things that could otherwise spoil a good time outside.
Porch systems enclose an existing or newly constructed patio or deck using pre-engineered modular wall panels and joining posts. Wooden wall panels help protect against the cool air and damaging sun, and are secured to the floor using a threshhold. Channeled vertical posts join the wall panels together to create a visually appealing facade.
Carpenters and ambitious do-it-yourselfers can assemble Vixen Hill's three-season or open rail porch systems with ease. The products' modular design eliminates the complicated carpentry normally involved in this type of construction. Pre-assembled components (modules) are designed to require the minimum number of fasteners for an uncomplicated, systematic installation.
"Most outdoor space is designed for a specific purpose and satisfies only one particular need," says Christopher Peeples, president and founder of Vixen Hill. "The key benefit of our porch systems is that they have multiple uses. Created to give the feeling of the traditional wooden porch and bring the comfort of the indoors outside, the addition can be an ideal space for entertaining friends and family, dining, reading or just relaxing. Homeowners get the best of outdoor living without leaving the house."
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