Inspirational Making the Right Choice in Garden Pond Liners

Building your garden pond is work but for most they find it enjoyable work, and part of the tasks required to completing the job is to pick the proper garden pond products which includes choosing a pool liner.

You are going to have to make the decision about your pond liner before you actually start to construct your garden pond. If you decide to go with a preformed type, then your excavation has to be done according to the form. Using a soft liner is most often a choice that many make because if allows for more flexibility in designing a shape for the garden pond. People can be more creative when choosing these types.

There are things that you need to consider though when choosing your pond liner. The make and size are the two key issues.

Quality
The quality of your liner is very important. If you have been given a used one, be very cautious about using this. Often the older ones can become brittle and will crack when you try to lay them. Then there could be leaks that you cannot see but will soon discover when you fill your pond.

No doubt you have put a great deal of work into your pond and now is not the time to start cutting corners. Good quality garden pond liners are most affordable, and are a very important part of your water garden. You also want to be sure that the materials that the pond liners are constructed of contain no harmful chemicals, and will provide a safe environment for your fish and plant life.

Ease of Installation
Installing your pond liner should not be all that difficult. If you have purchased a liner that is of good quality it should be durable, and flexible. Many of these pond liners are lightweight enough that they are easy to maneuver and put into place.

Choosing the right size
This is a very important step to be sure that the liner fits properly. If it does not, it may not hold the water properly, and it will look unsightly. To determine the size that you need there is a simple formula.

For the width you need
Find the widest part of your pond and measure this. Then determine the depth of your pond and multiply this by 2 then add 2 more.
So for example, the widest point is 10 feet, it is 2 feet deep, this would mean for width you would need 10'+4'+2', for a total of 16 feet in width.

For the length you need
You would do the same for the length using the same formula. If the longest length was 15 feet, then you would need, 15'+4+2, for a total of 21feet in length.

Garden pond liners are normally sold in 5ft. increments. So for this example you would need to purchase a 20'x25' liner.

This formula takes into account the requirements needed for lining the walls of the pond and a safety overlap.

Best of Water in Your Japanese Garden

To Pond or not.

Perhaps one of the most expected features in any Japanese garden is the pond. Do you want water in your Japanese garden? Yes, of course you do!

If there is any way that you have the space and resources , a pond is just about the best thing you can incorporate into your garden. It doesn't have to be big. But it should be suited to your garden. There is just something, well, so relaxing about a water feature.

There are several things to consider before deciding on a pond. Firstly, it is work to put one in. Digging out for a pond of any size is an effort. If you have the facility to bring in a small backhoe to do the job, then that part will be easy. If not, be prepared for some hard work. Do you know what kind of ground you have? Is it decent soil or is it full of rocks? And do you have a place to put all that extra dirt? It always amazes me that when you dig out one cubic yard of soil that it takes up twice as much space when you move it!

What will the pond be used for? Will you try to keep fish in it? Water plants maybe? How will it be lined? Will there need to be some sort of aeration if you have fish? Make sure you have all the bases covered before you start.

Both fish and water lilies need a water depth of about two feet. It could be a little deeper for larger fish. That means you will need to dig the hole about 2 1/2 feet deep to provide adequate water depth.

I still remember my first pond 35 years ago. All dug by hand and lined with concrete. Oh, what a job!

My current pond, being done as we speak, has one of these modern liners. Much easier to put in, and far less costly in the long run. It also has a small header pond with short connecting stream.

It does take considerable care for the installation of a pond liner. The one thing that a liner is susceptible to is being punctured by sharp objects. You need to make sure that the whole area covered by the pond has all the rocks, both large and small meticulously removed. You will benefit from using something between the ground and your liner. There are special sub liners available which you can lay down first, although this will essentially double the cost of your liner.

I am using a combination of sawdust (I do a LOT of woodworking) and carpet for my underliner. Now I know the liner salesman will tell you that this will not work and that it will smell. But a recent visit to a friend on a neighboring island here would tend to say otherwise. Ray has had his pond in place for several years without any ill effects from the carpet.

Aside from the initial work of installation, your pond will require minimal maintenance. No more than any other part of your garden.

New Seven Steps to Choosing the Right Garden Pond Spot

Making the decision to put in a garden pond is the first of many decisions that you will be faced with, when it comes to designing and implementing one of these beauty home accessories.

To begin with almost any yard can house some type of garden pond. There is nothing to say that it has to be big and elaborate in order to fully enjoy all the benefits they have to offer.

There are some preliminary steps to take before actually starting the construction of your pond.

== > Step one
You need to do a full walk through of your backyard and determine all of the viable places from a ground point of view that would work for your pond. If you are going to be doing it yourself remember that you will have some digging to do, and you are not likely to have the right equipment for breaking through ground that is excessively rocky.

== > Step two
You will probably discover at least two or three places that have the appropriate grounds. The next thing you now have to consider is what size of garden pond are you planning on? Then determine which of the locations you have chosen would best meet this need.

== > Step three
Now you have to consider the focal point of your backyard. With your choices of space, is the garden pond going to fit in nicely with the rest of the garden architecture? Even if you do not have your landscaping in place yet, think about the future. Once your garden pond is in you don't even want to have to consider moving it.

== > Step four
Consider the surrounding of the future pond area. If you have large trees you don't want to be running into root problems in a few years, just when your garden pond has become so beautifully established. Then also there is the potential problem of your garden pond becoming laden with fallen leaves and twigs from trees too close to it.

== > Step five
Review the high ground around the pond area. You don't want to have to be dealing with run off from these areas contaminating your pond.

Step six
You want to be sure that there is going to be easy access to your electrical source. You will need this for your pump and filtration system, and perhaps some of the other garden pond accessories that demand power.

== > Step seven
Finally consider how close you want your garden pond to your house. If you have found a viable area that is close to the house, then you want to keep in mind if you do not have a patio now, that you may want to put one in, in the future. Therefore you need to plan ahead for this. The advantage though to having it close to the house is that if you use pond lighting you can enjoy seeing this from inside the house. Also with an open window and provided you are using a fountain or waterfall, you can enjoy the sound of the running water.

These are a few important considerations to give some serious thought to when in the initial planning stages for your garden pond.

Lovely Understanding the Need for Necessary Garden Pond Supplies

Unless you are prepared to invest in all of the necessary garden pond supplies that are required to have a healthy garden pond, there is no point in even attempting to install one.

Garden ponds do not have to be overly expensive to construct, but there are some basic garden pond supplies that are a necessity. By doing some comparison shopping when seeking out these necessary items however, costs can really be kept to a minimum. In addition to this, whatever expense is incurred in constructing the garden pond is well worth it. A healthy water pond provides many hours of relaxation and enjoyment.

Garden pond liners
You are going to have to have something to contain the water for your pond. You can either choose from preformed liners, or flexible liners. There are pros and cons to both and it will come down to you having to make your decision based on what your pond requirements are.

==> Pond pumps
If you have a very tiny pond with virtually nothing in it, then you may be able to get away without a pump. Very few people are satisfied with this type of pond however, and soon go about stocking it with at least some pond plants and a few fish at the very least. This makes having a pond pump an absolute necessity.

==> Pond filtration
You must be able to filter the water of your garden pond. It will be exposed to environmental debris, as well as the bi-products of the fish such as their waste, and unused foods. These left unattended in the pond will contaminate the water. Without the use of a filtration system to attend to this matter, the water will soon become unhealthy for both fish and plant life.

==> Pond waterfalls and fountains
These are items that one can now consider as an option when it comes to garden pond supplies. They fit into the dcor category of pond building. They certainly are a most welcome addition. Which you choose will be determined by the pond design that you have, as well as size and of course preference. Neither one of these are hard to install or maintain.

==> Additional Pond garden supplies
There are many handy garden pond supplies that are considered accessories but many garden pond enthusiasts simply will not do without them. One of these is the water thermometers. Knowing and keeping control of the pond temperature is crucial for both fish and plant life.

Another great accessory is garden pond netting. After spending many hours of cleaning out debris such as fallen leaves and twigs, or dealing with unwanted birds, this pond netting proves to be most valuable.

Then there is a necessity for a pond testing kit. This takes all the guesswork out of knowing if the pond is stabilized according to the various chemical components it depends on to remain healthy.

Finally there are various chemicals that are available such as water clarifiers, stabilizers and algae control. There are other accessories as well which many come under the category of garden pond dcor.

Luxury Marginal Plants for the Garden Pond. Part 2

Glyceria (Water Grass)
Yet another grassy Marginal, and one with a bad reputation for being invasiveand for swamping the more delicate plants. Glyceriaspectabilis variegatus (Manna Grass) is a striking plant growing 2 - 3 feet high, with Green leaves which are boldly variegated with Yellow and Whote stripes. The young spring foliage has a distinctly rosy hue. The wide-spreading grass flower heads are of little ornamental value and should be removed. The planting depth is 0 - 6 inches and it can be grown in the bog garden. Unless Glyceria is used to stabilise the bank of a lake or large pond, it should always be grown in a container to restrict its sideways spread. It is an easy plant to grow even in partial shade and it quickly becomes established and stars to spread, this is the main problem with this particular plant.



Houttuynia (Houltuynia)

An easy to grow carpeter for planting between taller specimens, but you must grow it in a container to keep its invasive nature in check. The stems are Red and the Bluish-Green leaves are distinctly heart shaped. It grows 6 inches to 1 foot high and in early summer the cone shaped flowers appear, each one surrounded by 4 white bracts. Houttuynia cordata bears single flowers - the double flowered variety 'Plena' is preferred. Variegata has the most colourful foliage which is Reddish-Green splashed with Yellow and cream but with only a few flowers. The recommended planting depth is 2 - 4 inches. It will grow quite happily at the surface or even in damp soil, but the roots can be damaged in winter if they are exposed to frost or ice.



Caltha (Marsh Marigold)

The Marsh Marigolds are perhaps the most popular of all Marginal plants, and quite rightly so. The size of the smaller types makes them suitable for small ponds and they are reliable under a wide range of conditions. The recommended planting depth is no roblem, they need very little water above the crowns and will grow quite happily in the bog garden. Their greatest advantage is the time of flowering, the Buttercup-like flowers appear above the round or heart shaped leaves in spring. These April blooms herald in the start of the floral year. Grow Marsh Marigolds in groups in full sun or partial shade. The basic and most popular species is the Kingcup Caltha palustris. In April the bright Yellow waxy flowers are borne on branching stems above the dark Green leaves. Height 1 foot to 18 inches, planting depth is 0 - 2 inches. The best Caltha of all is C.palustris Plena - double Yellow flowers which look like small pompon Crysanthemumsappear in April. The leafy mounds are small (6 inches th 1 foot) and are often completely covered by the blooms. The White variety alba produces its blooms in May - height 6 - 9 inches, planting depth 1 inch. It is often disappointing as a Marginal s o it is best to grow it as a bog plant.C.leptosepala is a more attractive White floweredCaltha, but it is not easy to find. C polypetala is the giant growing 2 - 3 feet in height, planting depth 2 - 5 inches. The leaves and the Yellow blooms are large. Not one for a small pond.

Elegant Make Your Garden More Beautiful with a Small Koi Pond!

You have your dream home along with a wonderful garden that enhances it's beauty. But... you want to make your garden even more beautiful. How about the idea of enhancing it with a small Koi pond? 

Koi fish are an ornamental variety of domesticated Common Carp or Cyprinus Carpio. Also known as Japanese Carp, these pretty fish are known as symbols of love and friendship. You can find Koi in a multitude of colors, including white, black, red, yellow, blue, cream and silver.

It is an old Japanese tradition to tame these fish in small ponds. Japanese homes have always been beautiful and wonderfully embellished. In the present the Japanese people widely use a small Koi pond in their home garden to decorate it and maintain a positive energy. Koi are traditionally known in Japan as a 'good luck charm.'

In addition to increasing the serenity of your garden, these small ponds add to your reasons for spending time relaxing in and enjoying it.

Another bonus of a small Koi pond is that building one is not an overly tough task. You can build it in hours without spending huge amounts of money. To make your job even easier follow these simple guidelines...

First, decide on location, where to place the pond in your garden? Selection of a shady area is always a wise decision as shade will help moderate water temperatures and provide some cover for your Koi. You must also select a place where you can easily keep your pond clean and free from garden wastes. You don't want chemicals or fertilizers to run into the pond since this would be likely to kill your fish.

You should also make sure that the place you have chosen for your pond has easy access to electricity. Electricity will be required for running your filter and water pump.

Size is another important factor, particularly if you are the one who is going to dig the hole. The size of a pond also varies in accordance with the number of fish, and depending on where you live you will also need to make sure your pond is of adequate depth. If winters get below freezing you will need to make sure that a good portion of your pond is a minimum of three feet deep.

To build a small Koi pond in your garden you will need a liner or preformed tub. After digging the hole, you can put the tub in and fill the dirt around it. This is the easiest way to prepare a Koi pond. But, if  you are using a liner  you must be cautious. Some rubber liners can be dangerous for fish.

The last, but most important component of your pond is your fish! You can have just Koi fish, or even a mix of gold fish and Koi. It is very enjoyable deciding on which colors and types to select and in just a short time they will become beloved pets!

Now your striking Koi pond is ready. If you would like to make it even more beautiful you could place a small wooden bridge over it. This will offer an arresting look to your garden. You will surely be enchanted by the beauty and tranquility of your small Koi pond!

Best of Olive Garden Restaurants

When you want delicious authentic Italian-American food, a warm family atmosphere, and great service come home to the Olive Garden.

Old World, Italian style, foliage lacing the tasteful decor, stucco walls and Italian and Italian-American themed music are only a few of the finer details Olive Garden is known for. Have a seat and munch on breadsticks as you look through the expansive menu. For starters how about a Chicken & Gnocchi soup, a creamy dish made with roasted chicken, traditional Italian dumplings, and spinach. Pair it with a grilled chicken Caesar to open up your taste buds for the main course.

If you're in the mood for pasta, try the Eggplant Parmigiana made with gently breaded eggplant before it's fried and topped with parmesan sauce and marinara sauce, all served on a bed of spaghetti. If seafood is what your appetite is calling for, then the Capellini di Mare may be just the things you need. Clams, shrimp, and mussels sauted in garlic, white wine, and a zesty marinara sauce. It's also topped with fresh basil and served over capellini.

For something simple and traditional, the Olive Garden has a variety of pizzas, including some that you can create yourself from bell peppers, pepperoni, onions, Italian sausage, mushrooms, black olives, and roma tomatoes. The Chicken Alfredo Pizza comes topped with Italian cheese, grilled chicken, scallions, Italian sauce and is served with either unlimited homemade soup or garden-fresh salad.

If you still have room, why not have dessert! The new Warm Apple Crostata comes with rich vanilla cream, sliced apples, and caramelized almond biscotti crumble baked on top of a shortbread cookie crust. This delicious warm dish is served with vanilla ice cream. Chocolate fiends will enjoy the Triple Chocolate Strata. This is a traditional Italian chocolate torta piled high with creamy mousse and crowned with rich dark chocolate ganache.

The Olive Garden also has a selection of Italian coffees, specialty drinks, and wine as well as an assortment of non-alcoholic beverages including Strawberry-Mango Limonata, Bella Limonata, Bellini Peach-Raspberry iced tea, and fruit juices.

And remember, "when you're here, you're family."

Inspirational Start Your Own Home Herb Garden

If you are a person who is wanting to start your own home herb garden and has no clue where to begin then you should read on. It is really quite simple and much easier compared to starting a huge vegetable garden. Herb gardens are very easy to start, but they are also as easy to maintain.

The thing that you first need to decide when you are starting out with a home herb garden is the types of herbs that you want to grow. In the beginning you should try to include only those herbs that you intend on using on a regular basis. When you are done deciding the herbs that you wish to grow, you will have to conduct intensive research on them.

Each herb has a different method for growing. Each herb flourishes in different conditions. Each of them has a different procedure to be employed while harvesting. Thus, you should study them well in order to get a decent picture of how each one is. This also helps you realize how easy or how hard it is to grow each of these herbs. After researching, you may even choose to remove a few herbs from your list as they will be quite hard to grow and maintain.

The next thing for you to figure out is where you are going to grow your home herb garden. These gardens do not require much space. This helps give you flexibility in choosing the location to grow the herbs. You can choose to grow herbs in your yard or inside containers indoors, or even hanging from pots outside. As the research would have taught you, every herb requires a different condition for it to flourish. It is true that most of the herbs need a lot of sunlight, but there are a few that grow the best in shadier spots. Also, some herbs may prefer dry areas and some herbs moist. Therefore, you should choose the location to grow your herbs based on the conditions under which they flourish.

Now that you have finally prepared yourself for growing herbs you need to go and get your supplies. You will need seeds or plants. This depends on the herbs that you have chosen to grow. You will also need soil in which to grow the herbs. If you have decided to grow your herbs inside your house then you will also need to buy some containers in which to keep the herbs and soil.

Now that you have everything that you need, you have to learn the correct way in which you should be planting each herb. Every herb has different moisture and soil requirements. Another thing that you should research is how much water each herb in your garden requires.

After you have succeeded in completing all these three steps you will be well on your way to having your own home herb garden. Just ensure that you keep on caring for your herbs and watering them whenever necessary and as long as you are patient you will see the fruits of your hard work growing right in your kitchen.

New Organic Gardening - Growing Onions in You Home Vegetable Garden

One of the oldest know vegetables is the onion. It is commonly used in a variety of recipes in the kitchens around the world and can be purchased in many different way, from fresh, canned, chopped, dehydrated, frozen and even pickled.

Growing onions can be done from seed, transplants or sets. When choosing seed to start your onions, you will have a larger choice of what you can plant, but can take five months for the seedlings to mature enough to be transplanted and they are more susceptible to disease.

Transplants are onion plants that were started from seed that same season. They can be purchased at some local garden centers, depending on where you live and can be purchased from on line sources. They are usually sold in bunches. They have a shorter growing season than seeds do but can have the same problems like disease.

Sets are the most common way that onions are planted in the home garden and are sold at most local garden centers. They are no more than an immature bulb. These sets are started from seed by sowing the seeds tightly together to create a very thick, tight growing crop of seedlings. This results in a stunted plant growth that will produce a small bulb. These small bulbs is what is sold as sets to be planted the next growing season. When purchasing your sets, keep in mind that they should be about 1/2 inch in diameter and solid, soft small bulbs will not produce a good mature onion, even over size sets that are bigger than 1/2 inch usually wont do good.

When choosing the variety of onion you want to grow, there is one thing that needs to be considered. Onions have what is called day length requirements. Some need 13 to 16 hours of daylight and others only need 12 hours. Choose a variety that is best suitable for your area.

Onions will grow best in a raised garden bed with a good healthy soil structure and plenty of compost or composted manure mixed in and drains well. The soil should have a fairly neutral ph level of between 6 and7.When planting seeds the soil needs to be fluffy or very loose.

Sow seeds directly into the garden bed thickly and cover with a 1/2 inch of fine soil. If you mix radish seeds in the same area they will serve two purposes, deter root maggots and help mark the area where the onion seeds were planted. Once the seedlings start to grow you can start to thin them to about 1 inch apart and then in about a month thin them to 6 inches apart. When you thin them this second time you will want to pull back some of the soil around the bulb to expose the top and sides, this is a great way to induce the development of the bulb.

When planting transplants you want to space then 4 to 6 inches apart and about 2 inches deep.If you are planning on harvesting the onions young then you will want to use the closer 4 inch spacing.

Sets are the third method of planting onions. When purchasing sets you can figure that one pound is enough to plant a fifty foot row. Trench your rows out about 2 inches deep and place the sets with the stem end up. This is the one thing that you will need to watch for when planting. Once you have the sets in place cover with a good garden soil and maintain then with the same methods as transplants.

Time to get ready to harvest your onions is when you see the tops start to turn yellow. At this time you want to bend the greens over horizontally, this will stop the sap from flowing through the stem and put all the plants energy into the maturing bulb. A couple days after you do this you will see the tips starting to turn brown, it is time to pull the onion bulbs from the ground. Do this on a sunny day and lay the bulbs on the ground to dry. When laying the out cover the bulbs by laying the bulbs in a row and covering the next row with the greens . This will help to prevent sun scalding.

Unique Finding the Perfect Garden Wind Chimes for Your Home or Garden

Have you considered garden wind chimes for your home but not sure which ones to buy? There are many different wind chimes to choose from for your home or your garden, but you need to keep a few things in mind before you purchase one. Having a wind chime or even multiple chimes can give completeness to your home or outdoor garden because every time the wind blows, a song radiates through the tubes.

The first thing you need to consider when buying these chimes is the materials, many people assume bamboo is the best wind chimes, but the metal materials last much longer outdoors, especially if you live in a rainier climate with more humidity because the bamboo will eventually warp and crack. In addition, the metal or bamboo can have different tones depending on the thickness and length.

One of the nicest aspects to purchasing one is the large selection of designs you can choose. Most chimes come in tubes, but you can also find them as bells, that work nicely during the holiday season. The bell chimes have different thickness and designed so that when the wind blows on them, the combination of tones is lovely. The tube chimes, also are made to make different sounds when the wind gently bounces them into each other. Tiny tubes make a higher pitched sound while the long fatter tubes make a deeper sound when they hit each other in the wind.

There is a variety of lengths that the garden chimes come in, but you should make sure that you have the space to hang the long ones because if not, someone might hit their head on it if it is hanging in a doorway too low. In addition, keep in mind that longer chimes tend to make more noise when they bang against each other, especially if you live in a windy climate.

One of the nicest aspects to garden chimes is they come with a variety of tubes and the more tubes, the more melodies it is capable of playing. Therefore, if you want several tunes, purchase them with several tubes, or you can purchase more than one to create a beautiful mood and atmosphere in your garden.

Lastly, garden wind chimes all have a sail, which is the part of the chime that will catch the wind and ultimately move the tubes to make the melodies. It is the size of the sail that makes it chimes begin moving in the breeze, some sails are extremely sensitive and others are requires a few miles an hour of wind to make the chimes being making melody. There are many parts of the wind chimes to consider when you are buying one or more for your garden, they are beautiful and truly, a time-tested tradition that people have been using to make wind-music for hundreds of years.

Inspirational Small Vegetable Garden Plans for a Home Garden

Planting a small vegetable garden is almost as much fun as harvesting. Can't you just taste the plump juicy tomatoes and the sweet tasting cantaloupe? Before you grow the area's largest pumpkin or zesty collards, and are short on space and time, take a look at some creative small vegetable garden plans.

Square Foot Gardening--A Space Saving Plan

Intensive planting designs use every bit of garden space available. Square foot gardens (4 ft. by 4 ft.)are surprisingly productive. How many plants planted in each square foot is decided by the amount of room necessary for the specific crop planted to successfully produce a harvest.

For illustration, each single square in a square foot garden plan can contain 1-staked tomato, 4 bean plants, 1 pepper plant, or 50 radishes. Positioning of plants or seeds inside the square also depends on the crop selection. Where a single plant occupies a square, set the seed or transplant in the middle to allow room to grow in all directions.

Several plants may be planted in rows, smaller squares, or at random in small vegetable garden plans. For instance, fill a square with four bean plants, divide the area into smaller squares and plant one seed in the middle of each. A square can hold fifty radishes or twenty onions. The seeds can be scattered across the square or sown in small rows.

Harvest early by thinning out young plants for use as tender greens or roots, creating room for the rest to grow. Trellises add a third dimension to small vegetable garden plans. A trellis is useful to gardeners seeking to maximize space. Rather than allowing vine crops to sprawl across the garden, send plants such as cantaloupe, watermelon, and cucumbers growing skyward.

Cages also can be used to take advantage of vertical space and keep crops from sprawling over the ground. Many plants can be successfully grown in cages, including tomatoes, watermelons, and eggplants. In addition to space-saving planting techniques, gardeners have an additional resource: dwarf varieties and bush forms of plants that originally grew only as vines.

Be advised, while the dwarf varieties take up less garden room, the harvests are somewhat smaller than their full size relatives. Geometric planting patterns make maximum use of space in small vegetable garden plans. Gardeners use simple designs to fill wide beds with vegetables. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention.

Vegetable spacing for small plots

Beans are a sure producer and should be spaced four plants per square foot in small vegetable garden plans. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peppers, and eggplant may need staking and space 1 plant each square ft. Cabbage and cauliflower produces a single head planted at one to a foot. Trellis or stake tomatoes at one plant per sq. ft. Make successive plantings of endive, kohlrabi, and lettuce, at four plants per square foot. Harvest individual leaves of kale and parsley spacing four plants per sq. feet.

A single stake will support floppy, low growing plants that might otherwise be injured by winds or abundant productions. A wire cage gives the best support for tall growing plants.

Don't think just because you have small vegetable garden plans that means not much of a harvest. Vegetable gardening even on a smaller scale can produce bumper crops. In fact, with vertical gardening, the sky is the limit!

There are many more great plans and ideas for all types of vegetable gardening, (including indoor gardening), available for free on my website.

Luxury Try Metal Garden Ornaments in Your Garden

Beautiful houses are always the best places to go home to after the hectic day. Well decorated garden can set the overall feel of the garden. Garden is the place where we can relax, unwind and bond with friends and with family member. That is why most people really take time to decorate their garden. Metal garden ornaments can help to transform the looks of the garden. Being surrounded with many flowers and outdoor fixtures bring them peace of mind and some ornaments can add the vibrant touch to the garden. Metal garden ornaments can add a great value to your outdoor area. Just like how you would choose the various outdoor décor items for decorating the home, this is also like an art to decorate your garden. You will find a variety of choices to choose the metal ornaments for your garden. You can see that these Metal garden ornaments are there in different shapes, colors, design and cost range. You can try metal birds, wind chimes and fountains in your garden. Metal garden ornaments cover the wide range for the wind chimes. The sound of these wind chimes depends on the materials chosen, the length and size of the objects used and flow of the wind

Metal wind chimes create a wonderful peaceful hollow sound and are probably the most relaxing to listen to, while chimes made of ceramics or shells have a higher tone than other wind chimes. These metal garden ornaments are considered to be the most popular these days. Antique garden ornaments translate to classy and one can never go wrong with an antique décor for your garden. Peoples love a decorated garden and especially those with many beautiful Metal garden ornaments, as they will resemble the outdoor area. Metal wind chimes with motion will surely excite you to enjoy in your well decorated garden.

New How Many Fish Can Your Garden Pond Take?

The maximum number of fish you can have in a pond depends on the volume of the water, the quality of the water, the size of the fish, the species of the fish, the climate of the area and the food available.

If the pond has no pump, filter or other equipment, in a warm climate, you shouldn't keep more than two 15 centimetre fish per cubic metre (two 6 inch fish per cubic yard). You can keep fish at much higher densities than this, but the chances of them remaining healthy are not good.

The better the water quality, the more fish you can keep. With the right technology, fish farms keep up to 200 kilograms of fish in a cubic metre of water (about six pounds of fish per cubic foot). However, as a rough guide, in a garden pond half a metre (one and a half feet) deep, constantly in the shade, with well-buffered water being pumped continuously through an ultra-violet clarifier (to prevent algae blooms) and a biological filter, you could keep up to nine goldfish of 15 centimetres (six inches) length per square metre of pond (i.e.135 centimetres of fish per square metre, or about 45 inches of fish per square yard). To be safe, keep less than half this number so that you have plenty of leeway in the event of the pump or UV failing. In a warm climate, if the pond is in the sun much of the day, reduce the number by half again - i.e. about 35 centimetres per square metre (14 inches per square yard).

Obviously, the larger the fish, the more it pollutes the water so the less the number you can have in the pond. Fish growth tends to be restricted by the size of the water body they live in. For example, goldfish can grow to more than 30 centimetres (12 inches) long, but in most average-sized ponds, they usually won't grow to more than 20 centimetres (8 inches).

Some species need more space than others and some species pollute the water more than others. For example, koi are twice as polluting as goldfish, probably because they stir up the pond bottom sediments more. Also, some species of fish are more tolerant of poor water quality than others. For example, koi can live in water that isn't pure enough for trout.

Climate affects fish activity because they are cold-blooded. Their metabolism doubles with every 10 degrees centigrade rise in temperature which means they eat twice as much and pollute the water twice as much. As a general rule, you can keep double the number of fish in water at 13 degrees centigrade as you can in water at 26 degrees centigrade.

Ideally, you should keep only as many fish in a pond as the food chain in the pond can support. The amount of natural food available will vary from pond to pond. Up to 30 centimetres per square metre (12 inches per square yard) of fish survive well in some ponds without being fed. So, keeping the fish numbers down means you don't have to spend the money or time to feed them. More importantly, by not feeding the fish you aren't adding nutrients to the pond which feed algae.

Lovely the Joy of the Home Herb Garden

Home herb gardens can be planted almost anywhere. Not only are most herbs attractive and fragrant, but they also are easily grown, maintained, stored, and a wonderful addition to your cuisine! Plant them in an existing backyard vegetable garden, a raised garden bed, in the front yard (parsley and chives make beautiful border plantings), in containers on your deck, patio, balcony, and even on your kitchen windowsill.

All herbs thrive in rich soil with good drainage. They can tolerate some sand, but do not do well in wet clay soil. Clay hardens too much as it dries, and your herbs do better in loose soil. Thyme, rosemary, dill, basil, chives, tarragon and oregano will thrive in full sun.

But mint and cervil prefer shady areas, so learn about your herbs before planting them, and place them accordingly. Some of the herbs in your garden can be best planted from seed. Lemongrass, parsley, dill, marjoram, sage, chives and basil are in that category.

Tarragon, mint, and rosemary are best bought as starter plants or planted from cuttings. Be careful with invasive herbs, such as spearmint. They should be planted in their own pots, and then sunk into the garden to keep the roots from spreading all over.

A home herb garden doesn't have to have a zillion different herbs in it. If you are a beginning gardener, and not yet a gourmet cook, just plant the herbs you are very familiar with, such as parsley, basil, chives, and garlic. As you get used to having your own fresh herbs at your fingertips, you can expand to include a plethora of herbs, for your expanding garden and cuisine!

So let's get started. Remove the weeds from the area you chose, add some compost to the soil and rake it to make it loose and even. Know how much room each plant will require and set your pots accordingly. When you have it right, remove them from the pots and place them in the holes, press the soil firmly around each plant (or seeds) and water well, to allow the soil to set.

Once your home herb garden has been planted, be careful not to over-water it. Herbs can actually handle drought more easily than flood. Mulch your perennials once a year, and fertilize all herbs every month during the growing season. Don't over-fertilize. It can make the plants too tall and sparse, and they will also be more susceptible to disease. It is healthier for both you and the environment to use organic materials.

If you are not constantly picking off sprigs of herbs for your daily cooking, be sure to prune the plants regularly. By removing the dead flowers and leaves, and cutting the plants back, you are ensuring new growth that is both healthy and full, instead of spindly.

Pests such as aphids, red spider, and white fly are rarely found on herbs, but if it should happen, use organic pesticides such as garlic /water sprays to rid your plants of the problem. You will be delighted that you decided to grow a home herb garden.

Elegant Gardening ? Site Retainment ? Home Ground Together with Garden

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We provide a Mowers Lawn

Best of Five Tips for Garden Pond Success

If you're ready to build your own garden pond, there are some important things you need to know before you begin. Just follow these five tips for having fun with building your own garden pond.

1. An important factor when you start to build your pond is making sure that you know exactly what you want it to be. The reason why this is important is because you have to decide between at least 4 main categories of designs to choose from e.g. a fish pond, a pond-less waterfall, a water fountain and a water garden. If you don't decide on what you want, then you run the risk of ending up with a garden pond that is different from what you exactly wanted it to be.

2. Another important consideration for building a garden pond is it's location in your yard. You should take the following factors into consideration when deciding on the location of your garden pond:

- Build your pond where you can easily see and enjoy it.
- Your pond should get enough sunlight.
- Make sure that rain runoff will not affect your pond.
- Build your pond away from trees and other plants to avoid dry leaves that can damage your pond.
- If you are going to add additional water features and lights it will be wise to build your pond close to sources of water and power. It's critical that you consider the above factors when deciding on the location of your pond as you will be able to avoid a lot of future headaches.If you make sure that you adhere to tip number 2, you'll be fine.

3. Now that you know what your pond should look like, where it will be built and how much it will cost, it is time to go over to action. The next step will be to start digging the hole. Remember that you will need a hole whether you chose flexible liner or a rigid preformed shell. All you need to do from here is to build your pond, and make sure that you follow the instructions on how to build a garden pond. This is a proses on its own which can't be covered here because of limited space.

4. Instead of complicating your garden pond building efforts by following your own techniques and methods, it is in your best interest that I advice you to follow the professional instructions obtainable from your local pet shop when using flexible liner. There are hundreds of low cost books, videos and dvd's available in the market if you can't get instructions from your pet shop.

5. The last tip is the preparation to populate your pond with pond plants, frogs and fish. Before putting any plants or fish in your new garden pond you will have to remember that tap water is high in chlorine which could harm your pond life. A useful tip is to mix a bucketful of water from an established pond with your pond water and wait for about one week for the chlorine to evaporate. Ponds need a balance to keep the water clear and the only way to achieve this is to add pond plants to your pond.

So if you really want to build your beautiful garden pond, follow these tips to please your family with an attractive garden pond. Enjoy!

Inspirational Home Garden Care in the Spring - Aphid Control Guidelines for the Home Gardener

Spring is the season when a host of pest organisms come to life and feed massively on our garden plants. Foremost amongst them are species of tiny flying insects, known commonly as aphids, which while not generally fatal, cause a lot of visual damage to a wide range of plants.

The initial symptom of aphid activity is the secretion of sugary substances on new leaves, stems, and flowers. This can be extremely unpleasant with honeydew dripping on to paths, parked cars, and other plants. More dangerous to the plants' health is the sooty mold, which is a complex of fungi that develops from the honeydew. Left unattended, the soot blocks out light from reaching the plants' foliage, thereby depriving the plant of its vital energy source.

Before going into how to deal with aphids, remember that the purpose of pest control is not the complete eradication of the offending organisms, but rather the control of their population levels to manageable proportions. The indiscriminate use of insecticides only succeeds in clearing the way for pest populations to explode, as the insecticides reduce the population of natural predators. For this reason, quite apart from environmental considerations, it is best to avoid applying pesticides in the home garden altogether.

As intelligent pest management is about control and not elimination, non-poisonous, "environmentally friendly" insecticides, such as insecticidal soaps, can do a satisfactory job. Better still is to use the good old-fashioned garden hose at high pressure to wash off the aphids, with a little help from your thumb and forefinger. Will this be 100% effective? The answer of course is negative, which as previously mentioned, is a good thing in itself.

As aphids in the spring tend to attack young juicy growth, they are mostly found on the plants' growing tips, making it easy to remove them by simply clipping the plants lightly. This works perfectly for foliage plants such as Artemisia or Ivy, but of course might prove very unsatisfactory for flowering ornamentals and fruit trees. It is also possible to let nature take its turn. In the Mediterranean region for instance, periodic hot, dry winds kill aphids just as effectively as insecticides.

With pests in general and aphids in particular, timing is all-important. Ultimately, we should be striving to turn the garden into a balanced eco-system, but this is easier said than done. In the meantime, aphids should be treated at the first signs of infection.

One sometimes sees a gardener spraying the honeydew or even the sooty mold that has grown on the plants' foliage and stems - a case of shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted. Aphids produce a number of generations within a single spring, so there is every chance that the gardener is spraying the symptoms and not the cause itself.

New Get That Water Circulating in Your Garden Koi Pond

How to Maximize Your Garden Koi Pond Turnover Rate

Simply put, the turnover rate of your pond is how fast it takes for all the water in it to go through the pond filter. It varies from pond to pond.

Ready...Set...Calculate!

This should excite you math-whizzes out there. To find out what your Koi pond's turnover rate is, simply calculate how much water your pump moves per day and divide it by the volume of your pond.

So, for instance, if you have a 50,000 liter pond and a pump that moves X liters of water per hour, it would be pumping (X*24) liters per day. Take that number and divide it by 50,000 liters and you have your turnover rate.

The turnover rate determines the average ammonia concentration in your garden Koi pond water. That's how much ammonia is left in the water after filtration. This will vary depending how often the pond water is turned over.

Why does turnover rate matter?

High turnover rates ensure high oxygen levels in the pond. You need oxygen in the water because Koi need oxygen, the plants need oxygen, and the microorganisms in the water need oxygen to live. Because of this, oxygen levels in the water tend to fluctuate depending on many factors including time of day, number of fish, number of plants, etc.

On the reverse side, low oxygen levels can spell disaster. So keep your eye on the oxygen.

Turnover Rate and Bio filters

Knowing your garden Koi pond turnover rate is also important when shopping for a bio filter. Keep in mind that a filter chamber can handle only so much. It does not have a limitless capacity. Additionally, your pond's flow rate will affect the water's residence time in the bio filter.

Residence Time?

Just like how it sounds, residence time is the maximum amount of time the pond water is in the bio filter, in contact with the bio media.

For instance, if the residence time of the filter chamber is 2 minutes, that means it takes the bio film and active bacteria in the filter 2 minutes to convert the harmful ammonia in your garden Koi pond (from the Koi feces) into nitrites and then to nitrates.

You don't really need a chemistry degree to understand this - well, on second thought, maybe you do. Point is you don't want ammonia. Ammonia makes the Koi sick. The bio filter oxidizes it and converts it to something safer for the fish.

We could go into the theories and discussions involving how these hardworking little buggers do their work, but we won't. We'll just take a moment to thank them right now....

OK.

The bottom line with bio filters is you can't have too much of it protecting your garden Koi pond keeping the water clean and healthy for you fish. Having said that, there is no reason to get all excited and begin messing around with the flow rates to try to maximize contact time with the bio filter. Leave that alone.

If turnover rate slows down, you could put your bio filter into ammonia overload. You don't want that, trust me. If your bio filter is not able to oxidize all the ammonia on the first pass, it has another opportunity the next time around providing your turnover rate is decent.

If you have a new garden Koi pond, keep in mind that it takes time to get a new bio filter to grow bio film. It took you 9 months from conception to birth (10, really) so don't rush nature. Give the little guys a chance to get going.

Let the pond find its own "happy place" or equilibrium. Don't over-feed the Koi. The more you feed, the more they excrete; and with an immature bio filter, this can lead to problems.

Keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels and just let nature run its course.

Oh, alright, I'll tell you how to cheat nature. Get some Bao Bio Clear - that'll jump start the bio film growth.

New Some Home Garden Tips

A home garden can be enjoyable to have instead of the person going to the park to enjoy the sun, trees and plants. Taking care of your home garden can be easy or difficult, depending on what kind of home garden you have. A well placed home garden tip can also be a great thing to know for the home owner. There are many different home garden tips that can solve a lot of problems in a home garden.

Home Garden Tip Number One

One home garden tip is to make sure that your garden is watered and exposed to at least a few hours of sunlight or essential artificial light for it to thrive, according to its needs. The amount of water you give your plant will depend on what kind of home garden plant you have in the garden. Some plants enjoy a lot of water while others do not need as much. On the other hand, exposure to sun light is a necessity for most plants. This home garden tip is one thing that is essential to have thriving plants in your home garden.

Home Garden Tip Number Two

Another tip that may be helpful for a home garden is to keep the garden well drained and well trimmed. Many professional gardeners layer gravel and rocks at the bottom of the filler soil that usually stands in any garden. This is especially helpful for a smaller garden since there may not be enough space for the water to drain to. This home garden tip may not be necessary for a bigger garden with more soil that can absorb excessive amounts of water.

A well trimmed garden is a deterrent to flooding since leaves and other debris may clog the drains. This may also mean that it is best to rake, sweep or clean through the garden several times a week depending on the amount of leaves and debris the plants may shed. This home garden tip can also guarantee that your garden is well maintained as well as clean.

Any number of home garden tips can be essential depending on what kind of garden you have as well as the needs of the garden. The need for a helpful home garden tip can also stem from the experience of the gardener or the home owner. While a lot of people can take care of their own garden single handedly, especially those with small gardens, some need a lot of help for even a small garden.

Luxury Beautify Your House with Effective Garden Decoration

A garden is the one which beautifies one's house. But there ensues a need to beautify the garden to make it seem more grand and beautiful. Therefore we need some things that would fulfill our wishes.

Thus the wind chimes, bird homes, candle holders come to our rescue.

The wind chimes which have their origin of the Indian wind bells always decorate the garden elegantly and make it seem grand. These wind chimes can be made out of glass, bamboo, shell, stone and porcelain and also from more exotic items ,eg silverware or cookie cutters, may also be recycled to make wind chimes. Chimes produce inharmonic sounds when they move with the air. This significantly calms one's body and mind.

A bird house is a nest box provided for the birds to rest in. This is a straightforward added attraction in a garden. Fundamentally, birds do come to the garden attracted to the calm atmosphere. So this is employed in decorating the garden. The bird houses are sometimes wooden, though some are made of a mixture of wood and concrete, called woodcrete. The birds can be interested in the bird homes by keeping the bird feeders near or on the house and also some fresh water can be supplied near it. It'd be a pleasure to see the birds singing and enjoying themselves which would decorate the garden more.

Candle holders are another feature that beautifies the garden. They help decorating a garden particularly in the dark. Though the electrical lights would do the job perfectly these candles have a normal and decking out glow. There are several varieties of candle holders like the Asian style candle holders, wrought iron candle holders, garden candle holders, moroccon candle holders. Here the Asian type holders can be used in a family garden. This is Crafted with the classic Asian style these unique candle lanterns. Wrought iron was initially employed in the building of structures and because of it's novel look and refinement these are used as candle holders. Wrought iron literally means worked iron, but due to it's beauty and adaptability when heated blacksmiths around the planet started making ornamental pieces to embellish homes and places of business. Garden candle holders can serve 2 purposes by giving the relaxing flickering of a candle at night while decorating the garden by day. Moroccan candle holders are a large part of this historic culture and still remains today as a product that's utilised not only for light except for decoration. These Moroccan candle holders are cheap and can afforded by anyone.

Thus the bird houses and candle holders are the features and tools one can use to beautify a garden.