Garden Decor

Create the ultimate BBQ area in 5 steps

Create the ultimate BBQ area in 5 steps 1 Family, friends and BBQ Dinner in the garden – nice! Photo Courtesy: Taz

A well designed, aesthetically attractive barbeque area is one that can transform the garden into an extra living space that can be frequented throughout the warmer parts of the year. A get together of family or friends in such an area is always an occasion to look forward to.

So, with that in mind, here are some tips on how to make it the best possible living space it can be.

Initial Considerations

Create the ultimate BBQ area in 5 steps 2

Make sure the BBQ area is close to the kitchen. Photo Courtesy: Herry Lawford

One of the most important considerations when creating the barbeque area is to ensure that it is located within close proximity of the kitchen. It’s quite simple; nobody wants to have to trek around the house or garden to get to and from the fridge. Aside from the time element, food is more likely to spill, it’s less likely to stay warm and it’s just not practical.

Flooring

Create the ultimate BBQ area in 5 steps 3

Make sure to have flooring that is easy to clean after you finish your BBQ cooking.
Photo courtesy: Taz

The flooring is also very important and this is especially the case in the area you are cooking in. Barbeques may be extremely tasty, but they can also be quite messy affairs and so you may need to have a material on the ground that can be easily cleaned or will absorb the oils and greases.

The Barbeque

Create the ultimate BBQ area in 5 steps 4

A nice and brand new portable BBQ. Image Courtesy: Lars Plougmann

So, what sort of barbeque do you want – the all-important question. If you’re using a cheaper, portable barbeque, you will have a number of advantages, simply because it’s more portable, lower in cost and there is no worry about permanence. However, these smaller barbeques don’t offer the cooking options larger ones do, are not nearly as impressive and don’t create a focal point. A larger, permanent barbeque does this and can work wonderfully with the overall landscape of the area. However, take time to consider what you want as it will be permanent and will need to work well with the rest of the outdoor area and barbeque.

If you are completely revamping the area and are choosing a gas barbeque, then you may want to place in a stub gas line and have it capped. This will mean no need to lift up the area in the future. . If the barbeque is too far from the house, you may need to use cylinders. Lighting can be mains generated or from a bought generator or a generator hire option – essentially it depends on where the area is located in relation to the mains.

Design

Create the ultimate BBQ area in 5 steps 5 BBQ with a Sea View – Photo Courtesy: Andrew Karigan

Of course, general themes in design are extremely important and choosing the right colour, theme and views can make all the difference here. Textures are also very important with an outdoor area and can make all the difference to the look. You want the area to look attractive and also to be comfortable – you may even want to add a bar.

Extras

You should also take into account the extras you want in the area. Some people like to have a sink, roof and vents in the area, whereas others like a more simplistic approach. It comes down to you after all; however, try to make it as practical as possible – it will make for greater enjoyment and ease of use.

Cormac Reynolds is a lover of alfresco cooking and also cooking indoors. He would love to have a large open BBQ area. He is also a tech geek and lover of autos.

Filed Under: Backyard and Outdoors, Garden Decor Tagged With: backyard decorating, garden design

How To Achieve A Killer Lawn In 6 Easy Steps

by Jason Drent · 2 Comments

How To Achieve A Killer Lawn In 6 Easy Steps 1 Ruthanne’s neat, clean and green lawn in Seattle, Washington. Photo Courtesy: Ruthanne Reid

Are you fed up of seeing that old cliché about the ‘always being greener’ applying to your neighbor’s lawn? He doesn’t seem to do anything special but the grass always looks far healthier than your sorry old patch of turf. You can take some respite in the fact that he is retired and you do not really have the time to spend in your garden, but there are a few tips that just might make your lawn stand up and be counted again.

1. Begin With The Mower!

How To Achieve A Killer Lawn In 6 Easy Steps 2

It is a fairly obvious place to start, but are you really mowing your lawn the best way possible? You need to ensure that your blades are really sharp; if they are not, you can buy a sharpening stone at your local gardening centre for a few bucks. Blunt blades will tear at the grass and leave it looking uneven and possibly open to disease. Cut your lawn frequently and this will allow it to grow back, thick and healthy.

Whoopee Sticker Image Courtesy: Enokson

2. Length Does Matter!

How To Achieve A Killer Lawn In 6 Easy Steps 3

Photo Courtesy: Kyle Hovey

Remember not to cut the grass too short when you restart your mowing regime. It is true that short grass will grow faster, but this is not a speed competition. If the lawn is cut too short it will require far more herbicide and water. This means you will have to spend more time on ensuring your lawn does not go haywire. The best rule of thumb is to never cut more than a third of the grass’s current height.

3. Wet Grass

How To Achieve A Killer Lawn In 6 Easy Steps 4

Wet Grass – Photo Courtesy: Joshua Davis

You should avoid cutting the lawn if it is moist as this will cause many issues. The soil will become compacted and your roots will not be able to breathe properly. Your lawn will start to die and you will be left with some nasty bald patches.

4. Give Your Lawn a Drink!

How To Achieve A Killer Lawn In 6 Easy Steps 5

This spacious lawn could use some water. Photo Courtesy: Wayne Wilkinson

Unless you live in an area with plentiful rainfall, you will be required to offer some water to your thirsty lawn. If you water too heavily, you will risk building up a nasty thatch condition. But you should check to see if your lawn actually needs water before turning on the taps. Here are three ways to see if it needs some liquid lunch:

If you cannot push a screwdriver into the ground easily – Your lawn is thirsty
Footprints remain indented in the grass
The grass retains a slightly blue tinge

How To Achieve A Killer Lawn In 6 Easy Steps 6

Out of curiosity, I added some grass using a Photo Editor on the above lawn (shown dry in the previous picture) – what a difference!! What do you say?

5. Watering Time

However tranquil it may seem, do not water the grass in the evening. This can lead to serious grass diseases as the water will not dry out correctly. Try to get up a bit earlier and feed your grass before you head off to work in the morning.

6. Correct Type of Herbicide

It is important to select the appropriate type of herbicide for your lawn’s current condition. Here are the two varieties:

Pre-emergent herbicide – This will stop grass seeds from germinating and should be applied annually.
Post-emergent herbicide – This will kill most grass related weeds and will help your lawn to stay healthy

Jason Drent is the owner of www.thebigmower.com.au. His firm supplies Garden edging products & equipment. He loves doing his gardening and has over the years devised cheap and effective ways for maintaining the lawn. Besides his work, he often writes articles on various blogs.

Filed Under: Garden Decor Tagged With: lawn and garden, lawn care, lawn maintenance

5 Ways To Give Your Garden A Long Overdue Makeover

by Sharon Anderson · Leave a Comment

5 Ways To Give Your Garden A Long Overdue Makeover 1 Sally’s nicely manicured lawn and garden in Willamette Valley – Oregon, USA. Photo by: Sally (By the Way, Sally makes beautiful Quilts. Check out her work at http://quiltsaladspeak.blogspot.ca/ )

You have to keep your eye on the garden because it doesn’t look great forever. Even if you carry out some work, it might only last a few years because it doesn’t have a roof or walls to protect it from the bad weather. Some things break and other things just start to look worn out. You might not have noticed because we haven’t had great weather yet. You only start to care when the sun is out and you spend a lot more time sitting outside.

Maybe you should do something about it this year if it does look bad. It means you won’t be scared of anyone looking over the fence and seeing it in a terrible state. When you go outside this summer, you can sit with a smile on your face instead of trying to ignore what you see. There are lots of easy things you can do to make it look a lot better and we’re going to go over some of them now. Decide what ones apply to you and force yourself to do something about them over the next few months.

1. Throw Away Toys

5 Ways To Give Your Garden A Long Overdue Makeover 2 Some of the cute Cubby Houses by Country Cubbies of Australia

Do you have any children’s toys that are taking up too much space? If they are just sitting there and your children are too big to use them now, they should be the first things you get rid of. There is no point keeping anything that is just gathering dust. If you have any wooden toys like a cubby house you should check to see that the wood is still in good condition. If the children still use it, you could get a new one instead of breaking their hearts.

2. Paint the Fence

5 Ways To Give Your Garden A Long Overdue Makeover 3

There is nothing worse than a fence that looks discolored because it’s not had a lick of paint in years. Paint isn’t even expensive and I know it takes you a whole day to touch-up the entire fence, but it’s definitely worth it.

It goes all the way around the garden so you can’t escape the hideous look. If it has holes in it or broken panels you should also think about having them replaced. I’m sure you could do it yourself because it’s not too hard.

Photo Courtesy: Dirk Duckhorn

3. Lay Some Turf

If your grass looks a mess, it’s maybe time to say goodbye to it. There is no shame in having to lay artificial turf because you don’t have time to keep the grass looking perfect. When you walk about on it too much, it just leaves huge mud patches and nobody wants to see that. Even if you were to patch the grass up, it would end up looking the exact same again after a certain amount of time. Lay some turf and you don’t have to worry about it which will save you time.

4. Rejuvenate the Pond

5 Ways To Give Your Garden A Long Overdue Makeover 4

Photo Courtesy: ARNOLD Masonry and Concrete

If you have a pond inside your garden and you haven’t been taking care of it, you won’t be happy with the way it looks. It’s going to look like a miniature swamp and not somewhere you would want to keep fish unless you wanted them to mutate into little monsters. If your pond doesn’t look so bad at the moment, you can still make it a hundred times better by turning it into some kind of oasis.

5. Get Your Shears Out

5 Ways To Give Your Garden A Long Overdue Makeover 5 Sun shines on nicely pruned trees and bushes (from Sally’s garden again) – Photo Courtesy: Sally

Do you have lots of trees and bushes inside your garden? If you haven’t been looking after them, they are long overdue for a haircut. The branches must be sticking out in every angle you can think of. Not only does it look messy, but if a child was running around a branch could take their eye out. It’s going to take a little work, but if you go outside with your shears you can have them looking beautiful in no time.

The author of this article, Sharon Anderson works for Country Cubbies. Country Cubbies is Australia’s leading cubby house manufacturer with a huge range of cubby houses and children’s play forts.

Filed Under: Garden Decor Tagged With: garden improvement, gardening advice, gardening tips

Landscape Design Ideas For The Desert

by Brian Lawson · Leave a Comment

A desert landscape design of a home in Canyon Pass, Marana, Arizona

Desert landscape designs are perfect for areas where there is paucity of water and it’s not possible to grow the type of plants we normally grow in our gardens in the cities. Desert specific landscape designs incorporate lots of boulders and rocks along with desert plants as they can survive on minimal supplies of water and are accustomed to local weather conditions. With a good desert landscape design, you can have a perfect retreat in your backyard that can give much needed space and comfort to you and your family members.

Finding a Perfect Design for Your Landscape Garden

A desert garden landscape plan blueprint from The Garden Gate® of Arizona

You can also get some help from landscape magazines and gardening magazines that are relevant to your weather condition as they can help you in figuring out what all can work best for you. The trickiest part is to come up with a perfect design for your landscape garden. You will have to consider three important issues for your desert design. They are: your budget, available space, and the amount of time that you are willing to give to this project.

Boulders and Desert Plants

Some of the Cacti and desert plants like Golden Barrel Cluster, Organ Pipe, Yucca and Totem Pole by The Garden Gate® of Tucson, Arizona

If you already have boulders, or thinking of putting a few of them, you can place few lively desert plants around them to spruce up your garden. Even a smaller yard can easily handle small rocks or boulders of different shapes, colors, and styles. With careful planning, it is possible to create desert landscape in almost any garden. Intelligent use of rocks, pebbles and local plant species can give a totally new look to your backyard . You can plant low growing plants in the front portion of your garden, while the larger and taller one can be at the back. This will enable you to enjoy the entire landscape right form the comforts of your house and will even lure you to enjoy some more time outdoors enjoying it.

A Water Feature Can Be a Nice Backyard Addition

You will enjoy your evenings in the desert even more with state-of-the-art landscape and accent lighting.

If you reside in a dry and hot climate, you should also consider adding a water feature to your backyard landscape. This will not only be soothing to your eyes, but the gentle sound of water will be quite relaxing once you are back from a hectic day at work. Some people can add a medium sized swimming pool but others can have a water garden, water fountain, or even a pond for fun and enjoyment. Another great idea for your desert garden is to add some outdoor lighting. In this way, you can enjoy your desert landscape design even during the night. In fact, unusual shadows that are created by spotlighting all your boulders and rocks can be awesome. With a few creative ideas, you can improve the feel of your garden.

Desert Garden Designs

Saguaro Ranch, Tucson, Arizona

Desert garden designs are best not only for arid areas but for any type of climate because you will most probably use native plants that need little or no water to survive. In arid areas, you may need some covered outdoor living areas or shade to work with your landscape design. There are many materials that can be used for creating outdoor living rooms because they resist intense heat during the day and can also retain warmth during the evenings. Natural cast earth, clay barrel roof tiles, thatched straw, and adobe bricks can be used for constructing covered walkways and shaded patios.

The Garden Gate landscape design center is a one stop resource for desert landscape ideas and advice. The Garden Gate is Tucson and southern Arizona’s premier provider of landscape design services and installation.

Filed Under: Backyard and Outdoors, Desert Garden and Landscaping, Garden Decor Tagged With: desert, landscape design, landscaping

Build Your Own Garden Dream Stream

by Emma · Leave a Comment

Photo Courtesy: F Delventhal

If you’re searching for something new and exciting to spice up your garden try building your very own dream stream. Your stream will be faultless as it grabs the attention of anyone nearby with its waterfalls and rapids transforming your garden into a haven of tranquility.

Tools and Digging

You can achieve all of this even if it is your first attempt at a water feature. Few gardening tools are needed as it is mainly heavy work; in fact the only special tool you will need is a wheelbarrow for moving around heavy materials.

Build Your Own Garden Dream Stream 2 - Wheelbarrow

Use a wheelbarrow to move heavy stuff around – Photo by Amanda Slater

If your garden has rich soft soil that is easy to dig, then you can excavate the entire project. If digging however proves to be too difficult, it can be built above the ground by using stones for the base. You will need to consider the size of your water feature in order to decide how much water can be held in the top and bottom basins of the stream when the pump is turned off.

Using Slopes for Your Stream

The fantastic thing about streams is that they are effective even with the use of a simple slope. The minimum slope needed is a 2 inch drop with every 10 ft of stream. It’s up to you whether or not you want to use a modest slope or go wild with a steep slope. A steep slope allows you to toy with the idea of adding a waterfall to your stream.

Build Your Own Garden Dream Stream 3 - Using Slopes

Make use of slopes for your stream – Photo by F Delventhal

Another idea you may want to ponder with is how your stream will sound. For a calm trickily sound a waterfall height of 2-4in is ideal. However, if you want to drown out street noise, a height of 10in will be sufficient. The more noise you want to create the higher your waterfall needs to be. Remember to base your decision on the space and room you have in your garden. Too steep an incline can look out of place and over the top.

Focus of Your Garden

Photo Courtesy: Jennifer C.

Your stream should be the focus of your garden and therefore situated some place visible. Contemplate putting your stream near the windows of your home so you can hear the water both inside and outside. The water pump can always be switched off if it becomes a distraction. Make sure that you are aware of where utilities are buried so that you do not block access to them and so they do not interfere with your water feature. The stream will also need to be near an electrical source and have access to a hose should it need water added.

Gravel and Stone

Photo Courtesy: theloneconspirator

You also need to decide on the sort of gravel and stone you want your stream to have. You will need gravel to line the bottom of the water feature. You can choose from vibrant colorful boulders and flat stones to sculpt the stream. Boulders and stones will give your stream character, forming the ripples and falls of your water feature. Make sure you visit a variety of dealers to get exactly what you want for a reasonable price.

Streamside Plants

Plants are another feature your stream should have to give it those finishing touches. The spaces between your stones form perfect pockets for your streamside plants to grow. You can have a variety of plants including bulbs, shrubs, perennials and annuals that may in time arch over the water like those in the wild. Your stream will also attract birds and other wildlife adding to the ambiance of the stream.

Photo Courtesy: F Delventhal

Maintaining the Stream

Maintaining your stream is fairly straight forward. The rocks and stones form a natural filtering system as well as forming algae and beneficial bacteria that keep the water clean. You will also have the use of a pump to keep the stream clean. Your stream will need topping up once in a while to replace any water that has been evaporated. You can do this with the use of a hose that we talked about earlier. Keep your plants well looked after like you would anywhere else and use gardening tools to trim them back if they become out of control.

Now all there is left to do is enjoy your stream. Watch as the water flows over gravel and stones through twists and turns before it is pumped back to where it started in order to repeat the journey.

Emma has a keen interest in home improvement and gardening and regularly writes for similar blogs. She has a particular knowledge in the conservatory and orangery market and also likes to dabble in other areas as part of her SEO work such as the auto tools market and women’s lingerie.

Filed Under: Fountains, Ponds and Streams, Garden Decor Tagged With: backyard gardens, garden, garden design, home and garden