Backyard Oasis: Build a Grill

 backyard oasis  2 Responses »
Jun 302009
 

Its summer and backyard picnics are a popular weekend event.  Sunflower
Creative Commons License photo credit: Tobyotter

Backyard furniture, comfortable furniture and a patio or water fountain and garden will add to the atmosphere.

But a backyard grill or barbeque pit will also add to your family entertaining.

This you tube will show you how to make a very nice barbeque grill.

A nice grill and picnic area will add to your backyard fun and entertaining. Add a shady area and flowers or vegetable containers and you backyard will have a new look and feel

Posted by Denise at 8:41 pm  Tagged with: ,

Backyard Oasis Fourth of July Party

 backyard oasis  2 Responses »
Jun 292009
 

Having a fourth of July party in your backyard for friends and family will add to the holiday. But it’s best to start planning little early so you can enjoy the party without having to rush around at the last minute. Montreal Fireworks 2009 - June 27
Creative Commons License photo credit: TMAB2003

First, do any yard work that is necessary such as mowing the yard, cleaning the pool or repairing a door or window. This is also the perfect time to decorate your patio or add a few containers of flowers, preferably red white and blue flowers.

And if you party is running into the night add tiki lights, backyard torches or solar lighting. It will add atmosphere and safety in maneuvering about the yard

Decorate your patio or tables in a patriotic theme. Purchase tablecloths, plates, cups and napkins in red, white and blue. Add to the fun and have everyone dress in red white and blue. Or plan your party around a theme

Prepare and check your grill or collect wood for your fire pit. And if you want total ease in party planning organize a buffet or order out.
Serve “all-American” foods. Hamburgers, hot dogs, apple pie, potato salad, deviled eggs, corn on the cob, watermelon and lemonade.

Make sure that you have any extra supplies. Tables, chairs, yard games or possibly a canopy or tent might add to your party. Memorial Day Flag
Creative Commons License photo credit: Seth J

Pools, badminton baseball, croquet or Capture the Flag will add to backyard activities. And if you have the supplies for horseshoes, this was a favorite game at many picnics and gathering years ago.

When planning, set your party for early in the afternoon. Many may have plans for the fireworks or another community event nearby. It may be possible to all go as a group.

Have a few activities for children so if they get tired they can color, draw or create a craft and relax. A tent in the backyard will also keep younger children busy.

Above all plan your party to be safe and to celebrate the history of the fourth of July.

Posted by Denise at 7:01 pm  Tagged with: ,

Create a Fantastic Outdoor Space with Design and Decor

 guest writer  2 Responses »
Jun 252009
 
by Travis Davis

When you live with an Interior Designer there is never any question about what to do on the inside of your home; they always make it look spectacular! I have also recently discovered that their design knowledge carries over to the outside as well with a couple of tweaks here in there. P1010548
Creative Commons License photo credit: Jeff Sandquist

One such issue has to do with the look and feel of your yard as well as what you would like to plant where. It is very important to think about placement and color as well as season. Plants come up at different times of the year and some need full sun while others will require shade.

Once you realize the differences you will need to consider, the help you may need to hire and the time it will take you from start to finish, you can then get down to business. To begin with let us look at some of the design elements you will want to consider.

One that comes to mind first is always balance. At first it would seem that balance would be whatever is on the left should also be on the right but that’s not really true. Balance is achieving a flow throughout your outdoor space where no one thing that overwhelms the whole.

In other words, putting up a large greenhouse in the middle of your backyard does not create balance. Having paths that go to the greenhouse along with other gardens and areas can create a wonderful balance throughout the entire space.

If you can look at your outdoor space as a natural place for meditation and think in terms of what one would love to hear, see, touch or smell then you can imagine bringing in elements such as water, fire, wind and earth. Secret Garden I
Creative Commons License photo credit: Scoobymoo

Planting flowers that bring the earth out of its shell or a water fall or small stream to listen to and just relax. All of these are wonderful ways to fulfill this since of balance in a natural way.

This brings us to the next element of design; rhythm. Nature has natural rhythm’s that you hear and see in the earth, wind, fir, water elements but you also find it in colors or plants, even in the types of grass or grasses you use in the different parts of your yard.

The patterns you use in the stonework or pattern you plant with in a garden. All of these things have an impact on the rhythm of your outdoor spaces.

You want you yard to sing in perfect harmony with you and you do that by using the rhythms and balance that we have discussed. The thing I love about harmony is it’s not all packaged and pretty for to have harmony there must be contrast.

There is always a little “bad” to make sure the “good” is noticed. It is almost always subtle and wonderful.

That brings me to the last element I will discuss, which is focal points. You might have one main focal point or main one and several smaller ones. Either setup can work as long as you remember the other design elements.

You might have a storage shed towards the back of the yard that you do not want to highlight though it’s large so you use an elegant cedar arbor to bring your eye away from the shed to a lovely garden area.

Everyone in your household has great ideas that should be explored and developed to see if they can be incorporated into your overall plan. To help you eliminate, design and decorate your yard it is well worth the effort to hire someone with a design background and experience.

Every effort should be made to have the best outdoor spaces to match the great indoor space of your dreams. Get started today!

About the Author:
In small yards the perfect garden structures are trellises and planters. Using planters and containers to plant great herbs can easily be done in small spaces and can be set up in the yard or on decks and patios.
Posted by Carla White at 12:10 pm  Tagged with: , , , , ,

Add a Barbeque Grill to your Backyard

 backyard oasis  2 Responses »
Jun 242009
 

With the forth of July holiday nearing it’s a great time to add a barbeque grill to the backyard and plan a party.
Creative Commons License photo credit: smooshmasterflex

A barbeque grill is a perfect way to slow cook meat and vegetables. You just need to keep a watchful eye on the food in order to keep it from burning.

There are many options in purchasing a grill. They range from portable domes, inexpensive tabletops grills, to larger more expensive grills or outdoor kitchens. There are even several barbeque pits that can be made quickly and at a reasonable cost.

Barbeque grills are usually kept outside, on a porch, patio or enclosed outdoor room. They are frequently used during summer and social gatherings. Their ease of use makes them perfect for backyard entertaining.

A Barbeque grill is designed to slow cook meat or vegetables at a low temperature, over an open flame. As long as an eye is kept on the grill, a party can be held at the same time, which could include swimming or backyard games. The slow pace of a meals preparation adds to the atmosphere of the event.

And the smaller portable grills are perfect for camping and family events, which move from hoe to home or even sporting events.

Types of Barbeque Grills

Charcoal barbeque grills are the cheapest, easiest to use and more popular method of grilling. Most charcoal barbeque grills allow you to place the bag inside of the grill and light it. The paper bag will burn away and the charcoal briquettes will begin to turn white. When the briquettes begin to turn white, you can start to cook your food.

Propane or gas grills are typically expensive to purchase, but they are the quickest and most convenient way to grill. A gas pipe or propane tank is attached to the burners of the grill. Using knobs that are located on the front of the grill controls the heat. This style of grill cooks our food the quickest.

Wood burning barbeque grills are the most primitive style of grill. The wood is placed in a pit made of clay or rock with a metal rack positioned over the wood pieces. A fire is started in order to create hot coals from the wood. Food is slowly cooked above the hot coals.

The wood burning grill is great for those long all day events and the process adds to the atmosphere. I grew up with these barbeque parties. They have left great family memories and usually ended up as all night campouts. Fiery Coals
Creative Commons License photo credit: Blind Grasshopper

Grilling outdoors will keep you home cooler in the hot summer months and add a change and party feel to your meals. A barbeque party is also perfect for those summer holidays.

Posted by Denise at 10:51 pm  Tagged with: ,

Top Ten landscaping trends for 2009. Part Two

 landscaping  No Responses »
Jun 232009
 

Kitchen gardens, improving outdoor living space, property value and Sustainable landscapes are a few of the top landscaping trends for 2009 and will be influencing landscaping and gardening for many years to come. Spring has sprung
Creative Commons License photo credit: MGShelton

Rounding out the top ten landscaping trends are: water awareness, therapeutic gardening, trees, night lighting, nostalgia and children’s play areas.

Water awareness

Water awareness is so important in landscape design. You will cut down gardening chores with better watering techniques plus water is a commodity and can be scarce in areas at times. Being water-wise is budget and
environmentally friendly, sustainable and just common sense.

Many homeowners are renovating and upgrading sprinkler systems to cut water usage and costs. Rain sensors and ET controllers that halt watering when the soil doesn’t need it and updated sprinkler heads and nozzles that increase water-efficiency are popular new tools for the homeowner.

Watering lawns and gardens in the early morning or late evening will help cut down on water usage. And mulching the ground to hold in moisture and keep out the suns heat is also beneficial to saving water.

Therapeutic gardening

Gardening is therapeutic! Gardening is a wonderful exercise
for overall fitness, stress relief and mental tranquility. Add a bench to the garden for relaxation and a few of your favorite flowers and you have place to work and relax. A water fountain will also add a relaxing feel to the garden area.

Gardens can also be planned around herbs used for relaxing such as lavender or herbs for crafting or medicinal purposes.

Trees

Trees will add beauty and shade to you backyard. By adding more shade trees to your landscape you will be able to benefit from the shade cast by the trees to cool your home and reduce summer energy costs. You will also improve your landscape aesthetics and curb appeal.

Questions to ask before planting a shade tree include: how much space is available for the tree? Will the tree roots affect your foundation or any pipelines in your yard? How long will it take to benefit from your new tree?

Night lighting

Night lighting is one of the fastest-growing landscape innovations. Night lighting adds to the time you spend in your yard, backyard activities, and it increases home security.

The new fluorescent and LED lighting options mean using less electricity. LEDs even come in multiple colors, adding variety to your nightscape. And with night lighting’s popularity new products are coming out everyday.

For ideas on solar lighting check out How to Solar Guide

Nostalgia

“Getting back to basics” or nostalgia is a hot trend this year. People are recreating garden memories from Mom and Grandma’s gardening days using old favorites like daisies, lilacs, peonies, iris and heirloom roses.

Ask your landscape designer or local garden center about new spins on old staples. Many of the older favorites are hardier and come in different colors than before. Free Friendly Little Daisies Creative Commons (unedited)
Creative Commons License photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography

Children’s play area

With the trend in staying at home for you vacation and security, a children’s play area is a must for any backyard. Children will benefit from the exercise, fresh air and interacting with nature.

Parents are creating outdoor environments that attract butterflies and other wildlife and encouraging children to grow vegetables and flowers. Camping areas, pools and a picnic area that can be used for picnics or crafting are also popular.

The play area can also be set up for different ages and for growing and changing as you children grow.

The landscaping of your home and backyard should fit your family’s needs and add to activity and comfort to your home and backyard oasis.

If you missed part one of landscape trends click here

Posted by Denise at 12:37 pm  Tagged with: , ,
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