Why a backyard oasis? With tough economic times and saving money being a top priority for many families this is the time to think about creating your own backyard oasis to chill out from your daily stresses. With proper planning you can make your backyard into a paradise that fits the activities of the entire family. You can even add a nutritional garden area to save additional money.

photo credit: zenera

One of the first steps in planning is deciding on what you will spend.  Many backyard accessories can be made or may already exist in your landscape. You can hunt at auctions or garage sales for any additional furniture, garden supplies or children’s play equipment.

The next step is to evaluate your space. It’s amazing how much you can fit into a very small area and still have a spacious feel. An area under a shade tree may become a place for children to play. Your patio can double as a family leisure area for picnics or camp outs or even be set up as a patio gardening area.

Plants add a relaxing atmosphere and seem to extend your yard. By arranging your plants in layers such as raised beds, containers, or climbing plants, you can grow upwards and save space and add privacy to your backyard oasis.

One more addition to any yard is water. Water tends to make people feel at home. Water fountains cover up traffic and neighborhood noise while small pools can contain fish, or be a place for the family to cool off on hot days.

With an enclosed porch or additional building you can extend the time you can spend in your yard. I have a small sunroom and a greenhouse that I spend hours in during my cold Northwest Pa. winters. It extends my spring and fall seasons by several months.

Backyards can also look beautiful and inviting even in cold weather. Many of my favorite childhood memories include bonfires and cookouts in January and February, our coldest months.

If you live in town or a city you may still have a patio, a deck, a room with windows, or an area by a garage that you can turn into your own private getaway. There are many renters who have rooftop garden and living areas that are a special and very inviting oasis.

Your backyard can be made to fit you and your families needs for family leisure activities, such as sports, gardening, and entertaining. Make this season the time to create your own backyard oasis.

Many people picture a cute furry groundhog with a hat and a holiday all to himself but backyard gardeners know the damage that Groundhog or “wood chuck” can do.

From Millan.Net

If your not familiar with these garden hazards, they are a tunnel-digging rodent common throughout eastern North America. Also known as woodchucks, they can wreak havoc on your backyard garden in no time. I have seen a groundhog destroy a row of beans in less than an hour and ruin a patch of melons overnight. And their homes leave a mess in yard pastures and even under homes.

Groundhogs can produce tunnels forty-five feet in length that are buried up to five feet underground. And if they decide to tunnel under your home or an outbuilding they can damage the foundation.

It is best to deal with groundhogs before they decide to vacation in your backyard paradise. Prevention is the key and here are a few tips to keep your backyard groundhog free.

Protect your gardens

When you plant a vegetable garden it’s like rolling out a red carpet to an all you can eat vegetable bar. The groundhogs will be waiting in line unless you plan ahead. Raised beds, container gardens, patio gardens or a garden fence will discourage these hungry rodents.

Some people use cages to catch groundhogs or dogs to scare them away. I have also used shiny objects, wind chimes and a radio to scare groundhogs away from the backyard garden area.

Maintain your property

Groundhogs are attracted to the edges of woodlands and next to open areas. Old pastures, empty lots and overgrown areas will quickly become their home. They also love to burrow under rocks, tree stumps or by shrubs or bushes. They are making a home in a protected area

Know your property.

Is the edge of your woods overgrown with brush? Do you have firewood or other objects piled in the yard? If so, you are creating a perfect home for a groundhog. Clear away any brush, wood and debris. Keep the grass cut short around your home and outbuildings. Or remove the grass in this area and put down mulch.

When you find a groundhog hole, fill it and make sure the area is cleared. You may want to walk a dog around the area to discourage it from staying. I have also poured cat litter down the holes, and then filled them in.

Groundhogs are stubborn when they decide to move in, so the best policy to keep them out. And Happy Groundhogs day!

Technorati Tags: backyard gardening, garden pests, garden problems, groundhog control, groundhog damage

The backyard Oasis will be offering “Backyard Oasis Projects” for creating a rustic arbor, raised bed gardening, selecting plants and small space design. Classes begin in March and will be in video form so you can watch and later ask any questions you may have.

photo credit: Stephen Howard

If you live Warren County PA or Chautauqua County NY there will be on location classes available in April for straw bale gardening, container gardening and raised bed gardening. You will need to sign up for these classes so that I know how many will be in attendance.

Your can sign up through “contact us”. the Gardener’s Rake is a sister site to our backyard oasis so you can also sign up there.

The Gardener’s Rake is also having a “Free Seed Contest” For more information and rules visit The Gardener’s Rake.

Join in on the fun! Spring is almost here. Just ask the local community Ground Hogs, Dunkirk Dave and Punxy Phil.

From Millan.Net

Technorati Tags: backyard oasis projects, free garden seeds contest, gardening classes offered, the Gardeners Rake

Indoors or out, plants in pots and containers have certain uses and needs. With proper care both the plant and potting container will last for years and add beauty throughout the entire year.

photo credit: hello-julie

Planters: Where to place your plants

Where you place your plant in a room or on patios and balconies create an impact upon the atmosphere and ambience of the area. Your first concern with potted plants is the amount of light or lack of light the plant requires. The plant care tag will help you with this or garden shops and online plant care websites.

Once you know your plant needs it time to place the plant for the best visual effect.

Tall, potted plants will create a quiet reading corner or add privacy to an office space. They can be used as a divider in a room or to hide a problem area in a room.

Hanging plants can provide a screen for a bathroom or bedroom window. They will also create a room barrier and fill bare corner with color. Add an herbal hanging container to you kitchen and harvest fresh herbs for cooking all winter.

An orchid may add tropical appeal to a patio or other living space. To give a more rounded and lush look near the orchid add two or three small potted plants around the orchid planter.

photo credit: magic_bee

Avoid placing plants in heavy traffic areas or small spaces. They will add a cluttered feel to these spaces and interfere with traffic flow.

Make sure that plants placed on tables or in other conversation spots are not too large. This will interfere with conversation and give the area an uneasy unbalanced feel.

Potted containers.

Pots and containers are often overlooked when selecting a plant and adding to the atmosphere of a room. Many feel any old pot will do. But selecting pots for color and décor adds to the room and to the beauty of the plant.

Regardless of the decorative appeal, a container with good drainage is a must for an interior plant. Indoor plants have more of a problem for plant disease if the soil cannot drain properly

Place a saucer underneath the container to catch the run off water before it leaves water stains on your tables or reaches your floor. Saucers with pebbles place them will keep excess water away for the plants roots and add humidity around the plants. This humidity is beneficial to the plants and people.

Polystyrene peanuts will keep the container light in weight, increase your drainage, and
decrease the soil needed to fill the pot. This is particularly important in hanging baskets and larger potting containers that can get heavy. Outdoor balcony gardens will also benefit from lighter planters.

Baskets and decorator pots are available at home improvement stores, gardening centers, auction houses and garage sales. You can also paint or redecorate or planter and pots to match your décor. And if you are in a creative mood you can make a hypertyfu one of a kind planter.

Plants and planters add to the atmosphere and health of your home. And with creativity in the choice of plants and planters you can add change to your rooms on a weekly or monthly basis, indoors or out.

Technorati Tags: backyard oasis, hanging baskets, indoor plants, plant containers, planters

The winter months when yard work and gardens slow down or come to a complete halt is the perfect time to plan small space design ideas.

photo credit: jessicareeder

There may have been areas of your garden and backyard what did not work as well as you intended or that just need an overhaul. I myself have noticed that when I make better use of my space I also have less work, and although I like working in the garden I also like relaxing too.

So what can you do to improve the use of your backyard and garden space?

• The patio can serve as an entertainment area and children’s play area. Add storage benches to tuck away children toys and games when not in use.
• Have a foldaway picnic table or have a movable table that can be used in another part of the yard.
• Switch to vertical gardening, raised bed gardening or container gardening to make use of small spaces, patios and hillsides.
• Look at areas near the house or garage to see if there is space that could be used that is setting unattended.
• The use of a hammock that be put up or down, tents for the children, mini wading pool, or a badminton set can add hours of entertainment but all items can be taken down or traded to make use of small spaces.
• Use small furniture in the backyard. It will give a feel of more space.
• Tall plants will soften corners and add depth making your space feel larger.
• Add night-lights and lanterns to extend your time in the backyard. The evening will add a new feel to your area and a feel off space. If you stagger your lights in layers you will also add the feel of more depth.
• Use an online landscape planner or grab graph paper and lay out your backyard Make cutouts of the shape of your home, trees and any other backyard item. Move around your cutouts to see if you can make better use of your available space.

Most important, take time and think back to last summer. What worked in the yard and what did you miss or was a bit disappointing. This is the time to make plans and add comfort and atmosphere to your backyard oasis area.

Last year I noticed I needed to redo the patio area and make it more of an extension of the indoor living space. I also want to add more night lighting. So these are winter planning ideas I will be concentrating on for better use of my small space backyard and patio.

Technorati Tags: backyard design, backyard oasis, backyard winter planning, small space design, small space design ideas