Decorate with Ornamental Gourds

 backyard oasis  No Responses »
Oct 072010
 

Ornamental gourds add color to any backyard patio or indoor table. And at this time of year they add to the festive fall look. With Halloween and Thanksgiving coming up its time to use those ornamental gourds for decorating. Here are a few ways to decorate you home for the fall holidays.

CANDLE HOLDERS: Buy or grow your own miniature pumpkins and gourds. Look for ones with flat bottoms so that they will stand tall and not fall over. Cut a circle in the center of the gourd with a lid-cutting saw from a pumpkin-carving kit. Insert a votive or a tall candle. Place them intermittently on the table or on a tray with fall foliage. they also look good on the patio, windowsills and fireplace mantels.

CENTERPIECE: Buy a perfectly round bright orange pumpkin (I like to use a large pie pumpkin). This will be used as a centerpiece for your table. First, cut a hole in the top of the pumpkin with your pumpkin-carving kit safety knife and clean out the seeds and pulp. Place a glass or vase inside that is the same height as the pumpkin and fill it with water. Arrange colorful mums or fall flowers of your choice inside the glass to make a beautiful show-stopping centerpiece. I like either use a few fern leaves and find a vine that will cascade down the side of the pumpkin. Place small gourds around the centerpiece and on the table.

ICE BUCKET: Buy a round orange wide pumpkin with a stable flat bottom. Cut off the top third portion of the pumpkin with a serrated knife. Scrape out the seeds and pulp. Line the pumpkin with a glass or plastic bowl. Fill with ice and you have an instant ice bucket for drinks. Place colorful fall leaves that you have dried or waxed to preserve around the pumpkin.

NAME TAGS: Use very small gourds as name tags or place settings. Place a name on the gourd with a marker or paint. This is a fun decoration for a children’s Halloween party

There are many creative ways to use gourds and pumpkins for fall decorating. You are only limited by your imagination.

Posted by Denise at 9:44 pm  Tagged with: , , , ,

Easy Composting with Black Garbage bags

 backyard oasis  No Responses »
Sep 292010
 

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, yard waste such as leaves accounted for more than 13 percent of the 250 million tons of garbage that Americans put in landfills in 2008. Just think of the impact that has on landfills and townships collecting leaves and disposing of them.

An environmentally friendly and garden friendly was to clean your yard of leaves is to use a black bag composting method. I use this method when I am in a hurry and want to collect leaves and forget about them until spring.

All you need are black garbage bags and a place to set them until spring. I will often set them in a place where I might want to put in a new garden the following year – if its out of site and not in the front yard! Along a garage or by a storage shed or woodpile is also a good location.

Why black garbage bags? They will attract and hold heat from the sun helping the leaves to compost faster.

First rake the yard and fill the black bags with leaves. Add a little water and close them with tie wraps. If you have grass clipping you light want to mix some of them in. Place them in an out of the way place and ignore until spring.

In the spring check the leaves to see how they are breaking down. You may want to add grass clipping or straw if you have it. I lightly sprinkle the leave mix and seal it up.

Usually by march the leaves have broken down and can be used in gardens or added t o compost and stirred in. I use the leaf compost around new shrubs or perennials. Its a cheap green gardening technique for your home and garden areas.

One thing that will also help leaves to break down quicker is if they have been mowed. By mowing the leaves you break them into smaller pieces that will decompose at a quicker rate.

Composting by black garbage bags works well in towns and suburban areas where you might not be able to set up a composting bin. They can be easily moved and tucked into small spaces. And within a few months you will have a rich soil mix to add to the soil.

Posted by Denise at 7:48 pm  Tagged with: , , , , ,

How to Build an Herb Garden Container

 backyard oasis  No Responses »
Aug 262010
 

Herb gardens make a wonderful small space garden and add color and most of all flavor to your backyard, patio or balcony area. Herb gardens are also great for the beginner gardener as they are easy to care for and are not bothered by insects as much as other plants.

Sage Advice
Creative Commons License photo credit: garryknight

One way to create a small space herb garden is to select your favorite herbs to use in meals and bouquets. For a small space garden you can pack them into a large container. This will create a full and stunning pot. You can then nestle them along a garden border, directly into the garden for a creative focal point or place near the house or even in the kitchen.

If you want to create a small herb garden that will become a focal point in a backyard or garden you may want to make an herb container

How to create an easy herb container

Create an outline of the herb container to help you plan the mini garden and plant layout. Choose a large container to hold the herbs, at least 1 foot by 1 foot.

I have found an old dresser drawer makes a fast and cute mini garden. Add legs, drill drainage holes and its ready to go. If you don’t have small legs brickes work well and you can vary the height of the container.

Place a 1-inch layer of broken pot pieces down on the bottom of the herb container. This help to prevent the water from flooding out the bottom and ensures a gradual drain and no wet feet for your herb plants.

Next place equal amounts of compost and potting soil into the container until it reaches 5 inches from the top of the lip of the container.

To plant your herbs you will want to gently pull apart each root ball on the herbs. This allows the roots to spread in the pot, which encourages growth.

Dig one hole per herb plant with a small garden spade to make space in the container for each plant. Dill and fennel will do best in the back of the pot and add height to the container and container arrangement. Tarragon and thyme will do best in the front of the container, as they will tend to spill and cascade over the pot. Insert the herbs into the hole and gently press down to ensure a snug fit and to cover the roots with soil. Most herbs take 6 inches of space to grow thick and full.

Place the herb container in full sun or if indoors near a window or add additional lighting. Make sure the herbs receive between 4 and 6 hours of direct sunlight each day.

If you add a 1-inch layer of mulch around the herbs in the plants in the summer the soils will stay moist and the plants will require less watering.

By pinching back the herbs you will stimulate new growth and free up nutrients to young shoots. Dry the herbs you pinch to use in the winter months for seasoning soups and other meals.

The Gardener’s Rake is sponsoring a kitchen herb contest with the support of  Hometown Seeds. It begins August 27, 2010.

Posted by Denise at 9:23 pm  Tagged with: , , , ,

Perennial Gardening tips for a great garden

 backyard oasis  No Responses »
Aug 182010
 

Any backyard, patio or balcony will look more inviting with a few plants. And many plants will take little time, particularly if chosen wisely.

Perennial flowers are strong, local flowers that come back every year without having to replant or do any extra work. This is one reason they are as popular as they are. Perennials usually have a peak flowering season. During the plants off seasons, the flowers and stems die back and you can hardly even tell the plant is there (rather than just dying and looking like hideous brown clumps in your garden). When it’s time to bloom, entirely new flowers shoot up where the old ones were. Many people will intermix annual flowers in with perennials to keep a constant flow of color to their backyard or garden area.

Before deciding whether to put in perennials or not, you need to make sure that your soil has proper drainage. If the water stays saturated for long periods of time, you should build a raised bed. Raised beds help drainage and can be used in areas where the soil is not really acceptable for plants.

To test for water drainage, dig a hole and fill it with water. Wait a day, and then fill it with water again. All traces of water should be gone within 10 hours. If the hole isn’t completely dry, you will need to build a raised bed.

Picking your perennials can be a complicated process. The goal should be to have them flowering as much as possible during the year, so you should create an outline of the year. There are tow ways to go about selecting perennials.

Research the different types of flower you want, and create a timeline of flowering. If you plan it right, you can have a different type of flower blooming at any point in the year. You can research plants online or by selecting a good perennial book.

And one final step for a great perennial garden is using mulch. You should definitely use mulch when planting perennials. This will reduce the overall amount of work you have to do. It will reduce the amount of weeds and increase the water retention of the soil thus cutting back on extra garden maintenance. Bark or pine needles work great. In my area I can pick up bark and needles for free. (Check at tree companies and local township office for these items.)

Perennials are quite easy to care for once they adapt to their surrounds. Use fertilizer sparingly once your plants start to come to life. And add more mulch to the plants every two or three years

Note: Perennials will grow well in containers or patios or balconies. Either store them in the winter in a slightly warmer area or cover well with straw. How well they need protected from winter will depend on your climate.

Posted by Denise at 8:07 am  Tagged with: , , ,

How to Avoid Hazards In Your Backyard

 backyard oasis  No Responses »
Aug 052010
 

There are hazards in most people’s backyards that they are unaware of. Stop to take the time out to really look at your backyard area and you may be surprised at what you see.

Check for any standing water in your yard. Even the smallest collection of water can become a haven for mosquitoes. Mosquitoes can carry the West Nile Virus and many other diseases. Make it a point to do a weekly check of your backyard to make sure there is no standing water anywhere on you property. It’s so easy to set a bucket down and forget it there.

Small buckets and pails can also hold enough water for a child to drink and get ill or to drown in.

Cut down on the amount of pesticides that you are use in your backyard. Pesticides can build up over time and make you and your pets very ill. Instead of using pesticides try putting up birdhouses on your property that will attract birds to eat insects. You can also plant certain types of plant that attract insects that are predatory of other insects. Also try combination planting and keeping the yard picked up and tidy. Insects like overgrown areas and places with rotting material.

And if you use pesticides, make sure they are locked up. This is particularly important if you have small children or children in the neighborhood.

Check to see if cement and stone walkways are even. Its only takes one small uneven area for a person to fall and get seriously hurt.

Make sure your plants are not poisonous. Certain plants are very dangerous if eaten by pets or children.

Waterproof your deck every two years. If you don’t water can saturate the wood and cause cracks. If this is not taken care of it can eventually lead to the wood collapsing under the weight of people on your deck.

If you have a swimming or wading pool make sure you keep it covered when not in use. Also have someone outside watching children at all times. It only takes a few minutes for a tragedy to occur.

Check the health of your trees. If they have bad limbs or an illness get them trimmed or remove them.

If you have electrical lines outdoors check them to make sure they are in good shape. Also make sure no one can trip on them

With observation and care, your backyard can be a safe place to relax or play.

Posted by Denise at 9:15 pm  Tagged with: ,
 Older Entries  Newer Entries
© 2011 Backyard Oasis Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha