photo credit: faeryboots

I have an area just off the patio that needs redone and a unique garden gate seemed to be what I needed. After a weekend of sales and a few “salvaging finds,” I found several unique free windows that would be perfect. The windows I chose to use for this garden gate had old wooden panes but no glass.

You could use window with glass, screen, lattice or nothing in them at all. You could also add mirror or weather proof fabric. This is a versatile project that is only limited by your ideas.

This window garden gate took about one hour to assemble from start to finish.

How to Create a Window Garden Gate

• First decide the location for your garden gates. Next measure the width of the windows to figure how big your opening is going to be.
• Dig holes deep enough to install your side poles. For this step a post hole digger would be helpful.
• Place each pole into a hole. Hold the poles up straight and pack the dirt around the pole and tamp in place. Saw off any excess length for the side poles. I prefer to use a quick crete mix for refilling the postholes to ensure that they will stay in place.
• Make sure your poles are level by using a using a leveling tool. If you are going to add cement or quick crete make sure the poles are level and straight first. Once this step is done its time to add the window garden gates.
• Mark each pole at the spot you have decided to place the windows. Make sure the mark on each pole is identical so that the gate will hang even.
• For the size window I am using (about three foot) I Will use two hinges on each window. When deciding where to put the hinges make sure they are even lengths apart on each window to help distribute the weight of the gate evenly.
• Install the hinges on the windows first using a screwdriver. I use an electrical screwdriver; it’s faster and easier.
• Hang each window door at the spot you want them to hang on your poles. It is extremely important to make sure that your windows are hung level or they will not close correctly.
• Add a latch if you want.

This gate is mainly for show in my small patio garden area. I plan to add flowering vines to the poles and let them cross over onto the window gate area. Next year I may decide to fill in the window panes for a different look and use it as more of a garden gate.

photo credit: Franck Mahon

Fruit trees a wonderful addition to any backyard. They provide shade, landscaping and more important fresh fruit. But they also need maintenance to keep the healthy and producing nice crops. Growing up on a piece of property with over 500 trees I am used to fruit harvests and the proper care of fruit trees.

Location, disease control and fertilizing the trees are important. Equally important is the proper pruning of a tree. Pruning a tree keeps the tree healthy and a size that you can work with. Picking fruit off a tree with the use of a ladder is much more difficult than standing on the ground.

There are several other benefits of pruning a tree and they are shown in this You Tube which was sent to me by Jeff from Naturehills.com With his permission I have linked to the video which is full of pruning information that you should find helpful.

How to Trim your Fruit Tree video

Some of the best memories I have of the farm I grew up on were the fruit tress, particularly the peach trees. Heading out the door on an early fall morning and picking off a fresh peach that had the chill of the night but was being warmed by the sun is a memory that I will never forget.

So add fruit trees to you property and prune new ones or the old ones that you already have. A fruit tree will add beauty and fruit to your backyard for years to come with a little care and pruning.

An indoor herb garden is also a wonderful way to over winter many of your tender perennials. Dig up your favorite perennials and herbs before the frost stresses or damages them. I usually let them set a few days in an outer room and adjust to being moved indoors. During this time they are kept moist in a dirt box (spare box filled with a good mix of soil). You can plant the herbs in individual pots or use a window box. I use both.

The individual pots are in the kitchen in different sized pot sitting on rocks to promote good drainage and humidity. This is my Herbal Artsy garden! I have fun experimenting with pots for different looks.

I have two Window Box Herb Gardens. One is a culinary herbal window box and one has herbs for crafting.  If you’re using a window box be sure to have several drainage holes and use good quality potting soil to promote good drainage and soil that does not get soggy.

Place the box in a sunny spot, water when the herbs are dry and fertilize with an organic fish emulsion once a month. It’s easy to over water herbs indoors and this will create mold and soil problems. Keep the plants trimmed so that they will remain compact. They are easier to manage and besides you should be using them.

Turn the window box or pots around every couple of weeks to ensure even light and growth.

A few of my favorite window box themes are:

The Culinary Box with Parsley, Oregano, Sage, Thyme, Chives, Lemon Thyme & Basil. This is a must in a kitchen. These herbs will meet most cooking needs and fresh herbs are so much better than dried herbs

The Herbal Tea Box with Rose Scented Geranium, Peppermint, Rosemary, and Anise Hyssop & Lemon Balm. I keep a few of my favorite dried herbs that I mix in with the fresh herbs for great tea mixes.

The Aromatherapy Box with Lavender, Rosemary, Peppermint, Orange Scented Geranium & Lemon Verbena. This is great for crafting, dream pillows, creams, and so many other herbal creations.

The Remedies Box where you grow Lavender, Sage, Spearmint, Feverfew, Catnip and Calendula.

The ideas for herbal window boxes and herbal pots are endless! Herbal window boxes and garden pot mini gardens will add to any small space garden, backyard patio or indoor garden area.

One area that my backyard is lacking in would be a water garden, ponds and a miniature backyard waterfall. These features will be added to my backyard design this spring. Until them I can only look at gardening catalogs and dream of creating a backyard oasis filled with the sounds of running water and backyardfish.

This you tube about a Backyard Oasis Paradise that features ponds, beautiful water garden plants and a backyard waterfall caught my attention. Between its beauty and relaxing music it’s like being out in your own backyard oasis. It gave me ideas for my garden plans while I am waiting for the snow to melt.

At this time I am leaning towards adding a small water garden with Koi Fish and water plants, particularly water lilies and lotus plants. I can grow lotus plants in my zone 5 growing zone but I place them in a wire basket and move them in the winter. It’s a little more work but there is something about lotus plants and their striking beauty.

As spring approaches for many of us it the perfect time to make plans to add a water garden to your backyard garden oasis. The entire family and your friends will find your yard the perfect place to relax.