Pools And Fountains In The Garden

It’s been 13 days now since the last post but it seems I haven’t written in ages. Over the web, where instant communication is king, time has another dimension. One day or even a few hours away from the online world might appear that you’ve been away for months. It’ s amazing, isn’t it?

Well, such subject could lead us to an interesting discussion about how we spend our time ( or waste it ), how precious time becomes as years go by, how fast it is passing these days… But this isn’t our purpose here. On this blog, you and I address a more permanent stuff, right?

Ok,  before it’s too late, let’s get back to the blog theme and see some ideas to make your garden look prettier this summer. Yeah! Summer is just round the corner, and with it comes heat…

So, you might want to bring relief from the heat by using any form of water source in the garden, especially water in movement. The sound of running water is soothing , ideal for an end-of-workday family gathering.

A garden pool, a splashing fountain or a narrow little brook running through the grounds are some ideas that may be easily implemented.

A pool in the garden highlights the good features of your setting, and it should always be placed in the central part so that its surface will be seen from several points, or at least from the most frequented spot in the garden.

Make sure you choose both the appropriate shape and materials of the coping around the pool. Flagstone, brick and tile are all good depending on the degree of formality of the pool. Sometimes the best solution is no visible coping.

As to fountains, they  can be made with only a small supply of flowing water, and the same water can be used over and over if you install a small motor and pump for an electric pumping system. You might need extra help to do that but it’s all inexpensive while the final effect is awesome and worth your effort.

Three Steps To A Healthy Lawn

Nineteen days from now summertime will be knocking at our doors.  Thinking about packing up and going   somewhere to enjoy vacation with your family? Nice, but before doing that, take some time and  look around your lawn and check (in case you haven’t done it yet ) whether  it needs some maintenance. Oh, you might say, I’ll hire someone to take care of it, it’s so much work, a time-consuming task, I can’t do it myself.

Well, actually, it’s not as hard as you believe. Once you have a few guidelines and tips – and some spare time -  you may easily get a healthy green lawn just in time for the first backyard BBQ of the season.

Let’s see what should be done :

1.       Revive your lawn by fertilizing it properly. Fertilizer is the key to ensuring strong healthy growth of the yard grass which will grow greener and thicker. 

Typically, you want to fertilize two times a year. If you’re less concerned about perfection, in the north you can get away with feeding just once a year: in the spring or fall. In the south, with its longer growing season, you will need to feed twice, spring and fall.

Start in early spring, approximately 30 days before the growing season begins in your area, continuing through the growing season until fall. But be careful, though: don’t use too much fertilizer.

If you’d like to fertilize organically, check out the variety of organic products at your garden center. Or, just rake 1/4 inch of compost atop the soil.

2.       Mow your lawn properly, that is, do not cut too much off the grass top. Instead, set the mower  to a mid-position so you won’t “scalp” the lawn, which can be disastrous. (Check out the post of May 6th)

3.      Also remember to control the weeds by pulling or digging them, being sure to get as much of the root as possible. If you fail to get enough of the root, you will simply be doing a prune job. With dandelions in particular, it’s important to get at least the top inch of the plant’s long, narrow taproot.

With these tips you are ready to take care of your lawn and make it the perfect place for summer gatherings. 

You may want to check out May 6 post for other ideas.