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.

Grow Your Own Cooking Herbs

Growing  your own culinary herbs will bring you extra pleasure when serving your family and guests that special dish seasoned with the herbs.

Unlike spices, which are generally more pungent and add stronger flavor, herbs  add subtle flavor that account for the success of your mouth-watering dishes.

It is easy to achieve those results as any location with plenty of light, drainage and nutrition is adequate to growing cooking herbs. You may choose to grow them in outdoor garden spots, in patio containers, in greenhouses or you could even make an indoor herb garden using pots. A good idea for small areas is to plant the herbs in hanging baskets, which will add extra charm to the place.

Among the various cultivars, you may choose thyme, coriander, French lavender, bay laurel, basil, lemon verbena, dill, parsley, chives, sage and rosemary if the amount of sun they will get is south or westward . A nice combination of both upright and trailing herbs is attractive, so consider adding creeping thymes or oregano to your mini garden for a little eye appeal.

Northern and eastern exposures will provide more shade and are not as warm. Shade loving plants that will work nice here include parsley, spearmint, peppermint, lemon balm, chives, borage, and Cuban oregano.

To be successful with your herb garden, make sure 1) you choose a spot that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight per day, 2) there is good drainage and easy accessibility, and 3) the height and sizes of herbs are considered so that the largest ones will be placed at the back and the smallest ones in front of them.

Finally, remember to skirt your cooking herbs with a two to three-inch layer of mulch, which helps the soil to retain moisture besides keeping the neutral-to-slightly alkaline soil that most herbs prefer.

A Multicolored Garden

There is nothing more eye-catching than a multicolored garden.


Whether you choose to have flower-beds with only one flower type or with various ones, the resulting look will be just as gorgeous.


Take a look at these photos and get inspired to go outside and start creating your dream garden.

Begonias, Tulips, Daffodils - Bulbs For The Garden

Experts say that the secret to a beautiful garden is in the bulbs. One of the reasons that account for bulbs preference among more experienced gardeners is that bulbs naturally package all the essentials they need to flourish and grow. They are usually quite hardy and undemanding and can provide the most amazing shower of spring and summertime colors as a wide variety of colors and shapes can be produced. All that’s required is warming temperatures to bring the bulbs out of dormancy. 




You can easily find bulbs such as daffodil, crocus, hyacinth, tulip, and lily at your local lawn and garden center. However, if you want something rarer, you should 
 look for flowering bulbs with unique colors and smells like Guinevere, Blackmore, and Landon Begonias.

For spring-flowering bulbs, you will plant in fall while for summer-flowering 
bulbs, the ideal time to plant is spring. Most bulbs do well in pots or in planters, so your main concern should be the type of soil required and the depth and spacing necessary to give your new bulbs plenty of growing room. After following the necessary steps, your garden will be blooming with flowers that will catch everyone’s eyes. Enjoy!

Organic Rooting Hormone

While commercial rooting hormones may be more practical for obvious reasons, their organic homemade counterpart is certainly healthier and less expensive. You may obtain an efficient  organic rooting hormone by soaking the yellow-tipped shoots of a weeping willow tree in water or by making a tea from the willow bark. Make sure you will use the mixture after a 24-hour period. Another way of getting rooting hormone is by using honey dilluted in some water.

You may use the organic rooting hormone to propagate any plant with leaves such as African Violet, Geranium, and others that can be propagated with leaf cuttings.

 Your gardening experience will be far more rewarding if you pay special attention to and care for the environment.

Turn Your Garden Into an Outdoor Living-Room

How about having your living-room or dining-room and even your bedroom or your children's bedrooms flow right outdoors on to "floating" decks of wood, bricked terraces or lattice-roofed loggias? It sounds like a good idea, doesn't it? Your garden as an extension to your house, a terrace for family gatherings, a play space for young children. All of these will be just fine especially now that the weather is getting warmer and summertime is approaching.


The ideas are numerous and go from simple tricks such as glass walls to the "parasol" roof, which may extend some 4 feet from the walls of the house.

As for glass walls, you will want to use the same wall material inside as for a continuing wall on the terrace and the same material for the ceiling both inside and on the extended terrace eaves. This will give a sense of unity to the adjoined area.


Relate your terrace to the rest of your grounds with flowers and vines grown in pots, baskets and tubs, thus making it a delightful place for entertaining, sun-bathing and relaxing.


Don’t forget to have an electric outlet for lighting, portable radio, electric spit for your barbecue, etc installed, so you, your family and friends will make the most of this outdoor living-room in warm evenings as well.


The better you plan and the more you care for your terrace, the more your family will enjoy gathering there for a chat in lazy summer days.