Home & Garden Information Center: February 2012

Useful Home and Garden Makeover Ideas

Gardening experts give practical and useful home and garden tips online or on TV shows which are very instructive. Incorporate their ideas and suggestions to give your garden a face-lift. Several factors go into creating a beautiful garden. While the size is not very important, proper placement of plants, pathways and garden furniture all combine to create a beautiful garden.
Remember to follow these simple instructions
Prepare the soil before you bring in plants and vegetable seedlings. Clean out the garden and use lawn clippings, branches and leaves by renting a shredder and re-use this as fertilizer for your lawn. Make a compost pile in one sunny corner of your yard. Make sure to place a layer of soil over your leaf and waste products. Check out how much sun or shade is required for a plant by reading instructions on tags when they are bought. Select the right spot and make your soil bed. Remember, it is not necessary to dig too deep as this can choke a plant or create root rot. If a tree is to be planted, remember to leave a clear area all around for the future.
Care for your plants with the right fertilizers
A useful home and garden tip is to plant the best of the lot from a vantage point so that when one looks from a particular window in the living or dining room, they have a lovely view of the garden. A vegetable patch could grow in the backyard while a beautiful Japanese maple could lend an aura of beauty when viewed from the patio or the dining room. Create a pathway from the entrance of your home to the driveway and plant shrubs and flowering trees on both sides.
Create a landscape with a collection of a few plants and rocks and place an ornamental statue to highlight a particular area. Protect your plants from deer and rabbits that can destroy your garden. Plant nectar-fresh flowers to attract pretty butterflies and hummingbirds. Hang a few feeders outside your solarium if you have one and watch the birds feed.
Points to consider when creating a garden
Think ahead. Do not plant trees and shrubs that will outgrow your garden space and look crowded. Make sure you buy plants and flowers that are seasonal and are contained in the space provided for them. Use these useful home and garden tips to advantage and sit back and watch that garden grow!

Ornamental Trees and Plants - Home and Garden

Ornamental plants and trees are used for decorative places and not for earning wealth. In residential landscaping, ornamental trees usually mean smaller trees that cannot support tree houses, hammocks or tree swings. You can have a tree in your backyard even if you do not have too much space. You can choose small ornamental trees which will give you the pleasure of having trees in your yards without affecting its appeal. For truly small areas, you can opt for ornamental plants which can add fragrance or beauty for your home.

The best possession in a home owner's landscape is the flowering ornamental trees which combine the size of a small tree with the beauty of a flower. This can add a lot of beauty to your yard and enhance the home decor. While it comes to choosing ornamental trees or plants there are several options. You can choose a saucer magnolia with its pinkish blossoms or crape myrtles on account of their blooming period which is quite long. You can also choose dogwood trees on account of their horizontal branches.

While opting for landscaping, some house owners prefer the weeping ornamental trees. These trees have long and looping branches which add to the aesthetic value of the house. Some trees such as the weeping cherry tree are also trees that flower. Even in this case you can choose from a variety of trees according to their flowering traits, size and seasons of growth.

While thinking of remodeling your house and incorporating landscaping you can also choose ornamental plants which can increase value during decorating the interiors. Shrubs are unique because they do not have the single trunk and in this way they differ from the trees. Some shrubs that are trimmed to give the look of a trunk are called the ornamental plant. Ornamental plants require great care to give great results and in this way they differ from the ornamental trees which can grow even without diligent care.

Landscaping ads value of your home and must be considered during home improvement. It is also essential to maintain the garden area well after such ideas are incorporated. A home gardener can be appointed to prune and trim and the plants at regular intervals so that the beauty and atmosphere is beautifully maintained and the home becomes a truly heavenly place to reside in.

Ambiance rétro-bohème, les pieds dans l'eau !

Cette fois ci, je vous emmène sur une plage de l'Ile de Sheppey, dans Le Kent
en Angleterre, où une petite maison de plage et sa propriétaire ont trouvé refuge.
Et, au cas où vous seriez tentés pour l'été prochain, elle est aussi à louer ICI.

Une maison de plage dans le Médoc

Face au froid qui persiste, j'ai décidé de prendre la météo à contre-pied.

Résultat : la visite d'une maison de plage dans le Médoc !

Source : Welcome Beyond

Ergonomic Tools for Home and Garden

The need for ergonomic tools is important to identify when using hand tools in the home and garden. Especially if the tools are used for extended periods of time. Finding the right tool for the task at hand will save unwanted discomfort in the future.

Examples of causes of carpal tunnel and hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) are chain saws, power tools, hand weeding, painting, pruning, improperly fitting gloves, screw divers, pressing tool into palm and using spray guns, etc.

To avoid painful carpal tunnel, the use of ergonomic tools allows hands to be in a more neutral position reducing the stress on wrists, arms and fingers. Many ergonomic hand tools have a bent handle which prevents excess bending and pressure.

Cushioned handles will add comfort, reducing strain and in general protect your hands.

Also, available are gloves designed to improve fit and hand function. This helps to eliminate pressure on the hand while wearing gloves.

Operating hand held power tools at the lowest speed necessary for performing the task and wearing anti-vibration gloves will help prevent HAVS. Power tools you may use in the home and garden are drills, saws, staplers and sanders.

Have you painted your home and garden spaces with a hand held brush to discover you keep shifting the paintbrush around to keep a comfortable grip? Paint brushes are available which are designed to reduce stress and discomfort to forearm and wist. The brushes are able to be held with the right or left hand holding positions with ease. The ergonomic brush handles are slightly curved to fit your grip with finger grooves at the base of the brush for comfort.

Ergonomic positioning is equally important as well holding the tool as recommended by the manufacturer. Adjusting straps on equipment will reduce strain on your body for any hand held equipment.

Wheelbarrows have been designed to reduce up to 45% of the impact on your body by keeping loads level as compared to conventional wheelbarrow. The weight is distributed on the front wheel reducing the load on the handles and strain on the operator especially when dealing with sloping areas.