Lawn Landscaping

When you walk around your neighborhood, do you find that everyone else has a lush, green lawn, whereas your own lawn has patches of dead grass, and most of it is yellowish and unattractive anyway! It's time to do some work to bring your lawn back to health.

Just because you live in the same geographic area as your neighbors doesn't mean that your soil is necessarily the same as theirs. So the first thing you should do is some soil tests, to find out what the pH balance ("power of Hydrogen") of the soil is. If your soil is too alkaline, or too acidic, your grass and flowers will not grow well.

If your soil is not balanced properly, there's no need to despair. Add lime (for example calcic limestone) to the soil if it is too acidic, and add iron sulfate to your soil to correct alkaline soil. You'll want to consult with a gardening professional to know exactly how of this material you should add.

What type of soil have you? If you've got soil with too much clay, you're going to have drainage problems - because clay retains water practically forever, which is bad. Sandy soil, on the other hand, dries out too quickly. These problems can be solved by adding peat moss or compost.

But let's say your soil is just right for growing lush green grass. Then what's the problem?

Does your lawn receive enough sun?


If your lawn is scattered with lots of large trees, it's quite possible that their foliage prevents enough sunlight from getting through to your lawn. Consider thinning out the branches. And if you have trouble with your grass dying right underneath your trees, try using groundcover instead, although there are other solutions you can try.

Does your lawn receive enough water? Or too much?


Water's water at all times, but it doesn't behave the same at all times. The heat of the sun evaporates water, of course, so it is best to water in the early morning, or late at night. Never water during the heat of the day. And never water your lawn too much - that's as bad as watering it too little.

Do you water the entire lawn fairly, or do you cheat? Do some spots get more water than others? It's important that your entire lawn be watered equally. If you want to take the human element out of the equation, you can always install an automatic sprinkling system in your yard. But that requires digging up sections of the lawn in order to bury the hoses, and those sprinkler heads can play havoc when you're trying to mow. Still, it's something to consider.

The patter of tiny feet


If you have a lot of kids, or teens, for that matter, playing active games on your lawn such as touch football or catch, they're going to be running around compressing and compacting the soil, which drives out the oxygen plants need to survive. The solution to this can be to aerate your lawn - use a device that punches holes in the soil to loosen it. Aerate your lawn at least once a year.

Does your lawn get mowed properly?


If you don't like to mow the lawn (and who does?) you may decide to solve the problem by mowing it as short as possible, so that it takes a while for it to grow out before you have to mow again. But this actually stresses out the grass, and is not at all good for it. Neither is letting your grass grow too long. Apart from aesthetic considerations, it causes problems with the amount of water and sunlight that reaches the soil.

Ever heard of thatch? It's the dead grass and other material that forms a layer on the soil below the grass itself. This chokes out new growth. Get a de-thatching rake and take care of it.

What kind of grass do you have?


If you've implemented all these solutions and your lawn still doesn't look as nice as your neighbor's, it may be something as simple as the kind of grass you have. Grass comes in different shades of green, from dark green to yellow. Some grass is more resilient to pounding feet than others, and to extremes of heat and cold.

By considering these elements, you'll find that your lawn will soon be the smooth, velvet carpet of green you always envisioned.

The True Spirit of Japanese Gardens

The first thing that greets you as you step into a Japanese garden is the calmness and serenity of the place. The Japanese gardens reflect men's efforts at harmonizing the beauty and force of the nature in an effortless fashion. With the essential presence of water body, thin streams, short bridges or artificial hillocks created with gravels and rocks; in the final shape the Japanese gardens become resonant with the mellow notes of spirituality and tranquility.

You can find three basic styles of Japanese gardens:

Hill and Pond (Chisen-Kaiyu-skiki)

Flat Garden (Hiraniwa)

Tea Gardens (Rojiniwa)

The basic rules are more or less same, while the particular features are incorporated in lieu with the specific type of the garden.

In Japanese gardens you will come to find a rare bonding with nature. Despite the use of many artificial structural elements like bridges or water bodies or artificially created hills, Japanese gardens are created to reflect the nature in her most unadulterated form. Thus "harmonious asymmetry" becomes the rule for Japanese gardeners and simplicity becomes the inspiration behind their work. If you are going to recreate the Japanese magic in your garden, then follow the thumb rules described below.

The illusion of time and space

To the eyes accustomed to European style of gardening, where the perfectly manicured plants vie for your attention in every possible nook and corners of the garden, Japanese gardens may seem to offer an illusion of emptiness at a first glance. There are so many things, yet the garden looks so vast and spacious---this trick of space management is the first lesson with regard to the Japanese style of gardening.

Selection of plants

The Japanese gardens try to reflect the permanence of nature. That is why it is the evergreen trees that become the dominating feature of Japanese gardens. The plants in the Japanese gardens represent the seasonal cycles. Because of this selection, the Japanese gardens are not discarded during the winters. The essence of the four seasons can nowhere be better felt than in the changing appearance of Japanese garden through the year.

Bringing the balance

In an ode to nature, the Japanese gardens strive to represent the nature in a miniscule, but in its closest form. As for example, in a Japanese garden, you can not accommodate a pond that is a perfect square in shape. Because nature never produced s such a geometrical wonders. Similarly, in your pursuit of imitating nature, you have also to incorporate the spirit of balance. As for example to create a mountain in your small garden, you can make use of the small rocks, but not the huge ones.

Fencing

Creating the right enclosure has great symbolic value. The fencing is created with the aim of locking up the serenity inside the garden uninterrupted by the goings on in the outside world. Sometimes, small windows are created on the solid walls to lure the passer by with the beauty that lies inside the garden enclosure.

Ornamentation with the lanterns

No Japanese garden is ever complete with stone lanterns in variety of designs and styles. There are three main varieties of lanterns that are used in the Japanese gardens: the Kasuga style lantern, the Oribe style lanterns and the Yukimi or Snow-Viewing lantern.

In short, Japanese gardens are the reflection of natural balance between change and constancy. A little introduction to Zen philosophy can prepare you for the better perception about the Japanese style of gardening.

New and Improved Lawn and Garden Tools Makes Outdoor Maintenance Quick and Easy

If you're looking for ways to keep your lawn and garden chores to a minimum and still have your outdoors looking fantastic, here's a few tips to please and delight.

Every homeowner faces the chores of choosing the right lawn and garden tools to get the jobs done efficiently in the least amount of time. While you may enjoy gardening, you also need the time to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Trendy new lawn and garden tools can help you do just that.

As you're choosing your lawn and garden tools there are three important factors to keep in mind. First off, evaluate the efficiency of the tool. Ease of use and performance are important benefits of quality lawn and garden tools.

Next, make sure the tools are made of durable materials that can withstand the pressure and other elements of outdoor use. Rust resistant sturdy metals and ergonomic grips are also important factors.

Make sure you choose the correct lawn and garden tools for the job. Today many lawn and garden tools are multifunctional. These tools are very handy and can eliminate cluttered storage space with many tools.

Listed below are a few improved lawn and garden tools that works great for a variety of tasks.

For planting, weeding, watering, pruning, and keeping your plants healthy and happy an industrial grade gardener's essential tool kit is a great choice. The kit contains all the items you could need stored neatly in an easy to carry case.

A Garden Utility Cart is a "must have" for yard and garden work. Make sure to choose one that has a liner for easy emptying and cleaning. You may also want to choose one with sides that can drop down to accommodate larger loads. Pneumatic wheels are the best type to handle all types of terrain.

To permanently remove weeds from walkways, driveways or other stoned areas try a propane fired weed burner. You can eliminate the weeds without using harmful chemicals.

A great new innovative lawn and garden tool is the groove and crevice cleaner. It's perfect for removing debris, from decks, between bricks, and tiles. Keeps these areas looking fresh and clean without bending or struggling to clean the crevices.

Choose your tools carefully based on usability and durability. You'll have a selection of lawn and garden tools that will provide you quick and easy use for years to come.