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If you’re looking to turn your garbage into gardener’s gold and do it in a hurry, then you should try a compost tumbler. If you have a compost bin then you know how great it is to add compost to your flower beds and vegetable garden. But making compost takes time and it’s usually in short supply. A compost tumbler is a great time saver when making compost.

Some gardeners believe that compost is better than fertilizer because it doesn’t just feed your plants, it also improves your soil. Improving your soil keeps your plants healthier so they grow stronger and more capable of fighting off diseases or beating droughts. Compost is decomposed organic matter and is high in nutrients that plants love. Bacteria and other micro organisms help break down that decomposing organic matter and their short life cycles become part of the process itself. When they reproduce their offspring continue the process while the parents bodies break down and add to the organic matter. It’s nature’s way of recycling.

Creating compost will usually take a couple of months. If you get the ratio of browns to greens right, turn the pile to keep it aerated and don’t let it dry out you’ll be rewarded with fresh earthy compost. The more you tend your compost pile, the quicker your garden waste will become compost. Neglect the pile and it will still become compost but it’ll take a lot longer. For an example of this examine the rich soil in a forest. As leaves and tree litter fall to the ground, there isn’t anyone there making sure it’s the same wetness as a wrung out sponge. But by the time the next season rolls around, a lot of those leaves have begun decomposing and in the process, they’re feeding the trees and the cycle continues without any help from man.

The gardening season can be very short depending on where you live. In the Northeast we have about 4 months of time to grow the flowers, fruits and vegetables that we love. So unless you have a huge bin of compost ready to go on the first day of spring you’ll need some more during the growing season. A compost tumbler is perfect for making compost fast. Now you probably won’t make enough compost to fill new beds but the amount you can make is perfect to give your plants and nice top dressing.

Or if you are a composter with a pest problem, the compost tumbler will keep the critters out of your pile. The most popular tumblers are sealed up and only have holes for air. If rodents or snakes have been problems for you in the past then the compost tumbler is the solution that you’ve been looking for.

There’s a few things you’ll need to do a little differently if you’re used to bin composting. First off, you’ll need to add all the raw materials at once. Don’t continue adding or else your compost will never be done. Add what you want and then start turning. Try to turn it everyday. If not everyday then at least a few times a week. The first few batches will take the longest unless you already have some compost that you can toss into the tumbler. Or you can use a compost activator. That’s all activators really are anyway. Just someone’s else’s compost to help get your pile started. The bacteria and micro organisms have to get in there somehow.

Be sure not to over water when using a compost tumbler. Moisture doesn’t escape as easily inside the tumbler as with a regular compost bin. And most likely your ingredients such as grass clippings or coffee grinds were already moist to begin with.

After about 3 weeks the compost should start to look like compost. It should be an even color and you shouldn’t be able to tell what you put in the tumbler. If your waste is still recognizable then let it decompose a while longer. And don’t forget to smell your compost. It should have a nice earthy smell to it.

If you’re looking for a neat & compact composting solution that works quickly and won’t receive a lot of attention from your neighbors, then look into a compost tumbler. You’ll be tumbling your way to a great garden this season.

Anthony Tripodi is the webmaster of WatchItRot.com - The Compost Guide. For more information about Compost Tumblers and all of your composting and gardening needs, please visit http://www.watchitrot.com.

[tags]compost, compost tumbler[/tags]

Gardening fanatics, with no space for a garden, like apartment dwellers and those in shared housing, can be assured gardening is not inevitably gone from their lives. You can always build a container garden on a balcony, patio, deck, or sunny window. Not only the joy of flowers but vegetables and some fruits can be grown. You can raise perennials, annuals, and even shrubs and small trees all in a container.

Container gardening can present it’s own set of challenges. It requires proper planning just like any other kind of gardening. You’ll need to find your USDA zone (to identify plants suitable for your zone), see how much daylight you get in your apartment or balcony, and from there you can select the best plant variety.

When buying plants be prudent and choose ones with a healthy appearance and good natural shape. Trunks should be straight. Stay away from plants with twisted, slanted or deformed stems, which can affect the healthy growth of a plant. Try to buy your plants from the local nursery unless you have the right conditions to raise seedlings indoors.

For your container, glazed ceramic pots with drainage holes are a good choice. Terracotta pots are nice looking, true, but dry out quickly and leave your plants without moisture. Wooden containers are good, but can be susceptible to rot. Cedar and redwood are fairly rot resistant and make nice containers but make sure the wood is not treated with creosote or other toxic materials that can damage the plants.

Although you in general don’t want to keep your container garden plants outside when the temperature dips below 45

Dear friends,

Any room in your home is primarily a space within walls, floor
and a ceiling. When the structure or the apartment gets
constructed, the architect and the structural contractor has
taken all the care that it is stable and can withstand outside
natural forces like, earthquakes, heavy winds, rainfalls, etc..

Amongst all other rooms the bedroom is a space where comfort
levels have to be kept maximum. But the word comfort is a
relative term. The meaning of comfort is not just a sleep of
8 hours. A good sleep inside a bedroom is a bare minimum
expectation which can not be ignored.

But comfort varies from person to person. For someone it
feels good by just sitting in a rocking chair, sipping a cup
of coffee and enjoying good view around the house or for
someone it could be listening to good music or watching night
sky full of stars.

So when it comes to design any space many aspects come into
consideration. Design is not just arrangement of furniture,
choosing color schemes, deciding textures/finishes etc..It
has to deal with “feeling good” about the space.

Of course all these factors when used in a unique way, can
turn out to be a great design. The above mentioned “feel good”
factor comes about by selecting a “theme” based design.

When we try to look towards the empty space through a
theme, everything gets a definition and can be dealt upon
easily.

Let’s see an example.

If I decide to decorate a bedroom which is empty, first I
will have to decide on a particular style to execute. If it’s
my own bedroom then I must know what kind of style best suits
my personality. This choice of style will greatly influence,
the kind of furniture, color scheme, finishes I use.

Here I can go for contemporary style/oriental style/country
style. All these have a unique set of parameters right from
the layout of furniture to what diameter should I use for the
curtain rods.

A design deals with a big view starting from furniture layout
and goes in-depth, deciding with each and every minute details
of linen. All these affect the final expression, which is
required for “feeling good”. All these detailing will change
the moment to shift from your theme/style.

That’s why by fragmenting the entire design process into theme
options can make the process easier and gives a direction to
start the execution of any project.

If you are designing for someone else, it’s a good idea to
first know your client’s likes and dislikes. I mean his
personality, his hobbies, his job profile, etc… Remember
that HE is going to use this room, it’s his baby.

Of course once you start with a theme, it normally happens
that you will get more richer and creative ideas during
primary sketching process.

I hope this article was helpful.

Copyright 2005 Shrinivas Vaidya

For more powerful and in-depth concept level knowledge of
bedroom design visit Bedroom-Design-And-decorating-Ideas.com.
You will find some good tips on designing various kinds of bedrooms.

[tags]bedroom, bedroom design, home improvement, interior design[/tags]

Vinyl Tile is still one of the best floor coverings to choose for kitchens and bathrooms. Ceramic tile is great, but the cost to have a professional install it can be prohibitive. The answer, vinyl tiles installed by you. You will save a lot of money you can use toward other home improvements you want to do.

Vinyl tile is also a great choice for other reasons. There are some beautiful choices of both style and color. There are so many different patterns and colors to choose from that you will want to take your time in choosing something that will enhance the beauty of your kitchen or bathroom.

In addition to that, vinyl tile is much better than linoleum for practical reasons. With a linoleum floor, one accident and the whole floor is ruined basically, because it is all one piece. When you buy vinyl tile, you buy extra squares. If an accident ruins one or two tiles, you replace them.

In this article I will help you learn how to install your own vinyl tile floor with confidence. I’m going to teach you the old school way of laying this beautiful floor covering. I call it old school, because I learned from tile layers that had been doing it for years before I started.

First, we need to start with the basics. I don’t know what is on the floor where you plan to put down vinyl tile, so I’m going to show you what our preparation goals are. We want a nice smooth surface to lay our vinyl tile on.

Some people will tile over existing tile. This can be okay, but it is not the preferred choice. To do this right, you need to remove whatever flooring is there now, until you are down to either a smooth cement or wooden surface.

If there are cracks and valleys or unleveled surfaces, they need to be filled and smoothed out before we can start laying your vinyl tile. On cement or wooden surfaces, you can use cement to fill in and smooth the surface. You can also install plywood over the existing floor to achieve the surface your vinyl tile needs. You caulk in all the joints after installing the plywood. You can use Durok as well.

The goal, as I said before, is to have a smooth surface before you begin to lay vinyl tile. Otherwise, your tile will crack wherever pressure is placed on the tile over existing rough areas.

Now, buying the vinyl tile you want is next. There is self-adhesive vinyl tile that is very inexpensive. However, remember you get what you pay for. The adhesive on these tiles is not of great quality and you will be replacing them often. They are usually very thin as well, so they are easily damaged.

The thicker the vinyl tile, the more expensive and durable it is. That is the rule of thumb. Choose vinyl tile that has about 1/8″ thickness or above and you will have a floor that will last a long time. So choose your style and color wisely. It will be with you awhile.

Now, the tools you will need are next. You will not need a tile cutter. That isn’t the old school method. Using a tile cutter is tedious and slow, and your edges will never be tight. You will need a good razor knife, a small butane torch, a trowel with teeth along one edge for applying the adhesive, some old rags, and some mineral spirits.

A lot of experts will tell you to always begin in the center of the room when laying any kind of tile. However with kitchens and bathrooms, this is not always or even often the best method. Starting at one wall and working toward your cabinets is much better, because most of your tiles that need to be cut will be under the edge of the cabinets and not seen.

Starting along one wall, trowel on your adhesive, making sure there are ridges by using the toothed edge of your trowel. Do not go too far away from the wall as you will be laying tile there and don’t want to have to reach while doing so.

Let the adhesive dry for about 15 minutes so it’s very sticky. Lay your first tile at the corner and continue to lay a row, making sure you keep your tiles aligned. As you get to the end of your row, do not worry about the area that is left over where a whole tile will not fit in. We will take care of that last. However, remove the adhesive from that area so it won’t dry before we get back to it.

The adhesive you applied should have gone just a little further out than the row of tile itself, so now you have a row, with a little adhesive area waiting for the next row.

Now start back at the beginning. Apply a little more than a row’s width of adhesive, let it dry, then lay another row of tile, again making sure you align the tiles with each other so your lines are straight..

Once you have done the entire floor except those areas where a whole tile would not fit in, let the floor dry until tomorrow. Do not allow anyone to walk on the floor. The adhesive takes time to dry.

Now, once the adhesive is dry, we are ready to do the cutting in portion of your vinyl tile job. You should be able to walk carefully on the tiles without moving them by now. If not, you may have used too much adhesive and will have to wait longer, until you are sure it is dry.

Now, let’s cut it in. Go to where your first row that ended with a little space left over. Apply some adhesive to that area, plus on the floor, along the wall where you are going to put in your cut pieces of vinyl tile. Let that dry, just as you did before for 15 minutes.

Now, take a full vinyl tile, matching it up with your tiles already on the floor at the bottom, lean it at an angle to the wall. Let me explain so you are sure to understand. You place the tile against the edge of the last tile in the row as if you were about to lay it down, but just let it lean against the wall at whatever angle it has to.

Now, you will need your razor knife and your small butane torch. Be careful with the little torch that you don’t burn anything, please. If you are not comfortable with handling a small torch, this method is not for you.

Place the fingers of one hand on the top of the tile along the wall with very slight downward pressure. Wave the flame of the torch back and forth across the center of the tile about where you would like it to bend. Don’t let the flame linger on the tile to melt it. Keep a distance so it only gets heated up.

As it gets hot, the pressure from your fingers will begin to push the vinyl tile downward, bending it into place. As soon as the tile is bent to the point where it is flat against the floor and the rest against the wall, set down your torch, pointing it carefully away from anything or anyone, and take your razor knife and cut along the bend right at the wall. It will cut like butter.

Now that tile fits perfectly to the contour of the wall. It also, because of the light pressure you applied as you pressed it down, has tightened up that entire row, so the vinyl tiles will not separate later. This is a floor that will last a long time and answers the problem of the tiles separating later.

Continue that same process for each row and everywhere the tiles need to be cut in. Then clean up. You are now an old school master at laying vinyl tile!

One last warning, as I said before, if you are not comfortable using flame, you should go ahead and use a tile cutter. It may not be as tight, but you can still do a good job with it without endangering yourself. This article was intended to pass on an old school method I learned and have used to lay many beautiful tile floors that lasted for years. I hope that by passing it onto you, the old way will not be lost.

D. David Dugan has a website, http://homeimprovement.divinfo.com to help homeowners find all the information they need about remodeling, home repair, building decks and carports, room additions, and more. He also actively participates in an article directory at http://www.articlemotron.com that has current and up to date information on many topics.

[tags]home improvement, do it yourself, diy, home projects, home repair, remodeling, flooring, vinyl floor[/tags]

Go to your local hardware store. Browse through the cabinet knobs. It is amazing that we live in a society which allows us to choose what design we prefer to our cabinet knob. You see various designs and it is up to you which one you get. Cabinet knobs no longer come in a generic form. It has been revamped to express the buyer’s personality.

A cabinet knob is attached to a drawer and a closet. It aids the person in opening the drawer and closet without any trouble. Cabinet knobs come in various colors, structures and designs.

Consider shopping for cabinet knobs a serious matter. Are you chic or manly? Are you into plain designs or would you like something similar to that of the time of the renaissance? Will there be different doorknobs to each room? Perhaps you are thinking of having those animal designs for the nursery?

Some are circular which makes it easier for you to enclose your whole fist in it and then pull the drawer open.

Some are elongated and has a space in between the end of the knob and the drawer. In that space, you fixate your fingers and then pull.

Some are like that of a knocker in castle gates. These are the ones that have a circular design and you see a loose hoop hanging by it. You hold on to that loose hoop and pull.

Some has a square shape. You hold on to that shape and exert what seems to be no effort in opening your drawers and your cabinets.

If you want to be different, you can see various designs like that of animals. There are cabinet knobs with a bull design. The head of the bull is found in the center and you hold on to the horns to pull the drawer and the cabinet open.

There are also heads of animals such as bears, dogs, tigers and cats. It is similar to that of the circular cabinet knobs where you enclose your fist in order to open the cabinet.

With so many choices to choose from, you eventually get the best one which reflects your personality and your lifestyle. Shopping for cabinet doorknobs has become shopping for shoes.

Home-owners usually get the same doorknob to each room so that there will be balance and symmetry from one room to the next.

Just like cleaning the floor of your house, you must also take the time to clean your doorknobs. Most of the time we forget to do so because it is hardly seen and is there in the corner. And then again, cabinet knobs usually come in brass and in steel. If you don’t wipe it clean on a regular basis, it might rust eventually.

Avoid using material that could trigger rusting to your cabinet doorknob. If your doorknob is painted, double check if some spaces are already chipped. Try to maintain the beauty of your cabinet and also do your best to not overlook the cabinet doorknob.

A cabinet doorknob is like that of your fingernails. It is a part of your body - although small can still be seen. Just how you care for your hand and your skin, you must also care for your fingernails on the same level.
The minute you see a damage, have it repaired eventually. If it is a chipped paint, you can always have it coated. If it is rusty, try to see if it is still manageable.

Some obsessive compulsive customers eventually go back to their hardware store and buy new stocks of cabinet doorknobs if theirs have lost its touch of magnificence and perfection. After all, they are not pricey anyway. Prices for cabinet doorknobs range $3 to $7. The elaborate designs are around $8 a piece.

In a nutshell, a cabinet doorknob is still part of the house. Cabinet doorknobs as small as they are can still say something about your personality to your guests. A well-maintained cabinet must also be reflected on its knob, just as well-maintained hand is reflected on its fingernails.

Lee Dobbins writes for http://cabinets.home-webzone.com/ where you can learn more about kitchen cabinets and how to make yours look like a million bucks!

[tags]cabinets, kitchen, cabinet knobs, home decorating, home improvement, interior design[/tags]

#1 - Thrift Stores. Goodwill, Salvation Army. Not only are thrift stores loaded with cheap inventory, but most of them donate some or all of their proceeds to charities and non-profit organizations - a great way to save money and support a worthwhile cause at the same time.

#2 - Garage and Yard Sales. Neighborhood sales are excellent opportunities to bargain your way to great furniture deals. Most sellers expect to do a some negotiating, so don’t be afraid to haggle a little bit. You may have a bit of competition from other interested buyers, so be sure to arrive early.

#3 - Estate Sales. There are some rather negative associations with estate sales - most have to do with selling off a recently deceased person’s possessions, although some are simply very large moving sales. If you can stomach the morbid connotations, it’s a good way to find well-maintained and/or antique furniture.

#4 - Dumpster Diving. Breathe easy - this method actually doesn’t have much to do with dumpsters. Furniture is generally too large to squeeze into the trash, so drive through residential neighborhoods on trash pickup days. You’ll find all manner of used furniture and accessories piled onto sidewalks. If you’re extra polite, ask before taking to make sure it’s truly unwanted.

#5 - Local retailers. IKEA is a pretty good source of affordable furniture, but local retailers are worth considering if you’re looking for something different. There are a surprising number of small, homegrown furniture stores that sell high quality furnishings at cheap prices. The only problem is finding them; try asking friends and relatives for recommendations, or take a look at #8 - Online Resources.

#6 - Used Furniture Stores and Classifieds. If you don’t mind buying furniture that is worn or damaged, buying secondhand goods is a great way to save money. Consignment stores are a great place to start, but the best bargains come from private parties. Some sellers undervalue their furniture or are desperate to unload before a out-of-town move. Check out your local newspaper and circulars such as PennySaver and Thrifty Nickel, or visit craigslist.org, an online bulletin board.

#7 - Swap Meets. If variety is important to you, you’ll get it in spades at a swap meet. Of course, with such variety comes great disparities in quality - you’ll likely see everything from hand-crafted, high quality goods to complete junk. Most cities have annual or ongoing swap meets - check your yellowpages or newspapers for advertisements.

#8 - Online Resources. If you’ve exhausted the locations above, there are several helpful websites geared towards furniture bargain hunting. As we mentioned in #6, craigslist.org is an excellent resource for finding second-hand furniture. Freecycle.org lists free unwanted items including furniture, while Yelp.com and CitySearch.com offer reviews on local retailers and thrift shops.

Si Lee is a prolific internet writer and owner of several popular blogs. For more information on finding cheap furniture, visit http://FrugalFurniture.org

[tags]cheap, furniture, furnishings, discount, frugal, tips[/tags]

Every home improvement situation is different. Still, there are some general points that apply to most projects.

Some General Points

When all the woodwork in a house is the same color (cream, white, and off-white work easily), spaces tend to visually “flow smoothly” even if the walls of rooms are different colors. Make sure you don’t break this rule.

The colors of all rooms, which can be seen at the same time, should look good together. Let’s take a typical center hall floor plan for a modern two-story house. The living room and dining room are to the right and left of the entrance. The foyer goes straight back to the family room, breakfast area, and kitchen across the back of the house. There is probably a deck opening off that area. Some part of all those areas can be seen from each room, and the foyer walls continue upstairs to a hall from which each bedroom is visible.

To continue our example with cream woodwork, the foyer and halls might be painted a pearl gray, light tan, soft gold, or deeper cream. The woodwork is probably a gloss or semi-gloss and the walls and ceiling a flat paint. Since ceilings reflect light down on people, they’re usually best in cream or off-white. I once saw a dining room with an indirectly lit octagonal tray ceiling painted to look like creamy clouds in a peachy sunset sky that made every dinner guest look like he or she had a perfect complexion. It was wonderful.

The living room opening off our foyer might be a solid color (maybe sage green or deeper tan) or it might look very handsome with a vertically striped wall paper (cream and gray, cream and green, or cream and tan are good possibilities). The dining room is apt to have a chair rail. A darker color could look good below the chair rail (again sage green, gray, gold or tan would work) with a lighter tint of the same color above. If a solid color were chosen for the living room, the dining room could handle a deep red below the chair rail and a cream paper with a narrow red stripe above it. Lots of crystal and mirrors would look terrific in a room like that.

I’m sure you get the idea. Today’s open floor plans make it important that rooms work together.

Raynor James is with the FSBO site - http://www.fsboamerica.org - FSBO homes for sale by owner. Visit our “sell my home” page -http://www.fsboamerica.org/seller.cfm - to sell your house yourself with a free 1 month listing.

[tags]home improvements, open floor plans, woodwork, breakfast area, family room, kitchen, bedroom[/tags]

There are many decisions to be made when planning a kitchen remodelling project. The process and choices available can seem overwhelming. The best place to start is by setting a budget. How much can you afford to spend? Decide what is needed most and where you can compromise to stay within the budget.

Remodeling: Cabinets and Flooring

Many people begin planning for home improvement with the kitchen cabinets. They are not just for storing food and drinks, but are a major style element in the room. They are often the focal point of the kitchen. The cabinets are a major expense in a remodelling project. They are often about half the budget.

Prices vary considerably according to the type, style and material used in the cabinets. Whether they are stock, semi custom or custom designed cabinetry will also have an effect on the price. The first step is to choose the style and color you want in new cabinets. Consider the style of your home. Cabinetry is available to fit traditional, country, contemporary or modern d

When you think of decorating a kitchen, you probably picture expensive cabinets or counter tops but making a big change doesn’t have to include a major overhaul. One simple and inexpensive way to change the look in your kitchen is to change or add to what you have on the kitchen walls. Making changes this way gives you great flexibility as if you don’t like what you see you can always move it around or reverse the look all together.

What is the first thing you notice when you walk into someone’s home? The walls, right? Walls enclose the home, giving a thematic impression. So, if your walls are empty you’ve got to get to work to populate them. Wall hangings can be expensive, but that’s only if you purchase something by a famous dead artist. You can create your own artwork without any art instruction whatsoever. First, you have to consider your theme. If you have a country kitchen theme then you will want country style artwork. A modern kitchen theme will look best with prints in sleek frames. A retro look? Then get some vintage style prints of old signs or baking products.

Do you have hundreds of pictures and just don’t know what to do with them? If the idea of a personalized kitchen picture wall appeals to you, you could arrange the photos into a huge wall photo collage. Examples include pictures of exotic places, weddings, and children growing up. Although you will have more fun creating your collage yourself, there are companies that will take care of this for you. The cost ranges from about $50 for an 8×10 to $150 for a 20×24 wall collage.

If your kitchen has an outdoorsy, caf

Retreat to a garden and patio design that’s beautiful year-round, and takes minimum fuss. What makes this possible? Carefree plants with continuous blooms, and a well-planned garden structure.

You don’t need to be a lawn and garden expert or landscape designer to do this. Here are a few tips for creating a super yet simple garden and patio design that will be a knockout!

The first step is to take a birds-eye view of your garden and patio area. Make a rough sketch of your space, and play around with a few designs until you like what you see. As you’re doing this, get some great ideas from existing garden and patio decorations. Pay a visit to other people’s gardens, or public gardens. Look through home landscaping and gardening magazines, find what you like, and develop plans of your own.

Decide what style or theme is right for you… formal, casual, rustic, Southwestern, Japanese… there are enormous possibilities. Then stay with that style and theme so the overall effect does not become confusing. For instance, you wouldn’t want to combine bronze garden sculptures of saints or cherubs with rustic wooden wagon wheels.

Imagine what your patio area will most often be used for. You may plan to entertain lots of outdoor dinner guests. If so, be sure your patio space has plenty of room for the largest number of people right from the beginning. Your patio may be more of a private, reflective retreat for enjoying the sun, reading a book, or gazing up at the stars. Determine the use of shade, open sun, or even covering it with a roof.

Now take your favorite ideas and put them into your rough plans - and soon you’ll have a design that is ready for action.

The next step is to create your garden and patio design to scale - you can use landscaping software for this, or do it by hand. Choose the flowers you intend to plant, noting how many you will need for each month of your growing season, and select the landscaping structures that will give your design its form.

Some say the secret to a beautiful garden and patio design is having a good amount of hard structure. This is what landscape designers refer to as “good bones” - walls, fences, garden bridges, gates, garden arbors, landscape statues, garden fountains … even a strong line of evergreen plants.

Garden structures such as these create forms and lines, giving your garden and patio design definition and dimension. Plus, in the winter when most plants are empty and bare, your garden will preserve its shape and sense of completeness. It’s amazing how just one or two structures can produce this satisfying effect.

Most garden and landscaping structures are built to withstand the elements. Treated pine, cedar and teak garden furniture, trellises, arbors, and decorative fencing are great choices. Stone, copper, and bronze garden statuary will never let you down. Garden fountains bring incredible beauty and atmosphere to any garden and patio design - in fact, entire gardens have been built around them.

Next, choose annual spring flowers and perennial plants that will give you blooms from one season to the next. For instance, select carefree roses that need no pruning or spraying, and bloom continuously from spring through fall. Fill planters with beautiful blooming flowers such as Oriental lilies or verbena for different colors all summer long. Establish flower beds in corners or along walk ways. Always consider your local climate and plant according to the sun and shade needs of your plants.

As you plan your garden and patio design, create paths or walk ways that lead from one area to the next. Rambling garden paths are relaxing and charming… and if laid out thoughtfully, will be a big help to you as the gardener. Paths can be of stone, brick, flagstone, gravel, or mown turf, although grass paths require more upkeep. Garden sculptures or sitting benches thoughtfully placed along the way provide wonderful expression.

If you want garden and patio designs that are pre-drawn, there are ready-made plans available in books and magazines. This is another fine way to get off to a solid start. Use pre-made garden plans from start to finish, or incorporate parts of them right into you own creative plans.

Copyright 2006 Robert Mosse

Robert Mosse is a gardening and lawn care specialist and author of the “Easy” Lawn and Gardening Book Series. Visit Robert at Lawn And Gardening Tips for great gardening info… and get the free Guide for 101 Gardening Tips.

[tags]garden and patio design, garden and patio decorations, bronze landscape statues[/tags]