On the day after Christmas last year my sister and I went bargain shopping. Neither one of us had ever gone shopping the day after Christmas so we thought it would be fun. We did not have any items to return, nor did we have a shopping list of things that we needed to get. I was hoping I would find the discount Christmas decoration bins that I had heard so much about from other shoppers. My daughter and son are both just starting out on their own so I thought I could find some decorations to get them stated for next year. We agreed to meet late in the morning and we planned to shop for a few hours and then meet our husbands for drinks and lunch at my sister’s house. We were going to bring home a pizza and watch professional football for the afternoon.
I could not believe the number of people at the mall. It took me a long time to find a parking place and I was certain that my sister would be waiting for me. I arrived at our arranged meeting place, but my sister was not there. As I was waiting for her I saw a woman walk past with a huge bag of decorations. I heard her mention that the discount Christmas decoration selection was really good this year. My sister arrived. She had a hard time finding a parking space and had to walk through most of the mall to meet me. She was excited and wanted to go back the way she came because she had seen large discount Christmas decoration bins in front of one of the higher quality department stores. She said the sign on the bins stated that the items were eighty percent off.
We made our way back to the department store. We could see the discount Christmas decoration bins and the signs, but there were so many people that we could not actually see what was in the bins. Eventually we were able to make our way to the bins. The discount Christmas decoration bins and tables still had many items on them. Most of the items were dated collectables. Neither my sister nor I collect this line of decorations, but I thought I would buy two, one for my daughter and one for my son. Maybe they would choose to start collecting the ornaments.
We spent the next hour looking at sale items and decided that we had enough shopping. We went to the grocery store and picked up snacks and a deli pizza and went to watch the football game. We decided that the discount Christmas decoration that I bought was not worth the hassle of fighting the large crowds. I doubt that we will go shopping the day after Christmas this year.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Decorating For Christmas
Our daughter recently started a job with a finance company. After five years in college she had finally decided on a major and completed her degree. She and a friend moved into a two bedroom apartment. They are both just starting out, but they want to be independent in purchasing things for their apartment. My daughter feels that we supported her enough getting her through the five years of college.
The girls have gone to second hand stores and discount stores to decorate their apartment. It looks nice and they will buy new pieces once they are able to afford them. My daughter asked us over for dinner early in December. She said they had been decorating for Christmas and they wanted us to see the apartment. My daughter has always loved Christmas as much as I do. She and I would spend hours decorating for Christmas when she was still living at home. My husband commented on our way over to her apartment that he hoped she did not spend a lot of money on decorating for Christmas because her car needed replacing very soon.
I asked him not to nag her about spending money. She is pleased with her salary and she is quite responsible. I reminded him that when we were her age we did not always buy the most practical things. He promised not to bring up the issue of her car.
When we arrived at their apartment you could see some of their decorations from the parking lot. They live on the second floor of a three story building. They have a deck that faces the parking lot. On the deck they had wrapped Christmas lights around the rail along with evergreen garland. They had red bows attached to the garland. Our family had always included the outside of our home in decorating for Christmas, so I was pleased to see that she was carrying on that tradition.
Inside the apartment the girls had bought a nice Christmas tree and had decorated it with lights and colored bulbs and tinsel. My daughter had also placed her assortment of ornaments on the tree that I had given her through the years. They also gift wrapped their apartment door. They had candles on the table and a nice center piece on the coffee table. My daughter’s first attempt at decorating for Christmas was a great success. They bought inexpensive things, but they grouped them together well and the over all look was very festive. I know she will add to her collection of decorations as the years go by.
The girls have gone to second hand stores and discount stores to decorate their apartment. It looks nice and they will buy new pieces once they are able to afford them. My daughter asked us over for dinner early in December. She said they had been decorating for Christmas and they wanted us to see the apartment. My daughter has always loved Christmas as much as I do. She and I would spend hours decorating for Christmas when she was still living at home. My husband commented on our way over to her apartment that he hoped she did not spend a lot of money on decorating for Christmas because her car needed replacing very soon.
I asked him not to nag her about spending money. She is pleased with her salary and she is quite responsible. I reminded him that when we were her age we did not always buy the most practical things. He promised not to bring up the issue of her car.
When we arrived at their apartment you could see some of their decorations from the parking lot. They live on the second floor of a three story building. They have a deck that faces the parking lot. On the deck they had wrapped Christmas lights around the rail along with evergreen garland. They had red bows attached to the garland. Our family had always included the outside of our home in decorating for Christmas, so I was pleased to see that she was carrying on that tradition.
Inside the apartment the girls had bought a nice Christmas tree and had decorated it with lights and colored bulbs and tinsel. My daughter had also placed her assortment of ornaments on the tree that I had given her through the years. They also gift wrapped their apartment door. They had candles on the table and a nice center piece on the coffee table. My daughter’s first attempt at decorating for Christmas was a great success. They bought inexpensive things, but they grouped them together well and the over all look was very festive. I know she will add to her collection of decorations as the years go by.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Garden Decor
Garden decor refers to the decoration of a garden area using different accessories, bird feeders, ornaments, yard benches and chairs, artificial fountains and vases as well as plants that can help make gardens look beautiful and attractive. The more unusual and unique these knick knacks, the more appealing the garden turns out to be. Tasteful knick knacks arranged thoughtfully in a garden accentuate the beauty of the plants and flowers. As a result, there are many garden accessories that can bring out different decorating styles and provide a reflection of the owner’s personality. Just about any accessory can be added to give a garden a unique identity. Antique compotes, garden thermometers, table top urns, French wire decor, sun catchers, indoor plant holders, decorative weathervanes, unusual pottery, ethnic objects, and outdoor antiques--the choices available are endless. Whether using a professional gardener’s know-how or a beginner’s enthusiasm, accessories for the garden can result in an immensely pleasing garden.
While small plots can be do-it-yourself projects, larger gardens may call for more professional attention. Experienced gardeners can be hired professionals to administer to a larger plot that could use a little bit of landscaping. Landscaping adds levels to a garden making it more interesting. Depending on the available space, choosing and planting certain plants is important so that the garden always has some blooms. Large gardens need more physical labor in the form of soil additives for maintenance, lawn mowing, pruning of plants, spraying of pesticides, etc. Making use of professional services in such instances can ensure a healthy and neat garden all year.
While small plots can be do-it-yourself projects, larger gardens may call for more professional attention. Experienced gardeners can be hired professionals to administer to a larger plot that could use a little bit of landscaping. Landscaping adds levels to a garden making it more interesting. Depending on the available space, choosing and planting certain plants is important so that the garden always has some blooms. Large gardens need more physical labor in the form of soil additives for maintenance, lawn mowing, pruning of plants, spraying of pesticides, etc. Making use of professional services in such instances can ensure a healthy and neat garden all year.
French Garden
French Garden
When one speaks of the French style in garden design, one is normally talking about the formal gardens that were so popular in European society in previous centuries. Formally arranged gardens began in 16th century Italy but it was French gardeners who developed the style and popularized it across the continent. Some of the best examples of symmetrical and geometrically laid out trees, hedges, lawns and shrubs can be found at grand houses with a French garden.
The garden designer, Claude Mollet promoted the concept of parterre, a formal garden with flowerbeds. This type of French garden remained common throughout the 18th century. An influential book on garden design was published in 1709. Written by Dezallier d'Argenville, it translated as The Theory of the Practical Garden. English and German editions came out and it became the blueprint of the French garden style of formal garden for some time to come.
Most people agree that the crowning glory of the formally arranged garden is to be found at the Palace of Versailles in France. It is a series of gardens, planned by Andre Le Notre and is one of the most ambitious landscaped gardens ever commissioned. It incorporates greenery, sculpture, several water fountains, gravel, stone and parterres. The jewel in this crown is the central Grand Canal.
The grand opulence of such gardens is of course, prohibitively expensive for most establishments and they went out of fashion anyway as other ideas gained favor. However, there was a resurgence of interest at the start of the 20th century. The landscape architect Beatrice Farrand designed formal terrace gardens for the grounds at Dunbarton Oaks, an historically important 19th century mansion in Washington DC. The work was done between 1922-1947 and the ten acres of garden, which are open to the public, has been universally praised.
Another example is the Conservatory Garden within Central Park in New York City. The six acres of landscaping is the only formal garden in the park. It attracts a lot of visitors and wedding ceremonies have been performed there. This part of the park opened to the public in 1937 and it was designed in three different sections, each one in a distinct style. The divide is between French, Italian and English style layout. The French garden part has a focal point at the center of a sculpture and fountain called Three Dancing Maidens. A parterre bed surrounds the fountain where tulips bloom in the spring and chrysanthemums come out in the fall.
When one speaks of the French style in garden design, one is normally talking about the formal gardens that were so popular in European society in previous centuries. Formally arranged gardens began in 16th century Italy but it was French gardeners who developed the style and popularized it across the continent. Some of the best examples of symmetrical and geometrically laid out trees, hedges, lawns and shrubs can be found at grand houses with a French garden.
The garden designer, Claude Mollet promoted the concept of parterre, a formal garden with flowerbeds. This type of French garden remained common throughout the 18th century. An influential book on garden design was published in 1709. Written by Dezallier d'Argenville, it translated as The Theory of the Practical Garden. English and German editions came out and it became the blueprint of the French garden style of formal garden for some time to come.
Most people agree that the crowning glory of the formally arranged garden is to be found at the Palace of Versailles in France. It is a series of gardens, planned by Andre Le Notre and is one of the most ambitious landscaped gardens ever commissioned. It incorporates greenery, sculpture, several water fountains, gravel, stone and parterres. The jewel in this crown is the central Grand Canal.
The grand opulence of such gardens is of course, prohibitively expensive for most establishments and they went out of fashion anyway as other ideas gained favor. However, there was a resurgence of interest at the start of the 20th century. The landscape architect Beatrice Farrand designed formal terrace gardens for the grounds at Dunbarton Oaks, an historically important 19th century mansion in Washington DC. The work was done between 1922-1947 and the ten acres of garden, which are open to the public, has been universally praised.
Another example is the Conservatory Garden within Central Park in New York City. The six acres of landscaping is the only formal garden in the park. It attracts a lot of visitors and wedding ceremonies have been performed there. This part of the park opened to the public in 1937 and it was designed in three different sections, each one in a distinct style. The divide is between French, Italian and English style layout. The French garden part has a focal point at the center of a sculpture and fountain called Three Dancing Maidens. A parterre bed surrounds the fountain where tulips bloom in the spring and chrysanthemums come out in the fall.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Love Your Perfect Garden Home
What someone who wants to create a garden of his or her own must remember is that a garden design is based on a specific amount of space and the planned technique for designing the look he or she wants within that space. Some gardens are incredibly spacious – while others are smaller and less elaborate. There are also a virtually endless number of the different types of garden to choose from. When choosing you perfect outdoor garden you must be aware of the possible uses of your available space.
This consideration is not only a matter of how much room you have, but also how much light you have, how much wind hits that particular area, and the climate of that place. In addition, you have to choose the garden that will best suit your needs (for example: a fruit, herb, or vegetable garden) or a garden that will be most aesthetically pleasing for you depending on your personal taste.
The planning and design of any kinds of gardens are both extremely important elements to consider. If you are creating a home garden for the purposes of home outdoor décor, you can choose excellent garden equipment and merchandise. Design, plant, till, or install, as well as maintain the very best garden for you. As a result, I assure you that your overall enjoyment of the outdoors (from your very own back yard, front yard or patio door) will immediately increase.
Here are just some of the decorative gardens available to choose from:
Firstly, you can use a specific kind of plant as a motif in your garden, such as the fern, a particular flower that will thrive in the given space, a rose garden, a vegetable garden, a cactus garden, a rock garden, an herb garden, a wildflower garden and more. Some gardens are a specific type of style – if not a distinct style of all your own design. French formal gardens are a very popular kind of garden for many homes – as are formal, traditional English landscape gardens. There are lovely rock gardens of high interest by landscapers and home – owners such as the Japanese garden, geometric gardens, and Alpine gardens.
But wait – it doesn’t stop there! Perhaps a Chinese or Japanese garden will do. These kinds of gardens are extremely popular. Some people are able to maintain a beautiful bonsai or miniature garden – often depending on the weather (light, wind, and humidity) conditions particular to that area. People can also adapt or create their gardens under certain conditions perfect for a tropical garden, a nice, cool Zen garden and other types of popular gardens.
People also love to grow food – not just as a part of his or her personal garden – but also in the context of community gardens. Community gardens often grow fruits, vegetables and herbs, for the community. However, sometimes a community will want to design and maintain a children’s garden, flower garden, or park.
This consideration is not only a matter of how much room you have, but also how much light you have, how much wind hits that particular area, and the climate of that place. In addition, you have to choose the garden that will best suit your needs (for example: a fruit, herb, or vegetable garden) or a garden that will be most aesthetically pleasing for you depending on your personal taste.
The planning and design of any kinds of gardens are both extremely important elements to consider. If you are creating a home garden for the purposes of home outdoor décor, you can choose excellent garden equipment and merchandise. Design, plant, till, or install, as well as maintain the very best garden for you. As a result, I assure you that your overall enjoyment of the outdoors (from your very own back yard, front yard or patio door) will immediately increase.
Here are just some of the decorative gardens available to choose from:
Firstly, you can use a specific kind of plant as a motif in your garden, such as the fern, a particular flower that will thrive in the given space, a rose garden, a vegetable garden, a cactus garden, a rock garden, an herb garden, a wildflower garden and more. Some gardens are a specific type of style – if not a distinct style of all your own design. French formal gardens are a very popular kind of garden for many homes – as are formal, traditional English landscape gardens. There are lovely rock gardens of high interest by landscapers and home – owners such as the Japanese garden, geometric gardens, and Alpine gardens.
But wait – it doesn’t stop there! Perhaps a Chinese or Japanese garden will do. These kinds of gardens are extremely popular. Some people are able to maintain a beautiful bonsai or miniature garden – often depending on the weather (light, wind, and humidity) conditions particular to that area. People can also adapt or create their gardens under certain conditions perfect for a tropical garden, a nice, cool Zen garden and other types of popular gardens.
People also love to grow food – not just as a part of his or her personal garden – but also in the context of community gardens. Community gardens often grow fruits, vegetables and herbs, for the community. However, sometimes a community will want to design and maintain a children’s garden, flower garden, or park.
Decorate The Home Garden With Light
Leaves are the plants' food factories, and light is the power that helps them manufacture food from elements of air and soil. Most plants need many hours of sunshine daily in order to grow satisfactorily. Roses, for instance, need at least six hours. Some plants, however, get along with little light, so they can grow in shade or semishade.
A good general rule to remember is that ordinarily the more sun a plant gets, the better it will flower.
Morning sunlight is kind light, bright but relatively cool; thus the east side of your house is a favored position for plants.
Afternoon sunshine is hot and harsh, so a western exposure is less versatile.
Sun touching and warming the soil is desirable in early spring, to start plants into growth. And it's good all year in cool climates. But in hot-summer areas, it can dry the earth and overheat roots, so plants often require part-time shade, or being close enough together to shade the ground, or having a protective carpet of groundcover plants.
Light
Light affects plant life in many ways. The scientific name for the process by which green plants use light energy to synthesize carbohydrates (foods) from carbon dioxide and water is "photosynthesis," from the Greek words photos, meaning light, and synthesis, meaning putting together.
Light supplies the energy needed to transform carbon dioxide absorbed from the air, water, and certain inorganic minerals into organic matter and into the oxygen, which the plants give off as long as light is present. Where light is absent, photosynthesis stops, and the plants absorb oxygen and give off carbon dioxide.
Research has resulted in the classification of plants according to their day-length characteristics. One group, "short-day plants," flowers when days are short and nights are long. "Long-day plants" flower when days are long and nights are short. Still others are unaffected by day lengths and are called "light neutral" or "indifferent."
Outdoor gardeners can improve their results by increasing the amount and the consecutive hours of light their plants get. A white mulch (such as light stones), a white painted building or fence or strips of aluminum foil placed in the garden will reflect more light energy onto plants, spurring them to greater growth. Fruit growers can prune out the center of their trees to increase flower bud formation by getting more light to the center of their trees.
Light also affects the germination of seed. Some seed germinate more readily when exposed to light than when buried in the earth. Grasses, lettuce, celery, snapdragon, petunia, and flowering tobacco will all be more successful if seed are merely pressed down or gently watered down into the growing medium.
A good general rule to remember is that ordinarily the more sun a plant gets, the better it will flower.
Morning sunlight is kind light, bright but relatively cool; thus the east side of your house is a favored position for plants.
Afternoon sunshine is hot and harsh, so a western exposure is less versatile.
Sun touching and warming the soil is desirable in early spring, to start plants into growth. And it's good all year in cool climates. But in hot-summer areas, it can dry the earth and overheat roots, so plants often require part-time shade, or being close enough together to shade the ground, or having a protective carpet of groundcover plants.
Light
Light affects plant life in many ways. The scientific name for the process by which green plants use light energy to synthesize carbohydrates (foods) from carbon dioxide and water is "photosynthesis," from the Greek words photos, meaning light, and synthesis, meaning putting together.
Light supplies the energy needed to transform carbon dioxide absorbed from the air, water, and certain inorganic minerals into organic matter and into the oxygen, which the plants give off as long as light is present. Where light is absent, photosynthesis stops, and the plants absorb oxygen and give off carbon dioxide.
Research has resulted in the classification of plants according to their day-length characteristics. One group, "short-day plants," flowers when days are short and nights are long. "Long-day plants" flower when days are long and nights are short. Still others are unaffected by day lengths and are called "light neutral" or "indifferent."
Outdoor gardeners can improve their results by increasing the amount and the consecutive hours of light their plants get. A white mulch (such as light stones), a white painted building or fence or strips of aluminum foil placed in the garden will reflect more light energy onto plants, spurring them to greater growth. Fruit growers can prune out the center of their trees to increase flower bud formation by getting more light to the center of their trees.
Light also affects the germination of seed. Some seed germinate more readily when exposed to light than when buried in the earth. Grasses, lettuce, celery, snapdragon, petunia, and flowering tobacco will all be more successful if seed are merely pressed down or gently watered down into the growing medium.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Home Garden - Bright With Light
Leaves must have Light
Leaves are the plants' food factories, and light is the power that helps them manufacture food from elements of air and soil. Most plants need many hours of sunshine daily in order to grow satisfactorily. Roses, for instance, need at least six hours. Some plants, however, get along with little light, so they can grow in shade or semishade.
A good general rule to remember is that ordinarily the more sun a plant gets, the better it will flower.
Morning sunlight is kind light, bright but relatively cool; thus the east side of your house is a favored position for plants.
Afternoon sunshine is hot and harsh, so a western exposure is less versatile.
Sun touching and warming the soil is desirable in early spring, to start plants into growth. And it's good all year in cool climates. But in hot-summer areas, it can dry the earth and overheat roots, so plants often require part-time shade, or being close enough together to shade the ground, or having a protective carpet of groundcover plants.
Light
Light affects plant life in many ways. The scientific name for the process by which green plants use light energy to synthesize carbohydrates (foods) from carbon dioxide and water is "photosynthesis," from the Greek words photos, meaning light, and synthesis, meaning putting together.
Light supplies the energy needed to transform carbon dioxide absorbed from the air, water, and certain inorganic minerals into organic matter and into the oxygen, which the plants give off as long as light is present. Where light is absent, photosynthesis stops, and the plants absorb oxygen and give off carbon dioxide.
Research has resulted in the classification of plants according to their day-length characteristics. One group, "short-day plants," flowers when days are short and nights are long. "Long-day plants" flower when days are long and nights are short. Still others are unaffected by day lengths and are called "light neutral" or "indifferent."
The following list includes common flower and vegetable plants according to their light requirements.
Short-day plants (10 to 12 light hours)
Asparagus
Aster
Beans
Carrot
Chrysanthemum
Corn
Dahlia
Gardenia
Poinsettia
Potato (tuber development)
Strawberry geranium
Sweet potato
Long-day plants ( 14 to 18 light hours)
Most annuals
Beet
Chicory
Chinese cabbage
Dill
Grains
Hibiscus
Onion
Pea
Radish
Spinach
Tuberous begonia
Indifferent plants
African violets
Kale
Kohlrabi
Broccoli
Lettuce
Brussels sprouts
Marigold
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Spinach
Celery
Okra
Coleus
Pepper
Collard
Rose
Cress
Semperflorens begonia
Cucurbits
Endive
Tomato
Geranium
Turnip
Regulating Light in the Garden
Outdoor gardeners can improve their results by increasing the amount and the consecutive hours of light their plants get. A white mulch (such as light stones), a white painted building or fence or strips of aluminum foil placed in the garden will reflect more light energy onto plants, spurring them to greater growth. Fruit growers can prune out the center of their trees to increase flower bud formation by getting more light to the center of their trees.
Light also affects the germination of seed. Some seed germinate more readily when exposed to light than when buried in the earth. Grasses, lettuce, celery, snapdragon, petunia, and flowering tobacco will all be more successful if seed are merely pressed down or gently watered down into the growing medium.
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