There is an estimated 58 million Americans who are actively planting, weeding, watering, spraying and mowing over 20 million acres of lawn. We are the only country that does so with such gusto. If you are interested in taking steps to reduce pollution in your own back yard, read “Redesigning the American Lawn”, by F. Herbert Bormann, Diana Balmori, Gordon T Geballe and Lisa Vernegaard,published by Yale University Press. In the book they state that the lawn may be an ecological anachronism, arguing that we must rethink the way we care for our lawns. We must be able to demonstrate that these small pieces of the environment can show our commitment to a more ecologically sound world.
The authors bring out the facts to support their idea that the American dream of a beautifully manicured lawn is a major contributor to the serious environmental problem that is facing our planet. The book offers strategies for creating and caring for aesthetically pleasing and ecologically sound lawns.
The authors go into the history of lawns and why they are so popular. They also outline how the current design of lawns and trying to make them a creation of beauty is taking a high toll on our environment. Power lawn mowers have been shown to be a significant contributor to local air pollution and they are having a significant impact on our climate. Excess fertilizers and pesticides are washing off the lawns into our wells, streams, lakes and primary water supplies. Grass clippings are being bagged, and hauled away by environmentally unfriendly trucks, to landfills. There they are contributing to the solid waste problem. The watering of lawns is depleting our scarce water supply.
The authors of “Redesigning the American Lawn” offer several solutions on how to have an environmentally sound lawn. Top solution is to use less of the lawn supplements we are currently using. They also suggest the use of ecological varieties of grasses, the substitution of hand mowers for power mowers, and the use of grass clippings to fertilize the lawns. Many grasses that are available today are slower growing and require less mowing, thus reducing air pollution.
Edward O. Wilson, Baird Professor of Science from Harvard University is quoted as saying,” “Redesigning the American Lawn”, is a considerable achievement: A manual for improving a large part of the American environment while reducing pollution, saving Americans a large amount of money and beautifying the landscape.”
There is a movement afoot to encourage Americans to have “Freedom Lawns”. The definition of a freedom lawn from the Double-Tongued Dictionary is: n. residential land permitted to or designed to contain a variety of plants other than manicured grass, especially when containing plant life that occurs without cultivation, chemicals or cutting.” Freedom lawns are much more ecologically sound than conventional lawns, and should be the lawns of the future.
Gas powered lawnmowers, leaf blowers and vacuums, snow blowers, chain saws, and other outdoor power tools are a major source of air pollution. Power tools such as these emit a high level of carbon monoxide. Until now, manufacturers of these tools were not concerned with controlling emissions, nor were they required to have any standards. As a result they are a major source of pollution. Until cleaner technology is available, there are ways to reduce air pollution.
1. Avoid spilling gasoline. Use extreme care when filling these gasoline powered tools.
2. Keep the equipment in good operating condition. Use the proper fuel/oil mixture and keep the air filters clean.
3. Consider changing over to less polluting models using electricity, propane or solar.
4. Using manual tools is the least polluting tools available. Switching to a push mower will eliminate all the air pollution associated with a gas powered mower.
5. Recycle your old lawn mower instead of throwing it in the trash. Many of the parts can be reused to manufacturer cleaner products.
About the Author:
Beverly Saltonstall is a writer who really cares about the environment. Visit http://www.PollutionWebsite.com for a free report on how simple changes in your lifestyle can significantly the level of pollution both inside and out side your home. To fully understand the impact pollution is having on our environment, you need to read “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Pollution, But Never Dared to Ask.” (available on website).
Keyword tags: Redesigning Your Lawn, air pollution, lawn care, fertilizers, pesticides, freedom lawns, lawn mowers
Every gardening pro and green thumb novice knows the value of owning a reliable potting table. These simple but effective benches help to organize and consolidate garden work so that it’s easy, fun and convenient. Whether you decide to purchase or build your own, once you’ve got the basic frame of your potting table set up, there are some handy tidbits you can employ to further streamline your outdoor experience. Some of these add-ons already come with benches, while others can be added on without too much effort.
One of the most important functions of potting benches is to act as storage units for all your gardening equipment. While most models come with a number of tiered shelves for larger object storage, you may want to consider organizing your smaller tools separately. Hooks attached to the side of the potting table keep gardening tools handy but out of the way. Another option is a back screen, made from pegboard, latticework or galvanized metal upon which tools can be hung.
While the majority of tables come with a compartment for the storage of loose soil, keeping any organic material airtight is a concern over time. If your unit comes with a sliding drawer for soil, you may want to seal the surrounding edges to make the compartment as airtight as possible, or instead an ideal solution is to store soil in Tupperware containers. For anyone wishing to start a compost heap but lack the space or don’t want to deal with the smell of decay, a lidded bucket works equally well.
One thing to keep in mind when choosing or constructing a potting table is to make sure the height is at a good level for optimal comfort. You will more than likely be spending a considerable amount of time working at your bench, so plan ahead. Benches that are too low and require you to bend over will strain your back. On the other hand, people that have trouble standing up for long periods of time may prefer to opt for a model of potting table with a countertop lower to the ground that can accommodate a separate seat.
Mobility is of special interest to certain gardeners. Adding wheels to the bottom of or having a foldable table are ideal space savers and can be moved around as needed. If you’re buying or have already bought a potting table you won’t have much leeway in this department unless your model already comes with these features, but for do-it-yourselfers it’s something to consider. If your potting table is stationary and there’s no way to move it into storage for the winter, using a waterproof tarp can cut down on seasonal wear and tear.
Although metal and plastic potting benches are equally popular choices, wood continues to be the classic building material of choice. However, care must be taken to ensure that rotting, warping, cracking and molding do not occur. Once again, tarps will help in this department, but the best thing to do is treat wood yearly with a protective sealant. It will make the wood more resistant to water, as well as preserve the natural beauty and color of the grain. For those folks who work with a large amount of fertilizer, buying a cedar potting table might be a good idea. The natural aroma of the wood can help cut down on odor, not to mention cedar is a great-looking and long-lasting hardwood.
About the Author:
Tonya Kerniva is an experienced research and freelance writing professional. She writes for outdoor and patio web sites including hhttp://www.cedarwoodfurniture.com
Keyword tags: potting, benches, gardening
Face it: you’re not exactly the most organized individual when it comes to pretty much everything. While it may take a major overhaul to clean up your act, why not start small with a handy potting table? Even if the inside of your home looks like it’s been hit by a tornado, at least your garden and patio space can be a neat and tidy haven for aspiring green thumbs.
Repotting can be a pain, but with a handy and sturdy potting table everything is right at your fingertips. From the very basic to the more ornate the overall design of these tables are more or less the same. Start with a counter space for all your horticultural work, add some shelves for storage and go wild from there. Typically, counters reach to about waist height for someone standing up, but there are lower benches available to accommodate seats. Some of the larger models have multiple shelves and tiers for added space, while other models come with a lipped edge around the counter to prevent loose soil from spilling over onto the ground. And since its main function is the repotting of plants, most varieties of potting table come with a sliding tray for storing soil. The addition of a water hose or drainage system makes cleanup especially easy. Even if you’re not the type to get your hands dirty, these attractive benches are often used to display indoor and outdoor plants in and around the home.
The material from which a potting table is made varies in some respects but is similar in others. The most popular benches are wooden and different tree species produce different looks and grains. Some common types include aspen, cedar, pine, shorea and fir. Teak, the sturdiest and one of the most attractive of hardwoods, is more expensive but a good investment if you’ve got extra to spare in your budget. Aside from wood, metal and plastic are also employed for benches, but these materials each pose their own problems. Metal, even if coated, still runs the risk of rust and corrosion after a period of time, not to mention the fact that some metals, like wrought iron, though beautiful, are heavy and cumbersome to move. Plastic, on the other hand, while cheaper and lighter, does not hold up well over time and is subject to cracking and warping. Regardless the material, each potting table needs to be resistant to water, sunlight and decay. Even if kept in a garage or sunroom, these hardworking benches are subject to the wear and tear owing to their main function.
Many gardeners choose to build their own potting table. This is because a lot people’s needs are different as far as the space available, storage needed, etc. is concerned. Potting benches are relatively easy to make when it comes to DIY home construction projects. Most people opt for freestanding potting tables, though there are some built affixed onto greenhouses and other structures. If you’re especially gifted with a hammer, try your hand at a foldable potting table for one that’s easy to put away and store when the growing months are over.
Leave cleaning out your closet and your car for another day. Baby steps towards a more organized you starts in the backyard. The result? A flourishing garden bounty you can enjoy with the help of your indispensable new potting table.
About the Author:
Tonya Kerniva is an experienced research and freelance writing professional. She writes for outdoor and patio web sites including http://www.outdoorfurnitureplus.com and http://www.cedarwoodfurniture.com
Keyword tags: potting, benches, gardening
Some say that the purpose of life is to seek happiness.
Is happiness the purpose, or is happiness the result of another purpose? Is happiness the meaning of life, or is happiness the result of discovering what has heart and meaning for you?
There is not one right answer to this question. The answer lies within each of us regarding what gives meaning to our life.
WHAT GIVES MEANING TO YOUR LIFE?
Perhaps, in seeking happiness, we discover what has heart and meaning for us. Is this how it is for you? Or is it the other way around for you? Is happiness for you the result of loving yourself and others? Do you find that when you are open and loving, that you feel filled with happiness?
Maybe love and happiness are inseparable. Maybe when we are happy, we are naturally loving, and maybe when we are loving, we experience happiness. If this is the case, then is the purpose of life is to seek happiness, or is the purpose of life to evolve in our ability to be loving and compassionate with ourselves and others?
In my view, it is not important to separate out love and happiness. What is important is to discover what gives your life meaning. In my experience, meaning always has to do with love – with loving yourself and discovering how you want to share your love with others. When you discover this, you will likely be happy.
Perhaps the meaning of life is to discover what has heart and meaning for you and, therefore, brings you happiness. The questions to ask yourself are:
What has heart and meaning for me?
What brings me joy?
FOLLOWING YOUR BLISS
Gillian decided early in her life that what had heart and meaning for her was getting married and having children. She had decided that if she did not have children by the time she was 43, that life was not worth living. She started working with me when she was 42, unmarried, childless, and contemplating taking her life.
In the course of her deep inner work, Gillian discovered another source of meaning in her life. She discovered that learning to be loving to herself – to the spark of God that she truly is – was extremely satisfying to her. As she practiced getting to know and love her true Self, she discovered another source of meaning – helping others. She realized that working in finance was not fulfilling to her and went back to school to become a chiropractor.
Gillian currently loves helping people attain excellent health. In addition, she adopted a 10-year old girl whose parents had been killed in an accident. She has found great joy and meaning in loving her adopted daughter.
Gabriel consulted with me because he was depressed. He had become an attorney because that is what his father was, but found that he disliked it. It held no heart and meaning for him. In his soul, Gabriel knew that he was a writer. He decided to “follow his bliss”, as Joseph Campbell encouraged us to do. While Gabriel is currently not making nearly the money he made as an attorney, he is finding his happiness. By choosing to love himself and share his love through his creativity, he is finding his joy.
Love, happiness, joy – perhaps they are all One. If you choose to pursue what has heart and meaning to you, you will likely find your joy.
About the Author:
Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is a best-selling author of 8 books and co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding® healing process. Join the thousands who have healed their pain and discovered joy! Learn Inner Bonding now! FREE Inner Bonding course: http://www.innerbonding.com/welcome.Phone Sessions Available.
Keyword tags: heart, meaning, happiness, joy, inner peace, bliss, health, self help, self improvement, personal development, Inner Bonding, Margaret Paul
Fruit trees should be sprayed in early spring before the bud opens in order to kill overwintering insects/insect eggs nestled in the crevices of your fruit trees. However, in order to safeguard your health and that of the environment, consider using one of the environmentally safe natural or organic fruit tree sprays which are every bit as capable of killing overwintering insects and insect larvae. Any of the following organic and natural fruit tree sprays will do the job: a lime sulphur/horticultural oil mixture, a horticultural oil/water mixture, and a homemade spray made up of natural ingredients.
Organic Fruit Tree Sprays
The first type of organic fruit tree sprays, the lime sulphur/horticultural oil mixture, can sometimes be bought premixed, but you can also buy a kit and mix the two. The lime sulphur is a natural fungicide which kills dormant fungus spores or bacteria. The horticultural oil smothers all overwintering insects and/or eggs.
This combination spray must be used early in the spring before the buds swell and break open; otherwise you risk burning the new leaf. Also, it can be sprayed only if the temperature remains between 0 degrees Celsius (32 F) and 20 degrees Celsius (about 70 F) for at least 24 hours because the oil part of the spray needs time to smother insects or their eggs. A cold night will break down the oil before it has a chance to be effective. However if it happens to freeze after the 24 hour period, there is no harm done.
Spray when there is very little or no wind, and no rain, snow, or sleet in the forecast. Read instructions carefully and cover yourself well because it can be a messy job when you spray your tree from the top down until it drips. In addition, the lime sulphur has a strong smell, so wear clothes you can wash.
A second type of organic fruit tree sprays, the horticultural oil/water mixture, can be used not only in early spring but also throughout the summer as long as the spraying is done early in the morning when the weather is cooler and the tree has cooled off. This mixture is far less messy than the first one.
Natural Fruit Tree Spray
You can always opt out of this messiness by making your own mixture with natural ingredients from your kitchen cupboard or bought at a gardening center. One spray mixture which is easy to make and which can be used in the spring or at any time during the summer months includes liquid seaweed (found in plant nurseries) blackstrap molasses (the kind you use for cooking), apple cider vinegar, and Murphy soap – all added to a gallon of water.
The seaweed and the molasses not only fight fungal disease in the garden but also feed the plant through the leaves (called foliar feeding) especially if you are spraying really early in the morning when the leaf pores are still open.
You needn’t worry about the molasses attracting bugs. The plants absorb the molasses instantly. Boom it’s gone! The fruit trees just love it!
The acidity of the vinegar helps kill black spot on roses, powdery mildew, brown patch, and other nasty fungi.
So instead of spraying your fruit trees with poisonous insecticides/pesticides, you may want to consider using the dormant spray combination of lime sulphur and horticultural oil, the dormant horticultural oil/water mixture, or a spray made up of natural ingredients, a spray which not only smothers the insects/insect eggs and fights fungal diseases but also feeds the tree.
About the Author:
A gardener for years, Marcie has learned that getting rid of overwintering insects/fungal diseases in early spring is necessary. Find out more about natural & organic fruit tree sprays at http://organicvegetablegardeningguide.com/blog/natural-organic-fruit-tree-sprays
Keyword tags: dormant sprays,fruit tree sprays,home-made fruit tree spray,organic & natural fruit tree sprays
The use of gnome figurines for decorative purposes for the garden has been widely practiced in different parts of the world especially in the European regions. Some people wonder of the reasons why put a gnome in your garden. The definite answer by garden gnome enthusiasts is that the presence of gnomes in the garden would help promote the natural growth of your plants. According to the folklore, the gnomes are known to be creatures that take care of the vegetation. They are believed to have good hands when it comes to growing plants. This concept is being implemented by gardening aficionados believing that this would effectively make their garden plants grow naturally.
Putting aside fictional and mythological ideas, the reasons why put a gnome in your garden is that it can create a good impression on the overall look of the garden. There are several garden gnomes available on the market today such as vintage garden gnomes, state garden gnomes, funny garden gnomes and even those which support local sports or activities. These garden gnomes especially the funny garden gnomes add design and humor to your garden. Adding such designs to your garden would create a lively effect on the impression from your visitors. You may also integrate the right type of garden gnome that would fit the style and ambiance you need for your garden.
Included in the reasons why put a gnome in your garden is that these garden ornaments help in promoting a cultural view on your home. The use of garden gnomes has been a cultural practice even during the early 1960s. There are even some vintage garden gnomes that have passed on several generations that are still on use today. These types of garden gnomes may serve as a gift especially those who are fond of decorating their garden. There are also some reasons why put a gnome in a garden is to signify your support to a local team or activity. There are some customized garden gnomes that are specifically designed with local brands and school logos in order to represent its owner’s affiliation and interests.
In choosing the appropriate type of gnome for your garden, you may want to consider some factors that would affect the overall look once the ornaments are installed. If your yard has a wide space, you may want to consider selecting large garden gnomes. These gnomes which heights may reach up to 3 feet are excellent decorations for your garden. These garden ornaments are durable enough to withstand extreme conditions. In addition to the reasons why put a gnome in your garden is that these decorations last for a long time. Looking at it as an investment, the garden gnomes are excellent types of ornament you may want to use on your garden decoration plans. You may also want to consider it as a gift for your friends that are also garden enthusiasts. If they have existing garden gnomes at home, you may want to choose gnomes that may compliment their collection by selecting on some rare finds.
About the Author:
Find gnomes for your garden at http://www.buygardengnome.com/
Keyword tags: garden gnomes
A popular saying for garden gnome enthusiasts is that so many gnomes so little time. The phrase mainly refers to the large collection of garden gnomes available on the market today. The gnome statues that you may view on gift shops, garden accessory shops and designing outlets have a wide variety. You may find different types that would surely suit your preferences such as funny garden gnomes, collectible gnomes, vintage garden gnomes and even gnomes which represent your local sports or festivities.
So many gnomes so little time. A garden ornament collector can experience something like this when it comes to collecting every possible design of garden gnomes available on the market. There are several garden gnome designs that are related to fictional stories written by popular authors such as The Secret Book of Gnomes and The Gnomes. Most garden gnome manufacturers get some ideas from these fiction novels in order to get suitable designs for garden gnomes. Some notable designs for garden gnomes include those which are adopted from the storybooks such as Randell gnome, Morty gnome, George gnome, Mervin gnome and many more gnome characters from Rien Poortvliet’s children’s book.
There are several gnome designers that insert humor on the gnomes that they create. You may find some funny garden gnomes that stick their bare buttocks to the garden visitors. You may even find some which show their personal body parts as a part of the humor that the designer wants to implement. Some innovative garden gnome designs are incorporated with sensors for additional entertainment purposes. These garden gnomes automatically fart when a person passes near the statue. Some even have recorded speeches to delight the passersby. Thus when collecting garden gnomes you even want to say that there are so many gnomes so little time.
There are even more types of gnomes based on their postures. You may find some garden gnomes that look like they are resting on the shade of the trees. Some creative designs even resemble that they are working on the plants. Other postures of garden gnomes are based on the day to day activities such as mowing the lawn, harvesting fruits, hammering stones and even those which resemble traveling with a lantern on one hand. These types of garden gnomes create a livelier look on your garden. You may notice that so many gnomes so little time thus you may want to consider doing the collection as early as possible. You may want to have a unique theme for you to have a guide on which garden gnomes you are to collect.
As with those people who already collected several types of garden gnomes, they may still say the there are so many gnomes so little time. This is because there are also other types of garden gnomes which are based on their sizes. You may find large sized gnomes which may reach up to 3 feet in height. If you are into collecting miniature gnome models, there are 1 foot high garden gnomes available on the market today. These small types of garden gnomes are much suitable for collection purposes.
About the Author:
Looking for more gnomes visit http://www.buygardengnome.com/
Keyword tags: garden gnomes
Instead of automatically reaching for chemical pesticides when you see evidence of pests in your garden and on your plants think organic! Chemical pesticides will kill all the insects in your garden, even the beneficial ones and will contaminate the ground water. Find other ways to prevent pests from getting out of hand and reducing their number if they do.
Why should you use organic methods to combat pests rather than easily available pesticides? These chemical pesticides have been linked to many health problems and diseases including birth defects, cancer, infertility and many more. One of the problems is that pesticides sold for use at home are not tested as thoroughly as those used by commercial food growers as this is not a requirement of the law. As well as harming humans they also contaminate the soil in your garden and can be harmful to the beneficial visitors to your garden including honey bees, ladybugs, and butterflies which all eat pests.
One of the best defences against pests is to grow healthy plants in the first place. Weak and sickly plants are targeted by pests so make sure the conditions are right for the plants you are growing and keep them healthy by watering and fertilising adequately. Use natural composts and mulches rather than fertilisers high in nitrogen and do not let the plants sit in water or become too dry. Go into the garden regularly and remove weeds with a spade, hoe or your hands. Get close to the plants so you can spot any that are diseased early and can remove the infected parts before the disease spreads. Prune away the infected parts right to the main stem to prevent leaving a stub for the pests to re-enter.
Keep pests from having an easy time finding the plants they prefer by mixing different varieties of flowers, vegetables and other plants together. It is a good idea to plants some flowers among your vegetables to attract beneficial insects which feed on nectar. The larvae of insects such as lacewings and ladybugs feed on pests so it is a good idea to encourage them. Another good idea is to encourage wild birds that eat insects into your garden with a birdbath. A pond can lure toads and lizards to your garden where they may feast on any pests around.
If preventative measures have failed it is time to identify the pest and choose the best natural method to eradicate it. Find out which methods is best and use pepper sprays, soap sprays or Bacillus thuringiensis, which is a bacteria that can deal with leaf eaters such as caterpillars by interfering with their digestion. If possible remove any weak plants as these are the ones that pests will target.
As you can see it is not necessary to resort to chemical means to deal with pests in the garden although it is a little more work! Aim for a healthy garden with visiting wild life that will be able to resist pests and deal with any outbreaks quickly with methods that are safe for your garden, wildlife and your family.
About the Author:
For more information on all aspects of gardening visit Lawns and Gardens http://lawns-and-gardens.info or read Planting a Vegetable Garden at http://lawns-and-gardens.info/2009/03/27/planting-a-vegetable-garden
Keyword tags: organic gardening, organic gardening pests, organic gardening pest control
How can one tell if they are getting addicted to gambling? Well here are some tell tale signs to help you decided whether you do indeed have a gambling problem or not.
Are you constantly logged on to one of those online casino gambling sites, even at weird hours, say three or four in the morning? Does this happen even on weekdays?
Is when you’ll get to play your next game all you can think about as soon as you open your eyes in the morning?
Do you constantly think of getting home to logon to the online casino to gamble while you are at work?
Are you becoming a recluse and have stopped going out with friends or answering your phone, all you want to do is get online and gamble?
Are you always working out different strategies to help you win at gambling?
Do you find yourself borrowing or worse stealing money from your friends or family to feed your gambling habits?
Are you always thinking that you are going to win the big jackpot, and planning ways of how you are going to spend your winnings?
Do you try and keep your gambling habits a secret from friends and family, always minimizing your online casino screen when someone walks into the room?
Are your thoughts so consumed by gambling that nothing else seems important to you?
Do you often miss meals because you do not want to interrupt your gambling?
These are just some of the main tell tale signs that you are addicted to gambling. If you answered yes to more than half of these signs then it seems that you definitely have a gambling problem and should try seeking some sort of professional help. First and foremost before you can begin to move forward you must first be honest with yourself and admit that you are in fact addicted to gambling. If you are too embarrassed to seek professional help at this time and would like to try and control your gambling addiction for yourself then you will have to set some rules for yourself.
Do not try to stop gambling all at once “cold turkey” as this will not work, remember this is something you have been doing over a period of time, and to stop abruptly can have very drastic consequence. You may experience symptoms similar to cigarette addiction, when the cravings over take you, you will find yourself becoming very agitated and nervous, and you might find it impossible to control your cravings. Take it slowly and gradually, find ways to distract yourself that don’t involve gambling. Try picking up a new hobby, a physical one like cycling or running will distract you, tire you and the endorphins after a good run will make you feel better! If you’re more the sedentary type then why not pick up crafting or a new tv series or a new book or even join a chat room. Whatever you do you will find that can control your gambling cravings as you spend less time on those online gambling websites. If your problem persists remember there is no shame in seeking professional counseling, in fact it’s a sign of strength in that you know when to ask for help.
About the Author:
Sarah Harrigan is a professional casino player and reviewer on http://www.choosinganonlinecasino.com . For straight talking advice on online casinos be sure to visit her website http://www.choosinganonlinecasino.com for comprehensive reviews on the best online casinos and winning strategies.
Keyword tags: Gambling, Addiction, Gambling Addiction, Signs of Addiction, Self Help,
French garden gardens use the same of geometry and symmetry that André Le Nôtre established in the 17th Century. The Lodge at Versailles had originally been a quite retreat used for royal hunts, but Le Nôtre turned it into a palace that became the envy of the European Elite. Based on a pattern of parterres gardens divided by radiating walkways, reflecting pools, and ornate stone coping, the Versailles Gardens reflected an awareness of order and system that brought intricately sculpted individual elements into a complex, interconnected unity visible only from a balcony or palace room. This style was rapidly adopted as the standard landscaping design of all the French aristocracy.
French gardens used in landscapes today are much smaller than their historical predecessors built around 17th Century chateaus. However, the same emphasis on parterres and radiating pathways is used today both on larger estates. Scaled-down or modified versions of this pattern are used throughout local residential neighborhoods. Even though the typical Houston home resides on far less land than even a modest Old World Estate, the topography of the Gulf Coast highly favors a variety of French garden designs. Just like much of France, Houston resides on a very level plane that naturally lends itself to the type of formal bedding used in French parterre gardens and knot gardens.
The parterre itself is the key motif around which every French garden is cultivated. 17th Century parterres were originally four perfect squares set side by side, divided by walkways criss-crossing in between. Today, parterre design does not have to follow this hard-fast pattern. They can morph the geometry of a perfect square into a rectangle, or they can be sculpted like segments of a sundial to create a curved perimeter or support a central landscaping feature like a sculpture or a fountain.
No matter how the original pattern is bent, its effect remains undiminished so long s the original elements of formal beddings, trimmed hedges, and repeating geometry combine together in a tangible sense of balance and proportion. Within this one aesthetic fundamental, multitudinous possibilities exist for the landscape designer to create all sorts of shapes and colors to compliment exterior architecture, outdoor gathering areas, and special landscape ornaments and water features.
While the French garden is still quite breathtaking when viewed from an upstairs balcony or second-story window, it is no longer necessary to limit this design to one that can only be enjoyed from far above. When placed around an outdoor structure or landscaping feature, a French garden adds a formal element to any seating area or gathering spot. Places like arbors, private patios, pool decks, and outdoor rooms are all landscaping elements that can be greatly enhanced by the formality of the French garden design.
Boxwoods are typically used to frame the edges of parterres, with low-growth perennial flowers, herbs, and even special grass constituting the garden interior. Color choices can range varying shades of green to a rainbow of colors blooming throughout the different seasons. The only requirement that somewhat constrains plant material options is the need to create horizontal space that appears visibly larger than vertical space. The larger the length and width of the garden; the taller the shrubbery within it can be without diminishing the aesthetics of balance and proportion. Provided the formal element of flat, cultivated, and highly sculpted planting areas remains readily apparent from every intended vantage point, the options for flowers, plants, and low-level shrubs are both multitudinous and diverse, to say the least.
About the Author:
Jeff Halper is passionate for Landscape and wants to share information about that passion. http://www.exteriorworlds.com
Keyword tags: french landscape desgin, french garden desing