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Garden sculptures can be made from any material that will withstand the elements. Treated wood screwed together and painted becomes an abstract, angular sculpture, while stacked rocks and boulders create an organic, natural piece. One of the most widely-used materials for garden sculptures is concrete. From decorative benches and birdbaths to concrete grottoes and Buddhas, the versatility and strength of concrete will allow you to create any imaginable sculpture that will hold up under the elements and last a lifetime. The idea of creating your own concrete sculpture may seem intimidating, but once you dig in and do it, you'll…
For small spaces, such as porches or balconies, planting upward instead of out allows you to cultivate a larger variety of plants when space is at a minimum. Though there are a multitude of options for a vertical garden, a vertical “green” garden poses more of a challenge. Some green repurposing ideas include using old chandeliers, tires and polystyrene to create a unique vertical garden oasis.
Vertical gardens are the urban answer to cramming a lot of nature into a small space. If you don’t have a yard, you can green your patio, your living room or a corner of the kitchen with a plant panel. Succulents are very forgiving and fill out a garden panel with interesting patterns and colors. It’s easy to buy a readymade succulent panel frame or make your own from an old shadow box.
Having a Japanese Zen meditation garden is a peaceful, fulfilling experience that provides respite from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Relying on a few basic elements, including sand or gravel to depict water and rocks that represent mountains, the dry garden serves as a year-round addition to the landscape that calms the mind and promotes tranquility. Create the garden in a corner of your backyard where you can access it easily whenever you feel the need to unwind.
Using trellises is a traditional method of expanding the small-space garden upward. Climbing vegetables and flowers clamber up commercial or home-made structures, leaving valuable garden space available at their feet for leafy and root vegetables. One of the easiest types of trellis to build is the garden tepee. With a few bamboo poles and a roll of garden twine, your trellis is ready to plant within the hour. Fast-growing green beans, peas or cucumbers cover the tepee in a few weeks, providing fresh produce for your summer table.
A landscape ditch not only drastically improves drainage in a yard, but it also can prevent excess water from flooding a basement. Installing an effective ditch calls for laying underground drain tiles that will direct water away from the home. Excavating and installing the ditch is a labor-intensive project that can take a full weekend to complete, but a well-laid ditch will stop rainstorms from threatening your home's foundation.
Foundation drainage tile is installed around the perimeter of a house to carry away underground water that could otherwise seep into the basement. Water seeps into perforations in drainage tiles and flows into a ditch or other safe outlet. In order to be effective, the tiles must be installed 12 to 18 inches deeper than the home's foundation.
Poor drainage can destroy a landscape. In addition to killing plants and causing erosion, puddles and other eyesores, frequent flooding is a threat to your home's foundation. The most efficient way to solve these issues is to put a drainage system into your yard. A basic drainage system consists of underground pipes designed to carry excess water away from saturated areas to a safe drainage outlet.
There's nothing like a fresh strawberry -- whether you are human or a bird. Birds are the most common pest around a successful berry patch. Many home gardeners use scarecrows or electronic and ultrasonic deterrent devices to keep birds away from their rows of strawberries, covering your strawberries with a tent of secured fine mesh is an effective and inexpensive way to keep birds from stealing your delicious berries.
If you want to plant a garden, then ideally the land you want to work on should be flat. This isn't always the case, however, and you might end up having to work around slopes and hills instead. Rather than avoiding any slopes in your yard, create a series of terraces to flatten out parts of the slope, giving you added room for your garden.
Slopes present a challenge for many homeowners and landscapers because erosion is a major problem. Terraces break up steep slopes, allowing homeowners to plant flowers and add other features without worrying about soil erosion. Terraces are level sections of ground cut into slopes to resemble steps; retaining walls are often used to support each level. The terraces may be only a few feet deep or they can be deep enough for outdoor entertaining.
Drain tiles can significantly improve landscape drainage, but they must be installed correctly. If puddles and soggy patches of ground persist once the tiles are in place, you can redo the installation over a weekend. Drain tiles are perforated drainpipes designed to carry excess water to dry areas. When the tiles are not installed on a proper slope or protected from debris, they clog quickly and fail to work effectively.
When you go camping outdoors and need a less expensive alternative to a dog house for your dog, making a homemade tent from scratch provides your four-legged friend with much-needed shelter during unfavorable weather. Many of the items you need to make a pet tent are easily accessible and may already be in your backyard or garage. With the right materials and a few quick easy steps, you can set up a pet tent like a pro and keep your pet dry during unforgiving weather.
Japanese gardens exemplify concepts of tranquility, peace and beauty using a combination of plant life, hardscape elements like walls and bridges and even animal life in the form of koi and goldfish ponds. Miniature Japanese gardens can offer the same combination of elements, but on a much smaller scale. Because they take up significantly less space, you can build one virtually anywhere.
Arches are synonymous with elegance and a well-laid-out garden. However, they can also be expensive to purchase at a local gardening store. Building your own may appear intimidating but is actually only as difficult or as simple as you desire it to be. With the right tools, some patience and a steady hand, creating archways for vines to grow on can make a centerpiece for your garden that will continue to grow year after year.
A garden makeover that includes a variety of game spaces makes a yard a much more enticing place to be than a plain, boring patch of green. Games invite kids outside and enliven outdoor parties. Planning and executing a garden makeover to incorporate games can be accomplished readily on a level lot. Steeply sloped lots require additional earth moving to produce ideal gaming environments.
Focus gardening is the practice of focusing on one thing in your garden, and centering everything else around that point of focus. The most common example of a type of focus garden is a rose garden. Typically, rose gardeners plan their garden plots to emphasize the plants themselves. The gardens might be otherwise decorated with rocks, but the only plants in the garden are roses. Another example of focus gardening might include a vegetable garden devoted entirely to various kinds of tomatoes.
Garden gnomes are small figurine statues that originated in Germany around the 19th century. Over time they have spread across the world as a popular yard decoration. Traditionally gnomes are crafted from terracotta and painted once hard, but newer statues may be made from concrete. Because of their small size, usually 6 inches to 2 feet in height, garden gnomes are simple to package and ship.
English walled gardens provide a natural haven of solitude behind a fortress of brick, stone or hedges. Successful English gardens appeal to all the senses. They combine trees, shrubs, flowering annuals and perennials of varied textures, colors, sizes and fragrances. A water feature is traditional and provides a tranquil sound. The heyday of the English walled garden was during the Victorian Age, when wealthy Brits enclosed their gardens for a practical reason: to protect against produce theft. Today these gardens are admired for their beauty.
Building your own garden, whether it be a vegetable patch, herb garden or flower garden, presents both challenges and rewards. The work is best accomplished in early spring, after the last frost, but it is possible to install a new garden anytime between spring and fall. Note that new plants installed in a new garden in the heat of summer may require additional care and watering to prevent them from withering.
Soil drainage is important to the health of the plants grown in the landscape. Water draining too fast can cause plants to wilt and possibly die, while too much water will block the roots of plants from getting oxygen. Sandy soil often drains fast, leaving plants without water and clay soil may drain slowly or not at all. Knowing how fast the soil drains before planting flowers, trees or shrubs gives you a chance to amend the soil or adjust planting methods so the plants will thrive.
Drainage tile comes in several shapes and sizes and serves a variety of purposes. You can install drain tile around your home to protect against rain water. You can also install drainage tile for agricultural drainage purposes as well. Different types of drainage tile include PVC pipe, clay drains and perforated and plant drainage tile. Installation of each type of tile requires different tools; however, the basic idea of drainage tile is similar in each situation.
Also called a Japanese rock garden, a Zen garden is a welcome addition to an indoor or outdoor space. The garden provides year-round interest as it enhances the appeal of the area and helps relax the mind. Created from a mix of natural and manmade material, the primary function of the Zen garden is to add peace and tranquility to your life. Create a small-scale garden using a box filled with gravel, stones, pebbles and sand raked into curves to mimic the movement of water. Place the miniature garden on your office table to help you meditate and unwind after…
Terracing is an old landscaping technique that utilizes hilly locations; terraces can also be used to break up very flat spaces. Adding terraces to slopes creates a visually symmetrical garden theme while making more planting space available. Adding a terrace garden creates a variety of possibilities to add to your outdoor space.
Although many people love birds and enjoy watching them, other people see birds as pests. This usually occurs when the birds eat the tomato plants in a home garden. Fortunately, there is a way to keep birds from tomato plants without harming the birds in any way. Keeping your tomatoes safe from destructive birds is fairly easy and requires only simple tools.
Unless you have an exceptional memory, garden plant markers are a necessity for keeping track of the location of different plants within your garden. This is especially crucial from the time you plant the seeds through the seedling stage because seedlings are difficult to identify. Many garden centers sell plant markers to place in the garden, but these can be expensive and may be limited to only the most commonly grown garden fruits, vegetables and flowers. You can make your own garden plant markers with rocks and paint. The markers can be completely customized with your artwork.
Bird netting is mesh or netted fabric that a home gardener places over a vegetable garden. Birds love to eat plants. Nibbled vegetables from a home garden makes them unsuitable for human consumption. Bird netting prevents birds from gaining access to a garden's produce without harming the birds. Using bird netting is a safe and inexpensive way to protect the food grown in a garden.
Landscaping generally needs water for the vegetation, but it can get too much if there isn't proper drain flow. Also certain soils don't allow proper drainage, leaving puddles of standing water that can cause mold growth. To help ensure the plants get the right amount of water in poor soil, you can install a drainage system to move away excess water, yet allow some water to work down in the landscaping.
Growing your own garden can be a fun, rewarding and educational activity for the whole family. A garden provides fresh produce, flowers and herbs as well as a peaceful sanctuary in which to enjoy the outdoors. Additionally, gardening is a relaxing pastime that encourages communion with nature. Selecting appropriate garden plants depends on individual preferences, the style of landscape and your geographical location. For best results, investigate which plants grow well in your region and learn about the cultivation of each type of plant before starting the garden.
Gather up a few spare tires and you have the makings for a whole garden playground's worth of toys. Not only does making garden toys from used tires turn out sturdy items that can be played on hard, but they also save rubber from the landfill making them eco-friendly tools. Check out tire stores for used tires they can't use on cars for your raw materials.
Improving the drainage around a home or other building decreases the potential for water seepage problems. The simplest drain systems use gravity to carry water away from the home. This is accomplished by digging in sloped drain pipes, starting at or near the home, that end in an area where the water will do no damage. Depending on the size of the project, do-it-yourselfers may do the digging with hand tools or contract the work done.
A sidewalk is an important part of any hardscape. Sidewalks should do more than provide a safe place for the public to walk; they should also keep surface water flowing away from your home and into gutters and drainage grates. Good sidewalk design takes drainage into account.
Installing a sidewalk drainage system helps prevent subsurface water from destabilizing the foundation or causing a sidewalk to crack. Standing water can also cause surfaces to become slick and dangerous. Installing a drainage system along your sidewalk will improve the longevity of your sidewalk and make the surface safe for people to walk on.
It is essential to the health of your horses that a paddock is well drained. Those with clay and other soil structures that cause drainage difficulties run the risk of groundwater buildup. This provides an excellent breeding environment for mosquitoes and other insects and bacteria proliferation. An economical way to provide drainage in your paddock is through the use of soil strip drains, which are relatively easy to install. These products are available under brand names including TerraDrain and AkwaDrain and are generally available in rolls 6 to 36 inches wide and 100 to 500 feet long.
Installing a dry well for the washing machine will help protect your septic system from failure. The soap and bleach from the washing machine will kill the good bacteria in your septic tank. The septic system needs these bacteria to function properly. The bacteria break down the sewage so the tank doesn't need to be emptied as often and the leach field doesn't get clogged. Purchasing a dry-well kit for proper installation is better then trying to install a homemade dry well. The dry-well kit comes with three interlocking side panels, a heavy-duty cover, a coupler, a riser, a surface…
Ancient civilizations used a crude form of hotbed when they planted early plants such as cucumber or melon. As the manure in the hotbed decomposed, it heated similar to the way that a compost pile heats today. The plants would be warmed by the decomposing manure and would thrive in temperatures where they would not ordinarily thrive. Today you can create a hotbed using artificial means of heating the soil.
Water around your home can be a dramatic accent when used in ponds or water features. Water can also be a nightmare when poor drainage threatens your home. An important part of home landscaping is water runoff management. Many homes have drainage problems that can cause problems for maintaining landscape plants. A more difficult and expensive maintenance issue occurs when water enters into basements or under homes because of poor drainage. Installing drainage tile can reduce or eliminate water drainage problems as part of a landscape plan.
A water bar is a drainage structure that may be used to divert the flow of water on a grade of no more than 20 percent. Most commonly, water bars are built on trails or backcountry roadways to help reduce soil erosion caused by water flow. Water bars are best constructed with rock or peeled logs and require ongoing annual maintenance to ensure that the structure continues to work properly and does not become a safety hazard for hikers or horsemen.
Since its founding in 1983, Oregon-based Leatherman Tool Group has developed a reputation for producing high-quality tools. They offer mutli-tools, folding knives, flashlights and tools designed for military and law enforcement professionals. They can make excellent gifts for anyone who loves gardening, DIY projects, certain crafts and camping. Any gift is made more special with personalization, which can be done in several different ways and in a big and bold or discreet and hidden style. Personalization also prevents mix-ups on job sites.
A Japanese Zen garden is a suitable year-round landscape addition to your garden, especially if you want to add some peace and tranquility to your life. This dry landscape garden uses natural elements such as rocks, stones and pebbles, and gravel or sand that is raked in soft, curving lines to depict the movement of water. Create the Zen garden in a corner of your backyard if you have the space, or make a small-scale garden in a cardboard box and place it on your table.
Gardens are bright, colorful additions to your landscape, and do-it-yourself garden craft projects add another level of personalization to your garden oasis. Even beginner crafters or gardeners can add simple, playful crafts to their gardens to play up a theme, identify plants or add texture to the landscape. Incorporate crafts into your garden to create a customized space for your plants.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World built by a king for his homesick wife, defied natural law because it comprised of terraced lawns supported by large pillars. Create your own hanging garden using pots and containers of different sizes if planting space is a problem or to create a focal point. Select different containers and an assortment of plants to create a striking hanging garden within a few hours.
Hotbeds provide heat for garden plants in cold temperatures. They allow you to start seedlings outside when the weather is still cold and to overwinter tender plants. Hotbeds also work well for growing winter vegetables, such as lettuce, after outside temperatures have dropped too low for the plants to produce. Hotbeds are built inside cold frames, which are glass-topped boxes that allow the sun in but keep out the cold winter air.
Even if you don't have much space, you can still have a garden to call your own. Take advantage of the space you have to grow flowers, herbs or vegetables. A small garden can be just as colorful or productive as a large one.
Furnishing your garden or outdoor patio doesn't have to be expensive. You don't even have to buy a backyard full of new materials. Repurposed supplies work just as well, and they're better for the environment than using new material. A pair of old office chairs can be turned into an attractive garden bench, and an old window can be transformed into a garden table.
If you have a garden or fruit trees, you know that birds and other pests can rob you of your harvest. However, if you use garden netting you can save more of your produce. You can buy this plastic netting at nurseries, hardware stores and home improvement centers. Garden netting comes in many types for different purposes. You can also store it for use year after year.
An attractive, well-maintained landscape adds value to your home. Landscape plants and fixed features such as walkways, lighting, fountains, ponds and patios give you and your family an enjoyable place to relax. Once established, a landscape garden requires less maintenance, supplemental water or chemical treatment than turf grass and offers a habitat for birds and butterflies.
A fairy garden is an extremely creative theme to make a garden space extra special. It can be a dedicated spot, or a theme that carries throughout different areas of the landscape. The key is to keep plantings and adornments miniature and "dwarf" in size, versus selecting plantings that are known for huge foliage and flowers. The more every aspect of the garden is miniature in scale, the better and the more "authentic" the fairy garden you create will become.
Sometimes the only place to grow an urban garden is on the roof of your apartment or condominium complex. The best way to create a roof garden is in containers. If you put soil directly on the roofing material, in time it could damage the roof, causing mold or even the breakdown of the materials. Even if the roof is cement on top, you must make sure that there is adequate water drainage. You can purchase plant pots from your local nursery or you can build wood containers. Perhaps the most efficient way to grow a roof garden is to…
Nothing takes the fun out of garden gnomes like having to fork over big bucks to obtain one, especially when everyone ends up with the same gnome on their lawn. Luckily, it's easy to bring a little whimsy to your garden by making a gnome that's all your own. All you need is some time, tools and creativity, and you'll soon have the best gnome on the block.
Building a fence in your yard can add good looks and security. To determine the best garden fence for your home, first determine what you want the fence to do. For instance, a fence that enhances your backyard landscape is different from one you'd choose for security and privacy. A fence is a simple weekend project that most do-it-yourselfers can accomplish without help.
A garden trellis is an attractive, simple way for home gardeners to grow climbing fruits and vegetables such as beans, cucumbers, grapes and tomatoes. Constructing a trellis requires only basic carpentry skills and is an easy weekend project for many do-it-yourselfers. Additionally, creating a rustic garden trellis is a way to reuse lumber or branches left over from another project. When using branches, choose the straightest pieces possible for best results. The key to building a successful trellis is to use material all about an inch in diameter, suggests "Sunset" magazine's website. The finished product will stand 6 feet high.
The sound of flowing water can be a calming addition to a backyard garden pond. It also offers an opportunity to incorporate different natural elements and textures into your landscape and will attract birds. Although it is possible to purchase a precast waterfall form and simply add it to your water garden, a waterfall constructed from hand-picked stones and small rocks has a more natural appearance and allows you more freedom to create the waterfall you want.
When placed in a sunny spot, a garden window can double as a miniature green house perfect for indoor gardening year-round. Homeowners with garden windows often install them in the kitchen and grow flowers, herbs and other sprouts. When you install a high quality, double-paned window, such as models made with a low E-glass, your indoor plants will have adequate insulation from extreme hot and cold temperatures. In this DIY garden window project, you can install a garden window in the place of an existing one and still keep all your home's siding in place.
Zen gardens provide simple aesthetics to an indoor or outdoor space. White beach sand and rocks of various sizes are the only elements a Zen garden needs; anything else you place in it (such as a bonsai tree) is a matter of taste. With the rocks positioned and the sand raked, you can sit and meditate on the day and generally relax. Zen gardens require little maintenance.
When built on a large scale, a Japanese rock garden, or Zen garden as it is often called in the West, is intended to be a place where people can go to experience peace and serenity. Typically, there are no plants in a Zen garden, only sand, gravel and stones. Ripples drawn into the sand represent the element of water and strategically placed stones represent mountains and other points in the landscape. Miniature Zen gardens are popular among those who appreciate a contemplative landscape but don't have space for a large garden.
You act as a landscape artist, mirroring nature, in the creation of a Japanese-style garden design. Like art, appreciation is in the eyes of the beholder, as you strive for a peaceful, meditative, tranquil setting. Fundamental elements are incorporated into all Japanese-style garden designs, reflecting components found only in nature. Like any other garden, a Japanese-influenced garden is always a work in progress and very much a statement of your individuality.
A garden can range in style and size from a simple functional growing space to an elaborate outdoor entertaining space. No matter what size your garden, adding furniture is a way to make your garden a place of ease, where you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Buying garden chairs can be cost prohibitive, but you can make your own garden chairs and save.
Arbors typically stand over a walkway at the entrance to something: the yard, a garden or patio. It helps to define the entrance. Climbing vines or flowers can be trained to grow up the arbor to make a beautiful focal point in a garden. Arbors can be purchased from specialty shops or home improvement stores, but they can also be made inexpensively at home with some basic wood pieces.
Slow-draining soils and low spots on a property can create unsightly and potentially foundation-damaging waterlogged soils that often need to be professionally dealt with. However, there are number of ways to improve garden and yard drainage yourself. Create a drainage plan for your garden based around two basic methods of controlling water. French drains are long, gravel-filled trenches that transport water away from poor-draining areas to dry-wells, which are deep, gravel-filled holes that give the water a place to drain and percolate into the ground.
Camping is a fun activity, but sometimes gathering food, a tent, gas and your family can be troublesome, time-consuming and expensive. So why not camp in your own garden with a tent you've made yourself? Constructing a tent in your garden is simple, requires very few materials and can be quite entertaining. Encourage your family to help and make the process even faster.
A garden screen serves as a beautiful and functional addition to your lawn or garden. A new garden screen is easy to build with the right technique and doesn't have to be expensive to be aesthetically pleasing and beneficial to your plants. A solid frame will give your new garden screen a multipurpose form. Use it with or without the screen cover to block unwanted views, add privacy, control the light your plants receive or help your climbing plants flourish.
Building your own redwood garden arbor can be a beautiful and affordable way to attractively grow vined plants and give your garden a dramatic focal point. This project can be completed quickly in one weekend or spread out over time to be built at your leisure. The methods used are great for anyone who wants to learn more about home carpentry and the skills learned can be applied to many future projects.
Garden landscaping is both an art and a science, according to horticulturalist Dewayne Ingram at the University of Florida. What form your garden landscape will take depends largely on what function you want your landscape to perform. Whether you are landscaping with shrubs, flowers or fruit trees, you can create an eye-pleasing display by incorporating some basic design principles into your do-it-yourself landscaping project. Even the most appealing design will falter if you ignore the science of soil, water and sunlight.
The old-fashioned herbaceous garden border of English literary fame has found new life in today's gardens, largely because of its design flexibility, according to Master Gardeners at the University of Arizona. The garden border gives today's gardeners a chance to experiment with different types of flowers, mix perennials and annuals and highlight their homes or other structures with a striking expression of their personal tastes. Strive for a balanced appearance in height and textures, and choose color schemes that please an observer's eye. Complement your garden border with natural materials that blend into the landscape.
Making over an old garden can completely change the appearance of your home or property to better express your changing personal tastes and styles. Begin with a cleared, tilled and composted flower bed to refresh and nourish the old soil. Consider giving away any of your old perennials to a local non-profit group. When preparing the garden bed for large makeover plantings, always work one section at a time. Turn the soil and water well before setting out new plants. Work from top to bottom, left to right, to avoid compacting the soil.
Planting your own vegetable garden can ensure a bounty of inexpensive fresh food on your table all year long. Plant enough to eat out of the garden during the growing and harvest seasons, and grow extra to preserve for winter. If you're a first-time vegetable gardener, start with a small garden of varieties that you enjoy eating. This way, you'll learn from experience what your soil needs, how much sun and shade is available, when your garden needs extra water and how long certain vegetable varieties take to mature in your region.
Our yards aren't always level. We may have little hills in the front or back yard. Add to the look of your landscaping by putting in random steps. The steps help us to leisurely walk through the yard without having to climb hills without steps. You can walk up steps and really enjoy all of your yard. Use rock or man made concrete stepping stones to create the steps. When you create them yourself, you get great self-satisfaction when you are walking around admiring your yard. Create them elaborately with concrete and rock, or go simple with rock, sand and…
It is the dream of many home workers: a private office to work where there are no interruptions. What better place could there be than in the garden? Garden sheds and greenhouses can be transformed into peaceful, comfortable, functional and productive work spaces with very little money. You can reinvent that run-down shed into a year-round, garden work retreat with a little paint, some old furniture and a few personal touches to make the space your own.
This round garden table seats six for an informal afternoon luncheon, or you may decide on a smaller round for the perfect two-seater in a small, private garden nook. This version features a ceramic mosaic tile finish, but the plywood round could also be painted and then embellished with hand-painted art for a one-of-a-kind look. You can buy the base at a lumber store or even use an old pedestal column.
River rock is a popular material to use for garden walls. It looks natural, is complimentary to many landscapes, and is relatively easy to work with. To construct a garden wall of river rock, all you need to do is stack the rocks and secure them with cement. Constructing any type of garden wall can be a physically tasking endeavor; so if you're not is excellent shape you should rely on laborers or friends to help you with the heavy lifting and construction.
Using autumn leaves and garden debris as mulch or adding them to the compost pile is an easy way of "going green." It provides extra nutrients and organic matter to the soil and prevents those wastes from ending up in a landfill. If the leaves and other material are shredded first, it reduces the amount of space it requires and the time involved in decomposition. Many gardeners enjoy a do-it-yourself attitude and they see no sense in buying a dedicated shredder when it is so easy to do with existing or low-cost tools. While not as good as a commercial…
A simple garden path is often all you need to keep a grassy area from becoming worn with frequent use. Luckily, with the variety of garden pavers available, allowing you to choose the look and design that best reflects your garden landscape, you can create a stylish path for very little money.
There are many benefits to building a rooftop garden. They not only can add to the beauty of your home, but they also can help reduce noise pollution in your house and absorb sunlight to help lower your air conditioning costs during warmer months. If you are considering building a rooftop garden, it is important to conduct research and planning before making purchases or beginning construction.
A garden table can be used for al fresco dining or it can provide a place for performing gardening tasks such as re-potting plants. A table that is intended to be used outside can be as elaborate or simple as desired. If you will be using the table for entertaining, you may opt for a stylish design. Simple designs are ideal for use as a work table. A simple garden table can be constructed by novice woodworkers in a couple of hours.
Do-It-Yourself garden walls are a simple and affordable way to add rustic elegance to your garden while helping to separate and define outdoor space. Used as retaining walls or merely decoration, stacked stone walls are generally regarded as the easiest garden wall to build. Even without mortar, stacked stone walls can be sturdy enough to use as retaining walls up to five feet tall with little risk of collapse or bowing.
Making garden markers can be a creative and rewarding experience and will give the garden a unique look. Concrete garden markers are inexpensive to make and will last a long time.
Designing a pebble garden is an enjoyable experience. Pebble gardens are popular all over the world, but are especially beautiful in Italy where vast areas are intricately landscaped in pleasing patterns and geometric designs with polished pebbles of different sizes and colors. Meandering walkways, shallow streams of sparkling water and an array of flowering plants and trees grace the peaceful surroundings. The do-it-yourself designer can add a wrought-iron bench, a pergola or a trellis with a bounty of colorful flowers. A pebble garden is a low-maintenance garden after installation.
The garden arch acts as a visual separation device for landscaped yards or intricate gardens. These inviting little archways can be easily constructed at home by anyone with basic carpentry knowledge. The Daily Green website suggests building an environmentally friendly garden arch using branches cut from local trees. A benefit to this type of arch is that it can be disassembled easily and its components will biodegrade in the yard, making it a green option for the eco-conscious gardener. This rustic design is also an excellent trellis for climbing roses, vines and other plants.
Gardening on grounds where there is a steep slope can be challenging. Terracing helps solve this problem by creating multiple gardens on the slope and ultimately preventing erosion in the process. Before you start creating terraces for your garden, consider what materials you'll use and the height of your terrace walls.
Garden fences are important to separate your yard from your neighbor's yard or from the rest of your landscaped backyard. You can build your own garden fence out of a number of different materials.
If you want fences around your garden, either for protection or just because you like the way they look, you can follow several strategies. Choose the right fencing and install it correctly for the protection and beauty that you need to complete your flower or vegetable garden.
A garden lounge or chaise is one of the most inviting piece of furniture you can include on your patio. It provides "feet-up" comfort, as well as adjustability in the backrest. Read, sunbathe or nap. Several styles are available to the do-it-yourselfer, which are variations on the same theme. Bill Hylton of Rodale's "Step by Step Guide to Outdoor Furniture" tells you how. (Reference 1)
A Garden bench provides a much-needed resting place after a long day's work. Placing a bench by a pond creates a soothing place to unwind. Many budget-conscious gardeners know that purchasing beautiful benches can be out of their financial grasp, so they opt to create their own unique pieces. Using logs, rocks and other found materials, you can create stunning additions to your own garden landscape.
One way to plan and visualize a garden before you go outside with your shovel is to use an online garden layout application. This is a way to experiment with different options and get a sense of how it will look without spending a lot of money and time.
A drip irrigation system (also called micro irrigation) trickles water where you need it rather than all over. In other words, it saves you money and puts less of a strain on the local water supply. Drip systems also allow water to soak into the soil before evaporating, which is better for the plants. Planning a drip irrigation doesn't have to be a headache. The whole system is pretty forgiving.
Garden tool racks hold tools ranging from rakes and shovels to trowels and bush clippers to gardening gloves. These tools and tool racks can be kept in the garage, a nearby shed or even right beside the garden itself, depending on the layout of the yard and the types of weather your garden experiences. You don't have to buy these tool racks, as it's very easy to make a homemade version
A pergola is a small, open-air structure, sometimes covered with vines. Adding a pergola to your garden will accent your plants and provide a relaxing shaded area. You can construct a DIY garden pergola out of wood using only a few tools. Building a pergola is a simple project for those with woodworking skills, and not too overwhelming a project for beginners.
Decorate your garden on a budget with cheap do-it-yourself garden projects. Work on cheap garden projects with your whole family for a weekend activity that will create lasting beauty and enjoyment in your garden. You can complete a variety of cheap do-it-yourself garden projects for under $30, or for free with supplies you already have at home.
You can enjoy many do-it-yourself gardening projects, whether you have a home with a yard or you live in an apartment. Garden projects are ways for you to pass time and enjoy planting and growing, whether you are inside or outside. Gardening projects can be undertaken at any age and with any level of physical ability.
Most gardeners know that light fencing around a garden can add beauty and provide protection from hungry critters. However, when it comes to building a fence, many amateur gardeners lack the time and the know-how to do the job themselves. Luckily, vinyl garden fences provide a simple solution to even the least knowledgeable do-it-yourselfers.
Building a garden wall is a terrific way to add interest to your yard or garden, but it can get expensive. One of the best ways to reduce your cost is to eliminate the professional brick layer. Most garden walls are less than 3 feet high, a fairly simple project for a homeowner to tackle. To build a wall higher than 3 feet, Quikrete recommends consulting your local building codes for specifications.
The wheelbarrow has been a gardening staple for centuries. Variations on the theme of one wheel, two handles and two legs have been around since at least the middle ages. Gardeners and landscapers have wrestled with these unwieldy beasts just because they have always been the traditional method for carrying tools, dirt and plants. Enter the two-wheeled cart.
If your dream garden is overgrown and funky as opposed to pristine and well-kept, then rustic garden design has many options for you. Planning and designing your outdoor space should inspire some of your most creative visions. Bringing these visions to fruition need not cost a lot of money or require the services of a professional landscape architect. You can plan and implement a do-it-yourself rustic garden working on weekends.
Show off your flowers, pathways and intimate outside areas with garden lighting. Do-it-yourself garden lighting creates a wonderfully ambient atmosphere and installation is simple and affordable. With the advent of solar lighting, there are now more choices available to use in and around the garden.
Garden steps can add another dimension of beauty and functionality to your garden. Before you create them, consider: What is their intended purpose? Are the steps to be used for carrying gardening supplies up and downhill? What type of soil do you have? What is the design of your home, garden and landscaping? The steps should match all of your needs as well as your overall design theme.
A bridge can finish the look of a garden and give it a romantic ambiance. Bridges can be purchased online, at home improvement stores or at nurseries, but the costs can be prohibitive. Instead, contemplate a do-it-yourself project. If you build a garden bridge to personal specifications, it will become an integral part of a garden that is as reflective of the gardener as the garden itself.
Arbors have never gone out of style. They are easier to build than gazebos and look just as good. An arbor gives a garden or walkway the impression of walking with nature, especially if climbing flowers or ivy trail up the sides and on top. Arbors can include swings or benches, which can offer a peaceful evening of sitting underneath the moon and stars.
There are garden decorations to match every style and type of garden. Decorations can add to the theme of your landscape or just add interest. If you enjoy making your outside area as personal as your home's interior, you'll want to learn more about how to make and include garden decorations in your yard.
A water fountain is a wonderful addition to any garden. Not only are fountains visually appealing, but the gentle sounds of water falling create a peaceful ambiance. You can make a large fountain the dramatic centerpiece of your garden or use a small one to brighten up a dark corner. You can also use a fountain to improve an existing pond. You can save money by making your own fountain out of parts available at your local home improvement store.
