Baskets can brighten up any barren wall, porch or patio, and offer quite a talking point for guests arriving at your house. Creating a beautiful hanging basket is relatively easy as long as you have the right tools, and you’ll be able to get far more pleasure out of a basket that you created yourself, than from one which you bought that was already planted.

The type of basket that you use is important, and for the best hanging baskets, you need to ensure that you provide room for your plants to breathe and grow. One huge problem with solid plastic baskets is not only that water can build up and rot the roots of young plants, but that there’s not enough space for growth.

Easyfill hanging baskets are an ideal solution to this, and come with carefully developed latticework that allows roots to breathe and grow properly. In addition, easy fill hanging baskets have a number of slots placed around the circumference of the basket, allowing you to plant both out of the top and sides for maximum effect.

When it comes to planting your hanging basket, it’s important to consider watering problems. Some compost products come with water retention and nutrition granules within them, but you can also buy extra water capsules which can be mixed with compost when packing easy fill hanging baskets out.

This means that you can keep your hanging baskets well hydrated, without having to constantly water or worry about pools forming in the bottom of baskets.

The plants you choose are also important for getting the perfect effect. A fantastic range of hanging basket plant varieties have been developed over the years, and it’s important to use these specialised species. They have been bred to encourage trailing and fast growth; two vital requirements for creating perfect easyfill hanging baskets. Unless you’re attempting to create visual impact with just one plant and colour, try to incorporate different flower and foliage types for maximum effect. Foliage, in particular, will help keep the basket bright between bursts of blooms.

Creating your own hanging baskets can be far more rewarding than simply buying them from the shop, with the added advantage that you can customise planting to your heart’s content. And, by choosing the right basket and plants, you’ll bring stunning colour to your home this year.

Author Bio

YouGarden is an online gardening centre run by three horticulturalists who have over 50 years combined experience. They have one simple ethos “Gardening for Everyone” and sell everything for from easy to grow veg and flowers to including ‘mini orchard’ patio trees.

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While I was walking over to the garage I noticed a robin flew in right behind me and started picking up the worms I left behind. I even managed to get a picture of the robin. I think he was trying to tell me to get to work with the shovel.

After I had enough worms for tomorrow’s fishing trip I went over to see how the clematis were coming along. I noticed this huge fat slug. I’ll have to watching them closely. Sure wish that robin was more interested in garden pests like these slugs rather than worms.

I then headed over to Jenny’s Hosta on the north side of our garage to cut the last years stalks back a bit so they looked a bit better. I had planned on splitting them but other things got in the way. As I was cutting the old stalks I notice more slugs there, although they were only a fraction of the size of the one at the clematis.

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A good home gardening tip is to pick pests like garden slugs and other garden pest out of your gardens manually and destroyed them immediately. Don’t even leave their remains in the garden.

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I get so distracted I trip over my own feet.

My video camera is in the other room but right now it’s 6:30 PM and it’s just stopped raining. The sky is really dark and there are some birds singing their little hearts out, looking for love. There isn’t a breathe of wind at the moment.

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As soon as the Blue Jay takes off the squirrels will sneak down from above and scoot right over to the spot and take it home with them. Probably up a tree right now laugh their little behinds off.

I took the image above with my new camera and shot the picture through my office window, screen and all. I have a video of a Blue Jay in the bushes on our backyard property fence. The Blue Jay is bobbing in and out of those thorny branches like they weren’t even there.

It took me a while to figure out how to get the video from the camera and then I had to figure out how to get it into a format I could add to my Backyard Gardening Tips Youtube Channel and that took about two coffees but I got it, eventually.

I’m almost glad I busted my other camera because this new video camera not only takes great video it also takes pretty good pictures and takes almost all the shaking out.

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Some Really Appealing Paver Stone Patterns

Paving stones are available in a variety of colours so it’s fairly easy to match your driveway or patio area to your house and surroundings. Having a variety of colours allows you to create patterns like in the image above.

Our home is an older home and the driveway has seen better days and needs to be redone. Our existing patio is made of cheap concrete patio stones as are the walkways. So I’ve been doing a little online research to see what we should get for our next home improvement project.

System Pavers shows the benefits of using interlocking paver stones. First and foremost for Jenny and I is to have a guarantee and System Pavers have a 25 years guarantee against cracking or breaking.

I watched a pave stone driveway being built and noticed they use sand between joints so that the paver stones have some flexibility and won’t pop up. For us, living in a big heavy snow zone, we love the fact one can shovel and blow snow from their driveway without hitting pavers that have raised a little.

System Pavers has driveway paving stones that are high quality which keeps them from swelling during the wet or rainy season, so the pavers don’t lift and cause problems.

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As a kid growing up on a farm part of our home gardening experience was having an apple orchard and let me tell you there were no apples that went to waste with me around. We would even take the damaged apples and my brother and I would make apple cider.

New Versus Old Apple Trees

Many gardens already benefit from having fruit trees in them, but if these plants have never been properly cared for, it may be a good decision to buy new trees. If uncared for, apple trees can quickly grow out of control, making the production of apples less than perfect. Old trees can be revived a little by pruning, and you should take care to remove branches from the centre of the plant, as a priority. This will allow more light to filter through the leaves, creating optimal ripening conditions for any fruit that have developed.

If an apple tree has been neglected for too long, it may be the perfect chance to invest in some new plants. This provides the advantage of being able to buy your favourite specimens, such as a braeburn apple tree, so that you can opt for a variety of eating and cooking apples. In addition, it means that you can grow plants as standard trees, or in an espalier or fan shape, to make harvesting easier.

Pruning Your Apple Trees

The pruning of fruit trees, such as apples, really shouldn’t be done unless the plant is in its winter dormancy. Whilst a stray branch or diseased twig can be removed during the growing season, you should strive to only prune when the plant is between leaf fall and bud burst. Any weak, crossed, diseased or damaged branches should be removed, whilst the centre of the plant should be opened up. Meanwhile, height and spread can be reduced by cutting branches back to a strong growing side branch.

Harvesting And Storing Apples

Stored under the right conditions, apples can last all year. Harvesting should be done before apples have fallen from fruit trees, and only fruit without damage should be considered for long term storage. Each apple should be wrapped individually in paper, and stored in trays. Good ventilation should be provided, but humidity should be reduced to avoid apples rotting. Apples which have marks or damage can be used for cooking immediately, whilst those in perfect condition, can be stored away so that your apple tree crop will last all year.

Author Bio

YouGarden is an online gardening centre run by three horticulturalists who have over 50 years combined experience. They have one simple ethos “Gardening for Everyone” and sell everything for from easy to grow veg and flowers to including ‘mini orchard’ patio trees.

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So happy that the 2012 planting season is finally here in New Brunswick once again. The fresh morning air somehow seems more invigorating with muddy hands, a trowel and maybe a hot cup of coffee.

And with that in mind, I yet again explain why year after year, raised bed gardening is definitely the way to go.

One of the things why newbie gardeners object to raised bed gardening is because it entails a lot of preparation. To this argument, I hasten to explain that while creating your raised beds does take some muscle power, the advantages are certainly worth it. In more than ten years of growing my prized flowers and vegetables in raised beds, I have proven that this method provides the following benefits:

Raised Beds Give Better Soil Quality & Control

Unless you’re lucky enough to have the perfect gardening soil composition in your garden year after year, you will need to amend your soil to make sure that it has the balance required by your crops. Our home garden, well entire backyard, is heavy dense clay that makes a pick-axe a requirement but not with a raised bed garden.

Raised bed gardens are a cost-effective and efficient way to amend your soil because you only have to fertilize and mulch the bed areas themselves and not the entire garden surface.

Better Soil Drainage And Aeration

The elevated height makes water less likely to pool near the root systems, so that your plants are less vulnerable to mould and rot even in wet conditions. And because you never need to step on the surface of a raised garden bed like you would in a flat bed, your dirt does not get compacted and is well-aerated. Good drainage and good aeration are conducive to healthy root systems.

Improved Soil Temperature

The increased surface area at the sides means that the soil can benefit from increased exposure to the sun. The soil temperature in a raised bed is going to be higher than a flat bed, and if you are living in a cold climate this means you could start planting a little sooner in the spring.

Easier on The Back And Arms

This is definitely one of the things I love about raised bed gardening: no more stooping low or kneeling on the dirt. You can really work at a comfortable level and this makes a lot of difference when aerating or cleaning out weeds around your plants. Raised beds are also a great way to make your garden wheelchair accessible. A handicapped friend of mine had higher than usual garden beds made so that he can still enjoy his hobby while bound to his chair.

I also see that there are raised bed gardens at the YMCA community gardens.

If the reasons I cited above has made you convinced to try raised bed gardening, one thing that you should keep in mind is that raised bed gardens tend to drain faster, so you will need to take extra precautions to make sure that your bed soil is moist. You will need to water more often; mulching the top layer is also another way to retain soil moisture. In general though, raised garden beds require minimal maintenance and you can use your beds for several planting seasons, especially if you take the time to mulch well every spring and fall.

While most gardening books recommend that a raised garden bed should be no more than four feet wide (three feet if one side of the bed is going to be against a wall or a fence), I would suggest going with whatever works for you. Obviously, your bed should not be too wide so that you can easily reach the plants towards the middle. If you happen to be more comfortable with a bed that is narrower or even wider than the recommended four feet, then that should be perfectly fine.

Sunny is Global Brand Manager at ClassicBedSteads – ClassicBedSteads is online retailer of Antique Beds, Luxury Beds, King Size Mattress and double mattress.

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Nearly all weed/grass trimmers I’ve seen for under $ 100 are electric. Those I saw that use gas at that price were of poor quality. Corded models like the Weed Eater from Poulan offer more power than battery-operated models, as batteries supply limited power and obviously eventually need re-charging.

The Weed Eater from Poulan cuts with a 12-inch width, and the 3.75 amp motor easily takes care of the thicker weeds and grass. The only downside to corded trimmers is the distance from the power source, but as the Weed Eater retails for less than $ 50, it is the best choice for occasional use around the home.

Our electric cord is just exactly long enough to reach every corner of our yard and home garden area.

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Black & Decker Grass Hog

Having to charge battery weed trimmers adds a time constraint to your weeding and trimming. Battery-powered models do have their positives though, like being ale to carry them anywhere. They are also far lighter and quieter to use than petrol models.

I love the fact that for less than $ 100, the Grass Hog switches to an edger, unlike its competitors in its price range. It covers a 12-inch cutting width. The motor runs off a nickel cadmium battery, which lasts for approximately and 15 to 20 minutes of cutting per charge. To compensate, this model comes with a second battery, so its possible to use for up to an hour before a recharge. You’ll find this retailing for around $ 99.

Homelite UT41110

Usually, when going for the cheapest option, you are sacrificing quality, and probably know deep down that the purchase will die within a matter of months. Of course, this isn’t always the case as this Homelite costs less than $ 30, and considering this affordable price, performs well on weeds and grass. Its 13-inch blade and ample motor are better than many battery-powered units costing three times the price.

Homelite UT41110’s shaft weighs a light 5 pounds and is telescopic, which makes it easy to use by people with limited strength. The guard inhibits a clear view of what you’re actually, so this may not be the best trimmer using near your prize-winning roses!

Troy-Bilt TB20CS

‘You get what you pay for’ is a good AND true quote that covers pretty much everything, and that includes grass trimmers… apart from the Troy-Bilt grass weed trimmer. Anything below $ 100 is usually badly designed, with an even worse engine.

However, the Troy-Bilt is powered by a 31 cc unit, a curved shaft, and the two-cycle engine provides substantial power. To reduce arm strain, an ergonomic design has been applied, praised by Bestcovery. The 12-inch cutting blade can munch through the heavier weeds than electric versions, but some problems have been reported with the two interchangeable heads. A snip – no pun intended – under the $ 100 limit at $ 99.

Earthwise Corded Electric String Trimmer

The Earthwise Corded Electric grass trimmer is 3.75 amp and fairly inexpensive. It doesn’t have many features, no anti-vibration, no-tool line replacement or replaceable head, and doesn’t even feature a shoulder harness or a metal blade conversion kit. It doesn’t include multiple heads, either. However, the Earthwise Trimmer has 2 trim lines and an automatic line system, plus a string trimmer line. But at only 11 inches, it hasn’t the biggest cutting area. The Earthwise Trimmer has a composite score of 46 out of 100 and a line diameter of 0.06 inches.

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Black is “in” for up-to-date interiors

(NC)—Do you love the way you feel after slipping into your little black dress (LBD)? Black is not only a great shade onyou—it’s also a great shade for your home, say specialists in this field. The stylish finish is especially perfect in the kitchen—and can be seen in everything from kitchen appliances, to hardware… and now even the faucet. Make your kitchen feel just as good as you do in your favourite LBD with the magic of black.

Appliance Accents

Stainless steel appliances exude the aura of a high-end, professional kitchen. But the modern stainless appliance wouldn’t be complete without rich, black accents. From iron-work grates and griddles on stainless stoves, to refrigerators with black ice makers and handles, the

combination of black and stainless conveys professionalism and power.

A Dramatic Finish

The sink is, without a doubt, the most used area in the kitchen. From filling cups to washing dishes, rinsing fruits and vegetables to replenishing Fido’s bowl, the sink is used dozens of times per day. That said, it should be the first place we consider when it comes to décor… not just an afterthought. Since it’s such a central area, why not give your sink a bit of character by adding a dramatic black faucet? Very popular is the Arbor kitchen faucet in a Matte Black finish from Moen. It provides a streamlined appearance that coordinates perfectly with black or stainless/black kitchen appliances and accessories. The collection also features the Moen Reflex system on pullout and pulldown kitchen faucets. Reflex allows for unmatched performance that offers smooth operation, easy movement and secure retraction.

Sophisticated Surfaces

Countertops play a large role in the function of a kitchen, setting the stage for food preparation, the use and display of everything from toasters to tea pots, and activities from surfing the internet to entertaining guests. Black granite countertops can be a great addition to an already sophisticated kitchen. And, the options are far more extensive than basic black, ranging from midnight black to a more mixed shade, with secondary colours of grey, white, or even bolder hues, like sapphire.

Dramatic Radiance

Light fixtures can often set the tone for the entire room, both by the light they give off and the look of the fixture. Create a new appearance for your kitchen and dining area by adding a bold choice in lighting. Chandeliers with vintage-style ironwork, strings of black glass or crystal beads, or even dramatic black prints, can be a beautiful accent to an elegant kitchen—the pièce de résistance to tie the whole room together.

With just a few stylish, dark-hued accents, you can create a kitchen that stands out, instead of simply blending in. More information is available online at www.moen.ca.

www.newscanada.com

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Home improvement projects are more rewarding in summer

(NC)—Shake off the winter blues and get ready for nicer weather with home improvement projects. Whether it’s a little tidying up, or a full-on home repair, now is the perfect time to get some work done. And here are some helpful tips to get you started.

A Perfect Patio

With nice weather on the horizon, now is the perfect time to update your deck or patio. While you were inside warm all winter, your patio was getting a beating from the harsh weather. If you have items, such as a bench, table or planters, that have seen better days, consider spray paint as the ideal choice to add new life to these patio favourites. To be sure that you achieve professional-looking and lasting results, choose a quality product. Popular for this reason is Krylon’s DualPaint and Primer. The ‘dual’ feature allows you to prime and paint in one single step – to save you time and ensure a beautiful finish that will last.

Roof Remedies

Although we rarely look up at our roofs and gutters, be sure to give them some attention after the winter. Wind and weather of the colder months can wreak havoc on these overhead areas – and no one wants to spend their summer dealing with inside water damage or worse – mold. Stop the drama before it starts by inspecting the roof and gutters and looking for damage such as holes, loose shingles or leaks.

A Cool Breeze

Don’t wait until it gets too hot – be sure to check your air conditioning as soon as possible to ensure that it’s still running smoothly. Your air conditioner is important because it not only keeps your home cool, it also dehumidifies your house and keeps mold from developing inside the walls.

First, check the filters and replace them if they appear dirty, since a dirty filter can cause damage to your air conditioner by making it work harder than necessary. Turn your air conditioner on for a test run; once it has been running for a while, check the refrigerant levels by feeling the pipe connected to your A/C unit. It should feel cool to the touch– if it doesn’t you may be low on refrigerant and will want to refill before the long, hot days of summer.

Make the Inside Sparkle

Outside projects shouldn’t get all your attention. As you move inside, start off with small cleaning projects so you don’t get overwhelmed. Scrubbing your bathroom, vacuuming your carpets anddusting every inch of the house can take some time – which most of us don’t have. Simple tasks such as cleaning one room a day, clearing off cluttered countertops as you walk into the kitchen, creating an organizing system and donating unused products to charity can get your house ready in no time.

www.newscanada.com

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