Are You Ready To Mow?

We talked before about fertilizing your lawn and this is great for giving you a good looking lawn, but to keep it looking great and make sure your grass is a cut above your neighbor's, it's important not to let your mower and other power equipment get you hot under the collar because they're not ready to go when you are. Though I know the importance of maintenance it is not one of my strong points and I need to work hard at doing what I know I need to do.

One thing that helps some people is to create a "to-do" list for yourself and make sure you have check boxes to keep tabs of what you’ve completed. One of those check boxes needs to be: Maintain Outdoor Power Equipment. This task is not only essential for the safety and performance of the equipment, but also helps keep your yard healthy and free of disease throughout the summer.

If you are handy, you can do a lot of the basic maintenance on your outdoor lawn equipment yourself in just a couple of hours.

Some steps to follow include:
1: Change the oil and replace the filter. Be sure you dispose of the oil properly.
2: Check and replace worn spark plugs
3: Clean the grass clippings away from cooling fans, air intake screens and under mower deck
4: Inspect air filter
5: Sharpen blade - A sharp blade is very important for keeping your lawn healthy.

Maybe you prefer to be working in the garden rather than working on tools. Or you just aren’t mechanical. Then you need to have a small engine repair shop do the maintenance for you. That’s alright, not everyone likes or is able to perform their own maintenance. Some of these small engine repair shops will even come and fix it at your place or at least pick it up and bring it back to you.
A good repair shop will perform a 12-point (or several point, depending on what type of equipment you have) maintenance & inspection service on your outdoor power equipment.

Some of the steps involved with this service include:
1: Check battery (if it has one) voltage and continuity
2: Clean engine
3: Inspect belts for wear and adjust tension
4: Check tire tread and pressure
5: Test operation of brakes, carburetor, transmission and safety systems
6: Change transmission fluid, engine coolant, oil and filters (certain models)
7: Grease axle and mower spindles
8: Sharpen blades, check balance and straightness to prevent vibration.

Don't let the grass grow under your feet before you perform some basic maintenance on your outdoor power equipment. One thing we all should understand though and that is, don’t cut your lawn too short. We may want a golf course great looking lawn but it is better for the grass if you leave it a little longer. Now that you’re ready to mow and trim and keep things looking good this summer, is the next thing getting yourself in shape for doing it? Well I won’t go into that here but it may be something you need to think about.

Maintenance “by the yard”

A Reading Garden

One of the newest trends in community landscaping is the "reading garden". What is a reading garden? It's the perfect place to enjoy a great author and the great outdoors at the same time. Community reading gardens are cropping up in public areas ranging from outside public libraries and schools to city parks. They are community spaces where reading and reflection can be grown and nurtured. With a few modifications, you can turn your patio, deck or backyard into your very own reading garden.

Here are some helpful hints for creating a reading garden in your backyard.

Some essentials include a quiet area, a garden bench or hammock, shade and light and flowers and plants for inspiration and beauty. Think of color, shape, atmosphere and scent.

You may also want a weather-proof place to sit, of course, and a place for resting your novel and a cup of tea. Ideally, put the reading area under an awning or in a small gazebo so that a minor drizzle won't send you indoors.

Start by taking a look at your yard and deciding where you do or where you would enjoy sitting. Then design an area around it for privacy and reflection.

Think color: I don’t know about you but color inspires me. So make sure you have lots of colorful plants around the area. If you’re on your patio you may need to use containers to provide a place for those plants to grow. Consider whether you want to spend more time reading or gardening, and choose high or low maintenance flowers and plants to accommodate that. I love perennials but annuals are very colorful and usually bloom all summer so they may be the better choice here.

Think shape: You want a space that makes you feel comfortable and cozy. As mentioned earlier a gazebo is a great way of achieving this, but there are other ways. For privacy and quiet, try a hedge or screen of ivy. A border of flowers, plants, stones or shrubs can set off your outdoor "reading room". If there's no tree for shade, try taller shrubs, bushes or growing ivy on a trellis or pergola.

Think atmosphere: Atmosphere is very important. If this space is not quiet enough then it is not relaxing and it is hard to concentrate on what you are reading. If it is not private enough then you may have the same problem. You want to be comfortable. No one will sit and read long if what they are sitting on is hard and uncomfortable. A comfortable garden bench or a relaxing patio chair and ottoman will fit the bill.

Think scent: There is nothing nicer than smelling the roses so to speak. The fresh scent from your flowers will excite the mind and help it come alive with pictures in the mind created by the words on the page. So it is important to choose flowers that will fill the air with fresh scents.

After you have created your very own reading garden the final step is the simplest. Open up a book and experience the beauty and inspiration of your reading garden.

Beautiful spaces can create beautiful minds!

Reading Gardens “by the yard”

Gardening on a Balcony, Patio, or Courtyard

There are many different reasons for people choosing to garden in a small space like on a balcony, patio, or courtyard. For some they have moved from a large house to smaller accommodation, and some have chosen to live in rental property to avoid the high-cost of owning a home. Whatever the reason, this doesn’t mean we can’t garden. No space is too small for a small space garden. You could say that only one plant in a container is a garden. In fact, many gardening options are available in terms of pots, half-barrels, window boxes, troughs, cast-iron planters, recycled materials – the list is unending with possibilities.

When planning your small space garden several steps are fundamental. The first consideration is to determine what purpose this space will serve. Next what do you want to do in it, grow vegetables, herbs; entertain family and friends; meditate; create a place of peace and healing; have a memorial garden – the list is endless. Now, walk around your space and really look at what you have. Where are the doors, sheds, permanent and planters located? Clear out any clutter and start with a clean slate.
If possible, take a chair and sit down, move it around, and think about where the energy feels best for you. Wherever that is, place your seating such as a park bench, lounger, Adirondack chairs, dining furniture, swing, etc. there. Do you want a formal or informal setting? Think of what features you may want? Features such as water, flowers, wind chimes, wild life, color, etc. These can add the finishing touches to your small space garden. Finally, have a plan particularly if you are going to use large features such as a half-barrel because once filled with soil you will not want to be moving it.

When Creating a Small Space Garden here are some things to think about.

Containers: Generally speaking natural materials such as wood, clay, stone, or cast iron in all their forms make better companions for plants. Remember that wet soil weighs a lot so if you garden is on a balcony you may have weight restrictions. Containers made from lighter weight materials such as fiberglass are ideal for roof or balcony gardens. The styles of containers include hanging baskets, wirework stands and baskets, wood window boxes, sinks, troughs, galvanized buckets, old shoes or boots, and all manner of recycled objects.

Scale: Scale is extremely important in small space gardening. For example, small plants look more balanced in small containers, large plants in large containers. I especially like the effect of vines growing on trellis in half-barrels with smaller plants edging the container. I have found that the effect of scarlet runner pole beans is really a knockout with their gorgeous red flowers and you can eat them too.

Microclimates: You should choose plants according to the conditions suitable for their optimum growth. Plants such as begonia, coleus, and Fuchsia prefer shaded areas while geraniums, marigolds, and petunia prefer full sun. Also if you are gardening on a balcony wind can be a major factor and damage fragile plants. For this you need to choose plants that are wind tolerant such as many of the grasses; the sound of the rustling of the grasses as the wind blows through them is very pleasing to the ear.

Soil: I buy pre-mixed potting soil from garden centers or department stores. These are generally lighter in weight, are sterilized to prevent weed seeds from germinating, and contain a lot of peat moss that helps loosen the soil so that it doesn’t compact in pots.

Watering: Check daily as container plants often dry out more quickly. This is especially true if you are using clay pots. Make sure your pots have drainage holes though, as roots sitting in water will rot. You may even want to empty saucers that are full after heavy rain fall.

Fertilizer: Due to frequent watering, container plants require fertilizer on a more consistent basis than plants in the ground do. I use only organic fertilizers such as blood meal, bone meal, or fish emulsion, as I add the soil to the garden at the end of the season, and chemical fertilizers harm the wildlife.

Function: When you are creating your small space garden you are actually designing an outdoor room. So keep in mind you may want to color coordinated it so it appears as an extension of your home. I also move my indoor plants outside for the summer (which they love) and design these areas as garden rooms.

Focal point: Create a focal point such as a large pot, tall plant or small tree, color, or a water feature. You can also create a sense of mystery by hiding a plant or ornament behind something else to give the pleasure of discovering it.

Color: In a small space, try using three colors such as pinks, blues, and whites; reds, oranges, and yellows; or reds, whites, and purples that provide continuity rather than too many colors which tend to be distracting. Cool colors can make the space appear bigger and brighter while intense colors tend to shrink spaces. A white and green color theme called a ‘moon garden’ is more formal and particularly at night it’s spectacular.

Lighting: I like the small Xmas lights hidden in plants or interwoven throughout a trellis with climbing vines. Small spotlights can focus attention on a particular area for evening entertaining.

Gardening on a balcony, patio, or courtyard is fun and not that much work as you don’t have that much to take care of. But it can have a huge impact on your outdoor living space.

Small space gardening “by the yard”