Ecological Garden Furniture

If you have a nice garden, then you probably have a patio of a deck so that you can get every last scrap of enjoyment out of it. Most patio furniture is left outside for a lot of the year so it is best to get high quality garden deck furniture. High quality garden deck furniture is essential if you expect it to withstand the rigours of all kinds of weather and yet last a reasonable length of time too.

Another factor, especially these days, is the ecology. People want to have as little impact on the ecology as possible, thereby reducing their carbon footprint, as they say. The manufacture of plastic involves polluting the environment with more CFC’s and disposal can cause problems too. Plastic can take decades and decades to bio-degrade.

Metal patio garden furniture also has its issues. It has to be mined and fabricated and people are beginning to worry about robbing Mother Earth of her minerals, but at least old metal can be recycled. That leaves us with timber and in particular hardwood. Before, there was a great deal of alarm in almost every country about logging, but a lot of countries have the problem under control now after unrelenting pressure from the West.

Most people understand these days how important it is to look after our planet. There is even a special day to help people remember the Earth’s dire state called ‘Earth Day’. Using hardwood from replenishable sources is the best way to save our forests.

Garden furniture made from hardwood from a guaranteed sustainable source is the most ecological way out. If you maintain your hardwood furniture according to the manufacturer’s recommendations for the type of wood you have, it will last for a decade or more. Far longer than any plastic or metal furniture, which you might well have to replace every two years or so.

Acacia hardwood offers a hard wearing and comfortable alternative to teak. In fact, this type of wood is much like teak, as if you leave it untreated it will transform to a silvery grey color. However, it is best to treat all hardwood once or twice a year with suitable oil in order to maintain the warm tones of the timber.

Most people will have a garden patio furniture set of up-right chairs, loungers and a table or two or a nest of small tables. However, there are a few other sticks of furniture that will help you get more pleasure from your garden. It is nice to be able to sit in the garden after it gets dark or when it is a bit nippy too. This can be achieved easily with a few accessories.

I suggest a patio heater, an electric mosquito killer and suitable lighting. Patio heaters are not expensive any longer and a single upright propane heater will keep up to eight people warm, depending on their seating arrangement. An electric mosquito killer will usually keep a whole garden clear. In fact, some will keep a quarter of an acre or more clear of flying insects. These two items may supply enough light for you, but is best to have a few spots to highlight a plant in bloom or to read by.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with commercial patio heaters. If you are interested in patio heaters too, please click through to Residential Patio Heaters.

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December 17 2011 | Landscaping | No Comments »

A Brief Overview To Landscaping Rock Gardens

Not every single landscape is ideal and having a rock garden will help in many of those areas. You might have an area that is just too shaded and also you cannot have plants simply because there just is not enough sun during the day to help them grow, or you might have an area that has become too dry simply because you’re either going through a drought or rain just won’t reach it.

Or, maybe you’ve an excessive amount of rain and your land is just too soggy to support decent vegetation and has now become really swampy. Rock gardens can assist in all of these problem or issues and most are really low maintenance.

Good planning can help any novice to rock gardens, but often a professional’s opinion might be the difference between ordinary and amazing.

If your land is too rocky, then it is possible to just clear up some of the rock and try to arrange what’s left in an aesthetically pleasing setup.

Adding some shallow rooted plants can help break up a huge, rocky area with some green. Or, if the area is too dense with rock, then you could build a border around the location with an artificial border, such as railroad ties – or use tiny plants to trace around it.

A hilly region on your land will make your soil to erode. Placing your garden in a strategic area of the land will prevent the erosion and at the same time adding an excellent lawn decoration. Bringing in rocks indigenous to your location will give the illusion that the garden is much more natural.

An area which is just too dry or maybe has non-fertile soil is another appropriate location for a rock garden, and perhaps you should even contemplate a Japanese rock garden.

This type of a garden makes use of sand and rocks to put patterns into the ground and if you have an incredibly dry climate, this will seem intentional despite having a bad spot within your yard.

Shady regions can have a rock garden with plants that thrive in the shade. As opposed to having plants which can be found naturally around rock, you’d take plants that do well in the shade and populate your garden with those. It’s an excellent method to expand on the rock garden concept and have a much more personalized decoration.

Leon Mieler is a professional writer who writes about landscaping rock and other similar topics.

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December 15 2011 | Landscaping | No Comments »

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