You’ve found a great Porch Swing and you know exactly where you want to put it, and it’s not on the Porch. If you’re a Do-it-Yourselfer, no problem. All you have to do now is build a Porch Swing support on your chosen spot and hang the swing. But what if you don’t have the first idea how to build a Porch Swing support or couldn’t build one if you did. Then you’ll need to hire a Porch Swing contractor.

Finding a contractor to build a Porch Swing support and install your Porch Swing is not as easy at it appears. It’s not as if you can go to the yellow pages and look up “Porch Swing contractors”. Instead, you’ll have to find a carpenter or general handiman who works by the hour and who is willing and able to do the job.

Finding a carpenter can be easy enough. But how do you find one who has the required knowledge and experience? The yellow pages is a good place to start. Look for carpenters who specialize in small jobs. Narrow down your list to approximately five. And start calling.

When you call, ask the potential Porch Swing contractor about his knowledge and experience in building Porch Swing supports from scratch and whether he’s ever installed a Porch Swing. Hiring a person with specialized “know how” is crucial.

Porch Swings are a functional Patio Furniture peice. As such, the Porch Swing support must be fixed in place. The Porch Swing contractor must know how to properly fix the support foundation to minimize shifting that can occur with the change of seasons as the ground freezes and thaws. Attaching the Porch Swing to the support can also be tricky. An experienced contractor will know how to do it properly to ensure that your Porch Swing is firmly and safely attached.

By knowing where to look and what questions to ask, you’ll find a Porch Swing contractor who can do the job right the first time. And you’ll be enjoying your Porch Swing for years to come!

Kevin Snook is the Owner and Operator of Cedar Patio Furniture retailer http://www.GoCedar.com. Porch Swing that’s shipped free to homes and cottages throughout the Continental USA and Canada.

First Step: The Soil

Good landscaping starts with a good soil, a good layout and healthy plants. Preparation of the soil is the main component to healthy plants.

Soil structure depends upon the balance of air, water, heat and nutrients. There are many products on the market that will help to amend clay or overly sandy soil, but the gardener would be wise to research the activators and ingredients in these products. While some might give some favorable results, the product might also contain elements that could over time damage the soil. Some products can also be very pricy.

Most plants thrive in humus black soil. Our grandparents used to test the soil by tasting it for acid content, but that is not exactly a pleasant or safe method for most people in modern times. However, pick up a small wad of soil and make a ball of your fist. If the soil breaks up easily but has a slight bit of moisture when you open your hands, it is not clay and is a candidate for great plant growth. Clay clumps and is either gummy with too much moisture or in dry weather, hard clumps of dried soil. Add to that evaluation a visual of the color. Some plants thrive well in slightly brown sandy soil with a bit of moisture. Most plants like the moist dark color humus soil. There are soil - testing kits available that give more complete information about the test soil.

Science reports that there should be 500 billion microscopic bacteria to a pound to sustain good topsoil. Further in each acre of topsoil there should be 30 to 40 pounds of these microbes.

Attracting earthworms to the soil is a great step toward keeping airways and nutrients flowing through the soil. There are many suggested methods for these steps.

The best way to slowly build up nutrients in the soil is by building or buying a compost bin and layering it with twigs for air circulation, green cuttings, leaves and lime for nutrients. Using table scraps in the mix will draw rodents and other vermin to the area. Therefore a better mix would be six inches of green matter for nitrogen. Follow by adding a thin layer of any of the following: lime, wood ashes, cottonseed meal, redwood sawdust, bloodmeal, hoof or horn meal, fish meal, bone meal, castor pomice, buckwheat, sunflower seed, dry steer or cow manure or alfalfa hay. Other formulas that contain yarrow, dead nettle, chamomile or honey create heat and make the process speed up.

The time frame depends in most part upon the weather. To speed things up, add activators to help break down the matter sooner. These activators could be a commercial product that is natural and without harmful chemical ingredients.

Keep the piles aerated. Homemade compost bins need poles at intervals in the sides to shake the mixture and create tunnels of air.

Sprinkle lightly periodically, but make sure that the bin contents are protected from heavy wetting such as rain or snow. Too much water can cause the piles to sour instead of decay.

Of course, dried manure plowed into the soil in the fall remains an excellent healthy soil amendment, if the neighbors don’t protest too much.

Using coffee grounds either in the compost pile or directly in the turned soil can encourage earthworms. The mighty earthworm has always been the greatest “product” whether fishing in the “pond” or planting in the “Morrow” ground.

Upcoming articles: ‘Flowing Layout’ ‘Healthy Plants’, ‘Planting Partners’, and ‘Encouraging the Helpful Garden Critters, Detouring the Unruly Pests’.

©Clarice Cook at MorrowPond home and garden products, http://www.morrowpond.com

Clarice Cook is a long time gardener from a long line of home gardeners. In addition to working in the motel industry, writing and homemaking, she is Administrator of the Customer Service and Website areas for MorrowPond home and garden at http://www.morrowpond.com

Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) is a water molecule with an extra atom of Oxygen attached (2H2O + O2 = 2H2O2). This extra Oxygen atom is quite easily detached from the water molecule and eagerly combines with any suitable substance that has the room for it. For example it will attack organic blood cells.

Any chemist’s shop will sell you some concentrated 35% Hydrogen Peroxide, which may be diluted with water to give a 3% solution for human use. This diluted solution is good for treating minor cuts and scrapes etc. It is also used for softening ear wax. It works by oxidising the chemical parts that are presenting as having a free space for the Oxygen atom.

When H2O2 comes in contact with these “impurities” it will give a reaction which causes it to fizz. This fizzing is the Oxygen atoms coming out of their bond with the water molecules and bubbling out of the solution. As gardeners, we can use this eagerness to break its bond to help keep our plants free from everyday pests.

In the same way as old organic blood cells are attacked and consumed by the fizzing action of the peroxide, so will any bacteria and small insects be destroyed by a solution of up to 5% H2O2. At this strength it is safe for human skin but lethal to most bugs.

Mix up the following for a weekly preventative spray:
Add to 1Litre of Water:

30ml of 35% Hydrogen Peroxide
20 ml of Alcohol (Old style mouth wash works well)
2ml of wetting agent (Washing up liquid will do)
Use this mixture as a foliar spray to keep your plants healthy and free from bugs.

Another advantage of the Peroxide breaking down is that it releases free Oxygen into the area. So, if you were to add some to your nutrient tank, the dissolved Oxygen being released around the root system not only kills any bad root material and bacteria, but also oxygenates the roots with the excess Oxygen produced.

Plants can easily cope with a 5% H2O2 solution and because the mixture reduces to water in a short space of time, the dilutions are not that critical. For this reason, it also makes a great disinfectant for plant pots, greenhouses and grow-rooms.

It may be used at 10% for these jobs, but make sure to only use it if the area is plant free. A really great advantage is that you do not have to rinse it away after use because it will revert to water on its own.

Click the link to see how NASA is planning to use this sanitizing Hydrogen Peroxide system.
http://www.primidi.com/2005/08/29.html

A partner in a thriving retail hydroponics supply business, Rickie Haughton is the owner of http://www.hydroponics-gardening-information.com Your First Choice For Hydroponics Gardening Information, the Hydroponics-Gardening-Information website is packed with good content about all aspects of hydroponics gardening and offers a free Hydroponics Gardening Information Club membership to all subscribers.

Copyright (C) 2004, 2005, John R Haughton - All Rights Reserved

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Copyright: 2005 Marilyn Pokorney

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Earthworms are a gardener’s best friend.

Research has shown that earthworm excrement, also called
castings or vermicompost, improves the aeration, porosity,
structure, drainage, and moisture-holding capacity of soil.

Many studies prove that when compared to conventional
composts, vermicompost is less variable and much more
stable. Mixing vermicompost into the planting medium
essentially eliminated the need for additional fertilizer in
the production of tomato plugs as one example.

Studies show that earthworm castings increase height, stem
diameter, enhance root growth, increase dry weight, and
produce more flowers per plant than peat moss.

Redworm castings are the richest and purest humus matter in
the world. Humus is believed to aid in the prevention of
harmful plant pathogens, fungi, nematodes and bacteria.

One pound of worms can convert one pound of pig manure into
compost in 48 hours!

Worms consume three times their weight a week or more. Red
wrigglers are very active, reproduce quickly and consume
their own body weight of waste every 24 hours. Therefore ten
pounds of worms will eat ten pounds of waste in 24 hours!

Worm castings provide a rich source of a variety of
essential plant nutrients.

Microbial activity in worm castings is 10 to 20 times higher
than in the soil and organic matter that the worm ingests.”

How to use worm castings:

When planting vegetable and annuals line the rows and holes
with about two inches of castings. About every eight weeks
side dress the plants with one-half cup of castings per
plant or one cup per foot of row.

For perennials work one-half cup of castings into the soil
in the spring, middle of summer, and early fall.

For pots and hanging baskets add one-half inch castings to
the top and water in. Then reapply every eight weeks.

Roses appreciate four cups of castings per plant.

If starting a new lawn add 15 pounds of casting per 100
square feet when sowing. Once established use seven pounds
per 100 square feet.

For more information about vermicompost and castings visit:

http://www.apluswriting.net/garden/earthworm.htm

About the Author

Marilyn Pokorney
Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the
environment.
Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading.
Website: http://www.apluswriting.net

Have the long months of winter taken a toll on your deck? Is it dirty, mildew-stained and wearing a coat of gray?
Don’t worry. It’s easy to restore your deck to its natural beauty so you can enjoy it during the warm months ahead. And, it’s just as easy to protect your deck so it stays beautiful for years to come. Here’s some advice from the experts at Wolman? Wood Care Products:
Step 1:
Clean away dirt and gray weathered wood with an acid-free, biodegradable deck cleaner, like Wolman? Deck Brite? (formerly Deck & Fence Brightener?). Deck Brite is tough on ground-in dirt, mildew and algae stains, yet it’s gentle to handle and safe to use near grass, plants or shrubs. Its fast-acting foaming action loosens and lifts dirt, stains and weathered-gray discoloration in 10 minutes or less. And unlike chlorine bleach, which can actually degrade the structure of the wood, Deck Brite’s oxygen bleach formula cleans and restores the wood to its original, like-new look without whitening or damaging the wood surface. Protective finishes will adhere better and last longer.
Step 2:
Protect your deck against mildew attack, water damage and graying with a powerful finish and preservative, like Wolman? F&P? Premium Wood Finish and Preservative. As a preservative, F&P contains twice the mildewcide of other products to prohibit decay-producing fungal growth including mildew and mold – other leading products simply resist mildew on the coating film. It also contains a water repellent that exceeds national standards, thereby minimizing wood damage such as splitting and warping. In fact, F&P is guaranteed to repel water and protect against wood rot and decay up to four years. F&P is available in four one-coat, easy-to-apply finishes – golden pine, natural, cedar and redwood – that beautify wood with long-lasting, transparent color that reveals natural wood grain and protects against graying.
Step 3:
Bring out your patio furniture and enjoy your deck this spring – and, for many seasons to come.

For more information about restoring, protecting and beautifying your deck, please call the Wolman Consumer Help Line at 1-800-556-7737 or visit www.wolman.com for more helpful deck care tips.

About the Author

http://www.wolman.com
wolman@digitalbrandexpressions.com
732-652-2229
Wolman Wood Care Products
173 Belmont Drive
Somerset
New Jersey
08875

INTRODUCTION

So you’ve decided to build your very own backyard water garden. You are in the process of actively planning out your design, and you’re visualizing the end-result. But have you paused to consider what kind of pond construction you will be using? Do you know what kind of pond constructions exist? The majority of garden ponds utilize one of two types of constructions: a preformed shell, or a pond liner.

PREFORMED POND VS. LINER POND

Traditionally, preformed ponds are large shells, which are extremely burdensome and difficult to transport. For example, a typical preformed pond kit would come in a box that is 60” x 48” x 24”, which is too large for many car trunk sizes. Liner kits, on the other hand, present many difficulties for the beginner pond gardener. Since every liner pond shape is different, pond gardeners must customize their own pond and ensure that it is level, and that it does not have excessive wrinkling.

INTRODUCING FOLDING PREFORMED POND SHELLS

Algreen Products Inc.* has helped leverage both these problems by introducing a flexible preformed pond, as part of their 2005 catalog. According to Melissa Mulligan, a sales coordinator with Algreen Products Inc.,

“We recommend the flexible folding pond for any pond gardener who wants to build a top-notch pond. The folding preformed/liner hybrid is created with a proprietary blend of materials, which allows it to hold a customized shape. Yet it is easily transportable, since a typical folding kit comes in a box one-sixth the size of a regular preformed kit.”

Algreen advertises that its folding pond includes built-in plant shelves, is weather-resistant, and is able to withstand extreme temperatures from 0 F to 105 F. Algreen guarantees that the pond will not chip, fade, or crack, and backs up this claim with a 20-year warranty.

Upon closer examination of the pond, one of its greatest features is its textured ridges. These ridges are strategically placed to allow beneficial bacteria to form growth colonies, which significantly reduces algae-buildup in the pond. When compared to its closest competitor, the Algreen folding pond seems to be significantly more flexible, and less brittle. Price-wise, the flexible pond kits cannot be beaten. Whereas their competition has a tendency to offer low-grade statuary pumps with their kits, Algreen kits include a heavy-duty Super Flo pump, and a flexible streamlet. The complete Algreen kit includes:

- A flexible preformed pond shell

- An energy-efficient, heavy-duty Super Flo pump (500 or 306 gph, depending on shell size**)

- Four fountain heads

- A telescopic riser and diverter for the Super Flo pump

- A flexible streamlet

- Two 6” silk water lilies

- Tubing and clamps.

As if that’s not a great deal, a quick web search will reveal that this kit can be purchased from GardenSuperMart.COM*** with the following FREE accessories:

- FREE 7-color floating solar-powered light

- FREE floating solar-powered frog light

- FREE New Pond, Ammonia Remover, Natural Clear, and Pond Shade water treatments.

As of this article’s publication date, GardenSuperMart.com lists the pricing for the 144 gallon granite folding pond (with streamlet) kit at $207.99 USD. The 72 gallon and the 105 gallon kit can be purchased for $157.99 USD.

Gerry Fung is a Sales and Marketing representative for Northbridge Products Inc.
This article can be viewed in its entirety (with pictures) at
http://www.gardensupermart.com/tips/press_folding.asp

* Algreen Products Inc. has a website at algreenproducts.com

** The 144 gallon kits comes with a 500 gph pump, while the 72 and 105 gallon kits both come with a 306 gph pump.

*** GardenSuperMart.com has an online store at http://www.buypond.com/.

“Everything Old is New Again”

It’s refreshing to note that gone are the days that countertops and backsplashes have to match. There are no decorating rules. The focal point in your kitchen, wine cellar, bathroom, etc evolves with adding the personal touches that are close to your heart.

Nothing sets the stage for Vintage comfort like a vintage marble tile mural or marble tile wall display in images and labels borrowed from the past. A new and personalized way to showcase a collection of memorabilia, ephemera, or images.

A marble backsplash mural or wall display makes the perfect complement for antiques, beautiful china, flea market finds, vintage furnishings, garage sales, ephemera, trade show collections, or bottles of your favorite wine or brew.

The images are baked into the marble so the quality of the marble with its shading, nicks, crannies and rounded edges become part of the old world, vintage and European effect.

Perfume Label Art, dated from 1894 - 1905 on Tumbled Marble Tiles, an unusual wall decor for the bath, dressing room, powder room, spa, country club. Alternate plain botticino tumbled marble tiles, or add a few tiles onto each wall. An important trend in decorating is chic and shabby. Perfume labels on tiles would be an important accessory to this theme.

Alternate wine label images on tumbled marble tiles to create a wine collectors dream environment.
Looking for something different? Vintage Veggie, fruit or flower seed packets transferred onto marble for a kitchen backsplash, pantry or garden room. Crazy about pets? Vintage cat and dog food can labels on tiles will complete your pets Bark Avenue suite.

A dressing area with old hotel and airline tiles randomly placed on a marble wall as a backdrop for your favorite vintage Louis Vuitton trunk– ooh la la

There are no limits to your imagination and collection.

Alicia Tapp
http://www.AliciaTappDesigns.com

About the Author: We transfer fine art, vintage labels and personal photos onto tumbled marble tiles to create a wall mural or kitchen backsplash. We have an extensive collection of images on our website, http://www.AliciaTappDesigns.com or you can submit your own

Source: www.isnare.com

By: Nicholas Webb

Buying discount patio furniture can be a very economical way to obtain quality furniture for your patio … if you know how.

Many department stores offer patio furniture at discounted prices towards or at the end of the summer season. Many people can obtain quality teak or cedar furniture to enhance their patios by watching the advertised sales from department and hardware stores. You can save yourself hundreds of dollars by just waiting a month or two for that special piece of patio furniture you have always wanted. You don’t have to buy the cheapest furniture just to be able to enjoy your patio.

There are disadvantages to buying discount patio furniture. Ensure the quality of the workmanship of the pieces you buy so that you are not buying junk furniture that will fall apart the first time anyone sits on it.

When shopping for discounted patio furniture, you should always look for chairs or benches made from solid wood. This kind of patio furniture is durable and well worth the money you pay. Solid wood patio furniture never goes out of style and matches any décor. Having wooden patio furniture, discounted or not, makes a statement about your patio without you saying a word.

It is also possible to buy discount patio furniture at moving sales. Many people get transferred in their jobs and cannot afford to take all their patio furniture with them, or they may simply not have the room for it at their new location. This is a great opportunity to get quality for less. People who are moving generally ask a minimal price for the furniture they want to sell, just to get it out of their way. When you buy discount patio furniture in this way, you can be sure to save lots of money.

The internet is a fiercely competitive battle ground that often pushes retailers to offer their goods at interesting prices. You can often find discount patio furniture at prices that even the end-of-season sales at your local store can’t beat. The thing to know here is to have a good idea of what you want before your start surfing. Just don’t sacrifice quality when making your decision and you shouldn’t have any problems. We have posted guides and tips on most kinds of furniture and accessories throughout our website. Take a look around, you will certainly find some useful tips in your quest for the best.

Whatever the method of getting discount patio furniture, it will be even more enjoyable because you know that it hasn’t stretched your budget. You may have to do a little more ground work, but the effort will be worth it!

About the Author

Nicholas webb is the owner of http://www.allabout-patio-furniture.com A site that providing user-friendly patio furniture and patio accessories consumer tips and buying advice for the outdoor lover. Check it out before parting with your money.

“Less is more.” Mies Van der Rohe said it, and exemplified what he said with such architectural masterpieces as the Seagram Building in New York City.

By “less is more” he meant the avoidance of gratuitous ornamentation. He believed in strong, simple design, with no decorative encumbrances to detract from the structural purity. His guiding principle was restraint, the kind of restraint that is critical to success in all the arts, including the art of garden design.

Admirable though it may be as a concept, restraint is not always easy to achieve in practice. You must start, of course, with good structure, and add to this structure only those elements which are essential to its delineation.

Above all, you must resist the temptation to add decorative elements simply because you happen to like them. Cute little frou-frous that don’t reinforce the core motif serve only to whittle away a garden’s integrity.

To put it another way, if it doesn’t help, it hurts.

Creative restraint is beautifully evident in the gardens of such masters as Russell Page and Jacques Wirtz. But can be carried to almost ungardenlike extremes in some of the new minimalist gardens.

In practicing restraint, garden designers can take a cue from the acting profession. Good actors don’t overact-they leave something for the viewer’s imagination. “Spelling out” is not nearly as effective as triggering the image-making abilities of the viewers, inspiring them to develop their own creative insights.

Dame Sybil Thorndike said it best. After watching a performance by the young John Geilgud, she remarked: “If he had cried less, the audience would have cried more.”

To learn more about landscape design, to download free garden plans and see many beautiful gardens, visit http://www.landscape-design-garden-plans.com
For everything about water features, go to http://www.water-features-online.com.

http://www.water-features-online.com
http://www.landscape-design-garden-plans.com

Curb Appeal makes you stop the car. And, take a look at the house. On the path to the house, the buyer already knows if they want to buy the house in 30 seconds or less. Fengshui creates a positive energy, and welcome feel to your home. Ming Tong in Fengshui means bright place and refers to curb. The curb must be inviting and promoting to stay longer.

Stimulate emotions with colors

Colors play an important factor in our emotions and senses. The warm colors (reds, yellow, and orange) build fun, and excitement, while the cool colors stimulate peace, calm, and relaxation. To warm up the curb, you can add colorful flowers in the garden, varnish any wood around the house, and paint doors and window with red accent. Too cool up the curb, you can add more grass, shrubs, and trees.

Glossy means healthy

Look at the trees, plants, shrubs, and flowers if they have panoramic colors. You can tell the health by the shine, and color. Trimming the dead plants, leaves, and flowers, you promote the healthy lifestyle.

Fast Energy

A direct path to the doorway creates fast energy. On the other hand, the meandering path slows and relaxes any potential buyer. A water fountains, fish ponds, pathway lights, special step stones, and beautiful flower slow down the energy and builds interest. The buyer can stop, and admire for a while.

Obstacles and Clutter

Obstacles and Clutters decrease the welcome feel of the home. You may consider organizing the porch, cleaning the path, moving the garbage bin, and trimming the plants.

Feed the senses

Appeal to the senses by adding sound and fragrance. With healthy garden, wildlife comes to appreciate your garden. The birds serenade the buyer and guest. And, the flowers sends heavenly aroma.

Dennis Estrada is a webmaster of mortgage calculators website which calculate the monthly payment, bi-weekly payment, affordability, refinance, annual percentage rate, discount points, and more.