EnviroGLAS is one of those rare companies that had an idea and turned it into an innovation to benefit the environment. EnviroSCAPE is one such innovation. The product turns trashed glass into something useful and eco-friendly. It can also contribute seven or more LEED points to your building project.

• Glass mulch - Sounds weird. Looks awesome. Works great. EnviroSCAPE takes glass and produces a mulch compound that is safe, smooth, weed-resistant, moisture-retaining and moderating of soil temperatures. It’s a perfect solution for attractive flowerbed mulching, hedge mulching, or anywhere else mulch is needed. With glass mulch, the color options are endless.
• Aquarium lining - The variety in color, size and texture of EnviroSCAPE’s recycled glass make it a perfect choice for your aquarium or fish pond. Rather than fill them with the non-recycled variety, give your fish a green break with EnviroSCAPE’s product.
• EnviroSAND – You’d be surprised at how many places we use sand. We use sand in golf course sand traps, beaches, construction sites, home sandboxes, path liners, soil additives and elsewhere. Glass, which is essentially made from the same elements as sand, works great when turned back into sand. As such, it is an ideal green option wherever sand is needed.

Totally Green

EnviroSCAPE is a product that helps people help the environment. It is made from 100% recycled materials and the company is passionate about environmental protection, green building, and sustainability.

Please bookmark and share

But thanks to modern medicine (and a funky UK design company), you can order an I.V. drip for your dehydrated vegetation. The Vitamin I.V. Plant Pot is a whole watering system complete with a sleek and stylish planter, a metal stand and refillable hydrating bag. The pot itself comes in either black or white and is made from lightweight fiberglass. Its shape is unique, somewhat like a space shuttle capsule, but much shinier.

The metal stand adjusts to fit the size of your plant and looks so oddly realistic – just like what great granddad sports around the home. Very stylish indeed. The tubing regulator can be set according to your plants’ hydration needs. You even have the option of dripping plain water or water that’s been infused with dissolvable plant food or fertilizer.

I’m not sure how long one bag of liquid lasts, but you won’t need to remember refilling it nearly as often as you’d be hand-watering, so at least you’ve bought yourself a matter of weeks. One thing is for sure – I may be pretty good now at remembering to water my plants, but as I get older, it will surely be handy to have self-watering planters. And if my kids have any trouble remembering to keep me hydrated, they can just get another one for me!

Please bookmark and share

Another great backyard idea is to incorporate a natural sitting area, a place where you and others can sit and chat in a place that seems totally immersed in nature and not manufactured at all. This area may include some natural stone masonry walls, a walkway with grass or weeds growing between, stone or wooden furniture, a fire pit and more. The idea, though, is to make it look inconspicuous, while offering peaceful, low-maintenance comfort.

For smaller backyards, a completely planned space can be easy to accomplish with a combination of masonry and garden areas. You’ll never need to mow again. Yard maintenance will be limited to occasional power washing and sealing concrete and masonry (if required at all) and mulching and weeding upon occasion. With the help of a professional, you can find out which garden plants will thrive best in your geographical region, as well as which choices are easiest to keep up with.

While the typical backyard contains nothing more than a grassy space and a deck or patio, it’s important to note that the more planning and designing you put into it, the more enjoyable you can make your yard. Keep in mind that that best backyards are often the simplest.

Please bookmark and share

Outdoor garden pots with built-in lighting

How cool are these? I love the whole concept. The lit garden pots can be used to warm up your landscape or mark a garden path. Created by Spanish company Vondom, the innovative pots are from the LLUM collection.

This sexy décor feature offers you stylish garden pots during the day and a unique, warm glow in the evening. Perfect for indoors or outdoors, the LLUM product line integrates self-watering devices in every model and includes wheels for easy mobility. And the pots are frost-resistant and ideal for any season.

Available in soft colors, such as red, orange, green, blue, and violet, you’ll be able to create just the right mood. The garden pots also come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Translucent LED tables

These fabulous, modern designer tables from German company Moree are perfect for any room. You can adjust the brightness via foot dimmer switches. Turn off the lights and let the table set the mood.

With built-in multicolor LED bulbs and remote controls to change the colors, you can mix them or use three pre-set colors. And they come in different sizes and are UV-resistant.

Pour yourself a tequila sunrise and relax with your friends.

More than a touch of sophistication!

Please bookmark and share

Dr. Mike Dirr, a horticulturist at the University of Georgia, said this about the Eastern Redbud: “No equal, no competitor can be found among small flowering landscape trees.” The Redbud, along with the Flowering Dogwood, both rank in the top 10 most popular under-30-foot trees. The Redbud doesn’t actually have red flowers – it’s the tree’s magenta buds and pink flora, accompanied by dark, bluish-green, heart-shaped leaves, that often affirms it as the showiest.

Trees described as “four-season” bear colorful flowers and fruit throughout the spring and summer, change leaf colors with autumn’s arrival, and have distinctive bark and branching patterns for a dramatic display in winter. Four-season trees that range in height from 20 to 40 feet include the Japanese Stewartia, the Sourwood and the Kousa Dogwood, a hardier version of the Flowering Dogwood.

Here’s the Sourwood tree in fall. Few other trees can match the Sourwood’s bright red and orange leaves.

Other great, little trees are the textural Japanese Maples, Crabapples with blossoms and fruit, Amur Maples and the muscular American Hornbeam. So get to diggin’ and bark up the right tree. Your yard is leafing it up to you to come up with just the right tree.

Please bookmark and share

1. Upkeep matters: So, keep up your lawn. Mow the grass, edge the sidewalks and flower beds, and prune and renew plants. Spreading new mulch or pine straw freshens up the landscape. Replacing broken bricks and other rundown plant borders make the grounds look neater.
2. Take matters into your own yellow rubber gloves: Put a sparkle on the windows, power wash siding, fencing and sidewalks, clean out gutters, and blow off leaves and debris from the roof. Clean stains from driveways and pull weeds growing through cracks. Repair, if possible.
3. Highlight the highlights: Your front door is most often the focal point. Choosing an eye-catching color for the entryway, installing a natural wood door, or upgrading one with ornamental stain glass can make all the difference. Replace old house numbers, door handles, wall-mounted mailboxes and lighting so that the door is enhanced. Paint the trim and shutters in colors complementary to that of the door.
4. Restore & remodel: Keep the longstanding trees – most homebuyers love old trees with character. Give them a trim and put on a spotlight. But be careful! If you don’t have much experience landscaping, it’s best to hire an arborist or contractor in your area. Paint the board-and-batten instead of covering it, and redo original railings and adornments that flatter the home’s age. Older, well-renovated houses are bringing in top dollar in historic neighborhoods across the country.
5. In keeping with the neighborhood: Stay in sync with where you are. House colors and styles are only appealing if they don’t clash and fight to fit in with what’s next door. Adding a wrap-around-porch with a metal roof, as popular as they both are, may look out of place on a block of ranch-style homes.
6. Yin and yang of the yard: Step back and look at the overall image. If your head tilts and you say, “Huh?”, then balance what you see. All sides of the house and yard are not created equal, although a sense of proportion is necessary. Yes, a large planter full of greenery on one side of the front door will probably look best with something similar on the other side. But in the yard, large bushes may be more attractive with small shrubs, and lofty trees may need surrounding groundcover (like ivy entwined around a live oak). And remember the rule of three: plants look best in odd numbers.
7. The “extras” that don’t cost much extra: Front porch furniture with comfortable cushions, inviting curves (instead of straight lines) in walkways and around sitting areas, the smell of honeysuckle growing on an arbor, a spruced up mailbox, the sound of running water from a fountain, flagstone laid along the drive, artwork and a birdbath in the garden… not necessary but oh, so nice!

Flagstone along driveway

Photo Credit: Spruced up mailbox, Better Home and Gardens, 20 Ways to Add Curb Appeal

Please bookmark and share

Let’s break it down.

Photo Credit: chefranden

Multiple setting – For your money, a multiple setting nozzle is the best for spot watering of the landscape & garden because it has so many settings. There are usually several types of jet or full force sprays, but also medium and light settings for smaller plants. It’s more expensive but worth every penny, especially if you’ve cultivated an extraordinary garden.

Straight – This simple barrel-shaped nozzle is a traditional straight shooter. It can be rotated to adjust the spray and pressure, or used for long-distance watering. The straight nozzle may be harder to shut down than other hose nozzles, but it’s still very practical to have around.

Wand – These are perfect for those hard-to-reach spots. Wands produce a light, misty spray, which is ideal for tender plants & sprouts. They’re often used for hanging baskets and seedlings growing in greenhouses.

Trigger – This unit is more advanced than the straight nozzle and easier to turn off. Metal triggers are the most durable and are fairly inexpensive. They’re great to have for isolated watering of plants, bushes and newly planted trees.

Please bookmark and share

Perk up the patio

Photo Credit: eyeliam

The backyard deck or patio is the ideal meeting place for social hangouts & summer barbeques.If yours has fallen off over the years, there are ways to perk it up. By simply planting more flowers and greenery, you change the patio’s entire atmosphere. Pick up some large planter pots, various types of sun/shade flowers, potting soil and a string of cool outdoor lights for after dark. You may also want to add some rose bushes or a dogwood for extra privacy.

Upgrade sprinkler system

Now is a great time to update your sprinkler system. Check the entire system to make sure its range and pressure are functioning at 100 percent. Certain sprinklers clog or stop rotating. If some of these jet sprayers have conked out, your lawn will suffer. Spot watering can get tiresome and isn’t always effective. Take a weekend and tweak the sprinkler system — your plants will love you for it.

Address heating and cooling

Save on energy bills! With federal stimulus money available through tax credits, homeowners can reap the rewards of going green. One way to do that is to get your furnace inspected and tuned up. Your old system may have a greater heat-loss ratio if it hasn’t received regular maintenance. Other ways to streamline your home include: new roofing, insulating the attic, adding heat vents on the roof ridge and sealing cracks around windows & doors.

Cut back deadwood

Neighborhood clean-up day is a great way to shed your trees of its deadwood. The spring is the best time of the year to prune trees, but dead limbs or small branches can be cut anytime. This reduces the risk of falling lumber and gives your home extra curb appeal. High winds or heavy snow can easily snap old branches, so get rid of those potential dangers.

Photo Credit: goose3five

Other summer projects

• Create a pathway
• Get new window treatments
• Install an arbor
• Install a backyard fountain
• Paint the house

Please bookmark and share

A pesticide can attack and kill by touch or ingestion. It can kill immediately or over time. It really depends on what you’re trying to control and the recommended use of the chemical in play. There are significant differences between many common household pesticides, so before you put them to the test, understand what they’re designed to control. It goes without saying, but weed control isn’t going to stop aphids from devouring your rose buds.

If you don’t want to use pesticides, there are alternative methods of controlling pests and producing a healthy garden, which we’ll get into a little below. First, we will focus on pesticides, specifically the differences between two popular types: herbicides and insecticides.

Photo credit: Lorri

An herbicide is used to control weeds or kill unwanted plants. Usually, dandelions in the lawn or crab grass that germinated in the spring. Some herbicides will eliminate every plant they touch, while others are designed to eradicate only specific types. Nonselective types of herbicides are use on railroad tracks or to control weeds around industrial areas. Selective herbicides are designed to kill broad leaf plants and weeds. This chemical is commonly used on lawns and golf courses.

An insecticide is often confused with pesticide. The truth is an insecticide is just one of many pesticides. It’s designed to control or eliminate insects. It kills by touch, ingestion, or both. If a plant is sprayed with an insecticide and is eaten by an insect, the insect will die. There are several variations and uses of insecticides. Most households use a short-term insecticide. This acts quickly and then soon turns into a non-toxic agent. These chemical include: snail bait, ant killer, and wasp killer. Residual insecticides are long-term killers. They’re useful in the control of flies, termites, and roaches.

Now, can we live without insecticides and still produce a superior garden? There are several natural methods you can use that are definitely worth a shot.

Photo credit: webhamster

1. Stopping snails: Use a barrier of ash or wood chips around the garden.
2. Controlling grasshoppers: Mix molasses and water in a spray bottle. Then just spray the hoppers when you see them. The sticky concoction will clog their airwaves and they’ll suffocate. Sorry if that sounds a little cruel.
3. Promote birds to inhabit your backyard by providing feeders. The birds will do a fine job of controlling the insects for you.
4. Leave tuna cans full of beer or water and then partially bury them around the garden. Earwigs and snails will seek them out and then drown.

Link:

http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/facts-slides-self/core-tutorial/module13/index.html

Please bookmark and share

Now that I’ve gotten your full attention with that title I’ll let you in on a little secret – I’m talking about your front yard.

Ever feel like you’re being watched in your own yard? Some of us have nosy neighbors, some have yards facing busy streets — whatever the reason, we all want to feel like we are in our own private oasis when we spend time outside our home.

There are several ways in which you can enclose your front yard, depending on your main goal. If you simply desire privacy, an old-fashioned fence or masonry wall may be all you need to shut off your undesirable views. The drawback to a wall or fence is that they can give your home the sense of a cold fortress. For most people, privacy needs to come in a prettier package, where what people see from both sides of the barrier is important.

One of the prettiest solutions to gaining more seclusion in your yard is a privacy hedge. They are fairly simple and inexpensive to set up, but they take time and patience. With the right types of plants (like spirea, holly, azalea, boxwood), you can raise shrubs to the desired height or train climbing plants to fill in the area you need to create a very beautiful seclusion.

Photo credit: Stonebrook Design Build The key to this solution is to consult with or hire a reputable landscaper to help you find the right plants and maintain them to grow in quick, thick, and in the right shape. Hedges are also a great noise and pollution reducer, if heavy traffic is what you’re trying to get away from.

Another great idea for creating more privacy in your front yard is to build an outdoor living area that enhances your life while separating you from your neighbors or traffic.

A stone wall containing fountains or a fireplace or other beautiful features can not only cut you off from life outside your yard, they can make you want to spend more time outside than in. Consider putting some of the features on the outside of the wall to make the barrier more attractive from all sides.

Please bookmark and share