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There’s an old saying that states something like - “Getting Started Is Half Finished”. And so many times I find this to be true as I see do it yourself landscapers struggle to find their initial design idea. However, once they establish a framework of necessary design elements, it usually goes pretty smooth from there.

It’s not surprising that the most common landscape design question that I get is - “where do I begin?” or “how do I start my design?”. I know it can be difficult. And especially if you don’t have a vision for your design.

So where do you begin? How do you start your landscape or garden design?

While every design is different and every designer follows a set of rules and principles, I find that most do it yourselfers all have the greatest success from using the same starting point. Begin by laying down any paths, driveways, access routes, or walk areas that might be needed. And also create access to any areas that you may plan on creating. In many designs, this will help to establish a framework that you can simply design around.

Of course, this won’t be applicable in all designs as many don’t require any access or travel. So take and use this advice where and if you can.

Paths and walkways can accomplish many functions in your landscape or garden. Their main function, of course, is to create a designated space for people to walk on.

However, in design and as an aid to design, their function could be to guide your visitors to, through, or away from some other area in the garden. Also, they’re a great way to break up a vast expanse of lawn, meadow, or bed area.

First, let’s look at walkways, paths, and such as necessary elements.

Walkways are needed to guide visitors or yourself to and from another area. Observe that almost every home has a walkway leading to the front door, which is, of course, where most folks want to invite guests to come. So walks, whether refined (brick, flagstone, etc.) or primitive (gravel, mulch, etc.), are necessary to “guide” or “lead” visitors to, through, or away from an area.

So where are the necessary areas where you need other walkways or access? Maybe from the back door to the alley where you dump the trash. Or from the house to the pool area. Or from the pool area to the kids play area or the outdoor cooking area. You get the picture.

In a design sense.

Establishing walk, drive, and access areas will in turn help to create borders and boundaries. Once you have your walkways laid out, you can simply design a lot of the landscaping around them. The same goes with driveways and parking areas as well. You can plant beds on either or both sides of a walk or use a walkway as an edge to create borders.

Keep it interesting if you can.

If you were to, for instance, plan to place a sitting area at the back of the garden. Of course you would need some type of path for you and your guests to get there. However, instead of plotting a straight path, why not create a winding tour through other interesting areas of the garden on the way there?

Curves and winding paths do more than just create interest. They can also create an illusion of more space, distance, and travel. This is especially useful in creating small gardens and landscapes.

Once you lay down walkways, driveways, and access areas, you’ll have a good starting framework for the rest of the design. Now, simply design around them.

Written by Steve Boulden. Steve is the creator of The Landscape Design Site which offers free professional landscaping advice, tips, plans, and ideas to do it yourselfers and homeowners. For more free advice on landscaping and garden planning, visit his site at: www.the-landscape-design-site.com/landscapeplanning.html

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The most essential element that can turn a patio or backyard into the most irresistible and attractive place in the entire house is a fire pit. During the recent years, there has been a sharp increase in the numbers of people wanting to expand their backyards and patios and make them look as beautiful as any other part of the home. So as to achieve this, these people are investing good amount of money towards buying outdoor accessories such as patio furniture, outdoor lighting, barbecue grills and fire pits. Currently, fire pits are available in different types and models. One such variety is a propane fire pit. Fuelled by a natural gas called as propane, this fire pit the most ideal choice for people wanting to stay away from the ash and smell of smoke that is generated by traditional fire pits.

One important aspect that must be always remembered while using a propane fire pit is the safety precautions. Presence of a rotten egg smell around the fire pit indicates gas leak. Propane is a colorless and odorless gas. Due to this, manufacturers selling this gas add a foul smelling chemical into the gas before filling into cylinders. So as to avoid any fire accident, fire pit must be kept away from all those materials that can catch fire instantly such as furniture, firewood, trees, plastic materials, electrical cords and other power sources. Children should never be allowed to play around a fire pit when it is in use. People should maintain a distance of at least 3 feet from the fire pits. Regular cleaning of burners and proper maintenance are extremely essential.

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Your Water Hardness is a Critical Factor for Success.

What Is Water Hardness And Why Does It Matter?

Water Hardness refers to the alkaline mineral ion count, usually from
Calcium Carbonate and bicarbonate. Water with a high count is called
Hard Water. You can usually tell if you are in one of the many hard
water areas of Europe because your kettle will get a build up of ‘Lime
scale’ on the inside.

Hardness of water can be measured in parts per million by using a total
alkalinity test kit. These cheap simple test kits are available from
your local hydroponics retailer and are quite accurate enough for the
purpose. If your water tests at anything over 150ppm it should be
considered to be hard. Do not be alarmed if your water is hard, it does
not mean you cannot grow things using hydroponic methods.

Why Does It Matter If My Water Is Hard?

For many years growers in some areas have had unacceptable results, with
low yields and poor plant performance. The reasons for this have been
unclear until it was realised that the plants were suffering from a
chemical imbalance. Hydroponics growers were particularly badly
affected in these areas.

Growing hydroponically using normal nutrients means adding a balanced
solution of chemicals to the hard water. The hard water already contains
an excess of some of the essential minerals that the plant needs and so
the solution quickly becomes imbalanced in the nutrient tank.

In order to reduce the pH of the standard nutrient solution the
bicarbonate ions have to be neutralised. Because these alkaline ions
buffer the solution it is necessary to add large amounts of Phosphoric
acid to the nutrient in order to reduce the pH. This in turn increases
the Phosphate ion content of the solution causing an imbalance. This
imbalance can have serious consequences for your plants in a very short
period of time.

What can I do abut it?

The simplest way around the problem is to use a nutrient formulated
specifically for hard water areas. A Hard Water nutrient has been
produced with the correct balance of nutrients to compensate for the
excess alkaline mineral ions in the water. These nutrients are also much
more acidic to combat the buffering action of the bicarbonates.

The benefit of using this formulation is that you will not have to add
large amounts of adjusting chemicals to your nutrient in order to achieve
the correct pH. Also your plants will have a balanced nutrient solution
containing all the ingredients they require to thrive. This means that
your crop will grow up healthy with better growth and a superior yield.

Copyright (C) 2004, 2005, 2006.

J R Haughton.

— All Rights Reserved —

A partner in a thriving retail hydroponics supply business,
Rickie Haughton is the owner of hydroponics-gardening-information.com which aims to cater for all levels of expertise in the field of
hydroponics gardening. The website is packed with good content about
all aspects off hydroponics gardening and offers a free hydroponics
Club membership to all subscribers.

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