By Ahmed Hajouj.
One of the biggest privileges in my life is the ability to own my own home and property. My family and I have been blessed to be able to purchase land and create the home of our dreams on it. When I am not busy writing, there are few things you can find me doing as often as tending to my ever- messy home and overwhelming lawn and garden. I have a love and hate relationship with these chores. One the one hand, I love caring for the things I own because I feel a sense of pride about them. Yet, on the other hand, it is frustrating how much time and energy it takes to keep your home and lawn looking presentable. Recently I added to my chores by putting a garden pond in my backyard.
Frankly, I had always thought that garden ponds or really decorative pieces like them were a bit too much in most yards. They looked a bit too perfect and made the property feel less homey and inviting. I had a change of heart about garden ponds when I toured the home of a friend and discovered the most quaint and brilliant garden pond situated in a corner of her backyard. The garden pond brought an extra touch to her landscaping that became irreplacable as soon as she began.
What I now love about garden ponds is that they bring a sense of nature and of wildness into the backyard of a home that is built almost anywhere. I have seen garden ponds in the backyards of homes in urban subdivisions and in the backyards of the most quaint country cabins. And I love them. I simply love what a garden pond does for the look and feel of a piece of property.
If you are thinking of adding a garden pond to your landscape, think carefully about it and do not proceed without caution. One of the worst things can be to rush into a project like a garden pond and then regret a half-done job. Take your time and get the opinions and advice of friends and fellow landscapers before you break ground on your garden pond project. Think carefully about the perfect location of your garden-pond-to-be. Does the area you’ve chosen get enough sunshine? Do you want it to be centrally located as the center piece of your landscape or off to the side and hidden more? Think about the ideal yard you want to create and then proceed carefully into making a great garden pond.
Grab a few books or get online and find hints on making a garden pond a reality on your property. It won’t be easy, but if done well, the results will be worth it.
By: George Hapgood
Dirt has always been one of the kids’ best toys, so home gardening could just be one fun activity for your children. Excite them by allowing them to pick whichever plant they want to grow. Here are some tips to help you make your little ones become enthusiastic with home gardening.
1. Choose the right plants
Kids will more likely choose plants and flowers with bright colors, so have a load of varieties of plants. Examples of bright flowers are zinnias and cosmos; these will keep your children fascinated. Don’t forget the sunflowers. Anything that is tall and fuzzy will surely overwhelm a kid. Make sure these plants will not cause any allergic reactions from your kid.
2. Starting seeds
Give your children the freedom to help you with the staring seeds. Some seeds might be too small for the tiny fingers, but their digits can be of help in covering them with dirt.
3. Home Gardening Memoir
To last the kids’ enthusiasm until the plants grow, make them create a home gardening journal. This activity will allow them to use their imagination to sketch on what the plants will be like and write down when they placed in the ground the seeds and when they first witnessed a sprout pushing up.
4. Make sure that the garden is somewhere very visible for the kids.
Before you start home gardening, pick a spot where the kids often play or walk by. Every time they see and pass by their garden, the more they will sight changes.
5. Dirt playing
Always remember that children are fond of playing with dirt or mud. They can help you ready the soil, even if what they are only doing is stomping on the clumps. To make home gardening with the kids more fun, you can provide them with kid-sized tools to make home gardening very engaging for them.
6. Your kids own the garden
A picture of each plant will enable the children to foresee what the flowers will look like. You can also put your child’s name on a placard, so everyone can see that it’s their garden.
7. Playing with the water
Playing with water is right up there with playing with dirt. Look for a small watering can that they can use to water their garden. You can show them how to let the water go right to the roots of the plants. Hoses want only trouble. They are simply formidable for little hands to control.
8. Kids commit mistakes
Adults, too, are sometimes impatient. Give the kids full control to their garden. If they create a mess, let it be, it’s their mess. Allow them to get pleasure from it and take dignity in their own piece of territory. Just don’t forget to tell them how to clean up that mess.
