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I don’t know about your house, but around here things are sprouting all over.  All of the herbs and vegetables that we started indoors have taken off like weeds.  We are already having dreams of fresh vegetables and canning for the winter. This of course made my practical planning side start thinking about what need for the garden and even for canning.  I know that harvest is still a long way off but some of the things we are going to need sooner rather then later and as always I would rather plan ahead.

So I went to the office to start printing my Row labels for the garden and discovered that thing we all dread – I was almost out of printer ink.  So I wend looking for a place that had ink for my printer.  I don’t know if you have looked lately but there are a lot of places that sell ink online.  I finally came across a site that claimed they had cheap ink.  The great news is that unlike so many places online this claim was true.  They are even running a 10% off spring sale right now.  The best part of all was the selection.  I have had a lot of printers over the years and I was amazed how many different types of inkjet cartridges they had in available and even moreso that they had them in stock.  I have purchased printer ink from many places that list a lot of different ink but when you go to order every kind of ink you want is surprisingly out of stock.

Whether you are looking for ink for printer to print labels for you garden row markers or a way to print out your favorite recipe or even later on labels for your canning jars check these guys out they have the ink you need

Popularity: 6% [?]

Fake turf doesn’t look so fake anymore.  In fact, more and more people are using a fake! lawn as grass for their backyards!

How can that be?  Isn’t artificial grass expensive?

It doesn’t have to be!

Artificial grass offers a ton of benefits, but the biggest one is price.  Whether you have a small yard or a giant park to worry about, artificial grass can fit into your budget.

And, it’s not like real grass is free.  After all, when you consider watering, mowing, and fertilizing, real grass can be awfully expensive!

However, artificial grass is a one-time cost.  Sure, you will have to pay for the materials and installation.  But once your artificial grass is in, the expense ! is done.  You never have to maintain it, so you never have to spring for a professional landscaping company, lawn tools, or even the money it would take to water it!

Guest Posting by Bobby Quill

Popularity: 7% [?]

Roses can be grown in containers or in the ground and gardens look all the more beautiful because of their presence. Many people seem unsure as how best to grow them especially as there are so many different varieties. With the proper care however they can grow perfectly and can be enjoyed for years. Roses need sunshine, correct drainage and plenty of fertiliser. Roses are hungry feeders and will need a lot of water as well as manure. Ideally the plants should be offered protection from a wind such as a fence or a natural barrier such as a bush.

A gardener needs to think about what type of rose is required. A climber can be used to climb up over an old wall and a shrub rose will give pleasure if planted in a large container near the house. These lovely plants can be used in various situations in the garden such as climbing up an old tree stump or to cover an unsightly building. If planted near to the house, sweet scented varieties are ideal. Many varieties have little or no scent but give pleasure with their colour and long flowering season and gardeners need to take all these factors into account when selecting roses for their gardens. The flowers are useful as well as beautiful and can be used as mothers day flowers or in a vase in the home. For someone considering flower deliveries, most UK companies will include a rose or two in their arrangements.

Soil needs to have good drainage as the plants will die if their roots stay wet for too long. If soil is waterlogged it is advisable to add grit or sand to help water to run through. An easy way to check soil is to dig a hole and fill it with water. After a couple of hours if there is still water in the hole then drainage needs to be improved before roses are planted.

A hole needs to be able to accommodate the root system of the rose which should be firmly planted. The end of the roots can be clipped to stimulate root growth. For perfect growth, the plants need to have an application of fertiliser in spring and summer. Anyone involved in flower deliveries will know the best way to treat them and will be glad to advise.

At the end of the flowering season the plants can be pruned. Dead wood, dead leaves and old flower heads can be cut off. In February roses can be pruned back again to ensure good growth. It is often said that roses do not like to be moved so it is advisable to plan carefully the position of the plant in the garden. Also gardeners should not plant a rose in a hole where another rose has been as this may cause root disease. Treated properly roses should give many years of pleasure and are ideal when used as mothers day flowers or as gifts for other occasions. Flower deliveries invariably use roses amongst their bouquets.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Guest Posting by Bobby Quill

While many academic institutions across the country have already embraced artificial turf, others are discussing the idea and looking into artificial grass prices. The Journal reports that Plattsmouth Board of Education members heard advice from coaches and community members last month regarding a notion to install artificial turf on the Plattsmouth High School football field.

The group’s monthly workshop last month was attended by mostly members who approved the idea of replacing the field’s natural grass surface with artificial grass. According to the article, the board has spent the last few months collecting data and input from local citizens and researching artificial turf manufacturers.

 “The benefits of something like AstroTurf would be astronomical for our band program,” the PHS band instructor Zac Konrad told the paper. “I wanted to come here to tell you that this isn’t just an athletics issue. I’m really excited about the possibilities if this happens. It would help our marching band a lot to have a field to practice on every day.”

Just like residential artificial grass, the new surface would help the school save money on water and maintenance bills.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Does your mind ever go to weird places?  Do you ever find inspiration for your home and garden in the most unusual places?  Some times I do.

As I was walking to the mailbox  the other day I was thinking of all the unique mailboxes I have seen over the years and how some of these might be used to decorate my garden.  There are house mail boxes  and cow mail boxes, I even saw one once that was shaped like a baseball hat.

What kind of mail box design could you use in your garden this spring?  I did some looking online and do you know that besides the standard half oval residential mailboxes residential mailboxes that come in hundreds maybe even thousands of shapes, sizes and colors there are more then a ton of them that looking nothing like a mailbox at first glance.  As I was looking through these a storm of ideas came to mind for ways I could use them to decorate my home and garden and even use them for a organizing things here in my office.  You could use small square wall mount to keep your keys in.  You could use and extra wide stainless steel one for locking documents in.  The possibilities are endless.  Heck you might even just decide to replace your existing mailbox.

Even if your neighborhood or house already has a mailbox provided, do not fret take a look at some of the more interesting shapes and designs for the mailbox and I think you will agree that maybe there is more to the mail box then just mail.

Popularity: 6% [?]

We have almost made it through.  Soon the sun will be shining, the birds will be singing and it will be spring again.  There is something magical about birds calling our yard their home, but if we really want to enjoy them and our garden we need to create a living space for these creatures so they are welcome guests rather then welcome pests.

The first thing we would do with any company is make sure we feed them.  When looking at a bird feeder we need to spend a little time finding out what birds are local to our area.  Although the design of many bird feeders is similar the way these flying friends eat and what they eat is as diverse as the possible cuisine in your neighborhood.  There is nothing more disappointing then buying a bird feeder and looking forward to seeing a certain type of bird only to find out that particular bird never comes around our house, would never eat out of that type of feeder or doesn’t eat the food we served.  Just like being sure we are aware of the dietary needs of our children’s friend when they come over we need to make sure first we understand the bird feeder needs of our feather visitors.

Once we start feeding the birds and word gets out we have the food they are looking for the birds will flock (pun intended) to our house.  If we want them to do more then just stop buy for a bite we need to provide the birds a nice bird house to live.  Since we now know what kind of birds we will have we can use that information to also determine what kind of bird house they need.  We can get birdhouses in sizes, shapes, colors, and styles so that the house will make the birds want to nest there as well as become a compliment to décor of our yard and garden.

What bird sanctuary back yard would be complete without a bird bath.  As you can imagine a refreshing break from flying around is a nice clean bath to splash in and relax in.  Besides pedestal style bird baths we all think of there are bird baths that can be mounted to a deck railing, ones that can be integrated into our garden pond and many other styles to choose from.  There are even bird baths that come with heaters and de-icers so that your back yard tenants can use them all year round to get a nice drink and keep themselves clean.

If you are lucky enough to life in an area where the are my favorite is the hummingbird.  As we know these speedy little creatures never stop flapping, even to eat.  Of course there is a special hummingbird feeder  just to meet their needs.  If hummingbirds live in your area I would encourage you to get some feeders for them.  It is an exciting treat to watch this beautiful little creature flit around our yard and drink from the feeder.  You won’t regret it.

No matter what kind of birds you end up with in your yard this year make them feel welcome with these few special things you can do to make your world inviting to our avian friends.

Popularity: 5% [?]

When you buy artificial turf for your home lawn, you are making a commitment to environmental responsibility in many ways. Installing a synthetic lawn at your home to replace an existing natural grass lawn reduces the use of gasoline and other fossil fuels needed to maintain a lawn, since fake lawn grass is virtually maintenance-free. In addition, artificial grass doesn’t require watering, allowing you to stop wasting precious water to keep your lawn from dying.

An artificial turf lawn is also an environmentally smart decision because it gives the option to recycle your lawn when it is time to be replaced. Artificial lawns will eventually need to be replaced — although that won’t happen in decades. But when you do need to replace a synthetic surface, the vast majority of the material can be recycled, meaning that you won’t need to worry about your lawn taking up space in a garbage landfill when you are done with it.

Some types of artificial grass are specifically made with blends of natural and synthetic elements to make them easier to recycle, and many manufacturers attempt to use as many pre-used materials in constructing their grass fibers as possible.

Popularity: 4% [?]

We have talked a lot about our plans for our outdoor area, but perhaps one of the best investments we could make for our outdoor patio would be a butcher block countertop kitchen cart. These things are a gem. First of all it is something we will use all the time outside chopping melons or vegetables for kabobs or even prepping our meat for the grill. They are also one of the few items we purchase for our outside dining experience that will find itself hijacked and used in the house just as much or more then it is used inside.

Butcher Block Countertops are the most amazing food preparation area you could ask for. The perfect cutting surface for anything you want to cut. Butcher Block is also easy to clean and lasts a long time even with having someone take knife to it everyday. Butcher Block Countertops come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. There are portable ones, like a cutting board on steroids, to permanently installed countertops. Perhaps though the one I like the best is the Butcher Block Kitchen Cart. On wheels so it can go where you need it, you can wheel your butcher block right up next to the stove or the grill, or you can wheel it next to the table for cutting fresh bread or melons while you are eating. Imagine wheeling your butcher block kitchen cart right up to the table and serving you guest a watermelon cut right before their eyes this summer. Makes you wish it was summer already doesn’t it.

When making our plans for our patio don’t forget to include the gem of your deck the butcher block countertop.

Popularity: 8% [?]

As I sit here staring at my gas fireplace, my thoughts go to an outdoor gas logs firepit. I love being outside. I love being in the hot tub on a crisp day. I tend to use my hot tub long after most people have shut theirs down for the season. What I have always wanted was a glassed in room overlooking the garden with a hot tub and a nice gas fireplace. Now don’t get me wrong wood burning fireplaces are great but once you have had a gas fireplace it is really hard to go go back to wood. With a wood fireplace you have to want to buy wood or pellets for them constantly. You have to keep adding wood or pellets to them while they are running to keep them working. Not to mention having to clean ash out of them and so on. It is so wonderful when you can just flip the switch and have a nice, warm fire in minutes. Gas logs are SO much easier to use and much more convenient.

So lets talk about what we will need to have a gas logs fireplace. First we need to determine what is the area our fireplace is going to be like; Is it indoors or is it outdoors? Can we use a ventless gas log or do we need a vent? Then, of course, we need to know what company would make us a great deal on all our gas log needs? One company I know of is Hansen Wholesale. Hansen is an exclusive dealer for R. H. Peterson Real Fyre Gas Logs. They guarantee the lowest price, which is a tough claim to make these days on the internet, but they make it. Hansen Wholesale has been making this guarantee since they opening in 1994. Perhaps the best news of all is that Hansen Wholesale is currently running a $75 additional discount AND no sales tax AND FREE shipping!!! – Now how is THAT for a heck of a deal.

The shocking part of the whole gas logs fireplace decision isn’t the price, it is how many different types, styles, and options there is to choose from. That is why I love the Gas Log FAQ which helps you determine not only what there is available, but what you are looking for, how things work, why they work that way and what will work best for you.

So why not; let’s have a gas logs firepit in our backyard or screen porch area and enjoy the outdoors even more. Think of how much longer (maybe even all year long) we can enjoy the outdoors if we have a nice, blazing fire to cuddle up to while we watch the sunset.

Popularity: 7% [?]

What is the brightest flower in our garden?

The only thing more beautiful in our garden then our favorite plant is seeing our daughter in pretty new dress smelling the flowers and beginning to develop a love for gardening like we have.

I am sure that like so many of us, when you take pictures of your children, especially one of those beautiful new girls dresses your daughter just got, you love to pose them in your garden. Though sun and rain may make our garden grow, though we may have spent countless unnoticed hours weeding, trimming, pruning and even designing and planning there is nothing that makes the flowers in our garden bloom like that bright smiling face standing next to our prize rose bush. It is as if the rose bush itself feels more alive just having the shine bright energy next to it.

I know make you want go shopping then make all the rain and/or snow stop so you can run those little cherubs outside and take a thousand pictures of them to post on Facebook. And of course if we take just a little pride in how nice our garden looks, well that’s just a personal bonus.

Popularity: 2% [?]