Category Archives: Homes and Garden

A garden is an important place when you have kids. It is where they can run around having water fights in the summer, learn to ride their first bikes, and dig up worms and creepy crawlies galore! Of course for your family to get as much out of the garden as possible it needs to be child-friendly, something you can learn more about in the post below.

Play areas

A major way that many people make their garden more child-friendly is to include specific play areas and items. This may take the form of climbing frames, slides, or swings. All things that you can buy ready made to install or do yourself if you are DIY savvy.

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Another great play area feature to install in the garden for the little ones is a sand pit. A place that they can build castles and drive their Tonka trucks through. Just remember to make one with a lid or that is raised so there are no nasty surprises in their left by the neighbourhood cat!

Encourage creative play with a sandpit.

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A Wendy house or treehouse is another great suggestion to make your outside space more appealing to the kids. Wendy houses are probably a bit easier to do as they often come ready assembled and you just need to position them.

However, tree houses need to be customised for the particular location that they are in. You can even get professional companies that will build and install these for you. Although it’s not the cheapest way of doing it.

Safety and protection

Another issue that you need to have a handle on in a child-friendly garden is safety and protection. That means you need to consider things such as providing shade for their kids to play in when it’s hot. Something that planting a podocarpus hedge can help with. You also need to be sure that the boundaries around the edge of the garden are secure so the kids can’t get out when they are adventuring, and unwanted visitors can’t get in.

Fruit and vegetables

Providing a space where the little ones can learn to grow and tend their own fruit and vegetables is a wonderful suggestion for a child-friendly garden. After all, it’s a fun activity that you can do together as a family. It also teaches the kids were real food comes from and sets them up with the skills and experience to continue to grow their own later on in life.

Wildlife habitats

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A suggestion that many kids will love too is to get them involved in creating some habitats in the outside space that are specifically geared toward wildlife.

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You could include an insect hotel, or plant flowers such as butterfly bush and lavender that bees love, so attracting them to the garden. You could even follow a tutorial like the one at https://www.youtube.com and build a hedgehog house. Something that will help the little ones learn about these creates and hopefully spark an interest in helping to preserve ecosystems and animals in the future as well.

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If you are someone who likes to entertain, then you will know that your garden is the perfect setting throughout the summer months. After all, if you can provide a nice space and a good barbecue, you can rest assured that people are going to want to come to your house on a Sunday.

Keep things low maintenance – There is only one place to begin, and this is with keeping things low maintenance in your garden. After all, you don’t want to spend your days pulling out weeds and ensuring your garden looks neat and tidy. You want to spend time relaxing with your guests and having fun, so keep this in mind when you are designing your garden.

Plant flowers that smell nice at night – If you are having guests around, it is likely that they are going to be there until the evening. With this in mind, it is a good idea to plant some night-scented flowers, which will enhance the overall ambience. Good choices include jasmine and honeysuckle.

Choose a quality barbecue – A quality barbecue is a necessity if you have got guests coming around. Read electric smoker reviews to find the best one for you. A smoker is the best choice because it gives foods that delicious smoked flavour, which works a treat when cooking fish and meat. You are bound to impress your guests with a good barbecue. After all, not only is this responsible for cooking their food, but it becomes the centrepiece of the garden, which is why you need to choose with care.

Add some comfort to your outdoor space – A lot of gardens are lacking in the comfort factor. You can easily fix this by bringing some of your indoor comfort elements outside. For example, add some scatter cushions to the seated area, and put a nice rug under the table. This will add a touch of luxury and coziness to your garden area. Of course, spending a lot of money on these elements is never advised, as they are not going to last long outside.

Set the mood with the right lighting – If your garden is not well lit, no one is going to want to spend time in it. You need to have different sources of light to create the perfect ambience. Eco-friendly solar panels are a good choice for those who do not want to use up a large amount of energy. You can also use lights to highlight some of the standout features in your garden too, for example, if you have a water fountain.

If you can follow the tips that have been mentioned above, you can ensure that your garden is ready for entertaining. And, don’t forget to keep things low maintenance. The last thing you want to do is spend your entire summer maintaining and up keeping your garden; you want to enjoy the time with your guests.

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When you are starting to build a garden, it can be great to have so much choice in what you want your space to be like. Some people want to use their garden as a space for relaxing, others want it to be a real showpiece, and others want a combination of the two. So, when it comes to making luxurious additions to a garden, what are the best ones to add that will give your garden that sense of elegance, but is also practical so you can enjoy the space?

A Pool

Arguably the pinnacle of luxury in a garden, a pool serves a wonderful practical purpose. It’s a great way for you to keep fit, but it’s also a centerpiece for garden parties, summer barbecues, and the like. When it comes to designing a pool, there are certain practicalities you need to have in place, and space is one of them. There’s no point having a pool that spreads the entire length of your garden, and so there is nothing left for you, and as far as decoration is concerned. You also need to think about the safety concerns, such as the hygiene and things like the chlorine, but also things like pool covers, drainage, and so forth. You also need to think about the area in which you live, because if there is a lot of terrible weather most of the year, are you going to get much use out of the pool? Yes, it is an item of luxury, but it’s a big spend, but it will bring in the punters, weather depending.

Water Features

Water features are an endless array of classy decoration for your garden. From fountains to fish ponds, and waterfalls, these are all excellent ways to bring in a water feature into a garden sending. Fishponds are a very easy way to inject some class into your garden but also elevates the cost of the property. Also, little waterfalls don’t just add that layer of style, but they are also indicative of a peaceful atmosphere. That sound of running water oozes calm and tranquility, and in addition to this, the vertical build of a waterfall means it doesn’t take up that much space.

Wood Burners

A lot of people have wood burners out their back gardens, and a fire pit is a wonderful rustic addition to any garden. There are various types of fire pits you can purchase, from concrete to steel wire concoctions, but in addition to this, you could purchase gas burners. Or, you could fashion your own little fire pit. It’s a lovely way to keep warm during the summer nights when all the heat has gone.

Garden Furniture

When relaxation is the goal, there are so many options for garden furniture. In addition to things like hammocks and sunbeds, you could install rustic wooden furniture and add soft cushions to make it comfy. When it comes to purchasing outdoor furniture, the sky is the limit!

Adding a bit of luxury to a garden doesn’t cost much in the grand scheme of things, but it also helps if you are looking to add some value to your property by creating a space that’s relaxing but grand at the same time.

Gardening can be a bit of a chore. Even if you enjoy it, spending hours hunched over on your hands and knees can get a bit tiring. There are a lot of things you can do to make the gardening easier to stay on top of but it still needs work. If you really want to stay on top of your garden and not spend a whole weekend doing it, you need to buy some stuff to help you along the way. When it comes to garden gadgets, there are a lot out there that are just gimmicks that won’t do you much good, but there are a few that will cut your gardening time in half. To make things easier for you, we’ve separated the good from the bad.

Hori Hori

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You probably haven’t heard of a Hori Hori, or a Japanese gardening knife before, but they’re an absolute must-have for anybody that spends time in the garden. It’s an all-purpose gardening tool that you can use for pretty much anything. It’s great for weeding, chopping small twigs and planting things. They’re pretty cheap and easy to carry about so always have one on you when you’re in the garden.

Leaf Blower

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Having a load of dead leaves all over the lawn makes the garden look scruffy, but raking them all up takes hours and it’s a real pain, hence the invention of the leaf blower. You can do an hours worth of work in five minutes, but you’ve got to be careful though. Some of the cheaper models don’t have much power and they aren’t that much use. It’s worth checking out some leaf blower reviews to find the best ones. You don’t want to shell out for a leaf blower that just ends up taking up shed space because it’s not worth using.

Soaker Hose

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Filling up the watering can five times over and carrying it around the garden to water all the plants is a lengthy and annoying process. But you can avoid all of that by getting a good soaker hose. You put it around the plant beds and hook it up to the tap. Then when it’s time to water the plants, just turn on the tap and watch the magic happen. You can do the whole garden in seconds without having to do multiple trips.

Weed Membrane

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Pulling out all of those pesky weeds is one of the worst garden jobs, but if you leave them then they’ll take over the garden and it’ll look awful. Going around the whole garden pulling them up one by one and spraying weedkiller is going to take you hours. They’ll be back within days and you’ll be doing the whole thing all over again. The best way to deal with weeds is to make sure that they don’t come up in the first place. If you get some weed membrane and lay it under the soil, it’ll stop any weeds from growing through so you don’t have to deal with them at all.

Get everything on this list and your gardening duties will take you no time at all.

If you are planning to have a healthier new year than you have had previously, then now can be the time to start planning what you will do. From exercising more to eating better, there are plenty of things that you can do to make your new year be healthier than it has been. One of those ways is to start to grow your own food at home. Of course, it can be a while until you have enough to use for every meal. But there are some things that are fairly easy to grow, and can make a great addition in a family kitchen. So here is a quick guide to what you can grow at home; will you give any of them a try?

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Tomatoes

Tomatoes are full of flavor and nutrients, and are one of the top ten things to grow at home. They can be grown indoors, as well as outdoors, so there is a variety for whatever your home or garden situation looks like. They are also really easy to source from local farms or grocers.

Herbs

Buying herbs can be pretty expensive, especially if you buy fresh herbs and buy a lot of them to flavor your meals. They can also have some great medicinal benefits, so are a good choice to start growing from home. Like tomatoes, they can be grown indoors as well a outdoors, and they don’t need very much space to grow. To help them keep growing you do need to think about not pulling the whole plant when you go to pick it, and just using the leaves. So if you’re thinking of going down the herb route, then it could be worth looking up how to harvest parsley without killing the plant, as well as other herbs, for example. It will save you money and make your meals better in no time.

Bell Peppers

Bell peppers are some of the tastiest vegetables, especially when they are eaten raw. So they are great to have as part of an effort to live a healthier lifestyle. Left to grow, bell peppers can turn from green to yellow, to red or purple, just depending on the variety and how long you leave them for. They are straightforward to grow.

Chilli

If you like your food with a bit of a kick (and spice can be good for weight loss), then it is worth looking at growing chillies at home. They are pretty durable and can be grown both indoors and outdoors. The chilli plant you choose will likely go from green to red, depending on the variety. One plant will produce quite a lot of chillies, so they can be a cost-effective route to go down.

Cucumbers

Growing a couple of cucumber plants will easily provide enough cucumbers for a family. They grow quite a lot and are one of the easiest plants to grow. You may need a fair bit of space for them to grow, though, as their trailing vines can spread over a garden.

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Looking after your garden is something that requires sustained effort, but many people simply don’t have all that much spare time on their hands these days. So, any ways that you can make this process would be much appreciated, right? Well, in this article, we will examine in more detail the ways in which you can make gardening an easier and more enjoyable activity.

The Right Plant for the Right Spot

You can save yourself a lot of hassle simply by planning out exactly where you put certain plants. Some of them require a lot more sunlight, so you will want to group together the ones that need this exposure. Others will need more water, so you should also plant these ones in the same spot so you can give them a healthy sprinkle all in one go. You may decide to position the high maintenance plants close to the house so you can get to them easier.

Containers and Raised Beds

If you are looking to bring some control back to your garden again, containers are a great way to do this. After all, you know exactly what is going into each container when it comes to soil and water and there is a lot less maintenance work involved. Alternatively, you could raise up the beds so that they are separate from their surroundings. This way, you can maintain the borders more easily.

Drip Irrigation and Time-Released Fertilizers

Adding a drip irrigation to your garden may seem like a high-tech solution, but it doesn’t have to be all that difficult to install and you can be certain that this is a very efficient way of keeping the garden well watered. Add a timer to this and you can save yourself a huge amount of effort in maintenance. Time-released fertilizers can be added to your containers so you can be confident that your plants are getting the nutrients that they require.

The Right Tools

It is going to be very difficult to be a master gardener if you don’t have the right tools. Power tools like chainsaws, strimmers, lawnmowers and leaf blowers can save you hours of time having to do all that work by hand – check out https://bestofmachinery.com/best-leaf-blower-review/ for some more info. As well as this, you can also invest in some ergonomic tools which can help to take the bending and lifting out of gardening. As well as saving you time, this can help to stop you from doing yourself any significant injuries.

Getting the Family Involved

Trying to do everything yourself in the garden can be pretty overwhelming, so enlisting the help of family members really makes a big difference. If you have young kids, teaching them some essential skills from an early age can really help them to develop a passion for this activity that stays with them and also helps you out significantly!

Taking care of your garden is something that doesn’t have to be extremely complicated and the previous five issues that we have just discussed are all ways that you can make it more straightforward.  

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Having a garden that you love is always a lot of fun. You want to make sure that you are able to enjoy all aspects of it, especially in the summer. But, when you have a family, it’s also important that you make sure your garden is good for the kids too. So, how do you do that? When you want your yard to be a place that everyone can enjoy, it’s important to ensure that it’s child-friendly. And this means that you’re going to want to make sure that it’s both secure and fun. To do that, you’re going to want to follow some of these key top tips.

Keep It Tidy

First of all, you’re going to want to make sure that you’re able to keep your garden tidy. A messy garden not only looks bad, but it can be unsafe for your kids too. So you’re going to want to keep it neat and tidy. This may mean that you have to work on the landscaping maintenance on a regular basis, and be sure to keep tools and toys tidied neatly away.

Make It Safe

Then you’re going to want to think about securing the garden a bit more. Now, there are two ways that you’re going to need to do this. Firstly you need to think about the ways that you can make sure that the area is safe, meaning that your children can’t escape of that intruders can’t break in. So focus on locks and fences. Then, you should also make sure that it’s safe from causing accidents too, meaning that there are no broken patio slabs or rusty nails sticking out of anything. With these two done, you should feel a little more secure in yourself too.

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Have A Play Area

But you also want to make sure that your garden is a lot of fun for your kids to be in as well as safe and secure. So, some sort of play area can help with that. You may want to make something yourself with a swing and slides, or even look into pre-made options. You’re also going to want to get flooring that is great for a playground and safe too. Then, your kids should be able to enjoy playing in the garden while you’re relaxing in it too.

Have Child-Friendly Furniture

It’s also useful to ensure that your outdoor furniture is child-friendly too. You want to make sure that they’re comfortable outside and that it’s okay if they spill by accident – meaning you’re going to want wipeable furniture that won’t get messed up. Or, even better, you could even think about getting kids furniture, so they have their own to play with and sit at instead.

Make It Very Natural

Finally, you should also ensure that your garden is very natural if you want it to be fun. For this, growing vegetables can be great for your garden and your family. By using organic pesticides, you know your kids will be safe, and the environment will be too. But that’s all; you could also aim to attract wildlife with water features and bird tables, so it’s a harmonious atmosphere for everyone.

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Gardens, for any home owner, is a point of pride; everyone wants to keep their garden in a good condition, whether it’s the grass, the fences, the flowers or the trees! Everything goes hand in hand together, and if one part of your garden is lacking then it immediately drags the look of your garden down, so here’s 3 ways you can stop your garden from being messy!

Look After Your Grass!

Arguably the plainest part of your garden is grass, however it’s aesthetical importance should not be understated. Grass is the plain building block of your garden, it covers the biggest amount of space in your garden and therefore it needs to be kept in a good condition! If your grass looks unkempt or damaged, it will have a negative impact on the view of your garden. Websites like https://www.scotts.com/en-us/products/lawn-food sell lawn food which gives your grass the nutrients it requires to grow well and live long, giving it a lovely colour and reducing the amount of damage that it takes!

Trees, Take Care Of Them

Trees are a big part of any garden, regardless of where they are situated they are always a huge focal point for the garden. Whether you have a line of them across your back fence, or a few dotted around the place, you need to make sure that your trees are in good order. Like humans, trees do get ill and have to be looked after, services that websites like  http://www.treeservicefortworth.org/ offer. They are able to conduct an analysis on your trees to see if they’re in a healthy condition or not. If they are not, it is advisable that you do whatever you can to cure them of their ailments! Replacing a tree can be very expensive, especially if the tree is quite large or of an expensive variety. It also takes a lot of time to replace a tree, especially if you try to do it on your own, so it really is worth saving yourself the time and effort by just looking after your trees!

Choosing The Right Flowers

Picking out the right species of flower to place in your garden can be a nightmare. Firstly, you need to decide what kind of look of flower you want, a hard task in itself! But then you need to think of their hardiness and survivability in cold and warm weather depending on what climate your part of the country has, determines which flowers you should buy, there’s no point buying flowers that won’t survive in the environment you’ve put them in! Websites like Home Depot offer a large selection of flowers to buy, one for every kind of environment!

If you follow these 3 simple tips, you will avoid the big problems that people encounter whilst gardening! You’ll avoid big disasters and avoiding the big waste of money that could befall you if you don’t take proper care of your garden, so it’s definitely recommended that you do them all! However, flowers and trees aren’t the only thing you can do with your garden, if you’re looking for something to spruce it up a bit more, read this.

If there is one garden feature that will give you hours of pleasure for years to some it is a garden pond. You can make it safe for kids with guards and nets that can be removed when they get older. Ponds are infinitely variable and can take up as much space as you choose.

This is one of those household jobs that you can do yourself. Constructing your own pond in your garden only takes a weekend and will cost you very little if you follow these 5 easy steps.

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1. Choose your site

Start in late Winter and choose a sunny position. It is best to avoid a lot of trees because they will drop leaves into the pond and you will have to remove them every year. Somewhere near a water supply is ideal. Mark out some different shapes with some strong chord or a hosepipe so that you can choose which one you like the best. The final pond will look about two-thirds smaller than your shape once you have dug it. It could butt up to a lawn or to a path. There are some koi fish that have particular requirements so it is worth getting some further advice on suitable locations.

1. Start digging your pond

This is the fun part and all the family can get involved.  Dig the entire area straight down to a depth of around 12 inches. As you do this you should try hard to cut cleanly with your spade. The undug soil should be compacted. You can use the spare topsoil to make a raised vegetable beds or you can even sell it to keen gardeners.

1. Fit the pond liner

You can choose which liner you would prefer. Some people think that PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) is the strongest. It is perfect for small and medium sized ponds and very common for koi ponds. You can choose from a wide variety of lengths and thicknesses and the price is reasonable.

If your pond requires a more flexible liner, LDPE (Low-density polyethylene) is an economical alternative. To save even more money, find out what sizes the liner comes in, and then dig your pond accordingly.

Don’t try to fit it on a windy day because you need to open out the liner and drape it over the pond. Several people are needed for this job because it can be fiddly. As you add the water, smooth and pull out the liner. There will inevitably be folds but keep them simple and near the surface. Leave the pond overnight to ensure there are no leaks.

1. Finish off the edges

Now you can cut off the excess liner with a sharp scissors leaving an extra foot (lying horizontally) all the way around the pond. Ideally, the water should be pressing the liner outwards.

1. Add some decoration

This is the fun part! Plant lovely foliage around the outside of the pond and place ornamental stones and sculptures. Now sit back and enjoy it!

Buying a house is such a massive expense and people won’t take it lightly. It’s likely that people are going to be reluctant to pay the asking price unless you impress. There’s a lot of houses on the market at the moment so making yours stand out can be difficult, but not impossible. There are a lot of factors outside of your control that might make it harder to sell. If you aren’t in a great area, there isn’t much you can do about it. However, the state of the house itself is within your control. If you take the time and effort to spruce up the house before viewings, you should be able to close a deal in no time. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you wow potential buyers.

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Get The Price Right

If you are asking too much, you aren’t going to get many offers. Similarly, if you are asking too little then you will be selling yourself short. It’s difficult to know how much to put your house on the market for so it’s best to get your house valued by a professional. You should also look at other homes for sale in the surrounding area to get an idea of what they have been going for.

A Nice Garden

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The garden will be a potential buyer’s first impression of the property. First impressions are everything and if you don’t make a good one, then they will be entering the house with a negative viewpoint before they’ve even seen anything. Even if they do like it, they might still be put off. There’s no need to do anything to over the top, just make sure that everything is neat and well kept, and put in a few nice flowers to give it a homely feel.

The Front Door

You would be surprised how much difference a front door can make. Everybody has a boring brown one, why not try painting yours with a more exciting color? It will make your house stand out from the rest of the street.

Lighting

Bad lighting can really ruin the aesthetic of a home, no matter how nice it is. If a house looks gloomy and dark, buyers won’t be able to imagine themselves living there. Use more modern, brighter lights to really open up the space. If a room is still too dark, a few well-placed lamps should be able to sort it out.

Tidy Up

A messy house is always a real turn off. If there is clutter everywhere when people come to view the house, it will make it look a lot smaller than it actually is. Make sure you get rid of anything that isn’t necessary and keep everything as tidy as possible.

Pets

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Pets are a tricky issue when you’re selling your home. Some buyers might love animals, so they wouldn’t mind having a dog running around. Unfortunately, there is always the danger that they might be more interested in your furry friend than the house itself. It will be even worse if you are showing the house to somebody that is allergic to your pet. They certainly won’t be left with a good impression. To be on the safe side, you should keep the pets out of the house for viewings.