Beneficial Elements Of A Water (birthday flowers) Features

July 27th, 2008 admin Posted in gardening |

By Chelsea Michaels

Water Features in the conventional sense has origins in Greece, in the form of the fountain and were considered to have been a focal point of the community. Although, in 4000 B.C there is documented proof of the structure of fountains within a garden setting in Iran, where earthenware remnants have been discovered. The healing nature of horticulture as a whole has had wide recognition for thousands of years, with many early communities having gardens as regular features of their communities.

The Greeks created whole temples devoted to revitalization with rural settings, gardens, gymnasiums, swimming pools and mineral springs. The population would venerate the god Aesclepius and take time to heal, relax and unwind, the temples were a place to encourage healing from illness. The Romans would also keep notes on which plants had beneficial properties, in the 1st century A.D. a surgeon from the army, Dioscorides compiled a register of around 650 plant based medicines and where to find and methods of use each particular plants to heal.

The Centre for Therapeutic Horticulture has been established since 1992 and is part of the University of Minnesotas Landscape Arboretum. The Centre uniquely specializes in investigation into the significance of connecting plants with people in reference to health and healing within the healthcare surrounding. The most recent investigation into this relationship seems to concur that being surrounded by and enjoying the beauty of nature stimulates our mind, body and spirit together and increases the chance of physical recovery. In particular the sound of running water is supposed to enhance our feeling of well being and relaxes the mind. All things on the planet are connected to water and humans are 70% water on a basic level, it is essential for the survival of the species, maybe a closeness reassures us on an innate level.

During the two decades the use of water features has become recurrant within the designer garden. Gardening programmes like the BBCs ground force have inspired the UK to become more aware of their garden and the increased benefit and enjoyment to be gained from up keeping a garden. There are also the financial benefits with a garden adding significant value to any property when its well maintained but it is about having a secluded area to entertain, socialize and enjoy life.

The new designer water feature can come in a wide variety and really theres something for everyone, theres no excuse for the plastic pond anymore. When it comes to materials there is a vast range of materials being used in the design of water features from the current trend of stainless steel to classically inspired stone carving. Creating a new look in your garden by installing a water feature would fashion a new element of your garden and improve your enjoyment of the garden and may benefit your health also.

Chelsea is a intermittent author, writing intermittent pieces on UK water features, who specialise in special and designer water features and deliver throughout the UK and have a showroom based in yorkshire.

The Benefits of Organic Gardening
By Paul Hata

Organic Gardening is gardening without the use of man-made chemical pesticides or chemical fertilizers. It is said by some of its supporters to be more in harmony with nature. An organic gardener strives to work in harmony with natural systems and to minimize and continually replenish any resources the garden consumes.

Organic Revolution - The organic revolution is a global phenomenon witnessed in every part of the world. Global organic food market was about USD36.7 billion in 2006 and over 30 percent or USD13.6 billion of the global demand stems from the US, according to Datamonitor.

Organic Food - Organic food refers to food items that are produced, processed and packaged without using chemicals. Organic food is increasingly becoming popular due to its perceived health benefits over conventional food. Droves of people are turning to organic produce as a way to feel safer about the foods they eat. People are worried about the foods they put into their bodies. With all of the reports of food poisoning from fruits and vegetables, many people are worried about what they are eating.

Organic Cosmetics - The organic concept is not limited to food items. Due to excessive usage of harmful chemicals in cosmetics, people are turning towards organic cosmetics also . One can often see organic skin care products, organic shampoos, organic soaps, and organic make up products on the shelves of organic stores.

Organic Chemicals - We now know just how dangerous all of those chemicals that we spray plants on can be, too. Many chemicals have been banned because they were shown to cause cancer! But some of these dangerous chemicals have not yet been banned, and there may be plenty of hidden dangers that have not yet been discovered.

Organic Gardening - When you garden organically, you can feel safer about the food you eat. You all know that the food you are feeding your family is safer and healthier than the questionable stuff you find in the grocery store. You and your family deserve to eat food that will not give you all cancer!

For example, organic carrots are widely known for being much sweeter than traditionally-grown carrots. They do not have the same bitterness that other carrots can have. This is a very good reason to grow your produce organically, even if you are not worried about the chemical effects to your body and the environment.

There are obviously a few drawbacks to gardening organically, too. You have to deal with pests differently, and it can be a longer and more complex process to rid your plants of certain pests. Instead of picking up some chemicals, you have to pick off insects by hand and drop them into soapy water.

You have to spray your plants with solutions made of things like hot peppers and garlic to prevent some bugs from eating them. It can be difficult. You also have to stick to organic fertilizers, rather than using easy chemical fertilizers.

Then anything that depends on the second species for food might start to die. This could spin out of control if the problem became too widespread. This is unlikely, but it is not impossible. Organic produce is also known for its superior flavor.

Organic Fertilizers - Organic fertilizers can actually be cheaper, because you can make them yourself. Fish emulsion is a common organic fertilizer. It is a sort of tea made from dead fish. Seaweed fertilizer is another tea-like fertilizer that many organic gardeners swear by.

And of course there are natural compost that can help you make use of your kitchen waste! The benefits of organic gardening far outweigh the few drawbacks. It may be a bit more work, but it is so rewarding!

Wildlife Protection - Organic gardening is also extremely beneficial to the environment for several reasons. For one thing, every time you spray your plants with chemicals, those chemicals wash off of your plants and onto the ground. From there, those chemicals wash down into the ground, and eventually make it into the groundwater!

Chemical fertilizer kills too many species of insects that can cause an imbalance in the local wildlife. If you and your neighbors kill off a large portion of the population of one insect, then anything that depends on that insect for food might also start to die off.

When the insects on your plants are poisoned, they can be eaten by birds or other animals. These animals can then become sick and die. If the toxicity was high enough, any animals that eat those animals might also perish. This can have a very strong environmental impact.

As you can see,the advantages and benefits of organic gardening far outweights its disadvantages and costs. Organic gardening not only protects us and our families, but also future generations.

Paul Hata is active in various social and community programs aimed at providing equal access to education,health and jobs to all.Paul has over 10 years experience in managing a multi-million dollar advertising company.Paul can be reached at - EarlyPlanet.com

What is the Right Garden Style for You - Raised Bed Gardens
By SlowWorm

This form of gardening has additional benefits to those of traditional gardening. Handicapped and elderly gardeners for instance, can gain access to their plants much easier. Most raised beds are no more than 4 feet wide, this makes the plants easily reachable. But the beds can be designed any height, width and shape to suit the individual who is going to use them.

The soil that the plants are grown in can be improved more easily. If you live in an area that has very sandy or heavy clay soils it can be a constant struggle to get your plants to flourish. With raised beds you can import a quality soil from elsewhere, or fill them with a proprietary compost brand.

Raised beds are also very productive for food crops. By using a raised bed you could double or even triple the harvested crop, than you would get from the same space in a conventional garden. As everything is within easy reach, you can divide up the beds into grids and plant a specific plant type in each grid section. This allows you to make maximum use of every inch of the bed.

Weeds are less of a problem in raised beds than they are in normal gardens. Any weeds that do germinate are more easily spotted and removed. As everything is within easy reach, your soil wont become compacted due to you walking on it to remove weeds and perform other tasks.

Watering is also a lot easier, and as you have a smaller area to cover. You won’t waste water on paths between your crops or flowers that have nothing growing in them. You could also quite easily set-up a drip irrigation system that will deliver a slow stream of water throughout the day.

Pest control can also be a lot easier with raised beds. The base can be covered with a poultry wire to prevent burrowing animals ruining your plants. Low fences can also be placed around the top of the beds to prevent animals from hoping up on to them.

It doesn’t matter what sort of plant you want to grow, as raised beds are suitable for all types of plants. As raised beds aren’t reliant on the soil in your area you can create beds for any type of plant by using filling them with different soil variations. You could create one bed for alpines, line another with a pond liner or waterproofing compound and grow bog plants, and have another for vegetables.

Raised beds can look extremely attractive as well as being productive, and can be used to create focal points in the garden if executed well.

Written by Paul Stone owner of

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