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People choose balcony, patio, and courtyard gardening for many different reasons. Some are moving from a large house to smaller accommodation, some don’t want the hassle of a large property, and some chose to live in rental property to avoid the high-cost of owning a home. Whatever the reason, this doesn’t mean we can’t garden. No space is too small for a small space garden. One plant in a container is a garden. In fact, ever more gardening options are available in terms of pots, half-barrels, window boxes, troughs, cast-iron planters, recycled materials - the list is unending with possibilities.

Planning a Small Space Garden

When planning your small space garden several steps are fundamental. The first consideration is to determine what purpose this space will serve. Do you want to grow vegetables, herbs, entertain family and friends, meditate, create a place of peace, healing, a memorial garden - the list is endless. Next, walk around your space and really look at what you have. Where are doors, sheds, permanent planters located? Is there any clutter? Clear out the clutter by asking yourself: ‘Do I love it? Have I used it in the past year?’ If it no longer serves you, turf it out, paint it or fix it, give it to somebody who needs it.

If possible, take a chair and sit down, move it around, and think about where the energy feels best for you. Wherever that is, place your seating such as a park bench, lounge, Muskoka chairs, dining furniture, swing, etc. Do you want a formal or informal setting? What features do you want? Features such as water, flowers, vegetables, herbs, wind chimes, wild life, colour, etc. add the finishing touches to your small space garden. Finally, make a plan particularly if you are going to use large features such as a half-barrel. Once filled with soil you will not want to be moving it.

Creating a Small Space Garden

Containers. Generally speaking natural materials such as wood, clay, stone, or cast iron in all their forms make better companions for plants. Remember that wet soil weighs a lot so if you garden on a balcony weight restrictions may apply. Containers made from lighter weight materials such as fibreglass are ideal for roof or balcony gardens. Styles of containers include hanging baskets, wirework stands and baskets, wood window boxes, sinks, troughs, galvanized buckets, old shoes or boots, bathtubs, old tires, and all manner of recycled objects.

Scale. Scale is extremely important in small space gardening. For example, small plants look more balanced in small containers, large plants in large containers. I especially like the effect of vines growing on trellis in half-barrels with smaller plants edging the container. In the half-barrels I use, I have grown many different vines but have found that the effect of scarlet runner pole beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) is really a knockout with their gorgeous red flowers and you can eat them too.

Microclimates. Which plants prefer which location? Choose plants according to the conditions suitable for their optimum growth. Plants such as begonia (Begonia x semperflorens), coleus (Coleus x hybridous), and Fuchsia (Fuchsia x hybrida) prefer shaded areas while geraniums (Pelargonium x hortorum), marigolds (Tagetes erecta), and petunia (Petunia x hybrida) prefer full sun. Wind can be a major factor and damage fragile plants. Choose plants that are wind tolerant such as many of the grasses; the sound of the rustling of the grasses as the wind blows through them is very pleasing to the ear.

Soil. I buy pre-mixed potting soil from the garden centers or shopping malls. These are generally lighter in weight to carry, sterilized to prevent weed seeds from germinating, and contain a lot of peat moss that helps loosen the soil so that it doesn’t compact in pots. I also buy organic soil that doesn’t have artificial chemicals added as I dump my pots of used soil into the garden where I grow vegetables.

Watering. Check daily as container plants often dry out more quickly. This is especially true if you are using clay pots. Make sure pots have drainage holes, as roots sitting in water will rot. When there has been excessive rain or water, empty saucers that are full. If you garden on a balcony sit plants on something to catch the water so that it doesn’t run down on your neighbours.

Fertiliser. Due to frequent watering, container plants require fertiliser on a more consistent basis then plants in the ground do. Use organic fertilisers such as blood meal, bone meal, or fish emulsion, particularly if the soil is going to be added to the garden at the end of the season, as chemical fertilisers harm the wildlife.

Function. When you are creating your small space garden you are actually designing an outdoor room. Keep in mind that this can be colour co-ordinated to appear as an extension of your home. I move my indoor plants outside for the summer (which they love) and design these areas as garden rooms.

Focal point. Create a focal point such as a large pot, tall plant or tree, colour, or a water feature. Perennial vines such as Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) will grow in a large container and come back year after year. Create a sense of mystery by hiding a plant or ornament behind something else to give the pleasure of discovering it.

Colour. In a small space, use three colours such as pinks, blues, and whites; reds, oranges, and yellows; reds, whites, and blues; or reds, whites, and purples that provide continuity rather than too many colours which tend to be distracting. Cool colours make the space appear bigger and brighter while intense colours shrink spaces. A white and green colour theme called a ‘moon garden’ is more formal and particularly at night is spectacular. Many white flowers are fragrant at night as well.

Lighting. I especially like the small Xmas lights hidden in plants and interwoven throughout a trellis with climbing vines. Up lighting with small spotlights can focus attention on a particular area for evening entertaining.

Gwen Nyhus Stewart, B.S.W., M.G., H.T., is an educator, freelance writer, garden consultant, and author of the book The Healing Garden: A Place Of Peace - Gardening For The Soil, Gardening For The Soul. She owns the website Gwen’s Healing Garden where you will find lots of free information about gardening for the soil and gardening for the soul. To find out more about the book and subscribe to her free Newsletter visit http://www.gwenshealinggarden.ca

Gwen Nyhus Stewart © 2004 - 2005. All rights reserved.

Wrought-iron furniture is very versatile and beautiful. The smooth curves and designs can really catch a person’s eye.

Surprisingly enough, wrought-iron furniture is very easy to care for.

Check with your supplier to find out if the furniture piece is primarily for use indoors, outdoors, or both and as to the type of finish, if any, that is on your furniture.

For most indoor and powder-finished furniture:

1) Use a regular rag and wash with a mild dish detergent soap and warm water.
2) Always make sure to rinse and dry your furniture thoroughly.
3) On wrought iron with smooth finished, non-matte frames, use of a paste car wax to finish is recommended.

For most outdoors wrought iron furniture:

1) The frames should be washed with a soft-bristled brush and using an automobile type soap. Make sure that you rinse thoroughly.
2) While washing, you should inspect for rust spots or chipping in the finish. If found, simply sand or brush away the finish in that area and repaint. A simple can of touch-up paint will suffice.
3) After cleaning, use of an automobile type wax as a finish. To save time, you could use a wash that has soap and wax mixed together and then just rinse and dry thoroughly. It’s recommended to wax you furniture twice a year.

Of course, it never hurts to cover your outdoor wrought iron furniture prior to harsh winter weather.

S. Johnson is the owner of Azeche Co. and creator of http://www.shopazeche.com and http://www.letmeoutdoors.com which are popular shopping sites for all your home and garden needs.

If you are having garden furniture put in your garden, then there are varieties of choices available to you. First you will have to decide whether you are looking for a permanent or temporary style of garden furniture. If you are looking for a permanent garden furniture that will stay with you for many years, then your choices are more limited. You will have to take into account the fact that weather will degrade your furniture as it becomes in contact repeatedly with weather elements such as rain, hail, snow, hot and extreme cold etc. All of this can damage your furniture especially over time. However if you choose Teak garden Furniture, then you can be assured of longetivity in your garden furniture.

In essence teak is made from hardwood and thus it is much more resilient than normal wood furniture. Furthermore, Teak is wood in essence so it is not prone to rust and corrosion like metals. And unlike plastic furniture, teak furniture will be strong and it won’t break under the slightest pressure or under the ravages of the wind. Thus for the sake of longetivity and for safety teak garden furniture will be your best bet. In addition, teak will give a look of aristocratic grace to your garden.

(ARA) - Even Scrooge wouldn’t dare say “bah humbug” to a dazzling display of holiday lights. He’d be even happier if he didn’t have to string the lights himself, and there are a growing number of companies that specialize in doing just that.

The past few years have seen a trend of people turning to professional installers to deck their halls with eye-popping home light displays. While for some individuals and families, putting up the outdoor holiday decorations is a cherished tradition, for many others it is a dreaded winter chore. These folks would rather avoid the frustrations of burned out strings of lights, working in freezing temperatures and climbing tall ladders perched on icy sidewalks.

“People who use our service choose it for a variety of reasons,” says Kevin York, vice president of Christmas Decor, a Texas-based company that specializes in holiday lighting displays for homes and businesses nationwide in 47 states and Canada. “Bad weather, hard-to-reach spots, safety factors and limited time are all reasons we hear from our customers.”

Hiring a professional lighting installer not only saves headaches, it also makes for a more polished look. “Our dealers go through an intensive training process that teaches them design principles as well as technical requirements,” says York. “Untrained individuals can’t compete with the crisp and clean look of professional installation.”

Working with a professional lighting installer gives homeowners a variety of options, from simple to spectacular. For example, Christmas Decor dealers will provide customers with plans, similar to blueprints, with different design ideas. “We usually start with lights on the house and then add on from there,” says York.

Other options include decorating windows, and adding landscape lighting such as staked lighting or luminaries along walks, flowerbeds and driveways. Garlands, wreaths and bows are available for ornamentation that stands out during daylight hours. Often, customers will start out simple the first year and then add on to their design in following years. “We work with the homeowner to decide what they really like and what fits their budget,” says York.

Christmas Decor will install lights their customers already own, or customers can buy professional-grade lights from the company. “We have heavy duty commercial type bulbs that last 3,000 hours; most bulbs purchased in the store last only about 600 hours,” says York. His company will maintain the lights the first year for customers who purchase lights through their dealer, even replacing burned out bulbs. Professional installers also take down the decorations after the holidays and will store them if the customer prefers.

Clear lights are the overwhelming top choice among customers, but colored lights are especially popular among families with kids. Adding color to the design also helps differentiate one house from another if a number of homes in a given neighborhood are professionally decorated.

Sounds good, but what would Scrooge say about the cost of hiring a professional lighting installer? The cost depends on the size of the home and how elaborately it is decorated. The average decorating job runs between $900 and $1,300. But the cost can start as low as $300 to $400. The first year tends to require the biggest investment, as customers usually opt to purchase the lights. Then the cost for the second year is about half of the first year’s price.

“Whatever amount a customer feels comfortable spending, we will make sure their house looks great,” York promises. Christmas Decor has 350 dealers in the U.S. and Canada. To find a dealer near you, visit the company’s Web site at www.christmasdecor.net.

Courtesy of ARA Content

About the author:

Courtesy of ARA Content

-ted plants.

Now that I have your attention, anyone can be a farmer. You can
grow trees and plants even if you have to raise them in POTS. I
feel the best opportunity in agriculture is in raising plants
and trees. Growing plants can be done almost anywhere. You don’t
have to have large fields and hundreds of acres. You only have
to have imagination. People who grow dope do it in cellars and
in caves. Select plants to raise that you see being sold in
quantity by local nurseries or garden centers, and do as they do.

In our area arborvitae are in hot demand. These plants can be
started from cuttings or you can buy rooted cuttings. Thousands
can be grown in a 20′x20′ area in small containers. Arborvitae
are not the only plants that you can choose. Dwarf conifers and
bonsai are other avenues to consider. The first thing to
consider is what plants you like. They make a nice starting
point. I like arborvitae. Plus they are easy to grow. There are
many that are available. These can be grown from your own
cuttings or you can purchase rooted cuttings, or even small
liners. I suggest that you raise Emerald Green Arborvitae. They
are compact and very popular. A 2-inch to 3-inch rooted cutting
in 3 years should be 2 feet tall if growing conditions are
optimal. These might sell for as much as $5-10 depending on your
market and quality. If you were to raise 1000 of them that might
be $5-10,000. You can market them just as I do on the internet.
Being small you can ship them via UPS practically anywhere. An
example of a plant that is not suitable for small plot urban
farming is an Oak tree. It is very fast in growing (good), but
has a big tap root, and is best marketed when over 6-8′ tall.
You will use up your space with a hard to confine, large tree
that is not suitable for close compact container production.
Shipping will also be more costly as starter plants tend to be
larger hence larger shipping fees per tree. Besides I have sold
many people 50 -100 arbs at a time but no one, 100 oaks at a
time. My largest order for arbs to one homeowner was 265. Try to
target plants that will sell multiples to a customer rather than
just one at a time. If you target single plants to individual
customers you need high value plants for your sales cost per
unit will be higher. You will hear the same story from your
customers about 1 plant as you will about 10 plants. I can tell
you without a doubt that each customer will tell you about his
property and his neighbors dog. I would rather hear the story
once for each 10 plants that I sell. That is why I like plants
that sell in multiples to a single customer.

Additionally an unusual or exotic plant is seldom purched in
quanity and the buyer has little knowledge of the plant. They
will have many more questions about this plant. This translates
to a higher amount of time spent on a smaller volume of product
sold.

Arborvitae are commonly used evergreen shrubs or trees useful in
urban areas where low maintenance and durability is needed. Many
cultivars with forms such as being globed in shape, columnar, or
narrow pyramidal, tend to be near buildings, doors, and
walkways. Other forms which are larger are used for screens and
buffers that are planted in rows. These plants will be easy to
raise on your small urban lot.

The form of arborvitae is small, medium, or large depending on
the cultivar. Some reach 50′, others only 3′. Most prefer full
sun to partial sun. Planting in dense shade conditions should be
avoided. A moist , well drained, loamy soil in full sunlight are
ideal conditions for growing healthy arborvitae. These plants
will tolerate rocky, clay, urban conditions of heat drought and
pollution. The most important pest we have is bagworms which
must be controlled to prevent complete defoliation. Some
cultivars have multiple leaders which also prove to be a
detraction for the plant. Pruning out multiple leaders in some
cultivars is a simple remeady. As you raise these plants if you
find that you are selling more than you can raise on your
property, an add in the newspaper such as, “Wanted: land to grow
trees on” will help you find vacant parcels to use in growing
more stock. This land may be free to use as many owners want in
urban areas land to be used as it is then maintained. We have
had many offers of free land to use in raising nursery stock.
(You should check with your local BTK Code Enforcement Officer
to make sure that this use is acceptable.) Another suggestion is
that you work for another local urban grower. They may have
facilities set up that they would allow you to use after hours.
When they see that you are a willing go getter, they might even
ask you to grow special plants that they don’t want to grow
because the volumes are light or they are to intensive in labor.
At any rate it is the best way to learn the trade and its
secrets. Most nurserymen will tell all their trade secrets
because its the best way to help the industry and build a
network of reliable and knowledgeable associates. See my web
site at http://www.seedlingsrus.com