Beyond Flowers

This post is under the what ‘I Did’ category, but might rather be called ‘What They Did.’. My grandson is in the Arnold Palmer Hospital and while we were there we visited their play area. Their main room is impressively adorned with a huge boat that kids can climb on. Venturing further into the garden are several smaller gardens .  They are what I wanted to share with you because they show how smaller statues can be effectively used in the home garden. Their first small statue was two children on a bike.  It’s cute and very appropriate for a child’s play area.  Now ... Read Full Story

Image via Wikipedia Outdoor Garden Statues are the finishing touch to your landscape but they are most effective when you plan for them from the beginning. What? You don’t have a garden plan? Have you ever visited someone’s yard and come away thinking that it looked messy? Maybe it wasn’t what they did as much as how they did it. Without a garden plan, you are hoping for great results when the truth is, after much work, you might be disappointed. When I talk about a garden plan, I’m not saying that each and every flower has to be planned in advance. Some people ... Read Full Story

Fountains are easily maintained. When we talk about landscaping our property, most of us think about the front yard. After all, that’s where people get their first impressions of our home and money spent there often gives the most bang for our bucks. However, much can be done with little money if you start by cleaning up the area. OK, most homeowner associations require that you mow and edge the walk areas but beyond that, what is there about your front entryway that makes it stand out from the neighbor’s houses? I started thinking about this while I was reading a blog post called ... Read Full Story

Care for your outdoor garden statues and fountains is necessary but need not take all of your time. PLEASE NOTE you should always follow your manufacturer’s advice. They know the materials your piece is created from and how to best care for it. If you have lost the original paperwork that came with your piece, you can usually find help online. That being said, if you have received your piece without instructions, I can give you some general ideas; but please consider the material you are dealing with because it can make a difference. Outdoor Statues - Some new statues (especially cast stone) have ... Read Full Story

Garden statues look pretty lost without their garden settings. (When I see one sitting in a forgotten nook, it makes me want to begin weeding to make it seemed loved again.) Most of us who consider using statues in our garden decor, are very familiar with getting our hands dirty. Because of that, I decided to add a category where we can discuss some of the finer points of gardening. If you have something to add, please comment. If you would like to see a topic covered that I haven’t touched on, please contact me. The more input there is, the better this site ... Read Full Story