GARDEN + GARDENING + GARDENING TIPS & ADVICE

What exactly is a Zen Garden? The term “Zen Garden” is typically used to describe a specific type of Japanese garden comprised mainly of sand and rocks and focuses on design simplicity. The style comes from the Zen Buddhist Temples where many of these gardens can be found. These gardens can be small framed boxes or may take up half of your yard. You can create them in any size or form that you wish. The idea is that the sand or gravel that forms the base of the garden represents the water of a pond or ocean. The surface of the sand is often raked to represent the ripples of water.

The Zen garden is a pit of sand or gravel. Then stones are placed carefully in the sand to represent islands or rock formations generally found in water. This is a common design and interpretation of proper rock gardens but you can design it in any manner you like.

These gardens can be built in flowerbed type enclosures, directly on the ground, or in framed wooden boxes similar to flat flower boxes. You can research and look at some inspiring pictures to get a good idea for your Zen garden. Decide which type would make a good addition to your garden or patio area.

First, plan the area where you will create your Zen Garden. If it requires a framed box, you will need to create or purchase the box first. If you intend to create the rock garden on the ground, decide if you will need to excavate in order to remove soil or ground cover foliage. Map out the perimeter of the garden and create a border. Your local home and garden supply stores have several border materials that will do this job quite nicely. If building on the ground, you may need to line the ground with weed blocking material to keep plants from growing up through your sand or gravel area.

Add the sand or gravel bed. Whether you are adding sand or gravel, you will want to fill the area and completely cover the ground or bottom of the box. You need the sand or gravel to be deep enough to allow for raking the surface to create the ripple effect.

Now you are ready to place the focal features of your choice into the sand or gravel bed. For best results, these items should be partially submerged in the sand to create the appearance that they are protruding from the surface of water. Natural objects like large and small stones will keep you close to the traditional roots of this design but feel free to use anything that you like for instance bird baths or pedestal garden clocks. Any natural items like rocks, plants, logs work best to achieve that natural look. Also, remember that simplicity is a major part of this theme.

Now you are ready to rake the surface to create ripples and designs. Feel free to be artistic. It is your garden after all and you can move objects around and resurface it as often as you like.

Get creative, turn your backyard into a paradise with Zen Gardens, pergolas, arbors, hanging plants, a garden clock, a swing, park bench, a lamp post or even a gazebo.

Bloggers that are searching the Internet for more information about the sphere of heirloom organic seeds, please go to the URL that is quoted right in this passage.

Over the past few years we have observed vegetable gardening growing in number throughout the nation. Why is vegetable gardening on the rise today?

From what I’ve seen it’s for the same reason we started a vegetable garden, to spend less on the grocery bills. The lack of employment security, rising cost of living without getting a raise as well as a recession which simply won’t vanish entirely is a great motivator to start digging your first veggie garden.

As a family feeling the economic pinch, like so many others, we decided to give vegetable gardening a go to save what money we could. The plan worked for us, we spent less money on produce and found gardening can be very fulfilling as well as rewarding.

Surprise, Surprise We Actually Grew Healthy Vegetables

Growing up on a farm we had a big garden which required pulling weeds, Dad got to use the hoe while we kids had to crawl around weeding by hand. Of course weeding was a chore I didn’t care much for. These days I’m the dad and get to use the hoe, the same way Dad did.

We All Make Mistakes, Learn From Them And Grow As A Gardener

Mistakes are part of how people learn. It doesn’t matter if you are learning how to drive a car or planting your first tomato plant. I certainly make my share of them but I don’t give it. Home gardening has a learning curve like most things in life, learn from the mistakes you make and keep on growing.

Try Growing Herbs Indoors

Spring, summer and fall were here and gone all too fast. It was going to be months before I could start a new garden. That’s when I thought of growing a herb garden right in our kitchen.

To our great delight growing fresh herbs right on our kitchen windowsill is easier to grow than we thought. We love having enough fresh herbs to put on everything.

Organically Grown Vegetables Taste Better, Are Much Healthier And Cost Us Less To Grow

Looking back to my childhood it’s a wonder any of us survived as my Dad used to spray poison all over the garden These days I raise veggies organically, no chemicals.

We use compost we produce in our very own compost bin as well as adding peatmoss to loosen up the dense clay soil. Doing this assists in growing healthy root systems for our veggies and allows water to drain quicker than it ever did when it was just dense clay.

To Conclude

If you haven’t tried vegetable gardening yet it’s a great way to save a bit of money on that grocery bill. It all helps and you may just find you have a new hobby as well.

Check out more information on vegetable gardening

Readers that are surfing for information about the niche of heirloom organic seeds, please make sure to go to the link that is mentioned right in this paragraph.