Creating a raised bed in your flower garden can be a challenge when you have plants that require good water drainage. I know how frustrating it can be to have a yard that just won’t cooperate when some plants can handle the excess water in an area that doesn’t drain properly but some will not. The plants that do well will benefit from the excess water and it might help them bloom quicker and more beautiful. But other plants just don’t cope as well and these may die quickly. What I normally do when I buy plants for my garden is to check the drainage required for each plant and figure out the area where they will be planted so they get proper drainage and there is no conflict with other plants. (photo courtesy: stauffersdreamgarden.com)

To figure out how much water your designated patch of soil retains, dig a hole about ten inches deep. Fill it with water and check it in a day when all the water has disappeared. Fill the hole again with water and if the second time the hole is full of water, your soil has a low saturation point. This is not good for almost any plant to survive and you need to fix it. The method for improving drainage in your garden is to create a raised bed. You can create a small border for a raised bed and add enough soil and compost to raise it above the rest of the level of the yard by at least 7 inches. Just doing this small border will improve drainage significantly.

The two main areas that you would want to build a raised bed are on grass or dirt. Both of these situations should be built slightly different. If you want a raised garden in a non grassy area, this will be easy to build. Just find some type of border to retain the dirt you will be adding. What really works for me are the good old two by fours. Just grab a few and place them around the area where you want your raised bed. Once the two by fours are in place, add some soil and maybe some manure. I normally wait a while before planting on the raised bed just to make sure there is no deterioration taking place. (photo courtesy: srgc.org.uk)

If you are planning to build a raised bed where sod already exists, this may be a little more difficult to do. For starters, you need to cut the sod around the perimeter of the garden and then flip it over. This is not as simple as it sounds and you need something that has a very sharp edge to slice the edges of the soil and be able to get under it. Once the sod is turned upside down, you can add a layer of straw to prevent the grass from growing back up. On top of the layer of straw, you can add all the soil and manure that a normal garden would need.

After your raised beds are built, you can start planting your plants the same way you’ve planted them before in any other areas of your garden. Be careful and make sure that the roots don’t extend too far into the original ground level. Keep in mind that the whole point of creating a raised bed is to keep the roots out of that ground level that saturates easily. The beauty of a raised bed is that you will notice a great improvement almost immediately after planting you new plants. The new soil added facilitates better root development, evaporation is prevented and decomposition is completely discouraged. Combine all these things and it makes a perfect environment for almost any plant to grow beautifully. So go ahead and start building that raised bed and you will see that the results are worth every bit of work you’ve put into it. (photo courtesy: thenaturalgardener.co.uk)

For some reason, a water fountain adds beauty and soothing appeal to a flower garden. It is just very relaxing when you sit on a bench or chair around a garden and listen to the flow of a water fountain. Most people install water fountains in a garden for the benefit of natural ambiance that it provides. I fully agree and find that being around a water fountain, especially as part of my flower garden, envelopes me with positive energy. (photo courtesy: naturephoto.com)

If you practice Tai Chi or some form of yoga or meditation, having a water fountain in your garden is good as the constant sound of water will help you to concentrate on what you are doing. Even if you are not into yoga or meditation, just being in a flower garden with a fountain flowing constantly you will get some sort of meditative quality without really trying. Having a water foundation in you garden is something that I recommend to anyone.

Another positive notion here is that putting in a water fountain in your garden is easy and inexpensive. It is also easy to maintain. When you are ready to put in a fountain, take your time and spend some time picking out the one that will go well with the rest of your garden. If there are any other decorations in your garden, make sure the water fountain goes well with the rest of the decorations. Just look around and ask yourself if the fountain you have in mind will stand out like a sore thumb or will it look like it was meant to be there. (photo courtesy: ceramicfountains.com)

If you have any doubts whether or not a fountain will look good in your garden, don’t buy one just for the sake of having it. Take a picture of your garden and bring it to your local store that sells fountains and ask them to give you ideas. You will be surprised how much help you will get from an expert working at a store that sells fountains. They will help you pick a fountain and show you exactly how it will look in your garden. So don’t stress over this and let the experts help you choose the fountain that will blend nicely in your garden.

Remember that a water fountain needs power so be sure you have electric outlets to plug it in. If your garden is not very close to your home, don’t run an extension cord across the yard. This is not only dangerous but it will also look tacky. Instead go to your local home improvement center and ask them for an extension cord that is meant to be buried in the ground. Yes, you will have to dig a small trench across the yard but this will solve the problem and you will have power for the fountain. (photo courtesy: relaxationproducts.com)

So if you’re looking to enhance your garden’s beauty and make it look real classy, go ahead and install a water fountain. It is not difficult and it will not cost you a lot of money. Having a water fountain in your garden is not only soothing but it also adds lots of character to your flower garden. To me, a garden is not just for having flowers planted but also a place where I can go to relax and not be disturbed by the outside world.

Most of us think of gardening as a necessary chore that needs to be done in order to grow a beautiful flower garden. But in reality, gardening is great exercise for all of us. Some experts say that you can actually get as much muscle gardening as you do in a regular workout session at the gym. So if going to the fitness center is not your cup of tea, just get out there and start gardening. It is a very productive way to exercise. If you are wondering how it’s possible for gardening to give as much exercise as working out, just think about all the different things you do when gardening. (photo courtesy: akavarfacts.com)

To mention a few, there are plenty of heavy bags and pots to be carried, holes to be dug, weeding to be done, planting new plants, and pruning old ones. Almost every muscle in your body gets a workout when you do all these things. If you don’t garden regularly, be sure to stretch out before you start working even if your goal is not to workout or get exercise. You should also pay attention to your posture when gardening. I’ve seen some gardeners hunched over or bending over for a long time and this is not good for your back. My advice here is to take frequent breaks and give your back a rest.

To me, weeding and pruning gives you the best workout when gardening. Your legs will get a great workout because of the constant standing and crouching. If you have weeds that are difficult to pull out, you will be giving your arms a good workout just from the effort needed to remove those nasty weeds from the ground. If you have lots of weeding to do, be sure to switch arms and positions to spread out the work between different areas of your body. (photo courtesy: ajsgrass.co.uk)

Another great way to get exercise is by carrying and lifting those heavy bags of soil and large heavy pots around the garden. Just think of it this way. Between the nursery and your home you will have to move the bags and pots several times like going to the checkout, to the car, to the garden and then spreading them out where you want them. As long as you remember to lift with your legs and not your back, transporting bags and pots can give you a fairly good workout, even though you probably don’t make those purchases very often.

Mowing your grass can also be a great exercise. If you’ve got an older mower that isn’t self propelled, just the act of pushing it through the grass will give you more of a workout than going to the gym. During the course of mowing the grass, you use your chest, arms, back, and shoulders to keep the mower ahead of you. Your thighs and butt also get worked a lot to propel the mower. Not only do you get an all around muscle work out, but it can improve your heart’s health too. It’s good for you as a cardiovascular activity, as well as a great way to loose weight due to the increased heart rate and heavy breathing. (photo courtesy: environment.about.com)

So like I told you earlier, gardening is not just a chore that needs to be done. It can also be a great way for you to get in shape and possibly loose some weight. Remember that it is a good thing to stretch out before you head over to do some gardening. Also, drink lots of water and don’t forget to use sunscreen. You need to avoid dehydration, sunburn and pulled muscles at all times. Just have fun gardening and you might even end up being a healthier person.

If you live in a climate that is not prone to lots of droughts or you are a gardener with an unlimited supply of water, consider yourself lucky. There are many of us who live in drought zones where the garden and lawn watering rules are very strict and this does affect the healthy growth of gardens and plants. Many people just give up when they find out how few gallons of water they are permitted to use, but some of us just find ways to
cope with less water. There are many ways to optimize your garden to conserve water while still keeping it beautiful. (photo courtesy: wikipedia)

Some of the ways you can try to conserve water include drip irrigation (the use of a pipe or hose with small holes to gradually seep into the roots of the plant), the placement of plants in groups of equal watering needs to prevent wasting water on plants that don’t need it, and using compost or mulch to insulate the water and prevent drainage. But one of the best ways to keep your garden alive during a drought is to take preventive measures.

If you watch your local weather forecasts, you will know that a drought will be predicted far in advanced. You will also be informed on the areas already experiencing a drought and when to expect some heavy rain. If you know in advance that heavy rain is heading your way, plan on setting up several rain barrels. Some people think this would be a time
consuming silly thing to do. But it can save you many gallons of water, and hardly requires any work. By the way, you can get some very pretty painted barrels at the stores. (photo courtesy: kentuckybarrels.com)

Finding the barrels will probably be the hardest part. You can use your own garbage cans or visit your home improvement store and get a few 55 gallon plastic drums. Before you go running to the store, keep in mind that these drums or garbage cans are big and bulky so figure out how you will bring them home. I usually borrow a neighbor’s truck to get them home. You will probably want to cover the top of the barrel with a screen to filter out any unwanted leaves or debris that might fall off the roof of your home.

Once you have your barrels ready, you are faced with the decision of where to place them. Usually during rainfall, there is one corner of the house that rain tends to pour off heavily. If you are taking the simple approach to barrel placement, just place the barrel under all the places where you see large amounts of drips. While this might be the easiest way, you won’t see very high volumes of rain in the barrels. But, if you tweak your gutters in the roof of your home and remove each individual segment and place them at slant, all the rain water will be diverted to the nearest corner of the house. Once done, place a rain barrel at each corner to catch all the rain water. Believe me you will have plenty of rain water to use in your flower gardens. (photo courtesy: sbprojectcleanwater.org)

Some people may think that the use of water barrels is an antiquated idea and that is not true. Maybe these people don’t live in a drought prone area and with lots of watering restrictions. I have been doing this for years and know for a fact that those barrels of rain water have been put to use in my gardens and I am saving money in the long run.