Gardening with Energy Consciousness

Two new books are providing a fresh look into what modern gardening really is. In an few words, it is based on ecological ethos instead of a particular look or feel. The first book is by Tim Richardson and is entitled “Avant Gardeners: 50 Visionaries of the Contemporary Landscape.” The gardens shown in this tome show a wide range of styles using materials that one would not expect in their garden. From the World Trade Center in Osaka, Japan to the Herbert Dreiseitl’s German parks, these are ideas that are truly outside of the box. There are plenty of gardens back home in the US as well, many of which follow practices that are ecologically friendly with systems that harvest water and blur into the surrounding wild growth.

The other book is by Zahid Sardar and is entitled “New Garden Design: Inspiring Private Paradises.” This book is full of vivid color photos that truly take you to the gardens. Designs features designs from established landscapers as well as up and coming talent. These books tend to raise questions about modern gardens that they do not answer quite well. What is a modern garden, and what are its elements? Do they tend to be minimal and ecofriendly? Are there curves and natural shapes or sharp corners? Are they consisting of only local plants, or do they have an international offering?

Ask other gardeners, experts in plants, designers, and you will receive a variety of responses. There are those that say it is irrelevant, some that will ignore you, and some that will pour out with opinions. But there is one response that truly gets to the heart of the matter when it comes to gardening. The fact is that garden is a verb, not a noun, and it is in the act of gardening that truly modern ideas come into play. These include ecological considerations, as well as a sense of getting the most out of a garden with the least amount of work.

Gardens should be designed so that they are not labor intensive, and that they do not consume as much resources. What this initially means is that the plants chosen should thrive in your environment, and you should employ systems that sustain the garden. Rain water collection systems that will take a heavy nights rain and spread it out over a week or two. Choosing plants that add to the soil what other plants need to survive. Keeping the size of the garden within you manageability, and making sure that your garden is sustainable.

What it boils down to is that the modern revolution in gardening is towards sustainability and self sufficiency so that you minimize fertilizer and resource usage and the amount of work that you need to put into your garden. What theme could be more modern than sustainable actions and resource savings? It takes knowledge, focus, and determination to get there.

Originally posted 2009-03-04 13:49:02. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Water Features in a Country Garden

waterpondThere are so many different sizes, styles and types of outdoor fountains that are available these days, you should have absolutely no difficulty finding one that is going to suit your garden, no matter how large or how unique your garden actually is. The sights and the sounds associated with falling water are regarded as being soothing, and therefore they are quite capable of enhancing the feel and the ambiance within your garden. If you have a backyard area that is large and spacious, then you may want to look into what freestanding water fountains have to offer. There are also plenty of other options including some that attach to walls and other smaller models that fit on patios, tables, ledges and more.

Depending on the theme that you are attempting to create, you can even create your own special outdoor fountains and water features simply by using natural materials. You may want to create a space where birds can gather to drink, for example, and this is a completely obtainable goal. You may even consider recreating an old fashioned country garden scene in your garden, using materials like old barrel troughs with old fashioned pumps, whiskey barrels and other antique materials can be used to create the country garden feeling in your garden space. You can use a few barrels to create a small trickling waterfall, with water dripping from larger barrel to smaller and smaller again in a unique fashion.

If you have a water feature already on your property, some types of fountains can be added to make a bigger water element out of a smaller one. This is a great way to expand upon a pond or a waterfall by expanding on the water elements that already exist. You could even tuck fountains into beds of flowers, or even plant flowers that climb around the fountain so that they grow up and around the natural materials to create an even more natural appearance. Many fountains are made out of precast concrete, which is not all that pretty, but there is a lot that you can do with a plain water fountain or water fall to dress it up, make it your own and help it fit in with the design of your garden, no matter what theme your garden follows.

If you want to avoid having your fountain appear out of place, try to replicate the natural look of your garden and your region as closely as you possibly can. You can choose natural looking stone fountains, or build your own for this purpose. You can build your own fountain, water fall or other water feature to suit your space and it may fit in more than if you were simply going to buy a pre cast concrete fountain, as these are not unique, not natural looking, and often appear completely out of place unless they are decorated well to look natural, which costs more in the long run unless you do it yourself.

Photo Credits: viakali

Originally posted 2009-08-07 05:17:17. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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