"Fountain of Youth"
Once you've realized how physically damaging a frenzied schedule can be, the next word you place on your to-do list might be "relax". For someone accustomed to a jam-packed schedule, relaxing is not an easy objective. It requires a paradigm shift, unplugging from technology's hyper-connectivity, tapping into an innate understanding of basic needs: sunlight, fresh air, flowers and birdsong. Relaxation restores the body and resets the Circadian rhythm, allowing you to stop the sleep deficit that accelerates aging. Your backyard may seem prosaic, but it can be transformed into a refuge. It's easy to create your own fountain of youth using these 10 simple steps: 1. Begin With The End Result In Mind Step into your backyard and envision it as a place that invites relaxation. Imagine the design elements it might feature. Would it lean towards a wilderness aesthetic or a more formal landscaping style? If you have any man-made items in your backyard, notice how they become the focal point. Whether it's a statue, a birdbath, a stone bench or patio furniture rocker, the eye is drawn to crafted objects. So decide if that's desirable -- or is it a feature that should be minimized? Look for ways to soften hard edges. A border of groundcover diminishes the severe geometry of a patio. Shrubs help to offset
the straight lines of a porch. Walkways can be made more natural by planting thyme between the steppingstones.
 2. Plan For Low Maintenance From the beginning, ensure that your relaxation refuge stays that way. Don't use materials that are difficult to maintain, from decking to the type of mulch placed in flowerbeds, ensure that your refuge doesn't become one more chore to eat up your free time. Remember that this is a place to escape the endless to-do list. Choose plants that require little care. Some trees are messier than others. Since large trees are quite an investment, do a little research before you purchase and install them. Ginkgo trees are lovely, but the female ginkgo produces foul smelling fruit-like seeds. Some trees shed significant litter, in the form of flowers, pollen and leaves. The black locust tree bears clusters of fragrant white flowers, but the branches are prone to breaking. Consult your local nursery or garden shop and select the right species for your backyard. It will save hours of labor in the future.
3. Pick Your Palette Next decide whether your color palette will be cool, warm or monochromatic. Is your idea of relaxation to be surrounded with greens, blues and lilacs? Or do you prefer the invigorating qualities of reds and yellows? This will help you determine whether your flower bed will have cool blue hydrangeas or the cheerful warmth that emanates from a bed of zinnias or sunflowers. If your garden is to be enjoyed mostly in the evening, you might decide on a white garden, which shines in the moonlight.
Follow your musical preference to add soothing sounds to your backyard. Whether the melodies are natural or man-made, whether they originate from a wind chime, the steady stream of a waterfall or music piped into the trees, sound can add an extra dimension to your relaxation refuge. 5. Create Habitat Invite nature into your refuge with plantings that offer food and shelter. Landscape with shrubs that sprout berries, flowers that draw butterflies and bees and the trees that birds prefer for nesting. There's something about the flap and flutter of bird and butterfly wings that heals the spirit. 6. Choose Comfortable Furniture Seating is a necessary component for your backyard refuge. An investment in quality furniture will ensure years of enjoyment. A patio becomes complete with the addition of a caf table and chairs, offering a perfect spot to enjoy a glass of iced tea or an impromptu game of chess. A bench can be placed in a nook for quiet contemplation. A rocking chair is a great place to catnap and make up for sleep deficit. 7. Optimize Both Sun and Shade Make your getaway usable for any time of day. If the backyard is sun-drenched, the addition of a gazebo, umbrella or pergola will create a mini-refuge within the larger context. Covered porches are ideal places from which to observe the garden during the hottest part of the afternoon. 8. Layer With Scents Flowers are sweet and herbs are spicy. Rather than having to choose between one type of fragrance or the other, use a variety of scents to take your olfactory system on a complex journey. Aromatherapy charts define how each herb can be used to create a mood. Pocket gardens of herbs can be planted to intensify the aromatherapy experience. The scent of spearmint sharpens the mind; rosemary and thyme revive and refresh the spirit; lavender calms and relaxes; basil lifts depression. Create a location where you can nap near the aroma of choice and allow your mood to be transformed.
9. Use Lighting And Warmth Strings of lights in the trees, shielded lanterns and candles, luminarias, tiki torches, chimineas, fire pits and fireplaces add light or warmth, extending the usable hours for your retreat. 10. Design For Exercise Activity is the perfect antidote to stress, so be sure to make space for lawn games like bocce ball, badminton, croquet, horseshoes, touch football or volleyball. If your work is sedentary, exercise will help make you sleepier at bedtime. Remember that exertion will perk you up immediately afterwards, so try to end activity at least an hour or two before lights out. When dark circles have appeared under your eyes and you're forgetting where you left your keys or your next-door neighbor's name, it's time to relax and catch up on your sleep in your backyard refuge, your very own fountain of youth. ***** Kimberly Aardal, Publisher of EveryDayRockingChairs.com loves spending time outdoors, relaxing on her outdoor wood furniture. Kimberly lives in the mountains of Colorado with her husband Jon and yellow lab Ginger and has learned the value of slowing down and enjoying life to the fullest. While Ginger snoozes on the children rocking chairs, Kimberly and Jon spend a great deal of time in the mountains hiking, skiing, snowshoeing and exploring the small mountain towns in their beautiful state.
"Thanks Kimberly for this great article. Just goes to show the fountain of youth can be conjured up in our own back yard!"
 Happy Gardening! Grow Your Own Groceries: Producing your own food is not only rewarding but - in times of economic and environmental changes - increasingly a must! Nature provides everything the human body requires to thrive, and cultivating some of those natural products in your own back garden will not only produce the best food on the planet for you and your loved ones, it is also economical, environmentally friendly and more fun than
shopping. Create your fountain of youth!
 Gardening is more than a hobby; it's a way of life. Even without a garden, many plants can be grown in containers, on a balcony, and indoors. Order it now direct from the publisher... Grow Your Own Groceries Herb Gardening: Herbs are becoming recognised more and more as superfoods, as if we didn't know that really! 'Herb Gardening' has been beautifully put together by the publisher (Crowood Press) into a well presented book with full colour photos.  Along with growing instructions for forty different herbs, there are lots of great ideas, including culinary delights and medicinal alternatives. You'll also find gardening advice as well as some ideas on planning a herb garden. Order it now direct from the publisher... Herb Gardening
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