"Garden Stones - in their proper place"
And spreading a fairly thick layer of decorative hardcore around your plants in a herb or shrub patch will not only look great but will help with stubborn weeds, slug problems and even drainage.   Garden stones can be decorative: Decide on a theme for your decorative patch. It doesn't have to be a grand scheme. Something simple like half a dozen shrubs that all produce blue flowers, or a mixture of herbal shrubs that last many years. The garden stones spread around the plants really cut down on maintenance work and time.Gardens have become places to decorate in recent years, and although it's important to have the practical side of your garden in order, a lot of imagination can be put into a decor that you can live with! Statues,large pots and containers can be incorporated into a garden easily and the effect is wonderful. Garden stones can also be used for drainage in the bottom of all your pots and containers indoors or out. Research different plants that prefer to live on stone walls, rockeries and other areas where soil is of a minimum, and incorporate these into your feature. This page has a wonderful table of suitable rock garden flowers: Flowers for garden stones Check the varieties out before you start browsing catalogues, so you know what you're looking for! For US supplies, try Nature Hills. They have a very wide range of flowers, seeds and other plants: Nature Hills Nursery, Inc. I have found many frogs sheltering from the sun behind piles of garden stones. Leave a few piles around the garden - Frogs should always be encouraged to a garden. They are an effective slug repellant! They tend to be fairly friendly and will often look at you directly when discovered before leaping off to find another shelter. A good reason to have a few piles of stones around. Slow worms are also fond of sheltered spots from the sun, although if you live in an area where there could be snakes in your garden, be careful not to encourage the creatures you don't want.So to sum up, you can play with them, build animal shelters with them, create wonderful garden works of art with them, use them as drainage -in pots as well as outside, and children love them. Give the kids a job to find two flat garden stones exactly the same and they'll find plenty of entertainment you had long forgotten about! Happy Gardening! Grow Your Own Winter Food: A good diet incorporating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables is a must if you want to stay fit and healthy and keep the bugs at bay during the cold winter months. Growing your own winter food is just one way of ensuring you get the freshest, tastiest produce packed with goodness straight from the garden to the kitchen table. This easy-to-follow self-sufficiency book shows you how to grow your own fruit and vegetables for winter use and includes facts on each fruit, vegetable or herb as well as nutritional value, recipe ideas and storage suggestions.  Grow Your Own Winter Food is perfect for those with limited gardening experience, with gardens big or small who are looking to become more self-sufficient. Order it now direct from the publisher... Grow Your Own Winter Food Grow It, Cook It!: Many crops, including herbs, can be produced in a relatively small space with a little pre-planning and organizing: in containers, on a balcony, and indoors. Herbs are perfect for enhancing the flavour of cooking, treating minor ailments, and preventing colds and flu. 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. Gardening is more than a hobby; it's a way of life. .  This book provides all the information you need to keep your family and friends healthy, fit and enjoying life to the full. Order it now direct from the publisher... Grow It, Cook It! Grow Your Own Pharmacy: If, like me, you want to be able to eat the best food on the planet, grow your own!  • Clear instructions on planning, planting, growing and harvesting the fruits, vegetables and herbs required for a healthy vitamin intake. • Recipes and menus to help incorporate the fruit and vegetables into your daily diet. Grow Your Own Pharmacy Herbs and Spices: Some herbs grow vigorously, some are tender and need special growing conditions, some are annuals, some perennials, some you can grow indoors, all can be grown in pots or directly into the ground. There are also certain spices, such as chillies, that can be grown in temperate climates.  This clear and concise directory of herbs and spices provides all the essential information to help you grow a selection of these flavour-enhancing foods in small or large spaces. Ideas for which herbs and spices go best with which foods also accompany each description, so that you can really enliven your repertoire of recipes. Order it now direct from the publisher... Herbs and Spices Granny's Book Of Good Old Fashioned Common Sense is packed full of great ideas and tips. Granny brings traditional home-making up to date with cooking, gardening, needlecrafts and even games to play with the kids...Click on the link below to order your copy.  Cooking doesn’t have to be a chore and preparing nourishing home cooked meals for the family will certainly keep them away from the goodie shelf. Gardening encourages physical exercise and a good healthy dollop of fresh air. And you can get the kids involved too. Before the days of computer games and electronic pets, children used to have fun without rummaging about in the fridge every five minutes. Enjoy a few rainy-day games and crafts of yesteryear with today’s kids. They’ll love it and so will you! Granny's Book Of Good Old Fashioned Common Sense Back To Garden Decor Back To Flower and Garden Tips Homepage Click here to subscribe to "Creative Gardening" - Your FREE monthly ezine! www.flower-and-garden-tips.com/gardenstones.html |