A well-maintained lawn adds to the beauty of the building behind it. Constant cutting, weeding and watering are essential to maintain a carpet-like lawn. That is why services of maintenance companies like US Lawns are in hot demand these days. Established in 1986, this company is a fully owned subsidiary of the celebrated ValleyCrest Companies. The parent company is a multi-million dollar business that has shown its expertise in various fields such as horticulture, golf-course building and maintenance, landscape development etc. US Lawns today has more than 140 franchised units spread over 28 US states and is looking for more in future. The variety of services offered by the company include landscape maintenance, aerification and thatching, insect and disease control, small tree pruning, snow removal and many more.

To become a franchisee of US Lawns, you need to give a moderate investment amount. In return, you will get exceptional support from the company in every department. Moreover, the franchising business can be run from home, which will reduce the start-up cost considerably. But, absentee franchisee is not allowed. The concept is currently looking for people with good marketing skills and some business experience. You can convert your lawn maintenance business to a US Lawns franchise to get better hold of your local market. Even if you are new in the field, then the 6-day long training in the fields of horticulture and agronomic will soon turn you into a “green thumb”. You will also get full ongoing support to master the art of lawn maintenance.

Other supports from US Lawns include referrals from national account that will make the phones ring from the very first day of your business. You are free to make contact with your franchisor in case of emergency. In addition, there will be regular meetings and newsletters to keep you updated. A computer with proprietary software and complete foreman’s manual along with operational guidebook will also help you to enjoy a smooth business run. You will also be provided with a protected territory and within that, there will be virtually no real competition! No one else can offer services at the price that US Lawns gives, as it is a member of one of the oldest and trusted companies of America – ValleyCrest. So, are you interested to join this distinguished brand?

To know more about this maintenance franchising concept, click here http://maintenance-franchises.brandexpansion.com/us-lawns/

You may think you haven’t a clue about growing vegetables. But the truth is that you can easily learn enough to be growing useful crops very quickly, and each session spent in your garden teaches you even more. You will learn much that is unique to your own situation, such as local soil conditions, your particular aspect in relation to the sun, and oddities that relate to your local microclimate. You will learn most of this by getting out and giving it a go.

Without doubt the taste of home grown vegetables is vastly superior to that of the commercially grown produce. Have you heard people comment that tomatoes no longer have any taste? They will have when you grow your own – you will never taste better. The lack of taste with the commercial crop is not all the fault of the growers, as they are under pressure to produce a crop, of uniform size and colour, to the schedule of the wholesale market, and ultimately the supermarket. When you grow your own vegetables you set the schedule.

The freshness of your own crop is a big plus. Vegetables I have bought from the supermarket, and stored in the refrigerator, have started to become inedible after only few days. I have had home grown produce still fresh in the refrigerator after 2 weeks!
Typically, your home garden will produce a generous yield, and can readily help pay for the cost of growing them. You can effectively end up having free vegetables. Summer, especially, is generally a time of abundance, even glut, as family and friends leave your place with perhaps more produce than they had expected to see. A tip – when giving away fresh produce, try to limit your generosity – it is better to give a small amount to many rather than to give to the few more than they can actually use.

One of the turn-offs to trying something you have not done before is the intimidating flood of information (and misinformation) you will receive.

If you are browsing one of the major bookstores, you may see hundreds of books on the topic – which do you buy? To begin with, look for the simple, basic information. Do not bother with those full of jargon – you will learn the technical terms as you go.

You will hear folklore from the family, such as “Uncle Henry always put … (you name it) … on his … (name it again)”. Folklore is part of our heritage, but there is no guarantee of its usefulness.

And you will hear from the office genius, who has done nothing, but still knows all the answers - nod wisely, and then ignore him.

Plants evolved thousands of years before humans, and they actually want to grow. It has been said that in many cases plants grow despite what we do to help them. If you provide the basics, and these are reasonable nutrition and regular watering, Mother Nature does the rest – let her work for you.
Of course, after all that hard work in the garden you need some place to relax. And the perfect spot is under a pergola. Buy a set of pergola plans and hire a handyman to build It for you. That way you can save hundreds of dollars as it is far cheaper that buying a pergola kit. Find out more
Build a pergola
Cedar wood pergola
How to build a pergola

Firstly, birds will be attracted by the geographic location of your garden.

To find out which birds are at the moment in the geographic area, you will have to consult the specialty magazines and books. Libraries and book stores have books based on migration, on the roads that some bird species take to get to their summer or winter residence. So it makes sense to do some research so you know what birds might come and in what season.

So what can you do to attract birds to your garden?

Birds need water. This is highly important. A bath or a pool, no matter the size or the material, would instantly attract many bird families, even wild ducks and gooses.

If you could also arrange a place where they could find some food, bird seeds, bread or anything else they might like, that would increase the chances they made an escapade in your garden. You can try, for instance with corn. Seeds of any type also hold an answer to the question related to attracting birds towards your garden. The seeds that almost all birds prefer are sun-flower seeds, extremely easy to find, and cheap also. Anyway, before buying the seeds, you should make a list with all the birds that are in the area and with every bird’s food preferences to assure you can provide food for many types of birds present.

A bird table would be an excellent project for any handyman.

These are the first steps that you have to make to attract birds in your garden. The second step is keeping away from the garden all the things that might scare or disturb birds. Animals from the next garden, neighbor’s dogs can scare the birds. Try and ask the neighbors to keep the dogs chained or in the house, because they are mostly scared by dogs.

Also, you must know that some birds do not agree with each other, so that a certain species might avoid your garden because there is another species in it. Some can also stay away because of the fact you have children and the noise is too loud, and others can stay away because the place doesn’t look natural enough. So, knowing their nature and customs can be a decisive factor in bringing them in our backyard.

And, of course, a garden should be a great place to relax with family and friends too. So why not build a pergola. It’s not as difficult as you think and if you buy a set of pergola plans, and get a local handyman to do it for you you’ll save hundreds of dollars. Learn more:
pergola kit
Build a pergola
building a pergola

You probably have neither the time nor inclination to maintain a lawn that looks like a putting green, but having said that, if you’ve got turf then you want it to look healthy. Your Turf is a plant just like any other perennial in your garden, and so it needs a bit of care and attention to be able to grow and thrive and show itself off to your neighbours!

Lawn Care means regular cutting throughout the season, and regular accurate application of a good Liquid Lawn Fertilizer. Commence cutting in late spring when you can see new growth. Set the cut between 1.5 – 2,5cm high. Mow once or twice a week depending on the rate of growth. As growth slows during autumn, cut less often and rarely in winter, and never when it’s frosty.

There are a number of Lawn Care products on the market for “Feeding” or “Weeding”. Most are in pellet form and if you don’t apply it evenly you can see varying colour and growth. You need to apply these pellet fertilizers just before it rains as there’s a risk that you’re grass may ‘burn’ as the pellets [spin]remaining|resting[/spin on the leaves scorch the foliage if the sun is strong.

To overcome this risk you can use a Quality Grass Fertilizer. You should begin feeding your lawn at 4 to 6 week intervals commencing in March through to October. Use Superspray type Lawn Sprayers to apply the Liquid Lawn Fertilizer to your lawn. Connected to your hose pipe, this sprayer dilutes the concentrated Liquid Lawn Fertilizer as you spray. It’s much easier to get a more even feed with less effort, it’s not as time consuming and there’s no risk of scorching either. It’s better if you feed either early morning or late evening to minimise evaporation.

When it comes to weeding you’ll find that regular mowing along with regular accurate application of a Quality Liquid Lawn Fertilizer will discourage or even get rid of most of the moss algae and weeds that start to take over when your lawn is undernourished.

When you look at your lawn the most obvious weeds are the bigger broad leaved ones like Dandelion, plantains and so on. Mowing & Feeding your turf will eventually get rid of these, but if you can’t wait; you can just dig these out with a long blade knife but you’re then left with a small bare patch that if not grassed will become home to another weed.

Here’s a good trick for you! Next time you’re in the Garden Centre, look out for the pot carrying trays which the plants are standing in. Garden Centres usually throw these trays away and so can be “free” for the asking. Look for one with the circles about 8cm across. Fill these with seed compost and plant grass seed in each circle. In no time you’ll have a small disc of turf ideal for making an instant repair after removing the offending weed. The turfs can last as long as you want them to; just keep mowing with scissors.

Pond Waterfall Kits Can Enhance Your Outdoor Environment

Water landscaping, including waterfalls and ponds, has become extremely popular. Everywhere you look, people are creating water gardens right in their backyard. More and more gardeners are deciding to add to their landscape with a calming outdoor water feature. Backyard waterfalls and ponds can offer the stress-relieving benefits of a weekend at the cottage combined with the convenience of staying right in your own back yard.

Early in the planning process, a lot of homeowners determine that a waterfall will be a vital part of their backyard pond. The trickle of falling water is so enjoyable, and it can be just the right thing to soothe your nerves following a stressful day. The issue is, how do you go about installing a waterfall in your own backyard?

With the help of pond waterfall kits it’s really quite easy to create water gardens and pond waterfalls in your own yard. The hardest part picking the variety of features that will make your water feature your own creation. You can find a variety of sizes, shapes and materials, and you can also customize the kit to your preference. Once it’s installed, you can include wind chimes, colored rocks, statuary, and even plants and fish.

You’ll want to decide if you want to have fish or plants in your pond, or whether the waterfall is all that you really want. If you are hoping to keep fish, your pond’s filtration system will need to be safe for them. The dimensions of your pond and location of the waterfall may also be dependent on whether it will be contain fish. No matter whatyou decide, there are pond waterfall kits suitable for any situation.

The placement of the waterfall in the yard is important, since it will need a slope to work properly. You can use an existing slope in your yard or create one artificially. This is something be attempted by an amateur, so if you decide that you need to build a slope to get your waterfall to work and you’re not totally sure in your landscaping skills, it’s best to get help from a professional landscaper.

After choosing the placement for your water feature, choose one of the many available pond waterfall kits that has the features you want. There are plenty of water gardens pond kits that you can choose fromto add to your magical creation. If you feel confident with installing it yourself, it can be a satisfying weekend project. If not, you can hire a landscaper to install it for you. After adding water, fish, plants, and ornamentation, it’s time to sit down in a comfortable chair, open up a favorite book, and enjoy the peace and beauty of your own backyard paradise.

In Organic gardens , just as in any garden, it’s truly heartbreaking to find your newly planted brassicas have been eaten in the night by slugs and its easy to reach for the slug pellets, but you could do more to diminish the slug population in your garden yourself. After all, slug pellets aren’t the best things for you to eat, and just when the slugs are most active (in wet weather) the pellets are least effective. Slug pellets can also kill some of the most beneficial insects and beetles. Birds and animals eating the dead slugs littered on the surface may also be harmed if you don’t remove them quickly.

The Garden Slug which is a burrower and surface feeder will eat roots and sever plants at the base of the stem while the Keel slug lives underground and attacks roots and potatoes. The huge long slugs that you see do very little damage to your vegetables as they live on rotting vegetation and fungi etc.

If you don’t want to use slug pellets but prefer to practice some kind of Organic Garden Snail & Slug Control then there’s a number of things you can do to diminish the slug populations in your patch.

Thorough cultivation of the soil in spring exposes the slugs and their eggs to traditional predators, but if you practice a no dig method of cultivation, then keep the weeds down, as they are also a food source for slugs.

Beer and milk traps are successful but you have to set the jar into the soil keeping the rim about 1.5cm above ground level to stop helpful beetles etc from crawling in. You must put the traps about one metre apart in a grid layout.

Slug collecting at night is highly helpful in severely cutting down the population in your garden. On a warm humid night you leave the house with a torch and a cane with a lengthy darning needle embedded in one end. Stab the slugs wherever you spot them and shove them into a tin of salt. Sounds disgusting, I know, but very much worth the effort. You may get the most slugs this way.

You can boost the number of beneficial insects that hunt on slugs by placing small wooden boards or roof slates between rows as shelter for predatory beetles and insects. Slugs will also be attracted, and these you can simply remove along with their eggs.

If all this looks a little bit too ‘hands on’ then I recommend you think about a commercial kind of Organic Garden Snail & Slug Control in the form of microscopic worms known as Nematoda.

A natural predator of the slug, these nematodes (or to give them their proper plural, nematoda) are naturally present in their millions in any well balanced garden soil. Nematoda infest the slug by laying their eggs inside its body, so killing the slug during the Nematodes’ reproductive cycle. The Nematoda, when applied to the growing area, swell the natural population of Nematoda in your soil, giving increased natural Organic Garden Snail & Slug Control.

You apply the Nematoda by watering can or by Superspray type garden feeder attached to a hosepipe for larger areas. Once you stop applications the numbers of Nematoda will fall to its original numbers.

You should enjoy up to 6 weeks long lasting control from one application, and Nematoda are harmless for children pets and wildlife. They’re harmless for use on food crops and aren’t adversely affected by rain.

Organic Garden Snail & Slug Control in the Organic gardening vegetable patch is all about keeping the slug count at an absolute minimum and so maximising your return on your vegetable yield.

When conducting Husqvarna saw reviews you need to consider the three levels of chainsaws you will come across.

What do we mean by three levels? Well, there are chainsaws made specifically for professional loggers and those who handle these powerful machines on a daily basis to make a living. If you’re a homeowner then you won’t be looking at these saws for the odd pruning jobs around the home.

There are also chainsaws within the Husqvarna range which cater to the semi pro user such as people living on the land. In other words, those based on a ranch or in the horticultural industry who will need to get their hands on a chainsaw on a regular basis.

And of course there is the homeowner and you need to pay attention to any Husqvarna chainsaw reviews when searching for these type of chainsaws to make sure they are quiet enough so as not to upset the neighbors.

We are going to take a look at some of the top choices in the Husqvarna chainsaw range covering the three categories mentioned above.

Husqvarna Pro

Husqvarna’s 372XP is true professional’s chainsaw and if you’re a homeowner in the market then read further down because purchasing this powerful machine will not be what you’re looking for.

The 372XP should be part of any Husqvarna saw reviews. It’s built for demanding jobs such as felling and logging and oozes heavy duty. The 372XP features extra heavy duty application in it’s crankcase and crankshaft. One of it’s appealing features from a safety angle is it’s lightweight yet it doesn’t lack power.

Safety for professional chainsaw users is vital with fatigue a contributing cause to accidents. Lightweight chainsaws help in this department and the 372XP has excellent anti-vibration, another safety feature especially when things gget hectic such as working with heavy loads at high speeds.

Husqvarna Semi Pro

One saw worth considering from the Husqvarna range is the 338XPT. This saw has been recently upgraded and it has definitely improved in the area of power. Safety again is featured especially given it’s compact design which makes it easily to control and flexible for the user.

Semi-professional saws are usually designed in a similar vein to their pro cousins but have a slightly reduced power ratio. They suit people in the horticultural industry and those living the ranch life as well as arborists which the 338XPT suits perfectly.

Husqvarna Lite

While price will come into play concerning homeowners and no doubt, many will be drawn to the cheaper electric and budget models however, before you do you should check Husqvarna’s 235 and 240 e-series.

The 235 e-series is a relatively new model ideal for those needing pruning and light cutting jobs performed around the house. Meanwhile, the 240 e-series is a fraction more powerful yet both a similar in features including Husqvarna’s easy start. These chainsaws are specifically designed with the homeowner in mind.

Another aspect of homeowner style chainsaws to consider is their low power which contributes to low noise, vital for those in suburban areas and lightweight handling. Be sure to look for these factors when conducting Husqvarna saw reviews.

You probably have neither the time nor inclination to look after a lawn that looks like a putting green, but having said that, if you’ve got grass then you want it to look good. Your Lawn is a plant just like any other perennial in your garden, and so it needs a bit of care and attention to be able to grow and thrive and show itself off to your neighbours!

Lawn Care demands regular cutting throughout the season, and regular accurate application of a good Liquid Lawn Fertilizer. Commence cutting in late spring when you can see new growth. Set the cut between 1.5 – 2,5cm high. Mow once or twice a week depending on the rate of growth. As growth slows during autumn, mow less often and rarely in winter, and never when it’s frosty.

There are a number of Lawn Care products on the market for “Feeding” or “Weeding”. Most are in pellet form and if you don’t apply it evenly you could get uneven colour and feeding. You need to apply these pellet fertilizers just before it rains as there’s a risk that you’re grass may ‘burn’ as the pellets remaining on the leaves scorch the foliage if the sun is strong.

To avoid this risk you can use a Quality Grass Fertilizer. You should begin feeding your lawn at 4 to 6 week intervals starting in March through to October. Use Superspray type Hose End Sprayers to apply the Liquid Lawn Fertilizer to your lawn. Connected to your hose pipe, this sprayer dilutes the concentrated Liquid Lawn Fertilizer as you spray. It’s much easier to get a more even feed with less effort, it’s not as time consuming and there’s no risk of scorching either. It’s better if you feed either early morning or late evening to minimise evaporation.

When it comes to weeding you’ll see that regular clipping along with regular accurate application of a Quality Liquid Lawn Fertilizer will discourage or even get rid of most of the moss algae and weeds that start to take over when your lawn is undernourished.

As you look at your lawn the most obvious weeds are the larger flat leaved ones like Dandelion, plantains and so on. Cutting & Feeding your grass will over time get rid of these, but if you can’t wait; you can just dig these out with a long blade knife but you’re then left with a small bare patch that if not grassed will become home to another weed.

Here’s a great idea for you! Next time you’re in the Garden Centre, look out for the pot carrying trays which the plants are standing in. Garden Centres usually throw these trays away and so can be “free” for the asking. Look for one with the circles about 8cm diameter. Fill these with seed compost and plant grass seed in each circle. In no time you’ll have a small circle of turf ideal for making an instant repair after removing the offending weed. The turfs can last as long as you want them to; just keep clipping with scissors.

We all have our own taste regarding what we want to surround ourselves with. My husband and I have mixed traditional furniture along with a few antiques. We decided to incorporate antiques into our home because it is over a hundred years old. We have used soft colors on the walls in the various rooms of our home. We both work in offices that have all white walls so we decided to use color on the walls at home.

My girl friend and her husband have very modern tastes. They have their living room and guess bath room done in black and white. She wants to create a similar effect in their yard. She bought black pots and was going to fill them with white flowers. She knows that I like to garden so she asked me to visit the nursery with her to help pick out the white flowers. I personally thought this sounded like a boring idea. Their home is white with black trim. The white flowers would blend into the background of the house and would not be noticeable. My friend insisted that this is what she wanted. We picked out several long lasting annuals that do well in containers. She bought petunias, salvias, star flowers, geraniums and begonias. The white flowers were pretty, but I felt they needed color. I did talk her into buying some greens to plant in the pots with the white flowers.

We brought the flowers to her house and I helped her transplant the small plants into the containers. This was in the spring of the year. We live about eighty miles apart so we do not get to each other’s home very often. We usually meet mid way between our homes when we get together. I asked her often how the planters were coming along. Her answer was always that they were growing. In mid July I stopped to see my friend at her house. I could not believe it when I walked up to her door step. The white flowers were beautiful and were growing very well. In the middle of each pot the white geraniums were replaced with a vibrant red one. The combination was great. My friend had an additional surprise for me in the house. She had bought red accent pillows for the living room as well as some red glass pieces. In the bathroom she decorated with red towels and rugs. The splash of color made the rooms appear warmer and more welcoming. My friend said that the white flowers helped her make the decision to add some color. The flowers were beautiful, but no one noticed them because they blended in to their background. The red color caught people’s attention, and then the entire pot was admired.

Having a water garden often means having to worry about how to treat nitrite problems without damaging fish and plant life. Ammonia Eliminator helps to safely treat ammonia/nitrites problems nature’s way with this new age Microbiotic Bacteria. These highly concentrated bacteria effectively reduce perilous levels of ammonia/nitrites rapidly by establishing superior growth colonies within the water garden pond environment. Ammonia is then consumed by these fantastic bacteria and eliminated.

Ammonia is produced by organic waste, urine, a fish’s own respiration, fish waste and even uneaten food. By causing the koi’s blood to lose its ability to carry oxygen, it creates strain and lowers the opposition to recurrent bacterial infections such as body slime and mouth fungus to list a few. In its un-ionized form, Ammonia can be toxic, while it remains non-toxic in its ionized form. By controlling the pH levels, you can ensure that your pond water remains at a healthy level. Ideally, you want your pH level to be no higher than 7.2 as ammonia begins to un-ionize and becomes toxic, resulting in a major disturbance to your water ponds delicate ecosystem.

Once you have determined your ponds pH level (easy to do with an Ammonia Test Kit), add Ammonia Eliminator to bring down the amount of ammonia to an acceptable level. Its always a good idea to apply a good nitrifying bacteria which will eat away the ammonia and nitrites, making for happy fish, greener plants and a cleaner looking pond.