Indoor Living Spaces

Spruce Up a Room in One Easy Step — Paint Not Required

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Affordable Redecorating Does Not Require Paint

The floor may be one of the most neglected areas when it comes to decorating. Adding an area rug to the floor has just as much impact on a room, though, as adding a fresh coat of paint to the walls. Area rugs define a space more effectively than furniture alone, and they help tie together the various elements in a room to make it feel like a unified whole.

Outdoor Rugs for Indoor DecoratingConsider using an outdoor rug for your indoor redecorating. Outdoor rugs are an ideal choice to use as indoor area rugs, especially in high traffic areas of the home. Outdoor rugs are made with durable materials that can stand up to all kinds of abuse, but they are just as beautiful and soft to the touch as traditional indoor rugs. They are much easier to clean than indoor rugs, which gives them yet another advantage over standard indoor area rugs.

Sprucing up a room in your home doesn’t always require spending loads of money or splashing on a new coat of paint. A simple addition, like an outdoor rug, might be all that is needed to freshen a room and give it new life.

Garden Tools & Tips, Storage Solutions

Backyard Greenhouses — Is Bigger Better?

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The purpose of greenhouses is to allow gardeners to grow a wider variety of plants and flowers, no matter the growing zone, and to extend the growing season to three, and sometimes four, seasons. No matter what size the greenhouse, the interior of a greenhouse heats up because the sunlight shining through greenhouse windows warms everything inside faster than heat can escape. The greenhouse walls and roof keep the warm air inside, even when temperatures outside are chilly.  How do you know, though, what size greenhouse is ideal for your garden?  Consider the following.

Hobby greenhouses are available in many shapes and sizes. If space is limited, a practical option would be a lean-to greenhouse or an attached greenhouse. These greenhouses are generally smaller in size and are physically attached to another building, such as a house, garage, or shed. Attached greenhouses and lean-to greenhouses get less sunlight during the day simply because they are attached to another structure, so they should be placed in a location that receives the most amount of sunlight throughout the day. Lean-to greenhouses and attached greenhouses are ideal for gardeners who wish to use the greenhouse only seasonally, and who may wish only to grow a small selection of plants.

Larger hobby greenhouses are free-standing and can hold more plants, flowers, and vegetables. Larger greenhouses can also support a longer growing season. Importantly, upgrading to a larger size greenhouse can be more expensive than starting with a larger greenhouse in the first place, so thinking ahead to future gardening needs is a must.

Is bigger better when it comes to backyard greenhouses?  The answer is different for every gardener because it depends on the amount of garden space available and the amount of planting each gardener wants to do.  If space is available, and if gardening is a serious endeavor, bigger is better.

Garden Tools & Tips

Successful Gardening on a Small Scale

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Trellis Box Planter  Kutstone Jumbo Roman Planters  Corsica Flower Bridge Planter Set

If you live in an apartment, condo, or other small space, you may feel that gardening is not a possibility. How can gardening be accomplished when there is no backyard in which to plant? Apartment dwellers can still reap the benefits of gardening because it can be done on a smaller scale. Container gardening allows you to create beautiful landscapes in miniature that can be easily tended on a balcony, next to a sunny window, or in a window box.

How to Choose Your Garden Planters

Choosing the right garden planters for your container garden depends on the space available. First, consider the size of the area where the garden planters will be located. Then, decide which shape would work best — square, rectangle, or circle. What material is preferred — natural wood, sturdy resin, metal, or clay? Be sure that the garden planters you choose are safe for growing edible plants, if that is your goal.

Planning Your Miniature Garden

Once you have selected your garden planters, decide what you would like to grow in your new garden. Containers can support a wide variety of plants, including herbs, vegetables, flowers, small shrubs, grasses, and vines. Not all plants like to live in containers, though, so be sure to select varieties that are known to be suitable container plants. Combining different plants in a container provides visual interest: choose plants of varying colors, sizes, and textures to give your container the feel of a “bouquet.” Be sure to choose plants with the same or similar lighting and watering requirements to ensure proper care for all of the plants.

Garden Tools & Tips, Storage Solutions

Minimize the Messy in Gardening

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Messy Garden Tools Need Organization

Gardening is messy.  Don’t make it messier by tossing garden tools into a corner of your shed or garage when gardening chores are done for the day.  Not only are tools harder to locate when they’re needed again, they can suffer damage easily and require frequent replacement.

To prevent hoes, rakes, shovels, and other garden tools from getting out of hand, keep them neat and tidy in a convenient place.  A sturdy, wooden garden tool holder makes an ideal garden tool storage solution.  With casters underneath and a dedicated slot for each individual tool, a garden tool holder is easy to move where it’s needed, and makes organizing tools a snap.  Your tools can be found where you left them, and they’ll stay in good working order for many years to come.

Cedar Garden Tool Holder

Garden Tools & Tips, Healthy Ideas

Simple Solution for Gardening Woes

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Raised Planter Boxes for Back Pain Prevention

Gardening is an enjoyable pastime for millions of people, but for many, it can present challenges and hassles. Those of us who have issues with mobility, space limitations, or invasions by local wildlife may find gardening a frustrating experience. All of these challenges can be solved easily, though, with the addition of raised planter boxes.

Raised Planter Boxes

Raised planter boxes, which are available in square or rectangle shapes, are an easy way to keep plants and veggies contained, but they also offer a number of other advantages:

  • Cedar Rectangle Planter BoxesNo Bending Required — Planter boxes raised on sturdy legs are ideal for gardeners who may have difficulty bending down and working in garden beds on the ground.
  • No Critter Competition — Raised planter boxes are also appealing to gardeners who are tired of losing out to local rabbits and other critters. They keep tender plants and veggies out of reach.
  • Suitable for Small Spaces — For homeowners who lack yard space for planting a garden, planter boxes give them the opportunity to keep a garden on the patio or deck.

Thanks to raised planter boxes, gardeners can enjoy fresh herbs, veggies, and fruits without having to experience the problems that sometimes accompany traditional ground-level gardens.