This is what usually happens, when you do something for the first time - collect ideas 'how to'. I am growing beans for the first time and ...
Vertical vegetable gardening is an easy way to grow more food in less space. Plus, it looks gorgeous! Try these easy-to-build pole bean tunnels!
Building a trellis is an easy and affordable way to upgrade your garden. These trellis ideas can help you make your own, even on a small budget.
Our judges have selected the finalists, now you choose the winners. Vote for the finalists in each of 12 categories in the Considered Design Awards, on bot
This is what usually happens, when you do something for the first time - collect ideas 'how to'. I am growing beans for the first time and ...
Over the last several months, art poles (also referred to as garden poles and peace poles) have been all the rage for garden / yard décor. Colorful and eye-catching, this latest trend has inspired people to want to make their own. If you’re a crafty person who simply loves expressing him/herself regardless of the cost, this is a unique project you can use in your own yard or give as a gift. However, there are times when doing it yourself doesn’t save money. While there’s nothing like a muse to spark your creative impulses, designing and building a single garden pole can end up being more expensive than buying one (especially if you find a discount). So, before you let your inner DIYer loose, take a look at the typical expenses (in time and dollars) so you can make a sound decision. Materials List for Garden Art Poles Art poles come in all sizes and have been made of wood, metal and PVC. The materials may vary depending on which type of pole you start with. Prices will also vary according to your geographic location and the store you purchase from. (1) 36”, white, 4x4 PVC pole - $20 (2) Cap for pole – $2 (3) Artist acrylic paints – 4-oz tubes (for every color in your design) - $5 per tube. You may need multiple tubes of the colors you use for your base. If you have 10 colors and 4 of the colors require 2 tubes each, the paint will cost around $70. (4) 1- and 2-inch paint brushes. You can get inexpensive ones online, but be careful of cheap quality brushes that shed. You can find 1-inch and 2-inch round brushes on Amazon for between $7 and $20 each. We’ll estimate a total of $20 for both brushes. Buy on Amazon #AD (5) PVC primer - $10. (6) UV sealant/varnish for outdoor use (may need 2 bottles) - $13. Buy on Amazon #AD (7) Drop cloth, old newspaper, old sheet (you probably have at home). Total estimated material cost - $128.50 Design Requirements Here’s where you can let your creative side shine! Yard poles are about expressing your personality. The whole idea is to capture the essence of your family, hobby or passion. Want a military tribute for a newly commissioned family or one that is about to deploy? A garden pole is a truly memorable gift. Looking to show off your love for birds? Create or buy a yard pole that with pictures of several birds. Want to inspire serenity? Make or buy a peace pole for your church grounds. Art poles are typically square, so you can create a design in one of two ways. First, you can draft a design that spans the entire pole. Walking around the pole would reveal the whole design. Second, you can draw an entirely different design for each side of your pole. Time Requirements The amount of design, prep and development time varies from person to person. You’ll need to: Prep the PVC pole Create your design draft Lightly sketch the design onto the pole (using a pencil) Paint the design on the pole Allow it to dry Seal the pole with varnish For beginners who have never made an art pole before, it will likely take around 8-10 hours from beginning to end. Depending on how valuable you believe your time is, that might add another $100 (at $10 per hour). Estimate Cost of Time: $100 Buy A Garden Art Pole If this is a bit more trouble than you were expecting, or you simply prefer to buy an art pole instead of making one yourself, there are deals to be had. The estimated cost of time and materials to make a garden pole yourself is $228.50. Keep your eyes open for discounts online. The best art poles are made of PVC because they do not rust like metal or rot like wood. They also have fade-resistant graphics that won’t peel or flake as paint often does. Plus, you can customize them with names or dates when you order. Many times, you can find garden poles available with free shipping, too! The choice is yours. Either way, you’re bound to have an inspiring addition to your yard or an impressive gift for a loved one!
The Upcycled Garden totem pole ideas for totem poles made from salvaged and upcycled materials.
I am forever looking forwards, towards the next step in our house, one idea leads to another and my mind gets completely carried away. But I think it's this forethought that is helping me visualise everything as a whole, how can you make decisions about an extension and it's layout without consideri
How to create a rustic cottage garden haven in an empty strip of lawn or field, with budget tips and recycling cottagecore inspiration
Easy step by step instructions for growing pole beans, the best pole bean trellis and pole bean varieties, pole bean seed saving, pole bean companion plants.
I’ve become a little obsessed with peace poles since I discovered them … A what? You may be asking … These are poles (they look similar to a fence post) and each side is decorated. When you create and plant a peace pole, you are connecting to people all over the world. There are thousands […]
I love peace poles outside of homes and churches and other buildings. But between not being able to afford a fancy carved one and always wanting mine to be a little brighter and to say something a little different, I've never purchased one. Then I decided I could surely make one myself and stick it in my own garden! Here are two photos of my finished peace pole, each showing two sides of the pole. Honestly, the process was not too hard. 1. Decide what words you want on it. I have known for years what words I wanted on it. I wanted words and phrases from a Gaelic Blessing, which I had sung for many years when I performed in choir at college. I love the phrase "Deep Peace" which seems so perfect for a peace pole. And I love the way that blessing winds through different parts of nature--wind and waves and earth and moon and stars--looking at all the different ways natural creation provides us with peace. This is also a great opportunity to write your own words for the pole. Just because these are traditionally called "peace poles" doesn't mean the words have to be about peace. What about a welcome? A list of favorite words or wishes? What about no words at all? 2. Work out a basic color scheme. I knew I wanted a bright color scheme based in blue because I lived in a wooded area, with lots of green and brown. I wanted something that would look natural, compliment the colors in the scenery, but still stand out a bit. Then I waited for a sale and stocked up on Liquitex Basics Acrylics and did color mixing tests on sturdy paper until I had what I was looking for. 3. Buy the pole (also the cap and post). I had already decided I wanted to work with PVC, not wood or metal, because it is inexpensive, sturdy, clean to work with and lightweight. At first I thought I would be stuck having to create more of a Peace Pipe, because I only knew of PVC coming in tubes for plumbing and what not. But my local fencing supply company had an outdoor display of PVC fence for yards, made to look like wood and stabilized by PVC poles that mimic wooden 4x4s. Hooray! I went to Lowe's (the local hardware store) and got a 4 x 4 inch PVC pole, 6 feet high, plus a cap to close the top for less than $20. I also knew that I wanted to be able to move mine, so I bought a thin metal fence post, 5 feet high, that I could easily pound into the ground, and pull up and move it I wanted to. More on how I used that later. 4. Work out the design. You can, of course, do anything you want. I don't see things very well in my head, so I sketched it out. In particular, I knew I wanted the top images to flow into each other in a circle, forming basically one image, but so that each quarter of the image would appear on a side of the pole with the appropriate words. You can see here the sketch in which I worked that out in my sketchbook. The numbers across the top of the image indicate which side of the square post it would go on and correspond with the numbers in the list. Therefore, section 3, with the trees, would be above the words "Quiet Earth." You can see that in the pictures at the top of this post. Then, because I'm really insecure, I did "draft" versions of the sides full-size on pieces I cut and taped together from newsprint. 5. Buy other supplies. I purchased the paints, a drop cloth, some 1 and 2 inch-wide inexpensive paint brushes, sandpaper, PVC primer and a sealant/varnish designed for outdoor use and for UV protection against fading in the sun. As I mentioned above, I used Liquitex Basics acrylic paints for the colored areas. However, I used Golden Fluid Acrylics for the black line work, along with a small round brush (I think it was a size 6). That paint flows more like a thick ink and was perfect for the finishing detail work I needed to do. 5. Prepare the pole. First I scrubbed it with rubbing alcohol. This seemed to take off anything too oily or just residual dirt. Second I sanded it lightly, mostly to get some texture to the surface so the paint would stick. I rubbed that down with a damp cloth to get the dust off. Third, I painted the whole thing with white PVC primer, which I bought in a spray at the hardware store. I let it dry overnight. Here it is, with my cat Tim supervising the drying. 6. Draw a light map of the image on the pole. I did not draw the entire image on the pole because I knew I was going to paint over it with my background colors. But I did measure out the basic dividers. And because I had drawn my practice images in full size on newsprint back in step 6, I could lay them down beside the pole to use as a guide when I painted. Beware: I found that even light pencil marks did not erase well. 7. Paint your pole. I found it easiest (after some messy trial and error) to prop the pole against a table and paint each section around all four sides, rather than to paint one side at a time. I am sure this happened because I conceptualized my design as a circular one, rather than as a panel-by-panel one. While I don't think there is one best way to paint your pole, I do taking the time to think about how you'll do it with such an awkward object will pay off! 8. Finish it up! Let it dry completely. Add extra time to be sure. Then start coating it with the UV-proof varnish. As I mentioned earlier, I am insecure, so I gave it double dry time in between coats and I put on an extra coat or two for good measure. Then I let it dry inside my home for a good week before I put it outside. 9. Put it outside. Because I wanted to be able to move my pole, at least for a while, I just picked a spot and pounded my metal garden post in. Then a set the pole down over it. Of course, the garden pole is much smaller than the inside of the peace pole, so the peace pole wobbles quite a bit. But this is easily fixed! Simply fill a bucket with dirt or sand and, making sure that the peace pole is upright as you like it, pour the sand down inside the pole. Use a second bucket if you need to. Soon, that will fill the bottom foot or so of the inside of the pole and stop the wobbling! You'll have a stable pole without having to permanently mount it in place. 10. Enjoy! Of course, the very day after I put it outside, it snowed. But the pole looked terrific in all that white and I felt super pleased with it. The project cost me less than $50 total for supplies (though I admit I had a lot of paints already) and probably took me a total of 10 hours to do, not counting the thinking and design time or the drying time in between coats. I have no idea how long it will last, having just made it. But that's part of the fun of it. Kind of like prayer flags and sand mandalas. The making held the most meaning. I'll enjoy it while it lasts. I'm happy to have made this peace pole out of the words and colors that have such deep meaning for me. I am thinking that making them as gifts for other people might be a very cool thing--customizing the design and words to reflect who they are and what they find meaningful.
The Upcycled Garden totem pole ideas for totem poles made from salvaged and upcycled materials.
120 - 180 Inches 60 - 84 Inches 36 - 60 Inches 3.0m - 4.6m 1.5m - 2.1m 91cm - 1.5m Features Narrow upright columnar habit is perfect for narrow sites as a specimen or screen. Little care is needed. Evergreen. Hardy, resists winter burn. Excellent landscape plant. Best Seller Fall Interest Winter Interest Native to North America Characteristics Plant Type: Shrub Shrub Type: Evergreen Height Category: Tall Garden Height: 120 - 180 Inches 3.0m - 4.6m Spacing: 60 - 84 Inches 1.5m - 2.1m Spread: 36 - 60 Inches 91cm - 1.5m Foliage Colors: Green Foliage Shade: Green Habit: Upright Container Role: Thriller Plant Needs Light Requirement: Part Sun to Sun Light Requirement: Sun The optimum amount of sun or shade each plant needs to thrive: Full Sun (6+ hours), Part Sun (4-6 hours), Full Shade (up to 4 hours). Maintenance Category: Easy Bloom Time: Grown for Foliage Hardiness Zones: 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b Water Category: Average Uses: Landscape Uses Notes: The tight, columnar habit makes this a great specimen or screen for narrow sites. Use as a bold accent plant in mixed borders. Maintenance Notes: Little care is needed. Pruning is usually not needed, but may be shaped in summer. Apply a controlled release fertilizer in spring. A very cool evergreen that adds elegance to your garden all year round! This narrow columnar selection of 'Wintergreen' has excellent hardiness and dark green winter foliage color. More narrow than Emerald Green. Selected by Art Boe of Faribault, MN, it is resistant to winter burn. North Pole® Thuja occidentalis 'Art Boe' USPP 22,174, Can 3,912 Professional Growing Information
Our obelisk-inspired, Spirit Poles provide a positive, reaffirming message to those around you and can be enjoyed during the day and night! Their vibrant colors draw the eyes attention to them no matter where they are placed (yard, deck or patio), and their essence can boost our spirits when the vagaries of life seem o
Looking for plants that like moss poles? Find the perfect plants for moss poles to enhance your vertical garden. Create a tropical oasis today!
Help anyone transform their homestead or garden with a simple addition. Inspirational garden flag. Groovy, boho, garden flag. Made with lightweight yet highly durable poly poplin-canvas fabric, these banners feel premium to the touch and will oversee your home for years on end. .: 100% Poly poplin-canvas fabric .: Two sizes (12'' × 18'' and 24.5'' × 32'') .: Same design printed on both sides, flag flipped over long edge .: Black inside lining .: Features sleeve at top .: Pole not included
Note: I originally did this page in such a way that the oldest content was at the top, and the newest was at the bottom. I have now decided to reverse the order so that new stuff is visible without having to scroll down to the end! November 2012 - Brassicas at rear, lots of Endives under cloches October 2012 - the Woodblocx raised bed is installed ********************************************************************************** This is where the original "My Plot" page began. Here are some pictures that show the layout of my plot. My house is a "typical" English suburban property. It has a small garden -- probably intended only for ornamental purposes. Regrettably, many people do not enjoy gardening, and having a small garden is attractive to such people since it involves less maintenance (what a strange view!) Front view of my house My property has almost no Front Garden -- just a tiny patch of grass and one Crab Apple tree -- but the Back Garden is my pride and joy. It is very roughly 10 metres square. When we first moved in here, the garden consisted mainly of a "lawn" (in very bad condition, and very uneven), surrounded by a very thin strip of "flower border". This is how it used to look, years ago In our early years here we enjoyed having the lawn as a play area for our children, and we sometimes used to play badminton on it. As the children grew up, the relevance of the lawn diminished, and the drudgery of keeping it in anything like decent condition became more and more onerous. About 10 years ago I dug up some of the lawn and created my first raised beds. These have subsequently been added-to and I now have six. Each one measures 1 metre x 2.4 metres. Finally, in 2007 I think, I had the grass completely removed and replaced with 2.5cm shingle. This was a stroke of genius in my opinion! August 2010 - six raised beds fully-stocked The patio - our outdoor dining area, with barbecue at right Looking towards the raised beds That blessed washing-line! (Rusted-in - can't shift it!) The "Fish Tree" (a Sorbus of some sort) with bird-feeders Compost bins under the Fish tree September 2010 - netting over some of the beds October 2010 - nets replaced by fleece November 2010 - just look at all those leaves My shed - 6ft x 4ft November 2010 18 Dec 2010 18 Dec 2010 12 March 2011 - peas sown 13 March 2011 - parsnips and beetroot protected by new cloches 19 March 2011 - The tatty old grass at the front got replaced with shingle 15 April 2011 - Crab Apple tree flowering 25 April 2011 - Brassicas removed; asparagus cropping; beetroot netted. 28 May 2011 - Broad Beans, Climbing Beans, Brassicas... 28 May 2011 - the patio still covered in seed-trays and mini-greenhouses 28 May - view onto the road. Cucumber bin at bottom right 27 June 2011 - the Outdoor Dining Room is enabled once more! 07 Jan 2012 - Mostly resting. New cloches hosting Lettuce 03 Mar 2012 - Netting everywhere (to deter foxes) 03 Mar 2012 - Pea-supports in foreground 03 Mar 2012 - Parsnips and beetroot sown under cloches 03 Mar 2012 - Shallots and Garlic under net in background 03 Mar 2012 - "Empty" bed is the one containing Asparagus plants 01 June 2012 - Chillis in front of Runner Beans 01 June 2012 - Tomato plants lined up next to the water-butt
I’m sharing a garden hack and my favorite flowering summer vine with a creative way to help it climb, using a Slinky! A $3 Slinky provides an easy trellis as…
Bring the outdoors in with Garden Heaven, as the gorgeous 2015 annual is out sale today
Making a trellis and raised garden box is a lot easier than it looks. This quick tutorial will help you through the whole process easily.
Have you ever strolled through a garden and felt as though you were walking through a living gallery? Garden art transforms ordinary green spaces into vibrant
There are several types of green beans but they fall into 2 categories - pole beans vs bush beans. Find out the differences between the two.
Make your deck or patio staycation worthy when you learn how to install string light poles with this simple backyard project.
Niet iedereen beschikt over een royale tuin. Ontdek hier zes ideetjes waarmee je een kleine tuin kunt vergroten!
Got rocks in the garden? Try these creative garden ideas with rocks that anyone can do. Easy projects and tutorials for using up those garden stone!
