We all love learning great ways to create a summer garden fit to rival them all. What we do not really take the time to check out often enough are the things we should avoid when creating a summer garden. Learning the potential pitfalls of summer gardening can often lead to much better results in the long run while allowing you to learn these sometimes painful lessons from the mistakes of others rather than your own personal gardening flops and nightmares.
One thing that we are all guilty of is landscaping for the neighbor's enjoyment. If you spend the vast majority of your free time in the great outdoors, this is one thing but if you are like the typical family you spend the vast majority of your time inside your home looking out. For this reason it is wise to plant your summer garden in an area that you can easily view from within the walls of your home rather than in an area that only the neighbors are likely to see on an average day. In other words, garden for your enjoyment and make it so that you actually get to view the benefits of your labor on any given day.
Avoid cluttering your lawn with too much of anything. Keep your summer garden on scale with your lawn. It will look completely out of place if you have too much in garden on a postage stamp lot and will look completely under maintained to have very little landscaping in your summer garden on a lot the size of a grand estate. Try to keep everything in perspective and appropriate to the amount of land available as well as the climate of the area in which you are planning your summer garden.
You should also avoid looking as though you have no plan in your summer garden landscaping and design. Planning is the most important thing you can do for your summer garden. Without a solid plan upon which to build the design of your summer garden your garden is doomed to either fail or look as though it was poorly planned and executed. Invest the largest portion of time and energy towards the planning stage of your summer garden in order to achieve the best possible results.
Another common pitfall when planning and creating summer gardens is failing to consider the long-term implications of the plants and flowers selected for the garden. If you are not interested in heavy maintenance it makes little sense to purchase plants and flowers that are high maintenance by nature. Select plants according to your summer garden needs and not simply because you think they look good in a brochure or on the store shelves.
If you take a little time to make a concerted effort towards properly planning your summer gardens according to your personal tastes and the desired level of maintenance you wish to invest in keeping your garden in top form you will find that you will enjoy your garden much more than if you throw some plants in the ground and hope for the best. One thing to remember is that while there are summer gardens that require a little less maintenance than others there is no such thing as a no maintenance garden. Expect to spend some time and effort keeping your garden looking sharp and in order.
Where The Wild Things Are Watch
Historic homes are beautiful and, when they are fully restored, valuable as well. However, there can be quite a few issues with a historic home that many home buyers don't initially take into consideration before putting in an offer. If you have the money and experience, renovating an older home can be fun and rewarding. However, if you are inexperienced with older home renovation, the constant surprises can be daunting.
The thing working against older homes from the start is that they're, well, old. An 1872 farmhouse sounds delightfully rustic, but while the timbers may still be in good shape, the rest of the house may well not be. Over a century of pests, oxidization, weather and use are going to take their toll on any home. Without regular maintenance and updates, a historic home could be hiding serious flaws that not only compromise your comfort and the home's resale value, but also your safety.
When many older homes were built, safety standards were very different or even non-existent. Electricity might not be grounded and wiring may not be safely installed. Older homes that have never been renovated in a fire-conscious culture will not have any fire-retardant material that can inhibit or prevent the spread of a house fire. Some older homes are still insulated with asbestos. It is well worth your money to hire an inspector who can ascertain if your home is safe.
While your electricity may be grounded, it may not be available in the quantity needed for today's home and the explosion of gadgets that depend on electricity. Upgrading the electricity in an older home can be a challenge. Also, the plumbing could be inefficient or downright unreliable. The kitchen may sport appliances that are aging as well, meaning that you may have to replace them relatively quickly or that they will be inefficient in their use of energy.
Another common problem in older homes is insulation. The windows are likely single-pane and the walls and floors could be insulated with anything from newspaper to asbestos. It bears repeating that it is in your best interests to get a thorough home inspection done to find out if there is anything you need be concerned about. The level and quality of insulation determines how efficient the home will be at heating and cooling and how much money you will spend on that.
When you first start home hunting, visions of exquisitely restored heritage homes may be dancing in your head, but make sure that these dreams don't make more money than you bargained for dance out of your wallet. While renovating a historic home can be a great project, ensure that you know what you're likely to spend and how much work you will need to put in to fully restore the building to its former glory.
Both Jon Simms & Dylan are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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