The soil in the back of the garden is just full of broken glass - I want to make it safe for the children but I've been told that to really do it properly means removed huge amounts of soil and replacing it with new topsoil. The quotes I've had are really expensive - is there another way? [more..]

Living in a small space doesn't mean that you have to be deprived of garden. In fact, today, the vast majority of people live in small living spaces, where they have to make choices and decide what they really want to create and do. Often, garden designs focus on huge acres and pieces of land, ignoring that most people are not lucky or privileged enough to enjoy such spaces. On the other hand, sometimes people come across garden ideas for small spaces they didn't know that existed, or could not even imagine. What we all want is to grow plants and maintain a garden that will give a refreshing tone to our house, enhancing its quality and looks. When designing gardens for small spaces, the first and most important requirement is imagination, a great eye and experience. Opposite to common belief, a small garden might have its limits, but it doesn't need to be limiting. The details are important here, not only because of the small spaces, but mostly because the small gardens are usually created around living areas or close to sitting areas. Garden ideas for small spaces should provide you with solutions for all possible options and combinations. [more..]

Please pass this on to your email list. The Time is now. 1. Turn off lights when not being used. 2. Follow your local lawn watering ordinances 3. If you work in a clean environment cut down on showers. 4. Buy cloth shopping bags. 5. Use public transportation when you can. 6. Plan your car trips so that you can do several errands at the same time. 7. Separate your recyclable trash. 8. replace your lawn with nature landscaping. 9. Save rain water for watering plants and lawns. 10. Install solar panels, 11. Use drip watering for your garden. [more..]

In early June I went to France to attend the opening of the American Impressionist Museum, next to the Claude Monet Museum at Giverny. Over one thousand invited guests sat down to a five-course dinner under a huge tend erected in an apple orchard. The tent had a wooden floor with holes cut out so the apple trees could poke trough into the dining area. One of my reasons for visiting France was to complete research for a new book entitled The Impressionist Garden, concerning the garden philosophies of all the great French and American Impressionist painters. One of my favorite personalities among the French Impressionists is Gustave Caillebotte, a wealthy art patron whose family owned a large estate at Yerres. From when Caillebotte was 12 until his twenties the property was a favorite motif, especially its park-like vistas and large walled vegetable garden. It was after painting the vegetable garden-with gardeners hauling heavy watering cans to water long lines of beans and lettuce-that Cailebotte develpled a fascination for compositions that show a strong sense of perspective, culminating in his two great masterpieces; The Floor Scrapers (1875) and Paris Street, Rainy Weather (1877).I read in a book about Caillebotte that [more..]

Trying to get ready for some light container gardening in the spring and would like some worm casings for the soil. [more..]

I've started a small vegetable garden on my back patio- I want to grow tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, onions, zucchini, and various herbs. I've noticed that the patio only gets about four hours of direct sunlight daily, and I'm worried that this will not be enough for heathly growth and yields. These plants are all in containers, so they are able to be moved if necessary to maximize light exposure. But, I was wondering if I fit my patio light with a couple flourescent bulbs, will this help make up for the lack of direct light? Will the plants be healthier with a couple of extra hours of supplemental light from the flourescents, or will the sunlight be enough? [more..]