Benefits of Terrace Gardens

Nature is man’s best friend. It is only in the lap of nature one can forget all the worldly worries. Nature has the power to provide that comfort and peace which one requires. That piece of mind provides relief and removes tension away. Nature teaches man to be humble and patient. Nature it is always a giver for humanity. There are very few chances when nature is violent, and that too because of excess wrong things done by us humans. However, that aspect of nature is also beneficial until it does not harm anyone.

After working long one needs peace and comfort. Gardens or greenery in any form serves this purpose. It is very important for everyone in order to have some fresh air. Due to popularity of multistory skyscrapers, and condominiums, it is difficult for people to have gardens at home. To provide some relief terrace garden is the new alternative. Terrace garden is new trend for having surrounded by nature. Terrace garden not only gives rich look to the house but it is also helpful in providing good health. Walking early morning is helpful in removing many diseases. Walking itself in morning and evening keeps the heart strong. Old people can be benefited the most. They always complain about joints pain and other problems. Having various medicinal plants is a good approach. Much common lifestyle diseases can be solved at home if you have some greenery in form of terrace garden and some medicinal plants there. Also having fresh vegetables like tomato, chilies, mints, cabbage, ladyfingers, cauliflower, gives real joy.

The taste of home vegetables have own pleasure. It is also good for health due its purity. No harmful chemicals are mixed. Even beautiful flowers with like rose, lily, marigold can steal the heart. The sweet aroma of various flowers relief all tension. Walking on green grass early morning with dew drops falling is very pleasing. Is good for eyes. One can even do party at terrace. With garden on one side and fountain with lotus flower one can really enjoy the weather. Terrace garden is beneficial for the person who does not want to go out but can enjoy their evening.

In terrace garden people can play, can do exercise, party with friends, can have candle light dinner, it gives lots of joy enriched life. One can do gardening also for passing their time. Terrace garden is beneficial in all aspects of life.

Soap Nuts vs Chemical Detergents and Soaps

Soap nuts are natural soaps that grow on trees. These are the fruits of the tree called Sapindus. They do not contain any harmful chemicals and dyes or any other artificial fragrance. Sapindus grow in warm tropical regions and are native trees of India, Indonesia, Nepal and other South East Asian countries. They are easy to use and can be trusted for long term safety from any adverse chemical reactions on the body and nature.

A comparative study of the two can give a clear picture of what soap nuts can offer you in terms of a natural detergent. To begin with we can discuss the harmful effects of the chemical detergents.

CHEMICAL DETERGENTS: These laundry detergents and chemical soaps are made up of chemicals and toxins that may have some long term affects. These effects are listed below:

• The chemicals, dyes and artificial detergents which are used in the laundry detergents are harmful and used for cleaning clothes, these chemicals and dyes stay back within the pores of the fabric even after cleansing. When these clothes are worn, these chemicals come in contact with the body skin and enter into our blood and causes adverse reactions which are harmful to human body. When these toxins are exposed to sunlight, they release vapors giving us an unhealthy air to breath.

• The laundry detergents contain enzymes which are known to cause allergies and dermatitis.

• Sodium hypochlorite presents in the detergents cause lung irritation, respiratory reactions, and cardiovascular damage and damage your eye and skin.

• Nonylphenoxy Ethoxylates present in the detergents are responsible for increase in breast and prostate cancer. This particular chemical can also cause infertility and is a key ingredient in declining amphibian population.

• The chemicals in the detergent can cause premature wear and tear of the clothes.

When compared to these drawbacks of the laundry detergents, the soap nuts are actually blessings in disguise.

SOAP NUTS: The soap nuts are natural and do not contain any harmful chemicals or toxins. They have a natural chemical called Saponin. The Saponin present in high concentration (nearly 10-18%) acts as a natural detergents when comes in contact with water.

• These are 100% organic and bio-degradable.

• They have a natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal action which destroys the harmful micro organisms.

• Due to the anti-microbial property, soap nuts are used for bathing and keep the skin smooth and germs free.

• The soap nuts do not cause any allergic affect on the skin because of the absence of enzymes and contains hypo allergic elements which prevent allergy.

• The detergent which goes out as end and waste has the antimicrobial properties which causes cleaning of the drainage and sewer system and thus becomes eco-friendly.

• This anti-microbial and hypo-allergic property of the soap nuts is good for people suffering from eczema and any other skin infection.

• They don’t damage the linen fibers and protects color.

• Last but not the least they are re-usable.

Thus, when it comes to create a green and natural world, when it comes to the economical aspect, laundry detergents and the soaps are nowhere to stand in comparison to soap nuts. We need to decide.

Container Herb Gardens

fresh herbs available. There are many people who enjoy fresh herbs in but don't have the available space in their living conditions. This can be due the need to live in an apartment like setting or due to renting space. Container herb gardens can provide as easy solution that comes from having fresh herbs for adding to home cooking.

Creating Container Herb Gardens

Creating your own container herb gardens is not as difficult as it first sounds. Firstly, you will need to research the type of herbs that you want to grow. Herbs have a number of health advantages. Some of them can help with headaches, and other different medical conditions as well as tasting great in food.

Instructions for Container Herb Gardens

When building a container herb garden you will need to decide on the location and the amount of space you want to use. This will determine the size of the containers you will need to use. You will also need to decide the herbs you are want to grow.

This is important because, there are also a variety of different growing conditions, depending on which herb, you want to grow. You may want to consider different sized containers so that they can be placed in many areas. Once you have decided on the type of herbs, group them together based on the best lighting and growing conditions.

This will allow you to place the herbs together in similar growing groups.

The next step is to decide if you are going to use-grown plants or start from seeds. Usually container gardens are created using already grown plants. It is also a good idea to have fertilizer prepared and to use quality topsoil. This will help to reduce the shock of already living plants that you transplant and help to increase the chances of having seeds grow.

Once you have planted everything, place the containers in places around your home that meet the lighting requirements for the plants. It is also a good idea to name, date and label the herbs.

Log Cabins For The Garden Are Here to Stay

Log cabins set in the middle of a green open space under an open, blue sky – looks like the very picture of beauty, doesn’t it? Picture postcard perfect beauty. Log cabins have a certain rustic charm about them, which is an undeniable fact, and they’ve been around for a long time. They have the simplest of structures and can be found all over the world, both in rural and urban areas wherever wood has been readily available. It is believed that log cabins began to be constructed initially in the northern part of Europe, around 3500 BC. Later on, the construction of such cabins began in the USA, Germany, Russia and Scandinavia. A number of the log cabins constructed years ago still stand in some parts of the world.

The styles in which log cabins have been constructed vary from one part of the world to another. Two common styles of log cabins, classified on the basis of the style of their roofs, are the purlin style and the gable style. In the middle of the 18th century, elaborate log cabins began to be constructed, known as the Adirondack style of cabins. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, a number of log cabins began to be constructed as a part of the United States Park Service, most of which were built as per the Adirondack style.

The construction of a log cabin is rather simple, as it is usually built with logs horizontally piled one on top of one another. Logs used for building a cabin can not be picked on a random basis. They need to be selected carefully as logs with only a few knots are preferred, as such logs can be smoothed easily with a bit of whittling. This ensures that the gaps between the logs are as small as possible. In days gone by the gaps were filled in with grass and sticks, known as ‘chinking’, or with mud, known as ‘daubing’.

Major decisions to be taken when constructing a log cabin are – the cabin size, number of storeys, the type of roof, and the type of doors and windows. Years ago the availability of logs as well as that of labour were two of the most important factors affecting the size of the cabin. For instance, if logs were not readily available in the vicinity of the site, the size of the cabin would have to be restricted. Similarly, if labour – human or animal – was not available near the site, again the cabin size would have to be restricted.

In today’s times however, the construction of log cabins has been made extremely simple by the availability of ready-to-erect log cabin kits. Such cabins have the same look and feel as traditional log cabins, but are cheaper and easier to construct. You do not have to look for the various materials for construction and collect them from different places, as they are readily available in a single kit. Moreover, when log cabin kits are being used, there is no need for cranes and other heavy equipment. Due to their advantages, log cabin kits are widely preferred by people all over the world.

Initially, log cabins were built by travelers to stay en route. They were not meant to be permanent dwellings. With the passage of time, they began to be used as residences, as well as outbuildings for various purposes such as storage of garden equipment and raising animals. Some people use log cabins as an extension of their home: as a gym; an office; as a playroom; or as a place for rest and relaxation.

In conclusion, log cabins have been around for a long time because they have always been versatile and remain an asset for any homeowner.

Add Style to Your Garden with Fountains

Fountains are becoming extremely popular these days. One of the reasons is the unlimited possibilities that fountains provide in creating a style that is both unique and enviable for our own homes and gardens. Whether it is an outdoor or indoor fountain, floor or tabletop fountain or one of those incredibly soothing wall mounted or hanging wall fountains, there is no question that people would grab at that chance to have one, if they can.

Outdoor fountains will surely liven up a garden, driveway, patio and just about any outdoor place while exuding an over-all sense of relaxation and tranquility. It serves as a centerpiece especially in outdoor areas where entertaining and socializing is often done. Both visually appealing and pleasant to the ears, the resulting calm setting is an invitation to guests to feel welcome and enjoy themselves. Hundreds of different styles of water fountains are available, with some suppliers having the ability to custom design a fountain according to their clients’ requirements.

A fountain almost instantaneously adds a sense of elegance to one’s garden. It is a beauty that weaves its own magic, the more it is looked at and appreciated. Historically, garden fountains were placed in enclosed courtyards of dramatic homes. Outdoor fountains were extensively used by the Mesopotamians in their formal gardens which brought a lush landscape highlighted with garden fountains to the harsh highlands. Water fountains fulfill practical and aesthetic purposes such as landmark fountains that were designed to impress as well as refresh. The use of various materials like stone, metal and concrete plus the mastery of water’s interplay with light and its surrounding environment determine the success of any fountain design.The different designs available have made it a lot easier to incorporate fountains in our planning schemes, not only in gardens where we usually envision them to be, but also inside our homes and offices previously limited by space considerations. The wide range of sizes, styles, materials, colors and prices combine to provide a delightful selection of indoor and outdoor fountains, all producing the highly desired calming effect of cascading waters.

Indoor fountains are highly preferred decorative items for home. Floor fountains can stand almost anywhere in the home. They can also be used to create a barrier between two rooms. Wall fountains, whether wall mounted fountains or hanging wall fountains, provide the desired effect regardless of space. There is nothing which should prevent anyone from enjoying the sounds of natural trickling water. A tabletop fountain is small enough to be placed on top of a coffee table or dining table and does not require any installation thereby simplifying assembly to get the fountain up and running.

There are many advantages in having a fountain in our environment. Indoor fountains act as natural humidifiers as they complement indoor plants by providing the needed humidity that is lost with heat and air units. They are also utilized as tools to camouflage noises thereby creating a more pleasant setting. A water fountain, as a piece, is a leader in the functional art industry and can do wonders to any empty space that requires decorating balance.

Gardens have become the primary personal outdoor living space of the busy people of today. It has become a place of refuge in the hurried pace of the modern life. Thus, it makes sense to make such space more pleasing by increasing its functionality and purpose without sacrificing style.

Add Style to Your Garden with Fountains

Fountains are becoming extremely popular these days. One of the reasons is the unlimited possibilities that fountains provide in creating a style that is both unique and enviable for our own homes and gardens. Whether it is an outdoor or indoor fountain, floor or tabletop fountain or one of those incredibly soothing wall mounted or hanging wall fountains, there is no question that people would grab at that chance to have one, if they can.

Outdoor fountains will surely liven up a garden, driveway, patio and just about any outdoor place while exuding an over-all sense of relaxation and tranquility. It serves as a centerpiece especially in outdoor areas where entertaining and socializing is often done. Both visually appealing and pleasant to the ears, the resulting calm setting is an invitation to guests to feel welcome and enjoy themselves. Hundreds of different styles of water fountains are available, with some suppliers having the ability to custom design a fountain according to their clients’ requirements.

A fountain almost instantaneously adds a sense of elegance to one’s garden. It is a beauty that weaves its own magic, the more it is looked at and appreciated. Historically, garden fountains were placed in enclosed courtyards of dramatic homes. Outdoor fountains were extensively used by the Mesopotamians in their formal gardens which brought a lush landscape highlighted with garden fountains to the harsh highlands. Water fountains fulfill practical and aesthetic purposes such as landmark fountains that were designed to impress as well as refresh. The use of various materials like stone, metal and concrete plus the mastery of water’s interplay with light and its surrounding environment determine the success of any fountain design.The different designs available have made it a lot easier to incorporate fountains in our planning schemes, not only in gardens where we usually envision them to be, but also inside our homes and offices previously limited by space considerations. The wide range of sizes, styles, materials, colors and prices combine to provide a delightful selection of indoor and outdoor fountains, all producing the highly desired calming effect of cascading waters.

Indoor fountains are highly preferred decorative items for home. Floor fountains can stand almost anywhere in the home. They can also be used to create a barrier between two rooms. Wall fountains, whether wall mounted fountains or hanging wall fountains, provide the desired effect regardless of space. There is nothing which should prevent anyone from enjoying the sounds of natural trickling water. A tabletop fountain is small enough to be placed on top of a coffee table or dining table and does not require any installation thereby simplifying assembly to get the fountain up and running.

There are many advantages in having a fountain in our environment. Indoor fountains act as natural humidifiers as they complement indoor plants by providing the needed humidity that is lost with heat and air units. They are also utilized as tools to camouflage noises thereby creating a more pleasant setting. A water fountain, as a piece, is a leader in the functional art industry and can do wonders to any empty space that requires decorating balance.

Gardens have become the primary personal outdoor living space of the busy people of today. It has become a place of refuge in the hurried pace of the modern life. Thus, it makes sense to make such space more pleasing by increasing its functionality and purpose without sacrificing style.

Aquarium Selection and Placement

Width: You should get the widest tank you have available considering the space you have to allocate for it. A mistake would be thinking that upgrading to a wider tank later would be easy. You might be able to get a larger tank but you would also have to upgrade all of the equipment in it, making the upgrade project up to five more times as expensive then if you get the largest tank that will fit in the space you have allocated as possible. Also in that regard, fish tend to grow when you feed them. If you get a small tank and your fish grow, you will have to upgrade to accommodate them. But if you start with a wide tank from the start, then when your fish grow you will only have to provide them will more food. The environment you first created will still be sound.

Height: Fish swim horizontally not vertically, so the more feet wide your tank is, the happier an environment you are creating for your fish. A mistake is to think that height matters. Unless you are getting very big fish, then a higher tank will only make it harder to provide the right lighting. Opting for a wide, low tank is a much better option. Your fish won't know the difference, but you will when you get your water and electricity bill.

Water: No matter what size you select for your saltwater tank, you will want to have access to water for the purpose of making the task of changing the water in your task easier. The last thing you want to have to do is cart fifty-five to a hundred gallons of water up or down a flight of stairs. If you can be assured that you can at least have a hose to move your replacement saltwater into your tank, then you will have a far easier time changing the water, which you will want to do because of the positive effects on your livestock and the negative effects that changing the water has on pesky algae.

Environmental Factors: You want to keep your tank away from anything that will affect your ability to control the environmental factors in your tank. Allowing sunlight to beam onto your tank is a mistake as it will cause both heat and light, and will encourage algae to grow, and saltwater plants to not grow as well. Next you have to look at radiators or heaters, and ensure that your tank is not near them because the heat generated will definitely cause your control over the environment in your tank to get out of your control.

Type: Initially, acrylic may appear to have a nicer image, but it is very easy to scratch, and over time, micro-scratches create a dull look that counter-acts the initial beauty. Regular glass tends to look a bit greenish because of the iron, so for the best look, spend the money and get a tank made of low iron float glass.