Time waits for no one as the saying goes and progress, I’m not too sure. It requires commitment and effort, but Number 3 is changing and becoming closer to have a go at some gardening. The relocatable was more run down than expected and took time, energy and that dreaded word, money to get it up and running.

I’m back and on this visit to Number 3. I want to think about ideas for the framework of something different to those other gardens in the street. For this one, a garden on the curve is the quest. No straight lines or sharp edges at all. A garden where Yin and Yang are in balance, the elements of Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Earth balanced in their shapes and colours and sha Chi (inauspicious energy) recognised and tempered in its intrusion. This sounds good in theory but will it transpire in practice?

To get a feel of the gardens energy I view Number 3 from two locations. Firstly, the external views garnished from the roadway and an entry point leading from a carport. These form the arc of vision to the garden and introduce the gardens Chi which needs to be uplifting so the visitor is uplifted and intrigued by what lies inside. The entries create an apron for Chi to enter and it meandering along a curved pathway and in time grassed open spaces leading through the garden. I want Chi to meander to and energise an apron to a ramp leading onto the decking of the relocatable home.

The second viewing location is from the veranda itself, because the decking provides the place to live and enjoy the scenery and climate and hopefully absorbing Chi emulating from the gardens. I want a visual paradise of shapes and colour, charm and some mystery and a place to return to, sha Chi emulating from the tree and palm (now approved for removal) eventually diminished.

To date, the aspirations of Number 3 lie within ideas and the goodwill of the plants already present. Ironically, these plants remain healthy and create a sense of tranquillity and augers good for the garden.

There’s something in the idea of ”gardening on the curve”. So simple, easy to design and implement. Just think about curves and Chi doing its thing and meandering, wandering through and around whatever we place within. Keep the garden healthy, balance its Yin and Yang, make sure no element (Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood) is dominating the others and ensure the gardens climate reflects its location for year round sun and shadow.

The garden on this visit would exhibit something more of the Earth element, home and bosom and base to build from. As the garden evolves, the Wood element will become involved, a Yin element and the two exhibiting something of growth and sustainability. In time I’ll need to introduce the elements of Fire and Metal to stimulate Chi and neutralise the energies of Wood and Earth. The fifth element, Water visualised and imaged through the gardens gentle curves and sweeping of the lawn areas, in all the five elements present and in balance and I’m sure the gardens Chi will be uplifting.

*Please read this article on my website page for detailed images of this gardening project transformation*

I hope you enjoyed reading my article as much as I enjoyed pondering over and writing it. For more related topics and complete eBook Publications, please visit my website Feng Shui Garden – a Modern and Unique Concept to Feng Shui in the Garden and Harmonious Chi (Qi) Within Our Lives. Drop by the site for more Feng Shui Garden Design articles. Regards, Ross Lamond

Transformations, transformations and a need to work, but Number 3 Lorikeet Lane is getting there and the garden is taking shape.

It definitely is a garden on the curve and I’ve deliberately set it out to ensure not one straight line of vision or image is projected. So simple and effective, the Chi (Qi) flow is uplifting to all who enter or view as they stroll along the roadway past the garden. This garden is catching eyes.

View from the veranda cannot be revisited until the two offending and sha Chi trees are removed by the park owners. Delays in their removal meant the rear garden and connection to Number 1 Lorikeet Lane have to be placed on hold until I return from visiting the three ”B’s”, Borneo, Burma (Myanmar) and Bali from mid October until late November 2010.

There was no specific determining as to what plant to use in each garden bed. I used what’s already there including Azalea, Hibiscus, a Kentia Palm, some tree ferns (Cyathea australis), a couple of Abelia and the odd straggler shrub. Some were relocated to suit the garden bed shape and the design criteria concentrating on curves and meandering of Chi flow throughout. I’m seeking Chi presence in the meandering image through lines of vision and personal movement, shape and colour balance and ensuring that important and overlooked factor of light and shadow balance is also considered.

I’ve deliberately chosen not to install embellishments or whatever until I return and in doing so, the Chi energy of the garden is on hold but can be monitored and eventually expanded. Feng Shui (the art of placement) in this case waiting until the fabric of the garden is established and relying on garden bed placement (rather than individual plants) to maintain and invigorate Chi flow.

This technique in garden bed instalment suggests emphasis isn’t on the right plant so much but the compositions of plants used in each garden bed installation. I sought balance in their individual shapes, texture, form and colour. Individual plants can be manipulated by pruning if necessary or removal if I get it wrong. I’d like to point out gardening on the curve suggests getting the structure of the garden in place rather than individual plant selection and placement. This allows more flexibility and mistakes to be glossed over as each plant develops and marries into its surroundings.

Noticeably (photographs) is the dramatic change in visual appearance and Chi flow now emerging as the bare dirt is transformed into a carpet of green, the Earth tones of energy dissipating as Wood emerges and the gentle sweeping curves of movement imaging that of Water. The elements of Fire and Metal to stimulate and balance Chi can wait until I return. This garden is on track to be a good one.

*Please read this article on my website page for detailed images of this gardening project transformation*

I hope you enjoyed reading my article as much as I enjoyed pondering over and writing it. For more related topics and complete eBook Publications, please visit my website Feng Shui Garden – a Modern and Unique Concept to Feng Shui in the Garden and Harmonious Chi (Qi) Within Our Lives. Drop by the site for more Feng Shui Garden Design articles. Regards, Ross Lamond

Wow! What a mess. An overgrown and out of control garden completely neglected for many years and showing it. Yet in days gone by, Number 3 contained a very pleasant garden from what I understand. Laid out by a man and his wife, very neat, tidy and offering a place for potted plants, garden seating, a vegetable patch, shedding for orchids and ferns. Someone said they wanted a Japanese garden, but I doubt if it took that pathway.

Anyway, by May 2010 the garden of Number 3 had a new owner. A Harmonious Chi (Qi) Gardener who is there to re activate its Chi and change its life into something sensual, open, vibrant, warm and inviting. Firstly an assessment and basically a response -let’s get rid of it all and start again, but a compromise was on offer and the inevitable axe, hand saw and mattock took its toll on unwanted plants leaving something of its foundations through some trees and the odd strangling shrub.

My makeover for Number 3 seeks to integrate the garden of Number 1 and create a flowing style of garden extending the experiences on offer. But, some obstacles, firstly clearing excessive weed growth and dead or dying plants (that’s been done). Recognition a garden shed is very Yang and Sha and needs to be removed. A very large palm (Cocos Plumosa) is definitely a hazard (falling fronds) and not going any further until a viewing deck has been erected to replace the one festered with dry rot.

We’re underway and Number 3 waiting for a visit by Chi of a beneficial kind. But what about these assessments you keep talking about? ”Ok, I’ll try something different and do a group of five for Number 3.”

Yin and Yang. That garden shed has to go along with the suppressing Cocos Palm and neighbour (a storm damaged Eucalyptus tree) which is in danger of falling down. The tree is Yang because it’s threatening. The oppressive vegetation has to be removed. It’s Yang because it takes on a hard, solid impregnable mass. I’ll then wait until I erect the decking to gaze down and around because it’s from the veranda and a trusty chair where the magic of the garden will arise.

Five Element Balance. The Feng Shui cure and diagnosis. Which element is overpowering? It’s the wood element and all that vegetation, so let’s remove its dominance and have a pause.

What’s Sha Chi doing in this garden? Concrete bricks scattered throughout, some neglected concrete slabs, broken wooden lattice fencing, a power supply box now protruding.

My 8 elements of Light, Shadow, Shape, Colour, Sound, Smell, Movement and Temperature (climatic influences on our personal comfort). I like the 8 test but too early to put it into play. I’ll save this one up to fine tune my beneficial Chi. Although I notice shadows are too long, too much shade, too much dominance of greens, stagnant movements, but encouraging sounds of birdlife.

Finally, can I make Number 3 a home for Chi test? This is a new one and will try it out as an evaluation tool at Number 3. Yes. I can visualise a home for my Chi and by drawing upon the other four tests mentioned to drive the reshaping of the garden for beneficial Chi flow. My Wondrous Little Character Called Chi waiting to visit Number 3 Lorikeet and so for now a wait and see, but hope and a method is opening up. On my second visit to Number 3, I’ll sit upon a chair on the veranda and revaluate the Chi.

*Please read this article on my website page for detailed images of this gardening project transformation*

I hope you enjoyed reading my article as much as I enjoyed pondering over and writing it. For more related topics and complete eBook Publications, please visit my website Feng Shui Garden – a Modern and Unique Concept to Feng Shui in the Garden and Harmonious Chi (Qi) Within Our Lives. Drop by the site for more Feng Shui Garden Design articles. Regards, Ross Lamond

Carrying out some landscaping does not always have to mean you go and hire a company to come in and do the work for you. As long as you are healthy enough there are a number of things that you can manage to do yourself without too many problems. So here are some backyard landscaping tips that you could do yourself.

A lot of people love the idea of having a rock garden but they imagine them as having large rocks that weigh a lot and their ideas are too big. You can easily make a smaller rock garden using smaller rocks at the end of a border which can create a new feature. It is also best to have it sloping rather than being completely flat.

If your backyard has a natural slope then consider trying to build in some kind of terracing at some part. It helps to break it up more and you can have different parts of the terracing doing entirely different things.

People often like the idea of having a water feature installed and this does not have to be as big a job as it may seem. You can do a small pond or install a fountain in very little time over a weekend as long as you have all of the relevant parts. It does not have to be deep or anything to create the right effect.

If you are good with wood then you can build a relatively simple, small decking area where you can sit and have various plants in pots. It can just be in a corner which attracts the most sun so you can take full advantage of it in the right weather. Just take time to treat the wood so it lasts no matter what is thrown at it.

To try and be different have flower beds that are in different shapes instead of sharp squares or rectangles. Try to be different with how they are lined or have plants coming up through bark or small pebbles to create a different effect.

If you enjoy cooking at home then you can easily spend a weekend creating your very own herb garden. It can be a nice addition to any backyard and it does have the added bonus of not just looking nice but also tasting nice. Herbs are easy to grow and do not need that much attention compared to other plants.

There may be an area of your yard which is walked on more often than others. A good idea to keep it looking clean and tidy is to have it as some form of path rather than have lawn there. The grass can become worn down and looks terrible with too much use so the path really does improve things.

So these are just a few ideas as to what you can do to landscape your backyard yourself. They are not too difficult and can be done at your own pace over a weekend. There are many other things you can do if you just think it through before beginning.

Artevia is a decorative concrete company serving in the GTA offering services on backyard landscaping and stamped concrete.

Stamped concrete is an old material, concrete with a great new look which makes it far more attractive for many uses today. Stamped concrete can simulate many other materials such as tiles, cobblestones, wood, and stone. It can be impressed with a variety of textures and is then usually colored to further add to the similarity of the material it emulates.

There are circumstances where clearly the most superior material is concrete in terms of strength and durability but is not preferred due to its appearance. A walkway made of concrete can be seamless, not subject to buckling or separation as cobblestones might be, but far less attractive than a stone walkway. Stamped concrete allows the homeowner to have the beautiful walkway they desire but also have the strength of concrete to make it last.

Concrete that has been stamped has been around a long time. It is only recently that advances in coloration and texture imprinting have made it truly a viable choice for the discerning owner and builder. In the past it was a less than satisfactory solution used by those who simply had to have concrete as opposed to other materials and it was quite obviously aesthetically substandard.

Today concrete that has been textured and colored is still concrete with all its strengths but it also is much more pleasing to the eye. This material is beginning to be common not only in businesses but in upscale homes. While a stamped concrete walkway might look similar to another material such as natural stone or cobble stones it has few of the same weaknesses of this material which make frequent repairs necessary.

The stamping process for concrete isn’t an easy do it yourself project. It requires specialized equipment and skill and is a multistage affair. While pouring concrete is relatively straight forward and almost anyone can do it, the stamping and texture impression process is almost always strictly a job for the skilled professional.

With this process, concrete is poured as usual but in a very thick layer more than 4 inches. Colors are often added to concrete in the mixer, if not then they are applied after the concrete is poured. A release agent is applied to the surface of poured concrete, this will allow the texture mats to placed on the concrete impressed and then release without removing the concrete.

Once the concrete dries for about 24 hours the release agent must be washed off the surface. After the concrete dries a clear sealant is applied to preserve the color and texture of the stamping. This might seem like a very complicated process and it is, but when durability is a must but aesthetics are also desired there is no substitute or competition for this type of concrete.

While colored and textured concrete can’t compete in terms of looks with the real thing such as cobblestones or flagstones it has undeniable advantages. This old material has a fresh and exciting new look thanks to some great advances in recent years. Sometimes improvements in old products are as exciting as brand new materials.

Artevia is a polished concrete company serving in the GTA offering services on backyard landscaping and patterned concrete.

Have you moved in to a new house with a large garden? It must be really exciting for you to set the entire space! Look into simple concepts and shop online for the garden decorations. Ordering garden ornaments is now so easy with the online cart that is available. Select a piece, look for the color and go online with the concept. Delivery standards are specific and you can read on the stipulated clarifications. There are statues, fountains, busts and so many oriental vases created for the beauty of your garden. Selecting a piece is easy when you shop online as you can save time.

The idea of a small garden is fantastic too. Make it simple with a small seater or a dinette couch. You can have pebbles lined up or a rock with a fountain is really good. Looking at a play area in the garden suits the interest of many. You can employ a lot of movable items which is loved by children. Locate a swing stand or go for the authentic style in large swings which is the best for your tea parties. Fancy items like rockers or a simple wooden arm chair in the vintage idea is again easy for managing your garden. The simple garden ideas are about concepts and doing a constant change with a lot of innovation.

Sale prices are slashed during new openings or other sale months. Look out for shopping early and learn the new innovative ideas in garden ornaments. Colors make a garden endearing. What is the color of your garden? Greens differ to olive, light greens, ferns and so on. Knowing the creepers, wild growth and other orchard type of trees is interesting and you have the same in your garden. Try organic farming? Decorating your garden with new concepts like shovels, scrapers, cutters and weed removers means getting into gardening professionally.

Use the professional help for pond management. You can book a yearly contract with them or go for a single installation and call them whenever you need assistance. A pond with fountains is again marvelous! The simplicity of any garden makes it more calming. It is a good place to relax with family. Also, a place for yoga or meditation too! Gardens have a relaxing effect and can really charge you up with positive energy. Invest in a small nook for exercise or have some yoga mats done. It can double up as another setting to call friends over for a meeting. The best part is about storing the items and pulling it up only when you require it. All kinds of garden ornaments require cleaning. Regular checking will surely do. The best in garden ornaments come in umbrellas too and the shade is very much necessary during a sunny day or a sudden rainy weather.

Care for your garden ornaments:

Looking after your plants is the most important job.

Replacing pots and nursery containers is essential.

Pebbles and rocks can be cleaned up to make them glistening.

Taps, pumps and leaks must be fixed on time.

Wood and handles must be cared for as any kind of accumulation like moss or fungi will lower their life.

Landscaping is a good interest and you can learn the same as a creative hobby. Try a Rock garden concept or you can trim the plants fancifully. Look into new ways to do your garden. The garden or patio is an extension of your personality and surely you would love to incorporate a homely feel to the same. Try a bonsai corner if you wish or get into organic planting and grow rich pumpkins or tomatoes. This will serve up for you culinary needs too! The best part of garden ornaments is that it adds life immediately. This can be seen in busts, a new wooden table, a heater or a seating array in white or any robust color.

Try the statue with the fountain. Lights with fountain are great too! Call on a rock sculpture artist and carve out the existing natural rocks as per your requirement. Installing lights has to be done carefully. Regular checking of water pumps and wires are equally important. Garden ornaments need regular sprucing up and cleaning agents can be shopped online too. The woodworks and sculpture accumulate dust and a simple clean up sets it just as new. Get more creative in new garden ideas and feel the satisfaction by shopping online or gifting yourself a new concept for your special garden.

Article by Thomas Reynolds of Garden-Ornaments, a website with the largest selections of garden ornament information.

Garden ornaments are wonderful accessories that add great visual appeal to your landscape. They come in many shapes, sizes and colors to suit every season, d

A beautifully decorated garden completes and compliments a house to a great degree. In addition to the usual plants, trees and bushes, garden ornaments can add a great aesthetic value to your gardens. Just like how you would choose the various home d

Doing the garden is getting to know more about d

If we are lucky enough to observe nature, we slowly become attuned to its rhythm and flow and its gentle transition from one state to another.

Suggesting by living in harmony with our surroundings we accept nature’s will to maintain rhythm and flow within a climate of change. Change progressive and not regressive. Not static but transitional. Change the catalyst binding the ebbs and flows of life together.

Everyday life on Earth is influenced by climate and the transition of time. Climate isn’t a static entity but constantly evolving. For example, hot periods replaced by cold, night time following daytime, dry periods followed by rainfall and so on. The Yin energy forces countered by the Yang and vice versa.

We’re a product of Yin and Yang oscillation within a climate of change

These words can basically sum up life on Earth and what maintains it. It’s a primary mechanism for control and by altering the balance of one permanently means the pendulum moves across from a supposedly Yin place to say a Yang place and that potentially is happening with climate change on Earth.

The ancient Chinese recognised the phenomenon of change thousands of years ago while western science built its theories on a discourse of mathematical logic and desire to overwhelm nature. We are now re discovering the ancient Chinese findings and view life as products of Yin and Yang oscillation. By moving the planet across to a Yang place, life on Earth as we know it is being altered. We are ”yanging” the planet. A stronger word could be used.

We can come down the scheme of things and withdraw into our humble garden.

The harmonious chi garden recognises the role of rhythm and flow. It’s necessary for interaction and change. We of acceptance and not of denial.

One can be reminded of the role wind and water play in understanding rhythm and flow. Feng (wind) and Shui (water) symbolise their role in the composition of life and change. If we observe the movement of a breeze, it moves across a site and influences what’s in its path. Leaves on a plant sway and respond to its influence and each movement produces a rhythm in response. Wind invites change. Water movements similarly suggest rhythm and flow abounding as a ripple moves across a surface, influencing then waning to return again to stillness. Both wind and water are transitional and their impact relative to external influences on the garden.

Natural places couldn’t function without the rhythm and flow of the things that make up a site. It’s so simple, yet so important in our understanding of life on Earth and harmony as part of our surroundings. Nature gives us her secrets if we are prepared to accept them and not question or redefine them. We slow down so rhythm and flow come to us, hopefully encompassing us and we passive within its grasp.

I hope you enjoyed reading my article as much as I enjoyed pondering over and writing it. For more related topics and complete eBook Publications, please visit my website Feng Shui Garden – a Modern and Unique Concept to Feng Shui in the Garden and Harmonious Chi (Qi) Within Our Lives. Drop by and pick up your Free Feng Shui Ebooks Sample today!! Regards, Ross Lamond