Better Homes and Gardens

Archive for May, 2010

We all know, from previous experiences, that wood is not a good candidate for the outdoors. That is because wood tends to react to outdoor elements such as moisture, insects, and even plants. These elements cause irreversible damage to the wood, which is why we don’t usually this material with the outdoors.

However, there are many different types of wood. In general, you will see them classified as a hardwood, or a softwood. Softwood is never suitable for the outdoors. Even when placed indoors, they don’t last long. But they are very easily to work with. So even if they last only for a few short years, there is still an active market for such products. Consumers simply use them for their lifetime, and then replace them with new furniture after a few years.

But if durability is important to you, you should be looking towards hardwood. For example, perhaps you are considering buying some furniture for your garden. Since it’s a garden, you want the furniture to look as natural as possible in the setting. The problem is, not all furniture types can fit into the garden setting. Steel or plastic can withstand outdoor elements better, but they are man-made materials and they just don’t have that natural feel. Wood appears to be the ideal candidate, as it is made from natural materials. But it is very difficult to find a type of wood that can last for long in the outdoors.  Read more... (484 words, estimated 1:56 mins reading time)

There is nothing more pleasant, after a grueling day, than to relax in the garden and wash away the daytime stress. An outdoor fountain will help you do just that. Garden fountains are pleasant to look at and relaxing to listen to as well as having many beneficial health effects.

Many home owners, with very little prior experience, are installing water fountains in their own gardens. Here is how to do it.

Step One – Planning

As with any project, good planning leads to an excellent conclusion. Measure the area where the outdoor fountain will be situated. This may be the whole garden, an area that has a defined border, a patio, deck or courtyard.

Garden fountains come in all shapes and sizes and it is important to have a water feature that does not look out of place. An outdoor fountain that is too large will dominate an area and look out of place. If the water fountain is too small, it will be ineffectual and pointless.

Although not necessary, it may be advisable to install a separate power outlet that will be hidden by the garden fountain. it will be more aesthetically pleasing not to have power cables where they can be seen. An on/off switch needs to be located nearby. A local electrician will be able to advice.

Step Two – Research  Read more... (543 words, estimated 2:10 mins reading time)

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Jonathan Adler grew up in the NJ suburbs and spent his spare time in the basement of his parents home “throwing posts”. He later went to Brown University but would spend most days at RISD using the kilns and making more pottery. He is a designer with a passion and is inspired by all the modern masters, Alexander Girard, Georg Nelson & Russel Wright. He is also a kindred spirit and colleague of Christina Norsig, CEO/founder of eTableTop. They met each other over fifteen years ago while both following their passions for tabletop & decorative arts.

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