Kalmia Records Blog

Do you have one or more areas in your yard that hold water after a rainfall? This is a common problem, and sometimes difficult to solve. Over the years I’ve talked with dozens of people trying to battle this problem, and on several occasions I have been hired to solve the problem. So what can be done?

Too often people come to me asking what kind of a tree, or what kind of shrubs can be planted in a wet area to dry it up. This is the wrong approach. Most plants, and I mean almost all plants are not going to survive in an area where the soil is soggy for extended periods of time. The roots need to breathe, and planting a tree or shrub in a water area will kill it.

Another common approach is to try and fill the area with topsoil. Depending on a variety of variables, this can work, but many times adding additional soil to a wet area will only shift the water to another area just a few feet away.

If you are lucky enough to have some natural fall to your property, or a drainage ditch nearby, this problem is easy enough to solve. If you happen to live in an area that was developed over the past few years, there might even be a system to remove storm water nearby. In many new home developments I’ve seen stormwater catch basins already installed in backyards. Trust me, this is a good thing. There is nothing worse than having a soggy yard all the time.

If you are fortunate to have some fall to your yard, or a stormwater system that you can drain water into, this problem is easy to solve. Make sure you check with your local officials before you do anything at all with a storm drain.

All you have to do is go to your local building supply center and buy some 4″ perforated plastic drain pipe. The best kind for this purpose is the flexible kind that comes in 100′ rolls. This type of drain pipe has small slits all around the pipe. These slits allow water to enter the pipe so it can be carried away.

Just dig a trench from the center of the low area you are trying to drain, to the point that you intend to drain it to. Using a simple line level you can set up a string over top of the trench to make sure that your pipe runs downhill all the way. A line level is a very small level that is designed to attach to a string. Any hardware stores sells them for just a couple of dollars. Set the string up so it is level, then measure from the string to the bottom of your trench to make sure you have constant fall. You should have 6″ fall for every 100′ of pipe.

The highest point is going to be the area that you are trying to drain, so you only want your pipe deep enough at this point so it can be covered with soil. Once the trench is dug just lay the pipe in. At the highest end of the pipe you’ll need to insert a strainer into the end of the pipe to keep soil from entering the pipe. Cover the pipe with some washed stone, and then backfill the trench with soil. The washed stone creates a void around the pipe so that the water can find its way into the pipe.

Washed stone is usually inexpensive stone that has been washed so it is clean and free of mud. The only part of the pipe that needs to be exposed is the low end, where the water exits the pipe. Do not put a strainer in that end.

If you do not have anywhere that you can drain the water to, you still might be able to do something. But first consider what is happening, and why the water is standing where it is. Even if you have well drained soil, water cannot soak in fast enough during periods of heavy rain, and it runs across the top of the ground and eventually finds the lowest point, and either leaves the property, or gets trapped.

If you have well drained soil, the trapped water usually soaks in. If you have heavy clay soil, the water lays there, and the soil underneath becomes very compacted, and the problem compounds itself. The more water that stands, the worse the drainage gets.

What I have done in areas like this, where there is standing water, but nowhere to drain it to, is to install a French drain system that actually carries the water away from the low area, and allows it to seep into the ground over a larger distance, where the soil is not quite so compacted. To install this French drain system you do everything exactly as explained above, except instead of draining the water to a lower area, you can send it in any direction you like. Even in the direction from which it came, which is uphill.

When installing this type of system, it’s a good idea to dig a number of shorter trenches, all heading away from the area where the water stands. Using the line level, make sure your trenches fall away from their point of origin so once the water enters the pipes it will flow away from the wet spot. What is going to happen is that during times of heavy rain the low area is still going to trap water, but much of that water is going to seep into the drain pipes and eventually leach into the soil under each trench.

Because this soil has not been compacted by the standing water and the baking sun, it will accept the water. It won’t happen nearly as fast as if you could just drain the water to a ditch, but at least you will have a mechanism in place that will eventually disperse the water back into the soil. It’s a lot easier to leach 200 gallons of water into a series of trenches that total 100 lineal feet, than it is to expect that water to leach into a 10′ by 10′ area that is hard and compact.

Michael J. McGroarty is the author of this article. Visit his most interesting website, www.freeplants.com and sign up for his excellent gardening newsletter. Article provided by gardening-articles.com

“The Ancient Art of Placement” called Feng Shui (pronounced phung schway) literally means ‘wind’ and ‘water.’ The Chinese believe this cosmic energy, called Chi or ‘the green dragon’s cosmic breath,’ is the life force energy that pervades human existence. The basic tenet of Feng Shui is to capture this vital energy creating balance and harmony in our environments. Feng Shui is predicated on the core belief that we, the earth, and every living thing on it are interconnected.

Feng Shui is the oldest form of gardening dating back several millennia to China. It is based on the philosophy that man and nature must live in harmony with one another and that all life is infused with the invisible energy called Chi. This force circulates throughout our environment and is essential to our well-being, health, and happiness. The Chinese sages believed that any man-made feature could affect the flow of Chi so established the rules of placement that are central to this philosophy.

In the Feng Shui garden, balance and harmony are the key factors. Balance and harmony are achieved by careful attention to detail and the balance of Yin and Yang energy. Yin energy includes the earth, rocks, ponds, plants, flowers, and trees. Yang energy includes the home, brick, wood, nails, and other solid construction. The fundamental characteristics of Feng Shui gardening are:

Curved lines rather than straight allow natural energy to flow more easily.

Feng Shui gardens are never crowded.

Feng Shui gardens are designed to look as natural as possible.

Mixing shapes and sizes is a vital element in Feng Shui gardens.

The Chi, or cosmic energy, needs to flow freely and smoothly through its surroundings in order to create harmony and balance in the garden. Yin and Yang together constitute the two forms of energy central to the concept of Feng Shui principles and define the quality of the energies in any space.

Yin energy constitutes the feminine energy and its elements are shadows, darkness, winter, night-time, wet, soft, receptive, passive, negative, inner, north, creation, earth, and is symbolized by the moon. Yang energy constitutes the masculine energy and its elements are light, openness, vigour, growth, summer, daytime, spirit, dry, hard, active, positive, sky, heaven, south, outer, energetic, and is symbolized by the sun. Yin and Yang energies are complementary to each other.

The Feng Shui of your house influences your life from a personal point of view. The Feng Shui of your garden influences the outer aspect of your house and influences the more public view of your life. The front garden is more Yang while the back garden is more Yin and the private side of your life. The best way to examine the Feng Shui of your garden is to treat your entire property as a single unit.

Plants that exhibit Yang energy include large-leafed plants that create a powerful presence and create good Feng Shui when placed beside water features such as a pond or fountain. These plants contrast nicely with feathery foliage plants such as ferns. Plants that exhibit Yin energy include ferns that help to dissolve any negative energy in the garden. Hanging plants will lift energy or allow energy to flow. It is a good idea to hang baskets around areas where you like to socialize. Window boxes encourage beneficial Chi toward the home.

Gwen Nyhus Stewart, B.S.W., M.G., H.T., is an educator, freelance writer, garden consultant, and author of the book The Healing Garden: A Place Of Peace - Gardening For The Soil, Gardening For The Soul and the booklet Non-toxic Alternatives For Everyday Cleaning And Gardening Products. She owns the website Gwen’s Healing Garden where you will find lots of free information about gardening for the soil and gardening for the soul. To find out more about the books and subscribe to her free Newsletter visit http://www.gwenshealinggarden.ca

Gwen Nyhus Stewart © 2004 - 2005. All rights reserved.

Many people could not resist a rose’s beauty and scent. Imagine
this coming from your rose garden. These flowers are known to be
a bit complicated to grow, but anyone could start rose gardening
in the comfort of her own backyard. Good rose care will keep it
beautiful.

To make sure that your most prized rose garden is in the pink or
even red of their health, simply follow these tips on rose care
dealing with most of their health dilemma:

1. Black Spots on Leaves in Your Rose Garden

This disease is commonly known as black spot. Black spots appear
as circular with fringed edges on leaves. They cause the leaves
to yellow. The solution is to remove the infected foliage and
pick up any fallen leaves around the rose. For the rose care
artificial sprays may be used to prevent or treat this kind of
rose disease.

2. Stunted or malformed young canes

Known as powdery mildew, this is a fungal disease that covers
leaves, stems and buds with wind spread white powder. It makes
the leaves to curl and turn purple. Spray with Funginex or
Benomyl to treat this fungal disease that could ruin your rose
garden.

3. Blistered underside of leaves

A disease of roses known as rust, it is characterized with
orange-red blisters that turn black in fall. In spring, it
attacks new sprouts. This disease can even survive winter. What
you can do is to collect and discard leaves that are infected in
fall. Benomyl and Funginex spraying every 7-10 days may help.

4. Malformed or stunted leaves and flowers - not for your rose
garden

What could have caused this is the presence of spider mites.
They are tiny yellow, red or green spiders on the underside of
leaves. They also suck juices from leaves. The application of
Orthene or Isotox is good rose care and will help in treating
this infestation.

5. Weak and mottled leaves with tiny white webs under them

This might be caused by aphids. They are small soft- bodied
insects that are usually brown, green or red. Often clustered
under leaves and flower buds. They suck plant juices from tender
buds. Malathion or diazinon spray may help roses to survive
these bugs.

6. Flowers that don’t open or are deformed when they open.

The infestation in your rose garden is probably thrips. It is
characterized with slender, brown-yellow bugs with fringed wings
thriving in flower buds. They also suck juices from flower buds.
The rose care for this is to cut and discard the infested
flowers. Using Orthene and malathion may also treat this health
problem of your roses.

This valuable information regarding the diseases your roses are
prone to have will prove to be very helpful in making your rose
garden ever more inviting.

Stair railings at home are more than a simple way to get from a floor to another. You design an extension of your personal likes in decoration, with ornamental parts of wood, iron and other material easy to install that will enhance the value of your house at the same time. If you think that stair railings are one of the first things that people see when they come in, you should think as well that, for building a new staircase or just to make an improvement, ask always for the advice and good service of a qualified person who will give you some good ideas for.

Currently there is a wide variety of materials to build a stair railing. Long time ago and still today, houses had stairs wood railings, as wood is a nice material to work with. Especially beautiful are which are made of oak wood… with wonderful red colour and knocks that are unmistakable. The star of the house will be an oak wood balustrade, without any doubt. If we try to match the colour of the stairs with the wood flooring it will give beauty elegance to our homes. Although it can be a difficult task due to the many stair parts that we need to have in account to choose…like balusters, handrails, treads, and ornamental trim pieces.
On a staircase the first part we notice is the railing. It has its important use, one is to provide security for going up and down the stairs, and the other is to hold up the balustrade of the staircase. These elements must be kept in mind when the staircase is going to have a railing design. Unique, are wood railings. They are charm, grace, and soft, the perfect end for your house, improving the look of it and of course increasing the value of it. They are durable and strong. Wood is the choice that never goes out of style.

Add Elegance And Charm To Your Home With Oak Wood.

The oak wood is generally used to build the stairs traditional commercial buildings such as libraries, office buildings and houses. It gives charm and elegance to any room whit its unmistakeable smooth and warm colour. If you think that metal railings can improve and give more style to your staircase, use it. They have many decorative options and display themselves beautifully. Lots luxury and high homes are decorated with iron railings. They display grace, elegance and a special luxury. A style that nowadays is being used in most of the modern buildings all around the world. Iron railings are used for many residential and commercial staircases. They offer as which are made of wood, safety and functionality. Iron decorates your home. They have a wide variety of design, assuring that you will find a special one for display at home. The metal stair railing fit in any environment. What you need is just the good advice and work of a qualified person.

How To Get Satisfied With The Results.

Making stairs can be very complicated. First priority in this type of project is to make it safe and functional. After it comes style. A few things, the rise between treads, the number of treads and the total run of the steps, the horizontal distance between bottom and the top of the stairs. Following these steps will assist you in creating a successful staircase. Be creative. Your inner spirit will help you on the creation of your stairs. Lots of styles, modern, traditional or contemporary. Spirit and design to have a work of art at home.

About the Author

MrCaxton used to publish decorating tips and reviews at his site, where you can find articles on railing styles including further information regarding stair railings and wood railings.

BBC Green is the great and sustainable living url from the BBC Worldwide. The BBC Worldwide is altogether owned by the British Broadcasting Company. The organization makes its profits from around a large range of jobs and corporations that are linked purely to the BBC’s main output. BBC Greens prime point is to cut through the uncertainty that these days surrounds environmental and ethical issues.

The name green is meant to publicize people to think about taking a responsible practice to using the natural resources that are placed near to you. Quite a bit of astonishing examples would be generating and having solar power. All that can often make a massive contribution to a sustainable world. Your solar panels use energy that is received from the sun to generate electricity to run home entertainment systems and lighting. Solar PV additionally known as photovoltaic only requires daylight in order to make all of this work; this is exciting as it still means that it will probably make quite a bit of power still on a cloudy day. There are numerous benefits to using solar panel systems. Folk may save up to 170 pounds off your electricity bill also grid connected systems require really little maintenance. Your PV set ups produce absolutely no greenhouse gases and every single kWp might often save pretty near to 416g of carbon dioxide gas per annum. This adds up to about 12 tonnes over a solar panels life time. Solar Panels are great at reducing your carbon footprint, check out how to do this at BBC Green.

The new BBC Site is awesome at explaining things and incorporates all the issues from across Home & Gardening Food, Travel, Society & Family and Cash. The thing that makes BBC Green very good is that the company like to think of themselves as distinct from each and every other research environmental site our people can often have used. The BBC Worldwide try to provide further relevant results not primarily from BBC Greens very own combat climate change site, but also from other green issue sites that look and search on environmental living. When our people process a search people will be taken to a results page. This page will probably have the prominent seven hyper links for BBC Greens results and for optional sites results.