Jun 05 2008
Introductions
Before I start blogging about any specific topic, I like to say a few words about myself, just a little introduction. My name is Sirena Van Schaik and I am a freelance writer that enjoys landscaping and gardening.
When I was a little kid, I remember spending summers helping my parents add plants, build up gardens, set up bird areas and even build a patio. I hated it, or thought I did and I never really understood why so much effort was put into the landscaping around the house. I mean, we never spent much time in the yard, except when we were working in it and most of our time was spent out of the house and yard.
It wasn’t until much later, when I was sitting in a seating area beside a lovely Koi pond that my husband’s coworker had built that I truly understood what the importance of landscaping is. We were quietly enjoying the candles reflecting in the water and the soft gurgle of the man-made waterfall when his wife leaned over to me and said, “My husband made this in memory of my daughter.”
I was stunned to silence, not sure what to say but as I watched her face and the ease that she could sit in such a blessed space, I finally understood why people landscape.
Sure it can be about raising the value but I really believe that it is about creating a space that means something to the individual. A tree that was planted to provide privacy may also have some hidden reason that reflects the landscaper. It can be functional or decorative but there is some meaning to it.
I am happy to be blogging here and although I am not be a professional landscaper, I hope to bring something to the savvy landscaper. An insight, maybe, that was gathered at the edges of a Koi pond and one that I have put into any landscaping ideas that I have had since.
Sipping coffee on your back deck on a beautiful fall morning, you look up and gasp — there in your suburban oasis stands a small herd of deer. For a moment you pause, enchanted. An instant later, as the deer begin to munch on your landscape, you realize they’re just not as awestruck by the [...]
Soon it will be time to leave outdoor living spaces and ride out winter’s cold indoors. But before you batten down the barbecue and stow the patio cushions, don’t forget to take care of wooden structures – like decks, pergolas and play sets – that must remain out in the elements.
Routine maintenance of these structures [...]
Leaves turn brilliant colors, evenings cool and the kids go back to school. So long summer, hello fall garden cleanup.
You may already know that composting is a better way to deal with bags of leaves and backyard waste. But if you’ve avoided composting because it seems like too much work and mess — or you [...]
As the leaves turn different colors and the weather becomes cooler, many Americans begin to engage in outdoor cleanup. Consider the number of Americans injured in yard work accidents every autumn and you may begin to suspect that “fall” is actually short for “pitfall.” Fall, it seems, is becoming the season for back injuries, tumbles [...]
Probably one of the most widely used landscaping surfaces around, bark mulch can be used for pretty much anything. I have seen it used for children’s playgrounds, and if you are trying to incorporate a swing set or mini playground into your landscaped space, then bark mulch may be the product for you, and [...]