Magnolia Tree Gardening Blog

George Finnerin asked:


Are you a homeowner who has your own garden? If you do and if you are like many other garden growers, there is a good chance that you take great pride in your garden. You may not only spend a large amount of time working on it to make it beautiful and full of life, but you may also spend a lot of time just relaxing in your garden area. If you are, have you ever thought about outfitting your garden area with teak garden furniture? If you have yet to do so, you may want to think about giving teak garden furniture a close look.

When it comes to teak garden furniture, there are many individuals who wonder exactly what is so special about it. If you were to talk to a lawn and garden expert, there is a good chance that they would recommend teak garden furniture to you. One of the reasons why teak garden furniture comes so highly rated and recommended is because of its dependability. Teak garden furniture is made from some of the best materials on earth. As long as you carefully choose your teak garden supplier or manufacturer, you should have pieces of furniture that may, literally, last a lifetime.

In addition to its dependability, teak garden furniture is also well-known for its beauty. Teak garden furniture is beautiful beyond what many words explain. Its beauty creates elegance and luxury; elegance and luxury that may be perfect for your garden, especially if you are interested in turning your garden into a private, luxurious getaway. Teak garden furniture can transform a traditional or an average garden, into a thing of breathtaking beauty. The natural beauty of teak garden furniture makes it the perfect fit for your garden. Tweak garden furniture doesn’t look “out of place,” as most other pieces of cheap plastic or metal lawn and garden furniture often does.

Although we often associate gardens with peace and quiet, gardens are also home to many social gatherings. If you choose to have a social gathering in your garden, even just a small one, there is a good chance that you are proud of your garden and its beauty. If that is the case, why ruin that beauty with traditional metal or plastic lawn and garden furniture? Instead, you will want to complement the beauty of your garden and what better way to do that than with teak garden furniture. With teak garden furniture, you are sure to get nothing but compliments from your garden gathering guests.

It is also important to mention the choices that you will have, when it comes to outfitting your garden area with teak garden furniture. If you are interested in doing so, you can only place one or two pieces of teak garden furniture in your garden or you can add a whole teak garden furniture set; the decision is yours to make. When making that decision though, you may want to take the size of your garden into consideration, as well as how much free space you would like your garden to have. Many prefer not to “clutter,” their garden too much and you may want to be careful about doing the same.

If and when you decide that you would like to outfit your garden with teak garden furniture, you will want to start shopping. This is where the fun really begins. When shopping for teak garden furniture, you will find that you have a number of different options. For instance, you may be able to choose from teak garden chairs, teak Adirondack garden chairs, teak garden benches, and so forth. You actually have quite a selection of teak garden furniture pieces to choose from. What is even more amazing is that each piece of teak garden furniture comes in a number of different sizes, shapes, and styles. What does this mean for you? It means that you may actually have a difficult time deciding which piece to buy! That is why a large number of garden growers actually buy multiple pieces of teak garden furniture and sometimes even a whole garden set.

If you are interested in buying teak garden furniture for your garden or even if you are just interested in seeing what type of garden furniture pieces are available for sale, you will want to check out TeakWoodPatioFurniture.com. With a large selection of quality discount teak garden pieces, you are sure to find exactly what you are looking for and more at TeakWoodPatioFurniture.com.

Magnolia Tree

Martin Kellett asked:


I have summarised 10 essential things you need to consider when buying a garden room or home office from a UK manufacturer or supplier. Below are the vital things to consider prior to making a purchase, as obviously whenever buying a new garden office, room, building etc you want to ensure you are getting value for money and making the right purchase, for the right reasons. These tips are universal, as they apply whether you are buying a contemporary modern garden-room or an eco-friendly garden office, whatever the garden building or living space.

Here are a list of 10 keys things you need to consider:

1. Decide what function your new garden living space will be used for – and ensure that the design can meet these requirements. If it is going to be a garden office then you may require a garden room manufacturer that offers more electrics and good natural lighting options. Although I would advise not too much light if using computer screens or displays, as these can be a little sensitive to too much natural light.

If it is a gym or hot tub enclosure you want, then you will naturally require good ventilation. As a home cinema you may require excellent acoustics and sound proofing. As a granny annex or guest bedroom you would require excellent insulation, you may even wish to feature an en-suite shower or bathroom. Fortunately many garden building manufacturers offer these options. Also bear in mind whether you will need certain internal features such as cable TV, taps, toilet facilities, maybe even a bedroom. With regards to flooring consider whether you require laminate flooring, solid oak or perhaps even a carpeted finish… As you can see there is plenty to think about. Before making that purchase be 100% sure the design can match your requirements.

2. Plan the position for your new garden room carefully – if the garden room is more than 5 metres from your home and 1 metre from any boundary and does not take up more than 50% of your garden, then no planning permission is required for 95% of builds. This is provided your original home has not had any previous additional building extensions. Also bear in mind there are some restrictions in certain conservation areas and the like.

3. Planning permission may not be required for your garden building if…

1) Your Garden building will reside a maximum of 5 metres from your property.

2) Your garden building is either more than 20m from a public right of way or is nearer to the right of way than your house is.

3) If you do not live in a conservation area, an area of outstanding natural beauty or in a listed building.

4) Your garden building is for your private use only.

5) The building stands less than 4 metres high

6) Less than 50% of your total garden space is occupied by your garden building.

4. Do you want more than one floor? – As partly indicated by point 5) of the planning permission guidelines, if your building stands more than 4m high you will require planning permission, this is also the case if your building is made up of two floors or more. Luckily garden-building suppliers can work to many different specifications, so as long as you make them aware of your desire to have two or more floors, you should be good to go.

5. What size of garden room do you require – you can build a garden room of any size and provided it does not take up more than 50% of your garden area, you will not need planning permission but you will need building regulation approval if the rooms is over 30m2. However, it may be prudent to check with your local authority and the developer of any new build housing development, just to ensure there are no other quirky restrictions in your local area.

Garden rooms can even be attached to your home like a conventional extension. This would require building regulations approval but no planning permission provided your home has not had any previous building extension and that the extension size planned is within your permitted development rights. A professionally constructed garden room can even add considerable value to your home and garden rooms like The Qube come with a full 5 year or optional upgrade 10 year guarantee.

6. Do you require an open plan room or a multi room garden room – with designs now available for fully self-contained living spaces, there really are no limitations, any room combination you can think of, and you can do it. Whether they are open plan or multi room, it’s really only down to personal preference and the limitations of the garden room manufacturer you are dealing with. Open plan room games rooms for instance are proving very popular getaways, as are surround sound cinema rooms, bar areas for the dads, musical studios, it really could be the ultimate entertainment space.

7. Think about the type of design and style of your new garden living space – are you looking for a modern contemporary look or do you require the building to compliment and harmonise with the existing style of your home. This is important as you may not want the garden room, office or whatever potential use you have for it to clash with the style of your home. Fortunately there are numerous options available to you. So if you want a modern contemporary look choose a supplier that can cater for your needs, and if you want the garden building to blend in with your home, make the supplier aware of this, so you can be sure they can deliver what you request.

8. What materials will it have to be constructed with? – Are you after a timber building, wooden cladding or would you prefer a more modern, contemporary metallic material, all down to personal taste and available budget. Wooden cladding such as Western Red Cedar is naturally resistant to moisture, decay and insect damage. Whereas Cape Cod Cladding is a low maintenance wood cladding with a 15-year factory finish warranty, available in numerous colours.

9. Does it have to be eco-friendly? – If you are the sort of person that wishes their garden building to not only be functional but also eco-friendly, many garden room manufacturers are offering eco-friendly product ranges to cater for your needs. As they recognise the need to be aware of the environment at this current time, and are basing there build structures and materials on eco-friendly principles and values.

Many garden room manufacturers are now opting to use a structural insulated panel (SIP) that fuses a foam core between 2 outer skins of oriented strand board (OSB) to create a super-strong construction panel. The SIPs are used to construct the walls, floor and roof. SIPs offer several benefits to the environment, as they effectively replace conventional stud wall construction, fewer mature forest products need to be harvested. The outer OSB skins are made from “engineered wood” that is manufactured from renewable, fast growing trees. The result of this is superior insulation qualities; meaning heating and electricity bills are reduced meaning fewer fossil fuels need to be burned.

10. So where can you get a garden room like this? – There are many companies and manufacturers specialising in these types of garden rooms. Most of them focus on a niche though such as sheds, summerhouses, gazebos, modern contemporary garden offices or garden rooms. Whereas suppliers such as The Qube offer garden rooms and buildings that are versatile enough to turn into whatever you desire, not only contemporary and modern, but also eco-friendly at the same time, and should you wish can be made to blend in with your home and taken with you when you move home if you require.

Gardener

Garden Lodges asked:


There are many people who love to spend most of their time in the garden. The concept of a garden office or garden studio is perfect for such kind of people. In today’s world many people work from their own home. It becomes very convenient for these people to own their own garden office. However, everyone may not have ample space for his or her garden office. In that case, they can take professional help to create their own garden office within a small area.

If you want a robust and secure garden office or garden studio you simply must purchase a product from a specialist company such as Garden Lodges. People who want to build their garden office within a small space normally resort to this method. People who generally work from home prefer using a garden office instead of a spare room. However, there are certain details that one should keep in mind while creating a garden office.

For creating a garden office or garden studio, it would be best if one has sufficient space. He should take into account all the requirements for building a garden office or garden studio. Proper insulation and security of the modular garden office has to be considered.

People often like to own a garden studio. Garden lodges are market leaders in this field. A person can design his garden office or garden studio as per his choice. He can opt for designing a traditional kind of a garden office or garden studio or opt for the modern type of garden office. However, a person has to take into consideration a lot of details while creating a garden studio within a small place.

People who have limited space to build their garden office or garden studio generally purchase smaller buildings. The most modern equipment can be installed into a garden office or garden studio. Micro pods from Garden Lodges based in the UK can also be used.

Apart from the wide range of professional services available, you can get all the information about a garden office or garden studio from gardenlodges.co.uk.

Gardening

India Cooper asked:


Rooftop gardens are surprising, impressive and fun. Maybe it’s because they are so counter-intuitive that people view them with admiration and wonder. They are a step away from reality. An organic, natural phenomenon in a completely unnatural place.

Rooftop gardens make a refreshing change from the usual mundane concrete roofs of buildings. They can be the crowning glory, the highlight of a building.

One of the world’s most famous examples is Kensington Roof Gardens in central London. Created in the 1930s, they cover 1.5 acres and include three separate styles of garden – a Spanish/Moorish garden, a tudor inspired garden and an English woodland. And the great thing is they have largely remained as originally planted but have matured, giving the gardens a natural, bedded in feel.

The Spanish Gardens include palm trees and Moorish colonnades, the woodland garden has a river and grassy banks and the Tudor garden even has herringbone brickwork. The gardens have always been popular with Londoners and tourists – in the early days the public were charged for tours which raised money for local hospitals. Now they are Grade II listed and many of the trees are protected by tree preservation orders. They are currently owned by Virgin Group’s Richard Branson and form part of a glamorous restaurant and party venue. And not only do they play host to countless trees, shrubs and flowers but also flamingos and ducks!

The same landscape designer, Ralph Hancock had already been to the USA where he had created “The Garden of the Nations” on top of the 11th floor of the Rockefeller Centre in Manhattan. It was an ambitious project, inspired by the gardens of Holland, Italy, England, Japan and Spain.

The English Garden included turf imported from England, and Cotswold stone. The site housed a horticultural centre where the public could buy bulbs, plants and even garden furniture and guided tours of the gardens could be enjoyed. The site was a venue for numerous plant and flower shows and meetings of New York gardening clubs. During the second world war the Japanese gardens were taken down and replaced with a Chinese garden. Sadly over the years the gardens have been neglected and very little of the original design remains. Who knows, maybe one day someone will be inspired to restore them.

The City of London boasts several rooftop gardens most impressively at No.1 Poultry and at the Liffe Building above Cannon Street railway station which both have landscaped shrubs and plants, not just a simple lawn. The Corporation of London, which is the local government body for the City of London is working to encourage more roof gardens in the Square Mile.

Other notable roof gardens include the New Amsterdam Theatre on Broadway in New York. At the turn of the 20th Century performances were often held on the roof. Remember these were the days before air conditioning when a light breeze was welcomed by audiences! The gardens remain but are no longer used for performances and are not open to the public.

The new Australian Parliament Building in Canberra was opened by the Queen in 1988. It’s roof garden has a strong message. The roof is a grassy hill that members of the public are invited to walk on. This is supposed to symbolise that Australian politicians are working inside the building and under the authority of Australian citizens. If only all politicians were humble enough to carry out their duties in this way!

Chicago City Hall gained a rooftop garden in 2001. It is part of a city-wide project to discover the environmental benefits of green roofs. It is hoped to show that the heat island effect of urban areas can be reduced by planting green roofs. Another project that also directly impacts people is a rooftop garden on one of Chicago’s hospitals. This provides a therapeutic area for patients who would otherwise not enjoy outdoor space during their hospital stay.

Rooftop gardens benefit us and the environment. They are unexpected, slightly quirky and a bonus to any building.

Growing Flowers