While you can’t extend the number of months the sun shines, or prevent the clouds and rain from scuppering your barbecue, what you can do is extend the amount of time you can spend in the garden during the warmer weather.

Garden lighting enables you to sit out well into the evening during the summer when normally the darkness would force you inside.

But as lighting makes up a large part of our electricity consumption, adding lighting to your garden will not only increase your bills but will also add to your carbon footprint, but it doesn’t have to because while all garden lighting requires power there is an eco-friendly and carbon neutral way of lighting your back garden.

Solar garden lighting is available in various forms from solar shed lights to solar powered garden post lighting. And they work really well too with some garden lighting producing equal luminosity to regular forms of lighting.
And while solar lighting may sound like an anachronism, it really works because the only time you will probably use it, is when the sun has been shining.

Garden Solar Light

Some solar lighting can also be used as solar security lighting, the batteries can store quite a long charge and as these lights only come on when somebody approaches the house, they will work all year round even when there hasn’t been any sunshine for ages.

So making the most of the sunshine and even securing your house at night does not have to add anything to your carbon footprint or your lighting bills.

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About the Author:
Richard N Williams is interested in green innovations and writes about them. Please visit our website if you are interested in Solar garden lighting or other eco-friendly products
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Scope of the Report

* Contains an executive summary and data on value, volume and segmentation for Furniture & Floor Coverings, Gardening & Outdoor Living, Home Improvement and Homewares

* Provides textual analysis of the industry’s prospects, competitive landscape and profiles of the leading companies

* Incorporates in-depth five forces competitive environment analysis and scorecards

* Includes five-year forecasts for Furniture & Floor Coverings, Gardening & Outdoor Living, Home Improvement and Homewares

Highlights

* The North American furniture & floor coverings market generated total revenues of $127.2 billion in 2008, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.9% for the period spanning 2004-2008.

* The North American gardening and outdoor living market generated total revenues of $57.9 billion in 2008, representing a compound annual rate of change (CARC) of -0.2% for the period spanning 2004-2008.

* The North American market generated total revenues of $241,501 million in 2008, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.3% for the period spanning 2004-2008.

* The North American homewares market generated total revenues of $98.3 billion in 2008, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.4% for the period spanning 2004-2008.

For more information, please visit :

http://www.aarkstore.com/reports/Consumer-Goods-Home-and-Garden-North-America-Industry-Guide-38082.html

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About the Author:
Welcome to Aarkstore Market Research Aggregation We specialize in providing online market business information on market research reports, books, magazines, conference booking at competitive prices, and strive to provide excellent and innovative service to our customers.
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Before you get started, you will need to calculate how many square yards that you want your new lawn to cover. This is where a long measuring tape will come in handy. Simply measure the length and width of the area that you want to cover and multiply the two numbers to get your square yardage.

For example: if the area you want to cover is 30 yards long and 20 yards wide, your square yardage is 600 sq yards. If your yard is an irregular shape, simply break it down into smaller areas and measure them individually–then total the areas for your overall sq yardage.

Once you have determined your total sq yardage, its time to order your topsoil. You can look in your local yellow pages to find the nearest supplier of topsoil, or check with your local landscaping company for suppliers. You will need enough topsoil to provide a layer at least 6″ deep over your whole lawn area. Your local topsoil supplier can tell you how much you will need if you supply them with the sq yardage you wish to cover–most suppliers will deliver the soil as well.

With your topsoil now on site, you can either hire a local contractor, or choose to spread the soil yourself. If you have a small area to cover, the wheelbarrow, shovel and rake method might be for you. For larger areas, it might be worth hiring someone with a tractor or excavator to spread the soil. One of the advantages of having your soil spread by a contractor is that it will be compressed in the process of spreading.

Now that your soil is spread, it is time to prepare it for sod. If your soil was spread by machine, all you will need to do is rake the surface with a garden rake–adding soil here and there to fill in any low spots. If your soil was spread by hand, you will need to roll it first to compress the soil before raking. Your can either rent or buy a roller–I recommend the type that are filled with water, as you can adjust the weight by adding or removing water as needed.

Once you have the soil compressed and raked, you can order your sod. The sod could be ordered before you finish soil preparation, but make sure that it does not arrive too soon, as sod deteriorates quickly, if not installed and watered. Again, you can consult the yellow pages or check with your local landscaping firm to find a sod supplier. Just give your sod supplier the sq yardage that you need to cover, and they can have the correct amount of sod delivered to you.

The time for laying sod has now arrived. Laying sod is similar to building a brick wall: the seams of one row should not line up with the seams of the next. The easiest way to avoid seams lining up is to start your first line of sod with a full-length sod and your second line with a half-length sod, and continue to alternate as you go.

You can let the sod run a bit over the edges of your topsoil, and use a sod cutter to correct the length once your have all the sod down. This is where the stakes and string come in to play–if you have straight lines that you need to cut–just put a stake in the ground at one end and pull the string tight to the other end and stake it in place. Then use the taught string as your cutting guide.

After you have all your sod down and cut to fit, roll the whole surface once more–this removes any air pockets and gives the sod solid contact with the soil. Also, drive a couple of stakes into any sods that are on steep slopes–if the slope is a bit of a challenge to walk on–stake the sods. Staking sods in this manner helps to keep them in place until the roots take hold.

Now all you need to do is water your new lawn daily, for the next two to three weeks to insure good root growth. Then remove the stakes, mow and enjoy.

Materials and Tools Needed: measuring tape, garden shovel, wheelbarrow, nursery sod, 3lb hammer, sod cutter, topsoil, stakes, string, roller, rake.

Work Safe: when handling heavy materials, lift with your legs, not your back.

For more great gardening tips and tutorials, visit our website Shades of Green.
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Agricultural Trees
You can save money on grocery expenses by growing your own fruits, and since San Diego’s climate is mild like the Mediterranean, you shouldn’t be very limited on the types of fruit trees available for growing. You can plant one of several types of citrus trees like lemons, oranges, limes, kumquats and tangerines, or save money by growing your own avocados.

With the price of avocados sometimes exceeding a dollar each, you can save money each time you make home-made guacamole by avoiding the grocery store prices and grabbing some ripe avos off your own tree. With the recent hikes in almond prices, you can also save some dough (pardon the pun) on the cost of making biscotti or marzipan by growing your own almond tree.

Ornamental Trees
Are you looking to plant a tree to fulfill a design concept? Perhaps you’re just looking to fill in the emptiness of a big, flat lawn. Whatever reason, you might want to plant a tree for its appearance. If you’re just looking for a drought-tolerant plant to fill in negative space, try planting an Acacia (Acacia sp.), Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus sp.) or Olive Tree (Olea europaea). If you’re going for a native landscape, try planting a Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) or Torrey Pine (Pinus torreyana). For creating a Polynesian-themed paradise, consider planting an Orchid Tree (Bauhinia purpurea), Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia nicolai) or Hibiscus (Hibiscus sp.).

Shade Trees
Perhaps the most self-evident reason to plant a tree is for its shade. Not only does the shade of a tree provide you and your family with a nice, cool spot to have a picnic on a sunny day, it can also help reduce your energy bills. By planting a tree of the right size and in the right location, you can provide shade to your home, which will in turn reduce your need to keep it cool with energy-loving appliances like AC units and fans.

For large spaces, you might want to consider planting a Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) or Sycamore (Platanus sp.) tree. For mid-sized trees, you might want to plant a colorful Jacaranda (Jacaranda sp.), Golden Trumpet (Tabebuia chrysotricha) or Weeping Bottlebrush (Callistemon viminalis) tree. If space is limited, try a smaller shade tree like a Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) or a Chinese Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis). Remember that whichever route you take, there are many wholesale nurseries that you can go to for expert advice about planting and care instructions before buying your new tree.

Ryan Frank is an avid writer and blogger living in San Diego, CA.
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1. Be sure you have your chimney inspected if you have not used your fireplace in a while. There may be a dangerous blockage from debris lodged in the chimney, and small animals may have found shelter with a nest. To keep all creatures safe and sound, have your chimney inspected regularly.

2. Never use a chemical fire accelerant to jump start your burning logs. Flammable liquids such as kerosene, lighter fluid and gasoline can cause a dangerous flash and ignite the area outside of the fire pit.

3. Keep all combustible fluids far away from the fireplace flames and heat. This includes seemingly harmless liquids such as nail polish and nail polish remover, which contain highly flammable chemicals.

4. Protect your fireplace with a security screen, one which is properly sized to cover the open fire pit. In addition, when placing your logs on the iron pedestals, be sure that they are positioned correctly and will not be able to roll forward into the fire screen. The screens are tough, but may buckle under a heavy log barreling towards the facing.

5. Keep the fire level to a low or medium high density of flames. A roaring fire is nice for the camp grounds, but can be dangerous inside of a home. You never want the flames to rise so high that the sparks can escape through the edges of the screen.

6. Never burn anything that is made of plastic or cellophane. This material often omits a gas when heated and can radiate odorous and dangerous fumes.

7. When adding a fresh log, avoid throwing the timber onto the burned out embers. The weight of the log will cause sparks to fly, as the inside of the glowing embers are still red hot and fragile. Instead, carefully place your new log on the front section of the fire and slowly roll it backward with a fire poker.

8. Keep in mind the time you wish to retire for the evening and let the fire die down well before bedtime. You never want to leave the burning embers going when the fireplace is unsupervised.

9. Be sure you do not burn lightweight loose papers that will quickly ignite and float to your rooftop. Burning newspapers is OK, but they should be tightly rolled and placed under the logs. And as a general rule, you do not want to burn fabrics or garbage in your fireplace for the same reason. Perhaps the most common mistake is to put a Christmas tree into your fire. The branches are spread out and separated and cause an extension to the flames, one that can quickly get out of control. Rather, chop your tree and make arrangements for its removal with your garbage service.

10. Be sure to sweep your fireplace after each use to remove any ashes that might hinder your next fire. The easiest method of ash removal is to invest in a fireplace tool set that will equip you with several sizes of brushes, pokers and a metal dustpan. And be sure to keep your fireplace tools near to the fireplace in case there is an emergency where you have to shift the logs. In addition, you may wish to keep a fire extinguisher on hand should the area outside of the fire pit ignite. Fire extinguishers should be dated to ensure they are fully functional when you need them and should be replaced upon their expiration date.

Joe Cline writes articles for Austin Texas real estate. Other articles written by the author related to Austin real estate and Round Rock real estate can be found on the net.
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