artscape garden design
Garden design, landscaping & conservatories
 

Archive for February, 2011

Tips To Prevent a Gardener’s Back

Monday, February 21st, 2011

As we get older, many of us have back-related problems.  Here are some tips for keeping your back in good working order.  Note: This is not intended as medical advice, you should always consult a doctor before attempting any physical activity.

  • Try do a few stretches before you start gardening. You would warm up before any other form of exercise. Caution – Don’t do anything that causes pain.
  • Vary your tasks each time. Do a little bending work, pruning work, digging. etc. and don’t overdo any particular activity.
  • Watch your posture – bend your knees and keep your back straight. Hunching over a heavy load is a recipe for disaster.
  • Get down to the work but if you have trouble moving around once you’re on your knees plan ahead. Put all the tools you’ll need in a bucket or container and use a kneeling pad or kneeler with arms to work from. The arms are good for leverage if you have trouble getting up afterwards. Plus many of them turn over to become a bench for a rest or to vary your position.
  • If shovelling, try to keep your feet wide enough apart to give your body plenty of support.
  • Don’t twist your body if you can help it, try repositioning your feet.
  • Use long handled tools that allow you to work sitting or standing. A weeder on a stick can save your back from hours of being bent over in the garden.
  • Try a reaching tool for picking up litter. This saves your back the constant up and down movement when cleaning the garden.
  • A rubbish bin on wheels can be rolled around with you.
  • Use raised beds or pots so that you never have to get down on your knees.
  • Ask for help. If you have an able bodied friend, young person in the family or someone who would normally give you a present on your birthday, ask for a gift of work in the garden. Mixing compost, moving stones, weeding, can all be wonderful gifts that save your back.
  • Consider hiring a local student to do the heavy work that strains your back. Lots of young people can’t find summer jobs and are more than willing to spend a few hours a week working for you. You might just turn them into a keen gardener.

Tags:
Posted in Garden maintenance | Comments Off

Year-Round Interest In Your Garden

Monday, February 7th, 2011

Here’s a can’t-miss tip for beautifying your garden: make sure you’re providing something of interest in each of the four seasons.  DIY landscaping for 4-season interest begins with a well researched plan for plant selection.  The aim is to have flowering trees and/or shrubs throughout spring and summer, followed by autumn foliage and good structure in winter.

Garden design for year-round interest begins by drawing a landscape plan. Unless your property is very large, trees and shrubs simply take up too much space for you to plant them haphazardly.  For smaller properties, it is better to allocate space for trees and shrubs in a methodical and disciplined manner so that they don’t end up outgrowing their homes and causing problems.

Consequently, tree and shrub selection must take into consideration the mature sizes of the plants. Other practical issues such as the sun and soil requirements for the trees and shrubs that you have in mind must also be taken into account.

Once you’ve researched the practical issues, you can allow your more creative side to shift into gear.  But remember, the idea is to distribute the colour that trees and shrubs offer across the four seasons, as equally as possible, so as to achieve year-round interest.

Posted in Garden Design, Plant Selection | Comments Off