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Homebuyers love an inviting home even before they see the interior. Home sellers can take some easy steps to turn a drive by or Internet photo of their home into a showing appointment. Mark Nash author of 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home offers easy tips for your readers and viewers to prepare their home for spring market.

-Purchase a seasonal wreath for your front door.

-Place a pair of planters that match the style of your home on the front porch. Fill with blooming flowers or loosen frozen soil with hot water and fill with evergreen boughs and red or yellow dogwood available at your florist or garden center. If you have window boxes duplicate flowers or evergreen look.

-Don’t put silk flowers or plants into any exterior landscape.

-Give buyers a glimpse of your summer gardens when selling a home in the winter. Display a collage of photos of your landscaping in spring, summer and fall.

-Clean up any tree branches, leaves, trash and pet droppings in front and rear yards.

-Position spotlights from home center stores at the base of ornamental trees to up light branches for a dramatic effect.

-Spread decorative bar mulch over flowerbeds and around tree bases for a manicured and professional look.

-Take down any leftover holiday decorations. Resist using clear Italian lights to accent trees or shrubs. Kitsch is out.

-Clear away snow and ice from sidewalks and driveways immediately, to illustrate pride of ownership.

-A fresh application of driveway sealer on asphalt can give it an update.

-Edge sidewalks and driveways, irrigate and mow lawns and prune shrubs and trees. Well-maintained homes attract buyers.

-Spread new decorative gravel to freshen up driveways. Bare spots and irregular levels can distract buyers from the overall look upon arrival.

-House numbers should be easily visible from the street. Make sure they’re lit at night.

-Limit yard ornaments to a favored few. Excess ornaments can make yards look busy and buyers might want them included in a purchase contract.

-Make sure your barbecue grill is clean and operational, especially if you plan to leave it.

-Clear gutters of debris and make sure there are no weeds growing in them. Look for clogged and dented downspouts. Place splash pads or gutter extensions to move rainwater away from the foundation, a typical home inspector complaint.

-All soil should be graded down hill away from foundations. Do it before an inspector red flags it.

-Trim trees and shrubs back around air-conditioning condensing units. Remove covers for home inspection testing.

-Take a good look from the street or road at the front of your home. Look for shrubs that are over grown or dead and remove and replace with shrubs that are to scale to your home. Small inexpensive bushes send the wrong message.

-Add annual flowers in home foundation beds. Select one or two colors to create visual uniformity. White and purple are a good choice to add color punch to a landscape.

-Paint and refresh yard lights, flagpoles, mailboxes, window boxes, fences and trellis. Don’t forget the swing set or play equipment.

-Have pool bottom painted and any deferred pool maintenance performed. Keep water crystal clear and inviting. Keep pool temperature on the warm side when buyers stoop to test the water.

-Lay sod or bare spot grass seed in lawn areas that need attention, near play equipment, dog runs and non-paved pathways. Unkempt lawns are the number one landscape turn-offs for buyers.

-Replace broken bricks on terraces, cracked concrete patios and steps. Eliminate trips and falls on property showings.

-Restore screens on porches and lanai’s. Dirty, rusty and ripped screens limit functionality to homebuyers.

-Have irrigation systems flushed and checked. Don’t overlook outside water spigots.

-Verify that drains in exterior basement stairwells and garages drain properly and are free of debris.

-Hire a landscape designer to make plan to perk up a tired landscape. Professionals can provide a fresh perspective that can appeal to buyers.

-Plant low maintenance plants and shrubs that are appropriate to your area.

-Educated plant lovers are on the rise and they know which plants are winter hardy. High maintenance plants such as roses can overwhelm first-time buyers.

Mark Nash’s fourth real estate book, “1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home” (2005), and working as a real estate broker in Chicago are the foundation for his consumer-centric real estate perspective which has been featured on ABC-TV, CBS The Early Show, Bloomberg TV, CNN-TV, Chicago Sun Times & Tribune, Fidelity Investor’s Weekly, Dow Jones Market Watch, MSNBC.com, The New York Times, Realty Times, Universal Press Syndicate and USA Today.

Have you ever wanted sometime off from work and spending some quality outdoors with your family. You may think that spending sometime outdoor with your family is boring as you would not cook or have hot meals. It is about time you got an outdoor kitchen and experience the wonders it has to offer. Imagine being able to have your barbeque or making lunch outside with your family and friends. You may also be able to cook and prepare all your meals whilst hanging with your friends and family outside in the open space. Certainly people will definitely find this as the best experience and life style.

We all want to find time with our family to have a barbeque and relax in the fresh outdoor environment. These outdoor activities are very essential as they provide a good relaxation outside from our home. It is also important to note that these outdoor kitchens are easy to setup and cost less. We should not make an excuse of not having one. Cooking on the fire is very interesting and is a great outdoor hobby for most of us. You would agree with me that outdoor cooking is the best cooking experience.

More about outdoor cooking and kitchens here

Purchasing a vacation property is a big step for most people. If it is your first, you need to keep several things in mind before you move forward with a purchase.

1. Decide what type of property you want. Perhaps, as travelers, you simply want a lot to park a RV. Perhaps a simple seasonal cabin on the lake. Or a regular, year-round home suitable for retirement. Do you like to swim, fish or go boating? These are all questions you should ask before you even think about buying.

2. Vacation SEVERAL times to the area you are interested in purchasing property. You will then get a feel for the other people in the general area, and if you’ll “fit in”. You will also want to find the best locations for food, shopping and entertainment that best suit your lifestyle. Fortunately, many of these amenities exist in the Central and Northern parts of Minnesota lakes country. Remember, summer-time traffic in the lakes areas of Minnesota is heavy at times, light at others, consider this in your location selection.

3. Decide on your price tolerance. Gone are the days of “cheap” lake cabins and homes. Lake shore property in Minnesota sells for a premium price, even undeveloped lots are expensive. Decide how much you are looking to spend and arrange your financing if needed before you start looking. This will make your buy process much smoother.

4. Get as much information on listings and property for sale in the area you are interested in as possible. This means gathering all the real estate guides, newspapers and free-shoppers. Find out what is for sale in your market and price levels. Make a list of features and benefits of properties you are interested in. Compare prices from one area to another. This intelligence will give you the insight you need to make a good buying decision.

5. Select and use ONE Realtor. The services of a Realtor that specializes in vacation property is key. Their insight to the current market can guide you toward the right purchase, based on your personal interests. Since you will be armed with the information you gathered on potential properties, and have answered all the tough questions about prices, location and financing before even approaching an agent, your agent you selected can focus on the process of finding the property that is right for you.

About the Author: Jennifer McTighe is Realtor for Coldwell Banker, Property III in Crosslake, MN and specializes in vacation property. This poplular area attracts visitors throughout the US, due to the scenery, fishing, boating and community activities in the area. For more information, visit http://www.jennifermctighe.com Or call 218-330-4406.

Source: www.isnare.com

What are the basics of effective Bonsai care.

Caring for your Bonsai tree involves many of the same activities
associated with caring for a pot plant or an indoor plant. Well
developed and healthy fibrous roots are essential for the
continued good health of your Bonsai tree and repotting is an
essential way to manage this process. Normally a young or fast
growing Bonsai will need to be repotted roughly once a year; for
less prolific growers or older trees it can be done as
infrequently as once every five years. You should always try to
repot during late winter or early spring when the buds start to
swell.

How to repot a Bonsai tree.

The process of repotting a Bonsai tree is one that you should
take seriously and follow these simple instructions:

First, you should tidy the tree by carefully pruning off any
unwanted, long branches. Also, make sure the tree has been under
cover for a few weeks if it is an outdoor Bonsai, this way the
soil will be relatively dry. Once you remove the tree from it’s
pot you will be able to see whether it really needs repotting.
If it is root bound then you should repot it, however, if there
are another few inches of room so the roots can grow a little
longer then you can carefully replace the tree in it’s original
pot and continue as normal.

You should remove surface soil from the roots either by hand or
using a nylon scrubbing brush. Brush away from the trunk and be
careful not to damage any of the roots. Removing the loose soil
will give the Bonsai tree a healthier look and feel. Once you’ve
removed most of the soil in this way, you can use a small, fine
bristled paintbrush to remove the soil stuck in the roots or
that has collected in the roots.

Use a Bonsai fork to comb out the roots. Do this by combing out
the roots from underneath and then use scissors to prune up to a
third of the roots and then cut out small wedges around the root
base to allow fresh soil to collect and keep your Bonsai
healthy. Add a layer of grit to the bottom of the pot and then
add the Bonsai compst of your choice.

Take the time to position your Bonsai tree in the pot and then
push a little more soil into awkward places. Complete this as
often as you need to as mentioned above.

Garden supplies are essential to the development of a good garden. They make gardening easy, and there are certain things that gardeners find indispensable.

Here are some examples:

Gloves: gloves help protect the hands from chapping or getting bruised while working in the garden. Typically, they are made of supplex nylon for toughness, as well as a feeling of softness against the skin. Sometimes gloves are made of Lycra spandex for good fit, stretch ability and comfort. Gloves are even made from fabric that breathes and promises durability. The palm is made of leather. Such high-tech gloves offer extra knuckle protection and a cloth sweat wipe. They are usually washable, do not shrink or stretch and resist hardening. For more demanding jobs, gloves are made to resist abrasion and are double stitched for protection.

Neem oil can safely be used for pest control, especially aphids and mites. It is a bio-pesticide that can be used to keep many insects out of your garden. Neem oil comes from pressing the neem tree, which is part of the indigenous flora of India and eastern Burma. It has been used effectively for several thousand years as a natural insecticide. A garlic barrier is an odorless insect repellant that can be used on lawns, flowering plants and vegetables. And, leaf mulch can be used to enrich the soil. Another soil enricher is earthworm casting. Know as black gold, this mulch it is produced by earthworms.

Pruners keep your garden trim and well groomed. Make sure they are made of high quality aluminum and built to precision with ultra hardened tool steel blades. Some pruning equipment is made to allow the gardener to trim at ground level while standing. Thorny bushes can be pruned from a safe distance. Some pruners come with a rotating cutting head with a range of 240 degrees.

Here are some examples:

Gloves: gloves help protect the hands from chapping or getting bruised while working in the garden. Typically, they are made of supplex nylon for toughness, as well as a feeling of softness against the skin. Sometimes gloves are made of Lycra spandex for good fit, stretch ability and comfort. Gloves are even made from fabric that breathes and promises durability. The palm is made of leather. Such high-tech gloves offer extra knuckle protection and a cloth sweat wipe. They are usually washable, do not shrink or stretch and resist hardening. For more demanding jobs, gloves are made to resist abrasion and are double stitched for protection.

Neem oil can safely be used for pest control, especially aphids and mites. It is a bio-pesticide that can be used to keep many insects out of your garden. Neem oil comes from pressing the neem tree, which is part of the indigenous flora of India and eastern Burma. It has been used effectively for several thousand years as a natural insecticide. A garlic barrier is an odorless insect repellant that can be used on lawns, flowering plants and vegetables. And, leaf mulch can be used to enrich the soil. Another soil enricher is earthworm casting. Know as black gold, this mulch it is produced by earthworms.

Pruners keep your garden trim and well groomed. Make sure they are made of high quality aluminum and built to precision with ultra hardened tool steel blades. Some pruning equipment is made to allow the gardener to trim at ground level while standing. Thorny bushes can be pruned from a safe distance. Some pruners come with a rotating cutting head with a range of 240 degrees.

Gardening provides detailed information on Gardening, Organic Gardening, Flower Gardening, Gardening Supplies and more. Gardening is affiliated with Garden Décor.

It’s August, the weather has cooled a bit here and the summer monsoons where I live in New Mexico have begun. The kids are starting back to school and I feel the onset of fall. I’m getting that garden planning itch again! It happens 2-3 times a year… This time, it’s time to start ordering bulbs and perennials for fall planting. I’m always planning how my garden will look better next season and I suppose most of you do the same. Fall is the perfect time to plant for established growth next spring!

Take a good look at your garden now and think about areas you need to fill in. Do you need late season color, early spring blooms? Are there bare spots or places where plants like poppies or tulips go dormant and you need a filler to keep your garden alive with color? I find the best time for next years planning is in the fall when bloom time and plant combinations are fresh in my mind.

You may be disappointed with a plant combination you chose last season. Fall is the perfect time to rearrange. Get rid of overgrown plants and revive areas with new color or foliage combinations. Think about areas in your bulb or perennial garden you want to develop. What size, shape and bloom color do you need? Plant them this fall and watch your pans come to fruition come spring.

Shrubs and trees do take years to mature and fill their place. You can get a jump start by planting them this fall. When spring arrives they’ll be much more hardy and will require less babying.

Fall is the perfect time to mail order bulbs, perrenials, shrubs, hedges and trees. We’re winding down the season and if you’re anything like me you’re just not ready to quit quite yet. Sure there’s clean up to be done, but I find more planting helps to finish those mundane cxhores. As I clean out I plant new!

Ordering online or by mail

Ordering plants online can be a bit scary. How are the plants shipped? Will they be good quality? Will they arrive at the right time and will I be prepared to plant them then?

Fear not! I’ve ordered in fall for years and have had tremendous results!

Plant Quality and Guarantees

Nurseries do differ in what and how they ship so make sure you do some research, but almost all reputable mail order nurseries do guarantee their plants to grow or your money back. I’ve never had trouble collecting on that promise and I have used it a time or two for certain plants. I also admit, a bit grudgingly as a then new gardener, that I should never have ordered those specific plants for my climate. Nevertheless the nursery did stand behind it’s guarantee.

How Plants Are Shipped

Some plants will be shipped bare root, others as potted plants. This depends on the plant variety and I’ve actually found preference to bare root plants. They do look dead when they arrive (they are actually dormant), but I assure you that unless they have visible signs of disease like rot they’ll thrive come spring.

*Note - If you do get any plants that look like the crown has rotted either ship them back immediately or just phone the nursery and they’ll ship out new ones.

When to Plant

While you never know exactly when your plants will arrive, they are shipped to you at the proper planting time for your gardening zone. If plants arrive and it’s not convenient to plant immediately just make sure you follow the directions included in your shipment for keeping your plants viable until you can plant them. If you’ve planned ahead you will know where they go and it’ll take you little time to get them in the ground. A Saturday afternoon will usually give you ample time to get this done.

Keep in mind these companies have been in business for years and years and have shipped bare root and potted plants for eons. They do know what they’re doing and most of them do it very well. They’d be out of business if they couldn’t fulfill your planting requirements.

Gardening Budgets and Selection

You can’t beat the cost and selection of ordering by mail! Most mail order companies offer plant varieties you’ll never find anywhere else. The selections seem endless and I’ve been amazed what I can grow in New Mexico. Take advantage of fall specials and free shipping and you get a double bang for you buck. For about half of what I spend on a trip to the garden center on a single spring garden binge, I can have more variety and many more plants shipped to me at home.

Get on the Mailing Lists

Make sure you’re on the mailing list for the following nurseries at least! You’ll get a catologue several times a year. Take it into the garden with you,look around and plan accordingly. Then hop online and place an order or order by mail, but use the online resources for their help with plant combinations and companion planting. They offer great suggestions you may not have thought of before. Remember - pictures will help any gardener no matter how experienced.

About the Author

To order catalogues and find this seasons BEST garden specials visit my garden resource center - My website is at
http://www.bulbandseed.com

Spring is here! Longer days and warmer weather means you and your family will spend more time outdoors. Did you know that your garden has the potential to have an amazing effect on your familys health, happiness, and well-being? Its true! Not only can your garden be a place of enjoyment and beauty, by creating harmony in your garden through the way of Vastu, you can bring peace and happiness into the lives of those you love.

Vastu Shastra is an environmental science written about some 7,000 10,000 years ago in India by rishis, or men of great wisdom. They observed the workings of Nature and recorded how different rays of the sun, the magnetic poles, the makeup of the land, soil, slope, structures and more affected all living things. It is the oldest recorded architectural treatise known to man and it is from this science that some of the worlds most enduring structures have been created.

According to the science of Vastu Shastra, all five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and space) need to be in harmony. When a seed is planted, it requires that all five elements be balanced for it to germinate, sprout, and become a strong, healthy plant. The disproportion of any one elementwhether it is the quality of the earth (soil ph), the amount and quality of water, wind (air), sun (fire), or the amount of space it is planted inhas the power to inhibit its growth. In this way a wise gardener sets up a balanced environment for his plants to grow free from disease and stress.

Briefly, each area of your garden is associated with one of the five elements. The earth element is associated with the southwest area, providing a sustaining and grounding force for the garden. In the northeast, the nourishing water element is at home enhancing growth. The fire element in the southeast supports healthy disease-free plants. The northwest is related to the air element, encouraging cross-pollination for new growth in the garden. The space element is associated with the central area of your garden, enhancing the flow of beneficial influences that nourishes the other elements.

Here are five suggestions to bring the five elements into balance in your garden and make it a haven that is not only beautiful to look and wonderful to spend time in, but will actually have an empowering affect on the health and well-being of you and your family.

1. Build up the southwest area of your garden to produce the stabilizing force of the earth element. You can do this with a rock garden, tall trees, and even a stone statue. This area is extremely helpful in collecting and holding the positive solar and magnetic energies coming from the east and north. Since yellow is the color associated with the southwest, choose daffodils, roses, or wisteria as color accents in this area. The southwest is also a good place for a storage or tool shed.

2. Represent the water element in the northeast by adding a fountain, pool, or pond so this beneficial energy will be reflected throughout your garden. Use low plantings in the northeast that will not block the life-enhancing ultraviolet light coming from this direction. Plant herbs, white pansies, or geraniums as color highlights in this direction.

3. Add a barbeque or a fire pit in the southeast area of your garden to enliven the fire element. The color red is related to this direction so plant tulips, geraniums, roses, and dahlias in the southeast to enliven this element.

4. Wind chimes, a play area with a swing set, or a compost pile will balance the air element in the northwest. Blue is the color connected to this area, so plant bluebells, forget-me-nots, and iris to enhance the influences coming from this direction.

5. Represent the space element by an open patio area in the center of your garden where you can sit and commune with nature. Finally, keep your garden neat and tidy by pulling weeds and removing dead plants. Doing so, you will support the balance of the five elements and attract the positive influences inherent in each of the five directions.

A well-tended and designed garden using the principles of Vastu Shastra, will benefit you and the members of your family for years to come. By reconnecting with the intrinsic balance within nature using basic Vastu principles, you will experience better health, improved relationships, and enjoy an enhanced sense of well-being.

About the author:

Michael and Robin Mastros synergistic approach to
environmental balance successfully assists people to
live in peace and harmony, and to create stress-free
lives filled with unlimited possibilities.
Visit us at: http://www.vastucreations.com

Do you need garden
furniture ?You’ve put a lot of work into your garden, from
planning to digging to weeding to all the little tasks that keep
it looking beautiful. Sharing your garden with others is the
next step, and doing that requires more than pretty rows of
plants. You created a garden to enjoy, didn’t you? Imagine your
garden in use - garden benches and patio furniture to provide
places for people to sit and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Choosing garden furniture can be the ultimate expression of your
pride in the garden you’ve grown.

When choosing garden furniture, you should take into account the
kind of use that your garden will get. Is your garden meant to
be a relaxing haven for just you? A place where you’ll read and
sip iced tea, away from the bustle of the modern, busy world? In
that case, what better piece of garden ‘furniture’ is there than
a classic hammock, slung between trees or on its own stand? And
of course, if you put up a garden hammock, you’ll need a small
garden table close to hand to hold your iced tea and book when
you pull your hat down over your eyes to snooze in the sun.

Perhaps you picture dining al fresco in your garden. In that
case, you’ll be choosing patio
furniture that includes patio or garden table and chairs.
>From beautiful white-painted French bistro sets to elegant glass
and wood dining sets complete with parasol and side tables.

The garden furniture that you choose can set the tone for your
outdoor space in the same way that your choice of sofa, chairs
and tables defines the style of your living room. A stone garden
bench with urns gives a completely different ambience than a
pair of rustic, unpainted Adirondack chair with a small table
between them. A pair of sun loungers (or chaise lounges) with
comfortable cushions invites your guests (and you!) to relax and
enjoy the lazy pleasure of the outdoors. Park benches with black
cast iron accents can lend a touch of turn-of-the-century
Parisian charm to a simple garden, or fit right into a smooth
expanse of lawn.

When you’re choosing garden furniture, you’ll find a wide
variety of styles and materials. Molded plastic furniture is a popular choice, in colors that
harmonize with the natural surroundings. Wood picnic tables with
benches are a standard, and classic redwood tables, benches,
chairs and loungers are still one of the most chosen types of
garden furniture in the world.

Whatever your choice, just remember the reasons that you grew a
garden to begin with - the pleasure and beauty of nature. Choose
garden furniture that enhances both your garden’s beauty and
your enjoyment of nature.