Bargain Travel Agency

Consumers worldwide have been feeling the pinch recently. Food prices have risen as the honeymoon period of cheap oil that allowed for the years of overabundant production in the west has ended. No more are the days of milk lakes and corn mountains. The days of food being so cheap that almost a third of everything purchased in the UK is currently thrown away look similarly numbered, as rising oil prices and unpredictable, poor harvests (themselves the result of climate change) press rates of production down, and the golden age of the Green Revolution slips further and further into memory.

Whilst food prices are rising they still take a far smaller bite out of the average wage packet than they did in the 1970’s - around 10% now compared with 20% back then. However, there has been much speculation that increased food prices will drive people away from the organic products that have been rising in popularity in the last few years. Most supermarkets now carry a wide selection of organic products, from milk to shampoos, but, due to less intensive methods of production, these products are normally more expensive that their non-organic counterparts.

Although there has been much speculation about a possible fall in sales of organic products in the face of economic slowdown, sales have continued to rise and the sector, which accounts for about 1.5% of all food purchased in UK supermarkets, is now valued at £980 million a year. It is uncertain whether consumers will still be willing to pay that extra amount on each weekly shopping basket in a couple of month’s time.

Should it be the case that the public’s acceptance of organic products drops off then this would be a great shame to the environmental movement, as organic products, for example organic milk, result in far lower carbon emissions than their non-organic counterparts. Whilst an increase in food prices might lead people away from environmentally friendly, organic food purchases, rising costs are leading people toward more ecologically friendly practices in areas outside the supermarket isles. Allotments, where people can grow their own organic food, are in as high a demand as ever, and newspapers and television programmes are now reflecting the growing trend of people getting their hands and knees dirty in order to prepare the food they eat for dinner.

Patio awnings come in a variety of different functions, styles and colors. You will find custom, modern, designed awnings and traditional retractable awnings that are suitable for residential use. If you own a business, they can be used to advertise locally, provide shelter from the elements, or to just simply make your business more attractive. One excellent use for an awning, especially of the retractable design, is to keep a westerly-exposed home cool from the afternoon sun. Patio awnings have gained more popularity over the past decade, as more and more homeowners are realizing their benefits.

If you install an awning over a balcony, terrace or window it will add value to your home as well as beauty. They are an excellent addition to decks and patios. Depending on what meets your requirements, you can choose stationery models or retractable patio awnings.

The retractable awning is the most popular design and most people install them over patios and decks. If you have expensive patio furniture such as wrought iron patio furniture or wicker patio furniture, it is a great way to protect them from the elements. When the hot afternoon summer sun is beating down, you will like how a retractable awning can be opened up to provide shade for those sitting outside as well as cooling the inside of your house! When you block the direct sunlight from your doors and windows, you’re going to save on air-conditioning costs. When it comes time to finding the right patio awnings for your home, use the internet and do your comparison-shopping. You don’t have to pay a lot of money, and even your local discount patio furniture store should have them at a reasonable quality and price to fit your requirements. Awnings, when properly installed in the right area, are a wonderful addition to any home and can as well increase the overall value!

By Terry Price - Are you looking for some patio awning retailers? http://www.patiofurnitureitems.com/sitemap.html or how about some chaise lounge cushions? http://www.patiofurnitureitems.com/patio-chaise-lounge-cushions.html

Bulbs are the earliest blooming flowers in the garden blooming as early as February or early March. Bulbs can be used in the perennial garden where they can complement other early flowers. Planted in the lawn or beneath deciduous shade trees, bulbs can provide your property with spots of vibrant colors.

Though bulbs prefer sun they can grow beneath the canopy of deciduous trees. In the spring, before the leaves develop, the sun can filter though the tree’s branches. However, while they’ll grow best in the sun, those which are exposed to direct sun during the hottest part of the day are subject to shorter periods of bloom. Bulbs prefer organic well drained soil and will tend to rot if grown in poorly drained soils such as clay. To grow in poorly drained areas amend the soil down to 1 foot. Adding coarse textured organic mulch and compost to the soil will increase its drainage ability and add nutrients to the soil. Another solution is to plant them in raised beds created with well drained soil.

Bulbs, like perennials and annuals, should be deadheaded after they flower. Removing past blooms will prevent the bulbs from forming seed heads. This allows bulbs to put all of their energy into next year’s growth. Wait until the foliage turn brown before you cut the bulb back to the ground. Bulbs receive their energy through their foliage from the sun. This energy is stored below the ground in the bulbs until the following spring.

Wait until the weather is cooler in October and November to plant your bulbs. When you purchase them be sure they are firm rather than soft, bruised or moldy. If you don’t plant them right away be sure to store them in a cool dry place until you do. Generally, bulbs are planted at a depth 3 to 4 times the width of the bulb. Be sure to check when you buy for specific planting instructions. I like to plant bulbs in large massings for clusters of color. Cover the planted bulbs with about 2 or 3 inches of bark mulch to help the soil retain moisture and to reduce the growth of weeds in the garden.

Every few years some bulbs begin to get crowded and need dividing. Bulbs can be dug up after the foliage turns brown and can either be planted immediately or stored in a cool dry place until they’re planted in the fall.

Bulbs can usually be depended on to provide the garden with early spring color. Sometimes, however, bulbs fail to bloom profusely. This can be the result of too much moisture, too much shade or overcrowding. It can also be the result of removing the foliage of the bulbs too soon or improper planting techniques such as planting at the wrong depth.

Bulbs are among the easiest plants to care for in the garden. With some initial work you can provide your garden with early season color year after year. Spring flowering bulbs are a pleasant sight after a long winter and are the best sign of the wonderful things to come.

T Hallinan is a landscape designer and builder in Massachusetts. Visit his garden resource website http://www.gardenlistings.com for all kind of helpful information. For more garden guides visit http://www.gardenlistings.com/resources.htm

In the past, the garden has traditionally been a separate entity, with wrought iron or plastic furniture dotting the landscape in no particular design pattern. Seen as simply a place to have a picnic or, perhaps, read a book on a nice day, attention wasn’t given to the fact that the garden is a natural extension of the home.

Today, things have changed, and homeowners are now considering their garden area as simply another room that happens to flow into the outdoors. In fact, great care is often taken to extend the home environment into the garden, integrating the design of the furnishings and expression of the homeowner’s personal style to create a comfortable retreat for those who choose to enjoy the benefits of nature.

Let’s suppose, for instance, that the furnishings within the interior of your home reflect French styling. A natural way to extend that theme into the garden area is to utilize blue and yellow in the color scheme of the garden furniture. Since this is a reflection of French décor, as is wrought iron furniture, the transition from interior to exterior will be natural and tasteful.

Stone walkways and patios will re-enforce the French design, offering a sense of European nostalgia to the presentation. Of course, the total design of the garden doesn’t consist of mere furniture. Statuary and antiquities can be blended into the overall effect, sealing the lid on the French theme.

Extend the Theme of Your Home

Those whose homes are decorated to provide a bit of the orient in design can also extend the theme through garden furniture and other outdoor accessories. For example, granite and bamboo are natural elements in a classic Japanese theme.

Garden furniture that’s constructed using these items and appropriately designed cushions will turn an ordinary garden into a Japanese paradise - particularly if the proper accessories are included. These may include bamboo fountains and/or fences, granite benches and sculptures, rain chains, chimes, arched bridges and, perhaps, a temple garden bell. These and other accessories will add the finishing touches to a beautiful oriental garden and provide a natural extension of the home.

Your Own Italian Villa

If your interior furnishings express an Italian flavor, that, too, can be integrated into the garden furnishings and accessory line. Acacia is often used in the construction of Italian outdoor furniture, and can be purchased in full patio sets, benches, chairs, lounges, trolleys, rockers and decorator items for the garden.

Numerous accessories that are of Italian design will accomplish a total picture, making this outdoor sanctuary reminiscent of a fine Italian villa. Among these are torches, lanterns, iron and glass decorator pieces and pavements or patios which offer Bangkirai wood flooring, to name a few. Floors such as these are available in a variety of designs and patterns, which reflect the Italian décor.

Regardless of the type of interior furnishings that your home may possess, rest assured that there are options for garden furniture that will blend right in and, in fact, make your personal garden area a true extension of the home environment. While an eclectic garden design was once the “norm,” the gardens of today should be consistent with the theme of the home - and a mixture of cultures within the design should be avoided.

Mike has been involved with exterior landscaping for several years, having first got the bug when he landscaped his own back garden. Since then he’s been helping people find and review the best value for money outdoor furniture, to meet your needs. Find out more at his site: Home of Teak Furniture or discover the full range of articles here: Teak Furniture Articles

You can also get the entire article on his site here: Teak Garden Furniture: A Natural Extension of the Home

#3: Split-Floorplan Layout - There are two basic types of floorplan layouts, which are primarily differentiated through their inherent treatment of the master bedrooms suite vs. other bedrooms vs. public space (i.e. great room, den, kitchen, etc.).

The first type of floorplan layout is a traditional layout whereby the master bedroom/suite is usually located on the same side of the house as the other bedrooms. The logical grouping of the home’s bedroom spaces, within a relatively-contiguous location in the floorplan, lends itself to several different design styles of homes, and may be an alternative for particular groups of home-owners, including families with infants / small children and/or retired couples with little need for multiple bedrooms, who utilize the extra space as a small home office which is conveniently located.

Both the primary advantage and disadvantage of this type of layout relate to the location of the master bedroom vs. other bedrooms. For example, if you prefer more privacy in the master suite OR you have teenage/college children in the house OR “name your specific condition here…”, the traditional floorplan layout would probably not be the best choice for you.

Alternatively, the split-floorplan layout addresses the shortcomings of the traditional layout by physically separating the master suite from the other bedrooms, and many times, from the more highly-trafficked public areas such as the kitchen, great room, and eating area. It is this feature that has made the split-floorplan layout increasingly popular with today’s home buyers.

The primary advantages of this type of layout is that of its relative privacy and sound-deadening benefits that such a physical room arrangement can provide. The downside to this floorplan layout can be that it is sometimes a little more difficult to implement in the home design, especially on narrow lots, since certain floorplan spaces and features only lend themselves to positioning in a relatively small number of locations in the home.

For example, a foyer is normally located off the front of the house…the great room is usually (though not always) positioned in the rear center of the house to provide views of the property….the additional bedrooms are usually located in close-proximity to one another since they normally share bathrooms, etc, etc..

The combination of all these type items increase the complexity of developing a solid split-floorplan house plan design that meet all of the livability features of today’s home buyer. Regardless of these type items, the split-floorplan layout continues to enjoy exceeding popularity with today’s group of stock homeplan purchasers.

=============================================

Print Part III of this article at:

http://www.houseplancentral.com/articles.php?id=3

=============================================

About the author:

Mark Mathis is a building designer and publisher of several stock house plan websites and informational resources including http://www.HousePlanCentral.com,
http://www.HousePlanGallery.com, and http://www.moneytalks-bswalks.com. Be sure to visit each site and subscribe to our eNewsletters to receive special offers, promotions, and subscriber-only features.