There are several ways this goal may be accomplished. First of all birds like water. They need to drink water and they actually enjoy playing in the water. With this in mind make sure there is some sort of water source available for the birds to enjoy in your summer garden. Some excellent choices would be a water fountain, a goldfish pond, or a waterfall. The key in this is to make sure that the water source is not a stagnate water source as you want to attract birds and not mosquitoes. Other than that, have fun creating a neat place for your bird pals to frolic and play.

As far as attracting specific birds, you will need to research the specific birds you are interested in attracting to your summer garden and plant accordingly. The variations are virtually limitless and far too numerous to include in this brief overview. Be sure to invest some degree of time when planning your garden to check into favorite birds and the flowers or trees they prefer. You should also take the time to study their predators and avoid creating a friendly atmosphere for the predators to hang out in your summer garden while you are doing your research.

Another way to attract birds to your summer garden is by creating an environment in which they feel safe and at home. Plant trees that these birds favor for building nests or place birdhouses in your garden that will provide a great potential home for these birds to make their own.

In addition to planting flowers and trees that will attract various birds to your summer garden you should also take care to attract food to your summer garden for these desirable birds as well. If you aren’t sure about attracting food for the birds you might want to consider providing food for these birds you are hoping to draw into your summer garden. You can accomplish this by filling bird feeders (make sure you use feeders that are designed to prevent squirrels from stealing the food intended for your birds) with foods that attract the birds you are most interested in attracting to your lawn.

There is no right or wrong way to create a peaceful and relaxing summer garden. If you wish to add to your enjoyment of your garden it is quite possible to do this by taking a few extra steps and landscaping with the birds you enjoy watching in mind. The steps above will help make your garden an attractive place to favorite birds to play and build their homes. Incorporate them all into your summer garden for best results and the opportunity to live in harmony with the birds you enjoy watching.

The first, and perhaps best, lesson that most children learn when working in the garden is that life works in cycles. This is an important lesson for children, as it is a lesson that will be repeated often throughout the course of their lives. Of course this is only one of the many lessons that gardening will teach but gardening is one of the kindest ways I’ve ever seen this particular lesson learned and it helps ease children into those times when lessons about the cycle of life are not so kindly or gently presented.

The next lesson that gardening teaches children is that persistent effort often pays out with delightful results. Whether their gardening efforts yielded sweet peppers or pretty flowers, there is often a desired result that is achieved through gardening. If you really want to capture your children’s attention when it comes to gardening choose a fast growing plant for their first gardening experience. The ability to see the fruits of their labor quickly appear is often one of the greatest gifts we can give our children.

If you want to guide your children towards the path of creating a summer garden without quite the fanfare or responsibility you may want to begin simply-perhaps with a potted plant or a hanging tomato plant or something similar that will yield visible and tasty results with much less effort, time, or attention being required in order to achieve quick and enthusiastic results.

Be sure to point out interesting facts about the different plants in your garden that may be exciting to children to learn. Remember your first gardening experiences and share them with your children. You may be surprised to find how much you have in common with your children when it comes to ideas and enthusiasm concerning summer gardens.

When planning a summer garden with kids you need to consider all of the things you would consider when planning other summer gardens but relate those things to pint sized hands and sponge-like minds. Kids soak up every ounce of information we provide them at an alarming rate. Be careful that you aren’t teaching them incorrect logic when it comes to gardening and growing beautiful summer plants.

More importantly, you should make a concerted effort to insure that you are teaching your children the positive aspects of gardening so that this becomes an activity they look to for enjoyment and pleasure rather than approaching with dread. You should also take great pains to insure that you allow your children to grow the things they will like in your summer garden too. Strawberries and watermelon are popular favorites for younger hands to grow because little mouths enjoy eating these delicious fruits that can be grown in most gardens. They also like to grow flowers that they can tend and watch throughout the summer if flowers are your summer garden calling rather than food.

When gardening with children there are many lessons that you can teach your children along the way. Science, math, and meteorology all have roles in gardening but you should also be on the lookout for the valuable lessons that your children can teach you about gardening and life in general when you take them out to work with you in your summer garden.

This is a general guide to the various types of plants that are well suited for a summer garden and not necessarily those that are well suited to rest side by side. Study the flowers you decide you would like to include in your summer garden in order to insure you keep those that love water and dislike sun away from those that thrive with little water and copious amounts of sun. In other words you will need to conduct a more thorough study of the flowers you decide to include in your summer garden in order to determine the proper placement of these flowers for the most color, effect, and the best possible life for the flowers you choose.

The following are some fun sun loving flowers you may wish to include in your summer garden. Geraniums are bright little splashes of color that are ideally suited for a summer garden. They happen to work well for creating borders or simply providing a highlight of color in a bed of green and do quite well in pots on their own or mixed with other colorful summer flowers. The Hibiscus is a beautiful spot of color that will lend a tropical feel to your summer garden. A welcome addition to many gardens they may grow quite tall so keep them to the back of the summer garden to allow the full array of color from all summer plants to capture the eyes of visitors. Marigolds are another popular addition to most summer gardens. With a wide array of colors from which to choose it is no small wonder that these flowers remain a popular favorite for sunny patches within the summer garden.

Shade loving flowers also abound for summer gardens everywhere. Most gardeners find heavily shaded spots within their lawns or gardens to be a particular challenge. Perhaps some of these suggestions will alleviate that sense of challenge for you. Impatiens are widely popular choices for shady spaces and provide a wide range of bright colors perfect for creating fun and bright borders. The viola is another great brightly colored flower that is well suited for borders or potted arrangements, whichever suits your particular summer garden needs. Mimulus is another excellent choice for color in your summer garden and may tolerate partial sun quite well if you’re looking for a nice border plant. If you prefer more dramatic coloring in your summer garden you might be interested in including Lobelia or ageratum, which both have beautiful blue hues in your summer garden plans.

Of course this is only a small sampling of the many bright and beautiful summer flowers that can make a real splash in your summer garden. Be sure to check out the color offerings of each and specific care instructions to make sure that they are a genuine match not only for your personal tastes but also the landscape and terrain of your garden and the other plants that will be included in your summer garden. The planning stage is often the hardest work that many people put into their summer gardens but the pay off for all this proper planning is quite often rich and beautiful. Failing to plan properly can result in a great deal of wasted time and effort on your behalf and a less than stellar summer garden.

Do not buy what you do not need. It doesn’t matter how good the deal if you do not need the seeds, tools, and various other items there is no real reason to purchase them. It is a waste of money that could be better spent elsewhere to spend money that doesn’t need to be spent.

Don’t pay for shipping if it can be avoided. You may find a few items cheaper online but be very aware of the costs involved in shipping. If it costs more when all is said and done than it would have cost to purchase the same items locally you haven’t saved anything at all. Look at the big picture rather than seeing only the cheaper asking price. It is also a good idea to support small local businesses whenever possible as they are going to be more likely to bargain, barter, and throw in freebies.

Check locally for free composting materials. Many communities offer these free to residents. When compared with the expense of purchasing these materials the savings can be significant over the course of a summer.

Work out an exchange among gardening friends. This is a great way to incorporate new plants into your summer garden without purchasing each plant you wish to include. This is a great way to make new gardening friends, share a passion, and save money. It’s a win win situation for most gardeners who are constantly waging war on the high costs that can be involved in gardening.

Select plants that are native to your area for your summer garden. This is a huge money saver that is often overlooked. The costs of non-native plants can be excessive in the best of circumstances and the added care incurs further costs. Keep costs down by selecting plants that will easily thrive in your climate and those that are locally cultivated. This isn’t an all or nothing proposition of course. If you absolutely love a couple of non-native plants, by all means incorporate them into your garden. However, if you are planning a garden from scratch choose as many native plants as possible for filler.

Check your local classified ads and free-cycle program for used garden tools that are in good condition. There are many reasons that people sell or give away garden tools and a bargain is a bargain on these tools that are going to be used to play in the dirt. You do not need to be incredibly picky about the tools you purchase and saving money is almost always a good thing. It’s even better, of course, when you get them for no cost at all. You also might find a few free plants available through these sources too.

Mulching saves time and money. Really! It saves water to mulch because the mulch holds the moisture in. This lowers the cost of watering and eliminates many of the pesky weeds that crop up-which saves time. We all know that time is money and most of us despise weeding unless we have some truly aggressive emotions to work through that is.

By using all of the steps above you should find that you have saved a good deal of money in the planning and growing of your summer garden. Combine them with tips of your own that you discover along the way and next summer your garden should cost even less.

A hammock. There really can’t be enough said about the value that a well placed hammock in your summer garden will add to the enjoyment of your time spent in the great outdoors. This is particularly true, for some unknown reason, for men. There is something about hanging a hammock that says this place is home to a man and this should not be overlooked when creating the outdoor place you wish to share together.

Wind chimes. There is something soothing about listening to the wind making music in your garden. Whether you are enjoying a nap in your hammock, catching some rays on a lounge chair or simply sitting outside reading a book and sipping some tea the sound of wind weaving a melody through the chimes is a very enjoyable sound.

Seating. While most men will argue that a hammock is all they need most women cannot find outdoor comfort by hammock alone. Hammocks are also woefully inadequate seating when there are crowds larger than two involved in most cases. For this reason it is nice to have plenty of seating in your garden area so that friends and family may enjoy seeing the results of your effort along with you. Select seating that is fitting of your great tastes and that is comfortable for the best possible results.

Flowerpots. While your summer garden may be filled with flowers, plants, bushes, trees, fruits, and vegetables there is rarely the occasion when there is too much color in a summer garden. Fill large flowerpots with impatiens or similar flowering plants and place them strategically around the seating area for a beautiful affect that brings the beauty of your summer garden well onto your patio or deck. The same thing may be accomplished on a larger scale with a few well-placed raised garden beds or a few climbing vines.

Water features. There is not enough that can be said about the drama and elegance that a water feature can bring to the average summer garden. Whether you elect to include a fountain, waterfall, or goldfish pond the additional value and enjoyment it provides to your garden is almost impossible to measure. Water features are a rather significant investment in your garden area but well worth the money you will invest when it comes to return on investment. Your family and your friends will appreciate the effect that this brings to your summer garden.

Many may consider their summer gardens decoration enough. However, a few small decorative touches can mean the different between a summer garden that is nice to stroll through and a summer garden that invites everyone to sit a while and enjoy the effort you’ve contributed to the creation of this little slice of your world. Plan your summer garden carefully and you too will have this reaction every time you walk through it.

One thing you can do to prolong the life of your garden is by planting in a raised bed. This is basically planting your summer garden in a specifically designed garden box that rests above ground. These boxes will heat up quicker and cool down more slowly allowing a little extra growing time. For small flower or vegetable gardens these are often ideal allowing flowers to continue flowering and vegetables to continue producing after the initial seasonal frosts that often signal the end of growing seasons for those plants planted below ground.

If raised beds aren’t going to work for you, it is possible to begin the plants in the warmth of the interior of your home or a smaller scale raised bed and then transport them once they have matured a bit and the frost season is over with. This gives your garden a bit of a head start though it will do little to prolong the life of your garden once the first frost hits. For that, raised beds are truly the most effective method for small vegetable gardens. Those with large crops often find alternate heating methods and acceptable expense to prolong the lives of their gardens or to ward off against frosts that occur either early in the fall or after the initial spring planting.

You could also invest in garden row covers to protect your plants and extend their life a little beyond the average growing season or at the very least protect your plants through the first frost or so. These covers keep the plants nice and toasty warm in fact, it is important that you monitor them closely when covered to avoid overheating and do not use the covers when not necessary as this can affect the growth of the plants and the yields negatively as much as it can impact them in a positive manner.

You should understand that there is no requirement that says you must prolong the life of your garden. Many people get what they want from their garden whether it be the enjoyment of beauty from the bright and colorful flowers or enough vegetables to last through the leaner winter months when vegetables come at either a premium price or lack in flavor to some degree. Once you’ve gotten what you want or expect from your garden there really is no reason to prolong its life. There is especially no reason to take extraordinary steps to do so.

That being said there are many families that feel an extra month of color will help get them through the long and drab winter months that seem to be absent of bright and vividly colored flowers and that an extra week or two to harvest their vegetables will provide an extra month of two of food. These are very valid reasons for making the effort to extend the life of a summer garden. My hope is that the information above will help you do just that. Good luck with your summer garden and hopefully you will be able to enjoy your summer garden well into the fall or at the very least beyond the year’s first frost.

While there are many people who are content to rush to the local home and garden store and pick out whatever is on sale at the moment, this seems hardly worth of someone who would go to all the time, effort, and careful planning to create a beautiful summer garden in which they wish to sit and enjoy the effects of his or her hard effort. In fact, the furniture that is ultimately selected for the summer garden should be furniture that is meant to last several years. For this reason you need to invest a little more time and effort into selecting the best possible furniture for your summer garden.

The furniture you choose for your summer garden is going to be a personal choice. If possible try to choose enough furniture to accommodate those guests that you feel will frequently enjoy dining in your garden. If you plan to host a wide range of barbecues and garden parties you will want plenty of garden furniture to accommodate those needs. If you are only going to have immediate family then the typical arrangements for a family should suffice. Be sure that there are seating options available for occasional guests even if there aren’t dining options readily available.

Once you’ve decided how many will be enjoying your garden area and in need of seating arrangements you may want to discuss and decide what type of seating arrangements are needed most. The man of the house might expect a hammock and while teenaged girls and the lady of the house may expect lounge chairs in which they can enjoy the full warmth of the sun’s rays on lazy summer days within your summer garden. Another common expectation for appropriate furnishing in a summer garden is a swing or a glider of some sort in which couples may sit and inspect the splendor of their creations.

You should also include your normal flare for design when selecting your summer garden furniture. You want the furniture you select for your garden to be furniture that you find enjoyable and beautiful as well as comfortable. No one wants to sit in uncomfortable furniture for any length of time and most people do not feel comfortable in furniture that they find ugly.

One other thing you will want to consider when selecting furniture for your summer garden area is how well it is made to withstand the abuse that Mother Nature often provides. You will want to select furniture that can withstand the summer time heat naturally but also that can handle the cold of winter and the ravages of water and bugs that often love to make a feast of outdoor furniture. Buy with all these things in mind and you should have furniture for your summer garden that is sure to delight and please all that enter your garden area. More importantly, you should have furniture that you enjoy.

I point out the fact that my childhood favorite summer garden vegetables only seem to flourish in the south to drive home the fact that you really will need to research the vegetables you plant in your summer garden as they relate to the specific area in which you live. Not all vegetable plants are created equal in their tolerance for temperature or rainfall (or lack thereof), which could greatly impact their suitability for your particular vegetable summer garden depending of course, on where you are located.

Some great plants to include in your summer vegetable garden should of course be dictated by those vegetables that you enjoy eating as well as those vegetables and herbs that use a good deal when cooking. If you use peppers a lot in your cooking then peppers are probably an excellent choice for your summer garden. If you don’t like peppers, then they are not likely to be a good choice, as they will probably be wasted. My children will eat green peppers off the vine so they make an excellent choice for our garden. Tomatoes are another popular favorite for summer gardens. Some have even gotten creative and created hanging tomato plants in which the tomatoes literally grow upside down. If space is limited in your summer garden this may be a great way to have your tomatoes and grow them too-without taking up valuable real estate within your vegetable garden.

For those who love their greens summer gardens provide an excellent atmosphere for growing greens such as broccoli, lettuce, and cabbage. Collard greens, mustard greens, and turnip greens are also good summer garden inclusions. I also have strong memories of boiling huge vats of greens to be frozen for winter when the full force of the harvest was upon us. There was always something to be done with the vegetables as winter approached and during those lean winter months we were so grateful for the hard work and effort we had made to insure these great vegetables would sustain us during the months they weren’t so readily available.

Having a summer garden filled with vegetables is a satisfying pursuit in many ways. First of all you are producing something that is useful to you and your family. Second, you are providing a way for you and your family to enjoy the vegetables you love most throughout the year. Finally, you are able to produce vegetables that are fit for consumption and enjoyment at a much lower cost than you would pay for these vegetables at the local supermarket. This helps save money for some of the more important and more entertaining things most of us would like to do with our families.

As with any summer garden you will need to plan carefully the placement of your vegetables and do some research on individual watering and shade requirements. It helps to plant those that need partial sunlight in the shadow of those plants that will grow taller and provide shade for the smaller plants. It also helps to keep the thirstier plants closer together and further away from those plants that require less water to sustain them. You should also take care to be realistic in your planting and avoid planting more than you can comfortable consume or harvest, as that will be wasted time and effort on your part.

Soil compaction. Pants love to breath and that is often difficult when placed in garden rows as we have quite a bit of difficulty avoiding all together the possibility of stepping onto the tilled rows in which we have planted our fruits, vegetables, or plants in a traditional garden situation. By using a raised garden, which is designed to be worked from without rather than within, there is little fear of compacting the soil around the plants. At the same time many lifelong gardeners feel the inability to walk around in their gardens is a disadvantage in itself and prefer to be able to do so. This is often a matter of preference rather than practicality but a valid opposition just the same.

Numbers. You can actually plant more plants in the same amount of square footage in a raised bed because there is no need for rows. You should also be aware that plants in raised beds often tend to grow larger than plants in traditional garden rows. That being said you should resist the urge to over plant within the raised garden bed, as this will eliminate that slight benefit. Many traditional gardeners have seen the results of overcrowding in these beds and feel that their way of doing this is much butter.

One huge benefit to raised beds for summer gardens in areas that are nearly saturated with excess moisture is that raised beds allow much better drainage than traditional row gardening. This is one thing that the average gardener will not argue with unless he lives in an area in which this isn’t much of a problem. Most gardeners in the south though, where there is a great deal of humidity and moisture will agree that proper drainage is a problem.

Raised beds are less back breaking. This is a huge benefit to those of us who are feeling the years creeping into our bones. By being above ground, raised gardens offer easier access for planting, weeding, planting, and investigating for signs of pests. Another great thing about raised gardens is that they are not as quick to cool as the earth, which renders them more productive and with longer growing seasons that most gardens that are placed in the ground.

For those who have unusually shaped yards or growing areas, raised gardens allow the opportunity to have a beautiful summer garden in almost any shape you can build the box for. This means you are not limited to rows, as many gardens tend to be and that you have a few more options for aesthetics when planning and growing your summer garden.

The downside to raised summer gardens is that they are difficult to dismantle and nearly impossible to till. This means you must do all the working of the soil by hand and many gardeners do not fully appreciate the beauty of that process. The most important thing however, is that you choose a summer garden system that works for you. You may find that combining the two provides the best results and is a great use of your time or that you prefer one over the other. There really is no wrong answer only the one that is wrong for you.

One way to minimize your exposure to mosquitoes is by minimizing their ability to procreate. They must lay eggs in still water in order to breed and you can remove as many sources of potential breeding ground as possible by keeping your lawn and summer garden area free of any debris that will allow even a minimal amount of standing water to collect after a rainfall. This means you must keep your gutters clean and free of debris, make sure all cans and bottles are picked up and placed inside a garbage can that is lidded. Keep lids on garbage cans at all times, and change animal bowls daily.

Burn citronella oil. This is highly effective at dusk when the mosquitoes seem to be at their worst as it not only provides a natural repellant for mosquitoes so that you can enjoy your summer garden a little better but also because it provides its own mood setting light that is well suited for enjoying in a summer garden environment. In addition to the oil you can also choose to burn citronella candles and use repellants that are created to spray or rub onto the skin using natural ingredients for added protection for you and your children from these dangerous pests.

It is also possible to find garlic based mosquito repellants that are highly effective at making your garden inhospitable to mosquitoes, fleas, and ticks. This is a little different than citronella as it is applied to your lawn and garden area rather than burned or applied to the skin.

Another thing you can do to make your garden inhospitable to mosquitoes is to fill it with creatures that prey on mosquitoes. There is nothing like a bigger fish in the sea to run the smaller fish to different hunting grounds. Plant trees, shrubs, and bushes that attract the birds that eat mosquitoes. This will provide plenty of nutrition for these birds while diminishing the mosquito population one snack at a time. Purple Martins are well known for eating mosquitoes and a great addition to any summer garden (though not for this reason alone).

Plant lemon thyme in your summer garden. If you crush the leaves it is believed to be an effective repellent for mosquitoes. Choosing this plant for your garden can help you naturally repel mosquitoes without smelling bad in the process, which is something that must rubs, sprays, and oils cannot always claim.

Mosquitoes are a huge problem in summer garden largely due to increased fears of West Nile Virus and other diseases they may carry from one person to the next. For this reason it is now more important than ever to control the population and limit our exposure to these harmful animals. Most of us wish to do this without adding new risks due to chemical exposure. Hopefully this article has given you plenty of natural alternative to consider when it comes to controlling the mosquito population in your summer garden.