Our New Articles
Gardening, Terrace Gardening And Landscaping Ideas
by Yuri Nikitin
Terraces present wonderful possibilities in the garden. They are outdoor living rooms during good weather and form a transition from the outdoors to the indoors throughout the year.
The terrace may be either at ground level, below ground level, or raised above it. The simplest type is ground level, which requires only the grading we have indicated. There is a wide choice of flooring materials to use. One may use cement, poured and levelled with a large board, but in maintaining the drainage grade or including shallow drainage paths, smooth turf may be used, in which case the preparation will be the same as for other lawn areas and various other types of bases.
The use of flagstones is made simple by applying a load of sand or gravel to the subsoil and digging the flagstones into the sand or gravel. The niches between the stones can be dug out and filled with top-soil and grass or other cover planted between them. This gives a very pleasing effect.
Hollow clay building tiles can be split and laid as units in the terrace floor, their rough edges in the soil. Another good surfacing material is "exposed aggregate," which is free from glare because of its rough finish. For this type of surface, build a form of 2 x 4's. Pour the flooring in squares, one square at a time, and level with a straight board. The material used is a mixture of cement, sharp sand and crushed rock or pebbles.
Redwood or cypress blocks may also be used for terrace floors and are very attractive, although somewhat less durable than stone or brick. You can buy the blocks cut to size and lay them directly in a bed of sand, which in turn has been laid on compacted gravel or cinder. Un-mortared brick, laid in a pattern, on 2 to 4 inches of well-tamped sand, with loose sand in the crevices for grass, makes a hardy and simple-to-construct terrace floor. The bricks may be laid flat or on end, and to keep them from spreading, drive an angle iron against the corners. Use a pattern that follows the lines of your terrace.
The Sunken Terrace Gardening A sunken terrace is one which is below ground level. It can be very attractive, and it does give a feeling of coolness on a humid day or a hot night. The sunken terrace requires a retaining wall to prevent soil from continually eroding into it, and also to maintain the topsoil of the surrounding garden. The subsoil must be dug to a depth of about 5 or 6 inches below the level you wish to attain with the terrace itself. The use of sand or gravel as a base is of importance. The top treatment can follow your own dictates.
The Raised Terrace Gardening The raised terrace is generally not fully raised, but starts at the house level and is raised at its outer edge. Again, a retaining wall is called for. The principle problem with the raised terrace is levelling. Once this is accomplished, and the retaining wall built, construction follows the same procedure as in any other case. Drainage is supplied either by a central drain, going into a tile line, or by underground piping through the retaining wall.
About The Author: Landscaping and gardening hasn’t always been my occupation, but it has been my passion for a very long time. I inhale landscaping books and magazines. I have lots of landscaping ideas for all the enthusiasts at http://www.e-landscaping-ideas.com
These articles on lifestyle and more
Return to the selection of gardening
You may want to try these articles on gardening
Gardening, The Garden Bench - An Invitation by Liz Norman Approximately 405 Words
Gardening, Gardening – Is This Your Favorite Past Time? by NamSing Then Approximately 471 Words
Gardening, All About Gardens And Gardening by Adam Walters Approximately 363 Words
Gardening, Choosing Easy-care Shrubs by Ted Roberson Approximately 770 Words
Gardening, 10 Ways To Make Your Garden More Interesting by Francis Kilkelly Approximately 475 Words
Gardening, Give Sprouting Seeds A Head Start With Hydrogen Peroxide by Becky Mundt Approximately 384 Words
Gardening, Create A Backyard Haven by Bob Blick Approximately 733 Words
Gardening, Herb Gardening by John Smythe Approximately 498 Words
You may want to try these websites for additional information
http://www.marthastewart.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/gardening_with_children/
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gardening/
The information provided in this article is the express opinion of the author. Exchangenet is not responsible for the content!
Terraces present wonderful possibilities in the garden. They are outdoor living rooms during good weather and form a transition from the outdoors to the indoors throughout the year.
The terrace may be either at ground level, below ground level, or raised above it. The simplest type is ground level, which requires only the grading we have indicated. There is a wide choice of flooring materials to use. One may use cement, poured and levelled with a large board, but in maintaining the drainage grade or including shallow drainage paths, smooth turf may be used, in which case the preparation will be the same as for other lawn areas and various other types of bases.
The use of flagstones is made simple by applying a load of sand or gravel to the subsoil and digging the flagstones into the sand or gravel. The niches between the stones can be dug out and filled with top-soil and grass or other cover planted between them. This gives a very pleasing effect.
Hollow clay building tiles can be split and laid as units in the terrace floor, their rough edges in the soil. Another good surfacing material is "exposed aggregate," which is free from glare because of its rough finish. For this type of surface, build a form of 2 x 4's. Pour the flooring in squares, one square at a time, and level with a straight board. The material used is a mixture of cement, sharp sand and crushed rock or pebbles.
Redwood or cypress blocks may also be used for terrace floors and are very attractive, although somewhat less durable than stone or brick. You can buy the blocks cut to size and lay them directly in a bed of sand, which in turn has been laid on compacted gravel or cinder. Un-mortared brick, laid in a pattern, on 2 to 4 inches of well-tamped sand, with loose sand in the crevices for grass, makes a hardy and simple-to-construct terrace floor. The bricks may be laid flat or on end, and to keep them from spreading, drive an angle iron against the corners. Use a pattern that follows the lines of your terrace.
The Sunken Terrace Gardening A sunken terrace is one which is below ground level. It can be very attractive, and it does give a feeling of coolness on a humid day or a hot night. The sunken terrace requires a retaining wall to prevent soil from continually eroding into it, and also to maintain the topsoil of the surrounding garden. The subsoil must be dug to a depth of about 5 or 6 inches below the level you wish to attain with the terrace itself. The use of sand or gravel as a base is of importance. The top treatment can follow your own dictates.
The Raised Terrace Gardening The raised terrace is generally not fully raised, but starts at the house level and is raised at its outer edge. Again, a retaining wall is called for. The principle problem with the raised terrace is levelling. Once this is accomplished, and the retaining wall built, construction follows the same procedure as in any other case. Drainage is supplied either by a central drain, going into a tile line, or by underground piping through the retaining wall.
About The Author: Landscaping and gardening hasn’t always been my occupation, but it has been my passion for a very long time. I inhale landscaping books and magazines. I have lots of landscaping ideas for all the enthusiasts at http://www.e-landscaping-ideas.com
These articles on lifestyle and more
Reprint this article free of charge as long as you keep the author's resource box or bio intact and the links active. A copy of the ezine or URL of the page where the article was reprinted emailed to the author would be very much appreciated. gardening
Return to the selection of gardening
You may want to try these articles on gardening
Gardening, The Garden Bench - An Invitation by Liz Norman Approximately 405 Words
Gardening, Gardening – Is This Your Favorite Past Time? by NamSing Then Approximately 471 Words
Gardening, All About Gardens And Gardening by Adam Walters Approximately 363 Words
Gardening, Choosing Easy-care Shrubs by Ted Roberson Approximately 770 Words
Gardening, 10 Ways To Make Your Garden More Interesting by Francis Kilkelly Approximately 475 Words
Gardening, Give Sprouting Seeds A Head Start With Hydrogen Peroxide by Becky Mundt Approximately 384 Words
Gardening, Create A Backyard Haven by Bob Blick Approximately 733 Words
Gardening, Herb Gardening by John Smythe Approximately 498 Words
You may want to try these websites for additional information
http://www.marthastewart.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/gardening_with_children/
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gardening/
The information provided in this article is the express opinion of the author. Exchangenet is not responsible for the content!
