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Contrary to popular belief, gardening does more damage to our natural surroundings than restoring balance. The need to have a beautiful looking garden is turning the gardening industry into the likes of the apparel industry. Every season, nurseries introduce a new variety of plant to satiate the needs of their customers.

These plants are usually invasive in nature and have probably been imported from a country with entirely different climatic and soil conditions. Hence they require the input of massive amounts of water and chemical fertilisers, that not only interferes with the water balance of the ecosystem, but result in soil erosion and groundwater runoff as well. Over time, these plants use up all the soil replenishing nutrients, degrading the overall quality of the soil.
Gardeners make up for Australia’s largest group of urban land managers. Approximately, 50% of all urban land is managed by gardeners. This land makes up for the area where about 80% of Australia’s population resides. This means, gardeners should strive to be the most responsible land managers, in order to minimise our carbon footprint on Earth.
However, all the things mentioned above should not stop you from having the garden of your dreams! By, adopting responsible garden design and gardening practices, you can ensure you enjoy the serenity and beauty of your garden, while contributing your part in restoring balance in nature.
While responsible gardening encourages the use of minimal water and organic fertilisers, choice of plants will remain at the core of your gardening endeavours. It is important to choose only native and non-invasive plants for your garden. These are adapted to the weather and soil conditions of your area, and play an important role in the ecological cycle. This garden designed by Stone Lotus Garden Design Sydney is a beautiful example of a healthy blend of native and non-invasive tropical plants.

How To Make Your Home A Great Place For Social Gatherings

If you’re a social person, an extrovert who appreciates good company and loves going out and meeting new people, then you probably also enjoy inviting family and friends over to your home. However, your home may not be as congenial as you’d like it to be because you never had a chance to renovate it and it still reflects some of the tastes of the previous owner.

If you want your house to be a wonderful place for people to share feelings and ideas, you don’t have to renovate the whole house, just a few key places where people are most likely to gather when you throw a party or organize a small get-together.

Let’s take a closer look at 5 ideas to help make your house a great place for social gatherings.

1. Outdoor kitchen.

If you love to cook because you’re a culinary artist, then you may already have a gourmet kitchen for whipping up your exquisite dishes. Perhaps, it’s complete with a separate refrigerator, freezer, and wine cooler; dual commercial quality ovens; a 6 burner stovetop; an independent kitchen island with a microwave, warming drawer, and enough space for food preparation; and an industrial strength ventilation system. By comparison, outdoor kitchens with nothing more than a barbecue grill might seem unimaginative. However, rather than shuttling between the kitchen and your guests outdoors, you could create an outdoor kitchen with cabinets for your grill, a place for kitchen appliances and accessories, and some options for refrigeration.

2. Outdoor patios and decks.

Porches, patios, and decks are wonderful places to spend time outdoors when the weather’s nice. Now that you’ve invested in an outdoor kitchen, you might also want to convert your backyard into a paradise resort.

You could erect a porch swing to create some old-world charm and add some front porch columns to make the porch feel more comfortable, and you could plant herbs or flowers in an outdoor wall planter, and line the patio with potted plants. And, if summers get uncomfortably hot and attract a lot of insects, you could install a ceiling fan for those uncomfortably hot summer days. Besides keeping you cooler, it will help reduce problems with insects, especially mosquitoes.

3. Teen Gaming room.

While your children probably do their homework at the kitchen table, play video games with their friends in their bedroom, and watch TV in the living room, wouldn’t it be nice if they had a room of their own? Think about what you can do to make it an all-purpose room. Add a table for their homework and a TV for watching movies and for playing with the Xbox. Pick some low-level modular furniture from tables to sofas and a few floor cushions or bean bags. The advantage of modular furniture is that it can be moved around to suit their choice of activities. They will also need a storage area for their various games, CDs, and DVDs. The ambiance of the room will depend on the type of décor they like, and this can range from an interesting choice of light fixtures to the colors for the wall. Some posters might jazz up the room, too.

4. The man cave.

A man’s personal hideout is more than a fancy den or a decked out play room for an adult male. According to a study published in the Journal of Consumer Culture, a man cave serves a deep therapeutic need that men have to get some personal space after a hard day’s work. Study co-author Mariam Beruchashvili, Ph.D., says that men in the study reported that their private room in the house lets them reflect on their life and goals, relax, and express their unique qualities.

So what goes into a man cave? It doesn’t necessarily need to have a 72-inch plasma TV or something that would make Batman feel at home. However, it should have a TV, a few comfortable chairs, and, perhaps, even a well-stocked bar. The main thing is that it should be outfitted in a way that reflects a man’s personal style and interests.

5. Rec room with a wet bar.

Basements are usually the most popular choice when it comes to deciding on a rec room with a wet bar. The challenge is to make it appear bright and fun.

Here are some ideas to make it appear like a warm and friendly place:

·  Nail a one-inch by six-inch pine board into the wall and add a bottle opener. Add some interesting message, something funny, a treasure map, etc.

• ·  Use warm wood colors for the bar.
• ·  Make white the favorite color for almost everything, including the bar stool covers.
• ·  Add customized pullout drawers so that the bottles can stand upright.
• ·  Choose some unique seating, from booth seating to anything quirky that you like.
• ·  Focus on getting the right light fixtures to make the place brighter, including under-shelf lighting.
• ·  Add features for entertainment—a dartboard, a pool table, a pinball machine.

In summary, then, here are the key ideas to make your house into a great place for social occasions: build an outdoor kitchen for backyard parties; remodel the outdoor patio and decks; create a gaming room for your teenagers; design a man’s cave for chilling out or hanging out with the guys during football season; and construct a rec room with a wet bar.

Kids should play to avoid becoming the dull Jack. It isn’t a good idea to stop them from playing because you are way too concerned about their safety. Whether it is the school playground or even if you have a playground at home, certain steps can be taken to ensure the safety of your child.

There are various ways to keep the playground safe. For instance, the flooring plays a crucial role. When it comes to that, you have plenty of options. You can choose from the different kinds of flooring: sand, asphalt, rubber tiles etc.

Let us find out about how rubber flooring for playgrounds can be a good choice in ensuring that your child remains free from injuries.

Advantages of rubber flooring

Noise Absorption

Rubber absorbs sound waves rather than reflecting them which makes it a good material for playground flooring especially when the playground is located in a residential area. While kids are playing, jumping or hopping around, the rubber flooring will minimise the sound and not cause too much inconvenience for the people who live nearby.

Variety of designs

Rubber flooring offers you a range of colors which can be attractive and entertaining for your children. Such availability of colors helps you give a personal touch to the playground which creates an inviting atmosphere for them. Yes, we do agree that it shouldn’t be so inviting that the child spends his/her entire time in the playground. You can work on that.

Safety

When recycled rubber is used in the flooring, the floor has non-slip properties which makes it very safe for children especially in cases where there are pools or fountains nearby. Using rubber flooring helps eliminate the possibility of injuries which can result from a hard surface. It allows children to play carefree without having much to worry about falling because even if they do, it won’t have much impact.

Durability

If you are opting for rubber flooring, you will save a lot of money. The rubber flooring is durable and can withstand abuse for years without getting damaged. Also, rubber flooring is UV resistant which makes it a great choice for places with extreme weather conditions. Playground rubber is also suited for bicycles, skates etc.

Maintenance

Again you will be able to save your money since rubber flooring requires minimal maintenance. They can easily be cleaned from time to time using a mild soap and water. In fact, it is also stain resistant. Recycled rubber also doesn’t swell due to water.

A word of advice

• Do not use harsh cleaners for the rubber flooring since such products can harm the flooring.

• If you want to regularly clean the surface, you can use a broom to wipe off the dust. It will be easy to achieve since the rubber flooring is dust repellant.

• Do a good research before shopping for it. First have a good idea about your requirements and then you can go ahead with making an informed decision.

Conclusion

Of the various playground flooring options available, rubber flooring is quite popular because of the various advantages it has. The playground rubber is made from recycled tyres and other rubber products which also makes them environmentally friendly.