Why Do I Need a Gable Vent?

The purpose of an octagon gable vent is to improve your home’s ventilation system. They are typically placed near the peak of your roof on the gable ends of your house.
It is essential that your house’s attic has a ventilation system to get rid of the heat and humidity in the attic during the summertime. If you have no way of venting out this air, it will counterbalance the air condition system, which may cause structural damage to your house. Heat in the attic will also drastically shorten the life of your roof shingles, which could cause your roof to leak, creating water damage in your home. If you have valuables stored in the attic, they may become damaged by the heat stored up in the attic.
Gable vents are important in the winter as well. During these months, stagnant, moist air will build up in the attic. If this air is not vented out, condensation may form in the attic. This condensation will allow mildew and mold to grow in the attic. These growths can cause health problems for you and your family, and are extremely difficult and expensive to remove.
Not only do gable vents look attractive and add charm to your home, they serve the very practical and necessary purpose of ventilating your attic.

What's the Difference Between an Arbor and a Pergola?

Both arbors and pergolas can be beautiful additions to your backyard. However, it can be confusing what the difference between the two is. They both can contain trellises and are a relaxing place to spend your afternoon outdoors.
So, I decided to look up the two on Britannica Online to clear up the confusion. Here are the definitions that I found:
ARBOR: “garden shelter providing privacy and partial protection from the weather. The name is used for a modest garden building of any material; it has been applied to examples as varied as a wrought-iron shelter at Melbourne Hall, Derbyshire, Eng., and houses constructed of pebbles, brick, or masonry. It is more correctly limited to rustic garden houses that are made up... "
PERGOLA: “garden walk or terrace, roofed with an open framework over which plants are trained. Its purpose is to provide a foundation on which climbing plants can be seen to advantage and to give shade. It was known in ancient Egypt and was a common feature of early Renaissance gardens in Italy and subsequently throughout Europe
An arbor is usually a passageway, gateway or a spot with a single bench for protection from the elements or to denote a sense of arrival in the landscape. Kind of like a threshold or doorway in a building.”
So, in short, arbors are more passageways, or smaller arches with just a single bench. It is a place you can enjoy alone or with one special person. Pergolas, on the other hand, tend to be larger spaces. They can provide shelter for a picnic table, and groups of people can gather under a pergola to enjoy the outdoors together.

Tips for Creating the Best Planter Possible

Few things will make your backyard more beautiful than a wooden planter box full of beautiful flowers. Unfortunately, if you don't properly plant the box, your backyard will seem messy and unpolished. So I looked up a few tips for making your planter box perfect and beautiful!
• Make sure you buy the right supplies. First, purchase smaller potted plants at your local nursery. Be sure that they all need the same amounts of sun and moisture.Be sure to choose flowers with different heights, so that you will be able to see all of them at once.
• Before planting, place your planter in the position from which it will be viewed. This way you can be sure to create the most aesthetically appealing arrangement from the angle it will be seen.
• Fill up the planter with loose potting soil, leaving two inches at the top of the planter.
• Plan your arrangement with the plants still in their pots before planting anything. Be sure that you have your whole planter designed before you take any plant out of its pot.
• Make sure you plant the tallest flowers in the back, put the smallest flowers in the front, and plant the medium plants in between. That way you can see all your flowers at the same time, and your view of the smaller flowers will not be obscured by big, tall plants!
• Start by planting the tall flowers in the middle of the back row of the planter, moving outwards and forwards as you plant. Then make indentations with your trowel around your taller plants and place the medium plants in those indentations. Keep working outwards, forwards, and smaller as you plant.
These are just a few helpful hints to making your planter the best it can be. If you want more help, make sure to look at the website where I found these tips.

Tips for Growing on an Arbor

An arbor can be a beautiful addition to your backyard, especially if you have a bench or chair beneath the arbor. However, to create the most beautiful nook possible, you need to know at least a little bit about arbor gardening. Here are a few tips on what plants to use and how to grow them:
• You obviously want to grow plants that are vines on your arbor. A few beautiful and popular choices are climbing roses, wisteria, trumpet creeper, grapes, and passionflower vines.
• Be sure to place your arbor where it won’t block sunlight from other plants in your garden.
• Place the arbor in a location where your plants will receive plenty of sunlight.
• Make sure your arbor is shielded from strong winds.
• Keep the base of your plants mulched with four inches of organic mulch, so that the soil retains water better.
• Be sure to check on your plants and water them daily.
• Train the vines to climb up the arbor. You might need to purchase weatherproof garden twine to tie them to your arbor as they grow.

By sticking to these easy rules, you can pretty much ensure that you will have a beautiful arbor to enjoy in your backyard.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Gardening can be a relaxing, fulfilling, and enjoyable hobby. However, it can also be incredibly frustrating when your flowers don’t grow. And who wants to sit around and look at tiny flowers? Make your garden bench the most enjoyable place in your yard by making sure your plants are properly fertilized.


The first step to picking out a proper fertilizer is being able to read the label. Fertilizer labels should contain three numbers, which represent the respective levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. So if the label says 10-10-10, the fertilizer contains 10 percent nitrogen, 10 percent phosphorus, and 10 percent potassium.

Each element has a certain advantage to your plants, so choose fertilizer depending upon what benefits are most important for your garden. Nitrogen promotes “green growth,” which makes grass grow and bushes leaf out. Phosphorus promotes root and bloom growth, and potassium is used for overall plant health.

When you first plant your flowers, use a fertilizer heavier on the nitrogen. Then, when your plants are about to bud, switch to a fertilizer with a higher percentage of phosphorus. Make sure that your fertilizer always has at least 10 percent potassium so that your plants will be healthy and lush.

Using the proper fertilizer will create flowers worthy of your garden bench. Give your garden a little extra attention, and it will greatly improve the aesthetics of your backyard.

How to Make the Best Soil for Your Cedar Planter Box

So you've finally found the perfect cedar planter box to transform your backyard into a beautiful garden. The right plants can create the feel of a peaceful field or an exotic jungle. However, it’s not the planter that sets the mood. It’s healthy, beautiful flowers. Weak or sickly flowers change your garden from a gorgeous getaway to an unappealing dump. The secret to healthy plants? Proper care and attention, and the perfect soil.
For the best results, you don’t simply want to use whatever comes in the bag. You can mix together different types of soil and ingredients to achieve maximum results. In my research, I’ve discovered that the best soil for most plants begins with one part sharp sand. “Sharp” sand has angular grains, instead of round grains, and helps improve the drainage in your soil. Next mix in two parts loam. Loam is a very popular potting soil which is a mixture of clay, sand, gravel, silt, and organic matter. Finish off your perfect soil with one part leaf mold or humus (decayed animal or plant matter), and half a part dried cow manure.
Of course, there are many different soil “recipes” available online, and you can find the ideal soil for whatever plant with which you want to fill your cedar planter box.