My new blog

Hi, I just created a new blog http://jayssblog.wordpress.com and transferred all content from here to this new blog. No special reason but I wanted a new name for my blog. From now on there will no new updates here. Visit http://jayssblog.wordpress.com for all new and latest blogs. Looking forward to your  support and thank you.

First of its kind in India: Blood bank for dogs in Chennai

It is the first of its kind in the country! From now on dogs needing blood transfusion will have quicker and better assistance! Thanks to the inauguration of the first blood bank for dogs in Tamil Nadu by the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS), dog lovers and owners can now heave a big sigh of relief. The inauguration was a part of the week long celebrations to mark the World Veterinary Day.

Visit: http://awptrust.blogspot.com/ for more info.

IPL is Indian Political League now!

The IPL is now being played at the political arena! The murky financial dealings and its links point not to just IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi and his family but also to many political bigwigs and their relatives. As the IPL row gets bigger and bigger every day it is turning out to be a huge cause of embarrassment for the Prime Minister and a possible trump card for the opposition parties! The PM might have won the first round in the IPL row investigation by asking Shashi Tharoor to step down in the wake of his alleged mentor role in the Kochi IPL team but the issue is far from over! Now with more ministers and franchisees owned by business houses and film stars coming under the scrutiny by the IT department and more by the media the integrity of the Manmohan Singh-led government is being questioned! Will the government act tough and set its house in order? Will the government clean up the BCCI/IPL? Or will it buckle under pressure from its own quarters and sweep everything under the carpet to protect its political image and survival? And there’s more than one reason to find out which way the investigation is headed!

Reason 1: Today there were reports in the newspapers that the Prime Minister has asked the Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and the Home Minister P. Chidambaram to investigate the IPL row. Well, the PM had little option after he rejected the demand of the opposition for a joint parliamentary committee on the IPL row! This reported decision for an ‘in-party’ investigation into the IPL row will obviously enjoy the support of his own party and from his allies but could cast doubts on the integrity and the outcome of the investigation!

No doubt that Mr. Singh has upheld his clean image and public accountability after he asked Shashi Tharoor to step down after the opposition held him responsible for his alleged role in the Kochi IPL team and his pushing for a sweat equity for his friend Sunanda Pushkar. But unfortunately things didn’t end there! The IPL muck appears to run deep in to the political and sports system in this country. Now Sharad Pawar, the Union Agriculture Minister is alleged to have stakes through the 30% sweat equity for Sudanand Sule, his son-in-law in the Videocon-led bid for Pune IPL team which ultimately failed to bag the rights. Another NCP leader Praful Patel, the Civil Aviation Minister has been accused of partnering Adani  for the Ahmedabad IPL team. The minister is also accused of forwarding valuations details to Shashi Tharoor through his daughter just a couple days before the IPL bid for two new teams were to taken place.

The links doesn’t stop there! The IPL broadcasting rights is held by Multi Screen Media where Sharad Pawar’s son-in-law has a stake! And the World Sports Group (WSG) India Head has admitted that Rs. 125 crore was received as payoff from MSM and this was distributed among all beneficiaries including ‘one’  with political links!

Praful Patel’s daughter Poorna is the hospitality manager in the IPL and is accused of sending the IPL valuation to her father’s office from where it was forwarded to Shashi Tharoor! Also, Poorna is accused of using her father’s political powers to cancel a scheduled Air India flight and use it as a chartered flight to carry the IPL players from Chandigarh to Chennai!

Now if these charges are proven, which again depends on the genuineness of the investigation team, it could mean the end of Pawar and Praful as ministers in the Manmohan Singh government. However, this may not happen as it could mean upsetting the political balance of the Congress given the fact that the Government needs the support of NCP at the center, particularly after the tussle between the allies in the government over the W omen’s Reservation Bill.

Reason 2: Lalit Modi, the man behind the entire controversy and who has been accused of using his links set up in tax havens to get stakes in at least 3 of the 8 IPL teams, is not a softie and is expected to fight hard and could expose many in the government as partners in the IPL scam. Consider this: Modi is alleged to have enough ‘business contacts’  in the IPL who are close relatives of politicians serving in the government. Exposing them could prove risky for the survival of the government. Moreover, the government has a lot to answer when it comes to explaining its lethargy in not pursuing the IT angle into the multi-crore for the past 2 years!

On the other hand BCCI has in-house conflicts and needs a clean up. Patuadi, one of the country’s most respected cricketers and now a member of the IPL Governing Council has spilled the beans when he said that the Council had not shown much interest in the business affairs of the IPL (Ironically, Saif Ali Khan, the Bollywood actor and son of Patuadi had unsuccessfully bid for the Pune IPL team!) Also, the Board has members who have stakes in the IPL teams which is a clear case of conflict of interest.

And on the conflict between Modi and the BCCI, the former is not interested in relinquishing the post of the IPL Chairman and Commissioner and has even gone to the extent of questioning the calling of the meeting by the BCCI Secretary Mr. Srinivasan who is the owner of the company India Cements that owns Chennai Super Kings. Patuadi, a member of the IPL Governing Council said that it is conflict of interest if board members have stakes in franchisees.

Now here’s another reason why the government is suspected not to come clean on the IPL row! It’s the huge money that the IPL rakes in! The BCCI created the IPL and now wants the rebel Modi to get out. The BCCI cannot afford to shut down the IPL and lose the huge money! But it is also a truth that the Board itself needs a clean up! Unfortunately sports is not separate from politics in this part of the world and the BCCI is controlled by the political bigwigs.

The IPL row has just begun! And it all depends on how the government will choose to conduct itself in in the investigation process which will go a long way in creating an impression on the common man about the integrity and truthfulness of this government!

“Investing more in empowering women can help control global population”

“Think of the earth as a living organism that is being attacked by billions of bacteria whose numbers double every forty years. Either the host dies, or the virus dies, or both die.” – Gore Vidal, American novelist and critic.

The world is bursting at it seams thanks to the burgeoning global population. According to the present estimates, the world population is approximately around 6.5 billion. And India’s population alone is approximately 1.17 billion, which is one-sixth of the world population. So what’s the big deal? Well, it’s simple logic! When the world grows in numbers so does it problems! Bigger the numbers bigger the problems get! More people would mean more food to be grown to feed, more resources to provide quality health and education, more jobs to be created to provide employment, more cities and towns to accommodate and many such things! Unfortunately, the current global economic meltdown will not allow this to happen too quickly as it ought to be. In fact, it has already put the brakes on several important global issues the primary being health and education.

This twin-problem of increasing population and the global financial and economic crisis threatens to reverse hard-won gains in education and health in developing countries and the worst to be hit by this are women and girls, feels the United Nations. Even before the crisis happened, women and girls represented the majority of the world’s poor. And now this crisis has only aggravated their situation pushing them deep down into poverty, exposing them to increased health risks, especially if they are pregnant, and to hunger, malnutrition, and unemployment. The world cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the problems of the women as this has the ominous potential to spill over to affect the global community at large. Hence, rightly so, the focus of this year’s World Population Day on July 11 is investing in women and girls. The UN is urging member nations to continue to invest more in empowering women to help us get out of this global turmoil. This way the United Nations believes that the world will be put back on the path in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Origin and purpose of the World Population Day (WPD)

The need of the hour is to create awareness among global communities about the population crisis amid the economic meltdown and the worst repercussions it will lead to, particularly to women and girls and how addressing these issues will help the world! And the world will have to unite to act and continue to brainstorm to come out with innovative and safer ways to tackle the inequality between available resources and the increasing population! And this year’s World Population Day on July 11 seeks to do exactly this.

2009 WPD theme can help tackle recession-induced inadequacies and world population control

The theme for this year’s United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) World Population Day is “Fight Poverty, Educate Girls.” With banners that declare “When girls stay in school and get an education, poverty has no chance,” this year’s campaign urges every man and woman to ‘join the anti-poverty movement and educate girls.’ This year, the World Population Day aims to build awareness of the importance of educating girls to help solve the vicious cycle of repercussions starting from development issues, to poverty, to human rights and to gender equality.

The global economic meltdown has been a cause of additional concern for a world that is already facing the acute problem of increasing population. What started as a financial crisis in rich countries is now deepening into a global economic crisis that is hitting developing countries hard. Recession basically means a sense of insecurity resulting in deep cutbacks on expenditure including on existing and new investments leading to unemployment, increasing protectionism which means that more and more people employed in foreign countries and institutions becoming jobless, governments spending less on public welfare projects like education, health, nutrition, which results in disempowerment of people and women in particular. All these will only make the situation go worse.

According to the UNFPA, the key lies in empowering women and children particularly those in developing countries as they will bear the brunt of the impact of the recession. The key lies in educating girls and empowering women to meet these challenges by way of policy responses that build on women’s roles as economic agents. The governments across the world should also continue and increase investments in public health, education, child care and other social services as these will help lessen the impact of the crisis on the entire family and raise productivity for a healthier economy.

What’s at stake!

The UNFPA sponsored International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) has warned that in times of recession, the sexual and reproductive health services will likely suffer as health expenditures are cut back. However, it is a fact that each dollar invested in reducing unmet need for contraceptive services will avoid about $2-4 in expenditures on maternal and newborn health. Also at stake is the well being of the children that can be dramatically impacted due to loss of jobs for women in both formal and informal sectors. This coupled with restricted access to family planning services and health services could force them to take recourse to abortion, including unsafe abortion.

Empowered women and control of population

The UNFPA sees the reproductive health and gender issues as critical determinants of population dynamics. Fertility is driven largely by reproductive and health decisions that individual women can or cannot make, depending on the information, services and supplies that are available to them, the cultural context in which they live, and the educational and economic opportunities given to them. Empowered women can make these significant choices of spacing births by effective use of contraception, plan smaller families and healthier communities. And empowerment begins with proper education, access to better health services, and employment and economic freedom which would signal the beginning of effective population control and help reduce the impact of the global economic meltdown. Additionally, empowering women will result in improved maternal health, adequate nutrition to themselves, their children and families.

As the U.N Secretary General puts it, let us urge our decision-makers, at the national, state, district and at our homes, to protect women’s ability to earn income, keep their daughters in school, and obtain reproductive health information and services, including voluntary family planning.  Let us help advance the rights of women and girls, and empower them as highly productive members of society capable of contributing to economic recovery and growth. There can be no better investment on this day or any other.

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This article was originally written by me for another website but since I was not paid for this even after two years I retain the rights to this article.

Basics of aromatherapy

Aromatic medicine or Aromatherapy as it is popularly known is a branch of the alternative and complementary medicine. It is said that the beginning of aromatherapy is shrouded in the mists of time and probably could have had its humble beginnings early on when man started studying plants and began using them for his benefits. Some say that the Old Testament has mentions about the recipes using aromatic compounds and that the Pharaohs in ancient Egypt used natural resins to cure ailments! But aromatherapy in its present form owes its origin to the French cosmetic chemist, Rene-Maurice Gattefosse. In fact he was the one who coined the word ‘aromatherapie.’ The incident leading to his firm belief in the curative properties of essential oils, which he later popularized is quite interesting.

The aromatherapeutic legend

One day in the early 1920s, Gattefosse was working in his laboratory. Suddenly there was an unexpected accident and he suffered a third degree thermal burn of his hand and forearm. Apprehensive he was, he quickly ran towards a vat and thinking that it was filled with water put his hand into it. However, as he later found out, the vat had no water in it but lavender oil instead. The very next moment Gattefosse started to experience a sense of relief, the burning sensation on his hand began to slowly subside and completely stopped after some time. At that very moment Gattefosse realized the potency of lavender oil in providing relief from burns.

Sheer inquisitiveness encouraged him to study the benefits of lavender oil. His studies found that lavender oil actually contained chemical properties that could cure and provide relief from burns and irritable skin conditions! So everyday, over a period of time he started applying lavender oil on his burns. The magic potion worked wonders and the burn was completely cured without any scar. An age old natural way of cure was revived!

Aromatherapy – The resurrection!

Ever since the French cosmetic chemist Dr Gattefosse was fascinated by the benefits of lavender oil in healing the burns on his hand without leaving any scar he began to share the wonders of lavender oil with his friends and colleagues. The first person he shared his experience with was Dr. Jean Valnet who later on spread the awareness about the curative properties of the essential oils.

Once when Dr. Valnet was serving as a medical doctor in the French army treating the war victims during the chaotic times of World War II, the supply of antibiotics he had with him were exhausted. With no other option left, Dr. Valnet was reminded of Gattefosse’s words and decided to use essential oils to treat the injured soldiers and war victims. The results just bowled him over. Dr. Valnet realized the phenomenal effects of the oils in arresting the infection and curing wounds!

Dr. Valnet ‘initiated’ his two students Dr. Paul Belaiche and Dr. Jean Claude Lapraz into the effects of essential oils. This duo was largely responsible for the modern day aromatherapy. They conducted in depth studies on the essential oils and concluded that essential oils have natural antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal and antiseptic properties in them. Further, it was found that essential oils have the power to remove the blocks on the way and enrich the nutrients and supply oxygen to the body cells. Word spread about the efficacy of essential oils and more research followed.

Aromatherapy today

Today, aromatherapy is a popular form of alternative medicine and is religiously followed by millions of people around the world. The National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) says that around 38 percent of adults and 12 percent children use alternative medicine in the U.S. And according to the latest statistics released in the Freedonia industry study, Flavors & Fragrances, the increasing interests in natural ingredients will propel the demand for essential oils in the U.S. Aromatherapy is not regulated by state law and aromatherapists do not require license to practice in the U.S.

There have been clinical trials on the effectiveness of aromatherapy in the treatment of stress, anxiety and other related physical and mental conditions, however these results have shown mixed results. But aromatherapists, the practitioners of aromatherapy, claim that the usage of essential oils could be used to bring about positive impacts on the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and general well being in people.

Generally speaking, the risks or side effects from aromatherapy are believed to be minimal when it is used as per the directions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved the usage of some essential oils as ingredients in food classifying it as GRAS (generally recognized as safe). However, this has to be taken within specific limits and not in large amounts.

The main ingredient of aromatherapy is essential oils or ethereal oils. Considered the heart of the aromatherapeutic treatment, essential oils has natural anti viral, antiseptic, antibacterial, and antifungal properties in them. But what are these essential oils? Let us see.

Essential oils

We all know that green plants produce oxygen through the process called photosynthesis. And it is during this process that the aromatic plants produce the essential oils. Basically, the fragrance in these plants actually emanate from these essential oils. It also helps in pollination and shields the plants from bacteria attacks. This fragrant essential oil is highly volatile in nature and is extracted to be used in aromatherapy.

Each individual essential oil has a specific characteristic to it thanks to the unique package of a large number of natural and organic chemical plant elements in different proportions, say around 200. Some of the key unique packages include alcohols, aldehydes, esters, ketones, phenol ethers and terpenes in different degrees. Some popular essential oils used in aromatherapy are tea tree, Roman chamomile, geranium, lavender, lemon, cedarwood, and bergamot to name a few.

Aromatherapy: the method

Rarely taken by mouth, essential oils in aromatherapy are inhaled mostly through a diffuser. In some cases, drops of the essential oils are placed near the patient. Another way of treatment is applying essential oils in diluted forms on the surface of the body. The ways however differ such as in massaging, in bathwater, or lotions, or dressings.

One point though, there is no standard treatment method in aromatherapy as aromatherapists use different oils in varying combinations for various ailments.

How does it work?

The exact mechanism of aromatherapy is still a mystery. However, the role of essential oils can be said to be somewhat very similar to the blood in our bodies. Essential oils carry in them regenerating and healing nutrients, the lifeline of plants more like what our blood is to our bodies! Essential oils is the treasure trove of healing enzymes, hormones, vitamins and minerals and regenerates the stressed out parts of our bodies by transporting oxygen and nutrients to the immune system.

Cell deterioration occurs when weak nutrients fail to penetrate the cells leading to mutation, bacteria attacks and subsequently the onset of diseases. In a nutshell, essential oils could strengthen the immune system and a strengthened immune system means enhanced resistance to flu like conditions. The benefits of essential oils as an effective therapy have been well documented. In the U.S the National Library of Medicine (PubMed) has many recorded abstracts of essential oils.

The facts in this piece was compiled and rewritten a few years ago! Just found this in my archives.

I am back!

Ok. I know I haven’t updated my blog for sometime now. I was glued to this project that I had on my hand and I wanted to complete it. I wanted to do a good job so I had to spend quality time on it and I wanted the money.

During these few days that I was out of action on my blog I wanted to write about so many things. I somehow managed to grab a few minutes out of my everyday schedule to keep myself updated with the happenings. There were so many issues that I wanted to share here but there was the time constraints. Anyways now I am back and believe I can start sharing something useful again.

Interior design: All about choosing, buying and placing sculptures in your house

When it comes to interior design, sculptures play a big part! Having the right sculptures in the right places in your house will add elegance, look, and fun. And if you don’t know what to do with sculptures an interior designer could help you find the right meaning and places for it. Let us see where, what and how sculptures can be used in a house.

Decide the right sculpture for your home

To begin with you should buy only those sculptures that you really love. Do not buy something just because it is a popular piece of art or your neighbor recommended it unless it suits your taste. The point is you shouldn’t be tired in seeing the sculpture day in and day out. Instead, the sculptures that you choose to have in your house should either inspire you or make you smile, laugh or just give you a complete sense of relaxation. So before buying a sculpture make sure you are clear with what you would like the sculpture to do to you!

Choosing the right sculpture also depends on the style of the house you are living. If it is very fashionable and modern house then simple sculptures could add to the beauty. It is advisable not to have sculptures that could make people think too much, however this also depends on your personality and profession!

Sculptures are available for all spaces in your house and in all types. Garden sculptures for your gardens include grotesques, classical, figures, water features, faces, and mere cats among others. Indoor sculptures are wide ranging from decorative wall clocks, to modern sculptures, wall mirrors and candleholders. Then there are the 3-D sculptures and the ‘green’ sculptures, pieces that are made from recycled waste.

The background color plays an important role in selecting the colors of your sculptures. Depending on the color of your walls you could either retain the original color or faux paint the sculptures to give it a contrasting or complementing color or texture to it.

Where should you buy your sculptures?

The obvious choice of many people to buy sculptures would be the gallery, preferably well reputed art galleries. You could either choose from the collections on display and if you can’t find one you could ask for details of additional work that you could see. Art galleries can also help you find artists who could create pieces for your taste and for your home. And if you want sculptures at a cheaper price, then you could visit student art sales at local colleges in your area.

Another effective choice would be to consult an interior designer who could help you out with their surprising ideas and the places where you could buy good sculptures. Most interior designers have a liaison with art galleries and artists or craftsmen who could help you design the right sculptures for you.

The right place for sculptures

If your house has some space exclusively to display sculptures it is good but it is equally effective and better to spread the sculptures around your house. You can place sculptures on your dining table for instance and fix a light fixture above it! The waiting room or the entrance of your house can be a perfect spot to place sculptures. These sculptures could be either pieces of statues that could welcome and inspire the visitors or simply sculptures that reflect your personality or profession.

You can place smaller pieces of sculptures on coffee tables and side tables. It would be better if these sculptures are detailed in nature as putting them in these place would allow people to take a closer look at it. The fireplace in your house could be another perfect spot to place sculptures. You can also place a sculpture on a pedestal that may or may not swivel tops for rotation. Also, the pedestal as such shouldn’t be deeply carved or complex with too many details; it should complement the sculpture placed on it.

Interior design: Floral arrangement basics

Flowers could become an integral part of your home atmosphere and a welcoming sight for people living there and for visitors alike. Flowers should not be confined to your garden or outside the house alone. You can have it inside and around the house. Natural flowers are a pleasant to watch and the aroma could just refresh your day.

Floral arrangement is not only about flowers but also includes herbs, vegetables, fruits, foliage and branches too. But what are the basic rules of floral arrangement? Let us find out.

Containers, arrangement of flowers

Frankly speaking, there should be no rules followed in flower arrangement except when it comes to maintaining them. It is always better to follow your instincts when it comes to finding different ways to arrange the flowers.

To begin with, start with small and easily available flowers such as hydrangeas, sunflowers, or roses from your garden. You can put these flowers in a matching set of glass jars or bottles. When it is done you can display them on a tabletop or wherever you like it fit. You can also try long lasting flowers rather than the ones that wither away too quickly.

When you arrange flowers, place the largest, strongest or brightest flower in the middle. The filler flowers or the smaller ones can be placed around the larger flowers in the vase. While arranging the flowers in a vase you can use a florist’s non-corrosive wires to keep them intact. You can also place pebbles, stones and frosted marbles in the vase to add more color and style to it. Water proof lights can also be installed but you must be careful about its duration.

Contrary to popular belief that floral arrangement should be big and elaborate, even the most common and smallest vessel in your house can make a grand container for arranging flowers. For instance you can fill a small tea pot with flowers or a large pitcher with roses. Similarly instead of buying a new one you can paint a container with a new color if you don’t like it.

When it comes to floral arrangement there are many flower arranging designs. Some of them include the horizontal arrangements, vertical, triangular, crescent, oval, and minimal, ‘hogarth’s cave’ arrangement and the conventional free standing arrangement. And there are unique suggestions on what and how the flowers can be arranged in each style.

Ikebana, the Japanese art of arranging flower in a rhythmic and colorful way can bring in harmony and peace to your house. Then there is the rikka style of arranging flowers in a standing position. Moribana style is an arrangement of piling up flowers.

Maintenance is important

Flower arrangement is a unique and interesting way of interior design. It also requires proper maintenance. And when it comes to maintaining your floral arrangement you can use floral preservatives that increase the life of fresh flowers put in a vase.

Interior décor on a budget

Perhaps the one thing that everybody is worried when it comes to interior designing is the cost part of it. If you do not want to spend too much money on interior decoration and yet want your home to look good there are a few ways. However, there are certain points to be considered if you want to interior decoration for your house on a budget.

Lack of money means lack of choices. You obviously cannot afford to choose the range of costly items for interior decoration if you have a low budget. However, with some wise decisions you could still manage to do good interior decoration on a budget. The first thing is to identify the rooms, the themes that are important to you and your family.

Simple inexpensive ideas

Some simple and not so expensive ideas to decorate your house on a budget include hanging wallpapers, repainting cabinets instead of buying new ones, covering blemishes on floors or walls like placing a rug on the spot on the floor or by using tapestry on walls.

You can also paint your floors instead of having a new one in its place. Latex could be a better and greener choice for painting your floors. You can neatly arrange containers, and baskets with flowers to give a fresh look to your house.

Sometimes, curtains can block the view of the natural landscape that’s outside. So if you think your window is blocking the natural scene, remove the curtains to get a view. You can put on display small pots or urns with real or fake flowers on your windowsills. Of course if you are using real flowers you must put them in a place where there is enough sunshine coming in apart from watering it regularly.

The walls could have more colors and faux finishes like stencils, stamps, murals, stripes and color blocks. Fabric upholstery can be used to cover the fading couches, chairs, and tables in all your rooms. And lampshades could be replaced with new hoods. Paint is the only easy way you could give your house a complete makeover and save money!

Glass could be another alternative for your windows to clear cabinets. Cabinets with glass fronted doors can help display your artistic collections. For your kitchen, you could use rollout shelves, vertical tray dividers, and pullouts and drawer inserts to save space.

Second hand products

You can also buy second hand products for using it as interior decoration on a budget in your house. There are many sources for second hand products right from your neighborhood, auction houses, and online sources. The key is to match the color and style of the existing furnishings in your house.

Paint, fabric and artwork could change the way your house looks and that too, on a budget. With paint you can give your things, furniture, walls and floors a new look. Fabric can cover your fading sofas, couches, tables and chairs. And artwork like photos and paintings can give new meanings to your walls and blank spaces in your house.

Interior design: Garden décor

A garden is one area that would attract people coming to your home. It is a natural way to relax and spend time with nature. But how do you want your garden to be? Do you want it to be just a collection of plants and trees? Or do you want it to be a perfect hangout with your friends and relatives? An interior designer can give you a few interesting alterations and ideas that could make your garden as interesting place as the rest of your house. Read on.

Decide on the theme

To begin with you should decide the theme or mood that you want your garden to reflect. Your garden could have a rustic look to it or look casual or traditional. And depending on the theme or mood in your garden, you can decide on the things should be filled up in your garden. The decorations that you give your garden can make it look like a place of mystery or look like a forest or just a beautiful hangout!

Typical garden decorations include placing pots, urns, fountains and even bird feeders. However, all this depends on the size of your garden. The bigger, the better it is. That said an interior designer can make even smaller gardens look great! If you want your garden to have that antique look then you could display an old bicycle or antique garden tools or may be a rock too.

Container decoration is one of the commonest garden decorations available and practiced by many people. Depending on the theme of your garden, the containers that you choose could be classic urns, or rustic tubs, or wicker baskets, or modern pots that could be lined up for a display.

If you want your garden to be attractive with containers, you should make sure you put the right containers on the right place. That said the right plants should also be put in the right pots. Do not fill all containers in one place. You could spread it around or put more containers in places you think that lack interest in the garden.

The garden path

People use the garden path to enter into your garden and hence it is absolutely necessary to make the garden path look attractive. You can use statues, urns and obelisks that may or may not have been made out of a single stone. The arrangement along the path seems to make the pathway and the garden look bigger. Sculptures can be good additions to your garden.

Sculptures made out of wood, stone, metal and other natural materials will give your garden the look that you always wanted. If your budget allows you could make a lawn or a patio made out of brick or stone. For shading purposes, you could put up a gazebo or umbrellas.

Furnishing is very important in a garden. Depending on the theme you have chosen for your garden, furniture made out of metal, wood, wicker and plastic can be arranged in your garden. Lighting also is important in gardens after sunset. You could use wrought-iron lanterns. If you are someone wanting to ‘go green’ you could fix solar powered lamps in your garden.

Gardening basics

Plants, shrubs and trees that adorn your garden should be taken good care of. Before you choose the plants for your garden, consult an expert. Do not plant trees and plants without consulting a garden expert. A garden expert would study the soil and understand what plants would be suitable to be planted there. Gardening is an art and requires some quality time to be spent every day. It is advisable to place gardenias in pebbles filled pots. With proper watering, using the right types of manure and pesticides the maintenance of your garden can ensure that the plants and trees there remain healthy and attractive.

You could even grow plants that are unsuitable for your garden soil through the art called hydroponics. Put simply, it is growing plants in water instead of in soil. The way is to provide all nutrients required for the plants through the water. However, this would require focus and attention as inadequate provision of nutrients to plants or excessive supply of nutrients could affect the growth of plants.

Your garden could also be a good place where you can grow herbs. Apart from its fragrance herbs have a lot of benefits for your health. Some of the herbs can grow to be very large so it is important that your garden has the necessary space for its growth. Some of the common herbs that you can grow in your garden include rosemary, basil, thyme, dill and sage.

This is one of the articles written for a client but despite repeated reminders this client has not sent the payment. Hence I retain the rights to the article.