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How to purchase garden art as a gift
To purchase garden art as a gift is an excellent idea if the gift is meant for a person who not only has a large garden but who likes to dress it up. There was a time when garden art was limited to cherubs and angels spouting water or maidens simpering in the sun. Nowadays functional or practical things like a patio bench or a sun dial is also termed as garden art. Here are some tips for choosing a garden art as a gift.
A few suggestions
- It is not easy to find good garden art so you might have to spend some time looking for it. You could begin by checking the home and garden stores around your home and on the internet. Sometimes you might find some nice piece at a garage sale or at a holiday art fair.
- You can get garden art for as little as $10 or $15 at a second hand sale while a good original piece can cost you anything from hundred dollars to ten thousand dollars. So set your budget and try and look for something that suits your financial plans.
- You will be spoilt for choice. As compared to a few years ago garden art today has expanded to include all kinds of functional items. Now, along with ubiquitous statues you have patio benches, ornate garden chairs, bird baths and feeds, sun dials and many more.
- Do not compromise on quality. A lot of garden art is bucolic and countrified. This does not mean that it is of substandard quality and tacky. Buy something small, if your finances do not permit you to be expansive but buy the best.
Do's
Since it is difficult to wrap a big piece, just deliver it to the garden of the recipient with a big bow tied around it.
Don'ts
Do not forget to include the receipt or the address of the store in case the recipient needs to exchange it.
How to buy the ideal Christmas tree?
To buy the ideal Christmas tree is a big event in most families' pre-holiday gearing up. If you know the difference between various kinds of species, how to judge a tree according to its different features, and to zero in on the freshest tree available, then the purchase for that 'just right tree' becomes that much easier. If you are not aware of such finer details then you have to either depend upon the store assistant's view (which is by and large sound) or take this short lesson tour.
Few guidelines
- The first thing to decide is the type of tree you want, there are about 10 to 12 different varieties of firs that are used as Christmas trees of which the Douglas fir and the Scotch fir are most preferred.
- Determine where in your home you want your Christmas tree to be displayed because only then will you be able to calculate what height you will need and whether all four sides must be suitable for display. You should select a tree that is the right height and foliage for the space you have chosen for it.
- Freshness is the key factor that determines the final selection. If, when running your finger down a branch, the needles hold fast to each shoot you can conclude that the tree is fresh.
- If you buy your tree a few days before it will be decorated, store it outside. Make a cut in the trunk of the tree about one inch above the original cut to open the pores and aid in the absorption of water. Place the tree so that the cut part is submerged within the water. Refill the container daily as the tree requires a lot of water.
Do's
Sprinkle water on the branches and needles before you decorate the tree to help retain freshness.
Be sure to place the tree away from fireplaces, radiators, electric heaters, televisions or any other source of heat.
Don'ts
Don't use open flames, such as lighted candles on or near the tree.
Don't ever leave your home with the Christmas tree lights still on.
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