Cave Run Resort & Stables

Posts Tagged ‘modern’

A Brief History of Modern Garden Design

Article by Natalie Aranda

Modern garden design has a very long history and all the years of garden design have played into the current trends. The first gardens that were planted purely for visual enjoyment date back to the 1500s in Egypt. There are paintings on Egyptian tombs that reflect gardens that were simply beautiful and not necessarily for food purposes. These drawings show ponds surrounded by palms and acacias. Other famous gardens from long ago include the hanging gardens of Babylon and the paradise garden of Persia. There are many mentions of gardens throughout old texts from Aristotle to others. As a result, the garden design we have today has lots of different influences from hundreds of years of gardens.

Zen gardens from China and Japan and villa gardens from Italy all developed from these original gardens. English landscape gardens and French parterres were also influenced. As a result, all of these garden styles have influenced today’s modern gardens as well. A little bit of style and technique is taken from each garden to create a completely modern look and style. Today’s gardens frequently have vinyl fencing as well to protect them or interlocking pavers that act as stepping stones rather than actual stones as the old gardens had. Vinyl fencing is new in gardens because before only wooden or steel fences were available. But, the new vinyl fences are outstanding because it enhances a garden and is easy to clean not to mention lasts forever

Flower gardens became incredibly popular throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and today they remain so. Interestingly enough, but the gardens of the 20th century also resulted in city planning. There are a lot of interesting facts about gardening and how it started as well as how it ended up in today’s modern designs. Of course, just because modern gardens have been influenced so much by the past does not mean they are like the gardens of the past. Instead, modern gardens reflect elements that have been inspired from past gardens as well as different trends that have recently been implemented thanks to new design techniques and technology. Modern gardening really has been influenced by many different things and as each day passes there will be more changes in gardening.

Question by myles325: Did God or Satan, or both together, design the modern tiger?
Fundamentalist Christians believe that carnivorous animals like the tiger used to be docile vegetarians in the Garden of Eden. Then, after the Fall of Man, the Food Chain came about, and tigers became hunters with meat-eating teeth, with bodies adapted for stalking and hunting, eyes that could see in the night etc. But that would mean the pre-Lapsarian tiger was a very different animal to the modern one. So, when we admire tigers today, are we admiring the work of God, or the work brought about by sin (and therefore Satan). Isn’t that what Blake was driving at when he wrote of the tiger in a famous poem: “Did He who made the lamb, make thee? And, as all of Nature is fallen in this way, don’t we really praise Satan whenever we admire it? Or are Satan and God just opposite sides of a coin, like many dualists and Gnostics believe?

Best answer:

Answer by Dustin
I think most would consider me a fundamentalist Christian. In the future, please don’t tell others what I believe unless you either know for sure or have consulted me first. You are way off base, sir. God created carnivorous animals to eat other animals. It is not a result of the fall of man. (The pointy teeth are a dead giveaway!)

Add your own answer in the comments!

Modern Garden Design Ideas You Must Have
Outdoor space to any property is incredibly important and luckily there are an unlimited amount of modern garden design is to suit every person and every property. But there are certainly some features that every garden must have small touches that must be included and design ideas that are not to be missed.

Here are a few of our must have recommendations.

Firstly we highly recommend that you include a seating area and we are not talking about your average patio and park bench. Think more along the lines of contemporary seating designs that can be integrated into the garden itself. Imagine a low retainer wall that is built to a perfect seat height and capped off with smooth stone, slate or even made to measure cushions. These types of seating designs work perfectly in a corner as it creates a permanent seating and social feature.

Secondly it is imperative that you think about lighting. These could be electrically or solar powered, they could light up certain features within the garden or illuminate entire area is enabling you to socialize outside long after the sun has set. Think about the different moods you can create with effective lighting and even consider the colors of your lights. One feature I personally love to see in a garden design is the use of floor level up-lighters to highlight larger trees or feature walls.

Finally why not consider the levels of your garden and I am not referring to whether your garden is flat or not. Instead think about having raised or lowered sections, lawns, walkways and planting areas. An idea might be to have raised decking walkway that leads you through a garden in an elevated position. Another idea might be to have several steps or terraces that lead and focus your eye to a raised and central location.

Obviously a professional garden designer will be able to advise you more once they visit your property and take a look at your garden. Even including one of the modern garden design ideas we have written about will help you achieve an incredibly contemporary look.

Question by sherbear: where can i find modern flat wireless square solar path lights?
can’t seem to find any modern/decent ones online. Anyone know of any garden stores or anyone who carries these? Just looking for simple – no fancy design – just a simple square (some say ‘brick’) flush to the ground solar path light.

Thank you
i’ve seen the home depot ones (online anyways) and they’re basic and grandma-ish. i’m looking for modern styled ones. i thought there might be a more specialized store somewhere out there that caters to items like this.

Best answer:

Answer by rhsaunders
Lowe’s, Home Depot, and many hardware retailers sell a variety of the things. Prices have become quite reasonable.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Modern Rattan Garden Furniture

One of the biggest misconceptions about rattan garden furniture is that it has to look very traditional and almost old-fashioned. Thankfully, things have changed dramatically in the design of these outdoor pieces, and you can now have beautiful pieces that match your more modern home design.

Bold Color Choices

When most people think of rattan garden furniture, they normally think about dull colors: whites and natural hues mostly. But part of the modern design of the furniture has been an update of the color choices available. For example, you could make your outdoor area come to life with a dynamic color combination of black rattan and neon pink cushions. That’s definitely not old fashion.

Sleeker Designs

Most of the rattan garden furniture people are used to seeing looks pretty ordinary. You could probably go back in time and see the same types of pieces in the backyards of your grandparents or their neighbors.

However, the more modern options take some risks with the designs of the furniture. Rounded edges are one of the biggest changes. If you like the traditional look, you’ll find lots of choices available but if you want something a little more unique you’ll find that, too.

Complete Sets

Some people assume that rattan garden furniture might be a good choice for a chair or two but that it won’t be sufficient if you need furnishings for a large backyard that is used for entertaining or needs to seat a large family. That’s not the case anymore. Many of the sets being sold today are as large as dining room table sets. Tables are available with bases made from the same material. And you can find seating for six people at a table, as well as more traditional types of lounging furniture all made from this versatile material.

Question by Bruno G: is the modern day pressure treated wood safe for vegtable gardens?
The old pressure treated wood contained arsenic and was not safe but I understand that has been removed, should i use this in my vegetable garden or not?

Best answer:

Answer by Ryan S
No, treated wood is highly poisonous. I worked at a lumber yard b4 and i had to wash my hands everytime i handled it…if you do use it keep it elevated above the wood with something.

Add your own answer in the comments!