How to plan a garden party

For peace of mind, begin planning your party in the garden six to eight weeks in advance. This will allow you time to gather all the supplies that you need, including garden party decor, gifts, and menu items. Planning ahead also gives your guests time to RSVP and make travel plans, if needed. Don't panic if you find yourself short on time; you can still plan a great party! Planning ahead simply reduces the risk of conflicts with guests' plans and may increase your garden party’s attendance.

If making the invitations yourself, think first about who you are inviting to the party. Consider a flower-themed design, or focus on herbs and vegetables as your inspiration. A general garden invitation can be made from simple construction paper or card stock. Just fold the paper in half, and either decorate with flower or veggie stickers or create your own designs with paint or markers. If you’re short on time, you can purchase personalized or pre-printed garden party invitations online. We recommend mailing your invitations three to four weeks prior to the party—any sooner and your guests may forget, any later and your guests may already have plans. For this party, colors will depend on which direction you take the theme. If veggies and herbs are the focus, stick with lots of greens, tans, and yellows. If flowers are the main focus, any bright or pastel colors will work great. For goodie bags, purchase small toy gardening tools, gloves, sun hats, and flower-themed items like flower rings and pinwheels, seed packets, and assorted candies.

To set the mood there is no better way than lighting your area properly but elegantly. There are a few places where you can get mood setting party lights or solar lights that will bring your garden to life. Most good garden centre shops will sell them. They are easy to install as they require no wiring and because they use solar power they cost nothing to run. The effect these solar lights will give to the party are remarkable.

Make sure your guests are seated comfortably. There is plenty of outdoor furniture available from a garden centre that will accomodate large parties and become a centrepiece for the evening. It is important to chose furniture that is eye catching and materialistically perfect whilst still being great value for money ofcourse. It will give your guests the wow factor as soon as they arrive.

Most importantly, sont let the evening be spoilt by the typical British summertime weather. The chances of rain in late summer and autumn are quite high but with a gazebo the party can go on completely uneffected and into the night. It will cover all four sides and is large enough to accomodate dozens of guests, furniture, banners, foods, lights, heaters and whatever else your party needs. They are great value for money and can be used year after year and party after party. Keep the food coming from the barbecue and entertain as if it was 40 degrees outside.

With the end of the summer approaching, the nights can sometimes get a a little chilly. It is a shame to head back indoors so early. A simple, cheap and effective may to heat your party is to get a patio heater. There are several options to chose from but most people tend to opt for the gas powered patio heaters. They range from £150 to £400 depending on how much you are willing to pay. It is debatable that you actually get any more benefit from spending large amounts of money. You can get just as effective results from a £200 patio heater. Gas bottles are easy to fill. Most, if not all, caravan shop will refill your gas bottle if you take it to them for a very small fee.

Take care of your patio heater by covering it in damp weather and you will have something that will make family and friends talk about your garden parties and barbeque’s for years to come. Patio heater covers may seem a pointless expense, but you will soon realise that it is a cheaper alternative than buying a new patio heater every year.

How much money can I save using solar power?

At a time when every source of fuel is being debated and alternative, more efficient and less expensive alternatives are being investigated we take a look at the benefits and background of solar power in reducing energy costs.

Though the pros and cons of solar power continue to be debated, it is starting to make a serious contribution to our energy resource mix. Solar energy systems work with a reliability unmatched by other energy technologies, at least when the sun shines.
A number of means have been created to harness energy from sunlight. The development of these technologies dates back at least twenty-five centuries to Ancient Greece.

Technically, most of our energy resources are forms of solar energy. The wind wouldn’t blow without the sun. The sun causes evaporation of water that ends up in rivers that are used for hydro electrical power; without the sun, water would be eternally locked in a solid state, ice. No biofuels can exist without the sun. And by most accounts, all fossil fuels exist because the sun allowed things to grow.

All forms of solar power are extraordinarily clean. They produce zero pollution when operating.
Solar power generators, whether thermal, light concentrating, or direct electrical, entail no more manufacturing concerns than any other energy related product.

There are many benefits of solar lighting. Here are just a few of the many benefits of solar lighting:
· Low energy costs. Hey, the power from the sun is free!· Little maintenance. Solar power products have few moveable parts… fewer parts to break. They last for a long time, and you hardly ever have to pay attention once they are installed. They will work their magic regardless.
· No emissions. There greatest benefits of solar lighting are, perhaps, the environmental benefits. When you use solar lighting, you are not contributing to global warming in any way.
· Renewable resource. Solar power is a renewable resource. Unless the sun falls from the sky or you live underground, you will never be without it.Other energy resources like coal and oil, etc., have finite supplies. The power of the sun, on the other hand, will keep on shining until humans no longer exist.
· Solar lights continue to work, even if there has been a power outage. When you have solar lighting, you can continue to have light, even when the rest of your street is dark
· You can use solar lighting to light homes or cabins or caravans, etc. in places where there is no other electricity. It can be very expensive to run power lines out to a cabin in the garden. It can be much less expensive to set up solar power at the cabin. Solar energy can be used to run everything from ceiling fans to TVs to washing machines and more
· Another of the many benefits of solar lighting is that many outdoor solar lights have darkness sensors, so you never even have to worry about turning them on or off. They take care of themselves.
· It is easy to install. The majority of outdoor solar lighting has no confusing wires that must be connected to your main electrical system. You simply attach the solar lights to your fence post or stake them into the ground, etc.
It is amazing how many benefits of solar lighting there are. Once you actually get your own solar lights, you are certain to come up with many more benefits, as well.