Add Style and Warmth to Your Backyard With a Fire Pit Table

The average fire pit for your outdoor area is well designed for standing guests but not so great for seating arrangements. It's because most of them are low to the ground. This is great for a large group of people who are enjoying a few beverages together but not very good for a smaller group of people who want to lounge in some comfortable chairs. That's where the fire pit table set comes in. A fire pit table is exactly that. It's a fire pit with a table surrounding it. The design of a fire pit table brings them further up from the ground making them perfect for a small group of people to sit around them in comfortable outdoor lounge chairs. Some table designs only function is to get the fire up off ground level but others incorporate enough table are for it to be used as a patio table as well. Many manufacturers make models big enough to actually be used as an outdoor dining table. Fire pit tables are either of the wood burning variety or the gas burning variety. Some people still love the character and charm that only wood fires can provide. Even though there are some disadvantages there is nothing that can reproduce the crackle and pop of a real wood fire. Sparks can be a problem so you will need a mesh cover to contain them. Guests and neighbors can also become annoyed by the smoke. The smell also sticks to clothes which many people don't appreciate. The other disadvantage is cleaning. Burning wood creates ash so that will have to be disposed of regularly. If you have a garden you can always mix the ash with your compost for excellent fertilizer. Gas fire pit tables are becoming more popular due to fact that they don't produce smoke that you don't need to clean them at the end of the night. You also don't have to shower to get the smell off. Gas is great for portability and for whenever you move house but a few models will also run off your natural gas lines from the house which will make them a permanent fixture. Not only can a fire pit table be a useful addition to your outdoor area it can also enhance your decor as well. For more examples of beautiful outdoor furniture check out the author's website at outdoor bar sets.

Lobelia in Containers

Lobelia in Containers

Lobelia blooms freely in the container. It actually does better in the protected environment of the container over the uncertainty of the open garden. Lobelia is a small-flowered plant, but there are so many flowers on a good lobelia that it makes quite a statement. Lobelia are better in the cooler times of the year and will bloom until the first hard frost. The only way you might not have success with them is if you let them dry out. They do not appreciate drought. One species is actually an aquatic plant, Lobelia cardinalis.

The lobelia used in containers or for bedding plants grows 3 to 5 inches tall. There is a trailing hybrid variety that will grow 8 to 10 inches long, but it has relatively fewer flowers. There are also perennial lobelia that grow quite tall, but they are generally wildflowers. Colors include white, blue, scarlet, purple, and pink. Blue is far and away the most popular.

Use these small plants in windowboxes, containers, and hanging baskets. Start up a container now with blue lobelia, white alyssum, and a red miniature rose, and you’ll be all set with a 4th of July-themed container!

You can start lobelia plants from seeds---tiny seeds---sown directly into the container indoors to be moved outdoors after frost season has passed. The seeds take 14 to 21 days to germinate, so don’t lose hope. They are slow starting out. Alternately, flats are available in April from the local greenhouse.
Give your lobelia full sun or sun with a bit of shade. These plants do prefer cooler weather, but will pass through the height of the summer safely as long as there is sufficient watering. It also helps to cut them back a bit when it’s really hot.

Other than sufficient watering and a bit of fertilizer to keep the flowers coming, lobelia are lovely, low maintenance, colorful contrast plants enchanting in their petit perfection.