Dec 11
15
The Renewable Resource Of Nature
Impermeability is a quality that if a material possesses, it makes it exceptional among alternatives and this is one of such properties that make cork stand out as an ideal material. Cork is made from the Oak tree; a tree significant in itself for its toughness. It is clear that products receive their special qualities from what they are made of and the unique qualities of the cork material has ensured that all products made from it blossoms as a result of its dynamic nature.
Trees are beneficial to man in a number of ways and one of such benefits is economical. For a material like Cork used in manufacturing tough and different kinds of products, there should not be more preaching against the destruction of trees as the reasons why destruction of trees should be discouraged speak for themselves. Cork has benefitted the manufacturing industry in giving births to products widely accepted and strongly built up to meet their unique needs. Examples include; wire stoppers and cork flooring.
The urban area is known for its high level of industrialized activities. There are carbon fumes emanating from vehicular traffic and from some companies. This can be seen in almost every city on earth. With this in place, there is the need for a corresponding balance, an element that can receive these fumes and convert it to its own use and this is the role that the trees and plantations play. They require these fumes so they take and utilize them, ensuring that their dangerous effects are averted.
In setting out in bamboo planting, one must understand that planting bamboo differs in no small measure to planting other crops. It is clear that different plants have different life cycles, different conducive environments and different mode of cultivation. For the bamboo, it thrives in clay and loam unlike some plants and it does well too in soils with higher acidity. The area of planting too differs from other crops, while some can grow and thrive in water; water is bamboo’s suicide pill.
One must understand the lifestyle of bamboo to be successful in planting it. It doesn’t take long for bamboo plant to sprout up to its full height. In fact it doesn’t take more than a season. As its years increase, the stems become stronger and its spread continues. As its years increase, it gets stronger but as it approaches its eight year, it begins to die. This means that they must be harvested about this time frame of between three years and seven. Stretching beyond the eight year, they die.
Not all raw materials gotten directly from nature can have as much effect and relevance as Cork has. The dynamic property of this material has made it a perfect choice for a number of materials. Aside from being deployed in making cork flooring, cork is also used in making bulletin boards, wine stoppers and fishing floats. In its use as floor covering, its nature guarantees noise and sound reduction, a feature that most home owners would gladly applaud. Cork is beneficial and useful in countless ways.
Justin is a Urban Developer at a landscape firm in L.A. It is his profession to design green habitats into our daily surrounding, into all his projects. His book on Landscaping Solutions is due in 2012.
Related Reading:
Designer Plant Combinations: 105 Stunning Gardens Using Six Plants or FewerFor every gardener who has hesitated over plant pairings or wondered if an array of favorite plants will work well together in the garden, Designer Plant Combinations inspires and delights with professionally designed combinations using just two to six plants. Here are the secrets to combining French lavender with California fuchsia; prairie coneflower with hummingbird mint; and tall purple moor grass with dwarf Korean lilac in a small garden bed. The dramatic effects are marvelous.Author Scott Calhoun traveled the country searching for the freshest, most exciting plant groupings. He visited the gardens of top designers from coast to coast and chose more than 100 combinations to include in his photographic celebration. Riots of complementary colors, masses of grasses, foliage spectacles in extraordinary shades of green and purple, and height variations as arresting as city skylines are all featured in these exciting gardens, each one an intimate self-contained glimpse of a larger garden.
Rather than complete garden designs, these combinations are small, understandable pieces that demystify the design process for home gardeners. The innovative ensembles are invitations to try plants together in fresh, inventive ways. The combinations are perfect as embellishments to or reinventions of existing gardens. A favorite pairing can be the beginning of a larger garden design, or a five-plant grouping might be all that is necessary to fill in a small urban garden. The possibilities are as varied as the gardener's imagination.
