Improve Your Home and Garden
Ever driven through a neighborhood where the houses looked pretty much alike, but some were clearly more interesting than others? Take a closer look next time and you’ll soon spot the difference: landscape design. The grounds that surround a home can often make the difference between the ordinary and the spectacular. And that, according to [...]
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Margarita pizza is very popular in Italy and has its roots in Naples Did you know pizza did not become popular in America until after WWII? When soldiers who were stationed in Italy came back home from their service, they spilled the beans on a little unknown secret the Italians gave away. It was the [...]
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The House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) is a bustling bundle of nervous energy showing up in Spring in garden trees and roadside shrubs throughout southern Canada and most of the United States. The male bird arrives at his breeding ground to stake a claim before the females arrive. He looks for a low, wooded tract, preferably deciduous, [...]
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It is important to know the volume of water in your backyard pond for a couple of reasons. When you are constructing your water feature, you will need to know the volume it will hold in order to get the correct size pump to recirculate the water effectively. Poor water circulation will result in a [...]
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Whether for resale value or just the daily enjoyment of your home, sustainable landscaping designs are great investments. Sure, you can create your own garden and landscaping plan. But starting with a professional’s design ensures that all of the latest developments are incorporated. After that initial stage, handling maintenance yourself will be simpler and more enjoyable. [...]
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When there’s a bumper crop of fresh herbs, the best way to preserve them is in oil. Here’s a great recipe to do this. Pluck leaves from the stems and pack them down in a measuring cup. Place two hard-packed cups of herbs in a blender or food processor. Add 1 cup of good-quality cooking [...]
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If you are like my family, you enjoy spending time outdoors, grilling, playing, gardening, and entertaining. Some months we are outside far more than in, so we make sure our yard is more than just a place to grow grass. Landscaping, social areas, and an area to cook and eat are all areas that you [...]
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You may have a lovely pond in your backyard, filled with fish and eye-catching water plants. However, sometimes we spend so much time on what goes into our water features that we may not give as much thought to what can be done with the perimeter. Here are some plants that will thrive at the [...]
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Loosely defined, evergreens are trees and shrubs that do not lose their leaves all at once in the fall. They do shed leaves or needles, but do so a little at a time throughout the year. Pruning evergreen trees and shrubs accomplishes several things: It helps control size and shape of the plant. It helps [...]
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Interesting activities for children’s garden clubs, cub scouts, brownies or your own children and grandchildren are often difficult to find during the winter months. But there are lots of planting projects right in your own kitchen! Children can learn about Mother Nature by planting the seeds they find in the fruits they have just eaten. [...]
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This year’s winter has taken us all by surprise, many of us did not expect to see snow so soon into the winter, and this only points out that this winter’s effects can easily overcome those of last year. In that case, it’s always better to expect the worse, and be prepared. There are a [...]
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The hot sticky days of summer gardening are behind us. The glory of fall and the bite of winter are on their way. Here are some helpful tips for your yard and garden for the fall and winter months. October Garden Tips • Squirrels can’t climb the pole if you use a staple gun and [...]
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Even if you have a large vegetable or flower garden, you may be able to start your own winter vegetables in a cold frame. You will save money, raise superior plants, get plants that are directly acclimatized to your locality, and you can produce a far greater variety of plants. A great advantage of starting [...]
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Very few gardeners in the United States, other than Martha Stewart use the English method of cloche gardening. However, it is interesting to study the process and perhaps adapt some aspects of this gardening technique in our own home gardens. A cloche looks like a tall glass water bottle with the bottom cut out. The [...]
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Almost every yard has a spot that could use a ground cover for one reason or another. It’s a good idea to look over a comprehensive list of ground covers to help select just the right one. Ground covers are a practical addition to the yard and an important asset to the overall landscape theme. [...]
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For the gardener, winter can be a tedious season with little to do outside in the yard. But the closing out of fall can bring a rush of seasonal jobs that you shouldn’t ignore. After all the typical late-summer harvesting chores (like all the repetitive chopping, peeling, freezing and canning), I really enjoy the change [...]
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October is a great time to work in your garden as leaves are dropping and that first frost hits. Getting lawns and flower beds ready for winter will make for a beautiful garden in the spring. Here is a list of things to do in your backyard in October. OCTOBER GARDEN TIPS: October Lawn Care [...]
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You spent your budget on hiring a landscaper to design and build a backyard pond for koi. It’s been a lifelong dream to be able to enjoy these jewels of the backyard and hand feed them on a nice summer day. Yet weeks after seeing your fishpond become a reality, you notice fish are starting [...]
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The Hibiscus plant is an interest one. Not only will some varieties add great beauty to your garden, but some varieties also extra bang for the buck by offering other benefits as well. It is said that the flowers from the hibiscus offers certain health benefits. There are Islanders in the South Pacific that drink [...]
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