Posts

These colorful flowers are biennial and reseed themselves effectively in many different habitats, including roadsides, vacant lots, meadows, and along riverbanks and railroad tracks. Some wildlife eat them, including rabbits, deer, and groundhogs. They’re fairly drought-tolerant, but they may droop or dry out if there is a prolonged dry spell. They make a good filler for large cottage style gardens that need a boost of late summer color, and look fabulous alongside deep red day lilies and the cool blues of caryopteris....

This shrub is included in the Calycanthaceae family. The other species in this genus is the Carolina sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus). The species name occidentalis means western and in this case, indicates that it comes from the western part of the United States. At maturity, the plant will be 4 to 15-feet tall and wide, naturally forming into a rounded shape. California sweetshrub should be planted in the fall or early spring....

PTT/Sorona/SmartStrand Triexta was invented by DuPont, the same company responsible for the invention of nylon fiber. Triexta is currently produced exclusively by DuPont under the brand name Sorona, so you may hear the names triexta and Sorona used interchangeably. Mohawk Industries is currently the biggest manufacturer to use Sorona triexta in carpet, and it markets the fiber under its brand name SmartStrand. Godfrey Hirst, a much smaller manufacturer based out of Australia, also uses Sorona in its eco+ collection....

Here are some of the best Halloween costume ideas from Pinterest.

What Is the Cloaca? (noun) The cloaca is the single posterior opening for a bird’s digestive, urinary, and reproductive tracts and is used to expel feces and lay eggs. The cloaca is found on the rear of the body under the base of the tail, covered by feathers on the extreme lower abdomen. The cloaca and the area of the body where it is located, as well as the physical slit opening itself, is also frequently called the vent....

The good news is that plants really don’t just die without a reason. In fact, houseplants are fairly predictable, depending on their species, and the vast majority of houseplant casualties are all caused by the same few factors. Here are the top reasons houseplants die. Too Much Water Too much water may seem impossible but in reality, it’s not only possible but a very common mistake people make. There are very few plants that can handle daily watering in a typical potting situation, even many of the tropical plants we love indoors....

Well, there is both a technical definition and a working definition of the term (you’ll sometimes see the design style in question given as “English cottage gardens”). In this article, I am mainly interested in the working definition, as it is less restrictive – making it more relevant to a greater number of readers. But I will deal first, in passing, with the technical definition. English Cottage Gardens It is in dealing with the technical definition that it makes the most sense to use the terminology “English cottage gardens,” specifically....

How Does Crawl Space Ventilation Work? In a home where the entire structure or part of the structure is elevated slightly above the ground, yet not over a basement, the gap between the bottom of the structure and the ground is known as a crawl space. A crawl space type of foundation is common in warm, moist climates where it is advantageous to raise the structure slightly off the ground to avoid moisture....

Here are six home projects you can finish in just a day. Declutter Your Home Depending on how neat you are, you might not be able to fully organize every room of your home in just a day. But you can get rid of a lot of clutter to make subsequent organization much easier. Start by making a list of every room in your home. Then, create a sublist under each room of every spot in that room that needs decluttering....

On the other hand, rugs can be expensive. They’re an investment even if you find a good deal on one. Plus, all of the options out there can be dizzying; sometimes it’s hard to find just the right way to warm up those bare floors. And then there’s all the dos and don’ts of caring for an area rug so it will last a long time. To help, here are some rug hacks (i....

To compete seriously with the seasoned giant vegetable growers, you’ll need to put considerable effort into your soil, choice of site, and your gardening technique. But to get you started having some fun growing giant-sized vegetables, here are some easy steps toward success. Choose the Right Seed Serious giant growers will often seek out rare seeds to grow. You can start a giant lineage by selecting a promising variety, like Atlantic Giant Pumpkin or Old Colossus Heirloom Tomato, and then saving the seeds from your largest fruits for planting next year....

Plant Type Most are either biennial plants or short-lived herbaceous (although the dead flower stalks persist through winter) perennial plants. For example, the black hollyhock in the picture died after three years. The popular ‘Zebrina’ is a short-lived perennial that is sometimes treated as if it were an annual plant. It is not a true hollyhock but rather a type of mallow (its full scientific name is Malva sylvestris ‘Zebrina’)....

All of the other fixtures inside our houses are mounted either in or on the ceiling, or they sit on a table or the floor. Because a wall sconce is hung on the wall, it provides light without cluttering up the ceiling. It also doesn’t take up any space on the floor and doesn’t have to have a table to sit on. Placement In a corridor, wall sconces can add both light and interest without interfering with movement....

Hermann Engelmann Greenhouses and Costa Farms For plant history buffs, Hermann Engelmann is an old and respected name in the foliage plant business. Engelmann relocated his facilities from northern climes to sunny Florida during the houseplant boom of the 1970s and set up extensive facilities. It wasn’t long before Engelmann operated almost 3 million square feet of greenhouses in Apopka, Florida, the “foliage plant capital of the world.” As the “engel” in his name is German for “angel,” you can see the origin of the Exotic Angel name....

Best planted in early spring or early fall (and before any rainy season in your area), Frances Williams hosta will grow at a moderate pace, reaching full maturity within two to four years’ time—though it will look good in your landscape well before that. Remove its flower stalks after they bloom in early summer, as there’s no sense in the plant using up energy on seed production. Use mulch to help retain moisture around the roots or protect the plant during the winter months—just make sure to keep the dirt away from the crown of the plant in order to minimize the chance of crown rot....

Choosing a Bluebird House to Build Bluebirds will not nest in just any birdhouse. The right birdhouse will not only provide good, safe shelter for a brooding adult and its nestlings, but it should also be the proper size to admit bluebirds without encouraging unwanted residents. The best dimensions for bluebird houses are: Entrance hole: 1.5 inches (1.56 inches for mountain bluebirds) Entrance height: 6 inches to 10 inches above the house floor Interior floor space: 5 inches by 5 inches to accommodate broods of five to eight chicks Total height: 8 inches to 12 inches with the back slightly higher to shed water...