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Then you could profit from a straightforward look at the ideas behind designing a garden, supplemented with hands-on project guides. Let’s begin with the former: Landscape Design Explained Through Pictures Perhaps you’d rather skip the concepts and get right down to some projects that will beautify your yard? The following resources will allow you to do just that, providing precise instructions and lots of pictures: How to Build Garden Fountains How to Build Rock Gardens How to Plant Flower Beds How to Plant Hedges...

In the sample landscape plan for wet areas pictured above, the pond serves as a backdrop for three rows of plants. The planting is “layered”: i.e., the tallest plants reside in the back, the shortest in the front, and the mid-sized in between. Some of these specimens aren’t available at every nursery. But if you conduct an Internet search for “wildflower society” followed by the name of your region, you may find someone who specializes in the sale of native plants in your area....

Choose the Right Plant Plants can provide beauty and—in the case of shrubs and trees—privacy around a swimming pool. They soften the harsh lines of pool equipment and help pools to blend more naturally with the surrounding environment. If you grow plants that are tall enough, they will form privacy screens around the area. But plants must be chosen wisely. Strive for low-maintenance plants. For instance, you do not want large deciduous trees around a swimming pool, as you will end up fishing all of those leaves out of the water....

When it comes to deciding whether it’s worthwhile to reupholster your couch, there’s no easy answer. Truthfully, your best course of action depends on a few topics, each of which should be carefully considered in advance of committing to what can be an expensive undertaking. While it’s true that you’re potentially saving your sofa from going to a landfill and opting for the more sustainable option, know that reupholstering an old sofa could actually end up costing you more than you would pay for a new one....

Importance of Proper Identification It is hard to tell by looking at a plant or tree whether you have a grafted plant or not. If you cannot tell by asking the seller or looking, you can make an educated guess if your plant is a graft. If your plant produces a sucker, you know you need to cut it off, because that sucker is not just another branch. Suckers are offshoots that were reproduced asexually, also called vegetative reproduction, and sap energy from the main plant....

They flower annually, assuming they’ve been well-fed and kept, and the flowers last about a month or so before they die back. With their subtle, lovely colors, these plants make a great addition to any collection of tropical orchids, especially in a shade house. Growing Conditions Light: In their natural habitat, Ludisias are protected from the sunlight by the thick forest canopy and so are rarely exposed to the sun....

We recently had the pleasure of connecting with Katie Thompson, founder of Women of Woodworking. Through her platform, Katie works to highlight women, female-identifying, and non-binary craftspeople by sharing their stories through interviews and essays. We chatted about Katie’s own journey into woodworking, which projects she values the most, and the true importance of community in the world of woodcraft. Her Early Inspiration The first time Katie realized she wanted to be a woodworker, she was watching her dad in his workshop....

After a week of Instagram recaps highlighting the esteemed tones of previous years, the trend-forecasting company made its grand announcement with a party at Art Basel in Miami. Noted as a shade that “vibrates vim and vigor,” Pantone chose this particular color for 2023 because it’s “brave and fearless. It is a pulsating color whose exuberance promotes joyous and optimistic celebration, writing a new narrative.” “This year’s Color of The Year is powerful and empowering,” Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, says....

Peppercorn can grow up to 13 feet long on supporting trees, poles, or trellises. It is a spreading vine, rooting readily where trailing stems touch the ground. Its flower stalks with little tiny flowers grow up to 6 inches tall, looking like pendulous spikes. The flowers develop their fruits as drupes, appearing in immature green bunches, much like grapes. Light When growing peppercorn plant as an indoor houseplant, give it the brightest light possible....

One key to proper identification is studying the shrub’s individual plant parts: Leaf (color and shape)BerriesBarkStem (color) You increase your odds of identification if you know what all of these plant parts look like, rather than knowing the appearance of just one. A second key to successful identification is learning what the plant looks like from season to season, so you can recognize it when you encounter it during various months....

Your centenarian has already surpassed and celebrated major milestones including the 80th and 90th birthday. But each new decade brings changes that can be incorporated into the party. Here are the best ideas for activities you can plan to emphasize the magnitude of this milestone event. Music Play music and sing songs from the guest of honor’s favorite decade or genre of music. Music has an amazing way of delighting even those who have memory challenges....

We wanted to get to the bottom of this trendy growing medium. Find out what pon is, why plant influencers and collectors are using it, and how it has affected their plants. What Is Pon? If you speak to a plant parent who is familiar with pon, they’ll most likely mention the brand Lechuza, a company that creates many self-watering planters that help prevent overwatering (I made need to buy one for my poor Asparagus Fern)....

Even when people get over the novelty of pitcher plants, they remain fascinated by the odd forms assumed by the namesake pitchers (which are really modified leaves). Equally fascinating for some is the fact that, like the famous Venus flytrap, pitcher plants are carnivorous. The pitchers function as traps for insects, which are attracted to them both by their smell and by their color. Once insects are trapped within a pitcher, it’s difficult for them to get out because the internal walls are slippery and covered in stiff hairs that point downwards....

What a Steel Door Is A steel door is not solid steel. Steel doors are comprised of either a polyurethane or polystyrene core with a steel skin over the top. A solid steel door would be prohibitively heavy and would most likely tear out the hinges. Steel between 16 and 24 gauge is used for the skin of the door. A wood frame, called a stile, surrounds the perimeter of the door....

Give Your Plants a Drink First thing to do is keep your soil moist. Soil will retain more heat if it isn’t too dry. Also, plants have a better chance of survival if they aren’t stressed by drought. Move Your Container Gardens You can simply move your container gardens inside at night and out again when the temperatures warm up. I put large containers on wagons and wheel them in and out of the garage - out in the morning on warm days and back in again as the temperatures start to drop in the late afternoon....

Any pet owner knows that a good vacuum is a necessity. If your vacuum isn’t strong enough, you’re left with pet fur everywhere. And even worse, if your vacuum is prone to clogging, you’ll spend way too much time trying to pull fur out of the brush roll. As a pet mom of five—two large breed dogs and three cats (two of which are long-haired)—I know the struggle of trying to keep carpets clean all too well....

Self-Adhesive Vinyl Floor Tiles Cost Self-adhesive vinyl floor tiles can be quite inexpensive. Just like most flooring products, peel-and-stick vinyl tiles are priced by the square foot. You can pay as little as a few cents per square foot for cheaper tiles up to over a couple of dollars per square foot for a premium product. In general, you’ll pay around a dollar, give or take a few cents, per square foot for decent and attractive self-adhesive vinyl floor tiles....