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Scandinavia in Focus Scandinavia refers to the northern European countries of Norway, Sweden, Denmark (and its territory Greenland). Depending on the context, some also include close neighbor Finland and Iceland, an island nation just to the North. While there are several historical and cultural similarities between these nations, there are also more than a few notable differences. The way in which they became united under the banner of home decor is a matter of marketing as much as history, beginning with changing social philosophies at the end of the 1800s....

Cacti and Succulent Popularity Cacti (the bigger ones, at least) are well known even to those who have little interest in horticulture, likely in part because Hollywood westerns turned cacti into iconic figures. Succulents have also increased in popularity due to their low-maintenance care, making them an ideal choice for first-time plant owners. Differences Between Cacti and Succulents Despite their close relationship, there are some important differences between cacti and succulents:...

Installing a basement floor drain or maintaining an existing drain is vital to accomplishing these projects and to keeping your entire house in good shape. What a Basement Floor Drain Is A basement drain is installed in a concrete floor, usually when the home was originally built but sometimes retroactively. The drain moves water from one section of the basement to the outside of the house. The drain is usually in a utility area where the water heater, furnace, or laundry room are located or in any area where moisture is prevalent....

Before fertilizing, it is helpful to know the type of hydrangea you’re growing. The three most popular varieties are panicle, smooth, and bigleaf. This guide will stay rather general and offer a section on changing the flower color of bigleaf varieties at the end. Follow this advice to learn which fertilizers are best for hydrangeas, and when and how to fertilize these plants to ensure that they grow to their fullest potential....

Traditions also differ for Father’s Day celebrations. For example, Catholic European countries began observing Father’s Day on March 19, 1508, linking it to the Feast of St. Joseph, which celebrates Joseph of Nazareth, father of Jesus. Father’s Day is commonly celebrated in Germany by men loading wagons with beer and heading off into the woods. In Russia, Father’s Day overlaps with their Defender of the Fatherland Day. So, while fathers are honored, many march in military parades in their hometowns on the same day....

Whether, When, and How to Prune Magnolia Trees With some exceptions, pruning really is not widely considered a must (or even desirable) for this popular flowering tree. For one thing, magnolia trees do not heal as well as most trees from pruning cuts (which can lead to the introduction of diseases), and, for another, you can easily spoil the looks of a magnolia tree by getting carried away in pruning it....

Rules The following rules come from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association (FMCSA) and must be observed by your moving company when preparing and implementing a binding estimate: Description of Shipment and Services The binding estimate must accurately describe the shipment and all the services the company will provide. If you asked the moving company to provide additional services, such as long carry charges, shuttle service or flight charges, the company must bill you separately for these charges following your move....

The best time of day to fertilize a lawn is morning because that’s when the temperature is cooler and the grass is moist with dew. Heat and dryness are your enemies when fertilizing your lawn. Even without hot temperatures, applying chemical fertilizers to grass exposes it to the danger of burning. Plus fertilizer should be watered immediately into the soil, and this task is easier to perform on a lawn already moist....

Your strawberries will ripen over the course of a week or two. Check daily and harvest all that are ripe, but don’t rush them. Strawberries with green tips are not ready to pick, no matter how red the stem end is. You’ve waited this long, let them hit peak flavor. On the other hand, don’t leave them to become overly ripe. They will get soft and possibly rot if the birds and other wildlife don’t get to them first....

Cooling Your Home Evenly By using the existing heating/cooling ducts that encompass the entire home, the central air unit can cool the entire home evenly. The coil that is placed outside of your home is called the condensing coil. It consists of a compressor, condensing coil condenser fan, a grill to protect persons from coming into contact with the fan blade, a case built around all of the components, controls, and two refrigerant lines that run into the home to the evaporator coil....

Witch hazel is a very hardy plant. Unlike most flowering plants, witch hazel requires cold temperatures to produce its eye-catching yellow blooms. This makes these plants a real show-stopper in a sparkling winter landscape. Witch hazel plants have exceptional fragrance, though the flowers are not as showy as some other plants. Bright green leaves adorn these shrubs in the summer and turn yellow or yellow-orange in the fall. Interestingly, the fruit and flowers appear at the same time; the fruit from the prior year’s flowers matures while the new flowers bloom....

Not all basements are alike, of course. Your basement may be light and bright with a walkout door, or it could be a dark space with a few small, high windows. Assess the available natural light and what artificial lighting you need to add. The right lighting will dramatically open up your color options and make it easier for you to choose the right basement paint colors. Also, ask yourself how your basement is used....

Color Family: Greens, blues, purplesComplementary Colors: Reds, oranges, yellowsPairs Well With: Neutrals, black, whiteMood: Clean, crisp, fresh, calming, sereneWhere to Use: Living spaces, kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, accent walls, Here are some of Benjamin Moore’s best cool paint colors.

Here are 10 easy-to-care-for houseplants that are perfect for any dorm room. Light: Bright, indirect lightWater: Enough to maintain moist but not soggy soil Light: Bright, indirect lightWater: When the soil is nearly dry Light: Full sunWater: When the soil is dry Light: Bright, indirect lightWater: When the soil is nearly dry Light: Bright, indirect to low lightWater: When the soil is dry Light: Bright, indirect to low lightWater: When the soil is nearly dry...

For smaller but more abundant blooms, check out a shrub or ground cover rose like ‘Red Drift’ or ‘Double Knock Out.’ While these roses don’t pack quite the same fragrant punch as the big bloom roses, they are very disease resistant and may not even require spraying. Green roses infuse a jolt of minty freshness into any flower arrangement. Pale green is a cool complement to lavender or pink flowers, and it adds a festive flair to a holiday arrangement with red roses....

Cornhole, also called bean bag toss, is a simple yard game where you toss bean bags into the hole on the board and compete as teams or individuals. It’s a no-stress game that’s a lot of fun and you’ll want to have it ready to go for your next barbecue, camping trip, or tailgate. Not sure how to play cornhole? Not a problem! These official cornhole rules will show you how....

Elm tree wood tends to be strong, durable, and resistant to weather and rot, even when submerged in water for long periods. Because of those characteristics, elm has long been used to make ship keels, piers, archery bows, and furniture. Read on to learn how to identify and grow 10 types of elm trees. Elm Tree Identification Elm trees look like the common shade trees you may have seen lining streets in many American cities and towns; they are tall with large spreading canopies....

The name jasmine is sometimes used in common names for other plants that are not actually true jasmines. A notable example is the star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides), usually known as star jasmine or confederate jasmine, which is actually a relative of oleander. Here are ten popular jasmine shrubs and vines you might want to try in your landscape. jaboticaba / Getty Images Native area: Papua New Guinea’s Admiralty Islands; has naturalized in FloridaUSDA Hardiness Zones: 10 to 11; sometimes successful in zone 9Height: As vine, 10 feet or more; as a shrub, two to four feet with pruningSun Exposure: Full sun to part shade...

For more inspiration, take a look at these stylish and functional powder rooms.

Before you begin to feel overwhelmed, we have good news. If your biggest dream for 2023 is to stay organized, we rounded up a few ways to make sure that happens as soon as the clock strikes twelve. These are some of our favorite products for keeping organized, and they’ll be sure to help you stick to that resolution long after January.