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Every fixture and appliance in your home that dispenses water can be rated based on the number of gallons per minute (GPM) that pass through it. These rates vary widely, depending on the age of the fixture and how water-efficiently it has been designed. Knowing and controlling these GPM rates is the first step in shrinking your water bill costs. The problem is that few homeowners have any sense of how much water all of their various services are using....

Use an Unsubscription Hub DMAChoice.org: Create an account at dmachoice.org, known as the Direct Marketing Association’s consumer website. It allows you to unsubscribe from specific catalogs, as well as magazine and credit card offers for yourself and deceased relatives. DMAChoice.org contacts the companies to unsubscribe for you, but this process takes time—between 30 to 90 days. There’s a $2 registration fee to set up your account that allows access to the site for 10 years....

Normally planted in the spring, a duranta plant quickly becomes a small flowering shrub in its first season, and in warm climates, it can grow to a small tree size within a few years. Although this plant is not included on many toxic plant lists, several academic sources confirm that the berries and leaves are seriously toxic to humans and to pets. Birds, however, eagerly eat the berries with no ill effects....

Able to grow about 1 foot a year, this medium-sized tree with orange-red bark and cones reaches a full size of anywhere from 20 to 50 feet or taller with a similar spread. The ultimate size depends on the growing conditions. It’s best planted during the late summer months of August and September. The tree’s ability to produce many long-viable seeds that disperse easily in winds means it has invasive qualities that are worth bearing in mind....

Bobo blooms from early to late summer with flowers that form large panicles with a pyramidal shape—an identifying feature of all paniculata hydrangeas. The flowers are initially white but gradually turn pink, then deepen into purplish as fall approaches. Bobo is not one of those hydrangeas whose floral color is dependent on soil pH. If you want to manipulate the color of your hydrangeas, grow a variety of Hydrangea macrophylla....

There are many different varieties of cherry trees that can be used for bonsai, although the variety that is most associated with the stunning cherry blossoms of Japan is the Japanese flowering cherry. Cherry tree bonsai is planted in the spring so it has all growing season to adapt to its pot. The leaves, stems, and seeds of cherry trees are toxic to humans and pets. Cherry tree bonsai can be wired at any time of the year, although it is best done in the fall or winter months so as to not damage the delicate buds and new growth in the spring or summer months....

The tree produces fragrant white flowers, which develop into small, black fruits similar to berries. Unlike the leaves, they are not suitable for consumption. Curry tree is best planted in the spring. The curry tree is an overall strong plant once established in ideal sunny, tropical conditions. In cold climates, the curry tree can only be grown in containers. Let it spend the summer outdoors and bring it indoors once the cold weather sets in....

Dwarf morning glory is usually planted from a potted nursery start in the spring after all danger of frost has passed. It is a fast-growing plant that will reach flowering maturity within a few weeks. As the growing season progresses, dwarf morning glory can look ragged with reduced blooms. Trim back the plant to tidy it up and encourage new bushy growth. Dwarf morning glory has no serious pest or disease problems....

The genus is native to South Africa, where it grows in lightly shaded conditions. As a result, the plant tolerates lower light conditions than many other succulents do, making it a good option for a houseplant. Planting is best done in the spring, though you generally can start them as houseplants at any point. Gasteria is a slow-growing plant, and most varieties remain compact. Be aware that the plants don’t react well to water falling directly on the leaves, so provide them with some shelter from rainfall and sprinkler systems if possible....

Plant Type Plant taxonomy classifies Japanese pachysandra, also called “Japanese spurge,” as Pachysandra terminalis and as belonging to the boxwood family. These widely grown plants are evergreen perennials. They are herbaceous in the sense that they lack woody stems, but their foliage does not die back in winter, it merely yellows a bit. In terms of usage, Japanese pachysandra plants are classified as ground covers. Traits of “Spurge” Plants Wider (12 inches) than it is tall (6 inches), this ground cover produces white flowers in spring but is grown primarily for its leathery, dark-green leaves....

Light This variegated plant does best in bright, indirect light. That being said, it can also tolerate medium light well. Unlike other pothos varieties, avoid placing your Jessenia pothos in low light conditions as a lack of light will cause its variegation to dull. Also, avoid direct sunlight which will burn the leaves. Soil The Jessenia pothos requires a soil mixture that retains some water while still being well-draining. While it can survive in pure potting soil for some time, a combination of potting soil, perlite, and some orchid bark mix is ideal and will prevent soil compaction....

If you are trying to identify jostaberry from its fruit, take note that the color of the berries changes as the growing season progresses. When they first appear, they are green. They change to red and to purple before maturing to the color they attain when they are ripe: violet-black. An identifying feature that remains more constant is leaf appearance. A jostaberry leaf is green, has prominent veins, bears teeth along its edges, and is divided into irregular lobes....

If your garden beds are large enough, space plants 36 to 90 inches apart. If garden space is limited, install a trellis or other type of support system and train the vines to grow up the supports Light Plant lemon cucumbers in full sun, at least six to eight hours of sunlight per day. Soil Lemon cucumbers are heavy feeders and require rich, well-drained soil similar to any other cucumber variety....

The tree requires ample sunlight and adequate water if you live in a dry area. The Manila palm is very sensitive to the cold and should be overwintered indoors. Pruning isn’t necessary, but you may remove dead leaves or fruit from the tree’s base to help prevent infestation or fungal growth. Light The Manila palm grows best in full sun or partial shade. Full sun, six to eight hours a day, is ideal for fruit production....

You can further provide the drainage this perennial so craves by applying a gravel mulch around it. Some gardeners who grow the plant in a container set the pot on its side during the winter to avoid any buildup of excessive moisture around the crown. In terms of pest-control measures to take, you may have to kill slugs if you notice holes being chewed in the leaves. After blooming, deadhead it to foster further flowering....

Young Virginia pines have smooth bark that, with age, becomes red and scaly until it takes on a shaggy and grayish-brown color at maturity. Virginia pine is pyramidal in shape, but it gradually loses that form with maturity, becoming scrubby and rounded, which is why it’s nicknamed “scrub pine.” Its needles are short, twisted, and come in fascicles, the botanical term for a bundle of leaves. Its seeded cones are seen throughout the tree and can stay on the tree for five years before dropping....

Yellow fritillary bulbs are generally planted in the fall for bloom the following spring. Good-sized bulbs will bloom in their first season, but smaller offsets may take several years before they achieve the size needed to support flowering. The best chance for success is to give the plant an environment that is very close to its native habitat: a low- to mid-elevation location with sandy-to-rocky soil. This plant wants rainfall (or snowmelt) in the spring but prefers dryer conditions for the rest of the year....