Posted by admin on June 8th, 2008 — Posted in Gardening Center
Imagine it’s a special occasion and you’ve just received a glorious bunch of roses. You put them in your best vase and you stand back to admire them. You’d love to make them last as long as you possibly can, but other than keeping them out of direct sunlight, you’re not sure what to do.
Here are some tips on how to extend the shelf life of your roses:
1. Remove the roses from the vase and put them in a temporary container.
2. Clean the vase by washing it thoroughly in water with household bleach.
3. Fill the vase with fresh water and add a half teaspoon of household bleach for each litre (16 fluid ounces) of water.
4. Remove your roses from their temporary container and lay them flat on a counter top.
5. Remove any leaves which will show below the waterline in the vase.
6. Cut about 20 mm (3/4 inch) from the base of each stem immediately before placing it in the vase. This removes any air bubbles.
7. Don’t place roses in drafts or direct sunlight, or near fruit, heaters, TVs or refrigerators.
8. Change the water daily to extend the vase life of your roses.
Freshly picked roses can last up to two weeks with a little extra care.
Enjoy!
Gerry Belvedere is a former artist who now runs her own online florist service at http://www.rosaflora-flowers.com. Rosaflora delivers flowers Australia wide and overseas and offers tips on getting the most out of your cut flowers.
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Posted by admin on May 10th, 2008 — Posted in Gardening Center
If you live in an older house, say 50 or 60 years or older, there is a good likelihood that you have plaster on your walls. Plaster walls were very common, especially in the late 18th century and 19th century. Plaster was fairly readily available, was workable, and was capable of producing very smooth walls and ornate embellishments. It was and is however, very difficult to worth with. It took a fine plasterer many years to learn his trade under the careful instruction of a master plasterer.
Plaster is still widely available, though rarely used. Just check the painting aisles of your local home improvement center and you’ll see it mixed in with spackle and patching compound. The reason for its demise was the invention of joint compound. Unlike plaster, joint compound (or drywall compound) is easy to work with. It is slow to set up and harden, is very easy to sand, mixes easily, can be purchased already-mixed, and is easy to clean up. Joint compound works by simply letting the water evaporate out, leaving the hard, white stuff on the wall.
Plaster, on the other hand, sets up quickly, hardens like cement, is very difficult to work with once it starts to set up, is hard to clean up, and must be mixed up as needed and in quantities that can be worked with quickly. Plaster as it sets up, is actually a chemical reaction between the solid plaster and the water.
For this reason, joint compound is the natural choice for most new homes and patching jobs. However, plaster is by far the superior product. A plaster wall is rock hard, has a solid sound, and feel, is not easy damaged or scratched, and can withstand some abuse. These properties make for some interesting remodeling and repairs.
A simple task such as hanging a hook for a picture frame can cause large chunks of plaster to break free from the wall and come crashing down. Try to drive a drywall screw into plaster can be an exercise in frustration as chunks break out of the wall and the screw getting dulled by the plaster, Drill bits and saw blades dull instantly on contact.
Because of these challenges with plaster, I have compiled a few tips for working with it. Be aware, that these work for me in most situations, but plaster can be different and behave differently in different locations, so work very carefully.
1. When hanging a picture frame from a hook with a nail in it, first tape a large piece of masking tape over the area where you will drive the nail. This will help prevent chip-out. Once the nail is in place, remove the tape.
2. Another way to insert a wall hanger for a picture frame is to drill a small pilot hole for the nail. The pilot hole need not be deep. Just deep enough to penetrate the topcoat of plaster. If you see brown dust coming from the drill bit, you are through the topcoat and into the brown coat.
3. To drive a screw through plaster, always drill a pilot hole!
4. Never use a drywall screw in plaster to hold anything! Even though it may seem that the plaster is holding it in place, you risk tearing out a large chunk of plaster should you find a weak spot. Always screw through the plaster and into the studs.
5. When screwing through plaster and into the wall studs, make sure you are into the wall studs and not the wood lath that holds the plaster on the wall! Pulling down lath is one of the worst things you can do, as it will pull down large chunks of plaster with it!
6. Standard stud finders don’t work on plaster walls. You need stud sensors that feature some sort of deep penetrating technology. Common stud finders are designed for half-inch drywall walls and can distinguish plaster thickness very well.
7. Use the tapping technique to find studs. Plaster has good harmonics and by tapping or rapping it with your knuckles, you can usually hear the hollows between the studs fairly easily.
8. Like anything else in an old house, be extra careful! There weren’t building codes when many of these houses were built so there is no guarantee that you wall studs are evenly spaced, that there aren’t old pipes in the walls, or that abandoned and antiquated plumbing and electrical lines exist in the walls.
Remember, work slowly and smartly! Never rush an old house project. Take a few minutes to think things out several times. You will still run into surprises, but if you work slowly and deliberately, hopefully, they won’t ruin your day!
About the Author
Dean Novosat is an avid do-it-yourselfer and remodeler. He has transformed every home he has lived in. He has several websites including http://www.build-decks-patios.com“target=”_blank”>http://www.build-decks-patios.com/,http://www.the-bathroom-designer.com“target=”_blank”>http://www.the-bathroom-designer.com,andhttp://www.the-kitchen-designer.com”
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Posted by admin on April 7th, 2008 — Posted in Gardening Center
Love the look of stone but you cant even afford the rocks in your head? (Thats a joke, son!) If you have old newspaper lying around, you can have the look of stone you love inexpensively! Heres how:
1. Paint the wall with a cote of white latex enamel. It is best to use low-luster enamel with a sponge brush applicator (available at most discount stores for around $1). Let the paint dry to the touch.
2. Choose a flat earth-tone or neutral glaze using a clean sponge brush. Apply the glaze in random strokes over one-half the surface.
3. Repeat this step with a darker glaze, but leaving small random areas unglazed.
4. Next we wash! Apply a white wash in some areas and a earth-tone wash in others. Again, the more random the better!
5. Fold an old newspaper in half and then in half again. Place it flat against a small part of the wall and press. Lift and repeat in another area. Each time you lift, more glaze will be removed.
6. Turn the paper in different directions to help blend the colors into random patterns. Fun, huh?
7. If you feel that one area needs more color, spread glaze on the newspaper and press it flat to the desired area.
8. Repeat the process until you are satisfied with the look. Leave some light and dark spots in the pattern.
9. Let the paint dry. (Dont watch it - its deadly dull!)
10. Finally apply more white wash to the entire surface. Soften the colors by dabbing with a clean cotton cloth.
11. Allow the paint to dry once more. (I didnt say this process would be exciting, did I?)
The look you will achieve with this technique will mimic the depth, color variations and rough look of more expensive stone tiles. Not bad for a little paint and some old newspaper, right? Now go out there and dab!
About the author:
Pamela Cole Harris has been a writer and designer for 35 years (Yikes, has it been that long?) Enjoy her tongue-in-cheek approach to inexpensive interior design at:
http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.comand
http://www.diy-homedecor.com
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Posted by admin on April 1st, 2008 — Posted in Gardening Center
Whether we know it or not, most of us are familiar with the genus Vaccinium as it has among its members several current or potential commercial crops, such as blueberry, cranberry, bilberry and huckleberry. Vaccinium delavayi, however, is strictly ornamental and very unlikely to be our next export success.
The name vaccinium is an ancient one taken directly from the Latin vernacular: it was used to refer to Vaccinium myrtillus, the delightfully named whortleberry. Vaccinium delavayi takes its specific name, like so many Chinese plants, from the French Jesuit missionary Abbé Jean Marie Delavay (1838-95), who discovered the plant and introduced it to cultivation. He was also responsible for such well-known plants as Abies delavayi, Magnolia delavayi and Osmanthus delavayi reaching our gardens.
Vaccinium delavayi, a native of Burma and south-west China, is a hardy evergreen shrub with small, rounded leaves that are tough and leathery. In spring it produces clusters of small, bell-shaped to almost globular, white flowers that open from pink buds. The flowers are very much in the style of Pieris, Gaultheria, Andromeda and several other closely related genera in the erica family.
Pretty as the flowers are, the real appeal of this little blueberry lies in the deep bluish-black berries that follow. They are just like small blueberries and have a similar flavour but are rather acidic unless very ripe. Although it seems a shame to pick the berries, you might as well because the birds will have no such reservations.
While scarcely a spectacular plant, Vaccinium delavayi is attractive throughout the year and is always interesting, whether in flower, fruit or just as a neat foliage plant. It is an ideal specimen for a rockery or partially shaded corner. It grows to about 45cm high 60cm wide and can be kept trimmed to a small mound. However, any pruning will adversely affect either the flowering or fruiting.
As any blueberry grower will tell you, Vaccinium plants prefer acidic soil conditions. The small ornamental species are most at home when grown with other erica family plants such as dwarf rhododendrons, evergreen azaleas, ericas, callunas and pieris.
The native New Zealand Gaultheria species are interesting plants to combine with Vaccinium delavayi. Gaultheria crassa, in particular, looks very like its Chinese relative and provides a good illustration of how plants that evolve under similar conditions often resemble each other despite occurring thousands of kilometres apart.
Other small native berrying plants, especially those of the epacris family, also make good companions. An alpine rockery with good berrying forms of Pentachondra pumila, Leucopogon fraseri, Cyathodes empetrifolia, Gaultheria crassa and Vaccinium delavayi would be full of interest and colour throughout the year.
You won’t find Vaccinium delavayi in every garden centre, but it shouldn’t require too much of a search to locate a specimen. Try looking in the perennials as well as among the shrubs, as it’s often sold at a very small size and tends to get lumped in with the rockery perennials.
I am a garden book author and horticultural photographer based in Christchurch, New Zealand. I run a stock photo library called Country, Farm and Garden (http://www.cfgphoto.com). This article may be re-published provided this information is published with it and is clearly visible.
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