How to Grow Chocolate Cosmos
August 31, 2007
Chocolate cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguinea) is both nose and eye candy for your garden. When it’s in full bloom, mature blossoms on long, slender stems look like candy kisses on a stick and fill the late afternoon with the sweet scent of vanilla tinged chocolate. New blossoms hug the foliage of the plant, nearly concealing it with their numbers! Add to that the sweet chocolate fragrance and you end up with something very special.
Although chocolate cosmos is endangered in the wild, transplants are easily found at most nurseries and garden centers in the spring. However, gardeners who are inexperienced in how to grow chocolate cosmos may overlook what seem to be small, messy tangles of miniature dahlia leaves, unaware that once established, prolific blossoms nearly conceal the foliage. Once in bloom, chocolate cosmos blossoms continuously throughout the summer into the first frosts of autumn.
If you’re planning a gothic garden, chocolate cosmos is the plant for you. Sometimes referred to as black cosmos, dark maroon blossoms are so deep in color that they appear brown/black in late afternoon and evening.
A native of Mexico, the chocolate cosmos is a half-hardy perennial and a sun loving plant that is moderately drought tolerant.
DIY Plumbing Repairs - You Have Homeowners Insurance, Use It!
August 31, 2007
DIY Plumbing Repairs - You Have Homeowners Insurance, Use It!
by: Ray Breitenbach
Since most home owners insurance policies don’t cover the cost of repairs few people think to check with them when plumbing problems occur. Although they may not cover the repair, they will usually cover the value of damaged property including cleaning up after the repair. The scope of this type of project is typically not a diy plumbing repair project so you will want to find any way you can to help pay for it.
A few years ago I had the misfortune of finding water seeping through a wall in my basement one spring. First this was blamed on a very wet season. Next, when dry weather came around and the leak was still there a basement waterproofing contractor was called in. It was no suprise when this contractor informed me that I had ground water and needed their expensive services. Since the company had a vested interest in me believing this they did not seem to feel the need to offer any other possible explanation. Based on the fact that the remaining 95% of the basement walls had no such problem a third opinion was in order.
Home Equity Line of Credit ? Great Idea for Rainy Day Emergencies
August 31, 2007
Most Americans tend to live on a paycheck-to-paycheck basis, and the typical household has nearly $10,000 in credit card debt. Adding to that is the fact that Americans are saving money at the lowest rate in history. We spend what we earn, when we earn it, and there’s little or nothing available when a disaster or an emergency strikes. How can the average American make sure there will be money available for that "rainy day" emergency?
One possible solution would be to open a home equity line of credit. The equity in a home is the difference between the value of the home in the market and the amount owed on the mortgage. Rising real estate prices across the country have left Americans with record amounts of home equity, and record numbers of homeowners are borrowing against the equity in their home. There are two main types of home equity loans; the traditional loan and the line of credit. The traditional loan lends a fixed amount of money that is repaid at a fixed interest rate over a fixed amount of time. This is ideal when the money is borrowed for a specific purpose, such as a home-remodeling project.
Patio Furniture - The One-Minute Makeover For Your Backyard!
August 31, 2007
Patio Furniture - The One-Minute Makeover For Your Backyard!
by: Caroline Smith
Patio furniture can make a huge difference to your enjoyment of your backyard, and well-chosen pieces can become attractive features of your garden design. There’s a massive range of outdoor patio furniture to choose from, depending on your lifestyle, your budget and the layout of your garden. For instance, if you like to entertain guests on your patio, then there are various types of dining sets available. Or for more casual relaxation, there’s a great selection of recliners and chaise lounges, just perfect for whiling away those long sunny days.
When choosing items of patio furniture, it’s worth knowing a bit about the different types of materials and their features. For example, some outdoor furniture is not built to withstand adverse weather conditions and is designed to be stored inside when not in use. Lightweight aluminum, plastic and wicker furniture falls into this category, and is generally cheaper to buy than the more solid items that can be left outside year round. These types of chairs and tables require little maintenance and are easily portable. They are often designed to be folded away or stacked, to save on storage space.
Vinyl Porch Railings - No Maintenance Railings At Lower Cost
August 30, 2007
Vinyl Porch Railings - No Maintenance Railings At Lower Cost
by: Adam Peters
The vinyl railing manufacturers have started giving lifetime warranties of the product. The confidence of the manufacturers comes from the fact that the product maintains its look for a long time and a life expectancy of up to 20 years is a norm. The life of redwood and cedar is about 10 to 12 years.
Advantages Of Vinyl Railings
There are many advantages of vinyl railings over wood railings. The advantages can be summarized as below,
1. As stated above, the life of vinyl railings is more than that of wood railing or decking.
2. The maintenance requirement of vinyl railings is minimal. As compared to the wooden railings, they need no waxing or polishing regularly. The only care that you will need is washing with mild detergent to remove dirt dust and mildew that is accumulated over the year.
3. The degradation due to atmospheric conditions is absent. The wood railings deteriorate over years and lose the original look
Growing Organic! Herbs, Flowers and Fruit
August 30, 2007
Creating no dig gardens on top of the soil gives you many immediate advantages over the usual garden.
While my site has concentrated on the vegetable garden, the same garden building techniques can be used for flower beds, herbs and fruit trees.
Herbs
Herbs can be planted straight into the no dig garden bed. Because of their uses, the herb garden should be situated in a sunny spot very near your kitchen. Then you can simply step out the door and make an ordinary meal into a culinary delight! If there isn’t an obvious space handy, herbs will grow very well in containers.
However, if you do have the space, there is a wonderful project called the ‘Herb Spiral’ you can build. It’s extremely space efficient and caters for the various microclimates that herbs like.
It involves building a vertical spiral, usually from rocks, about 6 ft across and 2-3 feet high. The top is quite dry and hot, the bottom is moist and there is a sunny side and a shady side. A garden of this size will need about 1.5 cubic metres of soil or compost materials.
5 Places to Find Quality Framed Art Work Cheap
August 30, 2007
5 Places to Find Quality Framed Art Work Cheap
by: Charles Welf
Everyone wants to have nice looking framed art work on their walls to keep there home from feeling lifeless and cold. The problem is to have a piece of art or a poster framed at the local framing shop could cost you more then the art itself costs, I know. I took 8 pieces of art to my local framer and after selecting all the matting and framing the guy said:
“That will be $3500 please”
“You’ve got to be kidding, I only paid $100 for the 8 pieces your framing” I responded.
“No sir I’m not kidding, framing is expensive” he replied.
Well I picked up my art and left his store, there’s no way I could afford that much. On my way home I started to think about how expensive it was to frame these 8 cheap art prints and posters. That’s when I decided to look around at what other alternatives I had and came up with my list of 5 places to find good art cheap, here they are:
Should You Refinance?
August 30, 2007
There are several reasons that might make someone consider refinancing their existing mortgage. One would be to get a lower interest rate than what they currently have, thereby reducing monthly payments and lowering the overall cost of the mortgage. Another is to shorten the length of the loan, which can save quite a bit in interest payments. Thirdly, someone may have other debts that they wish to pay off, and refinancing may provide them a means of consolidating that debt into one overall lower payment.
A lower interest rate isn’t the only thing that should be taken into account when thinking about refinancing. There are costs and fees associated with refinancing your mortgage. The bank will charge fees, there will be costs for a new inspection and a new appraisal, title search, and so on. The process that is gone through is very much like the process that one goes through on getting a first mortgage. It requires a new application with a new credit check, survey, and sometimes an appraisal. As it is with a first mortgage, this can be a long and costly process.
Wrought Iron Baker?s Rack: Beautiful and Elegant
August 29, 2007
When it comes to home accessories, baker’s racks have long been a favorite of consumers due to their versatility, beauty, and practicality, and the wrought iron baker’s rack stands out as a favorite. In addition to adding that special element of style, wrought iron bakers racks are also very practical in that they can be used for extra shelving, storage space and/or as a work center. This multi-purpose nature of the baker’s rack is what makes it so popular and the perfect addition for any kitchen or living space.
The ability of the baker’s rack to work well with any décor is also one of the reasons that their use is so prevalent today. Wrought iron baker’s racks can be incorporated into the décor of contemporary homes, country cottages, urban dwellings, formal homes and almost any decorating style that you can dream up.
You can use a wrought iron bakers rack to bring that added element to your space or create a dramatic focal point. And there are so many styles that you are guaranteed to find one to suit your particular space, personality and décor. You can make your selection from pieces made from all types of finished wood and wrought iron, or a combination of materials. Choose from styles such as romantic, contemporary, country and classic. Or customize your decorating style with Nantucket, Florence and Normandy pieces, just to name a few.
Laminate & Wood Floors the Healthy Option
August 29, 2007
Laminate & Wood Floors the Healthy Option
by: Jason Ashby
Leading allergists agree that wood floors are the perfect choice for a healthy home. According to the American Lung Association wood floors in your bedroom and other main living areas can drastically improve air quality. This is not surprising when a large American company that recycles old carpet has stated that most used carpeting it receives for processing contains at least 35% of its weight in household dirt.
A report by the Healthy Flooring Network draw’s information from several reports and experiments carried out by leading health groups worldwide. It draws broad conclusions on the role fitted carpets play in determining the total allergen load in the home and the importance of this on the severity of allergic disease.
Detailed studies in the UK have found that 50-70% of asthma suffers are allergic to house dust mites. With up to 100,000 dust mites living in just one square metre of carpet and it being reported that 98% of UK homes have fitted carpets it is clear to understand why the UK has the highest prevalence of asthma symptoms in 13-14 year olds in the world at 19.8%, along with the second highest prevalence of eczema.
