Before spending a small fortune on replacing our tired and worn single glazed units it’s worth asking ourselves why are we going to do it? Double glazing is a large financial investment why should we bother. If your current windows are in disrepair then you really have no choice at all and the decision has been made for you. However, even if your current windows are still serviceable there are still many great reasons why you may wish to change them for double glazed units anyway. Energy efficiency and saving on heating costs has to be one of the main reasons most people finally decide to change.

Because single glazed windows only have a single sheet of glass when they are broken by accident or on purpose they shatter into many pieces some of which are long and very sharp. These sharp pieces can travel at some speed and cover a large distance. If hit by one of these bits injury of some sort is almost inevitable. Double glazed units on the other hand are very strong and much harder to break. They can also be fitted with safety glasses which makes them even safer.

A thief or burglar will have no difficulty in gaining access into your home if you only have single glazed units and frames. The elderly wooden frames are no real deterrent at all. The thief can easily either take out the entire frame or simply smash the single glazing to gain entry into your house. If you have good quality double glazed windows and frames fitted it’s much tougher for the would be thief to gain entry. The double glazed units are almost impossible to break and the frame is much stronger meaning the thief will have to spend much more time in order to gain entry.

One of the worst things about single glazed units particularly in cold climes is the fact they allow a lot of heat from the house to escape into the outside world. These days with energy costs as high as they are it’s like burning your hard made cash. Also large panes of single glazing are a cold spot in your house and are not very comfortable to sit by. Double glazed units can save you up to 40% of this lost heat. Standard double glazing is very efficient but if you pay just a little bit more you can add energy efficient glass which has a special coating to help reflect heat from a room back into the home.

Before deciding whether you should get double glazing consider these additional advantages over single glazing. The style and choice of look is staggering no matter what your neighbourhood or conservation area requirements are you will be able to find a look that will fit in perfectly and not look out of place. The colour of frame can be chosen from a wide variety and will be sure to blend in. If necessary instead of PVCu which requires little or no maintenance you could opt for the conventional timber frame. The advantage of timber frames is that they look great and generally fit in much better than UPVc. Although Aluminium is still available as a choice not many individuals pick it these days.

For those of you who prefer gardens that thrive on neglect” or do not have time for intensive gardening, try summer bulbs. May is the time to plant these. The results one achieves from planting these are marvelous. The common garden canna is truly a hardy member of this group. The dormant rhizomes are usually available in nearly every garden store. Look for vigorous varieties and fast growers. Clusters of bright red flowers are produced in quantity. Do not forget a good pink while or small-flowered oranges with bronze foliage. The foliage is as valuable as the flowers, in fact with many gardeners it is more valuable. In our area the rhizomes should be dug and stored for the winter.

A favorite summer bulb for many gardeners is the gladiolus. These old favorites have come a long way and with the new varieties that will grow to six feet… perhaps more than staking will be necessary.

To me one of the most gorgeous of summer bulbs is trigridia, sometimes called Mexican shell flower. Plant these bulbs about four inches deep during May in rich soil and full sun.

Even though they normally last only one day they are so unusual and dramatic that a few will cause excited sensation in any garden. Because they have very little foliage and are rather erect-growing, plant them among other plants for bright spots of color. By combining them with caladiums, especially white caladium, beautiful contrasts will be effected. The bulbs will not survive the winter in our section.

Best results are obtained with caladiums by pre-sprouting in trays of wet moss with the growing point pointing down in the moss. Many commercial growers now have these available as seasonal plant material and they can be purchased like other bedding plants. There are many varieties of the fancy leaf variety but the white is proving to be most popular. It is very effective in mass plantings among green ground cover or as facing down” plants in front of broadleaf evergreens or even in combination with ground cover grasses. They are especially effective in planter boxes or raised beds in partial shade. The plants tend to grow better if root bound and respond readily to feeding of liquid food.

Two other flowering bulbs of importance are the dahlia and tuberose. The dahlia will produce untold numbers of blooms with very little attention and will be in production until killing frost occurs. Tuberoses supply a source of very fragrant white blossoms during August. Some people object to the heavy perfume of these flowers but in the cool evening of the garden the perfume is delightful!

Now that spring is fully blooming and temps across the entire country are getting hotter, it is time to think about lawn care, and more importantly, fertilization! But do you want to go natural or organic? Do you know what that really means? After all, organically treated lawns look much better when they are treated properly! Bet you didn’t know that!

Naturally treated or organically fertilized lawns respond just a little slower because organics need proper, prolonged heat in order to release their nitrogen and other nutrients into the soil. Traditional synthetic fertilizers, however, only need water to dissolve and hit the soil line. This means that organics won’t produce any results until later in the year. Organics, however, do have the advantage of being slow release, feeding the lawn over time.

You should not get discouraged, however, because the slow release nature of natural fertilizers will pay off in much longer terms. Picture a child who eats sugar for a moment. That child will explode with energy for a short time and crash to sleep. This is how fast releasing synthetic fertilizers work too. They feed the lawn fast and hard, and then leave nothing in their wake. Slow releasing naturals are much better for long term turf health.

Now that you know why organics are better, here are a few of the best ones I can recommend for your lawn care regimen.

Organic Milorganite: This natural fertilizer turns many people off, but does deliver the very best results. Milorganite is reclaimed sewerage from Milwaukee. But don’t let that stop you because it is really a good fertilizer and does NOT smell bad at all. In fact, Milorgaite also contains slow releasing chelated iron that will turn your lawn a nice blue color, giving you the best lawn on the block. This is the best of the organics in my opinion.

Corn Gluten Meal: Once touted as the perfect lawn fertilizer for organically minded consumers, corn gluten offers many benefits. First off, it delivers the nitrogen we want to turn the lawn greener, slowly. In addition, build up of the gluten in the soil will work as a natural insect deterrent too. That is a nice bonus in areas of the country that have problems with grub worms. Corn gluten can be used all year long when temps are above 60 degrees.

Worm Castings: Finally, and most strangely, is the organic fertilizer for turf derived from earth worm castings. This one is harder to find, but is well worth the extra effort. Many folks are totally against the use of any animal by-products in their fertilizers and worm castings fit their needs. The nitrogen produced by earth worms is very clean and pure and lawns just love it! Give this one a try if you can get some in your local area.

Other than that, you should properly mow and water your lawn all year long to keep it in top shape! I wish you the best of luck in your organic lawn care endeavors this season!

If you have a fence that is standing out in your lush garden, growing a vine over it can be a beautiful, not to mention quick solution to your problem. Vines are a great, low maintenance way to decorate your garden, and they look great almost anywhere! Whatever your needs are, there is a vine to fulfil every need.

Trying to find an alternative to grass? Ground vines are a great way to easily cover ground, and since they are so easily directed, you can use them to make a border around your garden, or even have them weave throughout your plants. Some varieties of the ground vine are resilient enough to survive being stepped on, and even survive dogs!

Another popular vine is the “twining” vine, which refers to the way they climb up lattice or any equally porous surface by sending out small tendrils to loop around whatever is nearby. These are great for climbing up trees, or any type of mesh or fence. They require a lot of direction in their early stages, and as they grow, will require little care.

Ivy is a vine that nearly everyone is used to seeing. It is this way because Ivy is one of the most adaptable and resilient types of vines growing, and it can grow pretty much anywhere. Ivy is great to use for ground cover, and it will also grow up any wall you put it near. Over the years, however, people have found that buildings covered in Ivy have been deteriorating because of it.

Not only can vines improve your garden’s appearance, they can also be used in very architecture of your house, usually achieved through the use of twining vines, or a vine like the Virginia Creeper which can cover and entire wall of your house in a matter of months. Vines can be a great idea to cover up a wall adjacent to your garden, but care should be taken as some vines can take over your home!

No matter what the need is, and no matter where you want to put them, vines have no problem meeting your needs. You should always look into the vine you are buying and find out about the pros and cons of having the vine growing near your home, as some vines can take over or even destroy your home.

Bonsai plants, the result of an age old tradition, are an attractive addition to any home. Bonsais are highly attractive, so many people proudly display them in their houses. However, indoor bonsai trees require some extra maintenance. The reason for this is that they aren’t getting the advantages that come from exposure to outdoor weather conditions and natural sunlight. They may look to be quite hardy. However, there are certain bonsais that will become fragile when it comes to light and water.

Watering Your Indoor Bonsai

When you bring a bonsai tree indoors it will require lighting to replace the natural sunlight that it would have been receiving beforehand. Monitoring how frequently it is watered is also important. Bonsai plants will also be benefited if they are placed in a well ventilated area. The water requirements of your bonsai plant will depend on what type it is. Soil is another important consideration. Some bonsai plants or trees require damp soil, whilst others survive well in a drought. Your plant might need to be misted. This creates a humid environment similar to a rainforest, which your bonsai will love. If you use a humidity tray, be certain that the pot isn’t placed directly in the water; instead it should be sitting on a stand or some stones.

Bonsai Cutting and Pruning

Indoor bonsai trees still require pruning and cutting on a regular basis in order to maintain their appearance. Simply because bonsai plants look as though they are frozen in time, does not mean that they do not grow. It is important to repot indoor and outdoor bonsai plants anywhere from once yearly to every three years depending upon what kind of plant or tree it is. It is also important to maintain the branches to keep its style intact. It is important, depending on the variety of bonsai, to cut back on the fertilizer during the winter season. The reason for this is that there are some types of bonsai that go into hibernation at this time. This means that they don’t need as much nutritional supplementation as they do in spring and summer. Bonsais kept inside won’t get the full benefits of seasonal cycles due to their artificial surroundings. It is also important to check indoor bonsai trees for pests and other anomalies. Spiders, mites and various other pests are very happy to make a home in your indoor bonsai. It’s best to gently and carefully clean the branches and leaves using either a damp, soft cloth or a soft brush.

By following these tips for bonsai care, your tree is sure to be an attractive feature of your home for years to come.

How I wish I could broadcast this instead of writing so that it would be on-the-breaking-minute news. But even so it would still be too early to know what damage the past winter has done; thats part of the excitement of gardening.

Some of the damage shows up now, more will be caused if we have very heavy late freezes and some wont show up until the hot, dry days of late June or July. That makes it difficult to diagnose winter damage.

Have you discovered the usefulness of sawdust? Although we long felt that it was too acid, if not completely injurious to plants, we now know that it is neither. For a mulch it is better to get the coarse sawdust from outdoor sawmills. The very fine sawdust that you get from the local lumber yard makes an excellent thatch roof that sheds water and consequently is-of no value for a mulch.

However, it can be mixed with the soil to replenish soil. Before the leaves come out this spring hunt through the neighboring countryside for sawdust piles even where the sawmill itself has long since moved on. If you dont have a trailer, get it by the sackful. I keep eight to ten gunny sacks so I can replenish soil in preparation for Spring season. And on those trips when I expect to pick up sawdust I take down the back seat and throw an old sheet out to protect it. The wife hates it!

Although it is of course best to get permission to take the sawdust, I have never yet found an old pile that anybody thought worth saving. You can use this sawdust instead of peat for mixing with the soil; you can use it as a mulch, you can mix it with your compost pile to increase the quantity.

I have even used it along with hardwood shavings as a top dressing for paths through my wild garden. If the sawdust is pretty well weathered so that it is dark brown you dont have to worry about any starving effect as the bacteria decompose it. But if its new and light colored, then it will be necessary to put on an extra amount of fertilizer containing nitrogen to feed the bacteria while decomposing the sawdust.

You get this nitrogen back after the material is decomposed and the bacteria have passed on. Yes, today sawdust is socially and horticulturally okay.

Briggs and Stratton is one of the largest and renowned designers, manufacturers, and distributors of air-cooled gasoline engines which are being used primarily for outdoor power equipment. It was founded in 1908 by Stephen Foster Briggs and Harold M. Stratton in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They originally started the company as an informal partnership intending to originally venture into producing automobiles. They were able to set a record when they manufactured the lowest priced automobile in the market, known as the Briggs and Stratton flyer or the Red Bug, selling it for only $125 to $150. But, since the need for Briggs and Stratton parts and other automotive components seem to be more in demand those days, they settled into manufacturing them instead.

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