10 Tips for Successful Rose Planting

Planting roses isn't actually complicated, as long as you have some good advice and tips to start with...

1. Check with your local gardening center or florist for the best type of roses to grow in you climate. If you are a novice, you should look fo? disease resistant types of roses because they require a lot less maintenance.

2. When planting roses, you want to pick a spot that is well lit in the morning. You also want an area that is sunlit for at least 6 hours a day. Roses need a great deal of light if they are to grow properly. If you live in a really hot climate though, you'll probably get the best results by not planting your roses in direct sunlight.

3. Pick an area that has plenty of well drained soil. Great soil has a PH level where the amount of acid in the soil is at about 5.5-7.0. You can get a testing kit for your soil at any garden center.

4. Organic matter like manure or lime helps to nourish the roots of your roses. You should soak the roots in water or puddle clay for many minutes, and cut off any root's ends that are broken.

5. The first 3-4 weeks after planting your roses, you should water them often. Usually this is when the top 2 inches of soil is dry. Roses need a lot of hydration and food to remain healthy.

6. Four weeks after planting, you should start soaking the bed every 2 weeks or so. You should do this in the morning for the best results.

7. Begin fertilization approximately 3 months after planting. Use 3-6 inches of mulch to control the moisture, temperature, and to stops weeds from coming up. Mulch also helps to lock in the vital nutrients your roses need in order to remain healthy.

8. Planting in the Spring is the best.

9. You want to plant your roses in an area that is well circulated with air. Your roses will not grow in an enclosed or tight area.

10. Dig a hole that is two times bigger than the amount of space that your roses take up. It makes it easier to plant them and creates a spaced area for them to grow with freedom. Poor circulation for your roses can cause fungal diseases. Using a larger hole also makes it easier for you to pull them up later and pot them if you'd like.

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Gardening for Kids

Children are continually bombarded with advertising for fast food and unhealthy treats. One of the most important lessons you can teach them is how to tend and grow their own food from the garden.

There are plenty of quick and easy projects that the children can get involved in. The projects will teach them about nutrition, nature, recycling and organic gardening. That's a good outcome!

The no dig garden is a particularly good project for children because the garden can be built and planted in just a couple of hours. You do not have to prepare the garden for weeks in advance, as with other growing methods. There are detailed instructions for building a no dig garden on my website (www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com). If a full on garden seems too ambitious at the start, try something simpler.

# Growing bean shoots is the quickest way to grow edible things. In just a few days, the kids will be able to pop fresh bean shoots in a salad or sandwich or just eat them as they come. This will also work with alfalfa, cress and snow pea seeds. Put the seeds into a clean, wide mouth jar and place a mesh material over the mouth. It must be a material that water and air can pass through, but not the seeds. A bit of discarded pantyhose secured with a rubber band will do. Soak the seeds overnight in water. Next morning, drain the excess water and place the jar on its side in a bright room, near a window. A couple of times a day, re-wet the seeds, drain and return to the bright space. The seeds will sprout and grow very quickly and within a few days will be ready to eat.

# To propagate your own garden seedlings build this portable greenhouse! Wash a 2Lt plastic bottle (soft drink or soda water type) and using a knife or sharp scissors, cut it in half along one side. Force it open and fill one side with good quality potting mix. Plant your seeds and water gently. A very light mixture of water and liquid fertilizer will kick start the seeds. Close the bottle back up and seal with tape. Place the bottle in a sunny position. Your seedlings should be well on their way and ready for repotting in 2-4 weeks.

# Do you know very young children? Introduce them to Hairy Harry! Take one of those pairless socks every household has and sow on some eyes and other facial features. Put some lawn seed in the sock end and fill with garden soil, potting mix or compost. Fill the sock until the face is filled out and tie a knot in the sock, making sure the mix inside is packed tightly. Water the sock regularly, or prop it on top of a container with water. The loose end of the sock will act as a wick to draw up the moisture. Place in a sunny position. In a couple of days, Harry will have a full head of green hair! In a couple of weeks, he will be ready for a hair cut or styling makeover!

# Children love eating things fresh from a garden. For convenience, you might want to plant close to the kitchen where the children can harvest items under your watchful eye. So consider doing quick growing plants in containers. Cress, radishes and lettuce will be ready the quickest in 6-8 weeks. Next in line are dwarf beans, cucumber, cabbage, tomatoes and onion which will be ready in 8-12 weeks. Most others, including the popular carrots and potatoes will need 16-20 weeks to mature. You could be harvesting from this little garden for months!

Encourage your children to nurture their little garden, which ever project you choose. It's a great way to teach them practical skills and fill them forever with the wonder of nature.

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Home Security ? Defend Your Home and Possessions Against Intruders!

With all of the emphasis in the past few years on Homeland Security, many people have overlooked the importance of home security. While it might not make the first story on the news, when your house is burgled, safeguarding your home soon becomes the most important issue in your world.

The Facts

There's no reason to wait until it happens to you. According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, about 75% of all crime in the United States is property crime. There were 14 million thefts of property. In 83% of these crimes, the burglars actually entered the home or some other building to steal property.

According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, residential burglaries in 2003 averaged $1600 in property or cash loss per incident. This does not include repair of locks, doors, windows, and other destruction. Are you willing to give $1600 (not to mention the security of your home and safety of your family) to a burglar?

It can happen to anyone. Whether you live in an urban, suburban, or rural area, you are a target of burglars. What are you going to do about it?

The Options

Never underestimate the resourcefulness of an intruder. Simply locking your doors and windows isn't enough. If you can think of a way to get into your home, surely someone who makes crime his living will be able to as well.

You also shouldn't overestimate the resourcefulness of neighbors. Neighborhood watches are fine, but how many of your neighbors spend every hour you aren't home watching your house? How would they distinguish between a furniture delivery and a robbery? Can you tell just by looking if someone is simply walking for exercise or casing houses for possible burglary attempts? Even houses less than a mile from police stations are easily robbed.

There are more effective options that will prevent break-ins and make your home secure.

Home Alarms

A simple loud noise will not deter a criminal. Your neighbors are likely to turn up their televisions to drown out the sound. Battery and even electrically operated sound alarms are easily thwarted by criminals.

If you are going to use a home alarm, you should use a monitored system. When you decide between monitored home alarm systems, you generally have three choices ? a do-it-yourself system, a national monitoring system, and a local home security company system.

The do-it-yourself installation systems are by far the cheapest. You need a bit of technical know-how, and you need to know how an intruder enters. When you buy your own equipment, you have your choice of companies to monitor your system. Some systems let you program additional numbers to be called when the alarm is triggered, which isn't as helpful as you'd think. By the time you or a neighbor is able to react and call the police, your burglar is usually long gone. It's best to stick with the pros.

National alarm system monitoring services (such as ADT or Brinks) are the most popular. Common customer complaints include being taken advantage of on installation. The national companies contract installation with independent dealers. Many ADT and Brinks customers have reported outrageous quotes, having to negotiate with the installer, and advertised specials being worthless. Other problems include monitoring errors and slow reaction time. When an alarm is triggered, the company calls you to determine if the alarm went off by accident (the large majority of home alarm triggers are accidents by the home owners). If they cannot get you on the phone, they will then call the proper authorities. Unhappy customers have reported no calls at all or very delayed calls. These companies also require you to contract with them for a specified amount of time, usually 2-3 years, even if you are unhappy with their service.

Local alarm monitoring systems are usually less expensive with higher levels of customer satisfaction. A local company will have fewer customers, so you are more important to them. You will get a less expensive, yet completely effective installation by an actual company representative. Because these companies rarely require long-term contracts, you have more freedom to change monitoring companies. Knowing this, they will usually charge less per month and put forth more effort to keep your business.

Any home alarm system comes with a useful lawn sign indicating that your home is protected by an alarm system. This, alone, is a form of prevention as a thief is more likely to hit a house without an alarm system. Alarm systems are also great for fires and other emergencies. Usually as an added feature, you can hook smoke alarms up to your monitoring system. If a smoke alarm goes off, the fire department is notified. This is especially beneficial during the night or if you leave pets at home during the day. Panic buttons are good if you happen to be home during a break-in or you have a medical emergency. You should also get a break on your homeowner's or renter's insurance when you have a system installed. Monitored home alarm systems are definitely worth the investment, but you shouldn't stop there.

House Sitters

Even if you have an alarm system, house sitters are invaluable. If you leave your home to go on vacation, your best defense is having actual people in your home. The majority of burglaries in the United States happen during the day while people are at work. Criminals will take the easiest route. If people are in their targeted home, they will move on to a house that appears empty. The problem with traditional house sitting services is that they simply make one or two trips to your home a day to collect mail, open curtains, water plants, and throw off criminals. That still leaves about 23 hours in the day that your home is vulnerable to intrusion or fires.

The best house sitting option is to have people living in your home. If you have a friend or family member stay at your home full-time throughout the length of your vacation, you will worry less about burglaries, fires, and other problems such as coming back to a flooded home because of a broken hot water heater.

Having a house sitter also cuts down on preparation time and expenses before your vacation. You won't have to have your mail stopped (all a criminal has to do is watch your postal carrier skip your house to assume you're on vacation), buy and set light-timers, or even board the dog.

Don't have a friend or family member who can stay at your home? There are services available that match up people and live-in house sitters. It's as though someone is renting your house while you're on vacation, only they generally don't pay you rent. They will pay utilities, mow the lawn, take care of your mail, pets, and home while you're away. They will notify you of any problems. The services help you screen candidates and find the perfect person, couple, or family willing to take care of your home.

The Solution

The very best prevention you can implement is a combination of 24-hour home alarm monitoring and a house sitter if you are going to be away for any length of time. Don't become a statistic. Start protecting your home today!

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House Plans ? Where To Start

You have found the perfect lot on which to build your new home. Now you have an abundance of decisions to make. Where will the house sit on the lot? You will have to decide this based on the total square footage of the house. What kind of features are you hoping to have. These are the things to consider, storage, a laundry room, a home office, a bathroom downstairs, a full bath upstairs, and a family room.

Consider the future? Are you just starting out and planning a family? Do you need a guestroom for visitors? Flexible house plans are probably the best option for you. You don't want your house to end being too big in the future. If it starts getting small, make sure you allow for expansion if necessary, and make sure it is according to your local zoning laws.

How does the house plan you have chosen fit on the lot? If the lot is deep and narrow you don't want a shallow and wide house plan. Where will you place the house so that you get the maximum exposure to sunlight in the morning and in the evening? Make sure the windows are where they are supposed to be.

Check the zoning laws where you are building your house. There may be a limit in the height of the house or on what percentage of space your house can take up on the lot. Be open to suggestions. You can go with a pre-drawn plan or a custom plan that is drawn to your specifications. Another important item is how water drains off of your property. You would want to build the house on the rise of a hill rather than at its base. At the base the run off could do damage to the house.

When thinking about your house in general, does the house style fit in with the neighborhood? You wouldn't put a large Victorian house in a neighborhood that had ranch style homes and vice versa. Find out if there is an agreement with your city or town regarding the type of houses that is acceptable for that area. The size of the house is important. If it is too large or too small it will stick out like a sore thumb.

Will a lot of changes have to be made? There will be changes at some point to add a garage or change the size or shape of a room is fairly easy but you had better be prepared to pay a lot more for custom plans.

When you are thinking of the rooms determine what percentage of total square footage will this room take u p. If the master suite takes up twenty percent of total space is okay if you are also going to use some of that space for a reading area. If not consider a plan with a smaller bedroom. In order to determine the total space of any room you multiply the length times the width and divide that by the total square footage of the home.

You may want a dishwasher or an island in the center of your kitchen but sometimes you have to do a trade off. For example, if you want a dishwasher but will have to lose some cabinet space you must decide which is more important cabinet space or the dishwasher. The colors inside the house are most definitely important. If you want each room to have its own color the best plan for you would be a closed plan which would create separate individual rooms. If you are going to have a solid color throughout an open floor plan might work for you.

If you want the space consider planning a room switch. A room that is now being planned as an office can become a guestroom or a nursery. An extra bedroom could be come a work out room or a family room/library. If you are building a garage consider adding an extra bay and making that a workbench or a potting bench. Once you figure all of this out and you have the plans all set you can if you haven't already choose a lot. With an organized search you could find a plan that comes very close to your ideal home. Once you get the plan you can make any necessary last minute changes.

Building a home is probably the most complicated decision you will ever make. The plan for your new home can be either custom or pre-drawn. Custom plans are more expensive but the expense of pre-drawn plans could be as well if you request any modifications to them. Check with your city or town for their zoning laws. You will hopefully be in your new home for long time so make it what you want it. Enjoy your new home.

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Make Your House A Home

When thinking about polished floors, cushions in place, an exquisite flower arrangement, crisp and folded napkins on the table, take time to think about comfort, family time and kids activities also when decorating or designing your house. A lively place full of warmth and chatter is what makes a 'House' a 'Home'. There are times when we overlook some important details to give that 'Designer Touch' to our houses. Household accidents, unhealthy personal conditions and lack of family activities are the result.

To avoid such a situation, take care to make your house a comfortable and healthy place to live in. Look around you and observe carefully if any difficulty and threats are being posed due to faulty placement and wrong choice of objects. Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Rubber Mats: Though not much decorative, rubber mats are the best things to have outside your bathroom or near the kitchen sink. They will help avoid slipping and add safety to your home. Never use any kind of rugs at the top or bottom of stairs.

2. Work Delegation Diary: Keep a diary in a conspicuous place and write down in it, the daily chores of all members. Make sure everyone takes turn feeding the pet, mowing the lawn, dusting the furniture and setting the dinner table.

3. Sitting Space: Keep some extra, light-weight chairs or stools that can be carried to any place to make immediate sitting space. Garden sitting space, preferably under a tree or any other shade, is a lovely idea for spending family time. Get cane chairs or a bench placed in your garden. Chairs and a table in the porch is another great idea.

4. Door Knobs: Round door knobs give your room a nice appeal, but are down on the Comfort-level. Children and Elders suffering with Arthritis etc. find if difficult to grip them. They are also difficult to grasp with wet hands. They can be replaced with Lever Handles both on the inside as well as the outside for ease and comfort.

5. Showers: Though showers are top on Elegance list and Hand Showers are blamed for 'spoiling the look' with their long hose, there cannot be anything better than an adjustable hand shower with a hose for bathing big dogs and kids.

6. Lighting: Make sure that all your rooms have ample light. Reserve subtle lighting and other lighting effects for special occasions and parties. Good, clear light helps maintain everyone's health care easier and is especially good for school-going children and elderly people.

7. Artifacts: The next time you see your little kid hardly daring to breath when passing by your favorite antique lamp for the fear of breaking it, you know its the time for a revamp. Place glass objects and other breakable treasures in safer areas so your family members can move freely without worrying about spoiling your decor.

8. Comfort Level: At all times, keep in mind that your home needs to be comfortable and not rigid. Things get monotonous when they are 'too perfect'. A cozy nook by the window with a small coffee table, extra pillows thrown in for a comfortable tête-à-tête, a sparkling fireplace with a warm rug sprawled across are some examples.

9. Family Space: A 'Home' is all about a family! Include in your design/decor, special 'Family' places like a sufficiently large dinner table, a card table for indoor games etc. Like I said above in 'Sitting space', a mini dining table or wicker table-chair set in your garden or under a tree in the backyard is a lovely idea. If you have a spare room for your crafts, make a separate shelf for Family crafts like Scrapbooking. A Wall Gallery of photos is a great way to bind family members - past and present.

You know what works best for your family. So develop this list further according on the needs of your family and watch your pretty house take the shape of a 'Pretty Home'.

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