Carefully overwintering perennials ensures that they come again in spring, stronger and better than ever so that you can enjoy them for many years to come. And perennial chrysanthemums are no different. We discuss how to overwinter mums both in place in the garden and also in a storage shed, greenhouse or conservatory. And it’s not just the perennial mums that benefit from overwintering. You can change some chrysanthemums sold as annuals into perennial ones…
You can open all the entrances to your home all the warm months – and avoid flies – as long as you’ve installed fly screens and curtains. In this review, we look at the best mesh screens for windows and doors. We also have a review on the best metal chain link fly curtains. We identify the pros and cons of each window or door screen we review, along with our recommendation. The Buyer’s Guide…
One of the most effective ways to stop flies coming into your house is to keep all the doors and windows shut but then you’d stifle in the summer. Alternatively, leave the door and windows open and put up fly screen curtains instead. Keep the insects out and let the fresh air in! In this review, we look at the Best Metal Chain Link Fly Screens for your home or business. In a companion article,…
So, as far as ash vacuums go, why would you need one? Well, it is the type of product you don’t know how much you need one until you actually use one. I use mine mainly for cleaning my wood burning stove, but you can also use them for cleaning fire pits (which I also do), cleaning chimineas and cleaning coal BBQs. Before I purchased an ash vacuum, I used to use a dustpan and…
I started testing stove fans around 6 years ago and in that time have been able to test quite a few of the best stove fans at varying price ranges. At first, I thought they weren’t much difference between them. However, after trying a few different models for longer periods of time it became clear that they do in fact make a difference, some more than others and it all comes down to the design…
Although flying ants aren’t poisonous or harmful, they are very annoying. Follow our easy-to-implement suggestions for how to get rid of them and how to keep them away. Whichever methods you choose, always be aware of the safety requirements of using these substances, even home-made ones. What are flying ants? The ants of some species, carpenter ants for example, grow wings in the mating season. These ants have one job – to mate and then…
Sunflowers droop when the stalk isn’t strong enough to support the flower head. This occurs for several reasons including the natural life cycle of the sunflower and how you’re looking after it. I explain these reasons and more and give you some ways to fix and avoid the problem. Are drooping sunflowers a sign of underwatering? One of the most common reasons for sunflowers drooping is that the stalk hasn’t received enough water. The pressure…
Having a long, bare, sunflower stalk in your garden without a bloom on top is beyond disheartening. But don’t worry. Several of the reasons we discuss for this problem can be fixed (not enough sunlight or time, for example) but others (e.g. damage) mean that you have to regretfully say goodbye to your hopes of the plant blooming. Are you giving your sunflowers enough time? Nature can’t be hurried. Everything has its own life cycle…
For flowers that make everyone smile and attract bees, birds and butterflies, sunflowers are remarkably easy to grow. You can start your sunflowers from seed in pots indoors or directly in the garden. Transplanting them to sun-filled locations and watering them adequately is all you need do to have these cheerful yellow, orange, dark red, purple or brown blooms emerge tall in your garden. How do I grow sunflowers from seed? Where do I get…
It’s going to take some detective work on your part to figure out why the leaves on your sunflowers are turning yellow – the plant’s way of signalling that it’s in distress or even dying. The problem could be over-watering, an imbalance of nutrients, not enough space and yet other reasons. We cover the key problems that cause this unwanted development and discuss ways in which to put things right for the continued good health…
