All Things CD-ROM/DVD and More

Flowers and gifts for Christmas, Easter, and even November Thanksgiving roses and plants are an example of what 1800Flowers offers their clients. This is in addition to what they have in flowers and gifts to celebrate the birth of a newborn, or the plentiful merchandise they have to brighten someone’s birthday celebrations. They are also able to ship their flowers and gifts almost anywhere globally.

1800Flowers has a broad range of birthday flowers and gifts available. Their goal is to furnish as much selection as possible to their clients. This is because buying birthday gifts is something many people do several times throughout the course of a year. They understand that abundant offering is necessary so people can match the right gift to the right person.

1800Flowers supplies their Wedding Centerpiece in Glass Cube. This is a variety of 25 roses, white hydrangea, ‘Millionstar’ gypsophilia, or white waxflower and curly willow flowers. These are all inside a 6-inch by 6-inch glass cube. This unique wedding gift is available in cream, lavender, pink, peach, white, red, yellow or multicolored roses.

In addition, 1800Flowers offers their New Baby Basket. This gift product contains items such as spray roses, daisy poms, button poms, monte casino, golden aster, and baby’s breath. Another product they supply in the baby category is the Cheryl & Co Welcome Baby! Gift Tower. This four-tier tower contains assorted cookies, chocolate candies, brownie minis, and butter cream frosted cutout cookies.

1800Flowers proceeds to supply fresh-cut flowers and mixed bouquets for birthdays. However, they also proceed to address the buying needs of those looking for something special to welcome a new baby into the world. They also supply significant selection in the Valentines, Christmas, Wedding, Thank You Gift, and other categories. Their allegiance is to being a destination where one can always find flowers and gifts they need to suit any personal or business occasion.

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Just because you don’t have huge, elaborate gardens does
not mean you can’t accentuate what you do have with l
garden bridges. Garden bridges could be just what you need
to turn those mediocre garden areas into something quite
splendid.

Garden bridges can add a touch of country or formal design
to a garden. Small garden bridges are easy to find. There
are many garden bridges that you can find in garden centers
or home improvement centers. One of the best places to find
small garden bridges may be online. There are lots of sites
that have many ideas for small garden bridges.

If you are good with a hammer and nails you may even be
able to make your own garden bridge. Plans are available at
building stores and at online sites. You will find many
choices for garden bridges at these online sites and you
can also see photos of many different bridge styles.

A garden bridge can be a big benefit for your garden space.
A small garden bridge will look attractive in a smaller
garden and draw attention to a specific area.

You can choose the right small garden bridge if you do a
little planning ahead of time. If you have a smaller garden
you will want a smaller garden bridge. Look at the space
you have and decide where a bridge would fit in. Consider
more than one area and then choose your favorite.

There are some lovely gardens that are small in size but
large in beauty because garden bridges have been added in
just the right places.

We have a large number of styles and varieties of garden
bridges available online. For more information and to learn
more about garden bridges, visit:
Garden Bridges Online

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A fence can be useful for several things like privacy, weather barrier, and containment for children or just for decoration. Your imagination is the only thing that’s limit the design. You can get some good ideas when you are looking at other fences in your neighborhood or when you are looking in home magazines. You should also contact your city or residential association to make sure that there is no regulation for fence construction.

Layout of your fence. The basic theory is that you stake out where your fence will be and stretch a string between them. This will be a guideline when you are installing the posts. If your fence starts with your house you will probably like to have it at a right angle. It is a simple procedure to get this right. First stake the spot where you like your fence to start. Fasten a string to the stake and stretch it out roughly perpendicular to your house. Measure out 1,5-meter out on the string and mark it. Mark a point on your house one-meter from the stake. Hold a tape measure diagonally between the one-meter mark and the 1,5-meter mark and move the string until the distance between the marks is 2-meter.

Tie down your string at this place, and it would be perpendicular to the house. Mark the position of your first spot, then measure out for the line to mark the rest of the posts. Thee string should be at the outside of this post, so you have to measure in from the string for center of the posts. Mark this with a stake so you can see them. If your fence goes down hills you have two choices, you can have top of the fence to follow the slope of the hill or you can keep the fence sections level and step the fence down at each post. If you like to have step down fence, estimate the height different from top and bottom of the hill and divide this number by number of sections. And you will get the amount to step the fence down at each post.

Digging holes. You can use a clamshell digger to dig your postholes but this is a very hard fork and if you got plenty holes or you have hard ground it could rent a power auger but you normally have to be two people to run it. In most areas you need to have the postholes below the frost line to make sure that the post will stay in place when the ground starts to heaves due to the frost. As a guideline you should bury about half of the corner posts and about a third of the line post underground.

Setting posts. It’s a good idea to put a 30-40cm layer of gravel at the bottom of each hole to prevent rot and decay. The gravel will allow water tat collects at the bottom of the hole to drain away. Set the end post first and line up the post edge along your layout string. To prevent water from running down between the post and the concrete you should fill the hole little bit higher than the ground and slope the top of the concrete away from the pole a little. Brace the post in place while the concrete cures. The line post doesn’t need that much support. Normally it’s enough to set them with dirt. Use a spacer to get a consistent distance between them and shovel dirt around them when you have the posts in position. When you have 15 cm filled with dirt pack the dirt down and keeps filling it up. When you have all posts set hard, trim of the tops to get proper height.

Installing panel. Stringers are the pieces that you have horizontally between the posts and are for supporting your panel board how many you needs and where to place them depends on the design of your panel. But you should at least have 5 cm below the bottom stringer to avoid rot and to make it easier to move. To attach the stringers you should cut them to fit between the posts and nail them to the posts. Always remember to use galvanized nails. What design of the panel you like to have is up to you but it looks best if you keep the entire panel consistent and symmetrical.

Tor E. Bjaaland.
http://www.toreivinds.com/handyman/index.htm

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When I was a child, I loved to pick Dandelions. The pretty
yellow flowers were small, colorful, and looked nice tucked
behind my ear! However, if one had popped up in the front yard,
my hair accessory would have been considered an atrocity!

I often feel sorry for weeds. They are plants too. In fact, if
you flipped through a botany field guide, you may be surprised
at the plants you find classified as weeds! But simply put, a
weed is really defined as a plant out of place. Clover in one
persons flowing lawn may be considered fashionable, whereas on
another, not. Golf greens are often covered with bentgrass, but
if it crept up in some yards, it would be considered a weed.
While perhaps pretty on their own, weeds stick out like a sore
thumb in yards because they may be of a different color, size or
texture. This is distracting from the beauty of the otherwise
sprawling green turf. Aside from aesthetic values, weeds can
also drain nutrients from grass and other plants, and this
competition of resources can thin what should be lush. And
what’s worse is that weeds are fighters. They can withstand
conditions that your wanted greens cannot, so they are almost
inevitable!

Treating weeds begins with correct identification. There are two
classifications of weeds: Grassy and Broadleaf. These are
further broken down into groups like perennial, biennial, and
winter and summer annuals. These, as you may gave guessed,
depict their growing patterns. Grassy weeds are, as they sound,
like grass. However, they are unwanted grass, or grass that is
growing in a different type of lawn. Some examples are annual
bluegrass, barnyard grass, crabgrass, creeping bentgrass and
foxtail. Broadleaf weeds may appear more to be what most people
picture weed-like growth to be. Since they are broad, they are
more easily distinguished. Some examples are yarrow, knotweed,
chickweed, clover, ground ivy, thistle and my favorite, the
dandelion.

Once you understand what is growing in your lawn and decide that
it is unwanted, you can treat it and/or control it. Weeds can
actually be controlled by your lawn care maintenance. If you
maintain a dense and vigorously growing lawn, you are already
combating the problem. Weeds can be a sign of underlying
problems in the environment beneath. So by just killing them,
you are simply putting on a band-aid, not solving the problem.
For example, some weeds grow in situations of compacted soil,
such as knotweed. You can also control the growth by taking
better care of the grass, rather than focus on the weeds. You
can raise or lower the mowing height, change the frequency of
mowing and changing the amount of time between irrigating. Also,
you can increase or decrease application of fertilizer and
aerify the soil. This will maintain better grass, thus keeping
the growth dense and vigorous, which as discussed above, does
not attract weeds.

In addition to culture practices, sometimes the assistance of
chemicals is needed to control weed growth. In that case, there
are several types of herbicides that can be used. Preemergence
herbicides will affect seeds that are germinating. Since they
are best used two to three weeks before the seeds start to grow,
these work best to combat annual weeds. Postmergence herbicides
are used, as their prefix implies, after the weeds have
sprouted. Since they must be absorbed through the leaves, this
types of herbicide works best with a spray. These can be used at
any time, but are most effective when the weed is still young
and growing. Selective postmergence herbicides are usually used
to control annual, biennial and perennial broadleaf weeds, as
they will not damage grass. But, they can kill trees, shrubs and
flowers. These have to be used in proper conditions as well,
with no rain in the forecast for two days to follow, air 60-80
degrees and no winds. Finally, non-selective postmergence
herbicides kill all types of weeds, and are best used to spot
treat grassy weeds that are not affected by the selective
herbicides.

So next time you see a Dandelion plant growing, don’t make a
wish and blow the seeds toward in the direction of a lawn
fanatic- they may not get the perfectly manicured lawn they
wished for!

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A hedge that is well kept and attractive can do much for your
grounds. Used in the front of the house and on the sides of your
lot, hedges are a barrier against traffic, noise and all things
unsightly; at the same time they enhance the proportions and
general appearance of your house and lawns. And within the
boundaries of your property, hedges define paths and walks,
demarcate various areas, and help to screen service areas and
vegetable gardens.

The plant materials generally used for hedges are mentioned
elsewhere in this book. They include the tall background hedges
of holly, thorn or wattle; the informal flowering hedges of
rose, bridal wreath spirea or barberry; Such evergreens as mugho
pine, globe arbor vitae, box or eunonymus (most of which are
used as low edgings) and the colorful fruit and-nut hedges of
thorn apple, hazlenut, cherry, beach plum, cranberry and quince.

And, of course, there are the formal clipped hedges. Of these,
the Amur privet is by far the most widely used. In fact, the
privet is used so universally that it is original to choose any
of the above for hedging.

How to Plant Hedges

Hedge shrubs must be planted in the same manner as any other
shrub, with soil preparation all-important to the continued life
of the plant. The main consideration here is the spacing and
planning of the plants in relationship to each other.

One way to get a straight hedge is to dig a trench the length of
your intended hedge, with one side straight and your plants set
against this straight wall. The depth of the plant depends on
what you are planting, but privet may be set 3 inches deeper
than it was before being transplanted.

How far apart the hedge shrubs are set again depends on what
shrub it is, as some hedging materials are spreading and bushy.
Privet is usually set 1 foot apart; barberry, 9 inches to 1
foot; larger shrubs, 2 to 4 feet.

The way hedges are trimmed has much to do with their health.
While a flat top is neat looking, it is easily damaged by snow
and ice accumulating on top. A rounded top is better, therefore,
for northern winters. And hedges should be trimmed to slop
outward from top to bottom so that the leaves on the bottom also
get sun.

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How to Transplant Trees
by LeAnn R. Ralph

975 words

With a little patience and tender loving care, you can easily transplant small trees that you have found growing in a ditch or that are growing on one part of your property but that you would like to move to another part of your property.

Spring is the best time to transplant trees. Transplanting in the spring will allow the trees to develop more roots before winter arrives again and they go dormant.

Here are 10 steps for transplanting trees:

1. Identify and select the trees you would like to transplant. Smaller is better, although if they are too small (seedlings that are only a few inches high), their chances for survival are less. Over the last 10 years, my husband and I have discovered that the best sized trees for transplanting range from six inches to two feet tall.

2. Fill a bucket or another container half full of water. It is very important to keep the roots of the tree wet between the time you dig it up and the time you transplant it, even if you are digging up the tree and moving it immediately. Trees cannot seem to tolerate their roots drying out, even if it’s only for five minutes.

3. Dig carefully around the tree using a spade or a shovel. Remember that there is as much tree below ground as you can see above ground. In other words, if the tree is 10 inches high and the branches all together from side to side measure 20 inches, that means the tap root is 10 inches deep and that the other roots spread out from around the tree at least 10 inches on each side. The wider and deeper you can dig around the tree, the less likely it is that you will be cutting roots. If you can avoid cutting too many roots, your tree will stand a better chance of surviving.

4. Put the tree in the pail of water after you have dug it out of the ground.

5. Dig a hole where you want to transplant the tree. Make sure the hole is big enough to accommodate the length of the tap root and the width of the other roots. For good measure, you might want to put manure in the bottom of the hole so that the tree has some fertilizer. (You can buy dried manure in bags at garden shops.)

6. Pour water into the hole before putting the tree into the hole. This will ensure that there is plenty of moisture at the tip of the roots.

7. Place the tree in the center of the hole. Keeping the tree level, put dirt back into the hole around the roots.

8. Leave a shallow depression three or four inches deep all the way around the tree instead of mounding the dirt up around the trunk. When it comes time to water the tree, if you leave a shallow reservoir around the trunk, the water will have a chance to soak in right by the tree instead of draining away.

9. Pour several gallons of water around the tree after you have planted it. Transplanted trees need more water than other trees to help them get over the shock of being moved.

10. Water your transplanted trees regularly during the summer and early fall. For larger trees, give five gallons of water. For smaller trees, give one to two gallons of water. Water your trees every other day if it is dry where you live or if you have drought conditions. If it is raining regularly (1 to 2 inches per week or more), water two or three times a week. Continue watering throughout the first year and the second year. After the trees have become established, you will not have to water them as much, and eventually, you won’t have to water them at all.

Observations about transplanting trees:

1. If you transplant a deciduous tree after the tree has leaves (oak, maple, or other trees with leaves), and the tree loses its leaves, do not give up hope. We have transplanted small maple trees with leaves that immediately lost their leaves. A couple of weeks later, the trees sprouted new leaves and went on growing as if nothing had happened.

2. Trees that are watered regularly grow faster than trees that do not receive as much water. A few years ago after we had transplanted a couple of maple trees, I missed one (couldn’t see it in the tall grass around it). I watered the other trees I could see, but the one I couldn’t see got left out. In the fall, I discovered the tree I had missed, and I noticed that over the summer, the other trees had grown much more than the one which did not receive water.

3. If you transplant a pine tree and the needles turn brown, that’s it for the pine tree. None of the pine trees we have transplanted that turned brown have ever come back.

4. Be careful about digging up trees to transplant that are not on your property. In the state of Wisconsin, for example, it is illegal to dig up anything that is in a state park or is growing in the ditch along a road that runs through a state park. And of course, if the trees are on someone else’s property, make sure that you receive permission from the landowner.

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Are you looking for a good book to read?
LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the books “Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm” (trade paperback 2003); “Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam” (trade paperback 2004); “Preserve Your Family History (A Step-by-Step Guide for Interviewing Family Members and Writing Oral Histories” (e-book 2004). You are invited to read sample chapters and to sign up for the free monthly newsletter, Rural Route 2 News — http://ruralroute2.com

About the Author

Are you looking for a good book to read? LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the books “Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm)” and “Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam” — http://ruralroute2.com

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