Are Eucalyptus and Melaleuca Related?
Both eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.) , hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 to 11, depending on cultivar, and melaleuca (Melaleuca spp.) Hardy in zones 8 through 11, depending on cultivar, include evergreen shrubs and trees native primarily to Australia — and they are associated. They belong to the myrtle familymembers, or Myrtaceae, […]
How to Clean Sand In a Rain Bird 42SA
Rain Bird’s line of pop sprinklers includes some with static heads that spray water at a preset pattern and some with gear-driven heads that rotate through a preset arc. The 42SA is a good example of the latter type. Like all Rain Bird sprinklers, it includes a filter which prevents particles of dirt and mud […]
Things to Ask Before Choosing a Hardwood Floor
So you’ve decided to get hardwood flooring. Easy enough, right? Decide on a wood and be done with that. Not too quickly. There are plenty of variables which will determine what kind of hardwood floor your house can accommodate, and what’s going to look best with your existing or planned decor and furnishings. You have […]
Fall Planning for a Successful Big Spring Party
Summer is hardly over, but I am already thinking about spring. My eldest child, Christopher, is a high school senior, and I know this year is going to fly ; until we know it, we will be caught up in the maelstrom of school activities. Here in Michigan the tradition is to celebrate by inviting […]
A Little House Unfolds Into an Outdoor Theater
This home has a secret. Even though it looks plain, some cranks of a hand winch unfold the house’s patchwork pink sides to reveal a surprising new purpose: an outside community theater to the town of York, Alabama. Artist Matthew Mazzotta and the Coleman Center for the Arts in York worked together to reach the […]
Kitchen of the Week: A Midcentury Marvel at Santa Barbara
This 1950s Santa Barbara, California, home initially designed by local legend architect Frank D. Robinson embraces the era’s clean style, performance and natural materials. The owners loved the kitchen’s quirky personality but wished to start up the 1950s design. Designer Chris Cottrell snagged some extra square footage from the outside terrace, built in a breakfast […]
Small Luxuries: Motorized Window Coverings Offer Benefits to All
Motorized blinds and draperies were thought of as an indulgence available only to the elite several decades back. But today’s hardware, pricing and technology have made this onetime luxury readily available to the general public. Motorized blinds, shades and draperies offer many advantages for a lot of men and women. Parents with young children, the […]
16 Lounges Go Wild for Science at the Exploratorium of San Francisco
Take 23 San Francisco designers’ artistic interpretations of science and engineering and place them into lounge type, and you have the ideal opening event for the newest place of the city’s Exploratorium, an interactive science museum of ever-changing exhibits designed to fuel fascination and tinkering. Tucked at the back of a 1/3-mile-long construction on San […]
5 Favorite Yellow Roses for a Joyful Garden
The bright faces of roses may warm and brighten any part of a backyard. Yellow roses signify joy, gladness and friendship, and have traditionally been given to new moms, newlyweds and scholars to celebrate new beginnings. Listed below are just five favorites to try on your own backyard. The New York Botanical Garden 1. Finest […]