Home And Garden
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Holiday symbols rooted in nature | Home And Garden
In the rush to cross everyone off our holiday gift lists and to select the most suitable decorations to create the perfect ambience within our homes, we may overlook the importance of the plants that make this time of year so cheerful. Let us look at three such winter-themed plants to see how they each contribute to the long-standing custom of using live greenery indoors. Christmas Tree Germany is credited with decorating trees as far back as the 16th century and later, bringing the tradition to Pennsylvania when they immigrated. It wasn’t until the early 20th century, however, that this custom of bringing living trees inside and adorning them with…
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Master Gardener: Helpful garden tips for December | Home and Garden
I’ve been thinking about plants of the late Pleistocene era, and the animals that ate them, described in a pictorial essay by David Bryant in the fall 2021 issue of Flora, the California Native Plant Society’s quarterly magazine. Among them are Joshua Trees, California lilac, manzanita, grasses, sedge, rush, Pinyon pine, juniper, and sycamore, to name a few. I’ve also been thinking about one of the biggest trends in gardening this year: “regenerative landscaping,” which is broadly defined as future-looking, considering all the creatures of the garden, recognizing that more than just humans use the space. As gardeners out in it, we know this mixed-use firsthand, but it can be…
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Inside the Houses of House of Gucci
It may be based on a true story, but House of Gucci is not a documentary. Director Ridley Scott uses plenty of artistic license to tell the tragedy of the family who once helmed the luxury fashion brand, turning Maurizio Gucci (played by Adam Driver), Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga), Paolo Gucci (Jared Leto), and the rest of the players into larger-than-life characters with a healthy dose of camp. (Since the film’s premiere, the real-life Gucci family released a lengthy statement taking issue with their portrayal.) So, when it comes to the luxe interiors where the machinations take place, how accurate is what fans see on-screen? “Nowadays everyone [takes] a selfie…
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HOME & GARDEN: DIY terrariums make great holiday gifts | Home & Garden
Terrariums take up little space and require minimal care. Add decorative figurines, as desired, like a miniature mushroom and maybe an elf. Clean any figures, toys, glass, pebbles, or ceramic structures with an alcohol or 10{d4d1dfc03659490934346f23c59135b993ced5bc8cc26281e129c43fe68630c9} bleach solution and allow them to dry. Illinois Extension A century-old trend of bringing nature inside during the winter, terrarium gardening has had a revival gardeners as of late…
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Watch your garden’s water needs as warm, dry conditions settle in
Warm, warm, warm, dry, dry. This is our second La Nina year in a row, which means this warm, dry weather will continue at least through early spring. Normally, we’d turn the irrigation off now, but unfortunately, not this year. Irrigation Here’s the dilemma: The warm, dry weather means we need to water more often than in a “normal” year. Drought means there’s less water available. What to do? Switch to inline drip irrigation. Inline drip is basically long flexible tubing with emitters embedded inside the lines. Lay it out in a grid on the surface of every garden bed so each bed gets wetted evenly and water penetrates down…
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Master Gardener: Tips for selecting a live Christmas tree | Home & Garden
If you decided to select a pre-cut tree, pick one of the freshest you can find. Fresh needles bend easily. When the trees have dried out, their needles will snap. Once you have your tree home, it’s a good idea to saw off about one inch from the bottom of the tree. After doing this, place the tree in a container of water. If it will be a few days before you bring it in to decorate, store it in a cool place such as your garage. When you do bring it inside, be sure you place the tree in a stand that will hold some water. Keeping your tree…
