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Great things are done when men and mountains meet. This is not done by jostling in the street. William Blake
Rose Gardening Makes the most Beautiful Landscape
Roses are the most perfect flower, and a garden full of roses makes any landscape beautiful. Roses provide a wonderful display of colors with proper planning. A rose is one of the few flowers that comes in some many different colors. Rose gardening produces a garden with yellows, reds, pinks and whites. All of these magnificent colors are set against the vibrant green leaves and stems of the rose bush. Rose gardening produces plants of different heights and widths and this brings a garden of great variety. Rose gardening done correctly produces numerous flowers. If a rose bush is trimmed and cared for properly, the roses continue to emerge on bushes planted years before.
Rose gardening means a variety of types. A skillful rose gardener will have tea roses which have delicate flowers in beautiful colors. These are the most elegant flowers in the world. These grow against a luxurious bush of bright green leaves. The floribunda rose usually grows quite tall so someone knowledgeable about rose gardening will add these plants for some height in the backyard. Climbing roses can be planted along a fence to make a beautiful design that will enhance the appearance of the entire yard.
Rose Gardening Will Satisfy the most Demanding Gardener
Rose gardening is satisfying if the proper procedures are followed. The information for rose gardening is available in the local newspapers, from library books and at the local gardening center. Roses should be carefully planted and groomed throughout the growing season. The blooms should be cut at the appropriate times so that new buds will take the place of blooming roses. If the cuttings are done at the proper time and in the proper manner, the roses will continually produce magnificent flowers. These flowers can be presented as gifts or used to decorate the home.
Rose gardening means proper care after the end of the growing season. The rose bushes should be pruned carefully when the blooms stop at the end of the season. Directions for pruning roses can be found on the internet or at the local garden center. The bushes should be treated with the proper substances once the pruning process is complete. Information on the proper nutrition and water for rose plants is also available. A gardener following these directions will find gorgeous plants in their garden. Roses that are cared for properly will bring joy to a gardener for many years.
Five Great Things To Do With Coffee (Besides Drink it!)
By Hannah Jennings
 I have developed quite a sophisticated palate in my older age. I like my beer dark (Guinness), my wine strong (Zinfandel), and my coffee dark, but not burned.
I also like to not waste things. It pains me to toss the last drops of coffee down the sink. Coffee doesn't grow on trees (Well, it does actually, but not here in the US). I have found several uses for the remainder of the pot after my slightly-over-doctor-recommended- acceptable 3 cups of coffee.
Use #1 - Freeze in ice cube trays to make iced coffee with. Watery coffee is gross. Especially when you start with the perfect mixture of coffee and milk. Then the ice melts and it is just, well, yuck. Frozen coffee all but eliminates that problem. Sure, the coffee is a bit stronger toward the end, but oh, so preferable to the alternative.
Use #2 - Use instead of water in all chocolate and desert related recipes. Chocolate cake with coffee in the mix is like having a dark, rich, indulgence that doesn't require you clean up after him. It is just that good.
Use #3 - Occasionally waters your plants with a 50/50 water/coffee mix. The caffeine is good for acid loving plants. Other houseplants like African Violets can benefit from the nutrient-rich compounds. All of my plants, from the violets to the roses, are always a little perky a few days following the once-a-week mix.
Use #4 - In the morning use a little coffee in your facial wash to both awaken your senses, lift your mood, and tighten those lines that formed during the night. The acid will help slough off dead skin cells, and create a more radiant you. Then you can drink your cup of coffee (or three) and feel how great you look.
Use #5 - If you use organic coffee, then saves those grinds. I use an old sour cream container and then once-a-week deposit the remains in my garden. Our soil here is very calcium rich so the acid in the coffee seems to really balance things out. If you find that you have a lot of acid in your soil naturally, then save the grounds to add to a neighborhood compost pile.
See, coffee isn't just excellent for drinking. There are a lot of really great uses that will help you stretch every dollar you spend. Waste not, want not and all that sort of a thing that our grandparents knew about. Besides, it means that I get to create more reasons to go to my "Happy Place."
Hannah Jennings is the Co-Founder of Nectar of Life Organic Coffee Company. Nectar of Life is a gourmet coffee roaster that specializes in shade grown, certified Fair Trade organic coffees. Visit their website at www.nectaroflife.com to learn more.
Gardening containers allow for flexibility when moving from one location to another, but these containers also allow for flexibility at one location. The true beauty in a perennial garden, besides the array of color and fragrance that you can enjoy, is the low maintenance that is required to keep your perennial beds looking their best. Vegetable gardening may also require choosing the vegetables that ones family most likes and also consider whether the vegetables are to be consumed in large quantities or not. |
