how to keep artificial flowers from fading
donnas_gw
16 years ago
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luvstocraft
16 years agolindaohnowga
16 years agoRelated Discussions
How do you keep 'em out of the flowers?????
Comments (4)Ugh! I know your pain! Jazmyn loves to dig a nice cool den on warm summer days. She also likes to dig in the fall. The year before last, she dug up a single bed (in which I had planted 300+ spring bulbs) no less than five times! I kept having to go out and frantically rebury the dang things, and by spring time, it was the most random planting I think I've ever had! I have dealt with it a number of ways. First, we have Invisible Fence. I called the company back out and had them add flower bed loops wherever possible. This wire isn't actually buried but sits just below the mulch (so I can easily find it when I'm planting and don't cut it with the shovel.) This might not work for you, as it would involve putting e-collars on all your dogs, but it has made certain beds of mine completely off limits in my dogs' minds. Secondly, I buried some pieces of chicken wire beneath the mulch. I put them between the plants, was able to move them to plant more, and the plants come up through them just fine. Jazmyn hated it though, because her toes got all tangled up in it when she tried to dig, so she just gave up. Lastly, I learned to embrace the junky look of random plant stakes. I took this photo just a couple minutes ago. In the bulb bed that Jaz dug up a zillion times before, I buried a bunch of tall stakes under the mulch, and poked a bunch of dahlia stakes randomly in the bed to make it inaccessible. They aren't too noticeable really, since they're green, far from the sidewalk, and in front of some green evergreen shrubs. As the plants grow, I'll just be moving them to support the Asiatic lilies that are planted in the area, and the plants themselves will block access, but for now it does look a little goofy... (not the greatest pic) I suppose you could always grow cacti or yucca or thorny plants, or even lay thorny branches in your flower beds to act as a deterrent. Some people (especially people with good-sized yards) will create a special spot in their yards where their dogs are allowed to dig. Of course there are some dogs in this world that are so awful, they're just going to dig in your beds no matter what. I don't know what to advise in a case like that. Frankly, I can't imagine how a person could live with a dog like that! ;o)...See MoreOrganic Gardening Tips: How to Keep Your Flowers Healthy All Year
Comments (2)Excellent message on the benefits of worms. I take this idea to the logical conclusion and, instead of creating a worm bin, buying worms, feeding them regularly, harvesting castings, and distributing castings, I create worm environments outside on the ground, which I plant directly into. I use the "lasagna bed" building method, whereby I first layer with newspaper to keep weeds out, then add several layers of worm food and plant into soil pockets. Potatoes can be "planted" by laying them directly on the newpaper and covering with the layers of worm food. For worm food I layer leaves (they do not need to be shredded), compost, coffee grounds (I get a ton for free from Starbucks), twigs, and anything that could be composted until I have a good pile or run out of ingredients. This year I planted potatoes under one of my lasagna beds and by harvest time all of the ingredients were gone; entirely eaten by the worms in the soil. I ended up with 6 inches of worm castings, this bed is looking pretty awesome for next year. Cheers!...See MoreKeeping flowers from browning / bruising
Comments (3)You can break the flower apart, slice up the base of the flower, press them separately, then glue them back together. You can also slice them down the middle and press flat. If you do a search you can find info on how to press thick flowers. Colors fade after time....See MoreKeeping Pastel Clothing Looking Fresh, no graying/fading, what to use?
Comments (8)SORRY! I am just seeing this! The Tide Free and Gentle plus Downy adds Cellulase which is designed to remove older damaged fibers or 'pills' on the surface of the clothes to help keep them looking brighter, newer, and feeling softer. Supposedly it helps to remove some dirt deep in the fibers of the clothes as well that may make clothes look dingy. That is a bit of a dispute, though. This version is also HE Turbo, and the regular form doesn't seem to be. This will help a lot with rinsing. I have actually purchased raw sodium percarbonate online. It does work great, but you need to be using true hot washes of at least 140ºF or greater to make sure the sodium percarbonate is fully broken down. As mentioned by wekick, extra rinses actually do help to remove stains because the act of pulling/extracting water from the fibers pulls some extra soil out. As beaglenc mentioned, the Pods have less enzymes and contain OBs, which isn't good. Not to mention they suds like crazy and barely rinse out. The regular liquids almost all contain 4 enzymes now except for the Simply and plain Tide original variants....See Morenonacook
16 years agocraftylady-2006
16 years agodonnas_gw
16 years agodonnas_gw
16 years agolindaohnowga
16 years agoTart412_yahoo_com
15 years agoSusan
7 years agoDonna O
7 years ago
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