If you do not have any floral preservative, use lemon lime soda
. Simply mix your lukewarm water with the soda at a ratio of half and half.
Remove any leaves that will sit below the water line
. Under running water, recut the stems at a slight angel and immediately put flowers in your water filled vase.
Arrange the roses first, then add fillers such as baby's breath.
Set the vase out of direct sunlight and away from any heat sources such as fireplaces and air vents
A New Dawn Climbing rose grows so exuberantly that it soon gets out of control.
In order to train it to climb against the wall, up the side of the house, supporting anything against brick or masonry can be difficult.
Here is a little system that helps manage this energetic beauty.
Here's how it works.
First. find the appropriate place on the brick wall and drill a hole into the mortar joint with a quarter inch drill bit.
Then. place a lead anchor into the hole and tap it in to make sure that it is secure.
To hold the canes use a # 8 screw hook and twist it into the lead of the anchor.
As you do this, the lead expands to fill the hole.
For the last step, take a 6 to 8 inch piece of medium gauge wire and run it through a 3/4 inch diameter piece of clear vinyl tubing.
That piece is about 4 inches long.
Then, just wrap it around the cane and attach it to the hook.
The tubing will keep the wire from cutting into the canes, and the hooks will allow you to remove it from time to time to paint.
Now with a rose fully supported, it can be better appreciated.
And it shouldn't be any surprise that houseplants can help.
They not only make a place look more attractive, they can actually help purify the air.
Some houseplants actually absorb harmful chemicals that are released into the air by ordinary household cleaners and things such as carpeting, paint or furniture.
NASA has concluded that living plants can make a big difference in our interior environments.
Eight to fifteen plants are really all you need to make a difference in an average size house.
Through testing, it was found that some plants are better air filters than others.
A few of the plants that made the top ten list are Chinese evergreen, English ivy, mother-in-law's tongue, dracaena and the corn plant.
