The English-born Capon, a doctor of botany from the University of Chicago who went on to be a professor at California State University, Los Angeles for 30 years, has since retired, leaving time for the revamping of “Botany for Gardeners,” the bestselling title for its publisher, Timber Press, in the U.S. and England.Not only did Capon write it; he illustrated it, too, and even took the plant photographs that further bring the text to life. Capon is also a lifelong gardener, though images of his own place never appear in the pages.“Botany for Gardeners” was born as a textbook out of lecture notes for a botany class Capon taught for many years to non-science students, so it’s thorough—but not the kind of dense, full-fledged botany text that will scare you away.In fact (even 20 years later), it just keeps drawing me back in, especially for tidbits like these. Did you know:That litmus, the dye used to indicate acidity and alkalinity, is
Little Tikes Playhouse Makeover
03.07.2023 - 21:37 / hometalk.com
One day I was browsing Pinterest and came across playhouse makeover ideas. After seeing the inspiration I decided I just had to do my own makeover for my daughter’s birthday gift while she is still little. So I immediately browsed second-hand sites and found the perfect plastic playhouse for £25. We got it home, I cleaned it up and painted it and I am so in love with the transformation!
This is the before. As soon as I saw this house for sale I fell in love with the character that it had and it was the perfect piece for the makeover I had imagined. The house was in good condition and just needed a clean up.
To do this I took it apart and sprayed it with a bleach spray solution and hosed it down thoroughly, including inside the walls. I then used a pressure washer to give it a more thorough clean and make sure I had a really clean base to apply the paint.
I used Rustoleum Universal all-surface paint and I bought it in satin black and satin white. It’s branded as paint and primer in one and does have the consistency and feel of a primer. The plastic on the playhouse was really rough so I didn’t feel I needed to roughen the surface with sandpaper before applying the paint.
First I sprayed all the side panels white. I was fortunate that this particular style of house has two large openings which meant less surface area to paint. Because it was a light grey colour I did not need to paint the interior, however I knew that I needed to paint it white on the exterior to achieve the look I wanted. Using a paint sprayer to apply the paint meant that I needed to thin the paint down slightly to get it to the right consistency for the sprayer. This took a little bit of practice as at times I did have issues with the paint running. To
Doodle by andre: the tree of (little) life
THIS LITTLE-KNOWN SPECIES (apparently first discovered and named by famed British plant explorer Andre Jordan) reminds me of all the plants I used to bid on at rare-plant auctions. The thinking always seemed to be that the harder it was to grow, the more valuable it was–and up went the bids, sky-high.
Slug control, with a little help from my friends
Eliminate hiding places. Wilted or slightly decaying foliage left in the garden can provide perfect hiding places, as it often bends to touch the ground. This week, now that things have dried a bit so I can get into the beds, a more ruthless approach to cutbacks than normal is scheduled, since the extreme rains caused so much excess, often floppy, growth.Don’t over-mulch. One to perhaps 2½ inches of mulch is desirable; layering on thicker amounts than about 3 inches just invites damp conditions that slugs love, plus it provides a great place to hide.Set out safe baits or traps. There are self-described “nontoxic” slug baits these days (though research institutions like Cornell use the term “low-toxicity,” which is probably
Hello, butterflies (with a little help from a friend)
I’M SELFISH; it’s true–oh, and lazy, too. I sit back and let a giant stand of tall verbena, Verbena bonariensis, sow itself each year just beyond the window I face as I work indoors.
It’s the little things: photographic progress report on spring
I KEEP WANTING TO GRIPE: Spring is “so late,” and the weather “isn’t cooperating,” I say, as if it’s all meant to be in service to me, and is behaving disobediently. (How arrogant my thinking can be!) But as frustrated as I feel, the quieter pace has also been fruitful.
Spider, feather, frog: 3 little notes on gender (and wonder) in nature
ALONG came a spider the other afternoon, specifically an impressive female garden orb weaver, Argiope aurantia—an extremely widespread species, from southern Canada down to Costa Rica and most of the lower 48 between.And I say female with a degree of confidence, because of her size (a female of this species can be up to three times a male’s) and also because of the big web she had made.See th
A landscape-history lesson in the ‘little house’ books, with marta mcdowell
“I’m off to pick the overflow crop of ground cherries that I planted, because of a letter that Ma Ingalls wrote to her daughter. Ground cherry preserves anyone?”Well, the Ma Ingalls in that reply is none other than the mother of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the belove
Realistic Bark Texture With Caulk and a Fork! Easy Flower Box Makeover
Check out the longer version of this video on our YouTube channel with charts to help you choose just the right colors from 5 different brands of chalk paint. The longer video is here: Stephie McCarthy Bark Texture made with Caulk
Teeny Tiny Balcony Makeover On a Budget
I have this little tiny balcony that had water damage on the walls and just overall dinginess, and I was looking for low cost ways to make it a nice place to sit and read. I had no experience with tiling before and I'm really happy with the result!
Plastic Rocking Horse Makeover Part 2
I found a couple of old plastic spring rocking horses in a free junk pile. I decided to give the first one a new identity as a unicorn. The 2nd one is still deciding what to be......
J. Parker's Helps Welsh Hospice With a Garden Makeover
This June, some of our J. Parker’s team helped to put the finishing touches to the patient garden at St David’s Hospice in Llandudno, North Wales. We donated a new gazebo, planters, compost and hundreds of bedding plants to help finish off the garden which the St David’s team have lovingly built so that the patients at the hospice can enjoy an outside space full of colourful flowers.
J. Parker's Helps Wales Hospice With a Garden Makeover
This June, some of our J. Parker’s team helped to put the finishing touches to the patient garden at St David’s Hospice in Llandudno, North Wales. We donated a new gazebo, planters, compost and hundreds of bedding plants to help finish off the garden which the St David’s team have lovingly built so that the patients at the hospice can enjoy an outside space full of colourful flowers.