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Whether you're reentering your home after a hurricane, or your basement flooded unexpectedly, you'll need your water heater back in operation as soon as possible. Here's a step-by-step guide to safely relighting the pilot after a flood.
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Acetone is a solvent that can help remove paint from various surfaces by dissolving the paint from the top to the bottom without soaking the wood underneath with lots of solvent.
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You can propagate tropical crotons through stem cutting, air layering, or petiole rooting to get more of the stunning plants with their colorful leaves.
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Basil grows best with consistent moisture but doesn't like wet feet so depending on your local weather, you may have to water daily or every few days.
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If perennials are the class acts of the garden, annuals are the speed freaks. Annuals must germinate, mature and bloom continuously until they set seed, all of which require extraordinary amounts of energy -- and all within one season. The faster annuals grow and more they bloom, the more sun they need.
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Perennial gardeners who master bulb division and growing lilies from seed may want to try another form of vegetative propagation, stem cuttings.
Read MoreTulips and daffodils are cold-hardy spring bulb plants that naturalize easily. Proper planting and location can help protect them during frosty spring nights.
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Large, glossy leaves make the rubber tree (Ficus elastica) an exotic, decorative choice outdoors, but its limited hardiness makes it too delicate to just plunk in a sunny yard. Use this plant in sheltered areas as a specimen -- but be prepared to move it indoors if the temperature plummets.
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Elegant, long-lasting lilies (Lilium spp.) can be the royalty of any flower border. They also grow well in pots and make superb cut flowers. Unfortunately, if you're planning a special event with lilies, they can be prima donas when it comes to making an appearance.
Read MoreDaffodils bloom throughout the spring months of February through May, Not all daffodils bloom at the same time, but are called early, mid-season or late.
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Gardeners with acres of land have plenty of locations for plants that need full sunlight, but gardeners with less spacious estates may find placing shrubs and perennials requiring full sun more difficult. Many sun-loving annuals, perennials and shrubs thrive on six to eight hours of sunlight, however.
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Now that the citrosa geranium's (Pelargonium citronellum, Pelargonium citrosum “Van Leenii”) reputation as a mosquito-fighter has been exposed as a marketing gimmick, it can be enjoyed for its pleasant, spicy scent.
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If you've ever mulched a landscape bed with gravel, you know that grass -- and weeds -- can grow in gravel. And that gravel compacts the soil underneath.
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Lily bulbs are miracles of nature. They contain a complete plant and enough food to keep it through a year of growth. Each bulb contains its own precise clock to manage growth from spring shoot to full flower.
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If you’re fortunate enough to live where eucalyptus can be grown, you may have thought about preserving some branches to use in dried floral arrangements or wreaths. In order to keep leaves flexible, use vegetable glycerin, available at most drug stores and many craft stores, to preserve your eucalyptus branches.
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Singing pipes are not pleasant music. They incite panic in new homeowners and resignation in experienced do-it-yourselfers. There are a number of reasons for singing pipes, depending on your definition of "singing," but almost all concern pipes that carry hot water.
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The heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system of any building is like the respiratory system of a human being. It controls the movement, quality and temperature of air to ventilate, warm and cool the organism.
Read MoreBrass and silver serving dishes or chargers make a stylish table but often suffer scratches and dents while in use.
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Whether they are nursery plants moved to a garden or unusually colorful plants saved from winter freezes by being taken indoors, geraniums (_Pelargonium spp._) transplant easily, provided they get plenty of moisture and light after their move.
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