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This plant, in some of its varieties, is probably the most popular ornament of the parlor. The ease of culture, its beautiful foliage, its rapid growth, and evergreen character all combine to make it a favorite.

The soil should be a rich loam; the richer the soil the more rapid will be the growth. Yet avoid stimulating manures. Slips root readily, taken off at any leaf joint, and placed either in earth or water; in the latter they will soon throw out roots, and may then be transferred to pots.

The only precaution to be taken in growing ivy is to keep it from frost while in growth and if frozen, to keep the sun away from it, thawing it out with cold water from whatever garden water feature you possess. In summer the plants may be set out of doors, and will make vigorous growth.

There are many species, of which the most common is Hedera Helix, the common twining ivy, a native of Europe, of which there are many varieties. The leaves of these varieties vary quite a bit and many distinctions have been founded on these variations.

There are two very beautiful kinds, the silver and golden, the foliage being beautifully variegated with white and gold. The Tree or Aborescent Ivy is merely a form of the common variety, which is shown by its returning to the primal Aborescent form not infrequently. The leaves are entire, and the plant often, retains its form for years.

H. Roegneriana is a variety with large, heart-shaped leaves, which is much esteemed.

H. digitata, the palmate or hand-shaped Ivy is a pretty variety, of rapid growth; the leaves are small, dark, and veined. This is often called, erroneously, the Irish Ivy.

H. Canariensis is the Irish, or Giant Ivy, the leaves are five-lobed, and larger than those of the common ivy. This type of ivy may not be best for areas where patio statuary is on display since it can grow quite large and overshadow the statues.

Almost all the varieties of nurserymen’s’ catalogs are merely forms of these, with peculiar foliage.

The Golden Ivy is a splendid plant; when the young
leaves come out it resembles a mass of yellow flowers. Ivies are grown in hanging baskets, around windows, made to trail around picture frames and looking glasses; indeed, they may be made decorative in the highest degree.

The plants should always be well supplied with water, though it should never be allowed to stand at the roots. Large plants of the common varieties may be procured inexpensively. The ornamental foliaged varieties are somewhat pricier.

If you have ivy growing out of doors (and it will thrive if you keep the winter’s sun away from it), a pretty effect may be produced by cutting large branches, and keeping them in vases or outdoor fountains of rain water. They will grow well all winter, and planted in spring make nice plants for autumn.

The plant commonly known as German Ivy is not an ivy; the botanical name is Senecio Scandens. It is deservedly popular, from its rapid growth and its freedom from insects. The Coliseum Ivy is a species of Snap-dragon, as may be seen from an examination of the flowers, and a very pretty plant it is; botanically it is Linaria Cymbalaria.

Five-leaved Ivy is the Virginia Creeper or Woodbine (Ampelopsis Virginica), a native of our woods. The Poison Ivy is Rhus Radicans or Rhus Toxicodendron, and not of the same family as any of the above.

Sarah Martin is a freelance marketing writer based out of San Diego, CA. She specializes in landscaping, gardening, and the placement and collection of outdoor fountains. For a wide variety of patio statuary, please visit http://www.garden-fountains.com/.

Wasps in gardens, picnic areas, pub gardens and communal areas in the summer months can quickly become a major nuisance. Wasps are a social insect, forming colonies containing anywhere from 5000 – 10000 wasps per season. The hibernating and fertilized queen will emerge around mid April time (or sooner, depending on temperatures) and search for a suitable nesting site.

The nest starts of as a golf ball sized nest made from chewed bark, dried timber mixed with saliva, within this starter nest she lays between 10 and 20 eggs, the first brood of adult workers (sterile females) will take over the development of the nest and providing food for the next lot of eggs being laid by the queen. At the start of the season wasp pose little or no threat (this can be a different matter if the nest is interfered with) and it is only towards the end of the wasp season that they become a nuisance towards humans.

During the latter part of the summer the queen will mate and then leave the nest site to find a suitable over-wintering location. The remaining workers and few remaining males become sluggish, and their feeding on over-ripe fruit will produce a “tipsy” behavior, leading towards aggression towards anyone interfering with them. The on-coming winter will kill off the workers and the remaining males, with only the fertilized queens surviving by hibernating. During this nuisance time, the wasps will be bothering the general public in places like pub gardens and parks etc, they tend to feed off the sweeter food stuffs such as children’s lolly-pops, soft drinks alcoholic drinks, and pretty much anything containing sugar.

Obviously the nest (if near by) can be treated, but this could mean the area being out of bounds for up to 24 hours, this could in turn lead to loss of business and loss of profits. However other methods for dealing with wasps are available. New wasp treatment systems such as the waspbane are easily available to obtain from online pest control shops.

The wasbane is a wasp trap, the wasps are attracted and lured in to the trap with specially developed attractants, the wasps enter the chamber of the trap to get to the attractant, once the wasps have entered the trap they cannot escape. The trap can be placed at the bottom of the beer garden, around parks, or hanging from trees. In a recent study at a well known theme park, it was recorded that after installing the waspbane trap in various locations around the park, reports of wasp sting went down as much as 95% in 1 year.

Fred Walker is the author of this article and Fred owns and runs one of countries top three online pest control shops. The company includes fully trained operatives that source and offer only the very best effective pest control products.

Water fountains have been in existence for many centuries. As a matter of fact, they have been already popular in the ancient times. The Roman influence on them is strong even today. As the ancient Roman population was more than a million people, the engineers constructed 11 aqueducts to give a stream of fresh water to everyone in the city.

Once the decline of the Roman empire was underway, many of these aqueducts got cut, however the Middle Ages has seen a restoration of many aqueducts and the creation of various public fountains. Ever since then garden types have been very popular all over the world.

These days water fountains have various uses, ranging from drinking fresh water to being beautiful pieces of engineering art. You can find many different designs that can greatly enhance any garden they are placed in. You can find jet fountains in front of various governmental and commercial buildings, and in many parks. They can be either single or multi tiered whereby the design perfectly blends in with the ambient.

There are also floating fountains that are very popular in ponds and pools. A wall type with a dim light installed on it is flowing nicely like a satin curtain. The one with the lion head is one of the most common types that come to mind. The choices are endless and whether you want it indoors or outdoors, you can find the perfect one for your needs.

The Feng Shui fountain is popular indoors when you like meditate or you want to enhance the health and wealth of anyone being in the room. If you are into Feng Shui, this is a must. However avoid keeping it in the bedroom as the water element and sleeping quarters don’t mix well.

Among some of the most modern types for outdoors are the solar fountains [http://www.indoorwallfountain.org/solar-fountains.html]. They are not only beautiful but conserve energy and help the environment. Visit my website to learn more about this new engineering marvel.

Certain parts of the country are especially prone to fires. Dry wild grasses and trees that come right up to your home will create a fire hazard. There are things you should do to protect your home.

Clear Vegetation

Thirty feet is the minimum required distance of clear vegetation. However, it can be necessary to clear up to 400 feet of an area near the home. You should consider the following factors: wind, slope, neighborhood density, and architectural styles. In other words, will a fire spread quickly or slowly? And, if it does, will your home catch fire easily or not.

Remove Dead Plants

Remove any dead plants in or around your home. If a tree is mostly healthy, but has some dead branches, cut the dead branches off.

Keep Plants Watered

During the heat of the summer keep all the plants watered well.

Plant Placement

Don’t place plants right next to the home. Instead, create islands that are 30 feet or more away from the home.

Maintenance

Keep shrubs and trees to minimal growth. Larger trees and shrubs growing out of control are more of a hazard then well controlled smaller plants.

Siding

Avoid materials that burn. Stucco or aluminum siding is better than wood.

Fences

Use metal, stone, or vinyl. Stay away from wood fencing.

Decks

Build with stone, concrete, masonry, or tile. Avoid using wood.

Fire hose

If possible, set up a pump to work with your fire hose. Make sure the fire hose can reach all around your home. If you have a pool or hot tub, set up your pump and fire hose to use this water.

Hydrant

Keep it clear for fire personnel. With city permission, learn how to hook your fire hose up to the hydrant.

For additional landscape information, please visit Outdoor Shower

If you are serious about rehoming an unwanted dog, please read the following before you bring your new dog home. It will save you a lot of money and distress if you take some simple precautions. You have done the right thing by choosing a shelter dog but you have to remember the dog doesn’t know this. If its had a history of abuse or neglect or both you are going to have to prove yourself as a competent pack leader it can trust. This will take time and patience from you but it is well worth the effort.

Choose which rooms your dog will be allowed in and make sure all the family agree on this. It is OK to ban your dog from certain rooms if you are worried about dirty paw prints or any other mess. However, you will have to allow your dog in to at least one area of your home. This will help your dog settle quicker. If you leave it outside alone on its first night, it is more than likely to bark, howl and/or run away.

Make a bed for your dog from old towels or use an old one. Don’t worry about buying it a new, expensive bed at the moment. It may soil its bed or rip up the bedding from stress. Place some toys, treats and other things you think the dog will like near its bed. Normally a dog won’t soil in the area where it sleeps but stressed and unhealthy dogs may do so you might be better off letting it live in the laundry for a while.

Get a water bowl and food bowl ready. When your dog arrives home, give it some food but not a lot.

Be prepared, the dog may scratch at the door and damage it. It might try to get out or it may want to be closer to you. Fix thick cardboard to the door along the edge where it opens. This will have to be replaced and may make a mess at first but it will save the paintwork and you a lot of time and money.

A new dog may go to the toilet inside because it hasn’t been trained properly or because it wants to leave its mark. There is information at regarding toilet training which will be useful. In particular, cleaning up the mess and not making the dog more anxious which may cause it to repeat the behaviour.

Don’t leave the dog inside on its own for very long. You are only asking for trouble. I did this once and came home to find every curtain ripped and shredded. Remember your new dog may not have had much experience being inside a nice home. The best place is to leave it in a room where it can’t do a lot of damage like the laundry or bathroom, but don’t forget to remove all chewable and poisonous objects.

Check the fences then check them again. I know of a dog that jumped on the rubbish bins, the neighbour’s garage and then got itself stuck in a tree when it first arrived home. Don’t ever under-estimate how high or low a dog can get to run away. Remember, it is only running away from stress and loneliness. You have done the right thing by rehoming it but it will need some time to adjust.

If you are worried about the dog digging out, place dog proof wire along the bottom of the fence about 30cm out from the fence and about 30cm up the fence. If you are worried about the dog jumping over the fence, place a piece of string 1/3 of the way down the fence and 30cm out from the fence. This will break the dog’s line of sight and it will think it won’t be able to get over the fence. Remove anything from the fence, shed or garage that the dog can use to jump on and get over the fence. These things can be taken down later on.

Remove anything and everything from the yard where the dog will be staying. Again this is only temporary but you don’t want the dog developing the habit of destroying your property. This would include shoes, boots, mats, pot plants, garden furniture, hoses, garden tools, ornaments and any other feature that can be chewed or ripped up.

You can use strong pepper or citrus smells to keep dogs away from certain areas. This may include gardens or verandahs. Some shelter dogs are used to going to the toilet on concrete because they’ve had little choice to go anywhere else. A light sprinkling of red pepper powder will deter the dog from going near this area but remember to take your dog to the area where you want it to go so it has an alternative.

Make a safe area outside for your dog. Wild dogs are den dwellers so a kennel would be the perfect choice. If not, a dry area with a bed off the ground is just as good. You may want the dog to make the choice, it after all has to sleep in the area and it will choose a place that it feels safest in.

Ask your neighbours to report to you any barking or howling that might have gone on while you are not home. Record the time and see if there’s a pattern. Ask them for help and to keep an eye on your new dog until it has settled in. If any problems occur, get onto a dog trainer straight away. Don’t allow your new dog to become aggressive or destructive. Don’t allow them to get worse because they won’t get better on their own.

For more information, please go to: http://www.messypawz.com. Sue Day is a dog behaviourist with experience in puppy training, dog agility, obedience, and re homing shelter dogs. Sue owns Messy Pawz Dog Training which advocates positive training methods. Sue has made a lot of information available for free on her website: http://www.messypawz.com.