LIVING QUARTERS
Choosing A Water Feature For Your Landscape Design
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ater features can add serenity and beauty to your home. The only question is which water feature will work best in your home? There are several types of water features and elements that you can add. The following are among the most popular: • Containers: A container water feature can provide you with many color and size options at a very reasonable price. Almost any container can be modified to become a beautiful water feature. Containers are great if your landscaping space is limited, but also work well in large spaces. • Water fountains: There are an unlimited number of water fountain designs for
ponds and water features. Moreover, the fountains don’t have to shoot water upward. The water can flow over or out of walls, out of decorative faucets and even gently spill out of rocks. • Asian inspiration: Make a water feature the central attraction in a landscape design. Create a large pond in the center of your landscape and surround it with decks. Incorporate aquatic plants and large stepping stones to add interest. • Pond-less Water Features: Imagine water that falls from boulders above on to river rock and disappears under the surface. Pondless waterfalls are gaining in popularity not only for their dramatic looks, but also for
their ease of maintenance. • Reflection pools: Not all water features bubble or cascade. Some have seemingly still waters that reflect their surroundings, making them perfect for water lilies and other aquatic plants. • Intricately flowing features: There is no rule that states that you have to seclude a water feature in the corner of your yard. If space allows, a water feature could begin with a fountain that spills over rocks, encircles a patio, flows beneath a short bridge and empties into a pond. • Pools and hot tubs: A water feature can be functional. Give a landscape design a touch of luxury with a place to take a dip.
Removing Cobwebs
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ou may clean your house regularly. You may have your routine. However, in your regular routine, you may notice, every once in a while, growing cobwebs in the corners of your ceilings, and light cobwebs along your walls. The thing about cobwebs is that you don't usually notice them immediately, and you may even just get used to them before you remove them. Even if you dust and vacuum and pick up your house on a regular and frequent basis, cobwebs still happen, and your house won't look as clean if you don't remove cobwebs from your ceilings and walls. The first thing you should consider in terms of removing cobwebs is the source. If the source is removed, the problem evaporates as well. For this, use the natural remedy of citrus 4
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juice as a repellent. Many spiders and insects are repelled by the smell of citrus. You can buy citrus juice (sugarless) or mix any citrus juice with water and put the mixture into a spray bottle: Wipe your countertops with the citrus blend. You can also wipe down the insides of drawers and cabinets with this mixture. Be sure to spray the citrus blend in your doorways and on your windowsills. If cobwebs have already been formed or our natural remedy doesn’t work, try the following. To remove cobwebs from smooth surfaces: 1. Use a microfiber duster. 2. You may find it easier to use when the duster is wet, if the manufacturer says it can be wet.
3. Remove all hanging ends to stop them returning quickly. To remove cobwebs from textured surfaces: 1. Use your vacuum hose as a cobweb remover as sometimes the cobweb remover can smear the walls. 2. Remove all hanging ends to stop them returning quickly. For Outdoors: Spray water from the garden hose with a variable pressure nozzle to remove cobwebs from exterior surfaces like windows, stucco, vinyl siding and shrubbery. As a bonus tip: Remember, cobwebs extend 1-3 feet from the corner of a room. Be sure to remove hanging remnants of each cobweb so that they don't return as quickly.