Spring Home and Garden

Section B – May 12, 2021

B-2 – SOUTHPOINT SUN

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The right tool for the job is essential to working safely and efficiently. This is as true in the workplace as it is in the garden.

Novice gardeners may not know where to begin in regards to which tools they need. The following are eight items that can serve as a solid foundation for beginning gardeners.

Hose/Watering Can

Keeping gardens hydrated is part of ensuring their health. That makes a hose and a watering can two invaluable tools to have around.

Invest in a lightweight, expandable hose if storage space is at a premium.

An adjustable nozzle will enable you to customize the water flow as needed. A watering can is an easy way to tote water to hard-to-reach pots and containers.

Garden Hoe

Garden hoes till soil, remove weeds and perform many other tasks. A garden hoe can be used along with a full-sized shovel, trowel and garden rake.

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Long-handled loppers will fit the bill for thick branches. The long handles provide leverage to cut through branches an inch or more in diameter.

Hand Trowel

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A hand trowel is a handy tool that lets you dig holes or unearth weeds. While shopping for a trowel, consider also getting a hand-held garden fork, which can aerate soil and cut through roots.

Gloves

Your hands will be working hard, so it pays to protect them from calluses, blisters, splinters, insects, and dirt. Look for water-resistant gloves that are also breathable.

Hand pruners

Hand pruners are essential for cutting branches, cleaning up shrubs, dead-heading flowers, and various other tasks. Choose ergonomic, no-slip handles that will make work easier. Rust-resistant, non-stick blades also are handy.

Garden Kneeler

Gardeners often bend and kneel while working in the soil. That puts pressure on the back and knees. A comfortable garden kneeler with memory foam or one made from shock-absorbing material can reduce aches and pains.

Wheelbarrow

A wheelbarrow can transport gear to garden beds or tote dirt, leaves, rocks, and other materials around the landscape. Find a good wheelbarrow that is strong but light enough to maneuver when full.

SOUTHPOINT SUN –

B-3

Decor ideas to give homes a fresh look this spring

Warm weather and longer hours of daylight make spring a perfect time to imagine a home’s interior design in a new light. The following are a handful of decor ideas that may inspire homeowners to give their homes an entirely new look this spring.

Pastel colours

Nothing embodies the spring quite like pastel colours. If colourful, bright flowers dot the garden in the backyard, homeowners can bring those uplifting pastels inside by painting an accent wall or even adding some brightly coloured accent furniture to rooms that could use a lift.

Declutter

Clutter is often conquered during spring cleaning sessions, but homeowners who want to create more free-flowing interior spaces can downsize their furniture and/or look for multipurpose features that make it hard for clutter to take over a room. Create more open space in entertaining areas by mounting the television and getting rid of a bulky entertainment center. Replace rarely used end tables with a storage ottoman where books and magazines can be stored.

Wallpaper

Wallpaper fell out of favour years ago, but new styles that aren’t so heavily patterned can make for wonderful additions to any room.

Large-scale prints can give a room a whole new feel without giving homeowners or their guests the impression that they have stepped back in time. A simple, mural-style floral wallpaper can serve as a stunning accent wall.

Accent features

Sometimes the smallest changes to an interior space make the biggest impression.

Replace dated accents like vases and table lamps with newer items that reflect the latest styles and trends. Such adjustments won’t break the bank, and they can give rooms a whole new feel.

3 common DIY mistakes to avoid As fun and fulfilling as DIY projects can be, they can also be nerve-wracking and induce anxiety. When DIY projects falter, fixing them can prove costly, as homeowners typically must call in contractors to correct their mistakes and get a project back on track. That results in additional labor and material costs that might have been avoidable.

Here are a few tips to prevent your DIY from becoming a disaster.

Failure to secure permits

Even though homeowners own their homes, that does not mean they have carte blanche to do what they want to them. Many renovation projects require homeowners to secure permits before projects can commence. If proper permits are not secured, homeowners may be fined and projects may be nixed, regardless of how much money homeowners have spent up to that point. Before beginning a home renovation project, homeowners should always do research to determine if any permits are required.

Incorrect materials

Whether it’s to save money or a byproduct of inexperience, DIYers do not always choose the correct materials for a job. Experienced contractors have ample experience working with all sorts of materials and are therefore in a position to recommend the best materials for any given job. That resource is not available for DIYers, who must perform ample research before beginning a job so the project involves the most appropriate materials. Incorrect materials can be a sunken cost that derails a project, but even jobs completed using incorrect materials may need to be redone a lot more quickly than those that employed the right materials the first time.

Overestimating your abilities

DIY television shows make home renovation projects look easy, but reality suggests otherwise.

Even online tutorials tend to make jobs appear easier than they are. Roofing and plumbing projects tend to be best left to the professionals, as these projects can be either dangerous or vulnerable to disaster if not addressed by trained professionals.

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B-4 – SOUTHPOINT SUN

When it can be smart to hire a painting pro

Few things can revitalize a home more readily than a fresh coat of paint.

Painting is something that even novice DIYers can typically handle, however homeowners may quickly learn that some painting projects are best left to the professionals.

Here are five reasons why you may want to hire a professional painter:

1. Painting requires skill, patience and a knowledge of how various paints will hold up, including finishes for particular applications.

Novice painters may do more harm than good by dripping paint on expensive carpeting or floors or fail to recognize the nuances that indicate a spot-on painting job.

2. Professional painters have spent hours upon hours learning the ropes of what works - and what does not. Painters often understand that painstaking preparatory work is crucial to getting pristine finished results. Walls and ceilings must be properly repaired and prepared even before a base coat is applied.

3. Professional painters have an eye for details and, because professional painters make a business out of doing interior and exterior surfaces, they understand which techniques can improve efficiency. That means a professional job can typically be completed much more quickly than a DIY project.

4. Even though some people think they’ll save money by painting their own homes, that’s not necessarily true. Professionals already have all the equipment necessary, unlike novices who may need to make repeated and potentially costly trips to the hardware store for supplies. Plus, if mistakes happen, DIYers have to spend additional time and money fixing them.

5. Safety can be a large motivator for turning painting over to a pro. Navigating exterior areas or tall interior ceilings can be challenging and may require scaffolding or tall ladders DIYers do not have. Risk of falls or other injuries increase with lack of experience.

Design a garden for all senses

Gardens add visual appeal to a yard, but they can also tap into all five senses so gardeners can enjoy their gardens in multiple ways.

If you want to create a garden that appeals to various senses, you can do so in the following ways:

Sight

Aesthetic appeal is one of the most sought-after benefits of gardening. However, many homeowners put in so much effort planting for one particular season that they may not give thought to ensuring the garden looks vibrant throughout the year.

Gardeners can research planting zones to find plants that will blossom at different times of the year so they can enjoy impressive, aesthetically appealing gardens year-round. Spring bulbs can bloom early on, while annual and perennial summer favorites will thrive under the summer sun.

Smell

Gardeners can dot their landscapes with aromatic trees, shrubs and flowers that will make stepping out into the garden that much more special. Some of the more fragrant plants include gardenia, dianthus, calendula, lavender, and jasmine.

Sound

The lively sounds of the garden are created by the wildlife that come to pollinate and enjoy the environment gardeners have created. By choosing plants that are native to the region, gardeners can be sure that insects and small critters will seek refuge within the foliage.

Songbirds also will add character to a yard.

The Audubon Society suggests including a water source and a songbird border of shrubs along your property’s edge. Provide food sources and make sure they are located a fair distance from the main action of the yard so as not to scare off birds. Wait for musical chickadees, goldfinches, orioles, and cardinals to arrive and enjoy the accommodations.

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Taste

Gardeners can expand their gardens to include fruit-bearing trees and rows of vegetables. Produce can be harvested from early spring through late fall depending on the crops planted.

Touch

Apart from including trees and shrubs of various textures in the garden, look for other ways to stimulate a tactile response. Water features add relaxing sound and beauty. Stones, moss, mulch, and other accents have varied textures that can stimulate the sense of touch in various ways.

Don’t forget to include a sitting area so that you can immerse yourself fully in the garden.

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SOUTHPOINT SUN –

B-5

Pollinators are an important part of gardens Renovation trends that figure to be popular in the year ahead

Recognizing the potentially popular trends of tomorrow is a great way for homeowners to give their homes a fresh new look and put themselves in position to capitalize on popular trends when they put their homes on the market.

The following are some renovation trends that various experts suspect could emerge in 2021.

Eco-friendly living:

Eco-friendly living solutions figure to be hot commodities in 2021.

Eco-friendly appliances, furniture and designs can help to conserve energy and reduce waste, which environmentalists and government agencies note are two critical components in the fight against climate change.

Large windows:

Large windows can provide stunning views of the outdoors and allow ample natural light into a home. It may not be a coincidence if large windows prove to be a hot trend in 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic that dominated much of 2020 forced many people to spend considerably more time at home. Darker homes without much natural light can adversely affect mood, especially when people are spending more time at home. HGTV predicts that homeowners will seek

ways to bring more natural light into their homes in 2021, and large windows naturally brighten homes while making rooms appear bigger, helping people feel less cramped.

That’s an especially beneficial characteristic when spending more time indoors at home.

Minimalism:

The anticipated popularity of minimalism in 2021 may also be connected to the pandemic. As professionals were forced to work from home and many families spent more time together inside their homes than ever before, they may have recognized a need to cut back on clutter, including extra furniture.

A minimalist approach is both simple and clean, which can make homes feel less claustrophobic.

Multi-functional spaces:

Homeowners asked a lot of their homes in 2020, as rooms were transformed into multi-functional spaces seemingly overnight. HGTV notes that spending more time at home showed homeowners that it may not make sense to dedicate entire rooms of a home to a single purpose. Renovations that can help homeowners transform rooms into multi-functional spaces figure to be hot commodities in the years ahead.

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A thriving backyard garden requires homeowners to take steps to ensure the garden has the best environment in which to grow and thrive. The right tools and components, including trowels, rakes, soil, amendments, and fertilizer, can help gardeners create beautiful spaces. It’s also important that pollinators are made to feel welcome in the garden.

Insects and other animal pollinators are vital to the production of healthy crops for food, fibers, edible oils, medicines, and other products.

Pollinators also are essential for maintaining habitats and ecosystems that many wild animals rely on for food and shelter.

Without pollinators, the human race and all of the earth’s terrestrial ecosystems would not survive. Pollination done the natural way often yields large, flavorful fruits.

Pollinators include bees, butterflies, beetles, birds, and bats. These animals travel from plant to plant carrying pollen on their bodies. The following are some ways to maintain healthy pollinator habitats: · Consider the soil and types of plants that will thrive in it before choosing what to plant. Fix drainage issues and plant with sunlight in mind. · Vary the colors and shapes of plants to attract an array of pollinators.

Plant flowers close to vegetable gardens to attract pollinators. · Group plants together when planting to more effectively attract pollinators. · Select plants that flower at different times of the year so that nectar and pollen sources are available year-round. · Whenever possible, choose native plants. · Avoid the use of pesticides. · Provide a water source for pollinators, such as a shallow dish with stones half-submerged for perching.

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B-6 – SOUTHPOINT SUN

Gorgeous trends in green home design

An eco-friendly home offers many benefits.

Besides reducing your carbon footprint and being better for the environment, you can save lots of money on your energy bills in the long run. Plus, many of the latest trends are simply beautiful.

Here are some eco-friendly home trends to consider for your next home or remodel:

Bamboo materials

Bamboo is a renewable resource that can be harvested gently, without disturbing the surrounding environment. It’s also a great alternative to hardwood, since it can regenerate faster than trees. The timeless material is very popular for flooring and can also be used for bathroom and kitchen cabinets. When buying this material for your home, look for a highquality, sustainable producer since cheaper versions can be less sturdy.

Reclaimed pieces

One of the quickest and easiest ways to have a positive environmental impact is buying as little new as possible. The next time you need a piece of furniture, create something rustic by recycling or upcycling an old or vintage item with a new coat of paint or a fresh wood stain. If you’re planning a demolition, try deconstruction instead - “unbuild” the structure and find elements you can salvage or reclaim, like exposed brick and wood beams.

Passive house

Go beyond efficient appliances with an entire house that uses little-to-no energy. Derived from the German Passivhaus, passive house is a movement that refers to a design process that creates buildings that have a small ecological footprint and require little heating or cooling. Use the philosophy to guide decisions for your home from adding solar panels on your roof to boosting your insulation.

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Water conservation

With more parts of the world experiencing drought, saving water is one of the top concerns for environmentalists. Wasting water is also expensive and leads to higher utility bills.

Upgrading your home with water conservation features can go a long way, and most are designed to look sleek and minimalist. Opt for low-flow showerheads, toilets and sink fixtures.

3 techniques to keep mosquitoes out of your backyard oasis Over the last year-plus, much of the world has been forced to stay home due to the global pandemic, so it’s no surprise that many people have turned their attention to their own backyard to provide an escape.

A revamped outdoor space can provide the perfect retreat for homeowners who want to get away from it all, but mosquitos can quickly transform a backyard oasis into an uninviting space. These pesky insects can carry disease and their bites can be painful and itchy.

Homeowners can try these three techniques to keep mosquitoes out of their backyards: Remove standing water Standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes, who don’t even need a lot of water to successfully breed. A daily walk around the property may uncover kids’ toys, empty flower pots or other small receptacles that can collect water. Even clogged gutters can lead to the accumulation of a small amount of water, and that can be enough for mosquitoes to breed. Remove these potential breeding grounds when you find them, and do so each day, as mosquitoes mature from eggs to nymphs in roughly four days.

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Mow regularly Mowing the lawn so the grass never gets too high is another way to make a backyard less hospitable to mosquitoes. Mosquitoes seek tall grass to protect them from the elements, including wind and hot summer sun. Mowing enough so grass never gets too high in summer can make backyards less inviting to mosquitoes.

Plant with mosquitoes in mind Plants can be part of homeowners’ strategy to repel mosquitoes as various plants have mosquito-repellant qualities. For example, bee balm releases a fragrance as it grows, and mosquitoes don’t like that fragrance. Homeowners can speak with a local lawn and garden professional for recommendations about plants that can thrive in their region and repel mosquitoes at the same time.

SOUTHPOINT SUN –

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Tips to successfully grow tomatoes Slicing into the first tomato of the season is a much anticipated moment for gardeners. Tomatoes are among the most popular fruit or vegetable plants grown in home gardens. Much of that popularity may be credited to the fact that red, ripe tomatoes have a delicious, juicy flavor that serves as the basis for all sorts of recipes. And since tomatoes can just as easily be grown in a full backyard garden or in a container on a patio or balcony, tomatoes appeal to gardeners regardless of their living situations.

While tomatoes are relatively easy to grow, they are prone to certain problems and pests. Knowledge of what to expect when planting tomatoes and how to start off on the right footing can help produce a season’s worth of delicious bounty.

Wait until after the last average frost date - Tomatoes can be grown from seeds outdoors in warm areas, but tomato gardeners often find success starting seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost date.

Gradually introduce seedlings to the elements for a few hours each day, increasing the duration of time outside. Then they can be transplanted outdoors when temperatures are consistently over 60 F. Choose a sunny spot - Tomatoes love to soak up sunlight. Place the plants in a sunny spot so they can thrive.

Space out plants - The experts at Better Homes and Gardens say to leave anywhere from 24 to 48 inches between plants to accommodate for growth and ensure the plants will not get stunted.

Plant deeply - Tomatoes tend to root along their stems. If transplants are long and lean, dig a trench and lay the stem sideways in the dirt, and then bend the top of the plant upward. Snip off the lower branches and cover with soil up to the first set of leaves. This will produce extra root growth and stronger, more vital plants.

Give the plants support - Tomato cages or stakes can help keep the leaves and fruit from touching the ground, which can cause rot and, eventually, death to the tomato plant.

Lay down a layer of mulch - Tomatoes grow best when the soil is consistently moist. Mulch can help retain moisture from watering and rain.

Mulch also will help prevent soil and soil borne diseases from splashing on the leaves and plants when it rains. While you amend the soil, make sure that it drains well and is slightly acidic.

Prune away suckers - Tomatoes produce “suckers,” which are leaves that shoot out from the main stem. Removing these leaves promotes air circulation and keeps the plant’s energy focused on growing fruit.

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Backyard pools provide a way to cool off and enjoy a taste of luxury without having to travel. And after installing pools, many homeowners realize that touching up the landscaping around the pool can provide the finishing touch to their backyard retreats.

However, not all landscaping is the same, and homeowners should choose plants that look beautiful, are tolerant to pool splash-out and won’t outgrow the area.

When selecting options for pool landscaping, there are some considerations to keep in mind: · Choose plants that will provide privacy. · Know which kind of climate a plant needs prior to purchasing it. Tropical plants may be fitting poolside, but will they endure when the season is over? · Design according to the theme of the home, as plants should complement the existing style. Modern foliage may not blend well with a home styled after a traditional English cottage. · Look at trees that won’t drop too many leaves, flowers or fruit into the water. · Think about having layers of plants to soften the landscape, which can make a small pool seem bigger and more luxurious. · Don’t overlook the possibility of pavers or concrete surrounding a pool, as it can soften the edges and keep spaces open and inviting. · Incorporate herbs or fragrant plants, which can transform a pool day into a spa experience. Consider low-maintenance lavender as an option.

Pool landscaping must marry a variety of different features and plant requirements. As a result, a professional consultation may be the route to take. Landscape architects will have the know-how to select plant varieties that will be tolerant, beautiful and fulfill homeowners’ wishes.

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