Make Your Home More Fresh And Green

Hot tubs can be a pricey expenditure for any homeowner, with the average cost of today’s hot tub close to five thousand dollars. Although not as big of an expense as remodeling the kitchen or putting in a new in-ground pool, hot tubs are still quite a lofty investment for a lot of people. Due to the substantial cost of purchasing one of today’s portable spas, it is important to consider how much a tub can actually contribute to your home’s value. Even though a tub is considered a luxury or pleasure item, you should still consider whether adding a spa to your existing landscape is a sufficient addition to ensure that you will get your money back when your home or property is sold.

While there is no generally accepted across the board rule when it comes to determining exactly how much hot tubs actually add to a home’s value, an attractive portable spa is still considered to be a home improvement. As with most other forms of home improvement, there is no doubt that they can add to your home’s overall value. However, it is very unlikely that you will be able to recover the full cost of the purchase and installation of the spa if you decide to sell your home. If you are looking into tubs, it should not be for the sheer purpose of increasing your home’s value, but should be something for you and your loved ones to appreciate and have fun with.

However, one of the added benefits that hot tubs provide is that they can add to the value of your home and improve the overall attractiveness of the property for those who could potentially buy it. Since most tub covers are pretty heavy to lift and are accompanied by locks, hot tubs do not pose the same hazard to children that unattended swimming pools do. In addition, routine maintenance and cleaning tasks are less complex than with swimming pools. To a potential homebuyer, tubs do not offer any real downsides, and are almost always seen as a plus in terms of the investment.

In a time when the real estate market is tight, homeowners want to get the most out of their property. The fact that tubs can add to the value of the property means that potential buyers could be willing to pay more for your home when you decide to put it on the market. However, this generally depends on the area of the country in which you live. While hot tubs aren’t sought out as much in warmer climates that don’t experience a great deal of cold temperatures, they can be an added convenience and also huge selling point in parts of the country where evenings are cool year round, especially areas like the Pacific Northwest. Regardless of where you live, however, the allure of soothing jets on sore and tired muscles is always very tempting, and to families who frequently entertain, hot tubs give friends and family a great reason to visit.

Nicole Rempfer is a writer and a hot tub dealer in Phoenix. Her passion is to share her expertise with other people. Check out her website SunsetSpasAZ.com for more great tips and online showroom which includes hot tubs in Phoenix.

“The best time to plant roses is in early spring,” some would say. Others would disagree and quip, “Actually, roses are best planted in early winter when they’re dormant!” So, which is it really?

The answer lies in between, or in both! We should always consider each rose as an individual and there is no specific time to plant all kinds of rose. The sturdiest roses for example can be planted anytime and will still likely grow. Some cultivars however have to be planted cautiously even in its dormant phase.

What needs to be considered in planting roses therefore is its capacity to sustain planting shock and outgrow it. In any case, almost all roses are dormant in winter. The only ones that keep growing are those in the tropics. For most cultivars, this is the best time for planting or replanting. As long as the ground doesn’t freeze, roses can adapt the easiest during this season. If the ground freezes, however, the plant will suffer greatly.

Plants grow the slowest during cold seasons and for the rose, growth almost grinds to a halt. This is an opportunity for the rosarian to plant the rose without it “noticing” much. By the time spring comes and the rose starts to grow again, its roots will have settled in the ground giving the plant minimal stress. The only thing the rosarian should worry about is to sustain the plant throughout the winter and ensure the acceleration of root growth to make up for foliage and bloom.

As you may know, unlike other liquids, water expands when it freezes. Water freezing in the roots and the stems of the rose will therefore rupture the cells they are in and around them as they freeze. This is what rosarians try to avoid during winter. Especially for newly planted roses whose cells are not as fit as the already growing ones winter is indeed a big bummer.

If you live in warmer states and have mild to sometimes even warm winters, your rose will still likely be growing throughout winter, albeit, slowly. In winters, therefore, you can still have the rose acclimated to the new soil.

Considering the above factors, the best time for rose planting therefore will depend upon your climate. If you have winters where there is the danger of frost, you should opt to plant your rose (or any other plant for that matter) in the late winter when the danger of frosting is gone. As follows, the colder your winter, the later you should plant. You may even plant in early spring when some growth in other plants has broken.

If your winters are just mild and the ground doesn’t freeze, planting in late fall or early winter will be great. This gives the plant plenty of time to adjust to the new ground. As long as you have taken winter planting precautions, your rose will grow great.

The breed of the rose will also be a big part in your decision to plant it. The general rule is the harder the wood, the earlier you should plant and the hardier the cultivar, the higher the chances of growth in any given time.

Peter Dranitsin is a rose gardening expert. For more information on when to plant roses, visit http://www.rosesguides.com.

Most gardeners are environmentally friendly because of their working so close to nature. And, concomitant to that, most gardeners aim for organically efficient garden pest control, and this is generally achievable, though there always seem to be some that require containment with chemical.

Whatever is your preference, efficient pest control is an important part of garden management.

Safer Solutions
Healthy soil and healthy plants are basically the best defence against disease and pests as nature provides plants with many defence mechanisms which good soil and plant care will help become optimised.

Additionally, choosing plants that are best suited for your hardiness zone – climate and growing conditions then will match them better – there are often problems when you start to grow plants not optimally suited for that zone, for example, my growing roses in the tropics was always fraught with fungal disease. (I persisted though – but it was more work and vigilance).

Plants from outside your zone may be more susceptible to disease because they have no natural resistance.

While initially it may mean more work, you can achieve a healthy garden without resorting to chemicals. Compost enriched and well-nourished soil, good mulching and growing the correct plants for the spot normally will reduce a large amount of common garden problems.

An ounce of prevention saves pounds of work.
Vigilance is a key to preventing insects, wildlife, or disease from destroying your crops or garden plants.
• Don’t buy plants that are suspect – examine them carefully before purchasing.
• Practice good hygiene (clean your tools, disinfect pots etc)
• Don’t put diseased plant detritus into the compost – trash them.
• Be water-wise – use drip irrigation systems – you will use less water and be more effective.
• Weed regularly – eventually you get on top!

Make It A Habit To Stroll Around Your Garden Regularly (which is relaxing anyway)
This allows you to catch problems in the early stages and you can act to remedy them before they get a real hold on. Check for signs of insects or disease, and don’t water the garden too late in the day, as this encourages fungal disease. An exception is if the plants are suffering due to heat stress during a heatwave – try to keep the foliage water-free.

Remember, a pesticide that is regarded as ’safe’ today could easily be off the market tomorrow because it is later discovered to have long-term environmental impacts or other unintended side effects.

Would you like more information?
If so, please download my FREE e-book “The Better House and Garden” at “Better Gardening Ideas”
Peter Damien Ryan: avid home gardening expert
Feel free to browse at our site http://www.betterhouseandgarden.net for more on gardening