How Do You Winterize Elephant Ear Plants? Winterize elephant ear plants by cutting away the dead foliage, Wood Ranger Power Shears official site pruning the stems, including mulch and installing a layer of hen wire to keep the mulch in place. You want pruning Wood Ranger Power Shears official site, gloves, mulch and hen wire. 1. Put on the glovesBefore winterizing your elephant ear plants, placed on the gloves. This protects you from the sap. Avoid getting the sap on your pores and skin or eyes. 2. Remove the lifeless foliageAfter the first frost, take away any dead or broken foliage. Prune away these limbs at the ground stage. 3. Prune the stemsCut back the stems of the plant. You want only the lower 6 inches of the plant to remain after pruning. 4. Add mulchAdd a 6-inch layer of mulch around and over the plant. Straw and leaves works best. Add extra mulch as obligatory to maintain the layer at 6 inches deep. 5. Add rooster wireTo keep the mulch in place throughout the winter, lay chicken wire over the mulch. Avoid staking the chicken wire too closely to the plant, as this will injure the roots. Instead, stake the hen wire 16 inches from the center of the plant.

Patios are commonly used an an outdoor extension of a home's indoor living room -- full with lounge furnishings, a dining table and chairs and temper lighting. Depending in your style, your patio may be decorated to function as a place for cookouts and fancy soirees or Wood Ranger brand shears a tranquil area to calm down. Whatever your choice may be, we have compiled a listing of decorating ideas that may inspire you to stay al fresco throughout the year. Over the subsequent few pages, you'll discover concepts for adding practical touches, pure comfort, culinary aptitude, privateness and panache to your patio. First up, let's explore patio furnishings. Scale the Furnishings to the Space: One huge couch in an space designed for a desk and chairs will probably end up being a traffic hazard. Make it possible for the furnishings you choose to your patio keep the area open and straightforward to maneuver round in. Avoid Being an Eyesore: Regardless that you've a lot of latitude when designing your patio, if you possibly can see it from the entrance of the home, make an effort to keep the fashion in step with the prevailing architecture.

Keep It all-weather: Keep your patio trying good for longer than a season or two by choosing furnishings that is constructed to final outdoors. The fiber fillers in out of doors furniture cushions repel moisture and resist mildew, and the fabrics are UV-protected. In the subsequent section, we'll check out one in every of the most recent designs in outdoor residing: the open-air kitchen. Bunnell's chairs initially bought for about $4, and right now they're price around $1,200. Anyone who's eaten barbecue contemporary off the grill knows the allure of out of doors cooking. Everything appears to style better that manner, too. Add the advantage of maintaining all the heat, grease and humidity that comes with cooking outside your own home, and the prospect of an open air kitchen seems downright mouthwatering. Elaborate out of doors kitchens and leisure areas will be large-ticket items, though. A comprehensive package deal together with luxuries like a refrigerator, stereo, cooking island and ritzy grilling tools can carry a value tag of more than $35,000, however you do not must be rich to have all the instruments to cook outdoors.

A grill with a large prep counter setup can value as little as $3,000, and you can choose up an all-weather stainless steel refrigerator for round $500. Embedded lights, like those in stepping stones and even stairways, allow you to watch your step -- literally. Landscape lights can illuminate walkways or mount to posts, fences or walls. Regardless if you're looking to keep your electricity-associated costs to a minimum otherwise you'd wish to do your half to assist the planet, solar lighting is a good option.These fixtures are available in various types that'll work in different areas of your landscape. There are no wires to fret about, and solar lights will work nearly wherever the sun shines. A completely charged photo voltaic fixture can provide up to 15 hours of illumination. They're inexpensive and available in quite a lot of brightness ranges, plus they're energy-efficient. Adding just a few movement sensors around entrances is a good idea, too, as the sudden, surprising illumination will likely trigger any would-be intruder to flee earlier than getting into your house.

While it is essential to supply illumination to areas like stairs and the areas round pools, ponds and hot tubs, you also want to verify to regulate lighting so it would not shine instantly into your neighbors' home windows. If your patio is seen from the street or will be considered easily by the neighbors, you would possibly feel as though you are on stage each time you stroll outdoors. But in the event you suppose it is rude to build a tall fence to guard your privacy, why not let nature do the work by planting a hedge or just a few shrubs? Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens), juniper (Juniperus) and arborvitaes will all assist create a tasteful display screen. Should you want one thing taller, attempt planting hedges in raised beds or planting just a few strategic timber, like a dwarf Japanese maple (Acer palmatum). Of course, if you can't afford to look forward to hedges and trees to grow, consider adding a trellis or prefabricated vinyl divider to your patio. These screens can be found prepared-made or in do-it-your self kits that go together easily.