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Laura Zinkan - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
Laura Zinkan is freelance writer and artist in Los Angeles.
You can share her vision of Los Angeles and California at her site AngelCityArt.com with photos and essays. Laura cultivates a gardening website at theGardenPages.com where you can read more growing tips and lore about succulents and native plants, see photos and even download plant wallpapers. Her other website is MomsRetro.com where you can find funky retro art and kitchen tips for busy cooks ... [More]
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- Create a Backyard Hideaway With Leyland Cypress Fast Growing Drought Resistant Trees
[Home-Improvement:Landscaping-Outdoor-Decorating] If you are trying to create a backyard hideaway in a short amount of time try Leyland cypress. They are fast growing trees with a tall, thin shape, making them perfect screen plants. These perennials can grow four to five feet in one season. Not only are they fast growers, leyland cypress or Cupressocyparis leylandii are drought tolerant and heat-resistant once established. A mature tree can reach up to 60 feet tall and up to 10 feet around.
- Hopseed Bush Or Dodonaea Viscosa, Fast Growing Drought Resistant Screen Shrubs
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Dodonaea viscosa or Hopseed Bush is a great drought tolerant, fast growing screen plant. These drought resistant shrubs grow fast to about 10 feet tall, take full sun to part shade and once established, can survive on rainfall alone. This makes them a valuable landscape plant especially in areas hit with water restrictions or drought. Hopseed bushes have an open, airy growth habit with a lacy, willowy feel.
- How to Grow Thyme - Drought Tolerant Cooking Herb and Scented Flowering Garden Groundcover
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Common Thyme or English Thyme (Latin name Thymus vulgaris) is a Mediterranean native plant perfect for dry herb gardens. This versatile plant is a favorite ingredient in kitchen gardens, grows well between rocks or spilling over containers and is a staple in classic Medieval knot gardens. These evergreen herbs are perennial and flower in late spring to early summer.
- Heavenly Bamboo Or Nandina - Unique Colorful Flowering Garden Screen Shrubs For Dry Shade
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Heavenly Bamboo, or Nandina is a beautiful landscape shrub with large, lacy leaves that resemble bamboo. Except the leaves on this beautiful evergreen shrub put on a color display almost all year around. New growth is reddish pink which eventually turns to pastel green. In fall, the leaves change to bronze and can even turn bright red in winter.
- Crassula Rupestris Or Rosary Plant - Drought Tolerant Plants For Container Gardens
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Rosary Plants are unique little succulent plants. Crassula rupestris is also called Baby Necklace or Tom Thumb. The leaves are just barely 1/4" long and shaped like slightly elongated triangles. In hanging baskets they drip over the sides like a vineand have a slow growing habit.
- How to Make Your Own Organic Insecticidal Soap and Keep Your Garden Chemical Free
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Many home garden pest problems can be easily solved by using a little insecticidal soap. Making your own insecticidal soap is a great way to save money on your landscaping budget and keep your garden organic at the same time. It is easy and inexpensive to mix up your own organic insect killer at home, and you won't have to worry about dangerous chemicals on your food.
- Bitter, Sweet Or Powdered Chocolate Equivalents Or Recipe Substitutions Help Chocoholic Cooks
[Food-and-Drink:Chocolate] It is always a good time to make something with chocolate. When the mood seizes you, discovering you haven't got the right type of chocolate can ruin the mood. Knowing its "equivalent" or substitution can save the day. Today, Mom helps cooks and chocoholics with tips on chocolate and includes the world's easiest dipped strawberry recipe.
- Growing Toyon Or California Holly, Beautiful Native Flowering Drought Tolerant Screen Shrubs
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Toyon, California Holly or California Christmas Berry (Heteromeles arbutifolia) are beautiful shrubs cultivated for their bright red berries in winter and deep green leaves. Toyon is an easy-to-grow drought-tolerant, flowering shrub for your garden and provides a little something for the birds and the bees too.
- Yellow Daisy Bush, Euryops - Drought Tolerant Winter Flowering Shrubs
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Euryops, or Yellow Daisy Bush are drought tolerant shrubs that flower almost all year round. They have bright yellow daisy-like blossoms that cover the shrub like a golden cloak. They can be useful as a quick fix for a bare garden bed or placed in the middle of the border. They grow to a height of 6 feet tall and about 4 feet wide. Euryops are good to use for growing a low screen or bold color impact when planted in groups.
- Growing Sweet Bay Laurel Herbs For Cooking Or Low Water Landscapes
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Bay laurel, or laurus nobilis is an aromatic, drought tolerant perennial tree native to the Mediterranean region. The fragrant, leathery leaves are dried for use as a cooking herb and in the pantry as an insecticide. Sweet Bay or Grecian Laurel is a classic container plant and is often depicted at the entrances to ancient temples. Grow one in a pot on your doorstep for a touch of elegance.
- Growing Culinary Sage For Cooking and Dry Kitchen Herb Gardens (Salvia Officinalis)
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] The sage herbs you cook with in the kitchen also a makes a delicious addition to dry landscapes and container gardens. Culinary sage or salvia officinalis is native to the warm Mediterranean regions and the grayish green shrubs grow to a height of three feet tall. Leaves are fragrant and sticky and can be used in cooking either fresh or dried. Sage grows in full sun to partial, dappled shade, and are hardy to about 20 degrees. Their beautiful blue flowers appear on tall stalks in the summer.
- Growing Beautiful Flowering Desert Willow (Chilopsis Linearis) For Drought Tolerant Gardens
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Desert willow is a drought tolerant shrub or small tree, known for their large, unique flowers which bloom in shades from hot pink, purple, yellow or white. The fragrant blossoms bloom on long clusters with large, tubular 2 inch flowers with contrasting stripes. Birds will eat the seeds and bees and hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers. Chilopsis linearis is native to the Western United States and are hardy to 3 degrees Fahrenheit and can survive on as little as 10 inches a year of rainfall, making them good choices for dry landscapes.
- Care and Growth of Cute, Colorful Garden Geraniums in Containers Or Flower Gardens
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] This garden favorite known for bright red or hot pink flowers has the Latin name Pelargonium and the common name Geranium. Pelargonium flower colors range from white to pink, deep reds, purple, peachy oranges, to deep salmon. Color hues can be gentle pastels or neon-bright enough to stop traffic. Perennial garden geraniums grow up to 3 feet tall or more, have a shrubby habit and can take the heat in low water gardens.
- Fragrant, Flowering Lavender Herb Growth and Care in Low Water Gardens
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Lavender is an aromatic, drought tolerant herb grown for centuries and appreciated for its fragrant violet, blue flowers. Lavender has been used in perfumes and for aromatherapy, it also keeps linens smelling fresh and protects them from moths. Mature plants reach 2 to 4 tall with narrow green or gray green needle shaped leaves. The flowers bloom on long, stalks with flowers up to two inches long.
- Sauce Emergencies Creamed, Substitutions For Milk, Buttermilk, Whipping Cream, Cornstarch, Arrowroot
[Food-and-Drink:Cooking-Tips] Running out of a crucial recipe ingredient during holiday baking is no picnic. If you are missing an ingredient knowing its "equivalent" or substitution can save the day. Today, Mom helps cooks with tips on milk, cream and other sauce thickeners.
- Care and Growth of Bright Blooming Kalanchoe Plants For Drought Tolerant Gardens Or As Houseplants
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Kalanchoe blossfeldiana are dependable garden bloomers known for their bright colorful flowers. They're great succulent plants for dry landscapes or as houseplants in container gardens indoors. Most varieties are perennial and evergreen. Flower colors can range from white, yellow, orange, red, pink and everything in between.
- Hopseed Bush, Brush Cherry and Italian Cypress - Dependable Drought Tolerant Privacy Screen Plants
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Gardens are perfect places to unwind from the day. Screen plants can provide privacy in your garden, hide an unsightly area and provide shade. Hopseed Bush, Brush Cherry and Italian Cypress are three shrubs or small trees that are useful for screens, grow fast, or are drought tolerant. Some plants have all three qualities!
- Care And Growth of Rosemary Plants Drought Tolerant Shrub And Delicious Kitchen Cooking Herb
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis) is a perennial, evergreen shrub. Not only are they wonderful cooking herbs, they are also dependable staples to consider in any drought tolerant landscape. Rosemary blooms in winter and early spring. The flowers are small, just under 1/2 across, but they cover the tips of the stems in a way that makes the entire plant seem covered in blue. Some common names for rosemary include, Dew of the Sea, Compass Weed and Elf Leaf.
- Cooking Tips and Substitutions for Corn Flour, Corn Meal, Cornstarch and About That Johnny Cake
[Food-and-Drink:Cooking-Tips] Several different types of cooking ingredients come from corn. Corn bread, stews and even fried catfish recipes call for some form of corn. If you are missing an ingredient knowing its equivalent or substitution can save grandma's recipe from oblivion. If you know the use of an ingredient, it is easier to come up with a substitution. Today Mom explains corn starch, corn flour, cornmeal and that Johnny Cake.
- How to Grow Prickly Pear Cactus or Opuntia Ficus-Indica and Harvest Prickly Pears
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) are not only beautiful, but a useful addition to any drought tolerant landscape. Opuntia cactus also have edible pads and provide the red cactus pears of commerce. Prickly pears have deep green branching pads, grow up to 15 feet tall and as wide around in as little as 5 years.
- The History of Cotton Candy and How This Spun Sugar Confection is Made
[Food-and-Drink:Desserts] Cotton candy is also known by such enchanting names as spun sugar or fairy floss. In the 1400's, European chefs were spinning extravagant desserts out of sugar but it took good old American ingenuity to super-charge spun sugar into the fluffy, wispy cotton candy we know today. Don't forget to celebrate National Cotton Candy Day on...
- Sugary Sweet Emergency Recipe Substitutions or Ingredient Equivalents for Sugars and Molasses
[Food-and-Drink:Cooking-Tips] It's a treat baking sweets, but running out of a crucial recipe ingredient can really gum up the works. Knowing an ingredient's "equivalent" or substitution makes life easier of chefs. Many cake and cookie recipes can be adapted by using modern sweeteners if you don't have ingredients called for in grandma's desert recipe. Today, Mom helps cooks in the kitchen with tips on granulated, brown, powdered sugars, and molasses.
- Care and Growth of Crassula Ovata or Jade Plants a Winter Flowering Succulent Garden Favorite
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Crassula ovata or Jade plants are shrubby succulent plants that make excellent choices for dry gardens and houseplants. Xeriscaping with drought tolerant cactus and succulent plants has become popular in dry areas or places where water conservation is a concern.
- Descent Into Madness - Sport Driving in Los Angeles at the 101-405 Interchange
[Travel-and-Leisure] Driving in California is always an adventure, in Los Angeles, the sport of driving has been elevated to an art form. Like qualifying for the Indy 500 pole position, you never know who you will be sharing the road with. Some drivers are on their cell phones arguing with their agents, boyfriends or psychiatrists. Others are putting on makeup for that big audition, or suffering from either caffeine overdoses or withdrawal symptoms. Some days it takes a unique mix of passive aggression, anger management and an inner connection with your auto insurance agent to make it safely across our vast freeway expanses.
- How To Root Succulent Plants With Leaf or Stem Cuttings
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Succulents are perfect plants for xeriscape gardens and are easy to root and grow. Once you learn how easy it is to propagate succulent plants, it's a great way to expand your plant collection - and it's free! ! You can use this planting technique with succulent plants from the Crassula family like Jade, Spoon Jade and Crassula tetragona as well as other cactus and succulent plants.
- Tips on How to Live and Breath with California's Santa Ana Winds
[Travel-and-Leisure] Hot and dusty, the Santa Anas carry a large number of positive ions and have also been called 'ill winds'. Positive ion winds are known to inflame asthma, cause depression, anxiety, irritation, exhaustion and insecurity. There are a few things Southern Californians can try to counteract the negative effects caused by the positive ions in the Santa Ana winds.
- Vintage Fruit & Vegetable Crate and Can Labels Now Appreciated As Artwork
[Home-Improvement:Interior-Design-and-Decorating] Beautiful, funny and sometimes racy, fruit and vegetable labels were created to catch the eye of American consumers in the produce department. Early can labels had gold foil and used expensive embossed papers. In others, glowing oranges are set against romantic sunsets and bright red strawberries tumble over a serene California farmland. Today labels are collected for their beauty and are exhibited in kitchens and museums around the Untied States.
- Mom Demystifies Zest, Horseradish, Mustard and Other Odd Ingredients With Emergency Substitutions
[Food-and-Drink:Cooking-Tips] During holiday season cooks are more likely to make recipes that have been in the family for ages. But this can also mean needing an ingredient you haven't stocked in your kitchen for ages! Mom Demystifies Lemon Zest, Horseradish, Mustard and Other Spicy Ingredients
- The Devil Winds or the Santa Ana Winds, part of Southern California's Unique Landscape
[Travel-and-Leisure] While the rest of the country bundles up for the winter, Southern California smugly puts on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Part of the thanks, or the blame, belongs to the Santa Ana Winds. They help keep Southern California warm during the winter, but they bring their own temper.
- Crassula Tetragona or Bonsai Pine: Succulent Plants for Dry Landscapes or Houseplants
[Home-Improvement:Landscaping-Outdoor-Decorating] Crassula tetragona are drought tolerant plants that are attractive, carefree and always look green. They are often used in bonsai pots to look like pine trees. In the ground, they grow up to 4 feet tall. They will branch at the tips and can be used as a low, informal hedge. Crassula are perfect for dry landscapes with other succulent plants and cacti. Their color can vary from green to deep, bluish green. They can take full sun to light shade, love heat and are easy to root and grow. If you think you have a brown thumb, this is the plant for you!
- Healing Aloe Vera Plants Are Easy To Grow Indoors or Out and Provide Health Benefits
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Aloe Vera , known as the healing plant, is a drought tolerant succulent plant which grows well in dry shade to part sun. Aloe plants grow upright and spread with time by creating offsets. Perennial aloe produces dramatic, bright orange flowers on long stalks in the spring and summer. Used medicinally, aloe gel is beneficial for burns, minor cuts and scrapes, insect bites and other skin irritations.
- Gollum Jade or Crassula Portulacea Succulent Plants For Dry Gardens or Easy Houseplants
[Home-and-Family:Gardening] Crassula portulacea , a great succulent drought tolerant plant for dry gardens and an easy houseplant. Also called Spoon Jade or Gollum plant, these tough plants like heat and sun whether you grow them indoors or in the yard. They can take up to 6 hours of sun a day and have beautiful pink flowers.
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