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Not all areas are blessed with an abundance of shade for the gardener who might want to do a little shade gardening. If you live in the plains states, the desert or even in a brand new housing development, shade could be in short supply. Even if you plant trees around your home, it’s going to be several years before they are developed enough to provide shade to be adequate for the varying types of shade gardening.

We won’t, in this article, go into why you might want to garden in the shade if you don’t have a ready supply of shade. However, suffice it to say that for the gardener, shade gardening is just one more type of gardening to enjoy.

If you don’t have shade in such a situation, then it is up to you to make some shade. Look around your home and take advantage of what you already have. The north face of your home can provide some shade. Even the east side of your home will provide some afternoon shade that will accommodate certain shade loving plants. This depends on where you are located and just how hot it gets before the sun no longer shines down on the east side.

You must be aware that even after the east side of your home is in the shade in the afternoon, the walls may still be radiating heat. This ongoing heat will not create the best environment for some shade loving plants, as the heat will continue to dry out the area. Many shade plants prefer a somewhat moister environment than most sun lovers do. Addition of mulch will, of course, help this out some.

Observe these sides of your home before planning your shade garden for you may find the angle of your home allows harsh sunlight into these areas for too long a time. For instance, my own home has a slight tilt toward the east allowing the sun to shine on the mostly northern face for many more hours at the height of summer. And here in the high plains, it gets very hot very quickly. Remember that in the summer the sun will be almost overhead for quite some time. No shade gardening on this northern side without some help.

Extending the roof of your home by such an extent as to create a shaded area can provide such help. Perhaps a wall can be extended in such a manner for several feet and a covering of some type added to provide a little nook to accommodate the shade lovers.

When thinking of coverings, consider creating a pergola upon which to grow vines to provide shading. Not only can you create wooden trellises to shade area, these days you can invest in shade cloth structures, or shade houses, as well.

You will find shade gardening in these circumstances, of little to no shade, to be another of the gardener’s trial and error efforts that can make gardening so much fun. Just experiment and remember you can always change things and just decide to grow sun lovers after all.

Copyright 2006, Sandra Dinkins-Wilson

Looking for more Shade Garden articles? Discover all kinds of Flower Gardens at our site, http://flowergardenlovers.com/. Read about water, wildflower, shade, rose, and butterfly gardens, garden rooms, gardening tips, and more.

[tags]shade gardening,gardening,garden,gardener,shade[/tags]

Attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden can be as easy as planting flowers they love! One butterfly and hummingbird magnet is the butterfly bush. When checking catalogs, the Latin name can be classified as either “Buddleia davidii” or “Buddeleia davidii” (most common). Technically, the butterfly bush is a shrub, although it grows much like a perennial in that it dies completely to the ground each year. Buddeleia are best suited in USDA hardiness zones 5 - 10. In the lower zones, the butterfly bush won’t survive the winter.

There are a wide variety of Buddeleia. You can choose one by size or flower color. Typically, Buddleia grow anywhere from 6 to 12 feet tall and can spread as much as 15 feet across. The plant looks somewhat like a fountain when fully grown, with slender arching branches or stems. The leaf color can vary from silver green to dark green. The tip of each stem will have a long cone-like flower head, made up of tiny tube shaped individual flowers. The plant will bloom from early summer through the first frost.

Some popular cultivars of Buddleia are:

- Buddleia davidii ‘Black Knight’ - dark purple flowers, height to 72 inches.
- Buddleia davidii ‘Nanho Blue’ - deep blue flowers, height to 60 inches.
- Buddleia davidii ‘Royal Red’ - magenta flowers, height to 96 inches.

If you want to try a more unusual plant, try:

- Buddleia davidii ‘Harlequin’ - pale, variegated foliage with magenta blooms. Height to 72 inches.
- Buddleia davidii ‘Butterfly Hybrids’ - a mix of white, pink and purple blooms on the same plant. Height to 60 inches.

Buddleia grow best in well drained soil and full sun. Keep in mind the full sun is also what will attract the butterflies, as they need the sun to warm their body temperature for flying. When you plant your Buddleia, water thoroughly. While they will tolerate dry conditions, don’t let the newly planted bush dry out until it is established.

Like perennials, the butterfly bush will die down to the ground over the winter in colder climates. In colder hardiness zones, place mulch over the plant after the first hard freeze. Do not cut back the old wood until spring time to give the root crown extra protection. For warmer climates, prune the Buddleia back by about one third in early spring . In the spring, remove the mulch. Buddleia are slow to awaken in the spring, well after the last frost, so don’t give your bush up for dead if you don’t see growth for a while! During the bloom season, prune off the spent blossoms (called dead-heading) to encourage new flowers.

Deciding how many Buddleia to add to your garden is dependent upon how much space you have. Buddleia look great as a single specimen plant, or as mass groupings. When grouping Buddleia, keep them in the back of the garden, as there height will make a great back drop. The more bushes you plant, the more butterflies you will attract!

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Gardening

[tags]gardening[/tags]

In general, many furniture purchases are stimulated by some form of life changing
experience. This could be:

- Buying or selling a home

- weddings

- job promotions

- births

- deaths

- holidays

- moving and

- college are just a few of these events.

The key to saving money and maximizing your furniture dollars will rest in your ability to plan and anticipate these major purchases. The purpose of this page is to help you understand when to buy. When the purchase can be planned and those times when you must react in a quicker fashion. The furniture industry is laced with a multitude of retailers with a plethora of selling strategies. The advertising is intense and the promotions can sometimes be overwhelming.

Do certain product categories offer better values at different times of the year? What about those heavily advertised holiday sales? When are the best clearance periods of the year? Do tent sales offer any value? Is the end of the month the best time to buy?

For the honest answers to these questions please read on.

DO CERTAIN PRODUCT CATEGORIES OFFER BETTER VALUES AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE YEAR?

LIVING ROOM FURNITURE is generally a staple of most furniture stores. Sofas and loveseats are usually promoted on a consistent basis with no relative regard to the time of the year. However, look for your best values in sleeper sofas in the fall when you are preparing for those guests.

DINING ROOM FURNITURE becomes extremely visible and highly promoted around the late October and early November. The much anticipated holiday season will bring sales and promotions on dining rooms and dinettes. Most retailers will begin to build inventory early in the spring. Look for advertising which promotes complete sets and free extras such as arm chairs, servers, and china cabinets.

OFFICE FURNITURE will make a very obvious and prevalent debut around tax time and back to school. However, with the continuing growth of home based business and the strong growth of the internet, it is not uncommon for retailers to use this category to bring traffic in to the stores. Office furniture takes a great deal of wear and use so be careful of those to good to be true advertised specials.

RECLINERS AND CHAIRS will see significant activity in May and June. The advent of Mothers day and Fathers day will bring a flurry of advertising. These products in general serve as tools to generate traffic into furniture stores. Legitimate values will abound for the savvy shopper.

BEDROOM FURNITURE is generally one of the last categories people add to their home. The more visible areas of the home usually get priority attention. This same quality carries through with the furniture stores. If you are dealing with a specialty bedroom store then you can expect strong values and promotions around holidays.

MATTRESSES AND BOX SPRINGS become highly promoted from late May to the early fall. Most retailers gain significant support from the mattress manufacturers in the form of advertising and special offers. This product category is a quick turn item with low inventory costs. A keen eye coupled with good research of brand names will provide great opportunity to secure a good buy.

WHAT ABOUT THOSE HEAVILY ADVERTISED HOLIDAY SALES?
Most retailers have steadily altered their promotion and advertising schedule to fit the needs of the consumer. Holidays now represent the shrinking time that people have to get out and shop. The competition between retailers of all types is
intense. Holiday periods are some of the best times to shop. Memorial Day, Labor Day, July 4th, and New Years Day are usually the best. Are the best values out there at
Thanksgiving and Christmas? In most cases these are not the very best. These periods are times when the retailer has the public as a captive audience and the consumer is pre-disposed to spending.

WHAT ARE THE BEST CLEARANCE TIMES OF THE YEAR?
January and July are the best clearance times of the year to buy furniture. These time periods are extensions of the furniture industry in general. The primary Furniture Market Trade Shows are held in High Point, North Carolina in April and
October. Similar to the automobile business when new models come out and clearance events begin. Though not as structured and refined as the car industry, the furniture stores want to clear out the old and look to bring in the new and supposedly fresher items. This provides some great clearance opportunities for you the consumer.

Michael Domeck is a trainer and a mentor working with students from all walks of life. As a Mentor he has become very astute with many different Niches as he has helped his students. As a trainer he has worked with 100’s of students helping them to acheive their dreams. One of his many websites is http://www.homefurnishingsforless.com where you will find more information like this.

[tags]furniture, sofas, dining room suits[/tags]

Stone age is to fire as new age to electricity. The morning today begins with the alarm clock, the electronic brushes making an early morning easier and water heaters turning the languid bath in a luscious spa. You throw your clothes in a fully automatic washer and dryer and ready for pulling the milk can from your new three-door defrost refrigerator. The oven, the toaster, the microwave and the coffee maker are all geared up to serve the fabulous feast you can ever imagine to gobble without a disagreement which comes complimentary when you play ‘Whodunnit’ instead of employing euphoric electric servants. Timeless and tidy appliances have chopped off those elaborate meal deals allowing you to drive down to your favorite beach house.

With our lives driving down the fast tracks, who has time to scrub and brush those small household chores? The elegant woman with the pearl necklace and high heels is all appreciative of the dishwasher and the vacuum cleaners, if not the husbands. You never imagined fun in the sun until air conditioners came into being. A prerequisite to the contemporary lifestyles appliances are a necessity than a luxury. The key to be a super mom today is to watch wonder kid and Electric house.

The Sunday newspaper, cricket in the afternoon with the smart kids and salsa in the evening to please your wife, would only be an unrealistic dream if the plug and play technology wasn’t invented. You don’t have to run to the employment bureaus anymore for the domestic help, just prepare yourself to pay the electricity bills and whoa! Life is bliss. Say goodbye to those muscle pulls, backaches, twisted necks and tired arms; enjoy the new taste of life. Though the appliances do it all for us (leaving us obese coupled with lung problems due to carbon monoxide released by them), aren’t we hungry for more?

Home Appliances provides detailed information on Home Appliances, Small Home Appliances, Home Kitchen Appliance, Discount Home Appliances and more. Home Appliances is affiliated with Ventless Gas Fireplaces .

[tags]Home Appliances, Small Home Appliances, Home Kitchen Appliance, Discount Home Appliances[/tags]

There is nothing worse than getting all excited to decorate only to have your efforts fall flat. Here is an overview of the top five decorating mistakes and how to avoid them.

Number One: Not Getting Help The number one mistake homeowners make is thinking they can pull a house together by buying a few individual pieces they like and putting them in a room. This is an invitation for disaster. It is too easy to buy the wrong size (usually too big) and colors and patterns that don’t mix well.

How to Avoid This Mistake: Your best bet is to call a decorator and ask for a few hours of planning help. A decorator can look at your house and find out how you plan on using each room. This will help her determine how you will live in your home. Once she knows that she can help you design a decorating plan. This plan will incorporate pieces you already have and give you a shopping list to buy against. This is the key element. A decorator will help you define color, texture, fabric and size. With just a few hours of a decorator’s time, you can save yourself from making big mistakes in the furniture showroom.

Number Two: Poor Furniture Arrangement There is nothing worse than walking into a room where all the furniture is lined up against the wall. This actually makes your room look smaller. It also drains the life out of it.

How to Avoid This Mistake: The best tactic to keep in mind when arranging furniture is to never place an upholstered item against a wall. You want to create warm, intimate groupings that will give the room some character. Also, having the furniture away from the walls, makes the room look bigger. Being able to see beyond the furniture to walls visually expands the space.

Number Three: Haphazard Accessories The worst thing you can do when adding accessories to your home is to buy everything at one time. What you put around your home as accent pieces should reflect who you are. It is unlikely that you will be able to find these things all at once or in one store. There is a reason most stores sell vintage-style accessories. Accessories should look like they are a part of your history.

How to Avoid This Mistake: Try adding a child’s painting or a sculpture your best friend made. It will add a personal touch to your room. The other accessory mistake is in arranging them. Don’t just put one accessory in each place. Group them. Try to create a theme, find something that relates the pieces to each other. And don’t be afraid to move your accessories around once in a while. There is no rule that says that decorating must stay stagnate once designed.

Number Four: Window Treatments Out of Control The biggest mistake people make when adding window treatments to a home is to forget how they will look from the outside. Sure different colors may look great from the inside, but do you really want one green window, one blue and one red from the street? It will make the outside of your home look strange and comical.

How to Avoid This Mistake: Make sure you use one consistent treatment underneath all window treatments. This could be the same color sheers or blinds. It will hide the different colors from the street view.

Number Five: Painting It Wrong Most people are simply too timid about color. They think they have to be conservative for resale value. They think they should stick to natural colors to make the room look bigger. This can be a big mistake.

How to Avoid This Mistake: Be bold. Try dramatic colors that you love. It won’t change the visual size of the room. But it could change the feeling. And if you make a mistake, so what? Paint is relatively cheap and easy to cover up. But just because it is a cheaper element in the home doesn’t mean it has less impact.

To avoid the biggest mistakes in decorating, you have to let your personality show through your. The style of your home should come from within. Be bold or timid, but match your personality. People should know who you are when they walk through the door.

American Homeowners Association (AHA)

Whether you suffer from asthma, allergies or simply want to ensure the air in your bedroom is as clear as possible, there are several easy measures you can take to limit the amount of dust that collects in one of the most used rooms of your house. We spend more time breathing air in our bedroom than any other room, and shed more skin there too (unpleasant sounding, but true!) as we get changed in and out of work, casual clothes and pyjamas.
The amount of dust in your bedroom can irritate existing allergies and asthma, or even just create an irritation without any prior allergy having existed. Opening the windows to let in the breeze can only clear your room for a short time, so setting up your room to be dust-free from the outset is the best way to go about cutting out that stuffy nose and horrible heavy-headed feeling in the morning.

There are many ways you can reduce the amount of dust in your bedroom, and you can of course use any or all of these methods, depending on how much work you are willing to do. Incidentally, when carrying out any amount of cleaning work in a dusty room, you may find it beneficial to wear a filter mask. They’re very cheap from any DIY or hardware store, and can save you a stuffed nose.

Carpets - The first major storage area of dust mites and their droppings is the carpet. If you can, replace carpeting with wooden floors (hardwood, tile or linoleum flooring can be obtained fairly cheaply at DIY stores for easy home-fitting). If this is not an option, you could consider treating your carpets with Tannic Acid, which kills the mites. It’s not as effective as removing the carpet however, can irritate some people’s allergies, and needs constant reapplication.

Furniture & Furnishings - Any flat surface in the bedroom is a perfect place for dust to gather. Try to limit such surfaces (floor to ceiling wardrobes is a good way to get round clothes storage) and get rid of all upholstery. Upholstered furniture simply adds another layer of fabric for mites to make their home, so ensure all surfaces and chairs are metal or wood, which can be scrubbed every now and then, and don’t store dust and mites.
If you have any clothes that cannot as yet be stored in a closed drawer or wardrobe, store them in zippered plastic bags, and make sure shoes are off the floor.
Avoid heavy curtains or Venetian blinds, use light fabrics or, ideally, window shades. The thicker the material the more space for dust mites to live and breed, and for dust to collect. Venetian blinds, obviously, provide multiple flat surfaces for dust to settle, so are not ideal either. When washing bedding, wash the curtains too.

Beds - One of the worst storage areas for dust mites and collected skin cells, mattresses are impossible to clean completely. If possible replace your regular bed with a waterbed, which is easily cleaned and provides no chance for dust mites to hide. Many stores will sell allergy-safe bedding covers and pillowcases, so use those or bedding with a Dacron content. When washing bedding, ensure you are washing at temperatures above 130 Degrees Fahrenheit. It goes without saying that it’s a good idea to avoid wool-blankets or other such comforters on the bed.

Pets - Of course if you already have animals you are not going to want to get rid of them, but just making sure they don’t get into the bedroom can make a world of difference. As mentioned before, you spend more hours in your bedroom than in any other room, so it’s worth excluding any fur-covered pets.

Cleaning - Try to clean the room completely and thoroughly every week, using a damp cloth on all smooth surfaces (including window sills and the tops of any high cupboards) to pick up dust rather than just kicking it into the air. Open windows to air the room while you wash bedding and furnishings, and vacuum any carpeting and upholstery you may have in the room.

Air Purifying - Using dehumidifier and air conditioners can help regulate high temperatures and moisture that can increase mite breeding. Only use air conditioners when absolutely necessary however, as they can dry the air so much as to be harsh on nasal passages.

When already firmly settled in a home, you can’t really move, but if you have a choice then it’s a good idea to avoid basement living. You can translate all these practices to the rest of the house too, with the living room being perhaps the next most important room to target.

For mild allergies, just putting some of these measures into practice can lead to quite some relief, and for serious asthma and allergy sufferers you can create a virtually dust-free room by doing everything talked about in this article, leading to better quality of life and often a reduced need for medications.

About the author: The British Waterbed Association aims to support both their members and the buying public to ensure waterbeds are promoted in a manner that accurately reflects the significant benefits that a well-made waterbed provides. You can find more information, and a list of BWA members on their website: http://www.waterbed.org

[tags]allergies, asthma, irritation, allergic, reaction, waterbed, dust proof, dust, dust proofing,[/tags]

If you have an idea of a look that you want to recreate, ie Mediterranean. Start looking for examples in books, magazines, on TV and pick out the things that you think highlight that period or style.

Focus on these and see wether they will fit into your space. Sometimes the structure / canvas we have to work with will not be capable of taking on the new style you desire.

You have to be practical. For example you want a French provincial look, weathered and rustic, but your home is contemporary with lots of large expanses of glazing on the walls, minimalist lines and form.

This would be very hard to pull off. You need to consider the bones of the room to start with. This also relates to the whole home.

I do not advise having different themes or periods for different rooms in the same house. This can make your house very disjointed and unpleasant on your eye.

Not to mention the house losing the natural flow and harmony that can be achieved by making one room flow into another. You can have similar themes that relate but dramatic changes are not recommended.

There are many ways to use styles and periods in your schemes.

If you have period furniture you can use the colors of that era in your decoration to enhance the furniture and create your style. If you have 20th Century contemporary furniture you can use it as the decoration and keep the interior simple therefore focusing on your designer pieces of furniture. You can combine different periods, this is called eclectic. It is important to keep the background simple so that your collections of design ware are the focus of the space.

Another thing to consider is that you have to love what you are going to do, don’t just do it because the look is “in” at the moment. You have to live in the space, before making your decisions, remember that!

To conclude, if you have your heart set on a theme, do some serious investigating and research before you embark on fulfilling it. You never know, with so many options out there you may find something that you like more and suits your home better.

Lee Brown is an experienced professional designer and co founder of interiordezine.com, a website dedicated to providing free interior design and decorating information. Go and look at interiordezine.com to see if you can answer some of your home decorating questions now! You can also get a free decorating ebook at free ebook
Lee is definately a leader and not a folllower of design trends. She believes that design is an extremely personal experience for those taking part, it can drastically change the way a person feels in their environment, so it really important to bring out the clients passion and own inner style. This way you always have happy customers with unique and individual interior schemes!

[tags]interior design, interior decorating, choosing a look, style, room decorating, how to decorate room[/tags]

Cork tile flooring is similar to floorboard but with additional benefits such as insulation against noise and temperature. Cork tile flooring is considered the perfect flooring solution because it is easy to maintain, pleasing to the eye, comfortable to walk on, soft and warm, keeps the noise out, insulates against temperature, and yet is rough and tough.

Cork tile flooring comes in a variety of hues from natural browns and beiges to greens, reds, and even black. These multi-faceted tiles come with their own unique speckles and whorls and blend in easily with the d

Add a little color to your life by painting that often ignored canvass above your head-your ceiling.

Consider changing the atmosphere in your home by painting your ceilings. They don’t have to be replicas of the Sistine Chapel, but a new color above your head will dramatically change the feeling of your room. Even a hint of color can make a difference. A light peach on the ceiling will brighten a room with a warm rosy hue much more than a cold white.

Paint can also be used to change the appearance of height of a ceiling. To bring the ceiling lower in a cavernous room, make the walls a dark color and the ceiling white. This will bring the eye to a firm point where the wall ends and the ceiling begins, making the ceiling seem closer. Blurring that line of demarcation between the walls and the ceiling will create the effect of a high ceiling, since the eye cannot tell where the boundary exists between the wall and the ceiling.

Once you’ve made up your mind to begin this project the next step is to determine what kind of paint to use. You’ll find you are faced with two genres-ceiling paint or wall paint. How much of a difference can there be in paint, you may wonder. A lot. For starters, price. Ceiling paint is cheaper, but don’t start calculating how much money you can save by painting your walls with ceiling paint. There’s a reason it’s cheaper-ceiling paint doesn’t contain some of the expensive ingredients that make wall paint resistant to smudge marks and easy to clean. Ceiling paint is also chalkier than wall paint, and can be easily damaged in high traffic areas. Ceiling paint is a flat paint that will not show imperfections as easily as glossier wall paint. It is also a thicker paint, designed to reduce splatter when applied.

While ceiling paint is exclusively for use on the ceiling, wall paint is a bit more versatile. It works quite well on ceilings since it is easier to tint than ceiling paint, so you will be able to get the exact color you desire. Ceiling paints appear in far fewer colors-generally a variation on the “white” theme. Recently, however, Martha Stewart introduced some color to the ceiling paint world, and other companies will likely follow suit, expanding your options for colorful ceilings.

You don’t have to be Michelangelo to have a fabulous ceiling. A little know-how and some paint can change your life-or at least your living room!

American Homeowners Association (AHA)

The first thing to look for is the plant’s grade.

Nearly all bare root roses sold today are grown in the field and are approximetly two years old. They are sold in three main grades.

Grade 1 is the best and most expensive grade. In order to obtain this grade the plants are required to have at least three strong cains, two of which must be at least 18 inches in length for hybrid teas anf grandifloras. The canes should be at least 1/8 inch in diameter.

Grade 1 1/2 is the most popular grade due to it’s lesser price. In order to obtain this grade the plants are required to have at least two strong canes which must be at least 15 inches long for hybrid teas and grandifloras. The canes should be at least 1/8 inch in diameter.

Grade 2 is the least expensive grade. These plants are only required to have two canes 12 inches or longer. These plants can be a gamble as they may be stunted.

Note: Measurements are for plants when dug from the fields. Sometimes the plant sellers will shorten the length of the canes for easier handling. The number of canes remain the same and usually the thicker the diameter the better the plant.

There are three main sources for buying roses.

Nurseries are normally more expensive but are usually the best places to buy your plants. Plants are normally kept in sawdust thereby allowing you to inspect the roots. Plants with badly damaged roots are less likely to do well and may not make it at all. Additionally, a nursery usually carries a large variety of new and old standards. Finally, a good nurseryperson can provide advice as to which plants do best in your area and climate.

Mail order suppliers are normally less expensive and usually have a greater variety of plants than your local nursery, however you can not inspect the plants before buying and they sometimes arrive damaged. Furthermore, although most mail order suppliers are reputable a few are disreputable and ship very poor quality plants. Additionally, it is hard and can be expensive to return plants that you are unhappy with.

Supermarkets are inexpensive but usually carry a limited variety of plants. Additionally the plants usually come with their roots wrapped in plastic, therefore you are unable to inspect the roots for damage. Plants can be treated roughly in supermarkets, not only by the people that stock them, but also by customers. Therefore, there is a much greater potential for damage.

Should you buy newly developed varieties or the old standards?

Which variety of plant you purchase depends on your taste and what is available for your climate.

There are hundreds of varieties of roses, however I prefer the older time proven standards. They may not come in as many color variations but they are reliable, still come in a large variety of colors and are usually more heavily scented (I like to smell the roses). My two favorites are both red. The Chrysler Imperial is a full well shaped velvety dark crimson red flower with a rich delightful fragrance which grows on a heavily flowering medium height bush. Mister Lincoln has long buds with full open dark rich red fragrant flowers with long stems and grows on a tall bush with dark glossy leaves.

Roses, if properly cared for, can last years. Therefore, in order to obtain the most enjoyment from your plants it is a good idea to do your research. Spend some time looking at types, colors, shapes and sizes. Check catalogues, the internet, check out friend’s gardens and if possible go to an arboretum or nursery. Look at and smell the roses before buying.

Permission is given to reprint this article providing credit is given to the author, David G. Hallstrom, and a link is listed to http://www.nationalrealtorsdirectory.com the owner of this article.

David G. Hallstrom, Sr. is a retired private investigator and is curently the publisher of several internet directories including http://www.nationalrealtorsdirectory.com

[tags]roses,bare root,gardening,buying,landscaping[/tags]