November is the second to the last month of the year. It is STILL a good time to plant. You can still plant trees, shrubs, flowers and much more. For color you can’t go wrong with pansies, if planted now you can have beautiful flowers and color until late April.

You can plant directly into the ground or in just about any container as long as it has good drainage. Use a good quality potting soil with additional amounts of perlite to help loosen and add tiny air pockets and help roots to “breathe”.

Plant them in an area that receives plenty of sunlight. Feed with an “all purpose fertilizer such as Peters 20-20-20. Remove spent blossoms reguarly to encourage new blooms. You can also add stock, dianthus and snapdragons to this list as well.

This is also a great time to over-seed your bermuda grass lawn. You may use annual rye or perennial rye. Annual rye will stay green throught the the winter months and begin to die off in the summer heat. You will have to repeat this process again in the fall. Perennial rye in bermuda will co-exist throught the season. You may have patchy areas of green and dormant grass the flollowing fall season depending on the amount of water and shade your lawn receives.

Watering this time of the year will be needed much less than October. Bermuda lawns should be watered about every 10-15 days, depending on the actual temperature. You need to water at least twice per month after your lawn goes dormant. If you have cool season grass such as fescue, rye, or blue grass you need to water every 7 to 10 days, through the winter months.

Remember to fertilize your cool season grass if you want it to stay green! You can apply 16-8-8 fertilizer during this time of the year, just be sure that it has been more than 6-8 weeks since you last fertilized.

Some pruning may be done at this time of the year depending on what type of tree or shrub you may have. A good rule of thumb is to have a “reason” for cutting. Is the plant overgrown, diseased, insect infested etc…,
Do NOT prune heavily at this time of the year, in general the majority of pruning should be done in January before mid-February for most plants.

November Gardening tips

You can read November gardeing tips at:
http://guzmansgreenhouse.com/seasons/novembergardentips.htm

Paul Guzman is the author of the above article.
He is the manager of Guzman’s Greenhouse in southern New Mexico.
You can view it online at: http://guzmansgreenhouse.com/seasons/novembergardentips.htm
Or email him at: manager@guzmansgreenhouse.com
You can add this article on your website as long as the Author Bio Resource Box is left intact.

It’s come time to make some improvements on your house and the prospect seems daunting. However, there is some light in the darkness, a home improvement tax deduction is available in the right instance. One of the first and most important things to know before trying to qualify for a house improvement tax deduction is the difference between repairs and improvement. The reason being is that repairs will not help you at all when it comes to the tax reduction. Home improvement as defined to qualify for the home improvement tax reduction is any addition that improves life and quality to your home. Some examples include, adding a fence, driveway, swimming pool, new heating or cooling systems, adding a room, building a garage, adding insulation, a new roof or new landscaping.

While repairs on the other hand is something you to slow down or stop any depreciation that may be occurring on your home or property. This does not qualify you for the tax reduction. Just so you know, some examples of home repair that do not qualify you include, repainting, any fixing, plumbing or leaks or fixing any broken items. Of course there is one thing that may make you exempt in regards to home repairs and them not qualifying you for a home improvement tax reduction, and that is in the case of remodeling. In this instance you can include anything under a general improvement of the home to qualify you for the deduction. Just make sure the expenses are closely related.

Something else that can be done when qualifying for a tax deduction involves your interest rate on any loan you may receive to make the improvements. By deducting any loan points in the year you got the loan you can benefit even more. In addition, if you decide to refinance your house to improve it you can deduct the loan points that year. The amount that you use is proportional to the amount of loan points that may be deducted and proportional when calculating the house enahncement tax reduction.

Therefore, now that you are aware what qualifies as improvement and what does not you are all set in qualifying for a home improvement tax deduction. In addition, by knowing what exactly to do to benefit the most from the house enhancement tax deduction you are on your way to saving money, and who doesn’t like to do that?

Wicker bedroom furniture pieces are created by covering a solid frame by woven rattan, bamboo, cane or synthetic resin. These include furniture pieces such as beds, dressers, chests, night stands, wardrobes and mirrors that are suitable and functional for the bedroom.

In addition to large bedroom furniture pieces, wicker is also used to create objects such as lampshades, chests, hampers, planters, baby bassinets and carriages, which are used as decorative pieces in a bedroom. Bedroom wicker or rattan furniture possesses the inherent ability to harmonize or adapt to any décor and tapestry.

Wicker bedroom furniture is available in both loom woven wicker and synthetic wicker. Natural loom woven furniture with a solid aluminum, hardwood or steel frame is preferred because of its intricate and delicate exterior finish and strong internal frame. Another reason for the gaining popularity of wicker bedroom furniture is that it is less expensive than teak wood or wrought iron furniture.

While choosing wicker furniture, it is important to choose a woven material that is dense. Light wicker is often unsteady and unreliable. It is also important to find furniture that is built on a rattan or hardwood frame. Good quality wicker will not crack or peel, but cheaper versions tend to split.

Maintenance of bedroom wicker furniture is also very important. The furniture pieces need to dusted and vacuumed regularly. Paint and varnish protect the finish of the furniture and prolong its life.

Bedroom wicker furniture should be prevented from coming into contact with water. It should be dried immediately when it gets wet. However, over-drying of wicker results in cracking or peeling, due to the dry indoor heat. To avoid this, the furniture pieces should be cleaned with a damp cloth to restore their minimum moisture levels.

With this basic maintenance, bedroom wicker furniture can last for years to come.

Home remodeling is thriving. Maybe it’s because old houses are starting to need the tender love and care that owners have been conveniently harboring for other matters, maybe it’s because the baby boomers are finally starting to settle down and make comfortable and livable niches for themselves, maybe it’s because peer pressure and shiny ads have finally gotten to everyone, all at once. No one is sure - all we know is that home remodeling is hot.

Home remodeling has the obvious advantages of transforming your space into your space, customizing and designing it according to your individual needs and wants. It also updates outdated and outmoded appliances, structures and designs and can add usable space in your house. The comfort and pleasure you get from your newly renovated space is an obvious plus.

But remodeling has another, equally important advantage - it increases the value of your home. Whether you plan to move out soon or stay put for a good long time, it’s worthwhile to consider what influence the remodeling job you are planning will have on the value of your home.

Certain remodeling projects are more likely to recoup your costs for you when you sell your home. For example, both a minor kitchen remodel and siding replacement recoup a national average of 93% upon sale. A mid range bathroom remodel recoups 90% and a mid range bathroom addition recoups 86%. A basement remodel recoups about 79%.

The above numbers are very loose suggestions for what you will gain back upon the sale of your house and there are many factors that contribute to how your particular remodeling project will account in the sale of your home.

For example, the national average does not reflect local economies and house markets. A stagnant local economy has led to homeowners recovering an average of 65% of money spent on remodeling projects while in some economically active areas homeowners recoup an average of 109%. People tend to make more of their money back if they wait longer to sell after the remodel job. By the same token, don’t wait too long as the remodeling job will wear out and have to be redone.

If you are remodeling in order to increase the comfort and usability of your home then you are probably going to pick areas that need attention, which may or may not be the areas that tend to be most profitable in the house market. However, the following are some suggestions that may help you recoup the maximum possible when you remodel your home.

First, if you are still deciding what project to do, think about the fact the some projects consistently recoup more money, kitchens and bathrooms topping the list without fail. On the other hand, pools and decks tend to make back least. There are some geographical variations - decks built in areas down south will recoup more than those built in the northeast, for example.

Second, low priced projects usually have a higher cost recovery than more expensive, more upscale remodeling jobs. People are willing to pay for something that increases the quality of the space in their potential new house, but they do not want to pay for lavish renovations that you splurged on, especially if they wouldn’t have done it themselves. A mere facelift in a kitchen will probably pay back more than a complete redesign. This tends to vary by neighborhood and can depend on the prices of the homes in the neighborhood.

Either way, if you want to make your money back upon sale, do not remodel to make your house the most expensive in the neighborhood. Although this will certainly attract people to the house, not many will be willing to pay the price. If someone is willing to pay more than what the majority of the houses in the neighborhood are worth, chances are they will just look for a home in a different, more expensive area.

And lastly (this is always the most sensitive point), be wise with your designs. If you know that you are planning to sell, try to stick to neutral, sellable designs. Neutral designs are easier to market and people tend to prefer them because they are easier to modify to personal style. When people buy a home they want to make it theirs without, for example, a rhinestone fireplace or intricate designs making them feel like strangers in someone else’s quarters. If you feel like neutral designs would really stifle your style and make you feel like a stranger in someone else’s abode while you live there, try decorating using techniques that are easily altered, like wall colors that you can quickly repaint when you begin the process of selling.

Be wise with the remodeling choices you make and research them before you jump into demolition or buy matching grout for seven rooms. Each area is different and this could work out either well or poorly for you. With some quick investigating you can decide which remodeling project is most appropriate and how to go about it in the best way.

And remember, there’s a good amount of value in your enjoying your renovations as well. This can’t be measured in dollar amounts, but isn’t that true for all of the most valuable things?

A well-laid path is essential for the successful management of every garden. The direction that it takes must be very clearly thought through to ensure its efficiency. It must be arranged so that there are no temptations to cut corners across the lawn or flower beds and yet as far as possible it should be unobtrusive.

Like the garden itself, a path should be properly drained, especially if it is to be constructed from gravel or a similar porous material. Surrounding ground must also be drained in such a way that the path does not become a watercourse during periods of heavy rain or after snow-melt in colder districts. The scouring out of neatly raked gravel by fast-flowing ground water can be a great source of irritation.

Before construction, consider the possibility of the path also being the line that takes services. Water and electricity can very conveniently be directed along the line of the path so that there is never any danger of interference from cultivation. It is ill-advised to place such services beneath a solid path, such as concrete, but ready access can be gained through gravel, or beneath a paved path.

A sound foundation is vital, even for a simple gravel path. If a generous layer of stone foundation is not laid down first of all it is almost certain that mud will squeeze through and within a season the path will become an unpleasant mud and gravel mixture which will then play host to weeds. Prevent this by using fabric landscape matting laid over the soil in the path area before spreading the gravel. Such material permits water to seep through, but prevents the mud from squeezing upwards.

There are all kinds of gravel and gravel-like materials that can be used for path construction, but all require a proper edging to retain the material. Many gardeners choose 15mm (1/2in) gravel as this is substantial and looks good. It is not the best utility choice though for it is quite difficult to push a wheelbarrow or pushchair over and it creates havoc with high-heeled shoes.

Fine shingle makes a far better surface providing that it is not scattered too liberally. However the best of all is self-binding gravel. This is of gravel-like appearance but of such a texture that it binds together in a neat hard surface. Once laid it merely needs rolling with a garden roller. Crushed limestone can also serve the purpose, but it tends to become dusty during dry weather and stick to shoes on wet days. It can also increase the alkalinity of nearby soil.

Concrete is a serviceable but harsh option, which if laid properly with expansion joints, will last indefinitely. It is not a comfortable path to walk along or work from in hot weather, as there is considerable reflection and glare. The same applies to some of the modern paving slabs made from reconstituted stone. Select these with great care choosing softer more subtle colors to reduce discomfort. Also carefully select the surface. There are a number of more or less non-slip surfaces available; the most natural looking of which is referred to as riven paving.

Philip Swindells has over 40 years gardening experience. A former botanical garden curator and an international horticultural consultant, he has worked extensively overseas. The Author of more than 50 gardening books, he has been awarded a Quill and Trowel Award by the Garden Writers’ Association of America. He is also a former UK Garden Writer of the Year. He writes a popular daily gardening blog with gardening news, views and updates http://www.gardenmessenger.blogspot.com/.