November 2020 – d o r i c s o u t h

Is a Silver Maple a Good Choice for Shade at a Front Yard?

Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) is a big riparian tree, growing as tall as 120 feet in its native streamside habitat. Its deeply lobed, soft green leaves have a silver-gray backside that provides the tree its name. It might appear to be an ideal candidate for a front yard color tree, except for a few important [...]

Fiddleleaf Fig Bushes

Also called banjo fig, fiddleleaf fig (Ficus lyrata) is an evergreen tree indigenous to tropical Africa. In the wild, the tree can grow to heights of around 100 feet, with a spread of around 60 feet. The tree may be pruned heavily, however, to allow it to maintain a smaller, longer bush-like habit. Fiddleleaf fig [...]

The way to put in a Post Lamp or Lantern Without Using Concrete

Setting up an outdoor area for a gathering or event frequently involves for installing temporary post lamps or lanterns that provide light during night hours. While concrete is used for permanent installations, it’s removing temporary posts or poles difficult and time-consuming. Installing post lamps or lanterns securely involves digging a hole and then tamping the [...]

The way to Prune an Orange Viridis Maple

“Viridis” maple (Acer palmatum var. Dissectum “Viridis”), a cultivar of laceleaf Japanese maple, is a powerful specimen tree for a small yard since it grows to about just 10 feet tall and also contains brilliant hues of bright orange foliage in fall. Hardy at U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9, “Viridis” [...]

How to Fix a Chain on a Black & Decker Alligator

The Black & Decker Alligator is a small, lightweight, battery-powered 18-volt rechargeable electric chain saw intended for pruning limbs from large trees and cutting those limbs to manageable segments. It has a 6-inch string bar and safe scissor-like action for cutting branches up to 4 inches in diameter. Should you encounter poor cut quality and [...]

Why Do Apples Rot Inside Before They Fall?

Some apples cultivars (Malus domestica spp.) Ripen and deteriorate on the tree before they drop, although other cultivars fall before they ripen. If your apple cultivar is one that does not drop easily, you need to examine it for ripeness so that you can pick it in its prime. The important thing is knowing how [...]

Troubleshooting a Dyson Vacuum Cleaner

When James Dyson got fed up with the inefficiency of vacuum cleaners, he decided to design his own. Later over 5,000 prototypes spanning 15 decades, he scored a win in 1993 using his bagless patented cyclone high-efficiency design. Dyson costs run on the high end for vacuums, so when something goes wrong, it may have [...]

Sound Dampening in an Apartment

You’ve found your dream apartment in an ideal place and there is just 1 thing wrong with it. But that 1 thing will drive you, or your neighbours, to anger and madness if you can not mend it efficiently and efficiently. Noise is the bane of city dwellers, apartment owners near heavily trafficked highways or [...]

The way to Decorate Using a Weathervane

Weathervanes were consistently functional items — but never utilitarian. European Island had one weathervane, highly visible to the steeple of this church, but American settlers lived far apart and weathervanes became a folk-art kind, with each homestead, farm coastal home creating its own symbol to track the wind. Rooftop to Firebox Antique weathervanes are collectibles [...]