Search Results for: label/uses for used tires/page/5/2010/06/the-urban-homestead

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Our Grape Arbor

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Design, Gardening
4 Comments
...eplaced it with an arbor. Our neighbor generously gave us the columns that used to be on her front porch and I added a plinth to make them taller. In the background are two apple trees that provide some privacy. It’s taken a couple of years for the grapes to cover the structure. One reason is that we lost two vines to Pierce’s disease. Now we have two resistant varieties: Vitus Californica “Rogers Red” and Vitis vinifera x V. lambrusca “Pearl Rive...

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Can our landscapes model a vibrant future? Not according to the LA DWP.

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Garden Design, Gardening, Lawns, Water and Power
18 Comments
...lawn plus a few shrubs up around the house foundation takes no thought, causes no problems with the neighbors and is easily maintained by inexpensive gardening services. What’s not to love, really? And why not hold on to our lawns, because the drought will pass and we’ll be back to normal. Asking people to re-imagine their yards is asking a lot. Yet it may be vital. This drought may not end. Los Angeles and all of the southwest are looking at a h...

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Artificial Turf: Is It Ever a Good Idea?

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Gardening, Thoughtstylings, Water and Power, Water Conservation
29 Comments
...mstances in which artificial turf might be a good option. Maybe if it were used ironically? But I don’t really think its use can be justified. Why? It’s a petrochemical product. It will eventually break down and end up in a landfill or the ocean. There’s no wildlife benefit. Practically speaking, it also gets really hot on a summer day and you’ve got to hose it down with water just to step on it. And if you have pets, it’s not easy to clean up aft...

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Creating a Moon Garden

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Design, Gardening
2 Comments
...irector at the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum. Bornstein’s talk used the Natural History Museum’s garden to demonstrate the many reasons why we should consider how our gardens look at night. Why create a moon garden? For many people, nighttime is the only chance to see the garden during a busy work week. And sometimes it’s more pleasant to avoid the heat of the day and enjoy a garden after the blazing sun goes down. But perhaps most imp...

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