What’s the easiest way to help sick people recover? Give them a bunch of flowers and you’ll be doing them a favor.

That’s the advice of Kansas State University researchers who recently looked into the effects of flowers on recovering patients.

In their study titled “Effects of Flowering and Foliage Plants in Hospital Rooms on Patients Recovering from Abdominal Surgery”, Seong-Hyun Park and Richard H. Mattson of the Department of Horticulture, Forestry and Recreation Resources at Kansas State University in Manhattan, found that seeing green had a positive effect on people.

The study was carried out in surgical patients. Ninety people who had their appendix removed were randomly assigned to different rooms with or without plants.

“Patients in the plant treatment room viewed eight species of foliage and flowering plants during their postoperative recovery periods. Data collected for each patient included length of hospitalization, analgesics used for postoperative pain control, vital signs, ratings of pain intensity, pain distress, anxiety, and fatigue,” the researchers said.

At the end of the study, researchers said those who stayed in rooms that had potted flowering plants were better off. They needed fewer painkillers, had a lower heart rate and blood pressure, and were more relaxed.

I am building another lamplight greenhouse, so I can expand my study of roses under artificial lighting. I had some very astounding results from cuttings made during the winter and, believe it or not, several are blooming at this very moment in the garden.

My failures were also ever present, but from each 1 learned a lesson, be it in rooting mediums, temperature, hardening off, or what- ever problems beset the indoor gardener. One thing I do know is that it works if you know how to properly balance the lights and take certain other precautions.

I bought a dormant rose the second week in March, planted it in a pot and set it alongside my propagating box under lights. On April 27 I cut my first rose of the year, and I believe the first one in this area. It caused quite a commotion. When I told people I raised it in a basement they said I was “nuts.” The rose had never seen daylight until it was cut and brought out of the house.

Making homemade soup can take a long time, but with your magic crockpot, you can get a wonderful batch of chicken noodle soup while you are taking care of other tasks. While you are out and about, your soup will be happily simmering, creating a delectable bowl of comfort. This is a meal you can easily make whether you are an accomplished chef or if you only cook when absolutely necessary. Your chicken soup will turn out much better than any canned soup you can buy.

Using Fresh Ingredients

If you prefer only fresh ingredients from the farmer’s market, the crockpot can still serve you well. Take the skin off your chicken before cooking. You can use whatever you have on hand… a whole chicken, parts, or boneless pieces. Place the chicken in the crockpot with enough liquid to cover it. Add a stalk of celery, a whole carrot, half an onion or whatever you want to help flavor your broth. Simmer on high for at least 3 or 4 hours.

You’re thinking about re-covering some of the floors in your home, and you’re looking for an inexpensive, but good-looking way to do it. You’ve decided that hardwood flooring looks the best, but it’s so expensive! Well, there’s another option available – Pergo Flooring. It looks so much like hardwood that it’s hard to tell the difference unless you’re an expert — but it costs about half as much as real wood.

In 1977, a small Swedish manufacturing company that made laminated tabletops came up with the idea of laminate flooring. The product was put on the market in Europe in 1984, and made its way to the United States ten years later. The demand for the new product was so great that Home Depot decided to carry Pergo flooring in all of their stores. It has now almost become a household word.

There are basically three reasons why Pergo became the best selling flooring in the world so quickly. They use only the highest quality materials, installation is simple, and the floor is easy to maintain. Pergo flooring has more design patterns than any other, and it is eco-friendly since it doesn’t use real wood — only wood by-products. And if you are worried about harmful chemicals, Pergo doesn’t use any — not even glue.

If you’re considering setting up a greenhouse on your property, make sure you do some planning before you get started. Greenhouses come in a huge range of sizes, styles, and prices. You might decide to build a greenhouse yourself, or simply assemble a pre-fabricated kit. Regardless, you’ll have to think about some essential factors before you get started. Down the road, you will have saved a considerable amount of time.

Your first step is to carefully consider the best location for your new greenhouse. You might already have a suitably flat area on which to build it. Or perhaps you’ll have to find a section of your yard that can be leveled. Then there are your trees to think about. You need to locate your greenhouse away from large, overhanging trees so they don’t block the sun.

You also need to take into account some weather related issues, like how much sun you get and the climate conditions in your area. If you live further north, you’ll get plenty of sunlight in the summer months. But in the winter months, not so much. If this is the case, you will need to supplement the sun’s light with a greenhouse lighting and heating setup. However, this will require an investment of both money and time.

This is a one stop information place for helpful ideas that will help you stage your home for sale. Home Staging is affordable and fairly simple. With a little effort and moderate expense you can easily get a return on your investment when your house sells swiftly and for a profit.

Many seller’s in today’s housing market are selling because they can’t afford the expense of their home more or less spend money they don’t have for improvements. Thank goodness there are tons of inexpensive ways to give an updated and fresh look to your house that will appeal to potential buyers.

By simply clearing up your homes clutter, making minor repairs and doing some small but meaningful renovations you will be on your way to a successful home staging. Take a look at the following areas in your home.

A pristine floor may not automatically sell your house, but a floor that is old and worn out will certainly get the kind of notice that you do not want. When your buyer looks at the floor you want him to notice that it is in excellent or the best shape possible. A sparkling floor can even change a persons outlook on the whole house. You don’t have to go to the expense of purchasing real timber floorboards; a simple timber laminate will pack a powerful punch. Flooring is a vital part of the house to spruce up.

Midwest January

During the January thaw is a good time to start fighting common chickweed. It is in flower now having germinated in September and October. Soon it will be setting ripening seed. Walk across the lawn now pulling out the chickweed plants by hand while their fresh green leaves are conspicuous against the brown soil.

Protecting Shallow Planted Tulips and Narcissus

The long unseasonable fall experienced in the Midwest last year encouraged growth of tulips and narcissus. During February thaws they will begin to peek through the soil. Before they get nipped by frost, cover the bed with 2 or 3 inches of peatmoss or compost. Next fall plant the bulbs deeper.

Watering Evergreens

Even if rain and snow have fallen recently, it would be wise to check the soil under the evergreens. In many places last falls drought left the subsoil extremely dry. The evergreens require moisture during the winter.

Dormant Spraying

Dormant sprays can be applied whenever the temperature remains above freezing for at least twelve hours. If the trees are subjected to freezing temperatures less than twelve hours after application of the spray, they will be injured when the emulsion of oil and sulfur separates.

The “South” section of Mid- America covers a vast territory with many related climatic conditions which govern activities of gardeners. Generally speaking, there is about a two weeks’ difference in time of activities between the northern and southern limits of the area, and readers should take note of this time factor.

Garden planning, or wishing: Nothing provides more pleasant pastime than just pouring over the catalogs that always seem to come at a time to cheer up the recipient of Christmas bills. Certainly the weather most of this month is fit only for armchair gardening.

Begin to make a plan for the garden a study of all the plant materials and their relationship to the house. In this day of high labor costs and varied family activities, do not overplant the garden. Budget your expenditures for items needed or desired most. Aware of the time element involved in the upkeep, many DIY’ers are planning gardens that “thrive on neglect.”

Planting: This is the month when heavy planting of trees and shrubs is done in the southern part of of the south and gradually continues northward as the weather opens up. Warm days provide an opportunity to dig in the soil and plant.

If youve been involved in business, marketing, or networking in any sense over the past 10 years, one thing is for certain. The consensus is that effective goal setting is paramount to achieving anything. Im a firm believer in the principles of Feng Shui, and have found that they can really assist in goal setting and mindset. Heres how.

Sometimes people think that those who actually reach their goals do so because they are special, different, or just plain lucky. However, its more likely that the person had a plan that lead to their success. So, how then can we plan to achieve the goals we set? Here are some ways we can use inspiring words, including wall words, to help us envision and achieve the goals we may have.

Tuscany lighting has soft qualities and it grants a gorgeous appearance to your home at dawn or dusk. You can use it in the morning muted. You can have Tuscany candle holders at night to enhance the joyous moments in the outdoor dinner parties. Tuscany decoration with light can help to set the romantic mood and you can plan for an enthusiastic garden party. It offers an inviting ambience and warm feeling to the guests.

You can add some other themes to enhance the Tuscany home decor. You can use the details of grapes, olives, scrolled ironwork, earthy tones like olive green and terracotta and Italian garden scenes. You can add textures like maple, tapestry or ceramic tile, which can increase the Tuscany feel.

You can put a Tuscany Motif to your rooms by including wrought iron lighting. The wrought iron chandelier hanging in the dining room or bedroom can provide a beautiful backdrop for all your parties and get together.

You can add Tuscany Outdoor lighting to your garden. Tuscany inspired candelabra is the most fascinating way to enhance the feel. You can include candles and can plan a fabulous outdoor meal. Black wrought iron can offer that elegant appearance.