A Survival Tips and Techniques Blog | UrbanWoodsman.com

The Hibiscus genus comprises more than 200 different species. Hibiscus species are found in tropical and subtropical regions, as well as in temperate climates. It is a broad genus that contains herbaceous plants, shrubs and even small trees.

Hibiscus plants are popular in gardens and flower arrangements, since the plants produce astonishingly beautiful flowers on a tall stem. You can choose between wide range of different Hibiscus colours, including the popular red, pink, orange, violet, lavender, yellow and white variants. A Hibiscus flower can reach a size of 4-15 centimetres across and is equipped with five petals. Hibiscus leaves are toothed or lobed and have a deep green shade.

Hibiscus plants will require quite a lot of light, and a majority of the Hibiscus species origins from warm regions of the world. Most Hibiscus species will prefer to be planted where the temperature ranges from 60 to 90 degrees F during most parts of the day. These plants are tougher than many other tropical and subtropical species and will usually survive quite low temperatures as long as they are not prolonged. A cold night can for instance make the plant shed its leaves and buds, but it will survive and eventually begin to form new leaves and buds. You can keep a Hibiscus plant in areas where the temperatures drop below 50 degrees F, but these Hibiscuses will rarely flower. When it does flower, the blossoms will typically be very small and sometimes look a little weird. In a cold climate, you should not give your Hibiscus too much water since this will increase the risk of fungal infections. Temperatures below the freezing point should always be avoided.

If you take care of your Hibiscus, it will begin to produce buds. Hibiscus buds are typically big and tight. Unfortunately, Hibiscus buds are often attacked by worms and insects that can kill the entire bud. When the buds open up and begin to blossom, you can protect them from parasite attacks by regularly spraying them with water.

You can make the Hibiscus flowers last longer by providing them with water and protect them from severe heat. Heavy downpour can harm Hibiscus flowers. If the Hibiscus plant is exposed to temperatures above 95 degrees F, it can begin to drop its buds. This can sometimes be prevented by giving your Hibiscus plant a lot of water and creating some type of shade for it. The plant itself will have no problem surviving temperatures above 100 degrees F as long as it does not become dehydrated.

Pruning your Hibiscus is recommended since Hibiscus plants tend to produce flowers on their new shoots. You can cut off shoots and use in flower arrangements, but they will usually last no longer than 24 hours. If you cut off an almost opened bud you can protect it in the refrigerator until its time to use it.  

Hibiscus plants needs a lot of minerals to do well, including manganese, iron and copper. Giving them some form of flower nutrition or fertilizer is therefore a good idea. Ask your florist for more specified instructions regarding your particular soil and Hibiscus species.

Light is no doubt one of the most essential things that is required on a day-to-day basis. Without light, one can’t even imagine survival; be it natural light or artificial light. When light is so important it is very important to plan its proper lighting design in the best manner. Though we cannot do anything with the natural light once the sun goes down, there are several possibilities with decorative electrical lighting. We can adjust home lighting for our daily needs for both function and style.  Put those candles in the drawer and think about lighting your home effectively. There is nothing worse than having a dimly lit home.

It is important to note that while planning inside or even outside of the house lighting plays a very important role. Many homeowners make the mistake of overlooking the outdoor lighting and bathroom lighting that they currently have.  It is understandable.  When purchasing a new home there are so many areas that are in need of your attention, and the lighting tends to take a back seat.  However, you would be amazed with the results by just replacing a few of your lights around your house.  Be the talk of the neighborhood!

Planning outdoor lighting is also very important. This is true because the real look of the house is from outside, so your front entrance needs some attention. Without proper outdoor lighting the whole charm of the house will be lost, so it is important to plan outdoor lighting in the best manner.  Why spend all that money on landscaping and painting and then keep your existing weathered beaten 20 year old light fixtures? You might be surprised how affordable decorative lighting can be.

The second lighting aspect of your home is bathroom lighting, which is also often overlooked by most homeowners. It is important to note that your bathroom is one of the most trafficked room in your home. Every member of your family will spend time there on a daily basis, so it needs to look attractive and comfortable. Lighting not only helps in making things visible but there are several other important advantages also. For example, with good lighting you can give the illusion of additional space. Good lighting also helps in creating an ambient atmosphere. So it is important to give strong emphasis on proper bathroom lighting for all your important daily rituals of shaving, showering, and applying makeup.

Taking your time and planning your outdoor lighting and bathroom lighting with some research is a very good idea. For your convenience there are various online as well as local lighting shops available to buy products and get advice. However, if you are looking for one stop shopping where you will find excellent lighting expertise, superior customer service, and one of the best selections of lighting around, then look no further. BackBayLighting is the place for you.  Thousands upon thousands of prior happy customers can’t be wrong.

BackBayLighting is one such online store from where you can find all sorts of lighting for the interior and exterior of your home. It is important to note that lights from all the major and popular brands are available at BackBayLighting. So if you are looking for extraordinary ceiling lights, lamps of all sorts, beautiful wall lights or outdoor lighting, you can get the best collection at BackBayLighting.

There is light for every corner of your house available at BackBayLighting and the best part is that they are available in all different styles and patterns that will match the rooms of your house perfectly. It might be surprising for you to note that with all these important features, the prices that BackBayLighting offers on all their items is just hard to believe. You can get the best collection at the best prices. If you are worried about high shipping costs, then you need not to worry at all, as shipping is absolutely free on all of their items. For what are you waiting for? The best selection, best pricing, and best service is ready and waiting…check out BackBayLighting today!

Whilst we are right in the middle of winter, thoughts of developing the garden are almost certainly not top of your to-do list, but in all honesty, this is exactly when you should be thinking and planning ahead. We are all guilty of waiting for some decent, hot weather to evaluate our gardens and then it’s all hands to the pump.

If you want to achieve your perfect garden, the ideal approach is not to rush it. Plan well ahead and think about the key criteria for your outside living area. Here’s a basic check list of points to consider to get the thought process started:

- Safety and security: is the garden safe and secure? Do the boundary lines / fencing need attention? Have there been recent additions to the family which mean the outdoor pond is now a potential hazard? What about the tress – are there any dubious looking trees which are best removed? Can more be done to discourage unwanted intruders from your outdoor space?

- Sanctuary: does the garden offer sufficient privacy from the outside world? Can you do anything to enhance your outdoor room’s “secluded haven” credentials? Could you introduce additional shelter features?

- Entertainment zone: how easy is to entertain friends and family in the garden? Is there a natural space to entertain? How accessible is it to the kitchen? Is it big enough to accommodate your average regular number of guests? Is it sited in the right place ie warm but with some natural shelter?

- Lighting: could you improve upon the existing lighting scheme for your garden? Are there particular features that could benefit from additional accent lighting? Do you have security lighting? Are you using the most cost efficient form of lighting?

- Future perfect: is your garden environmentally friendly? Could more be done to encourage visiting wildlife? Have the materials featured been sourced responsibly? Is it possible to introduce recycling initiatives into your new garden design?

- Maintenance matters: do you need to spend less time maintaining your outdoor room? Are you looking to introduce improved low maintenance features into the garden eg additional hard landscaping, raised beds, mowing strips, an automatic irrigation system, planting of more resilient trees and shrubs?

Once you’ve identified exactly what changes you need to make to achieve your ideal outdoor space, it’s time to convert those thoughts into reality. Aside from the arrival of the new year and all our usual good intentions that inevitably come with it, winter really is the perfect time to begin the transformation of your home’s outdoor space for many reasons. Firstly most plants are dormant at this time of year so if the proposed garden make-over project involves a lot of cutting back of existing stock, it is more likely that the trees / plants will be able to survive this intervention and any other disruption caused by machinery etc. Also rather than having to plant out new trees and hedges from pots, in winter it is possible – and preferable – to use bare rooted stock. In addition to establishing early successful growth your pocket will benefit too, as bare rooted stock is traditionally cheaper to buy than pot grown trees and hedges.

Whatever the scale of project, you need to prepare yourself for some degree of disruption if work is to be carried out on the garden. If you can organise for the hard labour to be conducted during the winter months, you will minimise the interference to you and your family, as it is unlikely that you’ll be spending as much time outside at this time of year.

Article from: My Family UK

A child’s sense of adventure is a wonderful thing, and what better way to indulge it than in a summer activity camp?

Many traditional centres now offer their activities to families so that mum and dad can rediscover their inner child, and swap the daily grind for high adventure – healthy for mind, body and soul!

1) PGL

www.pgl.co.uk

This is a great expereince for the whole family, where you can have fun together or individually: it’s up to you. There are 12 adventure locations across the countr, and there’s even a family-only centre, Loch Ranza, on the Isle of Arran off Scotland’s West coast. Of course, holidays for school groups still operate and all the usual suspects (abseiling, fiendish assault courses and so on) are available whether kids come as a class or with their folks.

2) The Venture Centre

www.adventure-centre.co.uk

The unique location of this centre on the Isle of Man makes it an ideal venue for all the outdoor pursuits that are offered. Glens, fields and lakes provide the setting for most of the activities here, while older group members can go kayaking along the coastline.

Adventure courses specifically for families (based on a minimum of two adults and two kids) are available. All meals are prepared and served by the staff, bunkhouse accommodation and all local transport is included and the activity programme consists of three activities per day.

3) Kingswood Centres

www.kingswood.co.uk Kingswood Centres organise fantastic residential educational visits and school trips that focus on team-building, bonding and physical exercise. There’s endless amounts of cool activities for kids including a Laser Zone, quad-biking, a miniature castle and blindfold obstacle courses.

4) Woodland Ways

www.woodland-ways.co.uk

Woodland Ways offer Family Bushcraft courses in the wild. You’ll learn how to work in harmony with nature and its changing seasons, learning skills like how to purify your water, prepare food outdoors, light your own fire, track and make your own shelter – which you’ll sleep in overnight. You’ll also spend your time animal tracking, making campfires and playing Bushcraft games.

5) ATE Residential Summer Camps

www.ate.org.uk

Kids can enjoy loads of fun activities at ATE. Midnight stargazing, making chocolate board-games and den-building in woods, are just a few. Each site has its own attractions, from swimming pools to castles and country houses. Operating over Easter and Summer, ATE offer loads of different “Superweeks” with activities ranging from Arts and Crafts to ATE Olympics and even a Spy School.

Further Information

For further information and more great ideas about kids’ holidays, log on to www.myfamilyuk.com. We’ve got loads of tips, treats and games to keep kids occupied over the holidays, as well as articles on how to plan fun family getaways.

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A review and test of the Jetboil, not really a Wilderness Survival Tool, but a great item for those of you who are going to practice your skills out in the field. Great for trail hiking or climbing areas that do not permit building camp fires. Carried in our 12 X 4, by Maxpedition, a great item capable of carrying a large nalgene bottle or even becoming a great survival or cooking kit in its self.

First-time buyers of teak furniture often wonder how best they can preserve the great condition of their outdoor furniture. They have invested quite a sum in order to get hold of their beautiful teak patio chairs, dining tables and loungers. Indeed, it can be nerve-wracking to simply leave them outdoors all year round. With changing seasons and unpredictable weather, they don’t know how the teak patio chairs or furniture pieces would fare.

If you are one of the lucky homeowners who were able to acquire a wonderful teak furniture piece, then you need not worry much. Your outdoor furniture has inherent amazing qualities that don’t require much protection. It’s practically maintenance-free. You can leave it outdoors and it can survive extreme shifts in the weather.

Caring for your teak patio chairs and furniture pieces depends largely on your preference. You should know that in its natural form, teak wood has a honey color. If you leave the furniture outdoors exposed over a period of time, it will develop a silver gray sheen. This silver patina is only a cosmetic change brought about by age and exposure and it does not in any way affect the quality of the teak wood.

If you want to maintain the honey color of your teak patio chairs and tables then you need to apply some teak sealer. Teak sealer offers UV protection to keep your teak patio furniture from undergoing color transformation because of constant sun exposure. Aside from this, it has fungicidal properties that create a layer of protection to prevent the growth of molds and mildew with water pooling on the surface of your teak pieces.

Once you applied a teak sealer to your teak patio chairs and tables, only a few care and maintenance steps can be made. You can wash your teak furniture with soap and water to remove dirt and soil. If you’re overprotective of your pricey investment, you can also buy some furniture covers to appease your mind.