Ana Isaza Carpio likes to enjoy the beauty of her tree for as long as possible. She puts it up just after Halloween has wrapped, but she doesn’t put on all the ornaments and accouterments right away. “ I just love seeing the simple tree with the twinkling lights,” she says. A Forest of Trees Carpio is a fan of using multiple artificial trees around her home to get into the holiday spirit....

There is a very subtle difference between a privacy fence and privacy screen. A privacy fence might be made from durable materials such as vinyl, wood, iron, or aluminum. A privacy screen is typically smaller and can be made of anything from hedging to trees to a brick wall or a couple of strategically placed fence panels. You may need to check with your town or homeowners association for approval and logistics of building with these materials....

Where Shower Arms Can Leak A shower arm can break in the wall or cause the vertical pipe in the wall to break if too much pressure is applied while unscrewing the showerhead or shower arm. Damaging the shower arm while the showerhead is being replaced is a surprisingly common occurrence. The shower arm may also become damaged simply by the repeated pressure of adjusting the showerhead over years of use....

Here are four different ways to fold cloth napkins so you can make your next table setting extra special. The Diagonal Pocket Fold This classic napkin fold makes for an elegant touch and provides a spot for you to insert silverware, a sprig of fresh herbs or a flower stem. The Casual Napkin Ring Fold If you want to add an extra decorative layer to your napkin, add a napkin ring....

The raised ridges and small volcano-shaped heaps of earth caused by mole tunneling can spoil your perfect lawn. While moles do not eat plant roots, and do eat potential root pests, they can disrupt root systems in their search for insects. Depending on the species, moles range from 4 to 8 inches in length and have pointed snouts, very small eyes, no ears, and large shovel-shaped front paws edged with digging claws....

Long before we humans inhabited those wild lands there was another survivor, Juniperus osteosperma, or commonly the Utah Juniper. Growing in rocky crevasses and on the face of sheer sunbaked cliffs, junipers are the ultimate survivors. Desert conditions make this long-lived tree unique, growing, not to fit its form, but fitting the form of the environment and doing it slowly. A juniper standing only five feet tall may be 50 years old....

The leaves of this Japanese maple form a rounded canopy in an attractive branching pattern: Rather than having a single leader, the plant will often have multiple sub-trunks. Many liken the leaf shape to that on a marijuana plant. The palmatum in the Latin name is also descriptive of the leaf. As on the human hand, where fingers radiate out from the palm, “palmate” foliage bears lobes that fan out from a central point....

In cooler climates, Brunfelsia can only be grown as a container plant that needs to be brought indoors for the winter. Light In its natural habitat, yesterday-today-and-tomorrow grows in light woodland and thickets with partial shade where it is protected from the scorching sun. An excellent location to plant Brunfelsia is under the canopy of tall conifers that give it enough room to reach its mature height. Soil The soil should be moist, acidic, and fertile, with a high amount of organic matter and good drainage....

In the fall the leaves turn bright fiery yellow that shed to make way for ghostly gray branches that, for a short time, exhibit no sign of life at all. That is when the show begins. In late winter, new growth starts to develop along the branches in the form of reddish flower buds. Soon, these burst open and reveal a pendulous cluster of fragrant buttercup-colored flowers that linger for a few weeks to a few months, depending on the weather....

Canadian hemlock trees are shade-tolerant and make very little mess, keeping their graceful look throughout the seasons. Plant Canadian hemlock in the early spring. Plant the trees 30 to 40 feet apart. These shallow-rooted trees need protection from the wind, or else you might return home one day after a storm only to find your tree lying on the ground. Light Unlike many large trees, Canadian hemlocks grow best in full to part shade and will tolerate full sun in cold northern climates....

The coral cactus is a popular houseplant, not only because of its unique appearance but also because it’s low-maintenance and easy to care for. Before bringing one of these succulents into your home, be aware that like all plants in the Euphorbia genus, the latex sap of the coral cactus is considered toxic to both pets and humans. Light This succulent does best with plenty of light. When growing the coral cactus indoors, choose a location that gets several hours of direct light to encourage optimal growth....

Light Japanese aralia grows best when places in partial to full shade. Exposure to bright, direct sunlight can bleach the plant’s leaves, so only place it beneath diffused morning light, never harsh afternoon rays. Soil The hearty Japanese aralia plant is not too picky when it comes to soil. It prefers moist but well-drained soil (clay, chalk, and loam all work) that is neutral to slightly acidic. Water Regular moisture is essential for the Japanese aralia during its growing season (spring and summer)....

This tall, majestic tree is becoming more and more popular as an ornamental landscape tree for parks, golf courses, and large open areas. It has enormous leaves (up to 2 feet wide) making a dramatic impact in the landscape once it reaches its full mature height. The Kentucky coffee tree is also resistant to drought and not bothered too much by air pollution, and it makes an excellent shade tree, making it a good choice for urban areas with space for it to grow and spread out....

The fast-growing plant remains fairly small, but it is quite eye-catching. It sports lots of petite, ovate, glossy dark green leaves. And fragrant, star-shaped, blue-violet flowers with yellow centers bloom profusely mostly in the spring and summer, though a re-bloom is possible under optimal growing conditions. Sometimes the plant dies after its first bloom is finished, even within its growing zones. Persian violets generally don’t have any serious issues with pests or diseases....

You can grow pineapple guava as a multi-stemmed shrub or prune it as a small tree, with a central trunk. It features silver-green, oval foliage that remains evergreen for year-round interest. In the spring, bright, showy flowers appear. The pink and white petals surround spiky, bright red stamens. These sweet-smelling, vibrant flowers attract various birds—and are edible for humans, too. Pineapple guava trees are slow-growers, making them ideal for containers and small spaces....

Another advantage is that Siberian iris are quite resistant to the borer worms and rot that can make bearded iris such a chore to maintain. Siberian iris, with its smaller, beardless flowers, might not be quite as showy as other types, but it makes up for this by being easy to grow and more drought-tolerant. Species forms usually have blue or blue-violet flowers, but there are also cultivars with yellow, white, pink, and red flowers....

Moderate-growing snow-in-summer makes an excellent ground cover for dry, sunny areas. It is deer resistant and often used in rock gardens or as a cover to fill in after spring bulbs are finished. It also can be used to fill pockets in stone walls. After they have dumped their “snowfall” of white blooms in early summer, trim away the faded blooms and some of the foliage to keep the plants looking attractive for the rest of the summer....