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String of dolphins are native to the southwest portion of South Africa where they grow in a dry, Mediterranean climate with hot summers and cool winters. As such, they make excellent landscaping plants for milder climates like along the California coastline, but also do very well as indoor plants in hanging baskets. Perhaps best of all, these easy-to-grow succulents are also exceptionally easy to propagate, so you can produce many plantlets and share them with friends and family....

Before Getting Started To check your home for mold and mildew, start with areas where there could be high humidity or water damage, such as a damp basement or crawl space. Mildew and mold can grow on a wide range of household surfaces, including wood products, ceiling tiles, cardboard, wallpaper, carpets, drywall, fabric, plants, foods, and insulation. These growths can develop on a damp surface within 24 and 48 hours and produce spores that travel through the air....

How to Make a Dried Orange Wreath Supplies Needed 10 fresh oranges (any variety will work)Baking sheetParchment paperFlorists wireEvergreen branchesPruning shears or scissorsAssorted fresh or dried greenery such as seeded eucalyptus, lavender, and brunia berriesWire wreath formRibbon Step-by-Step Directions With a few supplies and these how-to instructions, you can create your own farmhouse wreath. Thread any extra dried orange slices on baker’s twine to create a festive holiday garland. Step 1: Dry Oranges Cut 10 oranges into 1/2-inch thick slices....

Editor’s tip: Although you can paint the entire wall once it’s installed, pre-painting prevents paint from pooling in the gaps between planks. Get tips on how to use a table saw. See more DIY accent wall ideas.

Think of smoked chicken like an upgrade on your go-to rotisserie chicken. It’s just as versatile yet even more flavorful than a roast chicken since the smoke from the wood chips permeates the meat. (Excuse us as we try to tame our stomachs from growling as we speak!) This guide for how to smoke chicken starts with how to smoke a whole chicken, then we’ll break it up into parts that are popular at picnics and potlucks, including smoked chicken breast, smoked chicken wings, smoked chicken thighs, and smoked chicken legs....

Step 1: Choose a Yeast Bread Recipe The first step in learning how to make bread is to choose your bread type. Are you a fan of soft-textured white bread, mixed-grain loaves, or slices of sourdough? Perhaps you’re looking for a sweet bread recipe or even one with chocolate. You can also start with specialty bread like a French bread recipe or a recipe for yeast bread rolls. Each style of bread has a slightly different method, but all start with the same key ingredients—flour and yeast....

How to Peel Garlic Follow our Test Kitchen’s best way to peel garlic so you’ll always have fresh garlic cloves for your recipes. Step 1: Remove the Garlic Cloves from the Head Remove the number of cloves you need from garlic bulb. The remaining cloves won’t dry out as quickly when stored as part of the bulb. To remove the garlic cloves, peel enough of the outer layers of skin to be able to grab a side of one clove....

Short-grain rice is high in starch, making it stickier than other rices. It is most often used in Asian cooking, Spanish paella, and risotto. One prized short-grain rice is Arborio rice – a mainstay in risotto.Medium-grain rice is slightly sticky. It cooks up tender and plump with a mild flavor and can be used in a variety of dishes.Long-grain white rice is the most common rice used in America. It has a neutral taste and firm texture, and remains separate and fluffy when cooked....

Colorful Combinations Glory-of-the-snow, with their starry little blossoms, are sure to chase away the last of the winter blues. The small, six-petal flowers in shades of blue, white, and pink are held in small clusters. The blue varieties are most common and feature a striking white center with blue-tipped petals. No matter what color you grow, all glory-of-the-snow make great cut flowers and are the perfect size for a bud vase....

Colorful Combinations The pincushion plant is a lovely perennial and makes a great companion to many garden plants. Most commonly, the beautiful pincushion flower is found in beautiful shades of sky blue, but keep an eye out for black-purple, lilacs, pinks, and white. Since these soft tones work well with so many different plants, it’s easy to find a spot in any garden for the pincushion plant and its flowers. The foliage of pincushion flower is also fairly unobtrusive, forming a nice mat of growth with lightly dissected foliage that works well as a backdrop for this beautiful bloom....

Varieties of Coleus Amora Coleus (Solenostemon ‘Amora’) has peachy yellow leaves with bright green splotches. Leaf veins are rosy red. It grows 3 feet tall in sun or shade. Antique Coleus (Solenostemon ‘Antique’) may be the same variety as ‘Cranberry Salad’. They are sometimes listed as separate varieties, but variability in coloration makes them virtually indistinguishable. Their scalloped leaves are chartreuse with deep maroon or purple flecking, which varies with the amount of sun exposure....

When considering the total run of the unit, local codes often require the top landing to extend at least 12 inches beyond the door swing. Subtract the width of an out-swinging door (usually 32 or 36 inches) from the length you measure between the foundation to the outside edge of the steps. If the remainder is less than 12 inches, you may need to change your plan. Be sure you know and understand the codes before you start planning concrete steps....

Editor’s tip: Cut off any extra peat-pot sides that stick up above the potting mix. If you don’t, the peat pots will dry out faster than the surrounding soil, leaving your tomato plants thirsty and suffering. Editor’s tip: Choose a big container for your plants. The bigger the pot, the less often you’ll have to water it.

Before you clean the moss off your roof, you’ll need to consider how you want to kill the plants and remove the dead layers. After cleaning, you’ll also need to put some defensive measures into play to prevent the moss from growing back. Experts recommend that you save roof-moss removal for a cloudy day. This is because roof-cleaning products, which should be left to absorb into the moss for at least 20 minutes, will not evaporate as quickly as they might on sunny days....

If a casement is difficult to operate, the solution is often as simple as cleaning and lubricating the gears in the operator or the other moving metal parts. If metal parts are broken, they must be replaced. If the operator and lock work fine but the window is difficult to close, you may need to scrape and sand away caked paint. If bare wood is binding, then the sash should be planed to make it fit correctly....

Thresholds come in wood and metal, with a rubber gasket for sealing out the cold. Most exterior door thresholds also have a sill beneath them. If the threshold is rotted, the sill probably is too. The sill is beveled on one side to drain water away from the house. It fits tightly between wall studs and under the jambs and casing, so you need to cut it before removing it....

The researchers also found that regular washing practices with detergent alone were not effective in killing some enteric viruses (transmitted by fecal matter), including rotavirus (an infection that causes severe diarrhea) and adenovirus, which can cause cold- or flu-like illnesses. To prevent the spread of germs throughout your household, consider sanitizing laundry, including clothing, towels, bedsheets, pillowcases, and throw blankets, that someone sick contacted. For the best disinfecting strategy, use our laundry sanitizing tips to ensure these items emerge from the wash clean and germ-free....

How to Shred Cabbage and Iceberg Lettuce Leave your grater in the drawer! The best way to shred cabbage (red, green, and other varieties) and iceberg lettuce (or other round vegetables with tightly packed leaves) is with a chef’s knife ($100, Williams Sonoma). That’s it! Your greens are ready for topping tacos or making a delicious slaw. Continue showing off your knife skills by serving a fresh row salad or serving some crunchy slaw atop these pork roast sandwiches....

Never eat flowers from a nursery, garden center, or florist; they are likely to have chemical residues that concentrate in the flowers. Pansy Pansies span every color of the rainbow, so you can have fun decorating food. Plan a party months ahead and grow pansies to match your decor, best outfit, or favorite color. Their flavor is slightly minty. Try this flower baked into a cookie, as a salad additive, or as a wintergreen-tasting dessert garnish....