Replacing dead plants

I had part of one of my winter gem boxwood bushes die back last winter. Boxwoods are an evergreen and if they do not get enough water from the roots into the leaves even during winter, they will die. That was the case with one of mine. It partially died, not the whole plant, and I left it in to see if it would grow back, which it did not! So I replaced it this week with a spare plant that I had growing in the back yard. I needed to wait until now the growing season was over before attempting to transplant the bush to increase the odds of a successful transplant.

 This is where I took out the 1/2 dead winter gem boxwood bush. It left a gaping hole in the hedge.

 Here is a close-up of the hole I dug for the transplant boxwood from the backyard.

 This round plant is carefully dug up trying to keep a good root ball (dirt tight around the roots).

 Here is how the finished result after transplanting. It is slightly shorter than the original hedge but it should fill in quickly next spring when the growing season takes off.

A different perspective of the hedge from the street.

Yellowstone National Park-Fall Break 2015

It is always so fun to vist Yellowstone! I hope you enjoy the pictures. Wish you could have been with us! 

 Old Faithful, an icon of the Park! Still amazing to experience at any time of the year!

This is a rarity for us to see. While we were waiting for Old Faithful to erupt, Grand Geyser just north and west of Old Faithful erupted. The water shoots higher in the air than Old Faithful and it lasts longer. It is erratic in its eruptions and not as frequent as others and we were very lucky to see it!

 Mom and Emily standing by the Gibbon River overlook.

 Emily makes me have my picture taken!

 Mom is sitting at the bottom looking up at Mystic Falls.

 Mom and Emily enjoying the hike back from Mystic Falls!

 Another southern view of the Gibbon River

 Mom and Emily with the town of Mammoth Hot Springs in the background.

 Another picture Emily took.

 Here are Mom and Emily with Mammoth Hot Springs in the background.

 Another view of Mammoth Hot Springs inside the Park,

 Mammoth Hot Spings.

The gateway into the park from the North Entrance at Gardner, Montana.

Home Owners Tip - Flush Your Hot Water Heater Now!

Fall is a good time to flush your water heater tank to ensure a continual flow of hot water to meet your family's future needs and to extend the life of the tank and help keep it from leaking. Consumer Reports magazine recommends flushing your hot water heater twice a year. DIY tv show suggests once per year. The rule of thumb is, the more hot water you use, the more you should flush out residual minerals, sediments, and salt that collect in the bottom of the tank and cause corrosion, rust and over time, cause your tank to leak. A new hot water heater installed by locally advertised plumbers (such as Whipple, Action, etc) will cost you over $2,000.00.

To flush your tank, first turn you hot water heater off. Check your owners manual for directions on turning off both gas and electric models. It is helpful if you let the hot water heater cool down by waiting several hours and by running hot water from a faucet until it is no longer hot. You do not want to get burned when flushing the tank, Then locate the faucet bib near the bottom of your tank.

Then attach a regular garden hose to the faucet and you can run the other end out a window where the water will not damage anything, including staining concrete or killing live plants. My preferred way is to flush the tank through the toilet bowl (you need two people for this method). One person opens the faucet on the tank to begin flushing and the other person holds the hose in the toilet to make sure the water goes down the toilet. Be sure to tell the person at the water tank to shut the water off when the water runs clear and free of sediment or if it looks like the water may overflow the toilet bowl. (FYI- the faucet may need a screw driver to turn to begin flushing. Also, after flushing, be careful to drain the remaining water in the hose so it does not leak out onto the floors and carpet. Do not turn off the water flowing into the tank as you need the water pressure to flush the sediment from the tank.)

I just flushed our hot water heater because the soft water unit was putting salt into the bottom of the tank interfering with the thermostat. We would sometimes have too hot of hot water or it was just too cool. Flushing the tank has made the operation of the tank great again and we have just the right amount of hot water. Flushing worked for us and it should work for you. Good Luck!