Tuesday, May 14, 2013

No Cure for Fatal Rose Virus

Local gardening guru Neil Sperry warned of a fatal rose virus in a recent newsletter.  The threat is one home gardeners and rose lovers should take seriously. Sperry comments in the article that,  

“It makes the fungus black spot look bush league. Rose rosette is a fatal viral disease of rose plants, and it's showing up wherever roses are grown. The most visible symptoms: rank growth that almost resembles damage done by a broadleafed weedkiller.


Those canes are completely filled with thorns, much more so than the unaffected parts of the plants. And flowers on afflicted stems are few and abnormal.

Rose rosette is spread by small insects that move from plant to plant. There is speculation that the planting of big beds of masses of roses has accelerated its spread. But the real message is that roses that are affected by rose rosette must be dug and destroyed, roots and all. There are no organic or inorganic remedies that will prevent or cure it.”

For more photos and information about infected roses, here are two websites Sperry recommends:

American Rose Society

TAMU  Insects in the City


Thursday, May 9, 2013

SIMPLE CHANGES TO THE BATHROOM


Take a long hard look around your bathroom and then decide which of these easy changes might help to make your bathroom look better and also function better for your needs.

Have you ever stayed at a hotel with one of those cool arched shower curtains that never gets stuck on you when you shower? You can install one of these in your bathroom, too. Just install a curved shower curtain rod.

Do you have bottles and cans in your shower stall that look terrible but you need them all? You can purchase a corner triangular shaped shelf that has suction cups on the back to attach to a corner of your shower. Get organized.

It is very easy to swap out an old toilet seat for a new one and you can replace your old shower head with a new one, too. If you look for a "Water-Sense" label on the new faucet, you can save gallons of water every year. Save money and look good, too.

Re-caulk the tub/shower and sink area.  Old caulk can be cracked and discolored so a great way to spruce up the bath is to remove the old and replace with new. Once the old is out, wash and dry the surfaces before applying new.

Put in a new mirror or better yet, frame around an existing one. This one can be purchased from mirrormate.com.


An easy way to really make a change is with towels, bath mat and shower curtain. Go for something with a vibrant color to add a splash of color to your bath.
These are easy and inexpensive upgrades for Spring 2013.

Guest blogger Tamara Hyland is a principal of Total Renaissance Construction and blogs about homes, lifestyles styles and decorating and remodeling trends.

DFW Housing Shows Signs of Recovery


Good News If You’re Selling Your Home


A strong recovery in housing starts and price of home sales in the DFW market is good news for sellers and owners alike.  Owners in HOAs cite their desire to protect the value of their home investment as a key reason for choosing homes with community associations.

The Dallas Business Journal reported that “Dallas area home prices increased 7.6 percent year-over-year in March, following a national trend of rising home prices.

Nationally, home prices increased 10.5 percent year-over-year in March, according to a CoreLogic report.

Metrostudy reports the Dallas-Fort Worth new home market continued to expand rapidly during the first quarter of 2013.  

“Homebuilders entered 2013 with the largest backlog of sales in years.  Consequently the year began with a significant jump in home starts," said David Brown, Regional Director of Metrostudy’s Dallas-Fort Worth office.  

Homebuilders continue to report year-over-year gains in traffic and new contracts.  The start pace was the highest for a first quarter in five years and up 35% over 2012.