Leggy, woody, scraggly, spindly, yellowish, unkempt, and unsightly. No, it's not roll call for the cast of some dozing-princess fairy story. If you're like most people, it's the perfect description for that sad-looking hedge bordering your yard. Rows of thickly planted shrubs can be a handsome way to define borders and boundary lines, keep children and pets in (or out), and give birds shelter and even food. But like all shrubs, hedges need regular watering, feeding, and pruning to look their best. Though folks may forget to give roots a good drink in hot weather or to fertilize in early spring with a good 10-10-10 formula, the last area is where most of us really lose it. "A lot of people are intimidated by pruning, but it's a science anyone can master," says This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook. "You just have to learn a few basics." Here are some expert fixes for common mess-ups when it comes to hedge plantings. Mistake #1: Shearing hedges without hand-pruning them
Using shears—whether hand-held pruners with long scissorlike blades or a power trimmer—to take off branch tips keeps hedges neat and tidy, and also stimulates bud production near the plants' edges. But as buds multiply, a shrub can get so thick that sunlight can't penetrate it, preventing interior growth. The result: a hedge that gets larger each year and looks lifeless inside. Proper pruning allows some sunlight to get in and enables you to cut back shrubs so they don't get too big. So at each shearing, be sure to use bypass hand pruners to create some spaces in the hedge for light and air. Every few feet, reach inside and clip a branch or two at a 45-degree angle, just above a nub or leaflet that's growing in a direction you want to encourage. If a hedge is old and seriously overgrown, you'll need to do some rejuvenation pruning using the three-year rule. Remove up to one-third of the thickest stems down at the base of the plant, stimulating new growth; repeat the next year, and the year after.
This will leave you with a healthier shrub that's reduced in size. Mistake #2: Pruning at the wrong time Ideally, hedges should be pruned in late winter, when plants are dormant and haven't produced buds—particularly if you're cutting back drastically. "You don't want them to break bud before you prune because you want the plant's energy to go toward producing new growth where you want it," says Roger. "If you take off a plant's buds, you're cutting off spent energy, and it will take longer for the hedge to fill out." Evergreens, in particular, require pruning early in the season; because they're generally slower-growing, they're likely to be bare (where interior cuts have been made), and off-color at the tips (too yellow) as new growth starts to show, well into the summer. Faster-growing deciduous hedge plants such as privet, spirea, and viburnum are more forgiving. With flowering shrubs, the golden rule of pruning is to wait until the day after blooms turn brown—that way the plant will have time to set buds for next year, whether it blooms on the current season's wood or the next's.
Leggy, woody, scraggly, spindly, yellowish, unkempt, and unsightly. With flowering shrubs, the golden rule of pruning is to wait until the day after blooms turn brown—that way the plant will have time to set buds for next year, whether it blooms on the current season's wood or the next's.What is your dream car? Have you always wanted a convertible sports car, or maybe an old-fashioned roadster? Having a garage stocked with rare and valuable cars is a huge status symbol, and it’s not surprise that some celebrities are notorious car collectors! Sometimes, it’s what’s behind the garage door that counts – and here’s a list of the top 8 celebrity garages! Mr. Wisniewski is a hedge fund manager from Las Vegas, and his garage captures some of that splendor. It features a spacious penthouse loft with a bar, casino, and arcade. It even has roof-top access with a hot tub under the stars! And of course, fulfilling its purpose as a garage, it is home to 15 cars! Craig Jackson is the Chairman and CEO of the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company, a company that specializes in high-end car collections, and his personal collection is nothing short of extraordinary.
At his home in Paradise Valley, Arizona, Craig constructed a $2-million garage built into the mountain around his house, covering a total of 3,600 square feet! The entire garage is automated to be controlled electronically, including the lights and the rotating pedestal at the center, which holds his Bugatti Veyron. Software engineer and millionaire, Tom Gonzales has a taste for the finer things in life – his estate in Lake Tahoe, Nevada among them. Not only is the property huge and situated directly on the water (including an artificial beach) but it is also home to three living buildings and two separate garages. One of the garages is a 12,000 square foot carriage house with a range of different sized custom wood garage doors. The really impressive part, however, is the 6,000 square foot subterranean garage that can be accessed by a 60 foot long elevator straight out of an aircraft carrier! The elevator is disguised to blend in with the landscape, covered in fake rocks and trees, and between the two garages Tom can hold his 30 cars and his motorcycle collection.
Jerry Seinfeld, of Seinfeld acting fame, is a well-known car collector, and he houses his collection in an impressively hidden garage in upper west side manhattan. His collection consists of more than 45 Porsches, houses across four separate floors accessible by elevator. The garage also contains a club room, a bathroom, a kitchen, and even an office in the 844 square foot living space. There’s even an automated security and climate control system that Jerry can control from his phone, and mobile viewing from security cameras lets him keep an eye on his collection. World-famous fashion designer Ralph Lauren realized that he needed a showroom for his extensive car collection after buying his sixtieth vehicle, and set out to build the ultimate garage for them. He started with a decommissioned car dealership in Westchester, New York, and Ralph Lauren’s Vice President Alfredo Paredes was tasked with designing the monolith to automobile culture. The end result was a two-floor garage built like a display museum, where cars sit on white steel platforms in all black-and-white rooms, so that all attention is focused on them.
It is truly a sight to behold! Travolta’s collection isn’t as well known as some of the others on this list, but it has something that no other celebrity garage can boast – in addition to the space for his fifteen cars, it is home to 1.4 miles of runway and two planes – his Gulfstream private jet, and a Boeing 747 jumbo jetliner. It is well known that Travolta is listened to operate all of these, so the full fleet of support vehicles and long runway are actually put to good use. No one knows how much TV Host and comedian Jay Leno spent to build his famous “Big Dog Garage”, but now that his 20 years of the “Tonight Show” have ended, Jay can focus more attention on his new series, aptly titled “Jay Leno’s Garage.” Jay stores his collection in large hangers near the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California, and his collection is speculated to contain 150 cars and motorcycles. Every vehicle in his garage is legally listened to drive, and Jay takes the opportunity to drive them whenever he can.
His show, which began as a web series but is now airing on CNBC, follows his reviews of classic cars and modern super cars, all from his own collection. His garage is legendary, with 17,000 square feet of parking and a machine shop, fabrication shop, and kitchen. 1. Hamad Bin Hamdan al-Nahyan (Emirates National Auto Museum) This collection is unique from the others on our list because it actually is a publicly-viewable museum collection, in addition to being the personal collection of HH Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan al-Nahyan. This amazing garage, housed inside a giant pyramid south of Abu Dhabi, is made up of more than 200 cars, mostly off-road vehicles and classic american cars. Notable among the collection are the Sheikh’s 7 rainbow-colored Mercedes 500 SEL’s, an eight-bedroom motor home, and the world largest truck. We hope that you enjoyed this list compiling the top celebrity garages! Maybe your own “car collection” is a little smaller than these, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t treat yourself to an upgraded garage door!