Faux brickwork is one of the simplest finishes. It is effective indoors and out and can make a dull concrete floor or plain wall into an attractive feature. Many retailers sell reusable brick stencils that make creating a faux brick effect easy and fast for novices and more experienced decorators alike.

Brick Finishes

A brickwork finish can add color and texture to a boring surface. As an interior finish it can add warmth, as well as adding a stylish and modern touch that goes well with many styles of dcor. Outdoors, on patios and paths, brickwork can be an attractive feature, adding interest to a garden or outdoor living space.

Brick stencils can be used in various scenarios. If you want to extend existing brickwork you can use faux painting techniques and brick stencils instead of resorting to the expense and hassle of actual construction work. If you have a brick feature to restore, you may discover how difficult bricks can be to rejuvenate effectively. Stripped brickwork can be ugly and is easily damaged, with unsightly results.

Brick Stencils: For and Against

As winter approaches, we crave warm, comforting food. Soup is a comfort food that can be found all over the world. Each country has their own variation of soup that uses chicken stock, so there are lots of varieties to play with.

Every cook should familiar with chicken stock. It does not matter if you use homemade or store-bought stock, both are very versatile. Many cooks use stock and broth interchangeably, but actually stock is made from the bones of an animal, while broth is made from the meat. Parts of the chicken without a lot of meat like the wingtips, necks, and backbones are the best for making stock.

The difference between stock and broth truly lies in how it reacts during cooking. Stock, since it is made from bones, will contain more natural gelatins than broth will. The gelatin will make it taste richer, and when used for deglazing a pan, can help bind up the drippings more effectively. The amount of gelatin in a stock will depend on the length of time spent reducing the liquid.

Easier Than Pie

I grow the Glastonbury Thorn, C. monogyna praecox (sometimes listed in catalogues as biflora). Some years it leafs up much earlier than others while C. m. inermis compacta, which graces my rock garden, is a stiff impregnable shrublet 3 ft. high and 14 years old.

Flowers and berries are yielded, but in moderate quantities. C. m. pendula rosea is a pleasant weeping tree with pink flowers but on a heavy soil it needs staking for at least three years. The ultimate height will be around 18 ft. C. m. fastigiata (stricta) is a useful small tree for a limited space if one positively demands a thorn, but there are better looking trees.

Crataegus oxyacantha has sported to give a wider choice. Standards should be avoided on exposed sites with poorly drained soil. The trees get top heavy and the root development, restricted by soil condition, is incapable of supporting them and the wind plays havoc. C. o. coccinea plena, the widely planted Double Crimson Thorn or Paul’s Double Scarlet has a lot to commend it.

The fact that the redoubtable sycamore is a member of this noble clan may prove a cause for reflection amongst the more sober-minded gardeners. However, contained in this genus are some of the loveliest moderate-sized trees for foliage it is possible to cultivate.

Acer cirrinatum, the Vine Maple, was at first try a most reluctant debutante at Harlow Car, largely because I succeeded each time in planting it near a subterranean sulphur spring. Finally on the third move I selected a dry site and it is now a flourishing large shrub. The leaves are lovely in summer when they are shaded with bronze tones and in autumn they turn deep yellow and crimson. Acer davidii makes a medium-sized tree of 30 ft. which is excellent in association with cherries or crab, for the white-striped branches and handsome autumn colour add interest when the others are out of flower.

Amelanchier x grandiflora is a hybrid with canadensis as one parent. I prefer the pink- flowered form listed by some nurseries as rubescens, by others as rosea. Pink candyfloss would be an exact description of this bush in full bloom, the autumn colour of the leaves being a rich deep red.

Erica flower varieties would include the following. First comes E. arborea alpina, with splendid foliage and white scented flowers in April. Good varieties of E. cornea include Eileen Porter, superb in rich carmine-red blossom, but slow growing; King George, a regular dwarf with deep pink flowers opening in December; Ruby Glow with dark red blossom and bronze foliage radiating warmth in every gleam of February sunshine; and Springwood White, a superb white form and the best for general planting. All the carnea varieties flower from December to April and can be propagated by self layers.

Unfortunately, they are frequently pruned into a grotesque travesty of vegetation which reduces them to a degree of ugliness beyond belief, without materially improving flower production. I prune every two or three years, but only to promote strong young shoots by removing the really old wood. Cuttings taken from June onwards root readily with little attention apart from watering.

Both coccineum, which is identical in most respects, except hardiness, with its variety above, and lanceolatum are well worth a place even in the most select garden. The latter, unlike Norquinco Valley, does have its young growth cut by late frost but grows away strongly in spite of this. A well-drained soil amongst heathers will suit the species and varieties admirably. Propagation is by cuttings of firm young shoots from June to August.

No tree excites more affection in me than the graceful native birch. In winter sculptural in white beauty, in spring touched with the pale green charm of breaking bud, then in autumn all golden glory in the October sunshine.

In the autumn the leaves are absolutely delightful, first green rimmed scarlet which deepens until the whole leaf is bright silver and red.

B. x irwinii will always be represented in person in my garden, or by one of its numerous offspring, for they rank with the choicest shrubs. The type is a dwarf bush, 3 ft. high, with arching branches. The flowers, which are crimson in bud and orange- yellow when they open, appear in April.

The variety coccinea is a pearl-tight, compact, and very prim with flowers of coral red, while corallina compacta always reminds me of a garden in the Lake District, quiet under a warm April sun, with the berberis making a flame of vivid scarlet against the white limestone rock. Few places are lovelier than White Cragg Garden in the spring and it is well worth a visit if you are ever in Westmorland.

Erica darleyensis contains two essential varieties for me - George Rendall and Arthur Johnson, both with long spikes of pink flowers.

Apple Blossom is a dainty hybrid growing 6 ft. high with pink and white flowers and it is lovely when grown with pale blue Connecticut Yankees delphiniums. Donard Beauty is 4 ft. high and exceedingly free with its rose-red flowers over many weeks. Escallonia x edinensis, an old hybrid, grows 6 ft. tall in this garden and has bright pink flowers from early June until autumn.

These look lovely with a planting of the grey-leaved pyrus as a background.E. x langleyensis is of more arching persuasion’ and grows 6 to 8 ft. in full exposure. The deep rose crimson of the petals seen against a golden conifer make a solace for the shortening days.

Fugus sylvaticalastigiata , the Dawyck Beech, is very erect in habit and occupies little space. To me, however, the branches are so ill placed as to appear haphazardly stuck on with glue.

Ceanothus includes species with popular names redolent of romance - Californian Lilac, Jersey Tea, and Squaw Carpet. I find it a matter of great regret that not even with the deciduous species can I sit back and enjoy that rare delight of a shrub covered in blue flowers for no sooner do the ceanothus in my garden reach full size than along comes a really severe late frost to turn fresh green to black ruin.

This is just one of the penalties paid for a glorious view of the Pennines in my over-exposed garden. Both the evergreen and deciduous species need a hot sun-baked position and a light free- draining soil to really flourish, so on a clay soil put them against the south or west wall of the house or any other sheltered location with the roots in a carefully prepared compost.

The golden heather of New Zealand, Cassinia jidvida, though mediocre in flower makes a very good looking foliage shrub. I planted five nearly fifteen years ago and so far only one has died and the tallest is now 6 ft.

The word empanada means “wrapped in bread” and these little snacks are created by wrapping a rough dough patty in half over a filling. This makes them semicircular in shape. Empanadas are very tasty and they make great snacks at any time of the day.

Empanadas through History

Mexican empanadas are thought to derive from Galicia in Spain and they arrived in Latin America when the Galician colonists did. A Galician empanada is a large round or square pie, which is served in slices, making it a hearty and portable lunch for workers. Variations of this kind of portable snack include Italian calzone, Indian samosas, and Cornish pasties. Actually most cultures have a kind of “pocket” or meat pie type dish because they are handy to carry around.

Cod, pork loin, or chicken make popular Galician empanada fillings, and these are enjoyed all over Latin America because there are lots of Galician immigrants in the region. Both Uruguay and Argentina consider empanadas to be one of their national dishes.

Photosynthesis is the name given to the process that converts light into energy (or into sugar in the case of plants). In order for photosynthesis to occur the following requirements must be provided: light, a temperature that is optimally between 32F (0C) and 100F (37.7C), carbon dioxide (CO2) and water. The key to greenhouse gardening is to keep all of these factors in optimum balance, and by doing so it is possible to maximize plant growth. The glazing that you choose to cover your greenhouse can greatly affect the photosynthesis process. Studies have shown that plants grow better under glass or plastic that is not clear. Glazings that have smoky appearance to them; that you cannot see through clearly, are advantageous as they scatter the light that enters a greenhouse. This gives a more even distribution of light and thus gives more total light to plants. When light goes through clear glass shadows are created in a greenhouse, which causes some plants to get more light than others.