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Butterflies and caterpillars need more than a friendly plant or two in the garden, and just like us humans, they also have certain preferences. In the case of butterflies, they like a spiral or three-dimensional garden bed with a variety of larval host plants. Such a bed is the ideal habitat for insects, according to the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU). A spiral bed winds its way upwards similar to an herb spiral, which becomes narrower towards the top and is bordered by large stones. The site should have room for a bed at least three metres in diameter, with the lower...
DPA International
Most fruits contain seeds, and some plants culinarily regarded as vegetables - including tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers - are botanically fruits because they contain seeds. When you buy them at a supermarket or greengrocer's, can you use their seeds to grow them in your garden? "Yes, but there's a high risk you won't get anything that tastes good," says Christine Scherer, horticultural technician at the Bavarian Garden Academy in Germany. The reason, she explains, is that F1 hybrid (first filial generation) seeds are very often used in commercial fruit and vegetable cultivation. They're the r...
DPA International
As the temperatures heat up, so does the growth in your garden - and the dreaded need to haul out that lawnmower to keep the grass in shape. But now, you can forget about what your neighbours might say about your unruly lawn. "No Mow May," originally a UK movement, has spread to other countries and proponents say it will actually keep your grass greener. Blooming flowers on the lawn attract bumblebees and butterflies as well as special species that feed off of the growth. Cut the grass and you chop off this ecosystem. "Even before wildflowers have a chance to grow up from the lawn and blossom,...
DPA International
Next time you need fresh soil for your flower bed, balcony box or herb pot on the windowsill, make sure that it is peat-free. Environmentalists are keen to make small-scale gardeners aware of the difference they can make to the protection of some of Europe's most fragile ecosystems. Peat extraction for gardening is leading to the destruction of raised bogs across Europe and threatening important habitats for rare animals and plants. Peatlands also store a lot of carbon, and large amounts of CO2 are released into the atmosphere when they are disturbed by commercial exploitation. So, you can als...
DPA International
You arrive home and think "peace and quiet at last." A few seconds later, the silence is broken by loud footsteps from the flat overhead, barking dogs, banging doors or even the sound of your neighbour's TV. Residents of apartment blocks have many a tale to tell about unwanted noise. And sometimes it even reverberates into your own flat. So, what can you do? Getting to the bottom of noise is no mean feat. A distinction is made between airborne sounds and structure-borne sounds. Airborne sound travels through the air as sound waves and is perceived by the ears. Structure-borne sound, on the oth...
DPA International
Many people shy away from silver cutlery thinking it requires way too much effort to polish and clean. That is a common misconception, as proper silverware does not to be cleaned daily, but just like any household item silver knifes, forks and spoons do collect dirt and grime over time, plus silver reacts with oxygen, meaning the cutlery will discolour eventually. But sprucing up your silver cutlery again takes no time at all, and you guaranteed to have all you need for that already at home. To remove dirt and give the silverware back its shine, simply apply some toothpaste with a soft brush o...
DPA International
The tiles, bathtub or sink in the bathroom of a rented flat or house may not always be to your liking. Consider making small changes before you rip out the whole bathroom. A splash of colour is the easiest way to brighten up a bathroom. "Light wall colours make a room appear larger and airier," says Mareike Hermann, a representative of the DIY Academy in Cologne. Although white paint is perhaps the preferred colour, light natural tones or pastels are also an option. If the bathroom is large, you could also try darker and bolder colours, but these can make the room look smaller. Beige and green...
DPA International
Kids grow faster than parents ever expect. Before you know it, they've outgrown their cot, pram and high chair. But how can parents tell when it's time to move on from them, and how they foster their child's development? Before you decide that a certain piece of baby furniture has outlived its usefulness, you should assess the child's level of cognitive and motor development, advises Dana Mundt, a social educator for Germany's Federal Conference for Child Guidance Counselling (bke). "Every child has their own pace of development," she says, so parents shouldn't compare a child with siblings or...
DPA International
Over time, all kinds of documents, contracts, invoices and other papers that you need or want to keep accumulate at home. A spring clean will help to prevent all that messy paperwork descending into chaos. "Sometimes you don't even know what you have anymore," says Petra Hermann, an organizational consultant based in Germany who specializes in business and private offices. Her advice is to generally scan documents and store them digitally on a laptop, an external storage disc or in the cloud. Only keep what you really still need as an analogue document in paper form, such as your rental agreem...
DPA International
Almost gone are the days of balconies with perhaps a lone chair for the smoker who has been banished outdoors. Balconies and terraces, especially in big cities but in the countryside as well, are now so lavishly furnished and decorated that experts are calling them second living rooms. This trend has reached a new peak, says Frank A. Reinhardt, an expert with a European trade fair dedicated to garden lifestyle in the German city of Cologne. "The quality of design and material is consistently very high across all price classes," says the trend researcher. "I have rarely seen such a high, qualit...
DPA International
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