The best essential oils became mainstream several years ago and for good reasons. They have many different uses and provide a variety of benefits. Essential oil therapy, also known as aromatherapy, has been around for decades. Essential oils are plant-extracted, concentrated liquids that were traditionally used in beauty and cleaning products, but recent studies have
With many bee species becoming endangered, more and more gardeners are opting to keep our buzzing friends in mind when planning out their gardens. I know that my concern for the declining bee population has had an impact on my plant choices in the past few years. Bees are so incredibly important to our ecosystems
If you have a lot of succulents, you find out very quickly that there are just as many choices available when it comes to your succulent pots. Most of them are smaller, and this allows you to place a single succulent in them and scatter them around your home. You can also get larger succulent
When you start looking at wall covering ideas, you quickly realize that there are dozens of options available. Picking out the correct wall covering can quickly and easily upgrade your interior without you having to do a complete remodel. It could surprise you that several people forget about wall covering ideas when they’re trying to
You’ll want to consider multiple options when you think of your patio flooring, no matter if you’re planning to redesign your current one or create a new design. Lucky for you, there are dozens of creative and stunning options other than plain concrete. You can even DIY if you’re confident enough in your abilities or
Some of the best foundation plants you can pick out are low-growing evergreen shrubs that provide both visual appeal and a little more security. They work well planted right around your home’s perimeter, and they can enhance your home. The foliage and the shorter heights on these foundation plants work wonderfully to enhance your landscaping,
When you’re searching for a gorgeous perennial that’s easy to care for, durable, and perfect for your forest garden, hosta varieties come to mind. You can choose from a host of different sizes, colors, leaf textures, and shapes, and this allows you to easily mix and match to create a stunning foliage-heavy focal point in
Flowering trees are focal points in many yards because they allow you to make a bold statement. Additionally, their flowers often herald the return of spring and warmer weather if you live in a northern planting zone, so they can be a nice boost for any garden. Although any tree can be a backbone for
Red berries that grow on shrubs or trees can add a fun pop of color to any landscape design or garden. They can fill a decent amount of space and help you lower your overall landscape costs. If the trees and shrubs have edible red berries, you get the bonus of healthy, tasty fruits. However,
Growing tropical plants like birds of paradise is a wonderful way to introduce a little exotic flair and beautiful colors into your home. This is especially true if you live in a colder climate. Some people love tropical plants for their brilliant colors, but other people have them because they have large, variegated or unusually
When you renovate your bathroom, towel storage is typically one of the important factors you consider in your design. Although this may not be the most exciting aspect of designing and decorating your space, there are towel storage ideas that make all of your hand towels, washcloths, and bath towels look nice and keep them
Let’s face it. Most gardeners won’t have endless space at their disposal for all of their trees, shrubs, flowers, or other landscaping designs. Small yards, limited amounts of time to tend these spaces, and tight quarters with neighbors can make it difficult to strike a balance between privacy and a truly beautiful landscape, and this
To any gardener, all plants are stars. However, the best flowers for pots can shine just a little brighter, especially when you combine several types of flowers in your containers to create a show-stopping arrangement. Maybe you pick out plants that have colorful foliage, beautiful flowers, or graceful trailing stems to them. Or, maybe you’re
It’s wonderful when you have a backyard garden or gorgeous deck or patio where you can go out and relax or have quality time with family or friends. However, you may want to consider outdoor privacy panels to ensure you have enough privacy to sit back, relax, and unwind after a long day. Creative privacy
If you have a pond in your yard, no matter the size, do you have pond plants? If the answer is no, it could be a great time to consider adding them. Pond plants are interesting, gorgeous, and they can be relatively easy to keep healthy when you get them into your pond. They can
Growing vegetables from seed is a hugely rewarding process. But it can be expensive to buy new seed packets year after year. And once you find a variety you like, not being able to source those seeds the following spring can be frustrating. There is one way around this however. Learning how to save tomato
With their large leaves and sturdy rosettes, the artichoke is a distinctive plant. A herbaceous perennial, artichokes are part of the asteraceae family alongside sunflowers, thistles and dandelions. These unusual, architectural vegetables are commonly grown for their edible flower buds that are harvested before the flowers open. But they also have ornamental value. Despite looking
The aloe plant is popular as a houseplant for a number of reasons. Their attractive, glossy foliage adds color and interest to a range of spaces. The plants are also easy to care for and some varieties even have additional benefits, such as the much lauded medicinal properties of the aloe vera plant. If you
Whether you’re planting more shrubs into your front yard landscape or putting in a new shrub bed, getting low maintenance shrubs are a must in today’s packed schedules and busy homes. Low maintenance shrubs are beautiful options that require very little shaping or pruning, bloom reliably, are disease and pest resistant, and do well in
Room organization hacks and ideas are a dime a dozen. If you do a quick Google search, you can easily get flooded with a sea of room organization ideas. So, how do you know which ones are worth DIYing and which ones you should buy? How do you know which ones will work best for
If you live in an area that has a heavy deer population that routinely makes their way into your yard know how challenging it can be to protect your plants. Deer will get into both your front and back yards, and fences may not even keep them out. You may have heard of deer-resistant shrubs
Outdoor showers are very common fixtures on pool decks or in backyards in warmer areas all around the world, and when the weather gets hot and humid, it’s nice to jump into a cool shower a few times a day. There are also dozens of outdoor shower ideas available, so it’s easy to customize your
Shade bushes are a diverse addition to your yard, and they can easily inject interest in color in a darker corner of your forest garden. These shade bushes range from tall hedges to shorter bushes, and they can be deciduous or evergreen. Some bushes will produce blossoms while others have gorgeous foliage to display. They’re
Do you have a lot of pairs of shoes? If you’re someone who has many more than you can count on one hand, you’ll need a ton of shoe storage ideas to keep your entryway tidy. Whether this means putting your shoes by your entry table or creating a hidden shoe storage idea, either one
For thousands of years, humans have been growing olive trees, harvesting them, and eating them. They’re valuable for their fruits and oils, but not all olive trees will bear fruit. So-called fruitless olive trees are actually sterile, so they flower and make a great ornamental addition to your front yard landscape, they will produce no
Succulents like Chicks and Hens and cacti are different from your traditional plants. They have different care needs, including having a specialized succulent soil. In their natural habitat, these plants typically face drought, and this means that they store moisture in their leaves or stems. The soil in which they grow is also very different,
One quick and easy way to spruce up your entryway is to apply a new coat of paint while learning how to paint a door. Knowing how to paint a door ensures that you can quickly and easily refresh the look of your space without having to go out and purchase all new doors, and
Do you have a favorite perennial or annual flower that always seems to droop into the dirt, especially after you have a bout of heavy rain? If so, these flowers might be the perfect choice for a hanging flower basket. A lot of the flowers that work perfectly in hanging flower baskets are top heavy,
If you’re someone who loves to garden but you’re short on space, a vertical garden can allow you to scale it down to fit in virtually any space inside or outside of your home. Creating a vertical garden such as a plant wall is a great way to incorporate flowers, vegetables, herbs, or other plants
Are you having issues knowing when it’s time to water your houseplants or the plants outside? If you are, you’re not alone. Having a soil moisture sensor on hand is one way to combat this issue, and you can quickly and easily tell at a glance whether or not you have to water your plants.
Do you want to be able to grow the best tomatoes in your container garden? If so, heirloom varieties are an excellent option to explore. Heirlooms make some of the best tomatoes because they have decades of people working to make them all about flavor and nutrition. This is different from a lot of other
You might put a lot of care into picking out the perfect materials for your deck’s floor, but you also should put just as much care into deck railing ideas because the railings add a very aesthetic touch. Consider this, from most vantage points and when you look at your deck from a distance, your
Shade trees are a wonderful way to add habitats for wildlife and beauty to your landscape design. However, there are several other benefits to well-placed shade trees. They’re an excellent way to cool down your home during the hot summer months, and this saves you both energy and money. In turn, this can slowly reduce
In some planting zones, winters tend to drop to a deep freeze that gives you a much shorter growing season to work with each year than in other regions. There is also a lot of unpredictability with the weather, and this can lead to people seeking out winter vegetables that will survive and thrive in
Love-in-a-Mist is a charming cottage garden flower that is incredibly easy and rewarding to grow. It’s one of only a few flowers that bloom with a true blue color and brightens up both the garden and flower arrangements. With just a packet of seeds, you can easily grow Love in a Mist in your own
Osteospermum is a colorful, long-lasting flower. In the right conditions they can flower from early summer until the fall. Native to South Africa, these attractive blooms are also known as the Cape or African daisy. A popular bedding plant, these colorful flowers look great in mixed borders. They are also good pot plants, ideal for
Flowers are a fabulous way to introduce color and fragrance to a garden or vegetable patch. They also play a vital part in a healthy ecosystem, attracting beneficial insects and deterring others. Flowers that attract bees and other pollinators are particularly useful. Pollinators, as the name suggests, spread pollen around flowers and from plant to
An attractive and unusual specimen, the leathery green foliage of the avocado tree is a great way to add interest to a garden or houseplant collection. And, with a little care and patience, many varieties can even be encouraged to bear fruit. Originating in southern Mexico, the popular pear shaped fruit of the avocado tree
Full of flavor and easy to grow, garlic is a great addition to the vegetable garden. While it may be easy to cultivate large, flavorsome bulbs, it can be difficult to know when to harvest garlic. If you harvest your garlic bulbs too early they will be small and lacking in flavor. Allowing the bulbs
Cleome is one of the most distinctive members of the flower garden. Its spider-like blooms provide color and interest to any outdoor space. An excellent cut flower, these blooms come in a variety of colors. Also known as spider flower, spider plant or grandfather’s whiskers, this gorgeous annual plant adds contrast to mixed flower beds.
Known for their medium hot punch, Jalapenos are a popular chili pepper. Interestingly, despite being classified as a perennial vegetable, these plants are usually grown as warm weather annuals. Members of the Capsicum annuum species along with sweet bell peppers, cayennes and habaneros, the jalapeno shares many of the same growing likes and needs as
The sweet pea flower is a popular annual plant. Grown for their delicate, aromatic blooms the sweet pea flower (Lathyrus odoratus) is a common inclusion in flower beds and cottage garden planting schemes. A colorful plant with a relaxed climbing habit, these classic plants thrive in pots and containers. Many people also like to grow
Cucumber varieties are warm-weather plants that you can grow in the ground or in containers anywhere you have a hot to warm summer season. Most cucumber varieties take 60 days from the date you plant them to be ready to harvest, and this makes them ideal to grow in environments that have hot weather for
When you’re tackling a kitchen renovation project, new appliances and cabinetry are usually two of the biggest budget eaters available, especially if you want the best kitchen faucets and fixtures. New fixtures and other smaller design choices can make a huge impact on your cooking space’s aesthetic. The faucets are some of the most used
When the weather turns pleasant and warms up, there’s few things more satisfying than being able to cook and eat a meal outside on your patio. Implementing one of these outdoor kitchen ideas allows you to prepare and enjoy your food while you’re out under the stars or under the sun, and they come in
When it comes to your backyard, everyone has a host of different needs and thoughts on backyard garden ideas. Will you design and maintain your backyard garden ideas yourself or hire someone to come in and do it for you? Do you want a setup that changes from year to year or something that stays
When you build a new house, add an addition, or retrofit an existing one, picking out the correct roof type can be much more challenging than many people realize. Roofs do so much more than just serving their most practical and basic purpose of protecting everyone inside the house and the house itself from the
If you’re someone who has uneven ground outside of your home that is prone to eroding, you’ve probably already thought of a few retaining wall ideas. A well-built retaining wall can help keep the soil on one side of the wall while allowing for a lower floor level on the opposite side. Traditionally, most retaining
Maximizing your storage space in your garage can be very tricky, especially if you’re someone who is passionate about mechanics or woodworking and you love to fix common issues by yourself. You’ll need solid garage storage ideas if this is the case to help keep all of your tools and materials neat, organized, and ready
While there are many different lettuce varieties if you want a thick crisp leaf with a good crunch, nothing beats the romaine lettuce. Romaine or cos lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. longifolia) is known for producing plants with upright heads and robust, long leaves. The densely packed leaves have a distinctive thick midrib. One of the