Blues Ideas, Tips & Guides

Julie Soefer

It seems that everyone wants to get away for summer, ditching their routines for a blissful retreat abroad. But the key to a relaxing mood all summer long might just be doing the opposite—by bringing the vacation atmosphere into your home. There are so many ancient design legacies across the world that can enhance your abode and turn it into a space you’ll never want to escape. 

When choosing flowers for graves, it’s important to consider their symbolism so that you can convey the right wishes to the lost soul.

Madeline Tolle. Interior Design: Mandy Cheng

Want to turn your yard into a bee haven? Our Bee Friendly Plants guide will show you the Best Plants that Attract Bees so you can enjoy a blooming garden full of healthy foliage.

SMEG

If you showcase plants the right way around your house, they can make it look a million bucks! Flowers can be a great pick for this, and we have some amazing ones to do the job for you!

<use xlink:href="#trending-icon" xmlns:xlink=«http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink»> Trending Videos

Grasses add an unmistakable green appeal to any place and if you have some in your collection that bloom, well, that’s like having the best there is!

Hebes are popular evergreen shrubs, mostly native to New Zealand although some are native to Australia and South America. They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and are suitable for growing in a range of sites and planting schemes. Hebes are excellent in shrub borders, used as ground cover or low-growing hedging, and are relatively low-maintenance.

Sarah Martens

How to Create Glorious Garden Color Schemes

April has been a mixed and breezy month, with April showers and sunny periods, and although it has been pleasant in the sun we have not really felt much warmth from it, with temperatures rarely rising above the mid teens (centigrade). Today has seen a change, however, with a mild night and blue skies from daybreak onwards, and our weather monitor recording temperatures over 19°C – but we still have the breeze! We are forecast more days like this, and I feel confident of beginning to plant up the cutting beds.

Campanulas are a diverse group of plants, including small, creeping species and towering perennials (meaning they come back each year). All have beautiful, usually blue, flowers, and most are attractive to pollinators.

Averting my eyes from the tulips which were shouting “Pick me! Pick me!” as I walked past, I headed towards the bottom end of the garden to pick some of the marauding Spanish bluebells that have sneaked their way in under/over/round the fence. The impact of bluebells in the garden has really registered in recent days, with the uninvited guests and the more local residents joining forces to provide by far and away the biggest splash of blue in the garden out of all the seasons. There may be little patches of blue from spring bulbs and isolated spots in the summer months, but bluebell season is something else and the splashes will only get larger and more widespread as time goes on, with even the English bluebells popping up in other parts of the garden than the woodland. By picking the Spanish bluebells, however, I can at least try and restrict their desire for dominance!

Whether you've just received the keys to your new home, or are redecorating after a few years, a new bedroom paint color is the perfect way to refresh your room.

Target

<use xlink:href="#trending-icon" xmlns:xlink=«http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink»> Trending Videos

Bluestars are in the genus Amsonia. There are at least twenty-two known species, and most are native to the Eastern United States. All are in the Apocynaceae (Dogbane) family, so named because the milky sap is slightly toxic to dogs. Due to the unpleasant taste of the sap, Bluestars are deer- and rabbit-resistant. There are no known serious insect or disease problems.

Brie Williams

What makes mauve flowers stand out is their muted purple shade that has hints of blue to it. The word comes from France, which reflects these bloom’s soft and delicate appearance. They match really well with yellow and red blooms in the garden, too.

If you’re thinking, why lemons, stay tuned. These inks are more than just yellow fruits and can turn your body into a pretty canvas full of positivity and resilience. So what are you waiting for? Find out what lemon inks you can get.

Climate change is slowly but surely creating some major alterations in our gardens, meaning we need to be far more proactive in our planning and plantings.

Recently, we asked our followers on Facebook to tell us their current favorite kitchen paint color. From readers who responded with pictures of their own kitchens to the colors readers could agree on most, plenty of Spruce fans chimed in.

Sea hollies (Eryngium) have spiky leaves and thistle-like flowers in colours ranging from grey to intense cobalt blue, surrounded by a characteristic ‘ruff’. They make striking garden plants and have excellent wildlife value, particularly for pollinators. There are over 250 species of Eryngium, including plenty of cultivated varieties. As their name suggests, they grow well in coastal areas. They look wonderful in gravel gardens or mixed herbaceous borders.

Much like the tradition of birth stones, the origins of birth flowers are shrouded in mystery. But it's likely that since the time of the ancient Romans, people have been assigning seasonal flowers to the months of the year, the better to use them as gifts and decoration for those born in that month. It's a pretty loose tradition, and opinions vary on the correct birth flower for some months; most, in fact, have ended up with two. Some of these work best when planted in a garden, others are spectacular flowers for bouquets and arrangements. Scroll down to find your own birth flowers, and you'll know what flowers to order when your birthday rolls around.

It’s unusual to find a shrub or tree with blue flowers, so if you’re looking for a shock of blue to light up your garden, look no further than a ceanothus. When in flower it’s a stunning sight, smothered in flowers in shades that range from powder blue to deep azure.

Here are some out-of-the-box unusual perennials plants you can grow this summer for a stunning display of foliage and flowers in the warm season!

With so many interior paint colors to choose from, it's easy to overlook a few gems. So that you can expand your radar of amazing hues, take a look at these 15 underrated paint color favorites that designers love and wish their clients would request more often.

Target

As plant enthusiasts, we are always looking for specimens that can add a certain appeal indoors. Here are the most eye-catching blue indoor vines for the job!

African violets have some varieties with dual colors that look exceptionally beautiful. We have hand-picked some eye-catching one that you must add to your collection!

Having photographed several contenders for today’s Six on Saturday, the popular meme hosted by Jim of Gardening Ruminations, I then had to do a cull – but suggest you don’t actually count how many have been included in today’s post!

Blooming in spring, woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata), a native wildflower, attracts pollinators to the shade garden. Butterflies, bees, and moths visit it for nectar and pollen. It blooms as other shade perennials like hostas, astilbe, and ferns are starting to grow.

Joanna Gaines is famous for her dedication to the neutral color palette. You can see her commitment to beige, browns, and whites in each of her collections.

If you’ve run into a garden rut, we’ve got you covered. It’s time to start planning for your first trip to the local nursery or garden center. What plants will you need for a new garden area? Are you noticing a lack of excitement or color outside (we call this the midspring slump)? Just itching for an exciting new addition to a well-established bed? Now is the time to make a list of the perennials, shrubs, and/or trees that will fill those needs.