Recommendations Ideas, Tips & Guides

Japanese holly fern

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There are thousands of good excuses to add a new member to your plant family, like maybe you had some recent casualties (RIP), or perhaps your other plants just look a little lonely. Regardless of what reason you come up with, you can look to 2024's trendy plants to decide which ones to add to your collection.

The Pea Family, known scientifically as Fabaceae, is renowned for its stunning blooms and vital role in agriculture, but not many are aware of the poisonous plants in this genus. This family also harbors species with toxins capable of posing serious health risks to humans and animals.

Using Listerine as Bug Repellent keeps mosquitoes, flies, and aphids at bay! In this article, we’ll understand how it’s a reliable choice for keeping those pesky insects at bay.

Countertops aren't something to overlook. A vital part of your kitchen's functionality and design, finding the right material, color, and design for the counterrs is so important. And while durability is a key factor, you also don't want your kitchen to look outdated.

Skunks are easy to identify from appearance—and smell! But these handsome mammals typically mind their own business and are more interested in excavating their dinner than in what you’re doing. “They’re primarily insectivores so they provide a useful ecological service, digging up insects in the soil,” says Sheldon Owen, PhD, wildlife extension specialist atWest Virginia University. “The issue is if they decide to den under your porch or crawlspace.”

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Gardeners will most likely need to lime their lawn at some point. Lime is a soil amendment used to increase the soil’s pH, making it less acidic. When soil pH is too low, many lawn grass species cannot make use of nutrients in the soil, including those added through fertilizer. Liming your lawn enhances nutrient availability, which promotes healthy root and leaf growth. However, not all lawns require liming. Get to know the species of grass in your lawn as well soil characteristics to determine if your lawn needs liming.

When and How to Fertilize Spider Plants

Inexpensive and easy dish flowers for your garden!

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It's the time of year when trend reports are released in bulk. Although we love predicting the decor and colors that'll likely take over our spaces in the new year, there's a case to be made for the anti-trend.

There are lots of ways you can flex your DIY muscles around your home. But while painting furniture, building a kitchen backsplash, or grouting tile can be tackled on your own, there are some home projects that are better left to the professionals due to their complexity—and because of safety concerns.

If you're craving more of a minimalist look at home, be sure to avoid these common eyesores that will prevent your space from feeling cluttered and overwhelming, according to designers. They weigh in on specific furniture pieces, hues, and style choices that you will want to be sure to stay away from in the process of creating a soothing, sparse respite.

As a result of the very wet weather over the last few months, I still haven’t got around to planting the spring-flowering bulbs that I bought months ago. Is it too late to do it now? — EM, Kerry

Create your own thoughtful Christmas gifts and decorations

Along with every new year come new home design predictions, and Houzz’s predictions are everything we thought we’d see, plus a few fun new forecasts that will be a delight to see come to fruition.

In this era of evolving tastes and trends, we’re curious to know what holiday decor trends are a big no for interior designers this 2023.

Many people set the intention of using the start of a new year to get more organized—once the holidays are over and decorations are put away, it's nice to create a blank slate for yourself at home. That said, there are some organizing techniques that professionals would rather that you skip over entirely.

When and How to Repot Orchids

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Christmas lights are the crown jewel of outdoor Christmas décor. Adorning your roof, stair rails, shrubs and trees with colorful bulbs transforms a dreary winter block into a festive spectacle. While the basics of wired lights has remained the same, advancements in smart technology and programmable lights, options of LED and solar-powered displays, and even Christmas projectors that require less setup have changed the holiday decoration game in recent years, making putting on a festive light show easier than ever.

As you prepare to list your home, chances are you’ve begun looking at every flaw as something you need to address before the property can sell. That might be true if your home has major problems such as mold or a broken refrigerator, but plenty of imperfections don’t need to be fixed to make a sale. 

It’s probably no surprise that when it comes to cleaning, there are lots of items that the average homeowner doesn’t wash often enough. However, according to cleaning experts, there are some items that they find their clients actually wash too often. 

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While accidentally breaking—or having a guest break—a favorite piece of dinnerware or a special family heirloom mid-dinner party is certainly frustrating, you don't have to lose all hope should a mishap occur while entertaining in your home this season.

It’s always fun to dress up your home for the holidays, but sometimes the options can feel limited or cookie-cutter.

Celebrate the season with these festive 2-for-1 Garden events. Use your2-for-1 Gardens entry card this December to discover some of the most exciting winter events taking place, be transported to Narnia at Leeds Castle or marvel at the 18m dried flower garland at Cotehele.

Watering Christmas cactus correctly is essential for maintaining your plant’s health and preserving its beautiful appearance.

Spider Plant Brown Tips – This common problem, while usually a cosmetic concern, can indicate underlying issues that need immediate attention. Our insights will help you restore your spider plant to its lush, vibrant self!

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Alliums are the pinnacle of late spring gardens, providing an elegant backdrop for your borders. They're statuesque, ornamental, and produce amazing flowers for weeks (if not, months!) on end.  If you've got a bag or two of allium bulbs sitting in your greenhouse, and you've just realised with horror that it's suddenly spring and you might just be too late to plant them — fear not! We're going to show you when to plant alliums and when it's really too late. 

Most kitchens are outfitted with a stovetop fan (or a range hood or microwave fan) to reduce smoke and improve air quality in the kitchen. With wildfire smoke and other air-quality issues, some homeowners have asked whether these fans improve the air quality in the rest of the home.

What is Squirrel?

As you prepare to decorate your home for the winter holidays, keep in mind that there are a few common mistakes that interior designers witness year after year, and urge you to avoid at all costs.