Wellness Ideas, Tips & Guides

Aster ‘Mönch’ at the gardens of St Giles House in Dorset

If you spot a bit of rust on the tine of a fork in your flatware drawer, it might not be anything to fret over—but it could also be a sign that your flatware is coming to the end of its lifespan. We talked to flatware and cutlery experts to find out signs it's time to replace flatware, as well as situations when you might be able to hold onto them a bit longer.

Aubrie Pick

Fall is the peak time to properly evaluate your home, so you know what to fix before winter approaches. From gardening to HVAC and plumbing, it's important to make sure your home is in good condition especially if you're hoping for a stress-free year ahead.

Fall could easily be a time of mourning. It’s the season of withering and dying back, of shortening days and cooling nights. Yet if you look at natural areas of the Southeast in fall, they’re anything but sad. There’s movement beneath the changing colors. Birds are hopping from one branch to another in search of ripening berries, and small critters are busy foraging in the underbrush. Fall brings a bounty like no other, and it’s all made possible by underlying ecosystems of native plants. You can bring some of this autumnal excitement to your own garden, starting with these southeastern native shrubs and perennials that offerexceptional fall interest for autumn gardens:

JULIE SOEFER

M&M's | Design: Better Homes & Gardens

Garden art and sculpture creates year-round atmosphere and interest in your garden.

Hardly an episode goes by where we don’t mention a pollinator plant. But we have never dedicated an entire episode to the topic, which in our minds is bananas! So today we’re fixing that track record and discussing 11 of our favorite pollinator plants. Native plant expert Cheyenne Wine joins us from Rare Roots Nursery in Virginia to add her top picks to the conversation, as well. Listen now to find trees, shrubs, perennials, and even some bulbs to plant if you’re interested in turning your garden into an insect party buzzing with activity!   

Mystery and romance are two words that come to mind when thinking of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. It’s mysterious in that its existence is only known through descriptions in ancient Roman and Greek documents; to date, no physical archeological evidence has been uncovered. In fact, the exact location of this fabled ancient feat of engineering is uncertain. It is believed to have been built by the Neo-Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife, Queen Amytis, because she longed for the verdant, mountainous landscapes of her homeland—a romantic gesture indeed. The gardens were fabled to be lushly planted with species of her native landscape as well as trees and shrubs from faraway lands. Dripping vines were utilized to mask and soften the edges of the massive structural walls. In modern days, newly conceived landscapes often lack a sense of mystery, romance, and antiquity. Fast growing and adaptable in their functionality, evergreen vines can create gardens that feel mysterious, romantic, and mature beyond their age.

Known by several names like the inch plant, spiderwort, and zebra plant, the Wandering Jew has always been a wildly popular houseplant. One of the easiest specimens to propagate, we share a list of our favorite tradescantia varieties you can quickly grow from cuttings.

Native to the Mediterranean, lavender is a hardy medicinal herb from the mint family, comprising over 30 species. This evergreen shrub is all the rage in gardening because its utility extends beyond good looks and amazing fragrance.

African violets have stunning velvety blooms in an explosion of colors and patterns. More popular in the 60s, they are making a comeback as chic and vintage houseplants that thrive indoors!

The Pee Dee region is expecting rain from a potential tropical weather system this week. Fall crops are growing well with fairly low disease pressure. Caterpillar populations are climbing in places. See below for more details.

While most fade as fall ends, we handpick hardy flowers that blossom and fill your winter garden with mesmerizing hues even as the mercury drops to freezing levels! With some autumn planting, your garden will enjoy beautiful blooms from fall through winter. So don’t wait; grab your tools and get digging!

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Want to make hummingbirds see red? Plant a firebush in your garden. Also called scarlet bush, it is not only among the easiest of plants to grow, but it also stays in bloom throughout the growing season with clusters of tubular red buds and flowers. Because the Southern growing season overlaps the spring and fall migration times of the ruby-throated hummingbird, and red is by far their favorite color, these blossoms will summon them to your garden.

As well as what could be classed as ‘projects’, there is a tendency for minor editing at this time of year and, on the whole, I feel the borders generally have been improving in recent years because of this.  I daresay I will never be completely happy with them and inevitably there will always be changes to be made, but at least there seems to be more cohesion to them these days and I don’t have an issue with removing plants that no longer bring pleasure. The bold borders have certainly come a step closer in their boldness, although some editing is still required in the one to the left of the gate (above), where an over-exuberant geranium has been swamping the new Geum ‘Totally Tangerine ‘ in front of it (below); moving the geranium further back in the border will be a first step.

Rimma_Bondarenko / Getty Images

From snug reading nooks to cute dining banquettes, there’s something satisfying about a cozy little corner. So, it’s no wonder that the concept is gaining traction on social media. Creators have been sharing their decked out “rest corners” on TikTok and Instagram as a spot to unwind, relax, and melt away the day.

It can be tempting to whip out some paint to refresh an old piece of furniture that's been sitting around your home, however, it may be better off left alone than painted. We asked pros to share what types of furniture should never be painted, so you know which ones to avoid giving a quick DIY makeover to.

When the season changes, your indoor plants’ needs also transform. So, why reduce watering in fall and winter? This modification benefits your plants and helps them confront the oncoming cold and less bright days. Let’s explore the details.

The garden is definitely on the turn, but there are still treasures to be found. Helichrysum ‘Bright Rose’, for example, has flowered prolifically this year but, with all the other material, I had not cut it very often and the plants were covered in blooms that were not quite buds but didn’t look like spent flowers**. With little rain in August, it wasn’t as if they had ‘balled’ either but, whatever their status, I took advantage of their numbers and used them as a starting point for today’s Vase on Monday.

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I clocked up 46 hours in the garden in August this year, up from 34 the year before, so I have clearly been busy one way or another. I don’t include things like preserve making in this total, but nevertheless found time this week to make my first batch of tomato chutney (recipe here). This time last year I had already made 3 batches and had enough tomatoes to make a fourth batch, which is perhaps as well as I may not have enough ripened tomatoes to make the minimum of three batches I need to keep me going till the next tomato season. Not only have they been very much later to establish and ripen than most years, but the beefsteak tomato ‘Burlesque’, that I grow to make things easier for the chutney-making process, is less than half its usual size, either not maturing as normal, or not the correct variety in the first place.

Last Sunday we treated ourselves to a visit to David Austin Roses, the ‘royal’ We that is, as the Golfer was happy enough to tag along wherever I planned to go. Although only about 35 miles away, I prefer to be as economical as possible with such trips and combine them with something else,  or include them en route to a more distant location, which is what we did, staying one night on the Staffordshire/Shropshire border and visiting other places too. The gardens are attached to the nursery and are open all year round at no cost, with over 700 different roses planted within the two acre rose garden, divided into smaller themed areas divided by neat hedges. The roses are complemented by a range of perennials, with sculptures by the late Pat Austin dotted throughout the gardens.

Well, obviously, you’re not growing these houseplants because they are toxic! But with this deadly and discomforting quality, why grow them indoors at all? Because you simply can’t resist them! Let’s find out what these plants are and why we can’t stop ourselves from loving them.

You probably have a bunch of unused plastic containers lying around in miscellaneous drawers around your home and trust us, we totally have been there. It's hard to find space for these containers, and even harder to figure out what the heck to do with them.

Spinach is a cool weather favorite, with leaves that sprout up and grow rapidly in both spring and fall. It has a relatively short growing season, but its yield is impressive—if it has the right companion plants by its side to help it thrive.

When you finally move into your own place, there are lots of highs and lows. Case in point? The excitement of choosing your own decor, coming hand in hand with having to shell out money for said decor.

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Whether you own or rent your home, anyone who has ever moved into a new place knows that decorating can be more than a little daunting.

Why do some potted plants never bloom enough and eventually wither and die? There are many factors involved, which can lead to little or no blossoms in container plants but there is one small miscalculation that you do is the ultimate reason behind their failure.

If you love autumn as much as we do, get excited—it's finally time to bust out the autumn decor!

Other than a gradual reduction in blooms and the appearance of seasonal orb spiders and Cyclamen hederifolium I hadn’t really noticed how close autumn is until Pauline of Lead Up the Garden Path talked last week about signs of autumn in her garden. I duly looked UP here, instead of down or straight ahead and, my goodness, the leaves are indeed beginning to turn! Overnight temperatures are now cooler too, down to 7°C in recent days, with a monthly maximum of 29°C. It has been a fairly dry month (and the driest of the year), with around 29mm of rain which has been typical of August here of late. Although the garden would certainly welcome some rainfall, the main thing I noticed when I took this month’s photographs is the amount of foliage, the result of lush growth earlier in the year when rainfall was plentiful.

Potted plants can add greenery and softness to patios, porches, stoops, decks, and fire escapes. Bare or bland outdoor areas are instantly transformed with tall greenery in giant tubs and climbing vines, hanging blooms, and even smaller plants in quirky-cool pots, adding interest and whimsy. The possibilities are endless!