A new discovery shows major flowering plants are 150 million years older than previously thought

This versatile and beautiful plant has become even more fascinating to gardeners and botanists alike. Check out the Best New Zealand Flax Varieties in this article that offer unique colors, textures, and growth habits.

Winter-flowering plants are perfect for adding a splash of colour to the garden in the coldest, darkest months, helping to extend the season of interest beyond the traditional growing season of spring to autumn. There’s a huge range of winter flowering plants to grow, including climbers such as winter clematis and winter honeysuckle, shrubs like mahonia and daphne, and bedding plants like winter pansies – there’s a flowering plant for every part of the garden. What’s more, many winter-flowering plants are suitable for growing in pots, so you can add a splash of colour anywhere you fancy – perhaps a colourful display outside your front door is enough to bring some winter cheer?

There’s no understating the importance of a kitchen backsplash. Not only is a backsplash practical—sparing your bare walls from spaghetti sauce splatters—but it sets the tone for your kitchen’s personality. Think of it as an opportunity to flex your design skills, whether that means including a jolt of color, choosing an unconventional material, or sticking to a classic-as-can-be style.   There’s a caveat, though: if you veer too trendy or too conventional, a backsplash can quickly look outdated. To spare yourself from inevitable regret, we asked three interior designers for their honest take on backsplashes they’re sick of seeing. Warning: controversial opinions ahead. Read on to learn which popular backsplashes they think need to retire, so you can invest in a conversation piece (not a controversy) that you’ll love for years to come.  

Some of us are born with a green thumb, while some of us need a bit of help to keep our plant friends happy and healthy. So it's just as well there are so many products and gadgets available that make plant care easier. Here, we’ve rounded up 14 items both you and your plants will appreciate.

The arching foliage of Aspidistra elatior with its deep green hue makes for a perfect houseplant. It also survives neglect and grows well in the shade. Let’s have a look at some great tips on Cast Iron Plant Care!

The String of Hearts is a popular houseplant that is prized for its charming heart-shaped leaves and its ability to thrive in low-light conditions. Proper care and attention will ensure that this plant thrives and brings joy for years to come.

Header image: Lupinus albus (altramuces o chochitos), by Calapito via Wikimedia Commons.

I SAW NEWS of a new book called “Pressed Plants” recently, and it got me thinking about my grandmother and one of the many crafts she enjoyed way back when. Grandma made what she called “pressed-flower pictures,” bits of her garden that she carefully dried, arranged on fabric and framed under glass. And some of those still hang on my walls. It also got me thinking of the 500-year-old tradition of pressing plants for science and the herbarium world.

If you are someone new to the plant world and confused about what to grow in your home, then don’t fret! Select from these Best Indoor Plants for First Time Plant Parents as they are pretty forgiving and don’t ask for much attention.

Tile countertops: love them or leave them in the past? While some designers like New York City-based Emma Beryl think they bring «the '70s and '80s back into the kitchen,» others believe they should stay in the time capsule.

Header image: Suited up to simulate the conditions of working outside on Mars. Jonathan Clarke (the author, left) with visiting engineer Michael Curtis-Rouse, from UK Space Agency (right). Jonathan Clarke personal collection, Author provided.

In Once Upon a Time I Lived on Mars, Kate Greene talks about Shannon Lucid, the NASA astronaut who spent six months living on the Russian space station Mir. Shannon, it turns out, was a bookworm. During her stay, she read 50 books and improvised shelving from old food boxes, complete with straps to stop the books floating off. This was in 1996, a good decade before the invention of the Kindle, and so these were real books. She apparently chose titles with the highest word to mass ratio, since launch weight is a critical factor! Lucid left her library behind for future spacefarers, but it burned up when Mir was de-orbited in 2001.