Forget-me-nots

Seasonal Houseplants are good for people who are looking forward to having specimen that thrives at their best in different time of the year. Here are the best ones to go for!

There are many creative ways to incorporate greenery into your house without purchasing living plants and trees. We asked interior designers to share their top tips for making a home feel more green and nature-filled, and they came up with some excellent suggestions that are great for small space dwellers and those in larger houses alike.

Dennis Leupold | Design: Better Homes & Gardens

Basil is one of the easiest herbs to grow in the vegetable garden, herb garden, or kitchen window. The highly aromatic basil leaves protect other plants from pests and attract pollinators as well. The basil plant also prevents insects like Japanese beetles, bean beetles, and worms. Instead of requiring protection, basil helps its neighboring plants. Let’s have a look at the Basil Companion Plants. 

Ryan and I watched the first episode of Blue Planet 2 yesterday. David Attenborough is at the helm for another series showing the awe and wonder of the natural world, using clever camera work, an intrepid crew and the occasional parlour trick to show us things we would never normally see, and – for the most part – could never imagine. Dolphins and false killer whales meeting up as old friends. A fish that carries a clam from the edge of the reef to its own personal anvil to crack it open. Fish that change sex. Marine plants (seaweed and phytoplankton) that produce at least as much oxygen as land plants, and probably much more.

Yesterday I noticed that one of my Calycanthus floridus is in flower. I have two, currently both in pots, and it’s rare for me to be able to find both of them at the same time. They are refugees from the old garden; they were too young to flower there. They were planted in my parents’ garden in Malvern for a year or so – whether they flowered there, I don’t know. I suspect not, as they were given a rather shady spot. After we moved here I reclaimed them and planted them back into pots. So they haven’t had the best start in life, and I’m happy to see that at least one of them seems to be thriving regardless.

Header image: Brooke Lark/Unsplash

Gardeners of the Galaxy has completed its first solar orbit! Join Emma the Space Gardener for a birthday celebration and learn how GotG got started, hear the story of a space plants experiment you’ll never forget, and find out which plant Emma would choose to take into space.

Amy Batog

When was the last time you replaced the air filters in your home? With poor air quality becoming a growing concern across the United States and Canada, you are probably more aware of your home’s air filters than ever before. Air filters help keep our home’s air clean and free of dust, dander, and pollutants. This not only helps us breathe easier, but it also keeps the HVAC systems in good shape and prevents them from experiencing potential damage due to the buildup of airborne particulates.

It has taken a long, hot, dry spell in my Yorkshire garden for me to catch on to the blinking obvious.

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