How To Make A Cinder Block Bench

Caladiums are not as difficult to care for as many people think, and they make a beautiful addition to any home or garden.

Need to take that plain wooden side table up a notch? Make it Moroccan! In this tutorial I’ll show you how to create a stylish Moroccan side table that will quickly become a conversation piece. This technique can be used to create a variety of designs, so you can apply it to any project you want! Ready to make a side table worth of resting your morning coffee on? Follow my step-by-step tutorial below to get started today!

If you like lanterns and you want to have the most romantic and cozy atmosphere on your patio or porch, don’t throw out your large glass jars. Yes, you read that right! All you need is large glass jars and knitting yarn. I’m sure you have those large pickles jars and I’m sure you have knitting yarn at home. If not my friends, hurry to your grandma's to get some.

No food signifies summer more than watermelon. We’re so sweet on the hot pink (or yellow) fruit that we designed an entire watermelon bar party showcasing the many ways to snack on, sip, and even centerpiece-ify the hydrating produce item.

Have you ever heard that planting a small garden is like writing a short story instead of a novel? Well, I hadn’t either—until Los Angeles designer Adam Sirak said it—and I think it’s brilliant. “Some people might think they can’t have an amazing garden or that it’s not worth the trouble because they don’t have a big space,” Sirak says. “But a small space only means you have to take all your ideas and distill them down to a concentrated big idea.” He adds that, as with a short story, there’s no room for filler, and each choice must be thought of in relationship to the whole. “In this way, a small space can be a very exciting puzzle to put together,” he says.  

Mustard pickles are a yummy treat. This recipe is quick and easy to make – and it’s oh, so, delicious.

Rachel Platt in the 'Chained to Tech' Tatton Garden. Image Source: Julie Skelton Photography. 

Propagating wandering jew plants is very easy and makes a cost-effective way to expand your collection.

Kids can have fun in the garden and on a windowsill. It can give them an understanding of food and green issues in a fun environment. Help them grow plants that are easy, reliable and develop quickly to maintain interest. Give them good soil, a sunny location and help so they are not put off  gardening in the future. Kids can be turned into enthusiastic gardeners from an early age and with luck it will stay with them for life

Every winter I am on the Oregon trail for garden scent. My best hope is the Mahonia (aka Oregon grape) which grows very well in various shady parts of my garden and flowers profusely in winter. Regrettably I find the much acclaimed scent is hard to detect but smell is not the only thing that gets up my nose! The rigid leaves have several vicious points on  the arrayed leaves and catch me out many times a year. This is partly due to a 6 foot shrub near my Japanese garden path. I don’t know what made me think Mahonia was suitable in a Japanese garden but there you go. As a deterrent to uninvited visitors the prickles make it as good as Holly and a close second to Berberis.

Feeling grouchy and ill-tempered then perhaps you should plant a crab apple and that way you won’t feel crabby much longer.

I have always loved the look of benches made from head and foot boards, especially the ones made from metal. I found this one in the most unlikely places. It was leaning up against the side of a vault, ( a holding building for bodies to be buried in cemeteries. The caskets are kept here during winter months when the ground is frozen and graves can't be dug until spring.) It was buried half in the ground and deep in the trees. I was very excited with my find, my mother was looking at me with those eyes that quietly said my daughter has finally lost it but didn't actually say it… I went back to my mom's house and called the church secretary and asked if I could remove the bed. Ironically she didn't even know one was there. She said if I could dig it out I could have it. After some choice words under my breath, tree branches in some not so nice places, and falling on my behind while trying to get it out of the ground my determination paid off.