This High-End, Affordable Velvet Swivel Chair Is Everywhere

Reports show that the population of bees has continued to fall, putting food security at risk as they play a crucial role in pollination. The fast population decline can be attributed to the continued use of agricultural chemicals, climate change, and other factors such as urban development.

I must be honest and say that the petticoats are not velvet, but two pots of hooped petticoat narcissi in the Coop, Narcissus bulbocodium ‘Arctic Bells’ and ‘Casual Elegance’ (above); what is velvet, however, is a plant recommended for a cool greenhouse by well-known UK nurseryman Bob Brown. I was trying to find suitable contenders for the Coop and bit my tongue as I tried to ignore that it has yellow flowers – I am glad I did as the foliage is not only delightful but tactile too, and as a plant it has sailed through two winters with negligible attention and without batting an eyelid, looking every bit as smart as it did when I first bought it. Let me introduce you to Oxalis spiralis ‘Sunset Velvet’ (below):

We all want a houseplant that keeps on thriving and needs a little care – to add a cherry to this cake, how about having a one, which gives you so many plants that you can gift to all your friends and family members? Surely a lottery, right? Keep reading!

Gardening is, or at least should be, an ongoing learning process. It can include trial and error (and sometimes failure), but for me, the most exciting part is discovering new plants. When I find an unfamiliar plant, it’s pretty exciting, since I’ve grown nearly everything over the years and not much surprises me.

If the latest whirlwind of social media-fueled interior design trends has you feeling a bit dizzy, you’re not alone. These fresh and splashy trends can be fun to try out in your own space, but if you plan on selling your home in the next several years there are some trends you may want to avoid.

TO SAY I WAS surprised would be understating it. A lot. When I got the call from the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania recently that I’d been named as the 2024 recipient of their prestigious Scott Medal, I was completely caught off guard.

For at least 12,000 years, humans have been clearing brush, digging dirt, planting plants, cultivating, weeding, growing, and harvesting—in a word, gardening! And for almost as long, these same humans have crafted tools to help them carry out each specific gardening function. We have developed tools to help break up and dig soil; gadgets to cut stems, branches, and roots; and devices to remove unwanted plants. The best tools increase efficiency and proficiency, and they are constantly improved upon, evolving alongside gardening and the gardener, and making every gardening task easier to accomplish.

Who says you can’t make home improvements on a budget? Amazon’s hidden outlet has tons of Presidents’ Day deals under $25—including top-rated kitchen gadgets, must-have garden tools for spring, and so much more. 

While this may sound something straight out of some fairy tale, but this actually works! Tickle, and see your tomatoes producing bumper fruits!

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Smeg

JACOB FOX