Star jasmine is a fast-growing woody vine that can scramble up a trellis or fence, making it a great choice for creating a living screen. Its twining stems anchor themselves to structures and move upward rapidly. Plant it at the base of a pergola or arbor to create a fragrant roof on the structure. Encourage the vines to climb up the support posts by twirling the young stems around the base of the posts....
Compost bins and tumblers work in the same way. They allow microorganisms to transform kitchen scraps and garden wastes into a nutrient rich soil amendment. They require both “brown matter” (high in carbon), such as straw, shredded paper, sawdust, and pine needles, and “green matter” (high in nitrogen), which includes vegetable and fruit waste from the kitchen, fresh seed-free weeds, and fresh grass clippings. The ideal ratio is about three to four parts brown to one part green....
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Show your mom friends how much they mean to you with one of these ideas that go beyond an ordinary gift. Support New Moms Many of us fondly remember welcoming visitors to the hospital to meet our babies. After we left the hospital, those first few weeks at home were filled with new and overwhelming experiences. Give a new mom the gift of your attention and care. Let new moms know they’re not alone with a thoughtful first Mother’s Day gift or by organizing a welcome home party....
“They loved this building,” Cullman says. “The couple’s primary home is in Delaware, but they have occasional work in New York, and one of their two grown children lives in New York. They wanted a place where they could all stay.” The sights outside the apartment windows gave important perspective when Cullman and Ramsey were dreaming up mood boards for their clients’ new digs. All forms of performing art lie only steps away from this Upper West Side building, and the homeowners especially love its proximity to Lincoln Center and the theater....
Each of these veggies (yes, rhubarb is a vegetable!) will come back on their own. They might need a little extra year-to-year, such as cutting back the plant after harvesting or dividing and replanting if any patch starts looking overgrown. These seven vegetables can be grown as perennials in most zones: Globe artichokesAsparagusJerusalem artichokesSome members of the onion familyRadicchioRhubarbSorrel Globe Artichokes This member of the thistle family produces large, attractive perennial vegetable plants....
Tips Use a slotted spoon to serve quick pickles to top crostini, layer in grilled cheese sandwiches, add to a cocktail, or stir into a grain salad. Related Video
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“When you sleep with an elevated room temperature, it can make it difficult to fall asleep as it raises your core body temperature,” says Dr. Peter Polos, a sleep medicine specialist and Sleep Number sleep expert. “When the room is too warm, sleep is disturbed in the early stages, limiting the amount of time available to achieve deeper stages of sleep.” While most homeowners typically go for a duvet, you can also find cooling comforters, quilts, throws, and weighted blankets....
Automatic pool cleaners (or pool vacuums) remove debris from the surface of the pool floor and walls. While some cleaners are powered by your pool’s suction or water pressure, newer robotic cleaners have their own power source and container to avoid straining your pool’s existing equipment. Some non-robotic cleaners have their own containers, while others use your pool’s existing filtration equipment to house debris. With so many options it can be difficult to figure out which is best for your pool size and style....
“A desk lamp should provide a clear, bright light that makes a statement,” said Jung Lee, event architect and founder of Fête, Jung Lee NY, and Slowdance. “Any opportunity you have to enhance your space with joy, you should grab it.” To find the best desk lamps, we researched a variety of picks and considered factors like dimensions, material, bulb and wattage, and cord length. In addition to Lee, we also consulted Jennifer Jenkins, IALD, director of lighting at WeWork, and Farah Merhi, an interior designer....
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“Wool blankets evoke feelings of curling up with a great book, watching your favorite movie, or feeling their weight on your feet when they’re folded at the foot of your bed. It is for these reasons that a wool blanket needs to be soft and not too scratchy, and weighty but not too heavy,” says Maggie Kanter of Maggie Kanter Interiors. “Secondly, I think the average person choosing a wool blanket is looking for something that will stand the test of time, which they are known to do by their durable composition....
However, deep cleaning an entire home is a big job, and sometimes even tackling a single room can be overwhelming. To make seasonal cleaning a breeze, break down each room into a checklist of must-do tasks. Then, integrate cleaning into your daily schedule to make it feel less like a chore. Follow this fall cleaning checklist for a room-by-room approach to tidying your home for the season. Kitchen Cleaning To-Dos The kitchen is often the center of the home, where everyone gathers when they get home from daily activities....
Better Homes & Gardens readers are doers. This year was BHG’s centennial anniversary, so we have 100 years of magazines and reader letters and emails to prove it. Tackling DIY ideas, hosting, home organization, and lawn care are just some examples of the projects you’ve conquered. The top pieces BHG readers clicked on most (so far) this year backs this up. Getting things in the home clean and tidy was top of mind along with keeping your nutritional health and garden thriving....
Why Is There a Turkey Shortage? In the past several months, the USDA reported an avian flu outbreak. Nearly 50 million birds (including turkeys and chickens) have been infected and died on farms across 43 states. Yes, that’s nearly the amount of turkeys consumed on a single Thanksgiving. Since fewer commercial turkeys will be available this year, this is going to result in a price hike. As of right now, the price per pound of turkey (8 to 16 pounds) is $1....
The perfect month or week to harvest can vary by region and growing conditions, but you can always rely on your produce to let you know when it’s ready to be picked; keep an eye out for these signs in your veggie garden for the best time to harvest cucumbers, peppers, potatoes, and more. When is Harvest Season: Yield times vary, but most types are in bumper-crop mode from mid-July through September....
1. Select the Perfect Spot Ava Martin, a water filtration system expert at Quality Water Lab who has a degree in environmental science, says air purifiers are relatively simple: “They take in impure air from a space, filter it and give out clean air.” When it comes to the perfect air purifier placement, she says placing one flush against a wall may block its air intake and cause the filter to work improperly....
So when and why did turkeys become the main event on Thanksgiving menus? We talked all things turkey with Beth Forrest, Ph.D., a food historian and professor of liberal arts and food studies at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, to find out why we eat turkey on Thanksgiving. Why Do We Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving? In 1621, New England Puritans celebrated their harvest with a big feast, as was the English tradition....
When to Water Your Garden by Season The time of year and precipitation (or lack of it) impact the amount of water you may need to supply. Plants grow less quickly, if at all, during the cooler months, so they don’t require as much moisture to support their stems and leaves. But even cold-hardy trees, shrubs, and perennials, which are dormant in winter, still need hydration. Most areas of the country do experience some drought, so your job is to ease your plants through those dry spells....
