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1. Ponytail Palm Long, grasslike leaves atop a bare stem give ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) a palm tree-like appearance, although it’s actually a type of succulent. It stores water in its thick trunk, which enables it to go long periods without moisture. However, ponytail palm will do best if you water it whenever the soil feels dry and place it in bright light. 2. Sago Palm Feathery, dark green leaves on top of a short stem give sago palm (Cycas revolata) a bold texture....

The bar cart’s ancestor, the tea trolley, was a standard fixture in Victorian-era homes used to deliver scones and cups of Earl Grey. After Prohibition ended in 1933, tea was replaced with liquor, and the cocktail cart gained favor. It reached peak popularity in the 1950s when entertaining became a ritual for prosperous middle-class families. Bar carts (like this chic Better Homes & Gardens bronze bar cart, $80, Walmart) were also a frequent prop in glamorous Hollywood films....

For some, the pandemic offered an opportunity to save for a down payment, and with interest rates low, buying a new-construction home became more attainable than ever. “There was this confluence of a number of economic and consumer drivers that generated one of the strongest housing markets that I’ve ever seen in my 20-plus years,” says Phillippe Lord, CEO of real estate development company Meritage Homes. The current housing boom and the pandemic’s lingering effects have prompted enormous home-building changes, posing new challenges to the construction process....

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Using your hands, flatten slightly into a rectangle. Roll again between parchment to a 12×10-inch rectangle. Tightly roll up dough, starting from one of the long sides, into a 12-inch log. Related Video

More than 10 years of editorial experiencePreviously worked at Traditional Home, California Wedding Day, W magazine, and Women’s DayWork appearing in House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, and more In 2019, Clara became the director of partnerships at Embello, an influencer marketing agency in the home and design space. She also specializes in ghost writing, trend stories, and social media consulting. Related Video

Test Kitchen Tip: If you don’t have, or don’t love, chocolate-hazelnut spread, try this Christmas breakfast casserole with ½ cup of your favorite kind of nut or seed butter instead. Related Video

Whether you’re remodeling an existing porch or building a new porch, it’s important to consider the safety of your porch railing idea first. Railings are generally required for porches raised more than 30 inches off the ground, but you might still want to install a railing on a lower porch for extra safety or aesthetic reasons. In most cases, the top of the handrail should be at least 36 inches from the porch floor, and the material should be sturdy enough to support people leaning against it....

5+ years of experience as a writer Contributor to Better Homes & GardensFormer lifestyle and food writer for Drake Magazine and Drake Political ReviewMore than 2 years of experience as a scientific research assistant Ella has grown up loving all things design, especially in the home. From going to interior design conventions in high school to redecorating her college-house (so it doesn’t look like a college-house), she strives to create beautiful, exciting spaces....

Farrow & Ball is known for its carefully curated palette of 132 rich paint colors. With the announcement that it’s adding 11 new colors to that list (and archiving 11 older colors to make room for them), you can expect that these shades are perfectly developed to expand the base palette—and safely assume that these colors have been worth the wait. “Our relationship with our home has changed so much over the last few years, it felt like the perfect time to introduce these new colours,” said Joa Studholme, color curator for Farrow & Ball, in a press release announcing the launch....

While his clients, whose primary residence is two hours inland, were lured to the Southern California town because of its proximity to the water, their penchant for formality pushed aside the conventional casual aesthetic of beach environments. They wanted a classic abode that boasts a scheme as polished as a piece of sea glass. “This isn’t a beach house with an expansive backyard of sand and panoramic views of the ocean,” says Butera, who is well-versed in the Newport Beach lifestyle....

“The homeowner, Sharon Michie, is an avid traveler, and this home is inspired by her experiences and the places she’s fallen in love with in France and Spain,” architect Ryan Street says. “The scale and proportions are all drawn from what you’d expect in a Mediterranean hill town. But this is also Texas. It wouldn’t work to copy a home on the Mediterranean coast and plop it down in Austin....

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Types of Peonies Peonies come in three main types: herbaceous, tree, and itoh. Herbaceous peonies (Paeonia lactiflora) are the most common in gardens, with hundreds of varieties to choose from. These varieties usually have scented flowers that come in shades of pink, red, and white. As the name suggests, herbaceous peonies don’t form woody stems. Instead, the stems stay green and flexible, so they may need staking to keep them from flopping over, especially when the flowers get wet in the rain....

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Patty pan squash is a variety of summer squash (Cucurbita pepo), making it a relative of the zucchini and yellow summer squash you might be more familiar with. They come in yellow, light green, dark green, orange, white and multicolored varieties, and can be harvested and utilized when the veggies are as small as a ping pong ball or as large as a softball. Patty pan squash season is generally around May through August....

Legginess is not just an awkward phrase some plants go through before they blossom. It’s a sign the plant is straining to position its leaves in the sunlight, enabling it to produce enough energy to stay alive. Reaching in the direction of available rays, stems grow longer and thinner and drop leaves that the plant can’t support with its limited food reserves. Fortunately, with a few smart interventions, you can help your houseplant regain its lushness....

Into meal planning for the family? We’re also sharing some of our fave freezer-friendly soup recipes (not all soups are OK to freeze) to keep the freezer stocked. How to Freeze Soup When making homemade soup, your recipe will determine whether it will freeze well. Broth- and tomato-based soups, stews, and chilis freeze best. Avoid cream-based soups and soups thickened with flour or cornstarch. Wondering if you can freeze potato soup?...

How to Grow a Citronella Plant A member of the scented geranium family of plants, citronella plant is often stocked alongside the herbs in the garden center. Sometimes it will even be labeled as a mosquito plant. Look for a plant that has healthy, deep green leaves. Then, gently remove the plant from the container and take a peek at the roots. The roots should be bright white and just beginning to reach the edges of the container....

The plant grows 8-16 inches tall with three to five upright stems, each bearing three to five toothed leaflets. Beginning its second year from seed, tiny whitish green flowers appear in spring. These are followed by attractive bright red berries that ripen in late summer or early fall. It’s the root (technically a rhizome) of the plant that is used medicinally, but it can take several years for a decent-sized root to develop....