It’s wonderful to watch wild birds in your backyard any time of the year, but if your goal is attracting birds to your yard in winter, there are a few things you’ll need to do to make sure this happens. Thankfully, it’s easy to attract birds to your garden when it’s cold outside! All you…
This guide for taking care of houseplants in winter will make sure that your indoor plants survive (and thrive!) during the winter months. Indoor plants are easy to grow during the spring and summer when sunlight is abundant. However, when the days are short and cold, they need extra care to do well indoors. Whether…
I asked my Facebook fans to share their Winter Garden Views and also to tell me where they lived so we could all get an idea of how the country looks in January in various parts of the country. The weather outside does not lend itself to gardening right now unless you are fond of growing plants…
Topping tomato plants is a process that involves cutting off the growing tips of tomato plants. It is often done in late summer before frost arrives. When you top a tomato plant, you send a message to the plant to stop producing new flowers and fruit and send its energy to the existing fruit. This…
Tomato suckers are small shoots that grow from the area where the main stem and leaf stem of a tomato plant meet. When left to grow naturally, suckers will turn into more stems on your plant. These stems can develop their own suckers and tomatoes which can make for a very top-heavy plant. Should suckers…
Your kids will love to make this sweet snowman Christmas cake. The cake will be the hit of your Christmas buffet. He is made of a chocolate base and covered in butter cream frosting and then decorated. The cake is easy to make and kids will love to help you decorate it with their favorite…
These cute M & M&M gingerbread Christmas tree cookies will make a great addition to your Christmas buffet table. They would also be great for your annual cookie exchange. Gingerbread is a common taste during the holidays. From cookies and houses made of gingerbread, there are lots of options. See my tips for the perfect…
These are 10 of the Best Family Christmas Movies that we watch in our home year after year. Are you a fan of watching Xmas movies over the holidays with family? At our house, the tradition starts on Thanksgiving and continues right up to New Year’s Eve! These are some of my favorite Christmas movies….
These Funfetti peppermint chocolate truffles are my latest addition to a growing batch of truffle recipes. Truffles are as much a part of my holiday traditions as decorating a tree is. I love to make all kinds of these bite-sized Christmas treats. They are fun to make, look so great on a holiday dessert table,…
One of the delights of a summer vegetable garden is a luscious, ripe, red tomato. However, sometimes tomatoes don’t always do what we want. Tomatoes not turning red is a common vegetable garden frustration. In general, the fruit on your tomato plant should begin turning red about 6-8 weeks after the flowers are pollinated. If…
My latest creation is this Grinch Paintbrush Ornament. Yes, folks, it is getting to that time of the year. This is the time when my mind goes into overdrive trying to come up with ideas for fun craft decor items to make for the Christmas holiday. Keep reading to see how I turned an ordinary…
This Burlap Wine Bottle Bag is an inexpensive way to dress up a bottle of wine for a Christmas gift. Many of our friends are wine drinkers, and I love to purchase one of their favorite wines to give to them for the holidays. Adding this homemade bag also adds an extra special touch to…
Christmas wreaths are commonly used on front doors, but can also used on mantles and in other areas of the home and garden such as garden gates. Aside from poinsettia plants, Christmas wreaths are one of the most popular ways to decorate your entry for the holiday season. And nothing quite sets the mood…
Winter flowering plants bring a blast of color to your yard and garden when you need it most – when the temperatures are really cold and not much is growing. It’s cold outside for most of us in the USA, but that does not mean that we have to sit idly by and wait for spring…
The sight of a Christmas cactus blooming is one of the joys of the season, for me. This plant is one of the traditional Christmas plants that are often seen for sale this time of the year. This holiday cactus plant is sold with buds on it each year, but how do you get this…
This boxwood Christmas wreath makes a nice change from the traditional fir wreath often seen this time of the year. it’s easy to make and you can use items from your own yard. I enjoy decorating with Christmas plants during the holidays and am always on the lookout for something a bit out of the…
These Christmas plants will have your home full of color, beauty, and good cheer this year. Even though the outdoor garden season has ended for many of us, that doesn’t mean that holiday plants can’t be front and center right now. December 12 is National Poinsettia Day. It is fitting that the most popular Christmas…
A holiday cactus is a short-day plant which produces flower buds when daylight hours decrease. Fortunately for gardeners, this happens when much of the garden is not blooming, just in time for the major holidays – Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. There are three different types of holiday cactus plants, Christmas cactus – Schlumbergera x buckleyi,…
These Thanksgiving Tablescapes and holiday table ideas are so earthy and warm too, with all the colors of fall. Thanksgiving will soon be here and it’s the perfect time to bring out the big ideas for Table decorations. There is even a fall perennial (Chinese lantern plant) that produces small pumpkin-shaped pods, so making a…
If you like exploring on cold autumn mornings, you may have encountered frost flowers. These short-lived ice formations, also known as “ice flowers”, “ice fringes”, “rabbit ice” and “ice filaments”, are a special oddity of nature. In spite of the name, these formations are not actually flowers. When the air is very dry and there…
It’s time to learn how to cook garlic with this easy roasted garlic recipe. The roasting process bring out the garlic’s natural sugars, producing cloves which have a deep, mellow and slightly sweet flavor. While some recipes can benefit from the sharp bite of fresh garlic, roasted garlic has a more nuanced flavor that enhances any…
This recipe for scallops with white wine sauce is perfect for an elegant dinner party or date night meal. The dish is on the table in less than 20 minutes, but it tastes like you spent hours making it! The scallops are gently seared and served with a sauce that combines butter, white wine, garlic…
Peeling garlic is one of those time consuming, but necessary kitchen tasks we always wish was easier. Below you’ll learn how to peel garlic fast, with the four garlic peeling hacks ranked in order. These four methods will change the way you look at peeling garlic. Any kitchen hacks that save time and make tasks…
Learn how to grow irises with our handy guide. This popular flowering plant is an early spring bloomer, which is easy to care for. Irises have showy flowers and are popular in cottage gardens. They come in many colors, shapes, and sizes. They are deer-resistant and attractive to both birds and butterflies. With more than…
Sedum rubrotinctum is a showy and colorful succulent plant that looks great in rock gardens. Also called “jelly bean plant”, and “pork and beans plant”, this succulent is easy to care for and makes a great addition to any succulent collection. This low-growing plant has plump, bean-shaped leaves with red tips that intensify under sunlight…
Direct composting, also known as trench composting, on-the-spot composting, or in-situ composting, is an effective way to recycle organic waste by using it directly in your garden. Traditional composting requires you to collect organic material in a compost bin or pile and then wait for it to decompose before using it in your garden. On…