The arrival of spring brings a burst of floral beauty after the bare winter landscape. Capture spring’s essence by learning to draw cheerful flowers blooming in this season. With a few simple techniques, you can render realistic illustrations of spring’s most iconic flowers. Supplies for Botanical Drawing To start drawing delightful spring flowers, gather these … Read more
For those who want to grow some of the hottest pepper seeds in the world, you’ve come to the right place. These very hot peppers are known all over the world; each champion seed has a Scoville Heat Unit rating of well over 1,000,000 Many of these pepper varieties have held (or are still holding) … Read more
I’ve talked a lot about how to use essential oils to make effective body lotions and face moisturizers at home. So I thought, what’s the best way to use these oils up? If you like making these, you know how easy it is to have extra. In my opinion, it would be to use essential … Read more
Many gardeners use eggs in the garden to boost soil nutrients. Try putting eggshells in your compost. You can also plant eggshells or a whole egg in the hole before planting tomato plants. I love eggs. And I love chickens. Which, as you might think at our house, is the perfect simpatico relationship. We have … Read more
Are you short on space but want to start a vegetable garden? A raised bed garden could be the answer. And if you need some inspiration for your garden plans, check out these sample layouts for ideas. Traditional gardening methods, which usually involve tilling the soil and pulling weeds, make a lot of people angry … Read more
The bright and cheerful yellow face sun orchid is indeed a real type of orchid, though it may seem too good to be true with its sunny disposition. This unique orchid has fragrant yellow flowers shaped like little smiling faces, bringing joy to orchid lovers and plant collectors. But where does this happy flower come … Read more
A beautiful oil painting by Teresa Bernard called “Red Poinsettia (The Christmas Flower)” shows how beautiful the well-known Christmas flower is. This one-of-a-kind piece of art really brings out the holiday spirit by focusing on the bright red bracts of the poinsettia against a white background. The intricate rendering of each leaf and petal captures … Read more
Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants that trap insects and small animals in their distinctive pitcher-shaped leaves They are native to bogs and swamps in North and South America, Africa, and Australia Pitcher plants make for very unique and exotic houseplants. With their strange leaf shapes and carnivorous habits, they add interest to any indoor plant … Read more
Goldenrod can be a divisive plant. Even though the yellow flowering “weed” is a beneficial native plant to North America, it is also very aggressive and can be hard to get rid of because it often spreads through rhizomes. Luckily, you can get rid of goldenrod without hurting your soil by covering it with cardboard … Read more
Cabbage is a hardy, cool-season crop. Cabbage is best planted in early spring or mid-to-late summer. Cabbage thrives in temperatures between 65°F and 75°F (18-24°C) and can withstand cold temperatures down to 25°F (-4°C). Cabbage seedlings can be set in the garden 4 weeks before the last frost in spring. You can plant cabbage seeds … Read more