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Name: Hydrangea macrophylla selections Growing Conditions: Morning sun and afternoon shade in moist, well-drained soil that’s rich in organic matter. Don’t let bigleaf hydrangeas get too dry. Size: To 7 feet tall and wide, depending on variety Zones: 4–9, depending on the variety Plant it with: Blue bigleaf hydrangeas look stunning when paired with white-flowering varieties such as ‘Annabelle’ or oakleaf. Buy It: Let’s Dance Rhythmic Blue Hydrangea ($40, The Home Depot) Plant Name: Geranium ‘Rozanne’ Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in moist, well-drained soil Size: To 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide Zones: 4–8 Plant it with: Because the geranium starts flowering in early summer, pair it with spring-blooming bulbs such as grape hyacinth, crocus, and white daffodils to add color before this perennial gets going....

Test Kitchen Tip: To make ahead, place unfrosted cupcakes in a covered, airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days, or freeze for up to one month. Frost them when you’re ready to enjoy. Test Kitchen Tip: If you don’t have a pastry bag, place the frosting in a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag and snip off a corner.

Finding a home for all your things is one of the secrets to staying organized. Making space for your jeans in the closet and dishes in the cabinets is a given. But what about the little things? Sometimes the smallest of stuff causes the biggest challenge when trying to stay tidy. Use the following storage ideas for small items, so you can put them away for a neater home at the end of the day....

Soap Deer Repellent Deer stay away from strong fragrances, making deodorant bar soap an inexpensive option to keep deer out of your garden. And because this natural deer repellent doesn’t physically touch plants, it’s perfect for vegetable gardens. To add soap to your plants: Smelly Deer Repellent Spray The smell of rotten eggs and spoiled milk is stinky enough to keep deer at the yard’s edge. So if you use these pungent ingredients as a natural deer repellent, make sure they’re far away from windows and outdoor living areas, so they don’t waft into daily life....

Buy It: Lodge 12-Inch Cast Iron Skillet ($30-$40, Williams Sonoma) Buy It: Pyrex 9.5-Inch Pie Plate ($5, Bed Bath & Beyond) Test Kitchen Tip: For a twist, replace the coating or crushed cornflakes with bread crumbs seasoned with Italian spices.

Before we get to the methods, it’s handy to know the ideal temperatures for different beverages. The American Homebrewers Association notes that as a general rule of thumb, all types of beer should be served from 38 to 55°F. (Although exact temperatures do vary depending on the brew.) As for vino, WineSpectator.com also gives a range for serving wine, which is 40 to 65°F. Similarly to beer, the temperature depends on the type of wine....

Thanksgiving menu ideas to suit all tastes. Learn how to make a stunning greenery garland. Learn how to make pumpkin place settings. Festive DIY holiday garland ideas. Festive Christmas crafts you can do right now. Editor’s Tip: These arrangements were made with seed heads of reed canary grass, switch grass, and feather reed grass. Visit a florist, greenhouse, or farmers market to find different grass varieties. Editor’s Tip: If your calligraphy lacks style, type your menu in a fun, festive font and print on heavy cardstock....

1. Think Spring to Fall When Planting Bees are actively foraging for food from early spring until late fall. Plant a combination of flowers, trees, and shrubs that bloom and provide nectar in each season. Start with early spring bloomers like dogwood and dwarf fothergilla, then follow with summer stars such as clethra and herbs such as thyme and lavender. Finish the season with fall bloomers such as asters and seven-son flower....

1. Daisies Grow (Almost) Everywhere Though they originated in Europe and temperate regions of Asia, daisies were eventually introduced to Australia and North America and can now be found on every continent except for Antarctica. Their abundance is partially due to their adaptive nature—daisies can thrive in both wet and dry climates, adapt well to sunny or shady areas, and can grow high in the mountains or on flat, grassy fields....

Pick-a-Flavor No-Churn Ice Cream You may know sweetened condensed milk as a key to creating sweet dulce de leche desserts, but have you ever used it as a base for no-churn ice cream? Start now with this ridiculously easy three-ingredient base recipe that only needs a loaf pan or a couple pint-size containers for freezing. Customize with any mix-ins your heart desires or use some of our flavor variations (think salted mocha, birthday cake, and lavender) to get your creative juices flowing....

Cinnamon-Sugar Bourbon-Pumpkin Muffins Don’t let the fancy name prevent you from making these moist pumpkin muffins (that use up the entire can of pumpkin!). Laced with cinnamon and a hint of bourbon, these are like mini versions of one of our favorite pumpkin bread recipes. Take your pumpkin muffins up another notch by adding a drizzle of bourbon icing before serving. Gluten-Free Pumpkin-Walnut Streusel Muffins Whether you have allergy restrictions or not, this gluten-free pumpkin muffin recipe is a definite winner for the entire family....

1. Fried Chicken Makeover There’s nothing like biting into a piece of crunchy fried chicken. It’s been a classic comfort food for years, but the demand skyrocketed last year thanks to the chicken sandwich wars among top food chains. This year, Chris Moyer, corporate executive chef of Perdue Farms, predicts fried chicken will be landing on even more menus thanks to elevated cooking methods. The first is smoke-fried chicken, which means smoking the chicken first in a pellet or electric smoker ($220, Ace Hardware) before breading and frying....

Rushing into your project. “Develop a good plan, price it, then work it,” says Klaus Herring, associate and project manager for Paul Davis Restoration in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “If you think through your project and you know what you’re looking to do, that’s half the battle. “When we go into a project, for example, we make a site visit first to get a feel for what our client wants....

Whether you’re a total novice or you’ve been knitting and purling for years, there’s never a better time to grab your favorite needles and yarn, because we’ve got all the insights on the hottest knitting trends you can pick up today. The yarn experts at Lion Brand put together a 2022 Culture Report that dives into the latest knitting trends, and we’ve got all the how-to knowledge and project inspiration to help you get started....

1. Determine Landscape Needs and Wants Make a list of needs and wants. Do your kids need a play space? Do you want to grow vegetables? Would your family enjoy gathering on a patio? Do some very rough sketches of the yard with thoughts of where you want to place things; it’s a great organizing principle for landscape design for beginners. They don’t need to be master plans (they can just be ideas), according to Marianne Lipanovich, author of the Big Book of Garden Designs....