Posts

Mistake No. 1: Planting too early By the time spring finally rolls around, most people are eager to get back into the garden. But if you live where temperatures can still dip below freezing, avoid setting out tender crops, such as tomato, cucumber, melon, eggplant, and pepper. These vegetables should stay under cover until nightly temperatures remain at least 55°F. If you want to give them a little head start, plant them under a grow cloth, cloche, milk jug, or other type of protection....

Buy It: Hamilton Beach Hand Mixer ($17, Target) Buy It: Mainstays Baking Pan ($5, Walmart)

Buy It: What’s Gaby Cooking Everything Seasoning, $13, Williams Sonoma

Test Kitchen Tip: Like a smokey flavor in your Christmas roast? Substitute the same amount of smoked paprika for the regular paprika. Test Kitchen Tip: No need for a special popover pan, these puddings bake in a muffin tin.

To create standout room arrangements, choose an eclectic mix of furnishings and accessories that are noticeably lighter or darker than the deep color on the walls. Place light-hued upholstered furniture, shapely lampshades, and salvaged architectural elements against dark walls to give the room a sense of lightness. In this brown-walled room, look-at-me orange demands consideration. Presented as blocks of solid color, in a wildly patterned artwork, and as a statuesque shelving unit, orange supplies a refreshing counterpoint to the room’s more staid walls....

Important safety tip: This treatment is not appropriate for kids’ beds or other rooms where children sleep. Important safety tip: Use a low-wattage bulb in your finished creation for safety.

1. Make Your Room Seem Larger Smith painted the built-ins blue-black. “Dark colors are counterintuitive,” she says. “A lot of people think they make a space feel smaller, but they really make the ceiling feel higher and the room appear larger.” Black window casings also draw eyes out, making a space seem larger. White shades trimmed in black retain the effect, even when closed. 2. Go Big on Seating A low-back sectional actually takes up less space than a sofa and chair would and accommodates her tall husband, Nick Herman....

Buy It: KitchenAid Ladle ($7, Target) Buy It: KitchenAid Ladle ($7, Target) Buy It: Roshco Fondue Forks ($7, Bed Bath & Beyond)

Editor’s tip: Trim your DIY artwork with a thin frame to hide drips along the canvas edge and provide a finished look.

These modern Christmas decor ideas include everything from white Christmas trees and whimsical rainbow mantel decorations to monochrome tablescapes and nontraditional Advent calendars. Mix the old with the new to give your usual Christmas decor a refreshing update. This season, prepare to deck the halls with these fresh decor ideas.

Name: Paeonia Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil Size: To 3 feet tall Zones: 3-8 Name: Liriope Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil Size: To 18 inches tall Zones: 5-10 Name: Hemerocallis Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil Size: To 1 foot tall Zones: 3-10 Buy It: Hemerocallis ‘Hyperion’ ($15, White Flower Farm) Name: Hosta Growing Conditions: Part to full shade and well-drained soil Size: To 3 feet tall Zones: 3-8 Buy It: Mixed Hosta Value Bag ($19, Walmart) Name: Iris Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 3 feet tall Zones: 3-10 for Bearded; 3-8 for Siberian; 9-11 for African Buy It: Iris germanica ‘Sun Shine In’ ($15, White Flower Farm) Name: Papaver orientale Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 3 feet tall Zones: 3-7 Buy It: Papaver orientale ‘Türkenlouis’ ($19, White Flower Farm) Name: Baptisia australis Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil Size: To 4 feet tall Zones: 3-9 Name: Sedum Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 6 inches tall Zones: 4-9 Buy It: Dragon’s Blood Sedum ($10, Etsy) Name: Nepeta Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil Size: To 30 inches tall Zones: 4-8 Buy It: Nepeta ‘Cat’s Pajamas’ ($17, White Flower Farm) Name: Symphyotrichum novae-angliae Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 6 inches tall Zones: 4-8 Buy It: Symphyotrichum novae-angliae ‘Grape Crush’ ($17, White Flower Farm) Name: Agapanthus Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade Size: To 4 feet tall Zones: 6-10 Buy It: Ever White Agapanthus ($18, The Home Depot) Name: Wisteria Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 25 feet tall Zones: 3-9 Buy It: Wisteria floribunda Lavender Falls ($34, White Flower Farm) Name: Campsis radicans Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and average soil Size: To 40 feet tall Zones: 4-9 Buy It: Trumpet Vine (from $10, Etsy) Name: Heliopsis Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 6 feet tall Zones: 3-9 Name: Phlox subulata Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 6 inches tall Zones: 3-9 Buy It: Phlox subulata ‘Scarlet Flame’ ($15, White Flower Farm) Name: Achillea millefolium Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 3 feet tall Zones: 3-9 Buy It: Achillea filipendulina ‘Gold Plate’ ($16, White Flower Farm)

Editor’s Tip: We recommend you remove the wreath when cooking for a safe and happy holiday.

Navigating the huge amount of pumpkin products that arrive every fall can be overwhelming, so to help you plan out your grocery list, we rounded up all of the pumpkin products we’ve seen hitting shelves at Trader Joe’s this year. Check out which seasonal favorites are coming back just in time for sweater weather, and keep your eyes peeled for a few new pumpkin products coming to stores for the first time....

Editor’s Tip: Whole spices stay fresh for up to two years while ground spices have a six month shelf life.

Note: Limestone is softer than granite and marble and may need sealing when used as a countertop in busy bathrooms.