How to propagate rosemary from stem cuttings Rosemary is one of my favorite perennial herbs to have around the garden. The plants are prolific and look beautiful all year. Learn how to take cuttings from existing rosemary plants to turn into new ones through the power of propagation! Supplies you’ll need Step 1: Take a …
Brittany Goldwyn
Here’s what we’ve done in the garden this season! Every year I do an update about the changes we’ve made in the garden. This is our third update for this house—here are the first two: And for year 3…well, we really went off the deep end. I thought it was going to be a chill …
If you’ve been hanging around to witness my plant adventures over the years, you probably know that building a greenhouse is truly a dream come true for me. That’s right—we bought the 9×6 Willow model greenhouse from Backyard Discovery! It’s perfect for us, our needs, and our space. And I did a ton of research …
Learn what causes gnats & how to get rid of them! If you have any houseplants, you have probably dealt with fungus gnats. Fungus gnats are teeny tiny black flying insects that are attracted to wet potting soil. My plants are 100% gnat free. Through trial and error, I have developed a personal toolkit of …
All about the gorgeous Scindapsus treubii moonlight! Let’s talk about one of my favorites! If you’re looking to add an interesting new plant to your collection, then the scindapsus treubii ‘moonlight’ might be a good choice. The moonlight’s leaves are milky green with a silver sheen, making them stand out among your other green-leaf plants. …
How to care for holiday cacti…and get blooms! Today we’re talking about holiday cacti, including the Thanksgiving cactus and the Christmas cactus. My Thanksgiving cactus started as a cutting from my own grandmother’s plant, so it’s a really special plant in my collection. Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti can live very long lives, often being passed …
How to help the ric rac cactus thrive! I ordered my first ric rac cactus online many years ago—it’s such a cool-looking plant and was on my wish list for a while. You might hear it called a ton of different names: the fishbone cactus, the zig-zag cactus, or even an orchid cactus. It’s a …
How to care for the unique string of turtles! Have you had a chance to see a string of turtles plant in person? This plant has become very trendy in the last few years, and for good reason. It looks really cool, but it’s a peperomia—peperomia prostrata—which means it’s pretty easy to care for, too! …
I have to admit that spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) aren’t my favorite. I have had some bad luck with them many years ago despite being really easy to care for. But I wanted to give it another shot after seeing my mom’s stunning spider plant FULL of flowers and babies. It’s throwing new shoots and …
How to care for hoya linearis as a houseplant Today we’re talking about a plant I first got as a cutting…and then got rid of…and then re-bought when I saw a larger plant for sale locally. It’s a hoya linearis! I seem to love hoyas more and more every year. While the linearis variety is …
All about silver sword philodendron care Today we’re talking about the silver sword philodendron—aka philodendron hastatum ‘silver sword.’ When I first got this plant, I had never seen one in person. I really only see them occasionally popping up in plant nurseries where I live for higher prices. So when a friend of mine told …
Learn how to make a plant propagation box It’s been plants out the wazoo over here lately. It’s spring, meaning it’s propagation season! So what better time than now for me to share my moss propagation box setup? A plant propagation box is basically a way to create a small greenhouse for your propagations. It …
Caring for the mildly dramatic calathea Dottie I’ve written about general calathea care tips in the past, and I’ve tried many times to swear off calatheas Because they are a bit higher maintenance than some other plants. They are beautiful, though. Especially Calathea Dottie with her deep green and hot pink leaves. According to the …
Have you ever grown lemon verbena? I usually grow it as an annual where I’m at since it is sensitive to frost, and I’m in zone 7. Otherwise known as Aloysia citrodora, lemon verbena is a species of flowering plant with pointed green leaves that have a district lemon scent. It’s different from lemon balm, …
Elephant ear plants are one of my favorite plants to decorate our patio with. I sometimes plant them in the ground, too—and they can get quite large! Regardless of whether you plant them in the ground or in pots, you’ll likely need to dig up your elephant ear bulbs in the fall if don’t live …
Learn how to dry or preserve eucalyptus branches I have an article all about how to care for potted eucalyptus that’s one of my most popular. I love growing eucalyptus in pots every year—and based on the number of emails I get about eucalyptus, you all do, too! As we near the end of growing …
Hey all! Today I am adding another hoya to my hoya care guide arsenal—the hoya obovata. One of my favorite plants in my whole collection! The obovata’s thick, flat, round, succulent-like leaves make it truly stand out. Each leaf is deep green with a gray/whitish “splash” variegation on them. It climbs and vines, making it …
How to care for the lovely philodendron white knight It’s time for a philodendron white knight care guide! White knight has lovely deep red stems that look a lot like pink princess philodendron stems. The leaves, however, are a deep green with bright white variegation. Not ivory, not cream. Bright white. While it has traditionally …
My outdoor console table made using 2x4s and pavers! Hi all! Today I’ve got an outdoor build for you—I’m sharing the steps for how I made an outdoor console table using a combination of wood and concrete pavers. I love using concrete pavers for outdoor builds to help keep them sturdy and to keep costs …
Today I am sharing all about how to hang flower pots on a fence, deck, or just about any other vertical wood surface—specifically how to hang terracotta flower pots. Terracotta flower pots are so cheap, easy to paint if you want to, and come in a variety of sizes to meet all of your gardening …
Our DIY behind-the-sofa skinny console table…with power! I have yet to share a full post documenting the basement finishing project we took on. I have a lot of photos and content to sift through first! I did share a post on Our Review of the Flooret Modin Flooring we put in the basement, and that …
Here are my favorite sources for cheap and free plants! Man, I meant to write this post earlier in the growing season, but here we are knocking on June’s door. And I’m just now sitting down to write it! It’s okay though, because it’s not completely too late. And these will still be my favorite …
I usually do a yearly yard update post closer to the end of the growing season—usually in late August or early September when the garden has really filled in and there’s lots to look at. This will be our second full growing season in our current yard. The first year we focused on putting in …
A step-by-step tutorial for preserving insects in resin There is a lot of overlap between bug people and plant people. I’m a plant people, but I am not a bug people. I am actually a bit squeamish about bugs, even the ones I know are beneficial. But I’m on the East Coast, which means we …
Flowers & plants I’ve added to attract beneficial insects! I’m not anti-pesticides—they certainly have their place in gardening. But I try my best not to use them. Instead, I try to companion plant my food crops with plants and flowers that attract beneficial insects. That way, when pests try to move in, there is a …
I am really excited to share something a bit different today…a post about how to raise black swallowtail butterflies! Our focus this year has been largely on adding butterfly-friendly plants to the garden, so we’re swimming in caterpillars. Identification The black swallowtail—otherwise known as the eastern black swallowtail, American swallowtail, parsnip swallowtail, and papilio polyxenes—is …
How to make seed bombs at home! Last year I did a post on How to Save Milkweed Seeds…and I saved a lot! I spread some in fields near my house last fall. I also started some in my own yard and gave a bunch away. I figured the ones I had left after all …
Seed starting 101 & how I start my seeds! Today’s post really gets back to basics, because I’m walking you through how I start my seeds indoors. If you’re wanting to start gardening and starting some seeds, you might be a bit intimidated. I know I was. In this post, I’ll walk you through what …
How to grow gorgeous alocasia odora Alocasia odora is probably the first elephant ear plant I ever grew. It’s definitely a “gateway” elephant ear plant because it’s so easy to find in garden centers in nurseries. You’ll often find it either as a potted patio plant or a corm (similar to a bulb). Odora is …
Today we’re talking about how to propagate basil from stem cuttings. It’s a super easy thing to do if you want to enjoy fresh basil for your whole growing season. And you can continue chopping and propping basil stem cuttings pretty much indefinitely, meaning you really only need to buy basil once! I know herbs …
Our DIY landscaping progress & a Vego beds review! I’m home from work and puttering around this week, reading and whatnot. I figured it’d be a nice time to go through some of my blogging backlog. And one of the things on my list was my yearly yard post. This is our second summer in …
This post was sponsored by Cricut. I’ll be honest—I have traditionally not loved working with stencils because I find it super hard to get clean paint lines. No matter how hard I try to paint carefully and how much tape I use to hold them in place, there is always paint bleeding and smudging. However, …
The pink princess is easier to find than ever! And pink princess philodendron care is a breeze. Learn about this gorgeous pink-variegated plant, including how to keep it pink, pricing, reverting variegation, and more. Let’s finally talk about pink princess philodendron care! Hey plant people! I am finally getting around to writing a pink princess …
It’s been a while since I have designed something from scratch myself and made it! I am not terribly great at using the 3D modeling software SketchUp, but I am trying to get better at it. So I thought a potting bench would be the perfect project to practice on. It might have taken me …
Hoya crassipetiolata is a lovely plant to add to your collection. If you’re wondering whether or not hoya crassipetiolata care is difficult—this is the post for you! (Spoiler: It’s not.) My hoya crassipetiolata care guide I recently wrote about the hoya polyneura, one of the more recent hoyas I’ve added to my collection. Around the …
Xanthosoma lindenii is a tropical plant with striking green and white arrowhead-like leaves. Learn how to help this plant thrive indoors, including how much light it needs, when to water it, how much humidity it likes, and more. My xanthosoma lindenii care guide! Xanthosoma lindenii is a striking plant that reminds me a lot of …
We installed Flooret’s luxury vinyl plank flooring! I’ve been sharing progress on our partial basement finishing project via my Instagram stories for a few months now. After getting a quote for $57k to hire everything out, we decided to project manage it ourselves instead to save some money. And to do a lot of the …
Looking for hoya polyneura care tips? This plant’s needs are like most other hoyas, and it’s one of the newer types I’ve added to my collection. Learn more about it here. Hoya polyneura care tips I am coming out of what feels like a bit of a houseplant care guide hibernation to tackle the lovely …
Wondering how to root epiphyllum cuttings? Epiphyllums are stunning plants, and epiphyllum propagation is one of the easiest in the game! Learn how to get it right on the first try. All about epiphyllum propagation & rooting cuttings Hey, all! It’s been quite a while since I’ve done a houseplant propagation post. So when I …
Let’s talk FlexiSpot E7 vs. Ikea Bekant standing desks. They are both great products, but which the better investment? Here’s what I think based on actually owning an Ikea Bekant and two FlexiSpot standing desks, including the original essential standing desk and the E7 premium standing desk. Flexispot sent me the E7 desk for this …