Plant roses in the spring, give them lots of water and nutrients, and they will bloom with abundant beauty through the summer. Learn how to grow and care for rose bushes year-round with this comprehensive guide. When caring for established plants, start the spring season by removing material used for winter protection, then prune and feed the plants at the appropriate time for the local climate. This is also a good time to apply sprays to get a head start on disease and pest control....

Scaredy cat plant is usually planted by seed or from a potted nursery start in the spring after all danger of frost has passed and soil temps are at 60 degrees Fahrenheit or above. It is a fast-growing plant that generally flowers within a few weeks when planted from a nursery start. Scaredy cat plant is stocked by large local garden centers, or you can order live plants or seeds from online retailers....

Schubert’s allium bulbs, like other ornamental onions, are normally planted in the fall in order to give them the cold-chilling period they need to bloom. Potted alliums may also be available at garden centers for spring planting. Unlike many bulb species, flowering onions are long-lived, multiplying freely over time. All parts of this plant contain sulfides that are mildly toxic to humans and somewhat more seriously toxic to pets. Consuming these plants can cause digestive upset in humans....

In 1765, the Philadelphia botanists, John Bartram, who was appointed “Royal Botanist” for the colonies and his son William, discovered several shrubs growing along the Altamaha River while on a scientific expedition in Georgia. A few years later William returned to the area to study the plant and thought it to be from the species Gordonia. This was not the case and, after closer study, the tree, with larger more fragrant blooms, was discovered to be its own species....

These air plants are covered in tiny hairs making giving their leaves a soft texture. The Tillandsia cacticola grows upwards along a tall stem sending its sprawling foliage outward to make a wild, beautiful display. The leaves typically curve and point downwards. This air plant produces tall purple bracts and tiny white flowers with purple edges, which are sure to stand out among your other plants. The blooms are long-lasting, even for months on end....

This vegetable should be planted outdoors from nursery transplants or seeds in spring, when soil temps have reached at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit. While this annual plant can grow in all most any hardiness zone, black-eyed peas do need a fairly long growing season, as some varieties need up to 90 days to mature. The bush varieties can easily be grown in containers, although you won’t get anywhere near as many beans as when they are planted in the ground....

In fact, Psychopsis orchids evolved to trick insects into pollinating them through pseudocopulation, meaning that male insects attempt to mate with the flowers thinking they are female insects of the same species. During this process, the flowers are inadvertently pollinated. This deception is used by many other orchid (Orchidaceae) species as well including the fly orchid (Ophrys insectifera) and the bee orchid (Ophrys apifera). When grown in the right conditions, Psychopsis orchids can flower at regular intervals throughout the entire year....

What differentiates the sawtooth sunflower from other sunflower varieties is its red stems. Despite its name, its leaves are actually smooth or only slightly serrated. They are deep green, long, and sandpaper-like from the stiff hairs that cover the surface. However, the star of the show isn’t the red stems or long leaves, but the bright yellow flowers that sit on top. They have both yellow ray florets, which are the large petals on the sunflower, and yellow disk florets, which are the centers of the flower....

Turnip leaves are light green and slightly hairy. They grow into an elongated oval, with toothed or wavy edges. Turnip roots are generally either white or yellow, with the part that protrudes above ground purple or green thanks to sun exposure. If allowed to bolt, turnip flowers are small and yellow. As with other Brassica plants, the four petals form a cross, which is why they are also referred to as cruciferous vegetables....

Insulate and Weatherize First If you will be using your garage often during the heating season, your energy costs can easily double or triple if your garage has inadequate insulation and weatherstripping. Energy lost through drafty windows or transmitted through uninsulated walls is energy you pay for, so it makes sense to make the same energy preservation efforts with your garage as you do with the rest of your house. In most cases, any money you spend on adding insulation will be rewarded by savings of up to 20 percent on energy costs, according to the Department of Energy....

3 Reasons Why New Hardware Is So Effective Hardware is prominent—it physically sticks out more than any other feature of the kitchen cabinetry. Amazing, colorful, and detailed designs are possible in cabinet hardware—aspects that would be overwhelming in other parts of the kitchen. You can use materials and finishes not found elsewhere in the kitchen: everything from shiny, mirror-like finishes to weathered bronze and cast-iron finishes. Replacing Cabinet Knobs With Handles Removing knobs and replacing them with handles is a popular project....

Different parts of the sofa—the frame, seating support, and filling—determine not only your sofa’s level of comfort but also its ability to retain its shape and stability in the years to come. The Frame How long a sofa will last and retain its shape depends largely on the frame, and a high-quality sofa always has a strong, sturdy one. When looking at the frame of a sofa this is what you should consider:...

Keep in mind that sheer curtains will not help. Invest in blinds or curtains that are light in color or black-out curtains to help keep the heat out. You can always open them after the sun moves in another direction. Make sure to strategically place any trees so they don’t block your view outside or cause issues with roots. Trees can provide shade for many years to come, plus you can enjoy being cooler sitting under them while you’re outside, too....

Reasons for Killing Clover With so much going for it, you may wonder why some homeowners consider clover a weed. But they do, and here are some of the reasons they would give: Lawn purists often crave uniformity in a lawn. They feel that a lawn should be composed of nothing but grass, giving it a clean, even look. Clover puts out a flower that attracts bees. If you have small children playing on the lawn, this can be an unpleasant experience for them....

You can purchase compost screens through some garden catalogs, but it costs literally pennies to make your own, and you can make it whatever size you want. Maybe you would prefer a small one, one that’s easy to just hold up over a bucket and sift compost into it. I have one that fits perfectly so it can sit on top of my wheelbarrow, and I can shovel compost right into it, then sift it into the wheelbarrow to take to the garden....

Round Tables Eliminating sharp corners is a great way to make a living room (or any room) safer for kids, so when shopping for accent tables consider those that are round. While you may not want all of your tables to be the same shape, consider at least a round coffee table. Since the coffee table is usually in the center of the room it’s the one kids are most likely to be injured by....

As with all moving decisions, weigh the costs against your time and effort, then decide what’s best for you. But before you start driving your things to your local bus station, there are a few things to consider and stuff you need to know. Find out more about shipping your things by bus in this new feature article that’s perfect for people with little possessions or students on the move....