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As its name suggests, spicebush leaves and twigs give off a spicy fragrance and flavor when crushed. In fact, spicebush was traditionally used by Native Americans as a medicinal tea. Its berries have a mild allspice flavor, and when dried and crushed its bark can pass for a mild cinnamon substitute. Despite this, spicebush is not widely commercially available and has no known commercial uses. Learn how to grow spicebush in your garden and enjoy this showy shrub all year long....

The plant can suffer in conditions that are too hot and dry, requiring water to resurrect it. However, withholding water also can be a means of taming its spread. It is generally a suitable groundcover for dry shade, and even full-blown drought rarely kills the plant. Furthermore, sweet woodruff typically has no serious issues with diseases or pests. Light Sweet woodruff grows well in full shade to partial shade, particularly when it is planted under trees....

These plants actual absorb nutrients and water through their leaves, not their roots. Because of this, they don’t have big root systems like the usual houseplant. These plants can be set wherever you’d like a little greenery, no pot needed. In fact, you can even hang them. The Tillandsia kolbii has compact, fuzzy leaves that are a soft green color. With proper care, they may also produce beautiful, unique blooms in red, orange, or purple....

To start your succulent off right, ensure that it’s planted in well-draining soil. It will grow and look its best when planted in the garden. But if you live outside of its growing zones, plant the succulent in a container that you can bring indoors for the winter. Plan to water when the soil dries out, fertilize annually, and separate crowded plants as needed. Light Topsy Debbi prefers to grow in full sun, meaning at least six hours of direct sunlight on most days....

For those looking to grow this plant indoors, it is important to know that some varieties can exude a pungent smell similar to that of carrion to attract flies and encourage pollination. However, not all varieties have this characteristic. Light Unlike most succulents, Huernia zebrina does not tolerate hot, direct sun. Plants that receive too much light will turn red or purple, rather than deep green. In their natural habitat owl eyes, succulents grow beneath shrubs or other plants so they prefer bright light to partial shade conditions....

Types of gourds include hard-shell, or hard-skinned (including the bottle gourd, Lagenaria siceraria), and soft-shell, or soft-skinned, varieties in the Cucurbita genus. Both types are attractive and showy when fresh but can be dried and preserved indefinitely. Hard-skinned gourds tend to start out some shade of green, perhaps mottled with white. After drying or curing, they age to a tan or brown color. The soft-skinned gourds can be a riot of multi-colored combinations, including orange, yellow, green, white, and blue....

We spoke with designers who weighed in with their tried and true tips. And who knows, you may just end up loving a space more after getting creative with your pillar. After all, as designer Billy Ceglia says, “Pillars and columns in a space can really throw a wrench into a furniture layout, but sometimes they can be just the curveball a designer needs to think outside the box and create a special moment in an otherwise typical space....

Identifying Cucumber Beetles The adult spotted cucumber beetle is yellow, with twelve black spots on its back. The striped cucumber beetle also has a yellow body but has three black stripes along its back. Both are the same size, roughly a quarter of an inch long. The larvae are white grubs with brownish heads. The larva of the spotted cucumber beetle is known as the corn rootworm and can be a severe problem for corn and other agricultural crops....

Here is a brief guide that will help you figure out how to incorporate lighting to improve your home’s functionality and make your decor shine. Every Room Needs Three Types of Light Different rooms have different lighting needs, but ideally every room should have three different types of lighting. The main categories of lighting include general lighting that will illuminate the room at large; task lighting for reading, preparing meals, or desk work; and decorative accent lighting that creates ambiance....

How to Make a Pothos Fuller Ready to transform your pothos into the plant of your dreams? These six methods will help your pothos grow luscious and full. You can use just one of these methods or try a few. Regular Pruning Pruning your plant regularly will tidy up its appearance and stimulate new growth. It is best to prune in the spring or summer during the active growing period. Avoid pruning in the fall or winter months when your plant is less likely to push out new growth....

Whether you have a massive library or just a few classics you want to show off, we’ve found some of the best ways to organize any book collection. Click through for our favorite ideas.

Tools Packing tapePadding and/or blanketsLifting strapsLots of friends or helping handsPatience Gather Friends While it may seem obvious, it’s important to make sure that you have enough help to move the television. They’re much heavier than you might think, and because they can be quite fragile and because of their size, it’s best to have some extra hands around to not just help lift but to direct you as you move it from your home onto the moving truck....

Cleaning Supplies Plain water and mild cleaners often won’t do the trick when killing viruses, bacteria, and other germs. You must use a disinfectant, follow the product’s directions, and allow it time to work. A quick swipe might not be enough. For a homemade bleach cleaner that disinfects, do the following: Using a bleach that contains 5% to 9% sodium hypochlorite, mix 1/3 cup bleach per 1 gallon of room temperature water (or 4 teaspoons bleach per 1 quart of room temperature water)....

Before You Begin Before you start folding your fitted sheet, make sure that it’s clean and fully dry, as you don’t want to fold a damp sheet and have it sit that way in your linen closet. Also make sure that you have a clean, flat, and spacious folding surface to work on—whether that’s a table in your laundry room or the bed in your bedroom. This will make the folding process much easier....