When NASA selects plants that can purify air on the space station, you know the plants are probably pretty healthy for your own home. Mother Nature Network provides a list of the top 15 air purifying household plants,

English ivy (Hedera helix) – Effective at removing formaldehyde, this plant thrives in cool, moist air. It too is poisonous, so keep it away from pets and children.

Chrysanthemum (Chrysantheium morifolium) – This plant, which can produce wonderfully bright-colored flowers, can filter both benzene and formaldehyde. It does best in direct sunlight.

If you want to send me a nice planter, click here and read the rest of the suggestions.  I’ll accept any of them!

Last week we looked at a video of gorgeous steps, so this week we’ll take a look at lovely pathways to your house (or around the garden).  From houzz,

A long, straight path instantly makes your house the focal point, adding a sense of grandeur. Brick and slate are both great choices for complementing a white exterior, and the two materials pair well together.

The link has TONS of great suggestions and why you would pick which material for your sidewalk.  My favorite:

A gentleman strolled up the City Hall’s information window today and asked to contact our Parks and Recreation Department. He was seeking help from a specialist on how to get rid of sand fleas. He has a sand box for his toddler daughter, but when he let her play in it she came back covered with flea bites.

How do you get rid of sand fleas?  eHow Health offers a solution,

1.  Remove all of the sand from the sandbox. Shovel or pour it into a strong garbage bag. Take it to the dump. Put it in the back of a truck, if you can, to avoid getting fleas in your vehicle. You may be able to put it at the curb for regular garbage pick-up, if there is a reasonable amount.

2.  Wash your sandbox with a water and vinegar mixture. Mix about half and half in a bucket. Dip a cloth in it, and wash the box vigorously.

You may not want to have to buy all new sand, but it’s worth it.

If you don’t already have that evergreen up with lights twinkling and ornaments sparkling, it may be time to go find a tree!  But besides the shape of the evergreen, what do you need to look at when picking a tree?  Martha Stewart has the answer!

As you browse, flag favorites with a bandanna so that it will be easier to comparison shop. The first trees to get picked over tend to be the ones near the parking lot, so the farther reaches of a farm might offer a better selection. Leave a good stump on the tree you cut, and trim a half inch at home before putting it in water.

Great advice! Now get the saw and head out!

Sadly, the tree pictured is not a live tree, but the artificial one we have at our home.

The worst insect problem I’ve had at my house recently was the invasion of gnats this past spring.  During the summer, we’ve also had to deal with moths of every shape and size.  The mild winter last year coupled with the hot temperatures and plenty of rainfall in the spring causes a moth population boom!  We didn’t do a lot with the moths, but we set out several cups of our vinegar and dishwashing liquid concoctions to deal with the gnats. After a month, they finally disappeared.

Everyone deals with insect problems at some point.  Thrifty Fun addresses how to deal with different types of common insect problems,

Spider Mites: These tiny bugs (usually red, white, or spotted tan in color) feed underneath the leaves, spinning fine webs along the veins of the leaves and leaving the plant with a gray webby look and anemic foliage. Original infestations are most likely to occur from plants that have been kept outdoors and then moved inside. Some of their favorite hosts include ivies, dracaenas, figs, hibiscus, Norfolk Island pine, and scheffleras. Heavily infested plants should be tossed out as they are difficult to control in large numbers. If you are lucky enough to notice a mite problem before your plant has sustained significant damage, take it outside, lay it on its side, and blast the undersides of the leaves with a spray from the hose.

Read the whole article to learn more about aphids, mealybugs, and more!

As a member of our city’s local garden club, our work focuses on beautification efforts around city properties. We have planted gorgeous purple flowers all around the police station, have cleaned the front of city hall, and most recently we tore out the old ugly flower bed by the library and replanted.

In this three foot by six foot space, we probably planted over 100 bulbs.  Tulips, Hyacinths, Jonquils, and more!  We staggered them so they’d bloom throughout the spring, just like This Old House suggests,

Grab a container and plant layers of bulbs that will give you three bursts of color when spring arrives. Choose bulb varieties that flower a few weeks apart, such as crocus, tulips, and daffodils, which will bloom in rotation for up to six weeks.

To fill a container that’s 12 inches in diameter and 12 to 14 inches deep, you’ll want about 9 crocus, 7 tulip, and 5 daffodil bulbs.

I am really looking forward to April and May to see what our new garden does!

Making dirt is really not that hard. Making good dirt for gardening is also a not difficult!

If you’ve ever had a fried green tomato, you know they can be an explosion of delicious in your mouth. But for some, fried foods are just not a good option. But when you still have an abundance of green tomatoes, you can’t just throw them away.  From Haphazard Homestead, here’s a lesson on ripening green tomatoes to red,

Any cool dark place, like a garage or cellar, will do.  I left off the see-thru plastic cover and put a layer of cardboard on the shelves to keep the really small tomatoes from falling though (paper would work, too).  I placed all the green tomatoes on the shelves and covered the entire rack with plastic.  In our case, we had some very large white plastic bags used to dispose of natural Christmas trees.  You could use large trash bags, tarps or whatever you have on hand.  Cloth sheets will work, but not as well as plastic.  The plastic covering not only blocks out direct sunlight, but also traps in gasses that help the tomatoes get ripe.

Check them every few days and when they turn medium red, bring them into the sun! Great tip!

I spent last weekend planting bulbs for a flower bed at our city’s public library. Our bulbs will also grow at many times throughout the summer. I can’t wait until spring and summer to see the results of our work!

I love summer but the yard work that piles up is just mind-numbing for someone who likes the feel of cool air on her face.  Outside you get to swat at gnats and mosquitoes and sweat flies.  Inside I sashay around with a watering  pitcher.  Outside sweat pours off my nose.  Inside I pop a bon bon in my mouth.

All kidding aside, there are some easy, low stress ways to keep your yard in good shape.  From xfinity.com, one way to beat the summer heat is not to bag your grass clippings,

Want to skip some stress when you mow? Leave the clipping bag in the garage, drop that rake and leave those clippings where they fall.

Research at the University of Connecticut has shown that you can cut your use of nitrous fertilizer by 50 percent or more, just by letting the grass clippings do the work for you. “It’s kind of a no-brainer, but people don’t do it,” Littlefield says. “They will decompose and the nutrients in them will return to the soil,” she says. “It’s recycling.”

Please do tell my neighbors this is why I don’t bag my clippings!

Photo by dan4th nicholas.