Spring Gardening To Do List (and More)

Everyone likes to give their house a good spring cleaning to look fresh after a long winter. It is the same way you can take good care of your garden to prepare it for summer. A perfect picture spring landscape can be overwhelming sometimes, even when snow and ice have melted.

That’s why we have provided a checklist that will assist you to pace yourself while you prepare for flower beds, shrubs, trees, and other places that need cleaning in the yard. We have made it much easier for you to plan your list, because we broke it into early, mid, and late spring.

Early Spring To Do List

It has been a while, and now you want to get back to your garden after the long winter. It will help if you put some important things for your garden to be ready for the spring and the growing season.

Clean up flower beds

Winter storm debris from the soil surface that you anticipate planting flowers and veggies should be cleared out. Try to remove the protective winter mulch from the perennials and ornamental grasses.

If you want your grass clumps to look clean and inviting, you need to trim off the hedges. While working with plants with prickly leaves (lungwort), don't forget to wear your gloves. Putting on gloves helps to protect your hands from cuts and scrapes.

Divide perennials

Before spring growth, that is the best time to divide many perennials. A budget-friendly way to fill your garden to share with friends or with many plants is by dividing perennials. It is also an excellent way to keep perennials existing healthy.

Most times, it is expected that the middle of plants that grow in a large clump will thin out after a few years, which will leave a bare spot. But, when you divide the clusters, you are helping the plant to generate growth.

Add fresh mulch around perennials

Your yard will look when you add fresh mulch to garden beds. It is an excellent way to retain soil moisture for your plants.

Plant veggies

Please plant cool-season vegetables during early spring when you notice the soil is thawed. It will be ready for early summer.

Mid-Spring To Do List

Your spring landscape should start coming to light because more shrubs, bulbs and other things have taken place. This is when you should add new plants to your garden.

• Clean bird feeders.

• Make notes as you watch the spring show.

• Plant new perennials and cold-hardy annuals.

• Add new trees and shrubs.

• Apply mulch.

Late Spring To Do List

Late spring is the period when you start cleaning up the bloomed flowers

Deadhead bulbs

Plants tend to store energy when removing the blossom from spring flowing bulbs. Allow the foliage to die by itself; try not to remove it until the color is yellow complete or when it dries up.

Shop for summer annuals

Petunias, zinnias, and impatiens are usually the best summer annuals; hence, try to pick them out.

Start warm-season veggies

Transplantation of seedlings of warm-season crops can take place. For example, pepper, herbs of all kinds and tomatoes are warm-season crops.

Plant summer-blooming bulbs

It is usually in the fall that spring-blooming bulbs are planted. Once there's no more threat of frost, it is wise to plant summer blooming bulbs.

If you follow the checklist above, you will have one of the best clean and good-looking gardens. Take pride in your garden and beautify it as you would in your home.

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How to Use Honeysuckle

Do you remember eating honeysuckles as a kid? The memories are always trilling. But, there are many flower offers than just the sweet taste. It is perfect for boosting health. The seeds, flowers, and leaves are a great source of wellness. In this article, we will discuss the uses of honeysuckles, as well as their potential health benefits.

Uses of Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle can be used for different purposes as follows.

• Honeysuckle helps with upper respiratory tract infections.

• Honeysuckle helps to reduce headaches and fever.

• It helps with viral as well as bacterial infections.

• Honeysuckle helps with the digestion of disorders. 

• It helps to reduce pain and inflammation of the small intestine.

• It helps with the rectifying urinary disorder.

• Honeysuckle helps with diabetes.

• It helps with arthritis.

What Is Honeysuckle?

It is common to find honeysuckles in garden plants with fragrant flowers. All over the world, hundreds of species grow, especially in climates temperature. The honeysuckle plants are of the genus Lonicera of the Caprifoliaceae. 

Honeysuckles have a charming aroma. It is always lovely when you whiff honeysuckle. You will be amazed that you can get many health benefits from honeysuckle. You can even make recipes from these flowers. Let’s find out:

Health Benefits Of Honeysuckle

1. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties:

Not all of the honeysuckle is consumable. However, there are edible berries, and studies have reviewed that they have impressive and powerful health properties. And those that it is their first time are outstanding in fighting disease antioxidants.

2. Immune boosting and antiviral properties:

Lonicera Japonica is known as the Japanese honeysuckle, popularly used as a Traditional Chinese Medicine. The colour is yellow, white flowers and berries that are black. The research took place during 2018 that shows the demonstration of honeysuckles berries that enhance immune system function. 

The berries have a natural way of stopping the activity that kills cells known as NK cells, which is a kind of white blood cell, and it has the power to destroy viruses and tumour cells. It acts as an immunomodulatory agent for immunosuppressed mice subjects. 

3. Natural scent:

There is a natural perfume scent that comes out of honeysuckles. Although it is not easy to get a honeysuckles essential oil that is pure, if you are fortunate to get one, you can turn it into a unique personal scent mixed with a carrier oil but of little quantity. It also helps for the diffuser, bath, and linen sprays.

4. Oral health support:

Honeysuckles are sometimes one of the ingredients in natural gargles. To make a mouthwash at home just combine 2 cups of boiled water and a half cup of fresh leaves of honeysuckles. After boiling the two together, lower the temperature and simmer for 5 minutes. Leave the mixture to completely cool down before putting it into your mouth.

5. Diabetes support:

Honeysuckles can help people with type 2 diabetes. Lonicera Japonica was used to test diabetic rats for four weeks with a dose of 100mg/kg. The result of the treatment came out after four weeks, and it was discovered to help reduce high blood glucose levels and resistance of insulin concerning the animal subjects. 

Therefore, the results show how honeysuckles are effective in reducing type 2 diabetic rats.

Honeysuckles are lovely flowers naturally good for medical purposes, as listed above. Therefore, it is suitable for perfume oil and vital in rectifying health issues. You can check out natural health brands to get more details about flower remedies. Start by trying Bach Flower Remedies’ Honeysuckle Flower Essence.

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How to Cook Rice

Today I'll be teaching you how to cook rice. Don't worry. It is straightforward. Just follow the steps, okay. And you'll be fine. Now let's get to it. 

Ways You Should Use to Cook Rice 

1. Start by rinsing your rice. 

We all know that rinsing your rice is no fun at all. But you can do it with speed. It takes double the time of 10 seconds. With this, you remove all of those annoying starches, which could end up giving you very sticky rice. You should keep all of your rice using an excellent filter and then rinse everything out using cold water till your water runs clear. This means you rinsed it very well. 

2. Do not forget about the ratio of the amount of rice you are cooking. 

For a lot of different rice types, you would need to make use of a ratio like 2 rice cups to 2 cups of water. These you could use and then scale things either down or up. You could also check the packaging of your rice over and over so you would be sure. You should always feel free, and then you could change or swap up using either vegetable or chicken broth and get a lot more flavor. 

3. Make sure your water boils. 

Add some salt to your pot of rice. You could add a butter tab if you desire. It would end up making your rice taste a lot better, you know. 

4. Make sure you get yourself a steady summer. 

After you add in your rice, your water temperature will drop. At this point, the speed of boiling would be significantly reduced. Allow it to summer peacefully. If not, your water would cook and leave your rice behind. 

5. Never take the lid off. 

A lot of mistakes everyone makes. You always need to cover your saucepan and keep the heat low. It would tempt you greatly to take the lid off, but you need to ignore it. 

6. Do not stress your rice while it is still in the heat. 

You should turn off the heat and then change the lid. Allow your rice to rest for around ten minutes inside a steamy saucepan. You need to remain patient. 

7. Here you can fluff things up. 

You could make use of a fork and then mix things gently. You could also lift and mix rice and ensure that the grains do not remain or glued together.

If you've got a rice cooker, the entire thing becomes relatively more straightforward. You could make use of the same magical ratio and then throw everything into your rice cooker. This would handle all of the work for you instead of you stressing yourself out. When the rice cooker tells you things are ready, you should use the same instructions and relax. 

So there we have it. You now know how to cook rice. Using these instructions, you have a pot of rice you can eat with anything you desire— much thanks. 

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How to Do Eyebrows Tutorial

I'll talk about ways you could do your eyebrows. This is for anyone who wants to look pretty. It could be date night; it could be prom; it could be any occasion you want to go for. It does not matter. This article has got all you need to make your eyebrows look like a delight and get shaped properly. 

Eyebrows Tutorial Techniques 

You need to ensure that the product you get to use for your brow is the correct color for the brow you already have. You might prefer using either gel or a powder or a pencil that's colored brown. The thing you need to know is that your eyebrows are usually relatively darker than the color of hair you've got on your head. This is why you need to match entirely accordingly to have the best results in the end. 

It would be best if you held whichever tool you are using lightly. If you end up saving your rook tightly, you would go and have brows that are overdrawn. A tip you should know is that the further back you use to hold your eyebrows pencil, the higher and more feathery it might take your strokes for your eyebrows to look right. They would also look more natural. 

You need to always mimic the direction of the growth of your hair using light and small strokes. Do not forget to make sure you are careful and work lightly using one of your hands and gently towards your inner corners and edges. If you do not do it this way, you might end up having a blocky and unnatural look. Trust me when I say you do not want that to happen. 

It would help if you thought outside the box constantly. Think about this whenever you feel like drawing or adding in some more hairs, even if they end up falling outside your natural eyebrows line. 

It would be best if you also kept yourself a spoolie or a Q-tip close by. This helps you clean up mistakes, and it also helps blend the lines of your eyebrows. These are the best friends of your eyebrows, especially when you try to do them for the first time. 

After you're done and love how you look, you should set it all out using a conditioner for your eyebrow. It would be best if you did all of the things listed above to your other eyebrow. 

Everyone loves having eyebrows that look good. But it is no easy task getting this done. But luckily for you, you've read this piece. It may also help if you use a tool like Jane Iredale’s GreatShape Eyebrow Kit. Good luck!

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Best Winter Veggies for a Stew Recipe

Hello there. It's cooking time. And it's winter too. Today I'll be teaching you how to make these fantastic winter veggies for stew. Are you ready? Well, come along then. 

What is the Preparation Time for this Recipe? 

It takes an hour to prepare this recipe. It takes 4 hours to handle everything in total. You get 8 servings from this recipe. 

Ingredients

You would need the following ingredients:

● 5 lbs chuck beef

o You need to remove all excess gristle and fat and then cut it into around two-inch chunks. 

● 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour 

● Ground pepper and coarse salt to taste

● 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil

● Onion, chopped coarsely 

● 2 sliced celery stalks 

● 2 smashed garlic cloves 

● 1/4 cup of tomato paste 

● 1 cup of merlot wine

● 28 oz crushed tomatoes

● ½ tsp dried thyme 

● 2 dried Bay leaves 

● 3 lbs vegetables (parsnips, turnips, carrots, and potatoes, cut and peeled into half-inch chunks) 

Steps in Cooking This Recipe 

The First Step 

You need to mix your beef using flour and then season everything using pepper and salt. Using a large pot or oven, heat about 2 tbsp of oil on medium-high. Work this into two batches and then shake off all excess flour and then sear all of your beef on every side until it looks brown for around 8 to 10 minutes. Make sure you make use of extra amounts of oil when frying for the second time. After you’re done, transfer your beef inside a plate and then set it aside. 

The Second Step 

Add in ingredients like garlic, celery, and onion to your pot. Then you cook and stir gently until everything softens. It takes around 3 to 5 minutes. You can now add in your tomato paste, cook, and occasionally stir until everything darkens for roughly 1 to 2 minutes. You can now add your wine and then scrape off brown bits from the bottom of what you used to cook. That's either the oven or the pot. Don’t stop till the liquid has reduced by half for around 2 to 3 minutes. 

The Third Step 

Add in other ingredients. Make sure they boil and reduce the heat to medium-low, and then simmer. Occasionally stir for two hours. If the liquid reduces, then make sure you add some more water. 

Then you transfer your beef to another bowl, a large one, and then pass all the remaining contents through a fine-mesh sieve. Keep stirring and tasting till it tastes like fine veggie winter stew is ready.

You can consume your stew using anything you like. It could be bread, rice, or chicken. If it remains, you could keep the rest in the fridge. 

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Indoor Botanical Gardens You Can Visit in the Winter

Have you been looking for wonderful indoor botanical gardens you can visit in the winter? You’re in luck! Here are some of the lovely botanical gardens to visit whenever winter comes. 

List of Indoor Botanical Gardens You Can Visit in the Winter

Gardens by the Bay, Singapore

This is a 3-garden park found at a waterfront plot that was reclaimed at a land very close to Marina Bay. The garden could be located at a single part in the transition of Singapore, and then it changed from being a garden city and then within its flower dome. It features one of the largest glasshouses from around the world, as recognized by Guinness World Records. It's one of two chilled conservatories featuring 7 indoor gardens, an olive grove, and a restaurant. It is also around the cloud forest, including one of the two conservatories where you could find a “mountain” that has been manufactured and is easily accessible through elevators. Then there are walking paths, which take you past waterfalls. 

Botanical Gardens and Phipps Conservatory at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

This was presented to Pittsburgh in 1893. The Phipps Botanical Garden and Conservatory are registered presently as a Historic National Place. It isn't simply registered as a place through National History. It is not what is around the 13-room conservatory, which is quite green. It has buildings that have gotten a lot of high sustainable designations, including platinum and silver certifications.

Eden Project, Cornwall, England

This is a Kaolinite that has been reclaimed from Cornwall, and it serves as the apartment for the house of the project of Eden. It consists of various biodomes, which keep a variety of plant species. Two of the significant domes imitate Mediterranean and tropical climates, which also support corresponding plant life.

Atocha Station, Madrid, Spain

This can be found in the largest railway station. It is a large tropical garden. The Atocha station greenhouse has more than 7,000 plants, and it also has a pond that is home to various turtles and fish. The park sits under a large arched skylight. It is also fed by an indoor sprinkler system, which falls from the ceiling and looks like a London mist. 

The thing with these gardens is that you could visit them during any season, especially during winter. In seasons like winter, all of the flowers inside blossom, and they look stunning. 

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How to Care for Indoor Plants During the Winter

Indoor plants are one of the most used indoor decorations. They give special additional beauty to one's home. The colors help to bring out the beauty of the home. What else could make a perfect indoor decoration? But not all indoor plants find it easy to survive during the wintertime. 

Wintertime is the most dangerous season of the year for indoor plants. With lighting dropping, colder temperatures, and dry air, causes more harm to houseplants. Here are things that can be done to help indoor plants survive the winter season:

Allow for better lighting:

During wintertime, the light intensity dropped to around 50%. Plants need light to survive. When plants are moved to the window, it allows for better light. Clean windows frequently for better results. In addition to this, the dust of the plants so they can get better light. You can also add artificial lights as bulbs. Place them around 4-12 inches away from the plants for better results.

Warm up the temperature:

Any temperature less than 50°F is dangerous for most plants. Most indoor plants adapt to a temperature between 65-75°F.  Adjust your thermostat to A more suitable level. Avoid placing your plants in areas that are most likely to give a cooler temperature such as exterior windows or cold drafts. If Windows frost at night, move the plants away before night.

Change the watering schedule:

One of the most common problems faced by indoor plants is overwatering. Most plants do not need to be watered until their soil is almost dried. You know when your plant needs water by putting your hand deep through the soil to around 2 inches. If the soil is dry, then water is needed. Or you can raise your plant's pot to check the weight. It is usually lighter when dry than when wet. Then you will know if your plant needs water. If your room is humidified, plants would not need water. 

Improve humidity:

Homes during winter offer 5% to 10% of humidity. Plants however need 40% to 50% humidity. When they don't get the right humidity, they might end up getting brown leaves. Improve humidity to a more suitable position for your plants.

Take note of pests:

Pests such as mealybugs, spider mites, fungus gnats, and likes tend to appear more as a result of lack of sunlight. Try to always check out for them and do not hesitate to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Having indoor plants is beautiful. We always enjoy the beauty that comes along with it. It is often used to beautify the home. However, taking care of it is a different task. It is easier to do so in other seasons that support the atmosphere of their habitat. However, it becomes more difficult to be taken care of in winter. Following the above procedures, it would help taking care of the plants in the winter season easier with better effects.

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