5 Tips for Growing Beautiful Annual Flower Gardens

Spring is officially in full bloom and so are the annual flowers at your local garden center! If you like decorating your outdoor space with colorful annuals, here are some ways to keep them looking beautiful longer!

1. Deadhead your annuals by pinching off the old/expired flowers. If you don’t do this they will stop flowering.

2. Fertilize the plants when you plant them. There shouldn’t be any need to fertilize them again during the spring/summer season.

3. Water them regularly. Make sure your plants are getting plenty to drink but refrain from over-watering which can kill or take the color out of some annuals.

4. Pay attention to their sun exposure guidelines. If certain annuals say that shade is recommended, make sure you don’t have them planted anywhere that gets full sun.

5. Make sure they are spaced out. If you overcrowd your pots your flowers won’t have room to grow! When you purchase the flowers they should come with a tag that gives recommended spacing guidelines.

10 Domestic Habits We’ve All Mastered

When young adults live on their own for the first time there’s a lot to learn. How much laundry detergent do I use? How often should I wash my curtains? How do I setup utilities? By the time most people are thirty and have lived on their own for several years they have mastered many domestic skills! How many on this list have you mastered? Would you add anything to this list?

1. How to prep and paint walls
2. Keeping basic kitchen items stocked
3. Keeping your home tidy and neat enough in case guests pop in
4. Having a well-stocked cabinet of cleaning supplies
5. How to host a get together (with enough food and drink for guests)
6. How to setup utilities and manage bills
7. The right way to paint, stain or refinish furniture
8. How to make your décor match
9. Making food in multiple servings
10. How to use basic tools (a hammer, screwdriver, power drill etc.)
11. The proper way to iron a shirt
12. How to remove a stain from any material