Here are the 21 best plants for a patio to make your outdoor oasis burst with greenery, color, and texture. USDA Hardiness Zones: 11a-12bFlower Color Varieties: YellowLight: Full, partial sunSoil Needs: Moist, well-draining, acidicMature Size: 3-8 ft. tall, 3-6 ft. wideDeer Resistant: Yes USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-11Flower Color Varieties: White, pink, lavender, redLight: Full sun to partial shadeSoil Needs: Fertile with good drainage, mildly acidicMature Size: 24-36 in.Deer Resistant: Yes...

Here are 18 fun and festive Halloween games for kids.

We spoke with the pros to determine which factors signify that it is indeed time to search for a new sheet set or two. Keep reading so that you know what to keep an eye out for the next time you’re making your bed! 1. You’re Seeing Large Holes Small holes can likely be mended most of the time, but if your sheets have larger holes, it’s time for them to go before it’s too late, says Ben Hyman, co-founder and CEO of Revival, which recently launched a bedding line....

Check out these galley kitchen ideas in a range of homes that prove that this classic style can be both practical and surprisingly chic.

Soap and Water Simply washing hands with soap and water is a great way to prevent spreading bacteria and viruses, and it works for toys and surfaces as well. Toys such as plastic blocks, infant rattles, and teethers can easily be cleaned in the sink using dish soap and warm water. However, it is never safe to wash any electrical toy that can be plugged in by submerging it or placing it in soap and water....

For two years, Wise and her family lived in a less than 600-square-foot home, The Blue Baloo. She lived in a tiny house community and currently runs Far Out Tiny Homes. “They are looking for some baseline as far as how your home was built and who it was built by,” she said in a video about tiny house communities. Some state and local governments may also require homes to meet regular-sized home standards....

6 Ways to Label Clothes There is no single best way to label clothes due to different types of fabrics and how the garment is designed. Labeling options vary in cost, and you must decide if the label will be permanent or may need to be removed in the future. If you use a marker, always write the owner’s name on the care tag or an inside seam. Protect the outside of the garment by placing some cardboard under the label area to catch any bleeding ink....

Plan Ahead Lining up a moving crew or a rental truck if you are doing it yourself isn’t a last-minute activity. “Unlike some businesses, moving businesses don’t have too much of a slow season,” says Schneider. You will want to call for an estimate a month or more in advance, and be sure to double-check with the companies you call how long that estimate will be good. For instance Julia Buerger, senior merchant at The Home Depot, says you can line up moving equipment at the touch of a button online up to 30 days before your move....

Catherine Horwood, author of “Potted History: How Houseplants Took Over Our Homes,” a book that tells the stories and history of our favorite houseplants, explains, “With so many people living in small apartments these days—without gardens or even balconies—houseplants are the perfect way to bring the outdoors indoors. We’ve all felt the importance of being in contact with nature and are far more aware of the health benefits as well....

These outdoor kitchen plans will give you an area for a grill, refrigerator, sink, and even a pizza oven. You’ll learn how to add cabinets and counters so you have more room for prep and storage for all those fun grilling tools. You may find yourself barely cooking in your indoor kitchen once you have one of these fabulous outdoor kitchens. They’re a great place for family and friends to gather and share a meal while enjoying the outdoors....

Zucchini is a summer squash, but not all summer squash are zucchinis. Summer squashes in the same species carry names like yellow squash, crookneck, narrow neck, pattypan, cousa, tatume, tromboncino, and zephyr. Winter squash includes pumpkins, acorn, butternut, and Hubbard. Last, but not least, in the squash family are inedible gourds, a decorative addition to the garden. Summer vs. Winter Squash vs. Gourds Zucchini and similar types are known as summer squash because they are typically picked and eaten when partially ripe in the summer....

1. Neutrals Are Always In We see plenty of neutral furnishings scattered throughout the homes featured on Selling Sunset, after all, neutrals complement a wide range of architectural styles and design preferences. “Neutrality is never disappointing,” Tennessee designer Tanya Hembree agrees. “When designing your home, whether luxurious, mainstream, modern, or traditional, neutral palettes are always the best backdrop to a great design.” 2. When it Comes to Artwork, the Bolder, the Better While working together to stage a home in Season 3, real estate agent Heather heads to a gallery where she picks out a number of sizable, vibrant art pieces to hang throughout the various rooms that she and agent and home stager Amanza are styling....

1. The Pantry, Laundry Room, and Coat Closet Organizer Kelly Meakins of The Modern Edit notices just how frequently locations in the home such as a pantry, laundry room, and coat closet can become a dumping ground for junk. “Most people have items in these spaces that don’t belong,” Meakins says, noting that in reality, it’s so easy to quickly tidy up these areas. “Sometimes in a matter of a few minutes, these spaces can be made so much more functional for the entire family to use, by simply eliminating the not-needed items and implementing a simple system,” she adds....

Furniture Pads If you want scratches and marks on your beautiful hardwood floors, don’t use furniture pads. Any time you sit down on a sofa or chair that’s right atop hardwood floors, the piece will shift ever so slightly, and the legs will mark the floor. When it’s done over and over again, the marks will get worse and worse. Using furniture pads on all the legs will prevent there from being any marks and will help to keep your floor scratch-free....

Set out an array of candies, and give each child a plastic sandwich bag filled with icing that’s tied off with a small hole poked in one corner. Show them some basic ideas for decorating the houses, such as using shredded coconut as snow, and then let them create their masterpieces. For favors, you can provide kid-sized aprons or gingerbread-man cookies in cellophane bags. Then, each child can load up an empty plate with two of each type of cookie....

Rocky Land If a rocky slope is your problem area, then a rock garden design presents itself naturally enough as a landscape solution. Why not use the terrain’s rockiness to your advantage, rather than fighting it? If you live in a region dominated by drought, you may even wish to build a rock garden on flat land, planting the rock crevices with drought-tolerant plants to form a xeriscape. Hilly or Eroding If a rockless incline is your problem area, consider the possibility of importing rock to build a rock garden (see above) from scratch—it will help hold back the soil and cut down on erosion....

Ace Hardware and Home Depot Background Before Home Depot, people would visit a lumberyard or a hardware store when they wanted to fill the home remodeling materials or tools list. Employees of these lumberyards and hardware stores could be helpful to do-it-yourselfers, but often their focus was directed on commercial customers like builders, contractors, and people working in trades like plumbing and electrical. Lowe’s Home Improvement, founded in 1921, predates both Home Depot and Ace Hardware....