A well-designed pollinator garden will help beneficial insects and other fascinating wildlife thrive. Gabriela Herman Traditional yards with pristine lawns and few plants act as ecological deserts. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. Credit:Gabriela Herman Installing a pollinator garden is one effective way to make your yard better for wildlife. In return, pollinators boost the health and productivity of our gardens. Pollinator gardens should provide food, shelter, and safety....

Transform a standard closet into a complete home office with furniture, lighting, storage, and more. When remote work became the new normal for many, home offices were suddenly in high demand. A cloffice packs the hardworking elements of a home office into an underused closet. Credit: David A. Land And youdon’t need a spacious walk-in closetto make it work. “Somefun wallpaperor cute desk decor will make the space more inviting.”...

Create an eye-catching, water-diverting dry river bed for your yard and watch your drainage woes disappear. Ian Adams A dry creek bed manages a common landscape challengedrainagewith an easy-does-it approach thatfits most budgets. In other cases, a dry bed transforms into a temporary stream. Credit:Ian Adams In the process, it adds beauty to the setting, whether wet or dry. By creating a channel, a dry creekdrains waterwhen insufficient slope fails to do so....

Be a gracious host and make your guests feel as comfortable as possible with these simple bed-making tips. All of these thoughtful touches helpcreate a guest retreatthats so memorable they might never want to leave. Use our helpful tips to create an atmosphere visitors will dream about long after theyve said goodbye. Credit:Rett Peek This includes a mattress that meets your discerning standards. A mattress pad is another essential element of a well-made bed....

Take raised bed gardening to the next level with hugelkultur. What Is Hugelkultur? Build one or several of theseeco-friendly gardensby following the steps below. Credit:Sanghwan Kim / Getty Images Select and mark out a spot. Mark out an area in a sunny section of your yard where youd like to build your garden. 2. erase the area. Use a shovel to dig the area you marked out to a depth of 12 to 18 inches....

Creating a mowing strip is a DIY project that your future self will thank you for. It also means you don’t have to take out the trimmers to tidy lawn edges afterward. Here’s how to create a mowing strip in a few hours. Credit: Kritsada Panichgul Gather Materials Before you get started, collect everything you need. We recommend a strip that’s between 6 and 12 inches wide. Then use a spade to cut through any sod and remove it,excavating a 6- to 8-inch-deep trench....

Put down that shovel! There’s an easier way to make anew flowerbed. No digging, no sweat. Credit: Brie Passano Removing thetop layer of sodcan speed up the process of planting a little sooner, but it’s unnecessary. Instead, it’s possible for you to start adding your layers right on top of the grass. Using agarden hose, saturate the paper to help it break down. Credit: Brie Passano This will also help it stay in place as you work....

No more bagged grocery salads or ordering in lunch every dayyou can plant everything you need at home. While the premise may be simple, there are a few important caveats to know before you get growing. What to Plant In Your Salad Garden Everyone has different preferences when it comes to their salads. Credit:EDWARD GOHLICH Are you a ofsweet, fruit-filledperson? Or do you prefer to keep things savory and load up on veggies?...

Add color and drama to your landscape with a soaring rose arch. Here’s how she created a soaring, rose-covered archand how you could too. Here are some tried-and-true recommendations: ‘Peggy Martin’is the rose Kaiser selected for her arch. Credit:Rhonda Kaiser, Southern Home and Farm LLC “That rose is a stunner, says Kaiser, and she does well almost anywhere. It’shardy in Zones 4-10. The flowers smell pleasantly spicy. Credit:Richard Baer The plant is hardy in Zones 6-9....

Dylan Chandler It’s no secret thatart prints and custom canvasescan get expensive quickly. Creating artwork from existing items is also more personal than store-bought artwork. Plus, reusing items to create artwork ismore sustainable than buying a new pieceoff the shelf. Credit:Dylan Chandler Use our guide to help craft your own custom art from items you already have. If your item is thick, consider usinga shadow boxto display the item. Another way to turn notes and photos into one-of-a-kind artwork is with a collage....

Tropical plants are known for their bright colors, unique textures, and large-scale statements. Many tropical container plants or bulbs can be brought inside during the winter if you want to save them. Use these tips to use tropical container plants to create a garden that will thrive. Credit:Peter Krumhardt Finally, verify the container has good drainage, with 58-inch diameter or larger holes. Mingle flowers and foliage to make a small but lavish expression of tropical planting....

Bountiful organic gardens (grown without synthetic chemicals) start withnutrient-rich, organic soil. But there’s hope for other gardens, too. Maybe it’s lacking nutrients. (Find out with asimple soil test.) Or the soil could be compacted from being trampled by people, animals, or heavy equipment. That’s why soil health is vital when growing an organic garden. The most obvious clue that your garden soil is unhealthy is that plants grow poorly. But you’ve got the option to also investigate soil pop in yourself by examining its texture....

Create your own living mosaic to hang on a wall, indoors or out! This stunning succulent wall display takes your plant game to a whole new level. Add a little charm and greenery to your home withbeautiful succulentwall art using plants and an old picture frame. Credit: Peter Krumhardt Succulents are a natural choice for vertical gardens since they grow slowly and require little water. Use this step-by-step guide to make living succulent wall art....