home + garden
Welcome to Homegirls. You'll find a sassy sampling of décor and design tips, frank conversation about everything from holidays and homekeeping to home improvement and our picks and pans of new products, stores and events.
Contributors: Kim Palmer, Lynn Underwood, Connie Nelson, Kim Ode and Nicole Hvidsten.
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Posts about Flowers
Unmentionables from the Easter Bunny
Posted by: Kim Palmer Updated: April 3, 2012 - 1:34 PM
Easter is only a few days away, but I hadn't given much thought to Easter baskets. With two kids in college, we're not exactly flush with cash for goodies and trinkets.
You might think it odd that someone with college-age kids is thinking about Easter baskets at all, but they're a long-standing tradition in my family. My parents hid Easter baskets for me and my two sisters until we were well into our 20s.
The contents of the Easter baskets changed as we grew up, from candy and little toys to candy and makeup. But one item was in every Easter basket, year after year:
Underwear.
Yup. My mom bought each of us a pretty pair of pastel undies and tucked them into a basket, surrounded by jelly beans and foil-wrapped chocolate eggs. I think the original idea was that we would wear the Easter underwear to church that morning, along with all our other new Easter finery, which in those days included ribbon-trimmed hats and little white gloves.
My kids never dressed like that for Easter, but I kept up the Easter underwear tradition -- although I did update it a bit to account for modern underwear preferences. Instead of the lace-trimmed Granny panties my sisters and I received in the '60s, I always found some colorful boxers for my son and some cute bikini briefs for my daughter.
Both kids now think it's hilarious that the Easter Bunny brings underwear, and joke about it while hunting for their baskets.
I haven't bought this year's Easter underwear yet. But I've got something to go with it -- homemade sachets for the underwear drawer. I made them last night on the spur of the moment. I was cleaning out my patio pots, ripping out the dead stalks to make room for spring planting.
I was just about to rip out one plant when I remember what it was: lavender. The leaves were withered and silvery, but still amazingly fragrant. I couldn't throw away all that perfectly good lavender. I had to do something with it. But what? Then I remembered the little scented sachets that my English grandmother used to place in her dresser drawers.
There were some tiny fabric bags with drawstring tops in my gift-wrap stash, so I dug them out of storage and filled them with lavender. One for my daughter, one for my mom and one for me. (I don't think my 19-year-old son is ready for lavender-scented boxers.)
What do you put in Easter baskets? Do you have any odd family traditions?
Can people set their calendars by your decor?
Posted by: Martha Buns Updated: March 14, 2012 - 4:52 PM
It's nearly St. Patrick's Day, but so far my house gives no hints of it. While I have a sliver of Irish heritage, it's apparently not enough to make me deck the halls with four-leaf clovers. And Easter season prompts me to break out the hot cross bun recipe, but it's been years since I've dyed eggs.
I know people whose homes are rotating odes to the holidays, complete with Easter egg trees and Fourth of July bunting, building to a Halloween spectacle worthy of Martha Stewart. The seasonal splendor ranges the gamut from a tad tacky to major art form. While I can appreciate the effort and artistry that goes into some lavish displays, for some reason I haven't joined in. The ideas look great in magazines -- those eggs dyed with onion skins look gorgeous -- but so far I've expended all my holiday decor energies -- and available storage space -- in one big surge at Christmas.
It wouldn't necessarily take a shopping expedition to give a nod to the upcoming holiday: Gather some of your green holiday ornaments in a glass bowl, group green glass bottles on the mantel, or tie green ribbon around canning jar votives.
Maybe I'll buy some bells of Ireland or other green flowers to mark Saturday's holiday, and scrounge some green ribbon to dress up the vase. At least it's one form of holiday decor I don't have to find a storage home for.
How many holidays do you decorate for? And what's your storage solution for seasonal decor items? What are some of your quick decor fixes?
Seduced by flowers
Posted by: Kim Palmer Updated: February 14, 2012 - 2:51 PM
A lot of flowers will change hands this Valentine's Day. And whether you're on the buying or the receiving end, here's a bit of science you might want to know:
From a woman's perspective, a guy with flowers is hotter than a guy without flowers. This news flash come from recent studies at the University of South Brittany in France.
Women are much more likely to find a man attractive and accept a date with a stranger if they are in the presence of colorful flowers.
The guy doesn't even have to buy the flowers himself. Apparently the association between flowers and romance is so strong that all he has to do to spark female interest is be NEAR the flowers.
Here's how the studies worked: Female students watched video of a man talking about himself -- half in a room decorated with vases of flowers, half in an identical room without flowers. The women who watched the former rated the man as more attractive and were more willing to go on a date with him.
In a second study, the same experiment was repeated, only this time the women were led into a room and told to sit down where a man was waiting. They were told he was a fellow student taking part in the experiment, but in reality he was an actor. The man was instructed to talk for five minutes about the experiment, then to ask the woman on a date, using the exact same words.
Half the women who watched the video in the room wthout flowers accepted the man's proposition. But the figure rose to 81 percent for women who had recently been in contact with flowers.
Women under the influence of flowers are kinda like guys wearing beer goggles.
So if you're a guy, maybe you don't have to spring for the big overpriced bouquet of roses. Just bring your Valentine to the Como Park Conservatory.
What do you think -- are flowers the way to a woman's heart? How about a man's?
Need some green? Try tropical houseplants
Posted by: Lynn Underwood Updated: February 10, 2012 - 11:49 AM
Outside, it’s bleak and brown.
Inside my house I’ve created a mini-version of the Minnesota Zoo’s tropics trail. My kitchen hutch holds clusters of striped green dracaena. Potted pothos trail over the edge of the coffee table. And a plant stand near a bay window holds my favorite cure for the winter blahs — the jungle-like Peace lily. It’s one of few houseplants that blooms consistently even when there’s little light. Spikes of milk white spoon-shaped flowers shoot out of the deep green glossy foliage. The Peace lily droops when it wants water, and within a few hours, perks back up.
It's a great tme to fill your home’s empty corners, shelves and tabletops with lush green plants. I was at a friend’s house and pointed to a spacious landing at the top of the stairs. “That’s the perfect spot for a Chinese evergreen on a cute little table,” I said.
Why not? Houseplants are pretty cheap and easy to find at local garden centers and even home improvement stores like Home Depot. Don’t worry about a chosen spot not having sufficient light -- many varieties thrive in low-light conditions common in many Minnesota homes in the winter. Good ones are pothos (variegated vine), philodendron (shopping mall staple with heart-shaped leaves) and zeezee plant (fleshy succulent).
These green energizers are pretty indestructible — if watered regularly. Heck, they even clean indoor air by absorbing toxins.
To help with your plant picks, the Better Homes and Gardens website (www.bhg.com) offers sumptuous slide shows — with detailed descriptions — of dozens of different houseplants.
What are your favorite houseplants? Do they help tide you over until spring?
Orchids: Will they or won't they?
Posted by: Lynn Underwood Updated: January 6, 2012 - 11:31 AM
I’m addicted to orchids — but not the unpredictability of when - or if - they’ll rebloom.
I was lucky that two of my first phalaenopsis plants were overachievers. When the last wilted petal dropped, I cut down the stem. Within weeks, a new tiny green stem pokes out of the bark, a sight as thrilling as the tip of a spring tulip emerging in the garden. Each day the slender stem grows longer and eventually little buds appear. And when they finally open, orchid flowers are lovely, elegant -- and perfect.
Over the last decade, orchids have gone from pricey, exotic plants to only $19.99 at Home Depot. They’ve become so mainstream that every Parade of Homes displays one on the coffee table.
I have a collection of phalaenopsis or “moth orchid” named for its moth-like arching sprays of flowers. I’m in love with their otherworldly color palette of buttery yellows, creamy whites and hot pinks. Moth orchids are one of the most popular varieties and considered the easiest to grow.
But my most recent purchase — from a reputable garden center — is a slacker. I’ve been waiting forever for the barren plant to push out a miraculous stem, which will produce new flowers. The fleshy foliage is a deep, healthy green. What am I doing wrong?
I visited several orchid care websites for help. (I didn’t use Orchid Society of Minnesota because the website requires a membership fee before you can access resources).
LIGHT: Do not place in direct sunlight. East or west-facing window is best. Check.
TEMPERATURE: Orchids thrive best when the temperature drops at night, usually about 10 to 15 degrees. Check. This is easy to do in Minnesota.
WATER: Once a week is sufficient to keep your plant healthy and happy. Check.
FERTILIZE: One teaspoon per gallon of water once a month. Check.
HUMIDITY: Phalaenopsis like moist air. Set the pots on a tray of pebbles filled with water; make sure the pots aren’t sitting in water. I think I'll try this.
REBLOOM: When the last flower drops, cut the flower spike halfway down the stem. Continue to care for it and wait for it to rebloom.
I’m still waiting.
Have you had good luck with your orchids? What do you think of the waiting game and if you're lucky - the big payoff?
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