Decor – Lubbocks Home and Family Magazine

Winter Flowers

Courtney Dietz — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 01:15:00 +0000

Winter Flowers

Kara Hyden

With winter quickly approaching the South Plains, it may be hard to imagine yards with beautiful flowers and vegetation brightening up the brown that was once the green grass of summer. But did you know you can have bright and colorful flowers right now?

King Nursery, located at 7204 Upland Avenue, in Lubbock says right now is a great time to plant pansies, violas, cabbage, and kale. They have many varieties of each, including Nagoya Kale, Peacock Kale, and Red Bore Kale; Cabbage and White Cabbage; and pansies in different colors.

According to the Lubbock Master Gardener Association, there are many different varieties of perennials recommended for the Lubbock area in this season. Some include Black Eyed Susan’s, Lavender, several varieties of Sage, Prairie Verbena, Coral Bells, Artemisia, Blanket Flower, Daisies, and Irises. Their website (www.txmg.org/lubbock) also includes seasonal gardening guides for each month within each season. The guides give you information on the best things to plant in that month, shrubs or other plants that you can prune and general reminders for plant care and planning for coming months.

If you’re concerned about water conservation or don’t have a lot of grassy areas, try Xeriscaping. Xeriscaping is a “form of landscaping for specific areas that are susceptible to drought or for areas where water conservation is practiced,” according to the King Nursery website (www.kingnurserytx.com/xeriscapes). Some drought-tolerant flowers used in xeriscapes for the West Texas area include Pansies, Snapdragons, Ornamental Kale and Cabbage, Winter Honeysuckle, Petunias, and Asters.

If you’re looking to spruce up your yard with bright colors during the drab winter months, look into some of these pretty flowers and you’ll be pleased with the results.

Indoor Gardening

Courtney Dietz — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 01:02:00 +0000

Indoor Gardening

Kara Hyden

Do you have a green thumb and want to try indoor gardening? Or do you just want to experiment with it to save some money? Regardless of your reason, having an indoor garden adds beauty to your home, boosts your mood, and improves air quality.

But you may be asking yourself, “How do I start an indoor garden? What supplies do I need? What can I grow indoors?” If you have ever wondered about starting your own garden, this article will help…green thumb not required.

To start, you will need a few basic supplies:

Shallow container with drainage holes
Organic potting soil
Seeds
Watering can or mister

Optional supplies include pots of different sizes (depending on what you plan to grow), labels for the plants or herbs (if growing them in the same pot), neem oil (organic substance to help control insects and diseases), plant trays, and fertilizer.

Next, you’ll want to decide where you’re going to put the indoor garden. Avoid rooms that have cold temperatures or placing plant containers near an air vent or fan. Cold air isn’t good for plants and the vents can dry out your plants and cause damage. And while natural sunlight is best, some spaces may not have sunlight available, so it’s best to use specialized lights, like grow lights.

Once you have your supplies and your space, the next decision is what to plant. Below are different kinds of plants, vegetables, and herbs that grow best indoors:

Plants: Spider plant, Snake plant, Monstera Deliciosa, Pothos, Peace Lily, Aloe, and Yucca

Vegetables: Baby Greens like lettuce, arugula, basil, spinach, and chard, and Microgreens like radishes, broccoli, peas, and sunflowers

Herbs: Basil, Mint, Chives, Oregano, Cilantro, Bay Laurel, Dill, Thyme, Parsley, and Rosemary

To start your garden, place one to two inches of potting soil in your container, scatter the seeds over the surface, and cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil. Put the container in a drip tray and give the soil a gentle shower. Place the tray in the sun or under grow lights and mist every couple of days to keep the soil moist.

Soon you’ll have a nice little garden of your own to be proud of!

Make your Dream Decor

Courtney Dietz — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Make your Dream Decor

Coco Dietz

When scrolling on your preferred social media application, it is hard to miss the endless, seemingly pristeen homes that your friends or influencers seem to have. It makes you wonder how much those decorations must cost and the envy can set in, making you wish you had a house that looks like those magazine ready homes. With a little creativity and a quick run to either the thrift or craft store you can be one step closer to those picture perfect homes!

Upcycled jar

There always seems to be a surplus of jars at the thrift store that are just sitting there collecting dust. Why not give them a brand new purpose and new life? Pick one up, spruce it up, dress it up, give it a new breath of life. Take some lace and wrap it around the center of the jar, wrap the lace around the jar so that they meet where you want the front of the jar to be. Take a flower or other decorative item and place it on top of the lace where the glue seam is. That’s it! Now you can have a cute vase or candle holder to add a touch of cute and whimsey to any room!

Plank of Wood turned adorable!

Many people have old pieces of projects laying around their houses waiting to either be finished or turned into something new. If you have any spare wood laying around this project is for you and do not worry; the older-looking the wood the better! Cut the wood into ten or twelve inches in length. Take a spare piece of fabric that you like the pattern of and wrap it around the bottom half of the cut plank of wood, you can add embellishments such as lace, stamps, or other small decor items to the front of the fabric to add more if the fabric is too plain on its own. Staple the fabric to the back of the plank of wood leaving a pocket of fabric on the front. Fill the front pocket with fake flowers and other vegetation. The final touch is adding a string on the back to be able to hang it up on the wall if you would like and you are done!

Fresh Spring Energy for the Home

Alice Briggs — Sun, 13 Mar 2022 21:55:00 +0000

Fresh Spring Energy for the Home

By Sheyanne Kent

Are you looking to add some new and revitalizing energy to your home or office? Well, you came to the right place! We discovered five beautiful plants that are sure to bring that lively spring/summer energy into your space!

Phalaenopsis Orchid

This beauty is one of my absolute spring/summer time favs! Phalaenopsis Orchids bring a spark to any home or office with its beautiful vivid petals and delicate shape. These lovely plants are fairly easy to take care of, as they prefer bright, indirect light and only require watering about once a week. Peace Lily– These shiny green leaves and elegant white flowers are sure to bring an air of peace (no pun intended) into your home. Peace lilies prefer low to moderate light and they like their soil to be moist, but not soggy.

Hydrangea

Available in various different hues, Hydrangea is a great plant for adding that colorful springtime vibrancy into your space. This plant loves minimal sunlight so make sure to place this plant in an area where it’ll get some shade.

Anthurium

With its beautiful heart-shaped leaves and bright red flowers, this plant is sure to bring a revitalizing essence to your home. To ensure that this beauty flowers continuously, place it in a filtered light location and make sure to fertilize during the spring.

Sansevieria

This snake-skinned green plant can provide some greenery as well as a textured vibe to your home or office. With this beauty being extremely low-maintenance and requiring little attention, this is the perfect addition to your spring/summer plant collection.

Your home will feel fresh, your air will be clean, and your spirits will be lifted as you enjoy a home filled with plants.