RULES

BY MIMI GREENWOOD KNIGHT

During spring, your yard is a different place every day as leaves return to trees, the grass renews itself, and local nurseries beckon with a rainbow of flowers to brighten your landscape. If you’re as excited as I am about the approach of spring, it’s an excellent time for a bit of prep work to get your yard springtime ready.

Start with cleaning up any leaves, twigs, or other debris that accumulated over the winter. Employ your rake and/ or leaf blower to eliminate anything that can get stuck in your lawnmower or block fertilizers and other benefi cial materials from absorbing into your lawn.

Hit your lawn with a combination of fertilizer to feed your grass and a pre-emergent such as Scotts Turf Builder, to prevent weeds. Follow the directions, but in general, you’ll apply it again in six to eight weeks, adding a broadleaf weed killer. It’s better to take preemptive action than try to play catch-up with weeds later. Get your mower out and start it up. If it seems sluggish, perform a tune-up, including changing the oil and air fi lter, replacing the spark plug, draining out and replacing leftover gasoline, and sharpening the mower blade.

It always amazes me what a fresh layer of mulch can do for a fl owerbed. Along with replenishing the mulch, trim back dead branches on shrubs and replace anything that didn’t survive the winter. If there are shrubs you’ve been meaning to move, spring is the time to do it. Consider hiring a tree trimmer (about every three years) to prune away dead or dying branches on trees which can cause property damage or personal harm.

Give your garden tools a good cleaning and sterilization since remaining plant sap, dirt, or debris can harbor bacteria or fungal spores which may infect your new plantings. You can do this with a soak for about a half hour in a solution of 10% household cleaner to 90% water. Then give your tools a good coating of oil to prevent rusting.

Have the soil in your fl ower or veggie beds tested by your local agricultural extension service. They can diagnose your soil’s current pH and what amendments you can add to optimize your planting this season. Pull any weeds, trim any winter-killed, brown leaves from last year’s perennial fl owers and divide the ones that need dividing. Unless you’re using a no-till gardening method, turn over the top six to eight inches of soil, looking for caterpillars, cutworms, or other garden pests that may have overwintered there. Raised beds may need to be topped o with more soil. Visit a local nursery and get an idea of what annuals you might want to add, then draw up a plan of how they’ll work into your perennial landscape. Consider incorporating something new and untested with some old, faithful plants that consistently produce for you. With a little prep work this spring, your garden will be ready to provide you with beauty, fragrance, and enjoyment all summer long.

Best House Plants For Indoor Air Quality

BY MIMI GREENWOOD KNIGHT

We work hard to make sure our families eat good food and get plenty of exercise. We work to keep stress levels low and spend time crafting a home that’s a relaxing oasis from the world outside. There’s something else you can do to improve your family’s quality of life: surround them with green, growing things. I know. I know. Not everyone is born with a green thumb. But not all houseplants are high-maintenance and nurturing the ones that aren’t can be well worth it for you and your family.

The right house plants can add color and intrigue to your rooms, but studies show they can help purify the air, provide allergy relief, improve sleep quality, and reduce stress levels. During the process of photosynthesis, plants convert the carbon dioxide we exhale into fresh oxygen and remove toxins from the air we breathe in by filtering out toxic chemicals such as Formaldehyde, Benzene, and Trichloroethylene. Here are some suggestions for good air-purifying plants that also happen to be easy to keep alive and happy.

Queen Fern

This pretty, frilly fern is basically foolproof. Offer it some bright, indirect light, or even direct as long as you keep the soil moist. Queen ferns love the humidity, so they will thrive in your kitchen or bathroom.

RUBBER

Tree

Rubber trees make a bold statement with their dark, glossy green, and burgundy leaves. Sometimes called Ficus Burgundy, it can grow eight to 10 feet tall when it gets enough TLC. But this isn’t a great plant around children and pets who may ingest the toxic leaves.

SNAKE PLANT

Not only dramatic looking, these babies also practically thrive on neglect. They’ll survive with little water and light and happily improve your family’s air quality. And their deep green vertical leaves will make any space look elegant.

English Ivy

I bet your mom and grandmother had a little English ivy trailing somewhere in their décor. English ivy grows fast and is easy to keep healthy. Offer it low-to-bright indirect sunlight and water it when the soil feels dry. It’s easy to propagate, too, so be sure to share.

Weeping Fig Tree

Give it a well-lit room and water it weekly. Your weeping fig tree will grow three to six feet tall and will do best when offered a larger pot each year.

Bromeliad Vriesea Vogue

I have a love/hate relationship with this plant since the leaves are — meh— but the flowers are spectacular. Also known as the flaming sword plant, it’s non-toxic, dramatic, and colorful. Offer it bright sunlight and water and mist weekly.

This list is just a start. Now it’s time to visit your local nursery or home store and select some green babies to beautify your spaces and purify your air.

We all have that one friend or relative who can make anything grow. For the rest of us mere mortals, there are a few indoor plants that are a straightforward path to success.

Aloe

Vera

Used worldwide for its medicinal properties, aloe vera is also relatively easy to grow. As a succulent, it prefers bright, indirect light and dry conditions. Avoid sustained periods of direct sunlight and give it a little water every two or three weeks.

ZZ Plant

ZZ is a great indoor plant for neglectful indoor gardeners since it only needs to be watered about once a month. It can tolerate almost any environment and thrives in low light and low humidity. Your zz plant doesn’t even need natural light to survive. Fluorescent lights or other artificial lights are enough for it to thrive.

Pothos

These trailing-foliage houseplants are popular in offices where they thrive in low light. Also known as Devil’s ivy, pothos propagates easily from cuttings. (So, share!) Give it a good soaking every week or two, and keep in mind that it’s toxic to cats, dogs, and children.