Purple Passion Vine: 101 Plant Care Guide - purple passion vine plant leaves

Purple Passion Vine: 101 Plant Care Guide

I did a double-take the first time I saw a Purple Passion Vine. On closer inspection, I noticed that the dark green leaves were covered in tiny purple hairs that shimmered in the sun. This fascinating native of the Indonesian island of Java grows upright in its native habitat. The cultivar ‘Purple Passion,’ though, is … Read more

Peach Fuzz Is the 2024 Color of the Year & How Pantone Revolutionized the World of Color - peach fuzz s2397931645

Peach Fuzz Is the 2024 Color of the Year & How Pantone Revolutionized the World of Color

Imagine a world where the color of your favorite brand’s packaging changes with every purchase. Confusing, right? This was the reality before Lawrence Herbert dubbed the “King of Color,” transformed Pantone from a small printing company into a global color consistency powerhouse. In 2024, while Pantone’s “Peach Fuzz” is making headlines as the color of … Read more

Homeowners Associations Quickly Becoming the Bane of U.S. Homeownership - woman unhappy s387564718

Homeowners Associations Quickly Becoming the Bane of U.S. Homeownership

One of the sought-after milestones of adulthood is moving into your dream home. But what if you find yourself entangled in a web of unexpected fees, stringent rules, and legal battles? This is the reality for many homeowners living under Homeowners Associations (HOAs) governance. In 2022, 84% of newly built single-family homes in the U.S. were part … Read more

Peperomia obtusifolia plant

Mastering the Art of Baby Rubber Plant Care: 101 Beginner’s Guide

The popular Baby Rubber Plant (Peperomia obtusifolia) and its beautiful variegated cultivars are my favorite houseplants. I received my first Peperomia when I was ten and have loved them ever since. They’re perfect houseplants – attractive, easy to care for, adaptable to most household environments, and pet-friendly. Peperomias are native to Florida, Mexico, and islands … Read more

Wondering How Big Can a Venus Flytrap Get? Here's the World's Largest & Sizes of Others - big venus flytrap plant s1622373

Wondering How Big Can a Venus Flytrap Get? Here’s the World’s Largest & Sizes of Others

When Venus Flytraps were newly discovered in North and South Carolina in the 1700s, people were in awe of their carnivorous habit and snap-trap jaws. There was excited correspondence across the Atlantic, and they were first named Dionaea muscipula (Aphrodite’s Mousetrap) by John Ellis, a British naturalist. Venus Flytraps made quite an impression on the … Read more

From Forest Floor to Fork: How to Identify, Grow & Use Musk Mallow - musk mallow plant 1826569391

From Forest Floor to Fork: How to Identify, Grow & Use Musk Mallow

From the backyard in an urban landscape to the shady understory of the forest floor, wild edible plants abound. In truth, we are surrounded by food and medicine that is readily available to us – the key is becoming familiar with such plants, one by one.  One lovely plant to become acquainted with is the … Read more

feeding a venus flytrap the wrong thing

Mastering Venus Flytrap Feeding: Essential Do’s & Don’ts for a Thriving Plant

Venus Flytraps are famous for their ability to catch insects and spiders with their amazingly sophisticated “snap-trap” jaws. These Carolina natives make fascinating houseplants that are a source of fun and interest for the whole family, and part of Flytrap care is knowing what and how to feed them. Like all green plants, Venus Flytraps … Read more

Malva neglecta plant

The Overlooked Edible – Bringing Mallow from Garden to Table

Mallow is a wild edible highly esteemed for its various food uses, and chances are, it’s already growing in your backyard. This hollyhock relative is widespread across the United States and is a wonderful edible plant to become acquainted with.  While there are several mallow plants, this article specifically covers Malva neglecta, which is commonly … Read more

sundew plants

From Glistening Dew to Deadly Trap: The Remarkable Sundew Plant

Carnivorous Sundews sparkle in the sun and wait for their prey to get caught in the glistening drops of sticky glue covering the leaves on tiny stalks. These fascinating plants are the most diverse of the carnivorous flora, growing in acidic, low-nitrogen fens and bogs on every continent except Antarctica. There are nearly 200 types … Read more