What many people think of as the blooms of bougainvillea aren’t actually blooms at all. The showy paper-like structures are a modified leaf called a bract. These bracts hide the actual flowers inside, which are small and trumpet-shaped in whites and yellows. The showy bracts are typically found on new growth, with the showiest display following their winter dormancy. Normally, you’ll see the best blooms following a dry winter....

Varieties of Darwin Hybrid Tulip ‘Ad Rem’ Tulip Tulipa ‘Ad Rem’ is a fragrant, scarlet-red Darwin Hybrid tulip edged in yellow. This variety blooms mid- to late season on stems 20-22 inches tall. Plant in zones 3-8. ‘Apeldoorn Elite’ Tulip Tulipa ‘Apeldoorn Elite’ is part of the Apeldoorn family of Darwin Hybrid tulip varieties. This stunner combines vivid cherry red and yellow in its petals. It blooms in midspring on stems to 2 feet tall....

Before you get to work, you’ll need to know the material of your mug. Some, like stainless steel or stoneware, take special consideration. Many mugs can go in the dishwasher, but for heavy, set-in stains, giving the item a pre-wash treatment can help eliminate stubborn spots. How to Remove Coffee and Tea Stains from Mugs Use one of these methods (or a combination of all three for tough stains) to combat coffee and tea stains....

Sautéing is simply skillet-cooking and stirring ingredients in a small amount of oil. In this case, the goal is sautéed vegetables cooked to crisp-tender perfection with a slightly caramelized surface. Adding healthy ingredients and color to your dinner plate is easy once you’ve learned how to sauté vegetables. Read on for our simple and easy tutorial for the best way to sauté vegetables, so they can be added as a guest item on your menu more often....

The bad news is that there’s no good treatment of powdery mildew. Happily, though, you can control powdery mildew. How to Control Powdery Mildew Keep Your Garden Clean: Powdery mildew spores can overwinter in your garden – so remove all affected fallen leaves from your garden during and at the end of the season. If you see leaves that are just beginning to show the disease, pluck them off the plant and throw them away to help keep powdery mildew from spreading to healthy plants....

How to Tell if Cheesecake Is Done While you might think the toothpick test is a good idea to test cheesecake for doneness, think again. Using a knife or toothpick to test a cheesecake may create a crack in the top. This method does not give an accurate test for cheesecakes made with a large amount of sour cream, as you wouldn’t get a clean result at the tip of the knife....

Choose the color first, then the texture (most often they go hand in hand). A neutral color will cause the window to recede or blend in with the wall. If you want to call attention to the architecture of the window, use decorative tiles but design judiciously. Too many bright colors and designs can overwhelm a room and defeat the purpose. If the window is situated on a wall that you’re going to tile, tile the wall first....

Getting Started Look for complete paint pad kits. The plastic packaging for the kits is also the loading paint tray and an airtight lid. If you’re working to paint a straight line, also make sure the paint pad has wheels to guide you. Always hold and use your painting tool in your dominant hand. Grip the pad handle firmly as you paint. Keep the tool in front of your face; you will have a better view of your work and better physical control of the tool....

What Is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map? You’ve probably run across the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map or references to it in garden magazines and books, as well as on seed packets or in plant catalogs. This map divides the United States into 11 separate zones (each of which are then divided into a and b). Each zone is 10°F warmer (or colder) in an average winter than the adjacent zone....

How to Water Succulents Indoors Sedums, Sempervivum (commonly called hens-and-chicks), jade plants, kalanchoe, aloe vera, and Sansevieria (also known as snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue) are popular choices for indoor plants. Succulents also include cacti, which generally need less water than other succulents. Rather than giving these water-thrifty plants little splashes of water here and there, give them a good soaking until water runs out the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot....

Feeling at Home in the Kitchen As a child growing up in Guanajuato, Mexico, Martinez spent a lot of time in the kitchen helping her grandma. “If you’re in the kitchen, she’s going to give you something to do,” she says. “I love that energy in the kitchen.” By the age of 14, she was the cook in the house. “My mom said, ‘The kitchen is yours now.’ Now that I live (in the United States), I saw the importance to passing on my heritage to my kids....

2 tablespoon olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 8 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed 2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed 2 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes ⅓ cup tomato paste 1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika or paprika ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

B.A. in Public Relations with minors in Environmental Studies and Fashion, Culture, History, and Social JusticeDeans Advisory Council Student PanelistForever True Scholar

What is Pink Pampas Grass? Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) is native to South America, specifically Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. It got its name from the Pampas Plains. This tough grass thrives in heat and plenty of bright sunlight. It grows quickly into a big, bold plant. Once established, the grass can grow an inch a day. A clump of pampas can expand to about eight feet wide, and up to 12 feet tall (there are shorter varieties, too)....