“I remember my grandmother telling me, ‘When you get older, make sure you work with your hands. You’re really good with your hands,’” Robinson remembers. Her grandmother frequently held arts and crafts time in a large open field across from the church, teaching children to work with whatever was on hand (often plants and paper) to create meaning and add substance to their days. However, it took years for Robinson to find her calling as a visual artist....

Make landscape planning an enjoyable process that includes everyone’s ideas. Hold a family meeting to discuss the questions on the next page and brainstorm the possibilities. These questions will help you in creating a complete assessment of your current landscape, leading you to discover the best landscaping solutions for your home. See more tips to creating a great landscape. As you discover your yard’s assets and shortcomings, list them in a notebook or on a computer....

Aster Care Must-Knows Aster can be found for most growing conditions short of full shade, with several hundred species available. This plant prefers moist, well-drained soil; overly wet soil leads to rot. Some asters require nutrient-rich soil; others need lean soil lacking organic material. Most asters should be grown in full sun to prevent flopping, especially in shady or windy locations. Woodland species tolerate shade but need morning sum to produce the prettiest flowers....

4 slices whole grain bread 2 tablespoon Herb Pesto (recipe below) ¼ cup Pickled Red Onions (recipe below) ½ cup large spinach leaves 1 medium tomatillo or tomato, very thinly sliced ¼ avocado, thinly sliced and brushed lightly with lime juice 1 ounce thinly sliced fresh mozzarella cheese ½ cup scored and thinly sliced English cucumber 4 leaf or bibb lettuce leaves Pickled Red Onions 1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced (2 cups) ½ cup red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar ¼ teaspoon salt...

Even notorious neutral naysayer Genevieve Gorder has deemed that beige is in again. In a recent Instagram post, the designer uploaded a selection of swatches with a slightly disgruntled caption. “Sigh… I’ve been a warrior fighting the battle against beige/oatmeal/blah that we’ve covered America in for the majority of my career. Well, she’s back officially,” she wrote. As Gorder notes, this isn’t the first time beige has been on trend, so your home might already feature the neutral....

Plant Name: Zinnia elegans Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 3 feet tall and 1 foot wide Zones: Annual Plant it with: Zinnia looks gorgeous with finer-textured cosmos or brightly colored marigolds. Click here to learn more about growing zinnias Plant Name: Papaver rhoeas Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 2 feet tall and 1 foot wide Zones: Annual Plant it with: Other wildflowers, such as Texas bluebonnet or bachelor’s buttons....

1 cup sugar 1 cup water

Corn Olive Relish: Add 1 cup coarsely chopped pitted green olives and 1 cup coarsely chopped pitted black olives with the celery, sweet peppers, and onion.

Bluebeard Care Must-Knows Bluebeard will not tolerate wet soils, so make sure it’s planted in a thoroughly well-drained area. If the soil stays wet, the shrub’s roots will likely rot. If these plants are too wet during the winter, they won’t come back in the spring. Once established, bluebeard is drought-tolerant. Bluebeard thrives in full sun. Some of the older varieties of bluebeard can display a fairly loose structure of branches, but full sun ensures these plants are as dense as possible....

This recipe calls for buckwheat groats, which are the seeds of a plant that, despite having “wheat” in the name, is actually related to rhubarb and sorrel. When cooked, groats are chewy with a nutty and slightly bitter flavor. One cup uncooked groats yields 4 cups cooked. If you prefer to swap out the grain, try an equal amount of bulgur, farro, or wheat berries. *To make fried sage In a small saucepan heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil over medium-high....