five things we learned last week
Bright ideas we gathered from your comments.
1. Leaving dried sunflowers oustside is not a good idea. Dancing Morgan Mouse cautions: “If there are any seeds in the heads they won’t last long if you leave them outside, it’s amazing how quickly the local beasties manage to locate a free feed.” See more about dried flowers here.
2. Embrace stray roots that poke out from your orchids pot. Ken advises: “NEVER cut off adventurous roots or try to force them back into the pot (you can redirect them slightly when wet). Never cut off green spikes. Stressing the plant can sometimes induce spikes. Humidity is very important for Phals -prefferably at least 45% - humidity trays or pebble trays can help, but keep the base of the pot above the water so it doesn’t wich up into the plant. When orchid roots stay too wet too long they rot and the plant dies. When dying they will frequently spike and flower with or without keikis (baby plants) as a last ditch attempt to procreate.” See tips on growing orchids here.
3. Need a bathroom makeover? Start with your lightbulbs. As Emily says change the “Lighting. When the bathroom is very dim, and that makes it feel older and less modern. It also makes things feel very dirty.” See more tips on sprucing up an old bathroom here.
4. When in Paris, don’t fear McDonald’s. Reader Pierre tell us “the one in Parly2 mall (next to Versailles) is filled with Eames DAR armchairs.” See more about swank McDonald’s here.
5. And yes, cookbooks need photographs! As Sandy puts it: “I won’t even buy a cookbook that doesn’t have a picture of at least 75% of the recipes listed, and really I want 100%. I do pull out my “How to Cook Everything” cookbook as a reference frequently, but only for cooking things that don’t really need a recipe. If I can’t see waht the end result looks like, I can’t get excited about even reading the recipe to see if it sounds good. I love Donna Hay and Ina Garten - and Martha’s hors d’ouerve book! I bought my husband an excellent Indian cookbook for Christmas and the pictures have been so important in that one because otherwise we would have no idea what he’s making. Read about the cookbook debate here.
