Emma Atkinson

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House Digest •

All You Need To Declutter Any Room In Your Home Is Your Phone's Camera - House Digest

Clutter. It's every minimalist's worst nightmare and can really ruin the look of an otherwise beautifully curated space. An easy first step to decluttering is to go through your kitchen utensils and food storage containers, just two of several common items you can declutter for a cleaner, tidier home. But maybe you've tried decluttering methods before and are still ending up with crowded rooms, and you just don't know where to start. What you may be experiencing is a psychological phenomenon cal...
House Digest •

The High-Maintenance Lawn Care Task That Really Isn't Worth It - House Digest

Lawn care isn't for the faint of heart. In the long run, lawn care service can be worth the money, especially if you'd prefer to spend your time away from a garden hose and lawnmower. But if you're a devoted grass grower, you're likely always looking for ways to become a better steward of your lawn. This might lead you to do things like automate your sprinkler system and never deviate from a rigid watering schedule. It turns out, however, that watering your lawn on a strict, clock-based schedule...
House Digest •

The Flowering Plant That Can Bring A Pop Of Color To A Shade Garden - House Digest

Purple flowering raspberry can be easily propagated from bare root, seed, or even sprigs, but is also commonly available at plant nurseries. The best time of year to plant a raspberry bush is after the last frost in your area, once the soil is easily workable. The plant tolerates everything from full sun to part shade, making it a perfect candidate for a border to your shade garden. Purple flowering raspberry thrives in moist, well-draining soil — but be sure not to over-water, as its roots will...
House Digest •

The Bulb You Can Plant In The Fall For Beautiful Red Blooms For The Holidays - House Digest

If you haven't purchased your Hippeastrum bulbs yet, you'd better get to it — the flowering plant more commonly known as amaryllis will bloom indoors just in time for the winter holidays if you start the bulbs indoors in the fall. Depending on the variety, the beautiful amaryllis can produce flowers in a variety of colors, from the more common red and white to striking pink and orange. Often given as holiday gifts once flowered, amaryllis bulbs can be ordered online or found at most garden and h...
House Digest •

Will Grass Grow If You Use It As Fertilizer In Potted Plants? - House Digest

If you're a gardener, you're likely always looking for new and creative ways to help your plants grow — especially natural and organic approaches. Fertilizing your potted plants with a layer of grass is just one of many ways to repurpose your lawn clippings for a healthier yard and garden. However, this may raise the question: Is there a risk of growing unwanted grass in your potted plants if you fertilize them with clippings from your lawn?
The answer is somewhat complex. Mulching or fertilizin...
House Digest •

The Outdated Trend That Is Taking Up Way Too Much Space In Your Bedroom - House Digest

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There's a monster in your bedroom. No, it's not under the bed or even in the closet. It's probably pressed up against a wall, a hulking shadow in the night. It can't hurt you, though. It can't move. This terrifying creature is none other than the large, freestanding wardrobe that is taking up way too much space in your bedroom. Freestanding wardrobes, armoires, dressers, and other bulky storage furniture...
House Digest •

Say Goodbye To Ugly Silverware Scratches On Your Dishes With One Simple Trick - House Digest

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You're so excited. You just bought a new set of gleaming white dinner plates. You eagerly use them at your next dinner party, happily showing them off. But wait. What's that? While you're properly hand washing the dishes, you notice unsightly marks on your precious plates. They won't come off with dish soap or your favorite household cleaner. Say hello to every white plate owner's never-ending battle: ug...
House Digest •

The Surprising Way ChatGPT Can Help You Decorate Your Home - House Digest

Commissioning a personalized watercolor painting or line sketch is a beautiful way to commemorate buying your first home or remembering the house where you grew up, but it can be costly. Instead, consider using ChatGPT. First, help it understand the task you're about to request, set the scene. We wrote, "Hi ChatGPT. I'd like you to generate a watercolor-style image of my home. I am going to upload a photo of the house. Based on the photo, please create a watercolor image of the house and landsca...
House Digest •

The Colorful Shrub You Can Propagate In Fall For Free Blooms Next Season - House Digest

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Who doesn't love a free plant? Thanks to the magic of propagation, it's possible to get more bang for your buck in your garden — even when it comes to shrubs. The colorful hebe shrub, in particular, is a popular landscaping feature that is easily propagated. Available in variations that produce blue, pink, and even purple flowers, hebes are an evergreen shrub that grows best in full sun and semi-well-dra...
House Digest •

The Low-Maintenance Red Perennial Perfect For Gravel (With One Big Catch) - House Digest

Hesperaloe parviflora, or red yucca, is a staple of many dry climate landscapes. Native to Texas and northeastern parts of Mexico, red yucca does well in desert conditions—it thrives with little water and lots of sun. The hardy succulent is often recommended as an ideal plant for rock and container gardens. Because the red yucca loves well-draining soil and can tolerate dry conditions, it takes its place among lavender and butterfly milkweed as one of many beautiful plants that grow well in grav...
University of Denver Magazine •

From Classroom to Community Farm

Katie Ketchum (BA ’18) has farmed fields from Long Island, New York, to Boulder, Colorado—and, while crops and climates may change with each location, her commitment to doing meaningful work and building community has remained steadfast.
After graduating with a degree in geography and international studies, she dove headfirst into urban agriculture following graduation, starting as a farmer for the Denver Botanic Gardens. Seven years later, she serves as field and harvest man...
House Digest •

The Simple Addition Your Raised Garden Beds Need For Better Drainage & Healthy Soil - House Digest

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There's nothing better than reaping the hard-earned rewards of growing your own food. Salads with homegrown cucumbers and tomatoes or a pie made from a pumpkin that started as a simple seed just taste better, right? But maybe you live in a place where growing food — or even flowers — right in the ground isn't an option; digging through gravel or fighting clay isn't exactly the easiest approach to home g...
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