Andromeda

USDA Zones— 5 to 9

Climate— It grows in temperate to subtropical climates. Growing requirements are similar to Azalea, which means it requires acidic soil in order to grow.

“Pieris Japonica” or “Lily of the valley shrub” is a great bush for container gardens. With some attention and care, it can grow up to 2 m tall.

Abutilon (Flowering Maple)

USDA Zones— 8 – 11

Climate— A subtropical shrub that can also be grown in cold climates, keep it indoors in winter.

It is also called “Indian Mallow” or “Flowering Maple”. Abutilon is a beautiful shrub that grows around 1 m tall when grown in containers and have beautiful hibiscus and hollyhock-like flowers.

EWWWW That's Groady

Well many parents of school age children we battle the infamous "lice" from time to time. Well I am becoming somewhat of an expert on the subject. My daughter is a magnet for the wee critters and once she gets them we have to fight to rid ourselves of the plague. We have spent hours combing after using the chemical stuff (aka Nix or Rid), and to still have the pests. I have tried every home remedy I have come across including mouthwash (which did not work). We even resorted once before of purchasing prescription strength shampoo, which caused some damage to the hair. I think I have finally come up with a solution for our issue. Grab some mayonnaise and heavily coat the hair and allow it to sit on the hair for about 30 minutes. You won't have to worry about the mayonnaise drying out the hair because it is an excellent hair conditioner. After the mayonnaise has sat on the hair for a time comb through the hair with the special lice comb. As the bug come out place them aside on a napkin, washcloth, or towel. Once you are able to run the comb through the hair and nothing comes out, rinse the hair with warm water. Well this step takes care on the adult lice. Now we need to concentrate on the eggs aka nits. For this step I have used vinegar. Now the vinegar may cause the child to itch a bit but it is for the greater good. Also keep out of the child's eyes because it will burn like a dickens. The reason this work for nits is: nits have a special glue that attaches itself to the strands of hair and the vinegar breaks this residue down and the nits fall out. Vinegar is recommended as a means to treat dandruff. I would recommend combing through the hair with the vinegar still in the hair to pull the nits out. I would also suggest washing the hair with normal shampoo once all these steps are completed, or your child may smell like a walking talking salad. I hope this suggestions will help as you struggle to rid the world of these little monsters.

Fantastic Easter Egg Dye Jobs

Tattoo Eggs

Simply apply fake tattoos to eggshells the way you would to your own skin. Instead of bright colors, you’ll get eggs stamped with spiders, superheroes, and more.

Impressionist Eggs

Using short brush strokes with acrylic paint, create a basic pattern around a hardboiled egg and let dry!

Lazy Daisy Eggs

Dye egg desired color and let dry completely. Adhere the stickers and smooth well with your fingers. That's it! No need to stick with daisies; use other flowers or any design that tickles you.

Bling Bling Eggs

Dye egg desired color and let dry completely. Working with one side of the egg at a time, squeeze different size circles of glue on the egg. Holding the egg over a plate, pour glittering glue over the egg and shake off the excess (the egg will still have unwanted glitter, but don't worry about that yet). Let the egg dry and repeat on the other side of the egg. Let dry several hours at least. When completely dry, carefully brush egg with the dry bristles of an old toothbrush to remove the unwanted glitter. Tip: Use the fine tip on the glue to help you 'draw' the circles of glue. Varying the circle size takes the pressure off of squeezing perfect circles.

Have a Nice Day Eggs

Dye eggs yellow and let dry completely. Draw faces with black marker. Feel free to break from tradition and let your egg express other emotions. Above: 'Oh no!' 'Happy' and 'Tee-Hee.'

Angry Birds Easter Fun
To get started, simply pull out your handy paint set and get to work on creating your favorite oh-so-crotchety characters. And for families that are hoping to use their angry birdies for an Easter egg hunt -- consider painting one egg completely gold for the ultimate grand 

Easter Sticker Fun
To make your own unique stenciled Easter eggs at home, you'll need to have painter's tape, freezer paper, and a decorative hole punch on hand. The options are truly endless with what stencils you can add to your eggs! Once you've got your sticker stencils in place, simply add your eggs to the colorful dye and then wait to peel them off. Easy peasy!

Marvelous Easter Marbling
To get started on your own, simply take your cooled hard-boiled eggs and roll them gently across the kitchen counter, just enough so that the eggs are cracked, yet the shell stays on. Since you're supposed to leave the eggs in dyed water for 5-7 hours, Jayne experimented with doing hers with cool water in the fridge (so that they could also eat them) and it worked like a charm. These would also be a fun idea for making colorful Easter deviled eggs!