Today, March 20th, is the spring equinox, the official start of spring in the Northern hemisphere. To celebrate, this post features some truly inspirational pieces inspired by the flora of nature, especially the tree sofa in the main photo. Designed by La Chance & Noé Duchaufour Lawrance, it's a sofa I can't stop looking at. More

Recent college graduates, Clayton & Chaz, were tight on money, but large on outdoor space. By using 95% recycled materials and a lot of sweat equity, they were able to transform their backyard from ho-hum, to shabby chic — with a budget of only $210! More

As a garden designer I frequently see newer gardeners make plant choices that I shake my head at. With experience comes the knowledge that some of the basic choices presented by nurseries and big box stores are not only uninteresting, but often not really the best choice for other reasons, too. Disease resistance, hardiness, or how easy the plants are to grow are often factors that seem to be disregarded in the choices. Many times the reason those plants are there is because they fill our collective memory; we all think we know something about them and have a sentimentality that drives us to buy. More

Yesterday I noticed that the rose bush in my backyard has new growth, and I realized how close spring finally is. My mind quickly turned to other plants, and I started looking for clever ways people have potted them. More

It's still cold outside, so bring in some nature with a small indoor garden. Seeing greenery indoors adds cheer and reminds you that spring is just around the corner. Succulents, air plants and herbs are easy to grow, and their compactness makes them perfect for mini gardens. More

What's your first inscinct when something breaks? Some will say repair it, some say replace it ... and then there are those who see a dirty, broken keyboard or blender and think to themselves, "I can still use this." More

Every home should incorporate some greenery, and we have solutions even for the black thumbs out there! Succulents are resilient, low maintenance, and come in a variety of shapes and colors, making them the ideal candidate for your own planted composition. More

Anyone else have a garage, basement, or storage space that looks like this? There's hope: Marji was fed up with the clutter in her tool shed, and she decided to first purge and then create a clever system that works for her.

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I do love flowers on Valentine's Day, but fresh-cut blooms tend to become a gazillion times more expensive on that one day, which got me thinking of beautiful alternatives to a traditional bouquet. More

Keeping houseplants free of dust, dirt and cobwebs is essential to their health. When we've talked about cleaning houseplants here at Apartment Therapy in the past, the excellent idea of putting the pot, plant and all, right in the shower has been suggested. But it's not possible to lug an 8-foot potted ficus up the stairs to the shower. It's been about two months since this ficus tree's last cleaning, so I documented the process for cleaning a very large (yet very delicate) houseplant: More