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Want to upgrade your garden this year? Here’s everything you need to know about how to grow sunflowers, according to the experts. When to Plant Sunflowers According to Alice Raimondo, a horticulture consultant in the Horticulture Diagnostic Lab at the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, soil temps should hit about 60 degrees Fahrenheit —usually a few weeks after your last frost date—before you plant sunflowers from seed. This timeline varies by climate; warmer regions reach this point before cooler areas....

These experiences are more commonly related to attention issues rather than true memory problems. They can also be indicative of other (seemingly unrelated) issues that need addressing, like too much stress or too little sleep, explains Karen D. Sullivan, PhD, ABPP, founder of Pinehurst Neuropsychology in North Carolina and creator of the I Care for Your Brain program. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work on strengthening and supporting your memory “muscle,” especially since changes in memory are a natural part of aging....

In some areas, hardwired smoke detectors that include battery backup are required, so check local codes before deciding what type of detector is best for your home. If you choose hardwired detectors, know that running the cable is the hardest part of the job. The time required for the task depends on the layout of your home. In addition, you’ll need to tie into a single power source. Expect to spend about 5 hours running cable and installing three detectors....

How to Prepare For a Power Outage If you live in an area where power outages are common, invest in an appliance thermometer that can let you know what the temperature is in your fridge at any time. A working refrigerator should be at 40 degrees or below, as bacteria can grow at any degree above this safe temp, called the “danger zone.” Any typically refrigerated food that’s been in the danger zone for a few hours risks being contaminated with a foodborne illness....

While you have the mattress pad off of the bed, give it a spin in the washing machine (check the care label to make sure it’s machine-washable). Bonus points for also vacuuming all of the dust bunnies lurking under your bed. RELATED: Why Do Dust Bunnies Happen? Try to stick to white sheets if you have them, because they can be bleached. Wash the sheets on the hottest water setting, using detergent with chlorine bleach....

Below are some science-backed techniques you can work into your everyday routine to help thicken your hair naturally. “A host of nutritional deficiencies can cause hair loss and hair breakage,” notes Dhaval G. Bhanusali, M.D., board-certified dermatologist and founder of Skin Medicinals. He adds you may want to seek input from a professional if the issue is ongoing. “Doctors and dermatologists look at things like iron levels, vitamin D, thyroid studies, and other medical data points to make sure we don’t miss any internal causes of thinning or weakening hair,” he says....

Let’s walk through the steps of creating the perfect pecan pie using this classic Pecan Pie recipe. Step 1: Prepare Crust The pecan pie begins with making a pie crust and rolling out the dough to fill a 9-inch round pie plate. Although making pie dough takes a little time to put together, start this aspect of the recipe early because it helps to give the dough some time to rest....

If yours have been looking more like the latter, there’s a simple reason why, and it’s a mistake we’ve seen time and again: You’re starting to scramble the eggs too soon and at too high of a heat. Don’t rush the process, remember? It’s the surest way to overcook them. This is why buffet-style scrambled eggs at hotels and conferences are often incredibly dry and tough—those poor eggs are sitting in that hot hotel pan cooking for hours on end....

An Acquired Taste Not everyone will love the messy bed look. It does have a certain relaxed, boho feel that may not fit into everyone’s preferred aesthetic—anyone attached to a crisp fold and carefully arranged pillows will likely want to stick to their bed-making ways. But anyone who struggles to remember to make the bed in the morning might appreciate a bed that is styled so it can be left as-is and still look fantastic....

In fact, when I moved several months ago and was forced to face all of the clutter that had accumulated, I finally had to deal with three and a half years worth of mail and paperwork. But in my new place, I’m testing out a new method. Instead of procrastinating until this task becomes overwhelming, I’m devoting just five minutes a day. Want to test it out yourself? Start by setting up a sorting station, detailed below, and in just a few minutes a day, you can kiss the paper clutter good-bye—forever....

One of the best ways to use heliotrope is in containers. This way, the plants can be moved around so their sweet fragrance can be enjoyed often. Heliotrope is also great to plant in groups to maximize its fragrance, as it can be subtle at times. All parts of heliotrope plants are toxic to humans and animals. Where to Plant Heliotrope Plant heliotrope in organically rich, well-draining soil or potting mix in a garden bed or containers....

“Hair plopping is the new term for an old technique of towel-drying wavy or curly hair,” says Annie Rush, a senior stylist at the Marie Robinson Salon in New York City. “It’s the simplest way of getting the best frizz-free and natural air-dry. The process is easy and can also be applied to straight hair if you want a more lived-in, bohemian texture.” So, what is hair plopping? As the name implies, you plop your hair into a towel or T-shirt and roll the fabric around your head like a turban....

“To understand color fading you need to understand the anatomy of the human hair shaft,” says Aaron Brandford, a colorist at Cedric Salon in New York City. “The outermost layer is the cuticle, which resembles a scaly snakeskin under the microscope. The inner layer, protected by the cuticle, is the cortex, where pigment resides. The concern for hair color relates to both the cuticle and the cortex, and how these two layers interact with three variables: heat, water, and sun....

We’ll walk you through the steps so you can have open shelves in your kitchen in just a few days. How to Convert Cabinets to Open Shelving Learn how to remove cabinet doors, install trim, and paint existing shelving to create open shelving in your kitchen. What You Need ScrewdriverDouble-edge pull sawTack clothPutty knifeQuick-drying puttyFine-grit sandpaperTrimFinishing nailsNail punchCaulk and caulk gunDamp sponge or clothPaintPaintbrush Step 1: Remove Cabinet Doors and Hardware First, grab a screwdriver and remove the doors and all hardware from the cabinets....

You can often shave down that price a little bit by going to a cut-your-own tree farm, but it can still be a pricey endeavor. On the other hand, some Christmas movies may have you believe you can just go to a woodsy area and chop down a tree of your choosing for free (like when Buddy the Elf cut down a tree in Central Park) but, in real life, that’s definitely illegal....

Check out our guide to the different types of lumber, including pressure-treated woods, naturally-resistant woods, imported varieties, and more. We’ll walk you through how to calculate how much lumber you’ll need. Types of Lumber for Decks Lumber used in deck construction generally falls into one of the following categories. Pressure-Treated Deck Lumber Pressure-treated lumber (PT), which is usually pine or fir, is infused with chemicals that make it extremely rot-resistant....

That doesn’t mean you need to ditch your desk job, though. With the following tips, you can work on a computer while staying healthy and well. Here’s what good sitting posture looks like: According to the United States Department of Labor, it means keeping your body and spine in a neutral position. Your hands and forearms should be parallel to the floor, while your elbows should be at 90-degree angles, says Alyssa Kuhn, DPT, physical therapist and founder of Keep the Adventure Alive....

When you’re inactive for long periods—think sitting at your desk, commuting, or watching TV for hours—the muscles that move and stabilize your hips can get tight (or, more technically, short). A large muscle group called the hip flexors—which originate in your low back and cross over your hips and are largely responsible for hip flexion (any knee-to-chest movement)—can tighten and constrict when they aren’t stretched, strengthen, and utilized (or moved) frequently enough....

Closely Related, Yet Different Plants Christmas cactus and Thanksgiving cactus are closely related, so it’s easy to mistake them for the same plant. Both grow wild in the mountains of southeastern Brazil, so they prefer things on the cool and shady side, unlike the cacti found in desert habitats. This is partly why they make such easy-care houseplants, though they do need more regular watering than a desert cactus would. Both of these holiday cactus plants have flattened, spineless, segmented green stems, and technically they don’t have leaves....

Reader question: What is the best step-by-step way to go gray? —Mary Fouladi As more women make the decision to go gray, a silver-laden style is getting sexier by the minute. But the problem with embracing gray hair lies in the fact that it doesn’t happen overnight. It starts with a pigment-deprived strand or two, or worse, the dreaded demarcation line (i.e., exclusively gray roots in particular sections of your head), making it all the more challenging to commit to the natural process....