Our Garden Favorites and How We Grow More Each Year. For many people, summer is a time when we spend more time outdoors tending to our yard. With the arrival of warmer weather, we emerge from our winter hibernation eager to enjoy the comfortable temperatures and soak in the sunshine. For us, this season means taking on spring cleaning, gardening, and outdoor home projects. We are fortunate enough to have a yard that is big enough to grow flowers, ornamental plants, fruit trees, and a vegetable garden. All of these areas require attention this time of year. Although there is always more work to be done, it’s also hydrangea season, which means our favorite plants take center stage in our yard. Over the years, we have added several varieties of hydrangeas to our garden, and this year we planted a stunning new addition—a stunning white Endless Summer variety called Dream Cloud. It’s soft, elegant, and incredibly versatile, blending beautifully with everything else in the garden. The crisp white blooms feel especially fresh this time of year and have quickly become a favorite. Many of the plants around our home have been propagated from cuttings. Over the years we have used two different methods to propagate our hydrangeas. The following method is foolproof. This technique is one of the easiest and most rewarding methods, especially in late summer and early fall. Simply take a low-lying branch and gently bury a portion of it in the soil, securing it with a rock to hold it in place. Over time, the branch will naturally root itself while still attached to the “mother” plant. Once established, it can be cut and transplanted (preferably in the spring). It’s a wonderfully simple way to expand your garden with very little effort. If you are in the Charlotte area and looking to add new varieties of hydrangeas to your garden without propagating, here are a few resources for purchasing them locally: Dearness GardensPike NurseryLowes Home ImprovementHome Depot We thoroughly enjoy seeing hydrangeas blooming in our yard. As an added bonus, take advantage of cool mornings to cut flowers and use them to brighten the inside of your home or share bouquets with friends. We love using a simple set of clear cylinder vases to showcase the blooms. It’s hydrangea season, so whether you are growing your own or picking some up at a florist or local farmers market, enjoy them now!
The Best Father’s Day Ever
Starts With This Carrot Cake (And a Few Really Great Gift Ideas) Let’s be honest — dads deserve so much more than a last-minute card and a gift card tucked inside. The men who show up every single day, who cheer us on, who teach us things we didn’t even know we needed to know — they deserve a Father’s Day that actually feels like something. And if we’ve learned anything after years of celebrating the dads in our lives, it’s that the combination of a little thoughtfulness, quality time, and something truly delicious goes a very long way. So this year, we’re doing Father’s Day properly. We’re talking gift ideas that actually fit the dad you’re shopping for, and we’re baking — from scratch — our take on the most glorious carrot cake we have ever tasted. It comes straight from the inspiration of a tiny, beloved bakery called Icing on the Cake in Los Gatos, California, and the moment you pull it out of the oven, your whole house is going to smell like a dream. First, how to make this Father’s Day feel truly special. Celebrate the Superhero in Your Life There is something deeply moving about recognizing what fathers actually do. They work tirelessly to provide, they show up in the quiet moments, they pick us up when we fall, and they celebrate every milestone as if it’s the most important thing that’s ever happened. The best way to honor that this Father’s Day? Your time. A day planned around what he loves, not what’s easiest for you. Think about what makes your dad light up. Is he the kind of guy who’s happiest outside? Plan a morning hike together, or get him out on the golf course with a beautiful new Stitch golf shirt or quarter zip that’s as practical as it is stylish. Maybe he’s a serious angler — a new fishing vest to keep him organized on the water, a pair of polarized sunglasses, or the splurge of a new fly rod will make his whole summer. For the grilling dad, you simply cannot go wrong with a personalized grilling set engraved with his name, paired with some exceptional BBQ sauces and rubs. Still looking for a gift for dad, take a look at our entire curated Father’s Day Gift Guide. Don’t sleep on skin care, either. Every active, outdoorsy dad needs great sunscreen and a quality moisturizer — this is genuinely our favorite gift for all dads, because it’s the one they should use every single day and probably never buy for themselves. If your dad is the pickleball fanatic, the skier, the hiker, or the one who is somehow always losing his water bottle — we’ve got him covered too. A Hydro Flask loaded with Liquid IV packets is the kind of thoughtful, practical gift that gets used on every single adventure. And for the snacker dads? A jar of our famous Cheese-It Crack Crackers alongside a bag of Feridies 5 O’Clock Crunch (buy the double pack — trust us) is a combination that will genuinely make any dad’s day. If none of the above quite fits, go for an experience. Tickets to a game, a concert, a cooking class, even a movie together — sometimes the best gift is a memory you make together. Now, Let’s Talk About This Carrot Cake We first fell in love with the Super Chunky Carrot Cake at Icing on the Cake in Los Gatos, California — a downtown gem that has been baking from scratch since 1985 and has the most devoted following of any bakery we’ve ever visited. Their carrot cake has been on the menu since day one, and honestly, we understand why. It is the kind of cake that stops conversation the moment you take the first bite. Our version, is based on a recipe from my sister, is an homage to that cake — warmly spiced, deeply moist, absolutely loaded with freshly grated carrots, sweet raisins, and crunchy walnuts, and finished with the most luxurious, tangy cream cheese frosting you have ever tasted. It is, quite simply, the perfect Father’s Day cake. It’s the kind of thing you bake the night before and wake up thinking about. The Bottom Line on Father’s Day Whether you’re hiking, grilling, golfing, or simply sitting around the kitchen table eating cake together — the greatest gift you can give the dads in your life is your presence and your appreciation. The carrot cake doesn’t hurt, either. From our family to yours, we wish every dad out there the most wonderful Father’s Day. You are, in every way, superheroes in disguise.