Home And Garden
Get a soil test before you start fertilizing
You won't need a dirt doctor to tell you when the soil in your yard is ailing; the vital signs will be obvious.
Nov 20, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
YARD MAKEOVER: Desert landscape inspires Valley Center couple
This is the first in an ongoing series of articles about how local readers re-landscaped their yards to make them more drought-resistant, cost-efficient and easier to maintain. Got a water-wise landscape makeover you're proud of? Send an e-mail to "home@nctimes.com" with a description of …
Nov 20, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
'Don't Guess. Soil Test.'
You can buy the most attractive plants in the greenhouse or order the best seeds, but they won't produce if your garden lacks nutrients.
Nov 20, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
Fabric buntings dress up Thanksgiving dining room
Between Halloween costumes and Christmas decorations, Thanksgiving can get lost in the shuffle.
Nov 20, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
ASK ROSE: Some trees can be thirstier than grass
Q. I have an area of lawn, or more properly, an area that used to be a lawn. It is now an area of dead grass because I have stopped watering it. Now that fall is here and rain can be expected, I plan to take out the remaining remnants of grass and plant fruit trees. My question is, should…
Nov 20, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
HOUSEWORKS: Untrained do-it-yourselfers often end up in emergency rooms
Time was, we handy folks had to shop at sawdusted lumber yards and small-town hardware stores.
Nov 20, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
Pet owners can decorate stylishly, strategically
It's a question that comes up frequently for interior designers: How do you create a stylish living space when a dog who sheds or a cat who scratches is part of the mix?
Nov 13, 2009 | 10:00 am | Loading…
Home and Garden briefs for Nov. 13
Gardening festival: The Water Conservation Garden, 12122 Cuyamaca College Drive West in El Cajon, will hold a Water Smart Gardening Festival from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Guests can buy drought-tolerant plants, hear talks on water-wise gardening, visit an "Ask the Desig…
Nov 13, 2009 | 10:00 am | Loading…
Native flowers help birds, insects, ecosystem
Flower fanciers have generally forsaken native plants over the years for the fashionable and the flashy, but the robust perennials are quickly becoming garden chic and the center of an ongoing conservation campaign.
Nov 13, 2009 | 10:05 am | Loading…
HOUSEWORKS: I don't know diddly-squat about colors
Color is a mystery to me.
Nov 13, 2009 | 9:55 am | Loading…
CALIFORNIA GARDENS: Some tips for flower-giving, just because
Recently I read a review copy of a fascinating book called "Flower Confidential." Author Amy Stewart visits major cut flower farms in California, Holland, Colombia and Ecuador. In this book, she exposes what goes on behind the scenes of some of the biggest international commercial flower …
Nov 13, 2009 | 10:00 am | Loading…
Interior designers: Many ways to cut energy costs
When decorating our homes, we tend to consider things like beauty and comfort, the durability of pieces we might buy or the image they project. But how many of us stop to consider our energy bills?
Nov 06, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
Home and Garden briefs for Nov. 6
Couple win window makeover: Encinitas couple Seth and Sandra Schwartz recently won a sweepstakes for a $10,000 window makeover from Exciting Windows! The couple entered on HGTV's Web site, and their home now features draperies, cornices and top treatments in their family …
Nov 06, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
RIGHT AT HOME: The nursery gets back to basics
Once upon a time, the ideal for a child's room was a cozy haven filled with sturdy push-pull toys, handmade dolls and a few baskets of dress-up clothes.
Nov 06, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
Plant a seed, get a tree
Planting seeds is a satisfying way to grow trees and shrubs, and gives you a special affection for the plants.
Nov 06, 2009 | 12:00 am | Loading…
