Home & Garden

Starting in July, the U.S. Department of Energy has new regulations to upgrade old, inefficient, mercury-laden fluorescent light bulbs. About 500 million of the lights, called T12, need to be replaced. The change will save $10 billion a year in energy costs nationwide. There are at least two kinds of lamps that are more energy […]

Some of my favorite spring vegetables include lettuce, spinach, asparagus and rhubarb.One of my favorite spring desserts is a slice of warm rhubarb pie with ice cream. Rhubarb, Rheum rhabarbarum, is a cool-season perennial vegetable that was introduced to the United States at the end of the 18th century. Rhubarb was first cultivated in the […]

What warms the hearth may not always be good for the environment – here’s a look at eco-friendly fireplace options. It may look pretty, but according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the average emissions of fine particles into the air from one of the 22 million fireplaces in the United States are far greater […]

Ensure a happy and successful kitchen remodel by planning ahead, researching features and keeping expectations in check. 1. Take time to planPlanning is a critical step in any remodeling project, and it is never more important than in the kitchen. The first step toward achieving your “dream” kitchen starts with a critique of your current […]

Native plants and grasses can be welcome additions in the landscape, adding beauty, movement and sound. By planting an expanded area of native grasses, or by mixing grasses with shrubs and flowers, gardeners can reap environmental benefits, including less watering, less need for fertilizer and herbicides, resistance to invasive species and attraction to birds. First […]

Going green isn’t just about hybrid cars, compact fluorescent light bulbs or low-flush toilets. It’s for the garden, too. Environmentally friendly ideas from recycling milk jugs into patio furniture to growing your own food are the hot topics in garden shows across the country, providing new ways for many Americans to make their gardens a […]

Grow Organic, Cook Organic, by Ysanne Spevack (Lorenz Books, November 2006) $24.99 The Winter Garden: Create a Garden that Shines Through the Forgotten Season, by Val Bourne (Cassell Illustrated, October 2006) $19.95Fencing Paradise: The Uses and Abuses of Plants, by Richard Mabey (Eden Project Books October 2006) Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard […]

If you’re considering adding solar energy to your home, now may be a good time to do it. Solar panel prices are low because demand slumped after the financial crisis of 2008, when the renewables industry was booming in Japan, Germany, Spain and California. Surplus panels piled up in warehouses and prices dropped as a […]

Years ago friend of mine spent a fall day driving around Springfield collecting bags of leaves. Sounds crazy when most homeowners can’t wait to get rid of the leaves that pile up on their yards, but she turned these leaves into “black gold.” She put the leaves in a garden area that was mostly clay […]

It looked so easy. After all, how hard could it be? You bury a few seeds, dump some water on them and wait, right? Apparently not. I must confess that I have failed at one of the most basic and essential tasks mankind has ever adopted: growing food. If the Titanic were a garden, I […]

As the gardening season gets into full swing, we can be assured of a few things: flowers will bloom, weeds will grow and our bodies will ache. However, preventing some aches and pains is within our control. Gardening could be viewed as a workout. Therefore, consult your doctor before starting an exercise program. Also discuss […]

Ban the beige! That’s the message from designer Genevieve Gorder for do-it-yourself home decorators this fall. The star of HGTV’s popular “Dear Genevieve” makeover show, Gorder also transformed the homes of desperate design-deprived viewers on TV’s “Trading Spaces” earlier in her career.  She can turn a dingy laundry into an elegant foyer and create a […]