Home & Garden

After years of funny financing and few limitations on loans, banks and other lenders have tightened up their lending policies. As a result, homeowners considering a home improvement project might need to look elsewhere to secure financing. There are no certainties in the real estate markets. Though statistics suggest marked improvement in home sales over […]

Although summer may be drawing to a close, gardening time is far from over, said a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator. “Fall is the ideal time for some kinds of planting and for preparing for next year’s garden,” explained Candice Miller. She suggests several fall activities that can be done to lengthen the summer […]

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, lawn and garden watering makes up nearly 40 percent of total household water use during the summer. One way to reduce outdoor water usage and conserve water is to collect rainwater. A rain barrel is a system that collects and stores rainwater. A typical half-inch rainfall will […]

A good place to start reducing your carbon footprint is at home. If you make a few tracks around the house in areas you rarely tread, you might be surprised at what you find and how much you can save on your heating bill this winter. Hidden openings could be bleeding warm air from your […]

Early in the 20th century, Jens Jensen, the landscape designer of Springfield’s Lincoln Memorial Garden, and groups such as the Friends of Our Native Landscape and The Prairie Club, began extolling the aesthetic appeal of local plant species, the beauty they exhibit when flourishing in their native surroundings. “To me no plant is more refined […]

The summer growing season has not been kind to gardens, noted a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator. “Hot temperatures, dry soils, pots that needed watering two or three times a day, and flowers that just did not look their best,” said Greg Stack. “Would you look your best if you had to put up […]

Testing the soil in a vegetable garden is quickly done, and the benefits are long-term. University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator Richard Hentschel said that if the soil is right, gardeners should be able to produce fresh vegetables all season long. “Gardeners can test their soil anytime,” he said. “Fall is best because the applied […]

Often buying a home opens up a bottomless pit of opportunities for projects and improvements. While some homeowners engage in different repairs and fix-ups out of necessity, many others like to freshen up their spaces out of personal preference instead of need. But even the most well-intentioned projects can be waylaid if budgets are tight. […]

While our landscapes received a good drink of water in September, we need more rain. The most important investment in your landscape is trees and shrubs. Trees and shrubs entering winter without adequate soil and tissue moisture become more susceptible to low temperature injury or rapid fluctuations between warm and cold. Symptoms of drought stress […]

In eras past, gardens were ubiquitous in America. During both world wars, gardens were wielded like a weapon, with millions of “Victory Gardens” planted in both private and public spaces across the U.S., relieving pressure on food supplies needed for war. Eventually, the ease and convenience of modern life rendered gardens unnecessary for many Americans, […]

Homeowners can’t escape to-do lists – weekend chores, long-term DIY projects, or even plans and designs for building a dream home from the ground up. A growing number of homeowners are adding “make my home greener” to those to-do lists, and they can pick from a variety of projects that fit any budget, goal and […]