Olga

All too often these days, if we want to fix a problem in the garden, we reach for something in a bag or bottle. I realize we're all in a hurry, we want a quick fix, and we don't want to overthink the options.

But these solutions are often only temporary, and they can lead to greater problems.

Because we're only addressing the obvious problem, without consideration to the potential consequences, we fail to realize the greater damage over ...

Just about the time you least expect it the Christmasbush erupts into a yellow explosion of bloom with such staggering beauty it stuns all who see it. After all this is a color in the spring or summer and surely not expected from mid-October through November and December.

But such is the case for this large shrub known botanically as Senna bicapsularis. In addition to the official Christmasbush it also goes by names such as winter cassia, butterfly ...

Repurpose, recycle, reuse, is the mantra of today's decor. When you decorate for autumn with organic elements that can later be repurposed, you get double the value.

All over America it's the season of gourds and Indian corn, both highly useful raw materials that can yield art projects and seed for next year's garden. The key is knowing what to buy now and how to exploit the second harvest next year.

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Let's be honest; furniture is expensive and renovating anything always costs more than they said it would. If we had a dollar every time we heard I want the look of this room, but want to save money doing just that, we would be bazillionaires! Here are our top five tips:

1. Shop Online

What most people don't understand is that retail stores have overhead (namely rent and staff) that they have to factor into their prices. Everyone ...

Want to safely hide a spare house key? Here are a few tips.

Burglars, don't read this story.

It's a horrible feeling: You arrive home and discover that you lost your key. If only you had a spare you could use to gain entry. Actually, there are numerous ways to hide that spare key.

Let's get the obvious ones - and by obvious we mean dumb - out of the way.
Don't leave a spare key under the doormat. Even the most dim-witted ...

Folding beds were intended - at least partially - to be space savers in urban apartments. Sometimes, tenants had more people than rooms and a bed that could be concealed in a wall or piece of furniture could be very handy when it came time for the family (and perhaps guests) to retire.

Such beds are often called "Murphy beds" because William Lawrence Murphy (1876-1959) applied for the first patent of one right at the turn of the 20th century. ...