Improve Your Home and Garden
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Ever driven through a neighborhood where the houses looked pretty much alike, but some were clearly more interesting than others? Take a closer look next time and you’ll soon spot the difference: landscape design. The grounds that surround a home can often make the difference between the ordinary and the spectacular. And that, according to [...]
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When there’s a bumper crop of fresh herbs, the best way to preserve them is in oil. Here’s a great recipe to do this. Pluck leaves from the stems and pack them down in a measuring cup. Place two hard-packed cups of herbs in a blender or food processor. Add 1 cup of good-quality cooking [...]
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Most people can’t tell the difference between a bee and a yellow jacket. So here’s the short course: Yellow jackets ruin barbecues. Bees pollinate, and some make honey. So if you want more flowers and a bountiful crop of fruits and vegetables, you want bees. It’s that simple. “People really don’t understand the role honeybees [...]
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Strawberry jars aren’t just for strawberry plants. They can be miniature herb gardens, boasting a variety of foliage textures and fragrances. With an herb-filled strawberry jar at your kitchen doorstep, fresh herbs will be as convenient as the dried ones on your pantry shelf. Or place one near a path or on a terrace and [...]
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Anyone with allergies knows how awful it is when trying to garden. Seasonal allergy symptoms often seem to run all year round these days, as well. But there are a few things homeowners can do to minimize allergy attacks. Below are a some general rules and simple tips from Dr. Warren Filley, Allergist and horticulturist. [...]
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Its 5:00 PM and your dinner guests are due in an hour. You put the finishing touches on the table when you realize something’s missing. Oh no! There’s no centerpiece! What can you do at the last minute? Well, if you’re lucky enough to have a few things around, like flowers and filler material, you can [...]
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Hidden deep in southeast Portland in the Pleasant Valley neighborhood along Johnson Creek, Leach Botanical garden is a wonderland of the exotic and the native, blended in a style all its own. It’s been called “Portland’s best kept secret” and no wonder. “The garden was the outgrowth of John and Lilla Leach’s fascination with plants,” [...]
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