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Planning your planting? Add a rain garden or barrel

Tue, 9 Feb 2010 04:00 CST

Many of us try to hurry spring along by planning our spring gardening. This year, think about an eco-friendly rain garden, or a simple rain barrel.Experts say we are depleting our water supply and suffering heavier storms. Both good reasons to keep water runoff to a minimum.

Home show offers an idea factory

Tue, 9 Feb 2010 04:00 CST

Just in time to soothe the winter doldrums, the Old House New House Home show is back Feb. 12-14 at Pheasant Run Resort. The home show features 300 displays, professional advice and acres of good ideas for your kitchen, bath, garage and more.

Rural charm; city conveniences

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 04:00 CST

A little bit of country, near shopping, made an Oswego apartment the right place for this family.

Original engravings might be from a book

BY HELAINE FENDELMAN AND JOE ROSSON - Scripps Howard News Service — Fri, 5 Feb 2010 04:00 CST

Books on flora and fauna were popular during the 18th and early 19th centuries. A number of naturalists, primarily in Europe but also in the United States, published tomes on exotic (and domestic) birds, animals and flowers.

Novel ideas for a romantic makeover

BY CANDICE OLSON - Home and Garden Television — Fri, 5 Feb 2010 04:00 CST

Teresa is a romance novel writer, but she did not have an inspiring place to write her novels.

Mortgage rates up a bit

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 04:00 CST

Kelly Hess and her husband, David, spent $8,000 in April remodeling the outside of their Dallas house, and they paid for it without a home-equity loan.

Are too many coffee grounds bad for plants?

BY JOE LAMP'L - Scripps Howard News Service — Fri, 5 Feb 2010 04:00 CST

Should you worry about using too many coffee grounds in your compost? Will it affect the soil acidity?

Yellow flowers top gardeners' picks

BY SUSAN RANDSTROM - For Sun-Times Media — Thu, 4 Feb 2010 04:00 CST

Yellow is bursting out of the gate as the hot color this year for inside the home as well as in the garden.

Doing a hot business in old stoves

BY JENNI MINTZ - Scripps Howard News Service — Tue, 2 Feb 2010 04:00 CST

With the economy teetering toward a recovery, many consumers are more likely to salvage their old stoves and other appliances rather than shop for replacements. Others just treasure their old stoves, touting the superior quality to modern ovens. The antiques, their fans say, are built like a tank.

Has your area stabilized?

Tue, 2 Feb 2010 04:00 CST

Which six suburbs and three Chicago neighborhoods have pulled out of the recession - for now? See our chart of the areas that are no longer buyer's markets.