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Home and GardenHome and Garden

On the Home Front

Tips, new products, etc.

07/02/2022 12:00 AM

What's It Worth

Q: I have four chairs that we have always called ice cream chairs. They were once used at the Philip Morris factory cafeteria. They were given to employees after the seats wore out and my husband brought them home and replaced the seats. I plan to put them in a yard sale and wonder what they're worth. — F.F.

07/02/2022 12:00 AM
Choose bamboo carefully to avoid spreaders

Gardeners are often bamboozled by bamboo, particularly the running kinds that are notorious spreaders.

07/02/2022 12:00 AM
Home and Garden event calendar

Bulletin Board

07/02/2022 12:00 AM
Right at Home: Solar lighting for the garden

Few things are prettier in a night garden than soft pools of light illuminating interesting trees, accent rocks and plants, or pathways.

07/02/2022 12:00 AM
Beach decor with a difference

If you've ever carted home some unfortunate monstrosity from a beach vacation and rued it, take heart.

07/02/2022 12:00 AM
Keeping you safe

Internet sites for helpful info

07/02/2022 12:00 AM
Real Estate Mailbag: Steps to take to get your home warranty

Q: I recently purchased a 5-year-old house, and when I signed the residential purchase agreement, there was a provision for the seller (a bank) to provide a one-year home-warranty plan, for a price not to exceed $350. Since the close of escrow (also called settlement or closing in many states) and officially turning over the keys, I have not received the warranty.

07/02/2022 12:00 AM
Orchids: Time and patience required to grow baby orchid to maturity

Q: I am a native of Costa Rica, and when I moved to the United States seven years ago, I brought a test-tube baby of our national flower, Cattleya skinneri. Since then, I have nursed the plant along, and the pseudo-bulbs are now 3 inches tall. I have been fearful to put it outside where the deer might eat it, so I keep it in my sunroom. Will this plant ever bloom? — Denise

06/25/2011 12:00 AM
What's It Worth: Plymouth rocking chair

Q: Please tell me anything you can about my Plymouth rocking chair. It is in wonderful condition, put together with old-fashioned [nuts] and bolts. It has the original decal under the seat and has been refinished. I paid $200 for the chair but love it and believe that it is vintage, maybe antique. I cannot find any information about the maker on the Internet. — M.M.

06/25/2011 12:00 AM
Transforming a drab back yard into an inviting green space

Our backyard remodel had a June 1 deadline because it would be the centerpiece of an anniversary party we were throwing for my parents.

06/25/2011 12:00 AM
Buttoned Up

As we ushered in the month of June, Alicia and I thought it was the perfect time to check in with each other about just how we were doing on our New Year's resolutions.

06/25/2011 12:00 AM
Ask Martha: Fixing a delectable picnic lunch

A horseback ride through majestic scenery in Maine calls for a delectable lunch that's as beautiful as the setting.

06/25/2011 12:00 AM
Real Estate Mailbag

Q: I am retired and helping my son buy his first home. My credit is good, but his is not, so the mortgage is in my name. We found a fixer-upper for $80,000. I put $40,000 down and financed $40,000 for 10 years at 3.75 percent, and paid one and a half points. My son will live in the house and make the payments of $500 per month.

06/25/2011 12:00 AM
Bulletin Board: Home and Garden calendar

Bulletin Board

06/25/2011 12:00 AM
Garden Q&A: mulch fungus and pruning nandinas

Q: We have ugly, yellow, foamy blobs of fungus that continually pop up in various areas of our freshly spread hardwood mulch. It doesn't seem to be in our neighbors' mulch beds. This is at least the third season we've seen it. Can we get rid of it, and can we prevent it from coming back?

06/25/2011 12:00 AM
On the Home Front: Think before you cut

Tips, new products, etc.

06/25/2011 12:00 AM
Parents watch 'abandonded' fledglings

Each spring, our backyards slowly become nurseries as nesting birds busily tend their hatchlings. Baby birds become more demanding and noisier as they expect more frequent feeding. Parents dutifully canvass neighborhoods to bring berries, seeds and insects back to their chicks.

06/18/2011 12:00 AM
Little things make a difference

Modest changes can "green" up your home+

06/18/2011 12:00 AM
Ask Martha: Keeping pets safe in summer

Ask Martha: Keeping pets safe in summer

06/18/2011 12:00 AM
Home and Garden event calendar

Bulletin Board

06/18/2011 12:00 AM
Burnt-out home goes from ashes to awesome

Living wall, backyard rain garden and other green features give new life to burnt-out home

06/18/2011 12:00 AM
What's it worth?

Q: I would like to learn anything I can about my antique barrel-top desk that was purchased in the 1960s in San Antonio. There are no labels or marks. It stands about 51 inches tall by 33 inches wide. The original wheels are wood. It appears there was a gallery on top, but now only the finials remain. Please tell me its age, who the maker is, where it was made and its value. — W.H.

06/18/2011 12:00 AM
The greening of 1417 Grove

Features designed by Watershed Architects

06/18/2011 12:00 AM
Buttoned Up for Saturday, June 18

Have you ever had to interact with someone who hands out tasks reluctantly, and even then fails to let go? If you have, just thinking about your experience probably makes your blood pressure go up a few points. Micromanagement is a particularly destructive style of management; it's as bad in bosses as it is in parents. While at first it conveys to everyone that you are on top of everything, in the long run, it always leads to frustration, discouragement and burnout.

06/18/2011 12:00 AM