Fulfilling every need

Spring Parade of Homes featured model beautifully adaptable

Ask Ken Smith to describe his show home and he’ll say it can be summed up in one word: adaptable. "It’s so adaptable to the varying needs of families because we can do the home in so many different configurations." As viewed, . . .

Posted: 2017-03-04

Floored by flooring

The pros and cons of numerous available materials

Someone told me floors are polished in the Philippines by strapping a piece of coconut husk to each foot, then skating across the floor until the entire area begins to gleam. Final buffing is accomplished by dragging a sheet with . . .

Posted: 2013-03-02

Grow your own fruits and veggies

Some of the best performers and favourites for 2019

This year, my garden produced the best tasting celery I’ve ever bitten into. Typically, fresh celery isn’t something I like to snack on — either it’s too stringy or has a bitter flavour. Homegrown celery has forever changed my perception. Earlier . . .

Posted: 2019-11-09

Quality, design set Wildewood Village apart

Townhomes like nothing else in the city

While realtor Ken Clark has viewed many fine condo designs over the years, he says the luxury townhomes at Wildewood Village top anything he’s seen to date. "There’s nothing like them in the city, " says Clark, a.k.a. the Condo King. . . .

Posted: 2018-10-06

Beauty by the book

Inspiring volume features best of Britain's famed Chelsea Flower Show

The problem with display gardens at garden shows, even the best garden shows, is that they are far from real. I have seen 10 or 20 euphorbias planted in a row to fill space and create the impression of a low . . .

Posted: 2011-03-05

You're never too old to grow your own food

Master gardener reveals secret behind his lip-smacking organic produce

COLUMBIA, Md. — At 70, Kent Phillips could have thrown in the trowel. Two knee replacements last year challenged him to grow vegetables. But Phillips, of Columbia, soldiered on. Rather than kneel, he’d let the garden come to him. Raised . . .

Posted: 2019-06-15

Big, bright and bold

Bridgwater Lakes home serves up beautiful function and flow

Any new home design worth its salt must possess two things: flair and function. Flair is what gives a home its character, while function is what provides essential day-to-day livability. The synergy between those two design elements showcased in 20 Clear . . .

Posted: 2017-04-01

Affordable luxury 'to go'

It’s a misconception custom homebuilders find themselves addressing on a continual basis — the idea that their sole stock in trade is building luxury homes priced in the million-dollar range. Not surprisingly, it’s a notion custom homebuilders such as Maric Homes . . .

Posted: 2017-06-17

A warm, mature beauty

Majestic home filled with space and light -- and original woodwork

Once upon a time — 103 years ago, to be exact — a home was custom-built for one Mrs. H. McKittrick.That home — situated on a 75 x 120-foot lot at 64 Middle Gate in Armstrong’s Point — required a . . .

Posted: 2016-10-29

Expert shares spring-menu offerings

Descriptions of plant varieties from around the world will leave you drooling

Local greenhouses are seeing a steady stream of plant hunters this spring. All of us are eager to shake off months of cold weather and are craving the energizing and stimulating effect of warm, bright colours. Gardeners also hope to . . .

Posted: 2019-05-04