TREE CARE: Trees one should never plant in our soil

QUESTION: What five trees would you never plant in city private yards? ANSWER: I would never plant any variety of poplar or willow on a typical city lot. Schubert chokecherry trees are dying from black knot disease, for which there is . . .

Posted: 2011-10-22

Chalk it up to the paint

Coating lets family members express themselves

For the Lacroix family, chalkboards are too cool to be just for school. Near the back entrance of Lisa Lacroix's home, a section of the wall has been covered with chalkboard paint. Scribbles line the bottom of the board where little . . .

Posted: 2012-04-07

A floor so beautifully unique it will floor you

Sand and marble combine to create art under foot in condo's bedroom

Part sculpture, part mosaic, part Zen retreat, the floor inside the bedroom of this Calgary condo is everything flooring usually isn't. Put simply: It's a work of art. It sparkles in the sun, appearing to flow serenely between the queen-size bed . . .

Posted: 2008-11-09

Something old, something new

Ideal replacements for your plants that didn't survive the winter

Has it crossed your mind — as it has mine — that replacement plants may be needed once this harsh winter finally wraps up? Snow cover is an excellent insulator; however, winter injury resulting in plant losses often occurs at . . .

Posted: 2019-02-16

Lemon juice and baking soda make dishes sparkle

Question: I own white dishes, and my bowls are stained on the insides from frozen cherries because I put them into the bowls until they are defrosted. How can I safely remove the cherry stains without using toxic chemicals? Marsha Answer: . . .

Posted: 2022-05-07

DEBBIE TRAVIS: Plywood floor for cottage can look beautiful

DEAR Debbie: We have built a small cottage from scratch and are at the stage where the plywood subfloors are in place and our budget is totally depleted. Have you any tips for a super low-cost floor covering that will . . .

Posted: 2010-06-19

SOLUTIONS: Scratches, rings and measuring things

QUESTION: My daughter has some scratches on her new laminate flooring. What can she use to repair or cover them up? Harv, Gladstone ANSWER: For minor scratches on laminate floors there are special, color-coordinating pencils that may be used to fill . . .

Posted: 2013-07-06

Feed those leftover egg yolks to the birds

Question: I enjoy cooking pancakes from scratch everyday, but don’t want to use the egg yolks as they are high in cholesterol. I hate the thought of wasting half an egg by throwing the yolk in the garbage. What can . . .

Posted: 2016-07-16

GARDENING: Spring seeding isn't just for farmers

From mid-March to mid-April, our gardeners can start growing from scratch

Gardeners, are you longing to get your hands in the soil as you browse through seed catalogues and gardening magazines? If you have been planting the same varieties of annual flowers, herbs and vegetables, this could be the year to try . . .

Posted: 2013-02-02

Bed headboards for a unique space

I received an email from a reader about my column that ran May 16 entitled Unique ideas for unusual spaces. The column was about finding solutions for decorating atypical rooms such as an attic bedroom with angled walls.One suggestion I . . .

Posted: 2015-05-30