Fall Color - A Call to Garden

September, the month where there's a change. Kids are just back to school, lawns are again a lush green, as temperatures have begun to cool giving a fresh crispness to the air. There is a new energy, there is . . .

Posted: 2017-09-15

Starting a renovation project

Is it time to renovate your home? Depending on the size of the renovation there are many decisions that you will have to make before your project begins. Below is a list of a few major ones. What is . . .

Posted: 2017-09-14

Collector selects plants based in part on how they transition through the year

Collector selects plants based in part on how they transition through the year

A stroll through Karen Loewen’s garden takes time. A single visit would hardly be enough to explore all the mysteries of her spacious property located in Steinbach. Loewen is a discriminating plant collector with a taste for the unusual. She . . .

Posted: 2017-09-09

How to work out at home like a trainer

Working out at home seems like an easy solution for those of us who don’t have the time to go to a gym or fitness class. But in reality, it is so much harder than we’d like to admit. Instead of . . .

Posted: 2017-09-09

Skip the stipple

Ceiling upgrade a project worth the effort

The stipple ceiling has always mystified me. The second floor of my childhood home had stippled ceiling. I recall as a kid looking up at its bumpy surface and gold glitter flex, and wondering ‘why?’ I suppose it was a . . .

Posted: 2017-09-09

Take your boiler from beast to radiant beauty

Technology has shrunk the size of those old metal monstrosities -- and your gas bill

I remember visiting my grandfather in his basement workshop. To get there, I had to pass through the boiler room, which housed the great iron beast that heated the little bungalow. It was terrifying. And inefficient. But contemporary technology is a beastmaster. . . .

Posted: 2017-09-09

Take your basement apartment to the next level

It’s no easy feat to find an affordable apartment in many cities. Renters will scour the city streets for a decent deal, searching uptown, downtown and increasingly, underground. But basement dwellings often have low ceilings, cramped rooms and little natural light, . . .

Posted: 2017-09-09

Giving thanks to those who give

People who care for others deserve our appreciation and respect

So today, I’m going to shift from the "bricks and mortar" of what homes are all about to "home is where the heart is, " the subject triggered by a conversation I had with a friend lately, initially discussing my . . .

Posted: 2017-09-09

Early fall for your poplars? Look for signs of aphids

Have you noticed your cottonwood, aspen and other poplar leaves turning yellow earlier than what you think is normal? During the mid to late summer of this year, large cottonwoods, aspens and other poplars have been attacked by poplar petiole gall . . .

Posted: 2017-09-09

It's fine to do foundation repairs in stages

Question: A while back, you replied to someone’s inquiry about rainwater leaking into the basement and said it could be due to plugged drain tiles. I have the same problem on the north side of my house. I’ve buried two-foot-wide . . .

Posted: 2017-09-09