Anchorage Daily News

Garden ideas from books to the Web

Wouldn't you like to have some fresh ideas, month after month, for projects and plants to try in your garden or home landscape? All sorts of garden magazines offer color photographs of model gardens, articles on topics ranging from specific plant profiles to general how-to advice, and plenty of sources for decorative elements and supplies that gardeners need.

http://www.kentucky.com/

Gourds Galore: 8 uses for fall's favorite produce

Those jolly round veggies are ripe for the picking. But brainstorming what to do with them beyond October 31 can be tricky. Never underestimate the creative power of a gourd, especially while they're super cheap.

http://www.freeshipping.org/blog/)

Mysterious, sophisticated black plants

Welcome to the dark side.

http://www.ohio.com/

Bam-boo!

Sean Bigley knows bamboo can be scary, the stuff of backyard nightmares.

http://www.sacbee.com/

Who you gonna call? The mouse hunters

Small and nimble, with bright eyes and big ears, the suspect made a dramatic early-morning appearance in the kitchen sink.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/

Rooftop veg plots taking root in Japanese cities

During his lunch breaks, Hayato Kashiwagi slips out of his office in Tokyo and heads for a nearby building where, on the rooftop three stories up, he tends a garden teeming with vegetables.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/index-e.htm/

Preventive maintenance will keep your appliances humming along

Taking the time to do a little preventative maintenance on household items is far less costly than having to replace a soiled carpet, broken vacuum cleaner or scratched TV.

http://www.ohio.com/

Illusion Emerald Lace is stunning sweet potato

Ornamental sweet potatoes rule! I just returned from speaking to a group, called Pascagoula Pride, that takes city beautification seriously. As I drove through town, I could not help but admire their effective use of the lime green ornamental sweet potatoes.

Home and garden news and notes

WHAT'S NEW: TABLETS CLEAN DISHWASHERS

http://www.ohio.com/

http://www.affresh.com

Staging tips that can help sell a home

Staging a home for sale can set it apart from the competition and make it inviting to the greatest number of buyers. Kiplinger's Personal Finance has these suggestions for staging your home for less than $1,000:

http://www.ohio.com/

Tame the holiday chaos with organizing tips

The holidays typically send most families into high-stress mode. But before you start panicking, "The No. 1 thing is put the pressure on paper," says Deniece Schofield, a home management expert and author of several books on organization, including "Confessions of a Happily Organized Family." "Make sure everything is written down, because if it's in your head, it's stressful," she said.

http://www.idahostatesman.com

http://www.denieceschofield.com/error.php?error=ssid&url=index.php

Home energy Q&A

A GUIDE TO HOME ENERGY SAVING STRATEGIES (Part 1 of 3)

Cheat Sheet: Which snow thrower best meets your needs?

Continuing our efforts to get homes ready for winter, this week's tips will focus on rearranging the tons of snow that some weather forecasters predict this year.

http://www.philly.com/

Dusty ducts

Q: How dirty do heating ducts get in a year? Is it necessary to clean them yearly as my wife insists?

http://www.startribune.com

Do-it-yourselfer Q&A

Q. There are a number of narrow cracks in my popcorn ceiling. Is there something I can inject into these cracks to repair them and restore the appearance of the ceiling? - D. Cornwell

Homemade liqueurs: Gifts to sip and savor

Homemade gifts from the kitchen are culinary treasures. They have a personal touch and in these challenging economic times, a present from hearth and heart seems especially meaningful. So when I spied A.J. Rathbun's new book, "Luscious Liqueurs" (Harvard Common Press, $12.95) I knew I'd found the blueprint for my '08 holiday gifts.

http://www.ocregister.com/

10 questions with glass man Simon Pearce

Simon Pearce is a household name in handcrafted glassware and pottery.

http://www.kansascity.com

It's a storage unit and it's home

Maria Maior's son is a football-playing, skateboard-riding, Xbox-loving kid whose home reveals all the trappings of domesticity: a cushy sofa, big-screen TV, a framed poster of Brian Urlacher, one of the 12-year-old's favorite football players. On most evenings, two big dogs curl up on the carpeting.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/

People make room in their homes to accommodate their growing passion: Wine

Wine is climbing like a vine to a top role in the American home.

http://www.kansascity.com

How to select the right vacuum cleaner

No one desires to plunk down hundreds for a vacuum cleaner. It's a boring purchase. But when the old clunker just doesn't suck anymore, it's time for a new model - and fast. Having bought four vacuums in the past seven years I have a decent idea of which dirt demolishing sidekicks make the best appliances and which ones don't make the grade.

http://www.couponsherpa.com/

Garden book celebrates black plants

Black is not so basic when it comes to your garden. Black-eyed Susans notwithstanding, black generally has a negative connotation, a signal that all is not well with a plant - black spot fungus being just one example.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/