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Warm fall welcome

2009-10-08T09:22:00+08:00

This weekend, several landscape and floral designers will unveil door displays they have created for the annual “Fall Floral Parade” at the Oct. 9-11 Lane County Home Improvement Show. The floral parade’s theme is “Welcome Gnome,” but some designers will be taking broader artistic license with their festive groupings. Meanwhile, …

Home improvements front and center

2009-10-08T07:51:46+08:00

The 27th annual Lane County Home Improvement Show gets under way tomorrow at the Lane Events Center and continues through Sunday with 285 exhibits touting new products, innovative ideas and expert advice. The show starts at 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, and concludes at 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11. Admission …

Ranch of refinement

2009-10-08T08:33:55+08:00

Tony Anthony was still living in the San Francisco Bay Area when his wife, Christine Shirley, called to tell him she’d found the perfect house. With complete trust in her judgment he agreed to the purchase, sight unseen. It was the right neighborhood, Anthony says. In fact, in the 18 …

Striking matches

2009-10-08T07:51:46+08:00

Many homeowners find it exhausting to choose finish materials that not only appeal to their aesthetic sensibilities, but that complement other surfaces in a new or remodeled space. And because the kitchen is so visible as a hub of activity in the home, people often fret over selecting surfaces — …

Winged watchers

2009-10-08T07:51:46+08:00

Many people enjoy gardening and landscaping to create tranquility and beauty — as well as to attract birds. And it is the visual makeup of your yard that will first attract birds. Fragrant flowers are pleasant to us and may attract insect pollinators, but most birds have little or no …

Little ‘green’ giant

2009-10-08T08:29:04+08:00

When Marilynn Krause decided to build a home in Eugene so she could spend more time with her grown daughter and her family in Eugene’s Whiteaker neighborhood, she wanted to keep things small. Very small, in fact. “I don’t know why, but it’s always bugged me to live in a …

Family-friendly yard not just child's play

2009-10-08T07:51:46+08:00

For children, each day abounds with new sensory experiences. Buttons and nickels and fistfuls of sand go straight to the mouth. Peanuts, up the nose. Though you can’t control every grubby hand grab, controlled surroundings diminish the danger of accidental poisoning, falls, scrapes and burns. You buy outlet covers and …

Stone rocks!

2009-10-08T07:51:46+08:00

According to the classic show tune sung on Broadway by Carol Channing and in the movies by Marilyn Monroe, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Besides being valuable, diamonds are stones that are nearly pure crystalline carbon, the hardest natural substance in existence. Granted, these rocks are dazzling, but they …

Natural treasures

2009-10-08T07:51:46+08:00

Wildcrafters walk with their heads down, afraid that they’ll miss fallen cones, acorns, bark, nuts and swaths of moss. In their yards, these gleaners salvage healthy clippings from Nandina domestica and camellia shrubs, and birch and eucalyptus trees. Back in the house, they fill earthenware vases, woven baskets or antique …

Hues you can use

2009-10-08T08:29:04+08:00

Yellows, oranges, scarlets and purples re-engage our summer-singed senses as autumn unfolds around us. And while nature needs no help in putting on its colorful fall show, homeowners must carefully consider which trees and shrubs to plant for a landscape that will shine once the chlorophyll stops flowing. For southern …

Well-read shed

2009-10-08T07:51:46+08:00

At the Eugene home of Hugh and Sue Prichard, this garden shed doubles as a display surface for Hugh’s collection of old metal signs. The aged placards pitch a playful variety of products and services, from the Jiffy Silo-Unloader to the William J. Burns International Detective Agency. One, a relic …

Home show exhibitors and services

2009-10-08T07:51:46+08:00

Agencies, associations & nonprofits BRING Recycling 307-308 City of Eugene Composters 209 Habitat For Humanity 247 North Eugene Manufacturing Co. 114 OSU Extension Service – Lane County 229 St Vincent de Paul Room 1 Air purifiers & quality Gills Indoor Air Quality 310 John’s Waterproofing 357 Appliances Appliance & TV Center 271-273 Oldfield’s 148 Arborists Sperry Tree Care 73 Artists Randall …

Home show workshops and presentations

2009-10-08T07:51:46+08:00

The Lane County Home Improvement Show is not only a one-stop shopping destination for home and landscape projects, but an information-rich event for the homeowners in the midst of planning such undertakings. One of the show’s highlights is a lineup of free workshops on topics that include kitchen and whole-house …

Calendar of events

2009-10-08T07:51:46+08:00

Thursday, Oct. 8 Meeting of the American Rhododendron Society Eugene Chapter, 7 p.m., Campbell Community Center, 155 High St., Eugene. Bill Hicks presents a program on lepidote rhododendrons that are well-suited to small gardens and rock gardens. Free; door prizes and refreshments. Call (541) 687-8119. Friday, Oct. 9 Nearby Nature …

Dried herbs yield long-lasting flavor

2009-10-08T07:51:46+08:00

When chopped or ground, the leaves and seeds of fresh herbs release their oils and flavor foods. If dried at the right temperatures and stored effectively, herbs can retain their flavoring for as long as a year. The best time to harvest herbs for drying is just before the flowers …

Rake in autumn’s bounty

2009-10-08T07:51:46+08:00

With summer’s bounty of juicy tomatoes, beans, basil and zucchini coming to an end, it can be hard to imagine how mountains of cold wet leaves that fall to the ground each autumn can be utilized to grow summer’s plenty. Avid gardeners quickly connect the dots to their advantage each …