Swinging From the Chandeliers

April 4, 2016October 20, 2017Cameron Ansari

I was never particularly good at sports at school. Except perhaps swimming, which the English boys had few opportunities to practice back then. Prep school colors at rugby were cut short suddenly when it became rudely apparent that the other boys had matured more quickly than me. Despite spending so much...

5 Ways to Make Your Yard Bee-Friendly

April 1, 2016November 2, 2017Nicole Buergers

Click images for source Maybe you aren’t ready or able to keep bees on your own – beekeeping requires a significant initial investment of money, plus you need upper-body strength to lift out hive sections – but you’d like to provide a haven for the honeybees, butterflies and other pollinators in...

The Holy Sale: Fresh Paint and the Right Saint

March 14, 2016October 20, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

You’ve fluffed your house to within an inch of its life: painting, decluttering, staging and even planting a couple dozen Knock Out roses. And your house still has not sold. A savvy listing agent who truly understands the market is always your best resource, of course. But, just for fun, we...

Winter Dreams

January 26, 2016October 20, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Come winter, there’s a little less to do in the garden. This is the time I walk around, notepad in hand, planning ambitious beds and making lists, even while taking a break from the actual digging and planting. It’s time to daydream and, yes, even pre-order some strange and ugly bits...

Gearing Up for Our 2016 Goals

January 13, 2016October 20, 2017River Oaks Houston Staff

Is 2016 the year you’re finally going to restore the fireplace? Or maybe you’ll finish installing gutters on the back of the house. Will you get that home office set up? Paint the front door? Repair the dripping bathroom sink faucet? Install a doggy door for the family pooch? Sometimes it...

5 New Year’s Resolutions for Gardeners

January 12, 2016November 2, 2017Diane Blazek, National Garden Bureau

A new year traditionally brings about resolutions right? Be they for losing weight, being more organized or simply an overall “being better” wish, resolutions are good goals to have. Gardeners are no exception to wishing for the better: better gardens, better planning, better harvests, better record-keeping, and so forth. Following are...

All That Glitters is Green

December 7, 2015October 20, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Click images for source Your house is all decorated, full of holiday greenery and ready for family and guests. There’s an evergreen swag across the mantle and garland wrapped around the banister, a wreath on the front door and the tallest Christmas tree your living room ceiling can accommodate. It looks...

What’s the Difference? A Guide to Art Nouveau and Art Deco

November 28, 2015April 16, 2023Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Click images for source What’s the difference between Art Nouveau and Art Deco? Many people, even some professional designers, are often flummoxed by the difference between the two styles. Here’s how to tell them apart. Art Nouveau is the older of the two styles, but it overlapped with the Art Deco...

Gardening with Dogs

October 5, 2015October 20, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Several years ago, after closing on our new house, I looked at my garden and decided it needed a dog. Not a tidy little dog – we already had a perfectly fine miniature schnauzer, not to mention two cats – but a nice big lummox of a dog: a German shepherd....

Living with a Pond

August 31, 2015October 20, 2017Teresa Byrne-Dodge

When we moved in, the goldfish pond was a wreck with about 10 inches of fetid water, mucky with decayed leaves – and who knows what else? – brewing in the bottom. It didn’t bubble like some antediluvian swamp, but it was almost that bad. The wiring for the pump was...