Category: Home and Garden

I am interested in using more microgreens and would like some advice on how to grow them at home. — Rissi Melecio, Highland Park We could all use some tips about improving our diets, and microgreens are a great place to start. Microgreens are the sprouted seeds of edible vegetables and herbs grown in small, shallow containers. Routinely used by fine dining chefs, they have intense flavors and add visual appeal to dishes. They are also good for you, with a high concentration of nutrients. They are difficult to find in stores and expensive to buy — but easy to […]

Whether you’re installing bookshelves, a wall-mounted Murphy bed or full-on built-in furniture, you set your mark on your home with high-quality built-ins.

Applying mulch is one of the easiest and best ways to help your trees and other plants, but doing it the wrong way can lead to trouble. “Mulch should be a flat, even layer over the soil,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “It should never be heaped up, especially around a tree.” When mulch is piled up against a tree’s trunk, it can trap moisture against the bark, which encourages decay. “If the bark rots away, the tree’s circulatory system will be cut off,” Campbell said. “It can lead to the death of […]

I have this 35-year-old tree in my front yard in Lake Zurich that is not doing well. Do you think the ivy is causing the demise of the tree and if I were to remove the ivy around the trunk, is there a chance it would recover?  — Bert Gaide, Lake Zurich Thanks for writing […]

Just as you use paint to spruce up your walls, light acts as visual paint to not only illuminate your home but increase aesthetics, direct your focus and create the pleasing look you want.

I received some bare root trees and shrubs as a gift and would like to know how to plant and care for them. — Jerry Rosen, Skokie That sounds like a great gift, just ahead of the growing season. Bare root trees and shrubs are shipped and planted in early spring. Growers dig the plants […]

When it comes to transplanting shrubs or small trees, the first rule is: Plan first, so you only have to do it once. “Plants can’t stand to be moved repeatedly,” said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist in the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “Transplanting is a stressful, shocking process for them.” You […]

You should also have a roof inspection if you suspect any storm damage, if you’re selling/buying a home and during routine maintenance.