INSIDE & OUT

Cleveland, Ohio Home and Garden News, Improvement & Decorating Tips

Hate to mow your lawn? Try planting a few native shrubs or butterfly garden

by Brad Charles Melzer/Ohio State University Extension

Thursday November 20, 2008, 12:00 AM

Q. I'm tired of mowing my lawn. Can you recommend some lawn alternatives?

A. Stated plainly, lawns can be expensive to maintain. Whether you are mowing, weeding or applying fertilizers and pesticides, the amount of money and time can be taxing. There are alternatives out there.

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Celebrating the holidays with the cranberry: Gardener's Notebook

by Dora Staneff-Cline/Plain Dealer Artist

Wednesday November 19, 2008, 10:30 PM

The cranberry is one of the few commercial fruits native to North America -- and even Ohio. A favorite for the holidays, the fruit is produced by a creeping evergreen shrub with fine-textured, glossy, dark-green leaves that turn bronze to reddish purple in cold weather.

In the same plant family as the rhododendron, the cranberry also is adapted to poor, acid soils. Although usually found in moist soils -- such as sphagnum bogs -- one type of cranberry that grows at the Holden Arboretum was collected on a dry, upland site in Geauga County.

Read more about cranberries here (pdf).

Check out all the Gardener's Notebook entries on The Plain Dealer graphics blog.

Antiques show benefits Cleveland's historic Dunham Tavern Museum

by Susan Condon Love/Plain Dealer Homes Editor

Wednesday November 19, 2008, 12:00 AM

It's steps from Euclid Avenue, with its one-lane driving, spaceship-like bus stops and new traffic patterns.

But Dunham Tavern Museum is more than just a stop along the newly renovated midtown strip of Euclid Avenue. It's a retreat back to 1824, when the street was the major route between Buffalo, N.Y., and Detroit.

Back then, when Cleveland was just a reserve with a growing rank of settlers, Rufus and Jane Dunham bought 14 acres on the dirt route, operating first a farm and then a stagecoach stop and tavern for dusty travelers.

Through foresight and happenstance, the quaint colonial building survived Cleveland's boom, the era of Euclid Avenue mansions, the decline of the noble boulevard to factories and abandoned buildings and now, hopefully, its upswing with the recently completed Euclid Corridor $200 million renovation.

But every organization needs its funding, and the nonprofit Dunham Tavern Museum's fund-raising antiques show has been the biggest source of money for the group since 1937, when it was started by the Society of Collectors, whose meeting place was Dunham Tavern.

Continue reading "Antiques show benefits Cleveland's historic Dunham Tavern Museum" »

Ask Dog Lady: Find a pet boarder through vet, research

by Monica Collins/Special to The Plain Dealer

Wednesday November 19, 2008, 12:00 AM

Dear Dog Lady: I have two dogs -- mixed breeds, 2-years-old, a brother and sister (bichon frise and poodle). I need to know a wonderful boarder that has room for them to run. They love to play. I have never left them, so the anxiety for me is awful. -- Theresa

Dear Theresa: The nervousness is very understandable. You need to do your own research to ease your mind. This is especially important during the holidays when many dogs will be left in the care of others.

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Garden calendar lists events, clubs and societies, and places to go in Greater Cleveland

by Inside & Out Staff

Wednesday November 19, 2008, 12:00 AM

Event

Cleveland Botanical Garden, 11030 East Blvd. WinterShow 2008: City Sidewalks, Saturday to Sunday, Jan. 4. Garden hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, noon-5:00 p.m. Sunday, closed Mondays.

Garden clubs, societies

Twinsburg Garden Club. "Holiday Swags for Twinsburg City," 6:30 p.m. today. Twinsburg Senior Center, 10260 Ravenna Road.

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Holiday tours scheduled in Rocky River, Warehouse District of Cleveland

by Inside & Out Staff

Wednesday November 19, 2008, 12:00 AM

Rocky River: Rocky River Junior Women's Club 12th annual Holiday Home Tour is 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7. The self-guided tour of homes decorated for the holidays is $25 a person in advance, $30 a person the day of the tour. A cocktail reception is 4-6 p.m., also on Sunday, Dec. 7. Tickets are limited. Reserved tickets will be available for pickup Dec. 7 at the hospitality suite at The Pub, Beachcliff Market Square, 19300 Detroit Road, starting at 10 a.m. For more information and additional ticket information, go here or call 440-376-4080.

Cleveland: Historic Warehouse District annual Holiday Tour. 5:30-11 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10. Tickets are $60 per person, $75 at the door, $35 for downtown residents. Group rates also available. Register at Atrium of the Bridgeview Apartments, 1300 West Ninth St. Proceeds benefit the Historic Warehouse District Development Corp. Call 216-344-3937.

Getting help with tree removal

by Roxanne Washington/Plain Dealer Reporter

Tuesday November 18, 2008, 4:36 PM

CLEVELAND -- Having a tree removed -- because it's about to crash through your roof, because it's diseased or because you just don't want it in your yard anymore -- is a chore that homeowners would rather not have to deal with.

Yet sometimes they must.

And choosing a tree-removal service can be daunting. Most metropolitan areas are filled with dozens of companies that can do the job, and estimates for the same work can vary greatly.
Should you follow "You get what you pay for" wisdom and dole out top dollar, or should you cross your fingers and go with the lowest estimate?

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