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Mint varieties send out runners that spread above and just under the ground, quickly forming large, lush green patches. In the right place, mint makes a sensational, seasonal ground cover. They also add lovely fragrance to your yard and garden.

Here are some tips for growing mint:

Pot it - The most popular way to grow mint is in a pot where you can keep it contained and handy near the kitchen for a constant supply of sprigs. It’s a good idea to choose a potting mix that retains water to be sure soil stays moist.

Plant it - In the ground, select a damp area in your garden in either full sun or partial shade. Mint is plenty vigorous on its own, but it will appreciate a little fertilizer every few weeks, especially if you harvest a lot. You can also mulch around the plants to keep roots moist.

Pluck it - Keep plants in check by harvesting the tips regularly and pulling up wayward runners when planted in the garden. Mint’s small flowers bloom from June to September; trim these before buds open to keep the plant compact.

-- www.bonnieplants.com

Decorating Tip: Multifunctional dining

Bookshelves can represent any decorating style. In her dining-room design, Dennis prefers tall bookshelves to create a multifunctional space for the entire family. "I love using bookcases to line a dining room with room for storage baskets. It automatically allows the space to do double duty," she says.

-- Scripps Howard News Service/ HGTV

Home-Selling Tip: Get hi-tech

After getting the traditional "For Sale" sign for your yard and listing your house in the classifieds, try some hi-tech options. For example, make a video tour of your house and upload it to YouTube for potential buyers to see. Some sellers and agents are using the Talking House radio transmitters, which allows you to record an audio description of your house that buyers can listen to on the radio as they drive by.

-- FrontDoor.com.

Going Green: Subway gets recycled plastic

Subway has announced that its salad containers will now be made from 95 percent post-consumer recycled materials. The company says this will keep 2.62 million pounds of plastic from entering landfills, representing 500,000 barrels of petroleum.

-- Earth911.com

Did You Know …

Pending home sales rose 4.1 percent in March from February and is now at the highest level since April 2010. -- Realtor.org

Garden Guide: Don’t prune oak tress?

The Forest Service recommends that we halt any pruning of oak trees during April, May, and June. Others extend that ban through July. Fresh cuts in those months produce sap that attracts sap-feeding nitidulid beetles that may have visited sporulating mats of the oak wilt fungus on diseased trees. If that is the case, they bring the oak wilt fungus to your tree. If you are certain there is no oak wilt disease in your area, you do not have to follow this guideline.

-- University of Illinois Extension

Create an instant pop of color to help your home's curb appeal bloom this spring. Consider your home's exterior when selecting flowering plant combinations for plant beds, window boxes or front porch planters. With a white house, any color combination will work well. With a yellow house, red or pink blooms tend to complement best.

Here are some other colorful tips to keep in mind:

-For a calming effect, use cooler colors like blue, green and purple. They blend into the landscape for a peaceful look.

-Bold colors add excitement to the landscape. Warm yellows, oranges and reds make the garden lively. Yellow reflects more light than other colors, so yellow flowers will get noticed first.

-To brighten up a dark or shady corner, use pale colors, like pastel pinks and yellows.

-Not all color needs to come from flowers. Foliage can be a great landscape enhancer, so look for colorful grasses and plants like silvery lamb's ear, variegated hostas, and Japanese painted ferns.

-- Family Features/ TruGreen

Decorating Tip: Multifunctional dining

Decorating Tip: Child-friendly drawers

For a house with young children, dining-room-storage solutions must be child-friendly and clever enough to keep little hands away. Designer Christopher Grubb recommends using bench storage or a window seat with drawers to keep curiosity at bay.

-- Scripps Howard News Service/ HGTV

Did You Know …

Existing-home sales decreased 2.6 percent in March from February but are 5.2 percent above 2011 numbers. – Realtor.org

Home-selling tip: Professional lawn care

An investment in professional landscaping can go a long way when it comes to luring in potential home buyers. Professionals can suggest elements, like topiary shrubs and flower paths, that will enhance your front yard and make it look its best while on display. Since the front yard is the first thing a buyer sees, it needs to impress. Also, keep lawn decorations, like gnomes, to a minimum.

-- FrontDoor.com

Going Green: Don’t forget to recycle paint

Many people don't know that latex paint and some oil-based paints are recyclable, and as a result, between 65 and 69 million gallons of paint are improperly disposed, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Do your part, and find a recycling center near you that accepts paint or a paint company that will recycle your paint for you.

-- Earth911.com

Garden Guide: Don't over water

Watering too much can result in shallow plant roots, weed growth, storm water runoff and the possibility of disease and fungus development. Give your lawn a slow, steady watering about once a week. Adjust your watering schedule depending on rainfall, as well as your grass and soil type. Trees and shrubs need longer, less frequent watering than plants with shallower roots.

-- Family Features/ TruGreen

GateHouse News Service

Want to add curb appeal, but don't have much money to spend? Here are some simple things you can do for under $100.

- Clean up the yard. Put away unused items, like lawn furniture. Clear leaves and branches out from under shrubs, other plants and the house foundation. Make sure the lawn is free from debris and grass clippings are not left on the driveway or sidewalk. Borrow or rent a power washer to clean off the driveway, steps, sidewalk and porch.

- Trim, prune and divide. Overgrown plants can block light from getting inside the house, and they make the house and yard look unkempt. Trim shrubs, making sure to remove dead branches. Get rid of dead or diseased plants in the landscape. If you have perennial plants that have gotten too big, divide them and plant them in other places around the landscape.

- Add new mulch. Mulch not only helps your plants, but it gives garden beds a neat and tidy finish. Wood mulch comes in different colors, but to showcase your plants the most, consider a dark brown mulch because it resembles fresh, healthy soil, so your eyes are drawn toward the plant and not the mulch itself.

-- Family Features

New Research: Car-crash deaths see a drop

Death rates from motor vehicle crashes dropped by 41 percent from 2000-2009. Several factors have played a role in this reduction, including improvements in child safety and booster seat use and use of graduated drivers licensing systems for teen drivers. However, crashes remain the leading cause of unintentional injury death for children.

-- CDC

Did You Know?

May is Celiac Awareness Month, Better Hearing Month, Meditation Month, Mental Health Month and Motorcycle Safety Month.

Health Tip: Spin off calories, stress

A good group cycling class can burn more than 500 calories along with loads of stress. The combination of tension on the flywheel, pedal speed and breathing creates the perfect setting for endorphin release. Find an instructor that plays music you like and motivates you, and spin class can be an hour of stress busting bliss!

-- Life Fitness

Number to Know

74: Accelerated efforts to reduce measles deaths have resulted in a 74-percent reduction in global measles mortality, from an estimated 535,300 deaths in 2000 to 139,300 in 2010. -- World Health Organization

Children’s Health: Infants, parents need vaccines

The measles, chickenpox, polio and many other vaccine-preventable illnesses are still circulating in the world, and outbreaks of several serious diseases have occurred recently in the U.S. Infants should be protected by being immunized, according to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Family members and caregivers of infants also are encouraged to get up to date on their recommended vaccines in order to provide a “cocoon” of protection for the baby until he or she has received all recommended immunizations.

Senior Health: Do I need to test for prostate cancer?

Although billionaire Warren Buffet, 81, recently revealed he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, federal guidelines strongly advise against prostate testing for men 75 and older, saying the benefits of treatment if  cancer is detected are “small to none.” The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says the test can be unreliable in older men and, when cancer is found, it is usually so slow-growing that it will never cause harm.

Decorating Tip: The new bathroom

More and more clients are ditching the tub in favor of a luxurious shower, says Libby Palmieri of House of L Interior Design in Cleveland. "A Jacuzzi tub used to be the pinnacle of luxury a few years ago," she says. "Now, most homeowners would rather have a gorgeous shower that they can enjoy every day."

-- HGTV, Scripps Howard News Service

Home-Selling Tip: Replace light fixtures

Florescent lights and brass fixtures are outdated. Replace the old light fixtures throughout your house, and opt for finishes like brushed nickel, stainless steel or blown glass to attract buyers. Recessed lighting is also a huge selling point because it brightens up the room.

-- FrontDoor.com

Did You Know …

Pending home sales decreased in February from January by .5 percent, but they are 9.2 percent above 2011 numbers. -- Realtor.org

Going Green: Electronics get recycling bump 

The Consumer Electronics Association has good news: electronic companies increased their recycling efforts with 460 million pounds of consumer electronics recycled in 2011, a 53-percent increase over 2010 numbers. The number of recycling drop-off locations in the U.S. also increased from 5,000 last year to nearly 7,500 today.

-- Consumer Reports Electronics Blog

Garden Guide: Dwarf fruit tress

Fruit trees are dwarf because they are naturally that way or because fruit tree growers graft or bud them to a dwarfing rootstock, limiting the size of your future fruit tree. If they are naturally dwarf, they will be listed as a 'spur-type' tree. Other dwarf trees are grown on a dwarfing rootstock, often crabapple. The smallest fruit trees will be spur types grafted or budded on a dwarfing rootstock.

-- University of Illinois Extension

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the past 20 years, the diets of most Americans have changed, consuming too many calories and too few nutrients.

In fact, 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese, and 9 out of 10 Americans fall short of many essential nutrients in their diets. With on-the-go lifestyles, many people find it difficult to eat right, exercise regularly and keep their diet in check.

Here are some tips to encourage a healthy diet and lifestyle:

Eat wholesome foods. A menu filled with seasonal fruits and vegetables will give you a big nutritional boost because they are packed with fiber and water and are low in fat. Also, opt for lean protein in your diet, which helps control hunger, stabilize blood sugar levels, support your metabolism as well as build and protect muscle.

Up your activity. Always speak with your doctor before beginning a new workout regimen. Make sure you get the recommended amount of activity into your week. The key is to gradually increase your activity levels. Switch up your routine every month to you can continually challenge yourself, improve fitness levels and work major muscle groups in different ways to prevent plateaus."

-- Family Features

Black is not only a great shade on you –– it's also a great shade for your home. The stylish finish can be seen in everything from kitchen appliances to hardware. Bring the magic of black into your home today.

Appliance accents. From ironwork grates and griddles on stainless stoves to refrigerators with black ice makers and handles, the combination of black and stainless conveys professionalism and power.

A dramatic finish. Since it's such a central area, why not give your sink a bit of character by adding a dramatic black faucet? The matte finish provides a streamlined appearance. Pair your bold, black kitchen faucet with a professional-grade stainless steel sink.

Sophisticated surfaces. Black granite countertops can be a great addition. The options are far more extensive than basic black, ranging from midnight black to a more mixed shade, with secondary colors of grey, white or even bolder hues, like sapphire.  

Dramatic radiance. Create a new appearance for your kitchen and dining area by adding a bold choice in lighting. Chandeliers with vintage-style ironwork, strings of black glass or crystal beads or even dramatic black prints can be a beautiful accent to an elegant kitchen.

-- ARA
 

Decorating Tip: Pump up neutral hues

To avoid a monochromatic color scheme, bump the color of your wall up or down one shade on the color wheel to create a 3-D effect. On a wall, use a lighter color on top and a darker color on the bottom. The two shades maintain the neutral palette and create contrast.

-- HGTV/ Scripps Howard News Service

Home-Selling Tip: Offer ‘creative financing’

Today's market is seeing an excess of homes as well as many interested buyers who may have difficulty qualifying for a standard mortgage. You can attract these buyers with "creative financing," which involves three options: 1) See if your lender will allow a mortgage assumption. 2) Help a buyer build a down payment via a lease-to-own deal. 3) If you have the equity, offer financing yourself.

-- FrontDoor.com

Going Green: Eggshells into plastic

Scientists at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom are working on ways to convert eggshells into bioplastics, to be used in anything from pharmaceuticals to egg cartons. It can also be used as a filler to "bulk up" conventional plastics, possibly reducing demand for oil-based materials. The U.K. uses more than 5 million tons of oil-based plastics every year, according to the British Plastics Foundation.

-- Earth911.com

Did You Know …

Building of green single-family residential homes increased from 2 percent in 2005 to 17 percent in 2011. -- National Home Builders Association

New Product: Sony NEX-7 camera

Sony's NEX-7 camera is an SLR-like model with a 24-megapixel sensor that can capture 10 frames per second at full resolution. For dedicated photographers, the Consumer Reports Electronic Blog says its performance, design and versatile features make this advanced camera "well worth the price."

Garden Guide: Plants don’t like compact soil

Soil compaction is the result of construction equipment, vehicles, and trampling by animals and people. Too much compaction presses the mineral grains together, reducing the air and water content. There is little room for roots to grow, and they cannot access enough nutrients and water. Most roots grow best in soil that is about 25 percent air and 25 percent water. Plants grown in compressed soils look stunted and drought-stressed, and they are more susceptible to disease.

-- University of Illinois Extension

GateHouse News Service

These budget-friendly decorating ideas from Giuliana Rancic, entertainment journalist and style guru, make it easy to discover your personal style. All it takes to refresh a room are a few simple updates.

Small changes add up. "You don't have to redo a whole room," says Rancic. "Small changes like adding a new color or introducing a scent to a room really make a big difference.”

Start at the beginning. The entryway of a home is the first thing guests see. Tidy up the outside area, and add some inexpensive pops of color with a planter and flowers. On the inside, think about updating the walls with floral or damask wallpaper, or even a painted chevron pattern to add visual interest.

Bring the outdoors in. Live plants and flowers do wonders for a room. Lemon or orange tree topiaries are a popular way to add a natural pop of color. If you're not sure about taking care of live plants, you can easily find artificial ones that look natural. Silk bamboo plants come in all sizes and fit on a table top or fill up an empty corner in a room.

-- Family Features

Decorating Tip: Clear out the paper

The key to clearing paper clutter and maintaining an organized home is to deal with the paper you receive right away, no matter what it is. It's easy to walk in the house, throw the mail on the kitchen counter. Without a proper filing system, important notices can easily get lost. Tip: An excellent way to decrease the amount of paper in your home is to sign up for online bill-pay and email statements.

-- HGTV/ Scripps Howard News Service

Home-Selling Tip: Repair hidden problems

Part of preparing your home for the market is taking care of any hidden problems that go beyond cosmetics. Hire an inspector to look for outdated electrical systems, deteriorating roofs, water leaks and other small problems. Investing in these fixes now will ensure you reap top dollar when you get to negotiations.

-- FrontDoor.com

New Product: HTC noise-reducing smartphone

Sprint unveiled its new HD Voice technology for its upcoming smartphone, the HTC Evo 4G LTE, which is due out sometime in the second quarter. The company says the new technology reduces background noise and increase voice quality. The product will cost around $200 with a two-year contract.

-- Consumer Reports Electronics Blog

Did You Know …

Investment-home sales surged an extraordinary 64.5 percent to 1.23 million last year from 749,000 in 2010. – National Association of Realtors

Going Green: Steel-making grows effficiency

The American Iron and Steel Institute wants people to know how green steel can be. After all, we use in in everything from cars to buildings to machinery. To start, the energy intensity needed to produce 1 ton of steel has dropped by 27 percent since 1990, according to AISI, and they say steel is the most recycled material. AISI also says you don't have to separated steel before recycling it, as in plastics, and it can easily be separated from garbage with a magnet.

-- Earth911.com

Garden Guide: Starting seedlings indoors

There are many advantages to starting your seeds indoors in addition to allowing anxious gardeners to "get their fingers dirty." In theory, plants started indoors will be bigger and produce faster than seeds planted directly into the garden. Many of us wait until the cell packs of tomatoes and peppers are available at the retailer. But starting your own seed allows you to raise the varieties you want and not rely on what the retailers have available.

-- University of Illinois Extension

With 23 years of experience, Jamie Shiffer, head gardener at Hershey Gardens in Hershey, Pa., knows a thing or two about cultivating a beautiful rose, in all of its varieties. Here are his top five rose gardening tips for gardeners of all levels:

Plant and fertilize early. Consider planting new rose bushes in early spring. "Both new and existing rose plantings will need to be fertilized at this time," says Shiffer. He recommends applying a slow-release fertilizer surrounding the base. 

Avoid over watering. "You should water roses sparingly throughout the very hot season," recommends Shiffer. "The biggest mistake people make when watering is to water from overhead with a hose, instead of at ground level," says Shiffer. As the heat intensifies, water on the petals can cause black spots, which promotes fungal growth. To avoid this, water at ground level first thing in the morning.

Prevent black spot. While good watering techniques can prevent fungal growth, for some gardeners, a humid environment can still lead to the same problem. "Treat black spot using a fungicide spray application on the plants every two weeks," says Shiffer.

Prune for increased plant growth. To encourage rejuvenation and growth from your rose bushes, be sure to deadhead through September. Count from the blossom down to the fifth leaf, and make an angled cut.

-- Family Features

Decorating Tip: A matter of scale

Scale refers to the size of pieces relative to one another and to the size of the space. Similarly scaled pieces are more serene when used together, but a nice balance of pieces creates a harmonious atmosphere, utilizing the differing physical qualities of height, depth and width throughout the room.

-- HGTV/ Scripps Howard News Service

Home-Selling Tip: Should you hire an agent?

A real estate agent will take a commission that is usually along the lines of 5 or 6 percent of the finale sale price. If you feel confident selling your house without the help of an agent, have a real estate lawyer review your paperwork. However, only a licensed realtor can list your house on the Multiple Listing Service, a national database of for-sale homes. An agent can also help you understand the market, negotiate and coordinate the selling process.s

-- FrontDoor.com

Going Green: Veterans Affairs recycles food 

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that it will begin to recycle about 583,000 pounds of cooking oil each year, reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2020. The agency has a goal of reducing its waste stream by 50 percent by 2015.

-- Earth911.com

Did You Know …

April is Keep America Beautiful Month, National Card and Letter Writing Month, National Landscape Architecture Month and National Garden Month.

Garden Guide: Your container garden

Containers are available in a wide range of sizes, styles, materials and colors. Anything that will hold soil and mature plants, and will drain, will make a good container. No matter what you use, it should have adequate drainage holes, otherwise it will create water-logged soil, which will cause root rot. If using a decorative container without drainage holes, put plants in a pot with drainage holes and nest it inside the decorative container.

-- University of Illinois Extension

Using color effectively can create a feeling of excitement or a sense of peaceful calm in a garden. Color is a personal matter, and there are no set rules to follow. The following guidelines can be bent to satisfy personal taste.

- When planning a garden, think of it as a three-dimensional painting and the plant colors as colors on an artist's palette. Some colors will dominate and be spread with broad-brush strokes, whereas small dabs of others will give depth and dimension. Try to envision how you want the entire garden to look.

- Have a color plan. Do you like a monochromatic color scheme where all the flowers share the same pigment? An example would be red, pink and burgundy impatiens planted among pink and red Astilbes. Perhaps you prefer a rich tapestry of many colors.

- A color wheel is handy. A complementary scheme uses colors that are directly opposite each other on the wheel. Examples are red and green, orange and blue, yellow and violet. Some very striking combinations can be made with complements.

"To brighten a shady area, use light colors such as white, light pinks or pale blues," Martha Smith, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator. "Dark colors tend to get lost in shady areas. You can still use deep colors, but be sure to use lighter colors around or behind them to provide contrast so that they will stand out and be seen."

Decorating Tip: Get into color

Take baby steps toward color with a monochromatic scheme. It's simply one color in varying intensities from light to dark. Or branch out into color with an analogous scheme, which consists of two to six colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel.

-- Scripps Howard News Service/ HGTV

Home-Selling Tip: Price it right

Pricing your house correctly is the most important step to help sell your house quickly and smoothly. Do your research, and be realistic. Know what your competition is selling for, which includes previously owned homes, new construction and foreclosures.

-- FrontDoor.com

Going Green: Donate or sell old clothes

After cleaning out your closet, you probably have a pile of clothes that either don’t fit or are no longer your style. Don’t throw them away. Insetad, donate them to a local nonprofit organization, or sell or swap them online with sites like SwapStyle.com and Dresm.com.

-- Earth911.com

New Product: NetZero 4G Internet service

NetZero recently introduced a new 4G broadband Internet access service that doesn't require a two-year contract. Customers can choose a 4G modem –– either a $50 USB device for one computer or a $100 hotspot for as many as eight Wi-Fi devices –– and a monthly wireless data plan.

-- Consumer Reports Electronics Blog

Did You Know …

New housing construction decreased 1.1 percent in February but are still at the second-best pace since October 2008. -- NAHB.org

Garden Guide: Divide perennials

Spring is a good time to divide most perennials. Do this when the flowers get smaller, the center of the plant dies, or the plant outgrows its space. Dig around the plant, lift the clump out of the ground, and break it into sections. Larger sections will re-establish themselves more quickly than smaller sections. Keep the clumps moist until you are ready to plant them.

-- University of Illinois Extension

Nothing helps celebrate springtime more than a gathering with loved ones. With the season's longer days and warmer weather, people are looking for ways to increase the fun as family and friends get together. Here are some easy tips for entertaining:

* Pick up a new set of votive candles and glass holders for an instant and elegant atmosphere. Expert tip: A little water in the bottom of the candleholder will help prevent melted wax from sticking to the glass.

* Utilize fresh, seasonal produce. Freeze strawberries, blueberries, fresh mint or citrus twists in ice cubes to add a hint of flavor to beverages.

* Have frozen sugar cookie dough on hand, along with sprinkles and seasonal cookie cutters, as a baking activity to do with little ones.

* For easy group entertainment, make sure you have a selection of classic board games available. Take a minute to make sure all the playing pieces are intact, cards are accounted for and pencils are sharpened.

* On picnic tables, weigh down tablecloths with condiment containers or heavy vases of fresh flowers.

-- ARA

Decorating Tip: Bathroom wall art

If you need artwork to fill a bathroom wall, look no further than your family photo album. Or take a special photo for the room and frame it in an interesting manner for a one-of-a-kind focal point.

-- HGTV/ Scripps Howard News Service

Home-Selling Tip: Revisit the lawn

Now is a great time to revisit your house's curb appeal. Mow the lawn, prune the bushes, weed the garden and plant inviting flowers. Pay attention to how your house looks and if it attracts attention from the street and sidewalk.

-- FrontDoor.com

Going Green: Get money for e-waste

While you're clearing your house of junk this spring, remember not to toss you e-waste in the garbage because it can be worth money –– and the chemicals are bad for the earth. Earth911.com recommends using the online sites YouRenew.com, BuyMyTronics.com or Gazelle.com to receive up to $1,000 per item for things like "outdated" smartphones, cellphones, laptop and desktop computer, cameras and more.

Did You Know …

Builder and developer sentiment about the multifamily market like apartments and condominiums increased to the highest reading since 2005. -- National Home Builders Association

New Product: The new iPad

Apple's new iPad is starting at the same prices as before, at $500 for the 16 gigabyte models. But the company will still offer the iPad 2 and drop the prices by $100. The newer gadget boasts support for 4G wireless connection and a very high-resolution display called a Retina Display, similar to the screen of the iPhone 4S.

-- Consume Reports Electronics Blog

Garden Guide: Pruning trees and shrubs

The best time to prune trees and shrubs is in the spring, when they are dormant. Without leaves, it is easy to see the plant's framework. Complete the pruning before the buds break. For general pruning, remove dead or diseased branches and all water sprouts (stems that grow at right angles to the branches) and suckers (growing from the base of the tree.) Prune out crossing or rubbing branches, always cutting back to back to a bud or a branch.

-- University of Illinois Extension

Use these tips to get your home organized and clean after spending the winter months indoors:

Gather your arsenal. Save yourself time and hassle by organizing the items you'll need, such as rubber gloves, scrub brushes, multi-purpose cleansers, etc. into one bucket with a handle.

Cover the basics. Make sure to dust, disinfect and clean all of your surfaces, as well as those areas that get the most use. Sanitize telephones, remote controls, door knobs and counter tops. Take down and launder curtains and wipe down window blinds using a damp sponge.

Tackle the kitchen. Focus on the key areas. Using a solution of half water, half white distilled vinegar, wipe down the plastic and glass components of the refrigerator. Sprinkle baking soda onto a damp sponge and clean counter tops, stainless steel sinks, the oven range, and within your microwave. To remove soap buildup in your dishwasher, pour a cup of white vinegar in an empty machine and run through the cycle.

Check behind the lines. When cleaning carpets, flooring and baseboards, move furniture out of the way. If you're looking to refresh a room, try placing key pieces in new spots. To get rid of the carpet indentations left behind by heavy furniture, place ice cubs 1 inch to an 1 1/2 apart within the indentations and allow them to melt. The carpet fibers will absorb the moisture and begin to take form.

-- Family Features

Decorating Tip: Change it out

Keep your backdrop (walls and furniture) neutral. This is a great tip for those who like to switch up their color schemes with pillows, candles and other small accessories. You can do this as often as you like to suit the time of year or your mood. Neutrals have come a long way, although black, white, gray and beige tones are always good standards. Don't forget about the new neutrals, which are basically the lightest and most muted version of any color.     

-- HGTV/ Scripps Howard News Service

Home-Selling Tip: Swap out dated furniture

In general, home buyers are looking for something homey –– not homely. If most of your furniture is dated or not attractive, have it staged with attractive rental furniture. This is being done in the condo market as well. However, if the house is architecturally interesting and in immaculate shape, it can be shown empty.

-- FrontDoor.com

Going Green: Can mushrooms replace cardboard?

In an effort to eliminate polystyrene, which is not biodegradable, Ecovative Design has created Ecocradle, a combination of mushroom roots and other crop waste that is threaded into packaging. It takes five to seven days to grow the material, which is done without chemicals, and it is completely biodegradable.

-- Earth911.com

Did You Know …

The pending-home sales index rose 2 percent in January from December to its highest number since April 2010. – Realtor.org

New Product: First color e-ink tablet

Fans of the Amazon Kindle or the Barnes & Noble Nook have gotten used to the black-and-white electronic ink, or e-ink, that allows users to read in the sun without glare. Now the first-ever color e-ink tablet has arrived: the Ectaco Jetbook. However, it has limited hues to pull from, making many colors muted, and it has a large price tag at $500.

-- Consumer Reports Electronic Blog

Garden Guide:Disease tolerant and disease resistant

Disease tolerance and disease resistance are both good things but have different meanings.

A plant listed as disease tolerant will probably get a disease common to the plant. It may not, however, be so bad as to warrant spraying and it usually does not affect appearance all that much. Disease resistance means the plant has been bred to resist common disease problems and will probably not get the disease. A common example is in roses. You will find roses listed as both disease resistant to black spot and those listed as disease tolerant to black spot.

-- University of Illinois Extension