Home and garden

There are many types of sweet or tart cherries you can grow

By LEE REICHJuly 2, 2019 GMT

As a youngster, I never could get my fill of maraschino cherries. That is, until the day I got my hands on a whole jar of them, sat down with a spoon and proceeded to finish them off.

I haven't put another maraschino cherry in my mouth since that sitting.

Quirky, nostalgic, practical: Tea towels make a splash

By MELISSA KOSSLER DUTTONJune 4, 2019 GMT

When Corinne Morse found one of her late grandmother's handwritten recipes inside an old cookbook, she wanted to share it with her mother. So she transferred an image of the recipe card onto tea towels for her mother and other relatives.

To a tea: handcrafted gifts that celebrate a nice cuppa

By KIM COOKApril 16, 2019 GMT

Lana Effron, a Denver-based graphic designer with an online shop and a collaboration with

Home and Garden Show in Aiken celebrated by all involved

By Colin Demarest cdemarest@aikenstandard.comSeptember 23, 2018 GMT

With the last day of the fall Aiken Standard Home and Garden Show wrapped up, the event was declared a success – both by vendors and the team behind the whole thing.

Kathleen Stevens, a self-described artist working through wood, said the seventh annual event was "a whole lot of fun."

What’s in the Amazon box? Maybe a real 7-foot Christmas tree

By JOSEPH PISANISeptember 11, 2018 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Watch out for the 7-foot box on the doorstep. Amazon plans to sell and ship fresh, full-size Christmas trees this year.

But a live tree is no paperback book. Amazon says the Christmas trees, including Douglas firs and Norfolk Island pines, will be bound and shipped without water in the usual sort of box.

Fire Over Aiken will feature inaugural Home and Garden Show

Tripp GirardeauJune 19, 2018 GMT

Residents going to see fireworks at this year's Fire Over Aiken also have the chance to see products and services offered by many Aiken County businesses.

Atlantic Broadband will present the inaugural Home and Garden Show for the first time at the 2018 Fire Over Aiken on Saturday, June 23, at the Western Carolina State Fairgrounds, 1566 Columbia Highway N.

The latest apps for home layouts, inside and out

By KATHERINE ROTHMarch 6, 2018 GMT

Planning out how to arrange furniture in your home — or plants in your garden — used to involve a pencil, graph paper, a measuring tape and a lot of imagination...

Meet the woman behind the White House Easter Egg Roll

By DARLENE SUPERVILLEApril 16, 2017 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Anna Cristina Niceta Lloyd auditioned for the job of White House social secretary and may not have known it.

The veteran event planner's creativity and handicraft were prominently on display at President Donald Trump's inaugural luncheon at the Capitol, the fifth one she has worked on.

Rethinking gardens in a time of drought

By DEAN FOSDICKJuly 28, 2015 GMT

LANGLEY, Wash. (AP) — Severe drought is parching large sections of America, but that doesn't mean giving up on gardening. Plants can be coaxed through the hot summer months despite severe water restrictions.

Crabapples come in many varieties (some aren’t even crabby)

By LEE REICHApril 28, 2015 GMT

Crabapple branches drenched in white, pink or red blossoms are a strong enticement to go out and buy one of these trees. First, however, put a little thought into which variety you plant.

There are about 900 varieties on the market, and planting a crabapple is a decision that lasts for decades.

Just what the cat needed: a hat

By JENNIFER FORKERApril 21, 2015 GMT

It's not enough to knit sweaters for our children and grandchildren — no. Dexterous fingers need more. They need to knit something smaller, faster: They need to knit hats for cats.

What started as a lark — and to honor the grandmother who taught her to knit — has turned into steady work for Sara Thomas, author of "Cats in Hats: 30 Knit and Crochet Patterns for Your Kitty" (Running Press, March 2015).

Look ma, no soil! Gardening with air, water, fish fertilizer

By DEAN FOSDICKMarch 24, 2015 GMT

Who needs soil to sow a sustainable garden? You can cultivate plants in mid-air, float them in mineral-enriched water or add nutrients for an organic harvest by using your own fish for the fertilizer.