Online Features
Lawn & Garden
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Backyard oasis planning made easy
(BPT) - Hooray for a holiday. You’ve got the day off, you’ve sent out the backyard barbecue invite and all your nearest and dearest are coming over to eat, drink and be merry. So, what’s next? Whether you’re a seasoned entertaining pro or a new host, The Home Depot has tips to make your backyard an oasis for a long hol...
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Surprising ways hot tubs heat up relationships
(BPT) - On average, working adults spend less than an hour per day socializing and relaxing, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s American Time Use Survey . Yet a host of research – and common sense – tells us that spending time together in a social, relaxing way is essential to building and maintaining healthy...
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Cures for some of the most common plant and pest problems [Infographic]
Whether it’s as slow as a slug or as quick as the demise of an iron-deficient lawn, problems continue to invade landscapes season after season. Central Garden & Pet has uncovered homeowners’ most challenging outdoor dilemmas and developed high impact solutions for troubled lawns and gardens from New England to the Pacific Northwest – and every region in between. This season, find the cure for your plant and pest problems and watch as your blooms blossom, gardens thrive and landscapes becom...
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More beauty, less beast [Infographic]
This season, fairytales will come true as landscapes and gardens flourish, and pest and weeds become a distant memory. Pennington and Amdro know the benefits of having a healthy, weed-free landscape and pest-free home – but they also know that achieving these results can be challenging. This year, however, will be different. With the help of the Pennington Smart Feed Sprayer System and the Amdro PowerFlex Pest & Weed System , homeowners can simplify indoor and outdoor chores and maintain ...
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Enhance your outdoor space with an outdoor fireplace
(BPT) - Winter lingered far too long this year. It was cold, it was blustery, and many of us were left wondering if it would ever end. Now summer is here - and it’s time to get outdoors. Instead of being forced to labor through the same old spring chores, use this abbreviated spring as an excuse to stay outside. Fire u...
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Companion planting [Infographic]
Gardening using a companion planting technique is becoming a highly popular practice. Companion planting is the close planting of different plants that enhance each other’s growth or protect each other from pests. A higher crop yield, tastier harvests and less insect damage are all benefits of companion planting. This infographic , brought to you by Avant Garden Decor, home of Gardener’s Blue Ribbon Vegetable Gardening Supplies , shares with you the benefits of companion planting practice...
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Growing tomatoes [infographic]
Did you know the average row of tomato plants yields about 60 pounds of harvest? Or that there are over 7,500 varieties of tomatoes? These facts and tons more are just a few reasons why 93 percent of gardening households in America grow their own tomatoes. Avant Garden Decor , home of Gardener’s Blue Ribbon tomato gardening products, explores tomato gardening in this infographic. Learn why growing your own tomatoes can benefit your health, your wallet and the Earth. To get expert advi...
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Simple ways to save water, money and your landscaping this summer
(BPT) - With many states facing drought this summer , homeowners across the country will be looking for ways to save their landscaping while conserving water at the same time. Even if you’re not in a drought-affected area, it pays to keep conservation in mind when it comes to watering outdoors. Using less water is good...
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Make warm-weather chores a breeze with these tips
(BPT) - Warm weather brings everyone outdoors - grilling on the deck, playing on the lawn and savoring beautiful gardens. To create these beautiful outdoor spaces, the experts at Lowe’s offer four easy, affordable projects you can do yourself. Follow these tips to make sure your outdoor spaces are in tip-top shape by su...
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How to turn your backyard into the best vacation destination
(BPT) - It’s a widely known “secret” that family vacations aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be. Traveling can be a costly hassle with too many negatives that overshadow the fun. That's why a growing number of Americans are rediscovering the fun that can be had at home, and taking steps to make their backyards as...
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Summer garden glory without the weeding and watering
(BPT) - Summer can be tough on gardens. In what should be their glory days, many gardens suffer from neglect. Long weekends and summer vacations leave yards untended, while summer heat is an excuse for putting off chores. But it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s possible to have both a glorious well-maintained garden ...
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Serve up an ideal space for summer outdoor entertaining
(BPT) - The arrival of milder temperatures means dining al fresco, hosting neighborhood cookouts and enjoying intimate cocktail parties under the stars. When creating a backyard oasis to entertain family and friends this summer, it’s important that it be both inviting and able to withstand the wear and tear that goes ha...
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national news
Whole neighborhoods razed by Oklahoma tornado that killed 24

People look at the destruction after a huge tornado struck Moore, OklahomaBy Carey Gillam and Ian Simpson MOORE, Oklahoma (Reuters) - Rescuers went building to building in search of victims and thousands of survivors were homeless on Tuesday, a day after a massive tornado tore through a suburb of Oklahoma City, wiping out whole blocks of homes and killing at least 24 people. The death toll was lower than initially feared, but nine children were among the dead, including seven who died at Plaza Towers Elementary School, which took a direct hit in the deadliest tornado to hit the United States in two years. ...


Tue May 21 16:23:34 UTC 2013
Moore shows that as cities grow, tornado damage grows with them

Rescue workers look through the rubble at Plaza Towers Elementary school in MooreBy Ben Berkowitz and Julie Steenhuysen (Reuters) - Moore, Oklahoma, has had the bad luck of being hit by two highly destructive tornadoes, both in the month of May, 14 years apart. But the Moore that got struck on Monday is not the same as in 1999. Like a lot of towns across America and in the so-called "Tornado Alley," rapid growth has made it a bigger target, vulnerable to more damage. The tornado, with winds that may have topped 200 miles per hour, killed at least 24 people and injured hundreds more, with many of the casualties children from two schools that were destroyed. ...


Tue May 21 15:34:25 UTC 2013
Peace Corps says same-sex couples can apply to serve together
(Reuters) - The Peace Corps said on Tuesday it will start accepting applications next month from same-sex couples who want to volunteer together as part of the overseas service program. But not all of the 76 countries that host the program established by former U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1961 will be open as assignments for those couples, an agency spokeswoman said. "The Peace Corps is only going to consider placement for same-sex couples in countries where homosexual acts are not criminalized," spokeswoman Shira Kramer said. ...
Tue May 21 16:28:14 UTC 2013
Man watched tornado destroy his home: ‘I just felt totally helpless’
OKLAHOMA CITY—Anthony Connel was sitting in traffic off of South 149th Street, about a mile from his home, when he saw it happen: A dark black cloud, so ominous and wide that it didn’t even look like a tornado, dropped to the ground—and headed straight for his house. Connel, a sales manager at Anheuser-Busch, had [...]
Tue May 21 15:58:37 UTC 2013