Man Around the House: TV show host Jason Cameron shares spring yard and house prep tips

Mary Joan Dickerson of Cedar Lake is a big fan of the cable networks HGTV and DIY, treating the shows and programming about do-it-yourself landscaping and household tips like an at-home classroom.

DIY Network Personality Jason Cameron, Host of "Desperate Landscapes"

Jason Cameron, a licensed contractor, is the TV host for DIY cable network's popular show "Desperate Landscapes," airing at 9 p.m. Wednesdays.

Utility board approves two contracts for landscaping

PORTAGE | The Utility Services Board approved two contracts last week for landscaping work at two sites.

Landscaping group to meet at Buddy and Pals

CROWN POINT | The Northwest Indiana Landscapers Association will host its monthly meeting at 6 p.m. at Buddy and Pals Place, 499 E. Summit St.

Local landscaping company earns industry honor

VALPARAISO | New Holland Construction and Total Landscape Care magazine announced that Valparaiso-based Smalls Landscaping is the winner of the 2013 Landscaper of the Year program.

The bright red cardinal flower livens up the shade

I first saw cardinal flowers growing in a drainage ditch along a farm field. Their intense red took my breath away, in part because of their surroundings.

Award winners know how to bring nature home

PORTAGE | Two gardens were honored this month at the Bringing Nature Home Awards program hosted by the Friends of Shirley Heinze Land Trust. The ceremony took place during the luncheon part of the Heinze Trust’s annual donor appreciation hike held at Coulter Nature Preserve in Portage.

Landscaping contract for Silhavy roundabout approved

VALPARAISO | City parks officials will get another roundabout landscaping project to look after, but they also will get equipment that should make it easier to tend to all the department's flowers and trees.

Volunteers Landscaping for East Chicago's Latest Habitat for Humanity Home

Lake County Master Gardeners volunteers work with the family of East Chicago's latest Habitat for Humanity home to create an inviting landscape that is easily cared for to enhance the community's streetscape.

Expand your yard's horizons, for free

If your garden or yard is feeling too small, expand your horizons without buying another square inch of property or doing much work. Just borrow some landscape.

At Home: Every home's a stage

Whenever folks hear about my living situation, they either respond with envy (“Where do I sign up?”) or horror (“You mean you have to make your bed every day?”).

Prune spring bloomers now for flowers next year

The show is over: Spring blooming shrubs and vines have strutted their stuff. With blossoms past, they are melding into other landscape greenery.

Why do some trees weep?

Courtyard gets a facelift thanks to team effort

SCHERERVILLE | The front courtyard at Watson Elementary School is now a showpiece thanks to the efforts of the Watson PTO, student council, teachers and students and generous business owners.

Garden water features: Thinking small is less work

Water features can bring beauty to a garden, but they also can be work. That's why many homeowners are choosing smaller options such as fountains, bubbling urns and waterfalls, rather than ponds and streams.

Garden water features: Thinking small is less work

Water features can bring interest, beauty and wildlife to a garden, but they also can be work.

All that glistens in this garden is glass

It would be an unusual backyard anywhere -- especially, perhaps, among the cornfields and tall grasses of Nebraska.

Area public gardens are beautiful destinations for an early fall getaway

Public gardens are beautiful, educational and the perfect destinations for late summer and early fall trips -- and Northwest Indiana is just the right distance away from some spectacular examples.

Secret Garden? Tips for creating backyard privacy

Your house may have a beautiful outdoor living space, perfect for quiet morning coffee or fun evening get-togethers. But if adjacent homes loom large, or your home backs up on public land, you can't truly relax until your "al fresco" space becomes a little more private.

In defense of weeds: Nature's most unloved plants

Ever the bullies, I hear the weeds in my garden laughing at me as they crowd my roses and try to overtake the lilies: "You vowed this summer to stop us before we got out of control. But you failed ... again."