Highlights
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Interactive Garden Calendar
A year-round guide to gardening in South Florida
Upcoming Events
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At a historic Coral Gables home, a white garden blooms
In the midst of bright color and running water, Sallye Jude created a garden of white blooms and foliage
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Child’s play
Backyard playsets reach a new level
It is the kind of tree house that a kid could spend all day and all night inside.
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Living Smart
Curb appeal is key in selling a house
Curb appeal has always been a key component of selling a home. A well-manicured lawn, fresh paint on the front door and a clean exterior — from siding to windows to driveways and sidewalks — can immediately entice or repel a prospective buyer.
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Fairchild’s tropical garden column
The history of mangos in South Florida
The garden named for the man who introduced the grafted mango to Miami will celebrate the 21st annual Mango Festival July 13-14.
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Washington Report
Home equity levels on rebound
But in Miami and Tampa-St. Pete, more than 40 percent of owners are still in negative territory; just under 60 percent have positive equity.
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Conservation
Big and small ways to cap your water bill
Your home’s showers, toilets, washing machines, garden hoses and other thirsty devices can boost your water bill. The environment suffers, too, when we use more water than we have to.
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Condo Line
Neglectful HOA board hikes fees
No, you cannot put your fees in an escrow account. The payment of fees and the level of maintenance are different matters. Your best direction is to write a letter to the board of directors. Name specific problems that you would like serviced. News letters are not a required item, but minutes of meetings are required to be maintained in a Minute Book. You can ask to read the minutes but if you ask for copies, the board can charge per page. The elements that dictate how a HOA board conducts business activities for the members are the documents and statutes. If you feel that the board is not complying with them, then put the information in a letter and ask it to comply.Q. The following message was sent to our members after transcribing the tape of a very long meeting. “If minutes were meant to be lengthy, they would be called hours!”
Multimedia
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What’s new
Get hot water from the fridge
GE’s new Cafe French door refrigerator dispenses hot water as well as cold.
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Dr. Dolittler
Pet shampoo a better bet for Bowser
Human shampoos and pet shampoos are not created equal. That’s because pet skin and human skin are di...
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Condo Line
Owners rent units, shun involvement
Q. We are a “seasonable” condominium mainly of Canadians, Europeans and South Americans. Man...
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Falling for fountains
Water makes a pretty sight and adds soothing sounds
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Washington Report
Another pitfall of student debt
Student loans are keeping first-time buyers from purchasing homes, thereby triggering other problems in the...
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Dr. Dolittler
Web full of misinformation about exercise for puppies
Though it seems everyone from Dr. Mother-in-Law to Dr. Google has an opinion, the truth is that veterinary ...
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Plant Clinic
Snails just love herbs in the garden
Use a snail bait with the active ingredient iron phosphate, which is available at garden centers. It’...
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Plant Clinic
Important to keep mulch away from trunks
First, it is important to understand the difference between organic and inorganic mulch. Organic mulch ref...
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Plant Clinic
Plants don’t need as much water as we may think
Saving water is easier than you think! Most people overestimate the amount plants require. Keeping soil co...
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Plant Clinic
How to send samples for identification
To send insect samples, place as many undamaged insects as possible in a hard plastic container such as a ...
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Plant Clinic
When jackfruit is ready to be harvested
Your photo shows the tiny male flowers that are on a fruit-like structure that has rotted. After the polle...
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Staycation for pets is solution for owners on the go
Summer is in full-swing, and for some consumers this means vacation time. But for their four-legged friends...
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Pet Vet: Cut calories to cut cat's swing
Frankie is suffering from "the swing." Carmen, the 4-year-old cat's owner, says Frankie has developed exces...
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Dr. Dolittler
Pet shampoo a better bet for Bowser
Human shampoos and pet shampoos are not created equal. That’s because pet skin and human skin are di...
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When dog acts up, use leash to outwit it
Question: My once sweet, 10-month-old English bulldog Max has turned into a little devil. Things that used ...
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Dr. Dolittler
Web full of misinformation about exercise for puppies
Though it seems everyone from Dr. Mother-in-Law to Dr. Google has an opinion, the truth is that veterinary ...
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Television review
‘Dirty Little Secret’ ripped from tabloid TV
‘Jodie Arias: Dirty Little Secret.’ 8 p.m. Saturday. Lifetime.
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Pets
From psychics to tarot cards, owners try untraditional ways of connecting with pets
It’s the age old and seemingly unanswerable question: What in the world is my dog thinking? Itȁ...















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