Never underestimate the value of professional landscape designers. Trained to know what plants work best and what designs function best, they can save you time, money and heartache.

Artisan-crafted sinks of stone, metal, glass or wood can become a room’s decorative focal point

First, it is important to understand the difference between organic and inorganic mulch. Organic mulch refers to organic matter such as bark, wood chips, leaves, straw, etc. Inorganic mulch is made of stones, glass, ground tires and other materials.

Vince Vaughn, 43, has bought a house for $3.925 million in an area of Los Angeles one might not normally associate with actors — La Canada Flintridge.

How is it that one of the most-used rooms in many homes is also one of the most neglected? This spring-cleaning season, take some time to set up your laundry room so that washing and drying aren’t such a chore. Paint, decorate and organize, and it will become a room you’ll want to spend some time in. (And if you have a laundry room, you will spend time there: The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans wash 400 loads of laundry a year.)

On the growth continuum between seeds and mature plants, microgreens lie somewhere on the “newly arrived” side, between sprouts and baby vegetables.

A sliding door — say, a door of planks hanging from exposed hardware — transforms a room. It’s so eye-catching, so unexpected, that it invites closer looks. It brings smiles.

No matter how you garden — on the cheap or with wallet wide open — it’s wise to garden the smart way.

Devine Color Creamy Wall Coatings, luminous paints that previously were sold only to professionals, are now available to the public.

First, it is important to understand the difference between organic and inorganic mulch. Organic mulch refers to organic matter such as bark, wood chips, leaves, straw, etc. Inorganic mulch is made of stones, glass, ground tires and other materials.

The black mold is sooty mold, which is not a plant disease. It does however indicate that the plant has a sap-sucking insect infestation such as scales, mealybugs or aphids. Once the insects are under control, the sooty mold disappears. A fungicide treatment would not be effective.

Saving water is easier than you think! Most people overestimate the amount plants require. Keeping soil constantly moist or wet reduces oxygen in the soil, which is needed for roots to function. It also leaches plant nutrients from the soil, causing nutritional deficiencies (for palms, some deficiencies are lethal). It causes stress, which makes plants more vulnerable to disease and insect infestations. It increases weed problems. And most importantly, it wastes water. Remember, fresh water is a limited resource.

Your photo shows the tiny male flowers that are on a fruit-like structure that has rotted. After the pollen has been shed, this structure rots away. So what you are seeing is perfectly normal.

Your great images helped me diagnose the problem. Your lawn is most likely infected with brown patch disease. Read this fact sheet to make sure that the symptoms of this disease match up to the symptoms in your lawn: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/lh044.

Based on the photo you sent, your plants are infested with the rugose spiraling whitefly. It used be known as the gumbo limbo spiraling whitefly.

Amaryllis grow well outdoors in South Florida and a whole bed in bloom can be stunning.

If the spots are translucent (light can be seen through them), it is not a disease but potassium deficiency. This deficiency is very common on palms in South Florida. Potassium is rapidly leached for our soils and if the proper fertilizer is not being applied or at the correct rate, this deficiency shows up.

You can plant your poinsettia outdoors in a container or in the ground. Choose a sunny spot that will not receive artificial light at night. Plant your potted poinsettia(s) as soon as danger of frost is past. Place the plant in the soil at the same depth it was growing in the container. Keep the plant mulched and soil moist until established. Once established, watering is usually not needed.

A cryptic message left on the family’s voicemail has them suspecting that Champ was dognapped for breeding purposes.

Watching as a beloved dog is swept out to sea is heart-wrenching. Doing nothing seems unthinkable.

A fluffy duckling might seem appealing next to an Easter basket, but shelter officials and animal welfare experts want gift-happy parents to picture something else: Poop.