Remodelers upbeat as annual home and garden show ready to open

Toledo’s annual Home Improvement & Garden Show, kicks off today and for remodelers, the three-day event at the SeaGate Convention Centre downtown offers a golden opportunity. It will feature many Home and Garden Products.

David Rumf, the organization’s past-president and owner states: “If we can get them into the show and looking, it sometimes stirs their interest, gets them thinking about a project.”

Last year was hit and miss for many members of the organization, formerly the Toledo Home Remodelers Association. Buyers were unsure about a new President, the economy, their jobs, Mr. Rumpf said. “Everyone was on pins and needles. But this year … I feel the people who have some money or are in good financial position are in the mood to remodel.”

Several other home shows late last year and this year in the Mid-west have shown increased foot traffic.

Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, which releases a quarterly forecast of future home improvement spending known as the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity, forecasted in January that the remodeling industry will hit bottom during the first three months of 2010, but then begin a gentle upswing. “It appears we may be near the bottom of the current remodeling cycle,” said Nicolas P. Retsinas, director of the center. “With signs of stabilization in the national economy, homeowners are once again planning home improvement projects.”
The show runs from 4 to 9 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. tomorrow, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. It will have 160 vendors pitching products and services, including landscaping, windows, garage doors, and patio rooms.

“We are very excited about this show. It should increase business in our industry.” said a representative from Central Scotland Joinery who offer home improvement such as conservatories.

Tickets are $6 for adults, $5 for people 60 and over, and free for children under 12 and military personnel.

Remodeler Jason Arnolds of Arnolds Home Improvement Inc. of Toledo is one of the sponsors of the show. Vendor participants are enthusiastic, and hopeful that good weather and thoughts of spring will increase attendance, he said.

The last two years have been good because many consumers were choosing to remodel their homes rather than buy new ones, he added. This year could be better because so far, consumers are calling to book remodeling projects for the spring when typically most bookings are for June.

“Things are looking more promising this year than the last couple of years,” Mr. Arnolds said.

Lemon Balm

A plant that is hardy and perennial, lemon balm can grow up to a size of 24 inches, as far as its diameter is concerned. This plant is part of the mint family and in many ways it has the same properties as regular mint. You can use lemon balm both for culinary and medicinal purposes, so if you want to grow it in a garden, go for it.

You can grow this plant (lemon balm), both in areas that have shade and in areas that are sunny. The soil where they are grown should be fertile and loose, but you can grow them in soil that is dry as well. One option would be to grow lemon balm together with other flowers and balms, or in their own special place, next to the door of the kitchen. In most cases, lemon balm is best used in a kitchen, but in some cases it can also be used for ornamental purposes.

If you use lemon balm, make sure it is fresh and if possible pair it with some mint. You can use it in some ice or hot tea and the taste will be great. If you don’t have any lemon peel around the house, you can use lemon balm in your recipes. In most cases, lemon balm can be used in recipes for chicken, tea or vinaigrette.

Besides the culinary benefits of the lemon balm, a lot of people will use it medicinally as well. For example, crushing some leaves and rubbing them on your skin can repel mosquitoes. Also, the herb’s leaves have anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties, so they can be used to fight herpes simplex as well as a calming agent or a mild sedative. The oil that can be obtained from lemon balm is used regularly in aromatherapy.

Growing Chives

Chives are as easy to grow as putting some seeds in a lot in the corner. While other plants are very difficult to grow, chives are very easy. You can se them in your soups, dips or simply as a garnish. If you want to grow them you should have them in a sunny spot, as they love the light. Still, they can be kept in a less sunny place as well. If you want to plant some chives, wait until the winter is over and frost is no longer a danger. With a ready and moist soil, put the seeds of the chives inside and tamp them down a bit.

If the seeds of the chives are bought from a store, put them in the ground as soon as possible, as they’re usually less viable over longer periods of time. When you plant them, they will clump together and those clumps should be divided in clumps planted every two years or so. You can do that by digging the chive clumps, getting them into groups and getting them back into the ground. In that area more chives will grow.

What I love about chives is that they are quite resistant to pests and insects, much more so than normal herbs and plants are. The great thing about them is that you can put them in the right places and the garden will be protected from pests. My flower garden has chives in it and I really recommend you to keep them as well.

If you’re keeping your chives in some pots or inside some containers, keep those either near your house or inside. The plants need a minimum of five hours of sun on them, so make sure they get it. It would be a good idea to turn the plant every day or so, in order for it to get sunlight on all its sides.

How to Dry Lavender

There are many uses for dry lavender, so naturally a lot of people want to get it or to make it on their own. You can use lavender if you’re doing aromatherapy or you can use it to create oils and a number of different lotions. It’s an easy thing drying lavender. All you need to do is to do a number of things when you harvest the stems of the plants.

It’s easy to harvest the stems. All you need to do is use the gardening shears and cut above the leaves to get the stem. Do that as the buds begin to open. That’s because oils are stronger when the bud begins to open. If you cut it when they are at that stage, the oils are at their highest point.

After you harvest the stems, make sure you secure them by using a rubber band. After that, place them in an area that is safe. They should be protected from the sunlight that might get to them otherwise. So, make sure they are kept in a storage area that is as dry as possible, without the chance of water or sunlight getting to it.

In order for the lavender to try as it should, you should leave it between 7 and 10 days. After the stems of the lavender dry up, you can remove the buds from the plant’s stem. Use a towel to put the dried stems in it and try rolling them a bit gently. By doing this you are making the buds fall from the stems. Then, you can use the buds and the stems separately when you need to. For example, you can use buds to make some potpourri or to create sachets. As you can see, it’s not hard to dry lavender and use it.