Get Growing: Global warming

Snowdrops always poke their noses above the ground at my house in January, but this year they are actually getting ready to bloom early in February instead of waiting until March.

Is this a sign of global warming?

Gardener's Checklist

Mix up a solution of fertilizer. The first week of each month from November to March is when I make an application of water-soluble fertilizer to many of the plants I have growing indoors. Notice that I said "many," not "all." Some houseplants, especially tropical plants, grow very slowly through the winter.

Having it all: Modern, cozy, indoor-outdoor living

By LISA BOONE Los Angeles Times

Megan Schoenbachler is distracted. While giving a tour of her family's Marmol Radziner-designed house in Venice, Calif., she notices the light and the angle from the second-floor master bathroom, looking over the courtyard hot tub and toward the kitchen on the first floor.

What to consider when replacing a furnace

By ALAN HEAVENS The Philadelphia Inquirer

The winter has been virtually snowless, but the temperatures haven't been high enough to give your furnace a three-month vacation.

How well has your heat source been performing?

Cover drafty windows with do-it-yourself 'winserts'

Gusting winds and frigid temperatures are making everyone more aware of drafty windows. Many homeowners who consider investing in modern replacement windows are staggered by the cost and look for alternatives.

Upcoming 'winsert' workshops

The CET program on "winserts" will continue through the winter.

Hands-on sessions are scheduled for Feb. 8 at Sunderland Elementary School and Feb. 29 at the Florence Community Center. Both workshops run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. To sign up email Laura Biddulph at laura.biddulph@cetonline.org or call her at 586-7350.

Get Growing: Seed time

It's time to get organized to sow seeds for spring planting.

A few seeds, like onions and petunias, can be sown now and placed under lights to grow for weeks before planting outside. Although most seeds need to wait for sowing, this leaves plenty of time for buying them plus all the apparatus needed for growing plants indoors.