The Columbian

Lifestyles

Healthy trees grow lots of branches and leaves -- their canopy -- as thickly as they can, to gather all the sunlight they need.

Is your tree on death’s door?

March 21, 2020, 6:05am Life

Worried about a sad-looking tree in your yard? Read story

Plants line Molly Sprayregen's windowsill in Chicago.

Plants provide joy indoors in troubled times

March 21, 2020, 6:02am Life

I have spent my first full week of isolation carefully observing one of my houseplants. Dylan, as my fiancee and I so fondly call her, has been growing new leaves at an uncharacteristically rapid rate. Read story

How to keep your houseplants free from pests

March 21, 2020, 6:02am Life

The best way to protect your houseplants from thrips, spider mites, mealy bugs and other pests is to make sure you care for the plants properly. Read story

Kane Richey, a fifth grader at Mooreville Elementary School, concentrates as he competes in the Lee County Spelling Bee Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020 in Tupelo, Miss.

National Spelling Bee called off because of coronavirus

March 20, 2020, 9:21am Life

The Scripps National Spelling Bee won’t be held as scheduled this year because of the coronavirus, meaning years of preparation by some of the country's top spellers could go for naught. Read story

Why having old tires on your car is a safety risk

March 20, 2020, 6:04am Life

Tires are of vital importance since they are the only part of the vehicle that makes contact with the road. Yet motorists often neglect their condition and age, and the results can be catastrophic. In its most recently available information, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that 738 people… Read story

Honeybees and other pollinators are drawn to ironweed.

Bee lawns generate national buzz

March 15, 2020, 6:55pm Life

Bees are excellent dancers. When a forager bee alights upon an Eden of pollen and nectar, it goes home to tell its hive mates. The greater the intensity of the dance, the richer the source of food being indicated. Read story

Energy Adviser: Spring cleaning can boost efficiency

March 14, 2020, 6:05am Life

With the temperature rising, the days getting longer and the coronavirus in the news, you may be feeling the urge to start your spring cleaning a little earlier than usual. Read story

These Supertunia Bordeaux petunias were planted in April and now in May are fully dazzling.

‘Supertunias’ put on a dazzling show for months

March 14, 2020, 6:05am Life

The commercial landscape world is where the proverbial “rubber meets the road” scenario. We can all gawk at flowers in trial gardens and get a good indication of how they will perform at home, but shopping centers and city streetscapes may be the best indicator of all. Read story

A grapefruit and its seeds in New Paltz, N.Y. Citrus seeds are very easy to sprout and grow into beautiful houseplants -- and perhaps yield delectable fruits.

Instead of spitting out orange or grapefruit seeds, plant them

March 14, 2020, 6:05am Life

‘What a waste,” I was thinking this morning as I spat out a seed from an orange. That seed could have grown into a whole orange tree. Read story