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Home & Garden | Decorating Ideas | Home Improvement | Garden Design
Photography by Marv Bondarowicz
It may be cold and dreary, but the garden isn't dull and barren when you've got the right plants.

Plants such as foxglove, lewisia, azalea, heath and heather crave sour soil. What unites this diverse group of plants is that they all thrive in the varying degrees of acidic soil common to the Pacific Northwest. Growing plants that thrive in the soil you already have is an easy way to keep plants looking healthy and help your garden succeed.

In an unhealthy economy, you can still get your greens: Plant an organic vegetable garden.

Herbs are beautiful, aromatic and flavorful -- providing a multiplicity of sensory pleasures that make them incredibly satisfying to grow. Lucky for us that's easy to do with our cooperative Pacific Northwest climate.

A whole-house remodel is all about energy. When Eric and Cyndi Strid bought their home 10 years ago, they chose it in part because it had lovely southern exposure on the wooded, two-acre lot -- perfect for harnessing the power of the sun.

Ask homeowners to reel off their home's energy-wasting culprits and they'll typically mention heating, cooling, lights, insulation (or a lack of it) and windows. But that's not the whole picture. Chances are, major appliances also play a part.

The idea of harnessing the sun's power makes good environmental sense, but what does it mean to your home? Learn how it works, and figure out the financial equation.

Appropriately enough, a Hollywood juniper started the party in Anthony Giusa and Jerry Fortner's Beaverton garden. Soon, invitations went out to other brightly clad, scintillating guests. Conversation sparkled, romance bloomed, good cheer abounded.

Think it's too cloudy here for solar? Think again. The Willamette Valley gets as much solar energy annually as the U.S. average. And Oregon's eastern and southern climes get as much as Florida.

The afternoon light in Lauren Hall-Behrens' garden is enough to make you cry. It streams through the tall-as-trees banana plants and fractures into a thousand laser beams, each one alighting on a thread of feather grass. Impossibly, the effect stops and starts the heart at the same time.

We surveyed top designers. Here's their advice for every budget. There are two good reasons kitchens are the most remodeled room in the house: You get nearly a 100 percent return on investment, and you'll delight in the new conveniences and style.

With just a little work, a beautiful pot and a few other materials, you can create an inviting space that will soothe jangled nerves and give the birds a pretty drinking spot. It can be as simple as a flat-bottomed bowl for a bird bath or as dramatic as an elaborate waterfall. Or you can do as we did and turn one gorgeous container into a bubbling fountain suitable for any place in your garden.

From feeding and deadheading annuals to watering and weeding vegetables, here's what you should be doing in your garden and when you should be doing it.

Who needs spendy matching sets and generic decor? A tight budget can make us more creative, says Portland interior designer Jessica Helgerson. She advises first decluttering and rethinking your colors, then looking for a few new pieces you love -- especially those that you can transform with a little paint or fabric. With her advice in mind, we've searched out quirky items for $100 or less that can stamp a space with personality.

The cookie-cutter kitchen of the 1994 house was too small for its owners, the family room seating was too close to the entertainment center, and the dining nook caused bumps and bruises. First on the family's list for the remodel: a user-friendly layout that bridged the gap between kitchen and dining room. With architectural details, bold blocks of color, and stylish textiles and accents, the area became a five-star space for friends and family.