Friday • March 23, 2012 — A9
The Sentinel at www.cumberlink.com
Spring Home
inside & out
Bringing out the best in your home office There’s no doubt that we’re a connected society - and connected like never before through email, social networks, video conference technology, instant messaging, smart phones, the list goes on. While this influx in connectivity has made it easier to do business, it has also blurred the lines between work and home life, resulting with many of us working in our homes at least a few hours each week. If your kitchen countertop has become your go-to place for paying bills, responding to emails and conducting business, it may be time to consider adding a dedicated office space in your home. Whether you telecommute for work or just need a work space to organize personal documents and files, a well-thought home office can help you stay productive, efficient and organized. Before beginning the design process for an office space, think through how the space will be used and ask yourself these questions: • What activities will take place in the space? • Who will be utilizing this area? • What are the storage needs? • What time of day will you be doing most of your work? • Where in your home will you set up the office? • What type of connectivity/ technology will be necessary for this space?
Once you have a handle on your needs, you’re ready to start the planning and design process. Here are a few important things to consider when you’re setting up a home office:
Flexible and functional A home office should be comfortable, but not too casual that it lacks structure and function at the expense of productivity. Whether you opt for a desk or a table, be sure to evaluate how much work surface is needed before you make the purchase. Consider how much space your computer and phone equipment, wires and cords, files and paperwork and office supplies will occupy. All of these things can quickly swallow space you might need to work comfortably. After you’ve selected the furniture, it’s wise to invest in a high-quality ergonomic chair that can help promote your overall well-being.
Orderly and organized It’s easy to let a home office become overrun with paperwork, mail, bills, etc. Giving thought to smart storage solutions from the get-go will help minimize stress in the long run. The good news is you don’t have to settle for commerciallooking metal file cabinets to store everything. Cabinets have long been used to create stylish, orderly kitchens and baths, and can do the same for a home office. QualityCabinets offers a number of affordable cabinetry
options that provide smart storage and have the ability to blend in with the decor of the rest of the home. “Cabinets shouldn’t be limited to the kitchen and the bath,� says Sarah Reep, director of designer relations and education for QualityCabinets. “A cabinet has the ability to look and function like a high-end furniture-quality desk for the home office, at a fraction of the cost.� Once you have an idea of your storage needs, check out some of QualityCabinets’ online design and planning resources at www.qualitycabinets.com to get started.
Light and lively Good lighting in a home office is essential. While overhead light is helpful, your desk and work spaces should also feature a few task lights for reading, writing and computer work. Adding a decorative table lamp can help maintain a homier feel. The amount and type of lighting really depends on when you’ll be doing the bulk of your work and can vary drastically throughout the day. Installing light dimmer switches and adding window treatments can keep light at optimum levels. Painting a splash of color on the walls, adding colorful textiles or artwork reflective of your Photo illustration personality will make the space feel lively and inspiring. Quality cabinets can help eliminate clutter in a home office. — ARA Content
Focus on seeds to get rid of weeds TV LISTINGS Every garden is filled with them: millions of unseen weeds. They are dormant seeds that lurk just below the soil surface, ready to spring to life with just the briefest exposure to light. Weeds can choke a garden, robbing it of space, nutrients and water. Allowing weeds to mature compounds the problem, as they are naturally prolific seed producers. They grow aggressively and can be tough to get rid of, because pulling weeds brings more weed seeds to the surface. The good news is that seeds can also be key to winning the war on garden weeds. To break the weeding cycle, the experts at Preen suggest a strategic approach that stops weeds before they start, by preventing their seeds from germinating in the first place. “If weeds don’t grow, you don’t have to pull them,� says Preen’s Maryanne Bayoumy. “For gardeners, a simple annual weed prevention routine can free up a lot of time.�
Start with a clean slate Early spring is the ideal time to launch a weed prevention program, Bayoumy says. “But it’s never too late, or too early, to start. Different types of weeds germinate at different times throughout the growing season: spring, summer and fall.� First, remove existing weeds to start with a clean slate. The old garden proverb that “one year’s seeds yield seven years’ weeds� is based on the ability of many mature weeds to produce tens of thousands of seeds - per plant, per season. There are weed killers, but even dead weeds need to be removed if you don’t wa n t u n s i g h t ly b row n patches in the garden. So you may find it cheaper and easier to simply remove existing weeds by hand.
Mulch is the first line of defense Weed seeds begin to grow when exposed to light. Even a minuscule flash of
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“If weeds don’t grow, you don’t have to pull them. For gardeners, a simple annual weed prevention routine can free up a lot of time.� Maryanne bayoumy Preen.com writer
sunlight is enough to activate them. A 3-inch layer of mulch helps block light and retain moisture, keeps soil and plant roots cooler, adds organic matter and a nice tidy look to the garden. Popular mulches include shredded wood bark, cocoa hulls and pine straw.
in the top layer of soil and mulch, apply Preen weed preventer on top of mulch. Once watered in to activate, it bonds to soil particles and is effective for three to four months, before biodegrading. It does not wash away or leach into groundwater.
growing season, it’s good to refresh mulch and weed preventer as needed in mid-summer or early fall to keep the prevention barrier at full force. Next spring, restart your weed prevention routine. Following an annual anti-weed routine can result in considerably fewer weeds over time. The campaign And time is what it’s all Stop weeds before continues about: no weeds, no time they start As different weeds’ seeds wasted weeding! Mulch deals with weed germinate throughout the — ARA Content seeds in the soil, but the mulch itself may contain seeds, plus new seeds are continually carried into mulch and garden soil by wind, birds or animals. For a “one-two punch� against sprouting seeds
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A10 — The Sentinel at www.cumberlink.com
Friday • March 23, 2012
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Weekend projects like installing a new front door may be the perfect way to bring new life into your home with minimal effort.
Hot trends
for spring home improvement Warmer temperatures, green grass and increased daylight help shake off the winter blues and inspire home and yard improvements to spruce up your surroundings. Whether you’re remodeling to stay put, or putting your home on the market, consider home improvement and design trends as you plan your renovation projects.
Add bold, bright colors
ver. Whether you’re carrying a baby or a bag of groceries, or need extra space for a wheelchair or walker, wider entry doors are ideal for nearly any home - especially multigenerational ones. Today’s hottest entry door trends revolve around styles, materials and performance. “The Craftsman style remains a popular choice for entry doors,â€? says Steve Brenizer, product marketing manager for Pella Windows and Doors. “Rustic door styles with hinge straps and clavos that create a distinctive look are also standouts. And customizing with decorative glass to let in natural light without sacriďŹ cing privacy, or adding decorative grilles are also sought-after style options.â€?
Need a color boost? Fresh color recommendations from the Pantone Color Institute include Tangerine Tango, Solar Power, Bellower and Cabaret. Try adding a splash of these vivid hues to help alter your mood and boost vitality and enthusiasm. Repaint a wall, bookcase or front door for a bold color burst. Or sprinkle splashes of color with new covers for Fiberglass is in patio furniture, area rugs, When it comes to exterior pillows or window treat- doors, fiberglass is surging ments. in popularity, Brenizer says. “Fiberglass entry doors Go green, save green look like an authentic wood Among the top green home trends from buildiCheck Out Our pedia.com is renovating to reduce your home’s heating and cooling load. Add more insulation in the walls, roof and floors or seal up leaks or install new windows and doors. Look for energy starqualiďŹ ed products that help lower your home’s energy consumption, and in turn, your utility bills. Low-maintenance Pella 350 Series vinyl windows and patio doors feature a premium look in an energy-saving design that is the most energy-efficient product line the company offers.
Open House APRIL 12TH, 9-5
Energize your entry No time for major renovations? Weekend projects, like installing a new front door to welcome guests to dinners, graduations and get-togethers, can transform your entryway with minimal hassle and cost. Consider installing a 36inch-wide entry door to add more room to maneu-
door, without the ongoing maintenance needs of wood,� he adds. “Plus, fiberglass offers exceptional energy efficiency, weather resistance and outstanding durability to resist dents and dings.� New fiberglass Pella entry doors push industry performance standards to new levels. Their dual-seal technology provides two layers of protection to help
block out the damaging effects of extreme wind and rain. Fiberglass doors are very customizable, Brenizer adds. Homeowners can choose their own exterior clad color, interior wood stain or paint color, or create a custom color to truly reflect their home’s style. For more information visit Pella.com or call 888-847-3552. — ARA Content
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The Sentinel at www.cumberlink.com
Friday • March 23, 2012 — A11
New strawberry variety is purple By Penn State Cooperative Extension Franklin County office
FranklinExt@psu.edu
Cornell’s newest and darkest strawberry variety – Purple Wonder – made its debut at the Philadelphia International Flower Show last week through an exclusive licensing agreement with seed giant W. Atlee Burpee Co. “Purple Wonder is sweet and aromatic, with outstanding strawberry flavor,� said Courtney Weber, Cornell small fruits breeder and associate professor of horticulture. “But the color is something you won’t be able to find in any grocery store.� The medium-sized berries reward patience in picking: Berries turn from creamywhite to red before ripening into an intense burgundy. “The color develops all the way through the fruit, which might surprise consumers accustomed to supermarket fruit with color mostly on the surface,� said Weber. “And letting the fruit ripen on the plant just makes the berries sweeter.� The berries and their purple juice can also be used to produce deep colored preserves and strawberry wine, and Purple Wonder’s high antioxidant content gives them a healthy boost.
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The new ‘Purple Wonder’ stawberry is shown on the left, next to strawberries with more traditional coloring. The berry was developed by Cornell University and is being sold exclusively through W. Atlee Burpee Co. plants from Burpee www. still cool. The mother plants burpee.com. develop a strong root system during this cool period Planting strawberries when soil temperatures are New strawberry plant- between 65 and 80 degrees F. ings should be set early in The most appropriate plantthe growing season so that ing time is early April in our mother plants become es- Franklin County Zone 6b tablished while the weather is area.
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Good for containers Burpee’s lead horticulturist Grace Romero approached Weber last March, seeking something new and different to offer to home berry growers. The variety was marketready, having been selected by Weber in 1999 and evaluated by growers in New York, Michigan and Illinois. Weber hopes Burpee will help Purple Wonder find its niche in backyard plots and patio pots. Because the plants do not produce many runners, they are particularly appropriate for container gardening. Hardy enough for central New York, Purple Wonder should do well across temperate areas in the United States. Weber cautions that we are not the only mammals who find the fruit irresistible: squirrels and chipmunks have a taste for them, too. According to Jessica Lyga, the Plant Varieties and Germplasm Licensing Associate for the Cornell Center for Technology Enterprise and Commercialization, a plant patent will be filed for Purple Wonder later this year. Purple Wonder is the 42nd strawberry variety released by the Cornell small fruits breeding program. Other recent releases include the ‘Herriot’ strawberry, a highyielding midseason variety, and the ‘Crimson Giant’ raspberry, suitable for hightunnel cropping systems and November harvest. Weber breeds for adaptation to the temperate climates of the Northeast and Midwest as well as disease and insect resistance but readily admits that good flavor is the ultimate criteria. “Let’s face it: Berries often get eaten on the way home from the farmers market,� he said. Gardeners interested in Purple Wonder can purchase
Spring iS here.