Wednesday, September 3, 2003

Growing seeds

Nature grows things from seed all the time, but some gardeners are a little more hesitant.

Not Jekka McVicar. The English herb farmer shares advice for harvesting and starting all sorts of seeds in “Seeds: The Ultimate Guide to Growing Successfully from Seed.”

The book covers hundreds of plants, including the expected flowers and vegetables but also less common choices such as ferns, cacti and aquatic plants. McVicar offers sowing instructions for each plant as well as some guidance to the plant’s height, appearance and growing needs. A brief section covers methods, materials and equipment, but most of the book is devoted to specifics on individual plants.

Seeds is published by the Lyons Press and is priced at $22.95 in paperback.

New paint line adds television stars

All you want to do is spruce up your kid’s room with a new coat of paint. Your child, however, is envisioning an undersea pineapple theme a la SpongeBob SquarePants.

Now you can both have what you want.

Lowe’s American Tradition Signature Colors paint line, made by Valspar Corp., includes six paint-color groupings tied to some of Nickelodeon’s most popular children’s programs. The bright colors were inspired by Blue’s Clues, Dora the Explorer, Rugrats, Jimmy Neutron and, of course, SpongeBob SquarePants.

The paint coordinates with decorating kits that include show theme appliques and paint stamps.

The Nickelodeon paints range from $22.97 to $26.97 a gallon.

— Mary Beth Breckenridge

Knight Ridder Newspapers

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