Close to Home: From desserts to Zen gardens

Local DIY guy Sasha Andreev is one of a bevy of celebrities offering their expertise on remodeling, cooking, landscaping and interior design during the five-day Home and Garden Show opening Wednesday at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Andreev, host of HGTV's "Curb Appeal," will demonstrate the hottest home-improvement products and services from Innovation Avenue. (To read about Andreev's Minneapolis home renovation, go to www.startribune.com/a1073.)

Check the stage schedule for carpenter Chip Wade's tips on how to replicate projects from his HGTV shows and Yigit Pura of Bravo's "Top Chef: Just Desserts" demonstrations and recipes for luscious treats.

This year's Idea Home, a low-maintenance single-level design geared for empty nesters, features an outdoor kitchen and Japanese Zen garden. Nine other landscaped gardens follow movie themes ranging from "The Lord of the Rings" to "Camelot." Gardeners can get a jump on planning their own beds at the Minnesota State Horticultural Society's many programs including cultivating vegetable, water and rain gardens. For end-of-show bargains, head to the popular plant sale at 5 p.m. next Sunday.

Show hours are noon-9 p.m. Wednesday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. next Sunday. Admission: $13 adults, $4 ages 6 to 12, free for ages 5 and under. Save $2 by ordering tickets online at www.home andgardenshow.com.

Home gawker's rite of spring Breathe in the fresh, new-home aroma at the Parade of Homes, which starts Saturday and continues through April 1. More than 300 Twin Cities model homes will be open for tours, many outfitted with green features designed to conserve energy and water.

Next Sunday, we'll show you former WCCO-TV anchor and environmentalist Don Shelby's new cottage-style abode in Excelsior, which blends turn-of-the-century charm with energy-generating solar panels, geothermal heat and recycled barn timbers. It's one of three $1 million-plus Dream Homes on the Parade. Tourgoers also can gather ideas at free building and design seminars held at various times inside model homes.

Parade hours are noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays. Pick up a free guidebook at Twin Cities Holiday Station Stores or go to www.paradeofhomes.org.

Stickley style Fans of Arts & Crafts-style furniture can immerse themselves this week at Gabberts. On Thursday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., master cabinetmaker George Webster will build an Arts & Crafts nightstand, demonstrating techniques used by the Stickley factory since 1912.

On Saturday from 1 to 2 p.m., Stickley museum curator Sarah Lanigan will present a "Stickley Road Show" featuring images and anecdotes usually reserved for visitors to the Stickley Museum. Meanwhile, from noon to 4 p.m., there will be an Artisan and Restoration Expo, featuring Arts & Crafts-style artisans. All events are at Gabberts in the Galleria, Edina.

Build a basketWhether you have a green thumb -- or a brown one -- Pahl's Market in Apple Valley invites you to Moss Basket Days, where you can learn how to plant and care for moss baskets.

And if you want to make a basket for Mom, Pahl's is offering a plant-sitting service, to nurture your plantings to maturity until you're ready to pick them up prior to Mother's Day. Attend any of three Moss Basket Days, held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 6 and March 10. Reservations are recommended, but walk-ins are welcome.