ON TV
Decluttering is usually a matter of purging, not investing in new stuff. But if you want to spruce up while paring down, you might want to check out a new A&E Network show, "$100 Makeover." The show "aims to inspire" viewers to streamline, organize and redesign their homes for $100 a room. The makeover team includes interior designer Leslie Segrete, master carpenter Rib Hillis and professional organizer Robbie Laughlin. The show will premiere at 9 a.m. Saturday.
DO IT NOW
With the weather warming up, it's a good idea to let your grass grow longer. That will help protect the crowns of the grass from the heat of summer, help hold in moisture after a rain or watering and encourage the roots to grow deeper. So raise the lawn-mower blades to about 3 or 4 inches.
GARDEN CONTEST
Don't delay. The deadline to nominate a great private garden for the annual Beautiful Gardens contest is Friday. The winning gardens -- and the gardeners who tend them -- will be featured in this section and online. To nominate, just send a letter briefly describing the garden and the people who tend it. Please include a few photos, and the gardener's name, address and phone number, as well as your own. Mail nominations to: Beautiful Gardens Contest, Home+Garden, Star Tribune, 425 Portland Av. S., Minneapolis, MN 55488. Electronic submissions may be sent to kim.palmer@startribune.com.
NEXT WEEK
Local garden writer Bonnie Blodgett lives by her senses. But she took one of them for granted, until a cold remedy damaged her olfactory nerve, snuffing out her ability to smell. That experience and what she learned about the power of scent is the subject of her new book.
