Wire Home & Garden

The unofficial grilling season is under way, and one of the hottest trends is bringing the kitchen outdoors, literally.

Q: We moved into a home with 20-year-old sliding glass doors that were treated with what appears to be a thin plastic coating or plastic shield for sun glare.

For those whose homes have been damaged by storms, it's important they take action quickly to begin the remediation process before secondary damage occurs.

Tired of ivy that claims too much of your yard, or boxwood that looks brown and dead inside?

Q: I have a second floor deck made of concrete and supported by steel. Unfortunately, the deck wasn't waterproofed and water drips on the patio underneath. Is there any way to keep the patio dry? -B. Mabry

WHAT'S NEW: CURVED SHOWER ROD IS TENSION-MOUNTED

If you remember old-fashioned roses growing off your grandmother's front porch and long for that beauty at your home, consider the heirloom chestnut rose. Antique roses are those grown prior to 1867 - the date of the first hybrid-tea and of course the finest of the species of roses that have been growing seemingly forever.

They keep saying that Hollywood is being transformed.

You might be working harder in the garden than you have to.

Kate O'Reilly's spring allergy survival kit includes the usual stuff - nasal sprays, allergy pills and a box of tissues. This season, she's added a new weapon to her line of defense: an app on her smartphone.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Gardeners, if you've ever been tempted to give Mother Nature a little nudge, consider installing a greenhouse.

Actor Nick Nolte has put a Malibu compound up for sale that has seen a galaxy of stars come through its arched entryway.

It is the kind of tree house that a kid could spend all day and all night inside.

ON THE SHELF: BOOK COVERS UPHOLSTERY BASICS

While the warm growing season has struggled to get established, the Pink Fountain gaura has been blooming with aplomb. The plant is so beautiful, it commands attention.

It's time to dream of those summertime sandwiches and BLTs, made with tomatoes you grow in your own yard - in pots or the ground.

I was looking at my home's back steps, constructed of pressure-treated wood, and decided it was time for the annual get-rid-of-the-mildew-and-seal-them program.

Ah the family pet. A source of great joy, deep camaraderie and yes, at least occasional frustration.

Facebook Home was introduced with much fanfare one month ago. So far it has not lived up to the hype.

Greg Cantori plans to downsize when he retires. Really, really downsize.

Days of Malibu living are long gone for Barbie. The iconic doll has moved to Florida and is inviting people to step into her life-size dream house, the first one now open worldwide.

For years the neighborhood florist was the go-to place for special-occasion arrangements and the occasional pick-me-up of cut flowers. Now as grocery stores, farmers markets - even hardware stores - have made fresh flowers so readily available, designers Alethea Harampolis and Jill Rizzo of the San Francisco firm Studio Choo have another suggestion: Be your own florist.

Vince Vaughn has bought a house for $3.925 million in an area of Los Angeles one might not normally associate with actors - La Canada Flintridge.