THE WORD / THE WEB
The Word
Bulbs and bedrooms: Henry Jaworski’s “Summer Bulbs” ($20, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998) and Better Homes and Gardens’ “Decorating Kids Rooms: Nurseries to Teen Retreats” ($12.95, Meredith Books, 1998).
Hot stuff: Summer bulbs, also known as hotblooded and tender bulbs, can be temperamental, as Jaworski points out in his 122-page book. Many varieties--from exotics such as agapanthus and tigridias to more common begonias and gladiolus--originated in Latin America and Africa, usually in hot, often moist climates.
That makes them somewhat difficult to cultivate here, even during the warm summer when conditions are best. Jaworski, who’s been studying bulbs since he was a fifth-grader in Canada, tells how to pick, store and prepare them for any environment. And he insists that proper care will ensure bulbs turn into blossoms during the spring and summer growing seasons. Jaworski doesn’t restrict growing to outside gardens. Hotblooded bulbs can be raised indoors year-round, he writes, if you’re diligent. The book is packed with color shots of more than 100 varieties, with details for each.
Kids’ corner: You can take an easy way out arranging a children’s room--get a bunk bed and let them cover the walls with posters--or really get into it with “Decorating Kids’ Rooms.”
This 112-page book, with 130 photos, is divided into five sections. “Rooms That Grow” offers ways to keep a nursery as appealing as possible, even as youngsters enter the elementary-school years. “Rooms With Style” focuses on themes, from popular western and sports motifs to undersea adventure. Apparently, kids like their rooms to be as much fantasy land as sanctuary from all things parental.
The book is also practical, providing info on color schemes that you and your child can handle and safety tips, from ways to avoid sharp-edged furnishings to ways to anchor bunk beds.
The Web
Add-on: Better Homes and Gardens has brought a new section to its already impressive web site (https://www.bhglive.com). Quick & Easy Decorating (https://bhglive.com/househome/decorate) was set up because magazine readers and site visitors asked for ways to make home changes on the cheap.
The sub-site has dozens of suggestions, such as using less costly wicker to create a look or painting parts of a room for splashy, stylish accents. A chat/message area encourages project feedback from other frugal souls.
Cover-up: Carpet looking shabby? Want to toss out Grandma’s fraying rug? The Carpet and Rug Institute’s site (https://www.carpet-rug.com) can tell you what to look for in a replacement.
The institute is a trade association, so it’s counting on you running out and buying something new, but the approach is soft sell. There’s a guide with key points to consider, such as pile fibers and textures, how the carpet is constructed and what it will take to keep it clean and in good shape.
There’s also a cutting-edge feature allowing you to design a carpeted room online, but you’ll need a streaming video browser plug-in for that. The plug-in can be downloaded from the site.
