Home & Garden | Southwest Connector

Faux hedges If your outdoor patio or side yard is hemmed in by something like a chain-link or cinder block wall or planter box, consider installing a faux green hedge. This is the perfect … more

4/18/25

Sid Triantafilou of Greco Linden Hills Painting paints houses in residential neighborhoods, including East Isles, near Lake of the Isles. (Photo by Lulu Jaeckel)

Homeowners experiment with paint colors, say local painters

Whale gray, dry sage and french press are some of the popular names of interior paint colors right now at Benjamin Moore, a paint company. Sid Triantafilou, a local painter and owner of … more

By Lulu Jaeckel | 2/27/25

Welcome to the land of 10,000 gardens

Focus on what's strong. Not what's wrong. This is the essence of asset-based community development . It's also what sustainable community building looks like and how we can create … more

By Eric Ortiz | 1/22/25

They wanted to save the boulevard trees along six blocks of 29th Ave. and they came together to do just that. Then they celebrated together at Arbeiter Brewing. (Photo by submitted)

Motivated by a common goal

Residents along six blocks of 29th Ave. S have banded together to save 40 ash trees. “These are public trees that the whole community benefits from,” observed Loey Colebeck. “Many … more

By Tesha M. Christensen | 1/2/25

Woodworker Bill Dossett (left) and Joe Hayes look over a set of windows being restored. According to Dossett, the dust collection system in the new building is an upgrade that has made a big difference for staff. Plus there's a room just for planing.

Hayes Window expands into new location, offers storm windows

Lost your storm windows over the years? Have windows you can’t open anymore because they were painted shut? Does the glass rattle in the wind? These problems don’t mean that you need to … more

By Tesha M. Christensen | 9/25/24

Ericsson resident Jessica Wyn Miller (right), an entomologist, leads a Bug Club adventure into the world of bugs near her Minnehaha Creek-side home. She has found that her work as an artist intersects with insects.“I got excited for aquatic insects when I found out they reflect the health of a water," she recalled.

She hated bugs – so she decided to become an entomologist

Jessica Miller still shrieks sometimes when a spider jumps on her, but the south Minneapolis environmental entomologist has found that makes her more approachable when she’s teaching classes on … more

By Tesha M. Christensen | 7/24/24

Talking lawn care with U of M

People are getting back into our yards and gardens, with pent-up demand following a long winter. University of Minnesota Extension Educator Jon Trappe has tips for yards that accomplish multiple … more

5/15/24

A rain barrel collects roof runoff so you can save the rainwater for later use. Reroute downspouts away from pavement and onto grass, a rain barrel or a rain garden. (Photo courtesy of the University of Minnesota Extension)

A watershed moment

What is a watershed? What is our local watershed called? Where does it begin and end? What is the largest watershed in the U.S.? According to board chair of the League of … more

By Margie O’Loughlin | 5/15/24

Larry LaVercombe is a writer, filmmaker, and activist, born in Detroit and arrived in Minneapolis in 1975. He lived in a treehouse in San Diego before getting an MFA from the USC Film School. He writes most days, and as Team Larry he has been selling residential real estate in Minneapolis for 26 years.

How real estate agent commissions will now affect us

You’ve heard, I’m sure, about the court ruling and the decision by the National Association of Realtors: Buyer’s agents will no longer receive a “standardized” 2.7% … more

By Larry LaVercombe | 4/17/24

Recycle your left-over paint with PaintCare

Did you know there’s an option for recycling leftover paint in Minnesota? That’s right, recycling, not just disposing of leftover paint. Since 2014, the non-profit PaintCare has been … more

By Margie O’Loughlin | 3/27/24

Patricia Neal works with children to tend their neighborhood sponsored garden.

Local model for an urban CSA

“Four years ago, I realized we needed a model for an urban CSA,” says Craig Neal, founder and chief gardener of the Neighborhood Sponsored Garden (NSG) located in a backyard on Beard Ave. … more

By Larry LaVercombe | 10/5/23

Christy Johnson of United Goods does minimalistic, graphic prints in small sizes. (Photos submitted)

Inside the head of minimalist State icon artist

Christy Johnson, founder & CEO of United Goods started working as a graphic designer and artist in 2003 in Minneapolis. A life-long creative, she’s loved to draw since she was a kid. Over … more

By Suzie Marty | 10/5/23

These small lightboxes made by Longfellow artist Chris Miller can brighten tables and shelves. Other larger ones function as furniture. (Photo submitted)

How to add art to your home

Longfellow mosaic artist Chris Miller believes that art is like jewelry for your home. “I made this piece in glass a few years ago and I display it each September during LoLa Art Crawl. It says … more

By Tesha M. Christensen | 9/28/23

A series of 50 native plant gardens along Nicollet Avenue provide food sources and nesting space for pollinators.

Nicollet Pollinator Pathway for Rusty Patched Bumble Bee

There’s a new pathway in southwest Minneapolis, but it’s not for people. The Nicollet Avenue Pollinator Pathway is a series of 50 native plant gardens along and around Nicollet … more

By Allie Johnson | 7/21/23

April showers bring May flowers, and May flowers bring in the bees. This bee is feasting on creeping Charlie. (Photo submitted)

No mow May helps pollinators

Stumbling over bicycles and skateboards in the back of the garage, your fall is broken by the lawn mower handle. Wrestling your new turf terrorizer out of its winter hold, a vague memory forms of the … more

By Russ Henry | 5/5/23

Spring cleaning tips and tricks

Here are some tips that can help anyone master spring cleaning.• Create a plan. Make a checklist and establish a cleaning plan of attack. Focus on areas that are not regularly cleaned, as they … more

4/19/23

The Wilson’s back porch was opened up through careful deconstruction by a Better Futures crew. (Photo submitted)

Why throw away a house when parts can be reused?

From early 20th Century thrift to building cabins from contractor cast-offs, building materials reuse had long been an informal norm. But in a more recent world, entire houses have been thrown in the … more

By Margo Ashmore | 4/6/23

A true sign that spring is on the way or has actually arrived is the appearance of the Mourning Cloak butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa).

Spring yard Cleanup in a word: WAIT!

Especially this spring, after what feels like an endless winter with February weather in March, most gardeners are understandably impatient for the snow to melt and clear the way for yard work. But … more

By Constance Pepin | 4/6/23

Nataliya Beccera, marketing person for Sustainable 9, visits 3900 Ewing Ave. S.

Learn about building reuse grants April 29-30 on MSP Home Tour

Ryan Hanson of the Linden Hills-based Sustainable 9 Design Build sees deconstruction – and when applicable, use of a Hennepin County grant that helps with the cost – as part of their … more

4/6/23

These two houses got a facelift courtesy of Chileen Painting, a family-owned business around the lakes.

Q&A with CHILEEN PAINTING

Chileen Painting is a third-generation, family-owned business started in 1952. Their home restoration techniques range from painting to woodwork to enameling. Greg Chileen brought Chileen Painting to … more

3/1/23