WILD THINGS

Gardens are not just a layer of decoration at your feet. Reward yourself and look up to see the full panorama of spring.

Trained in music and theater, Arlene Fins discovered a new vocation as a sculptor at the beach in 2002 by shaping a young girl's figure in the sand. Now, 7 years later, the Acton artist works from her own studio, won an award for a bronze sculpture of a woman soldier and will be showing new work at the Tower Hill Botanic Garden.

  Video: Tour Arlene Fins’ sculpture studio

Now the new growing season is well underway - May is the perfect time to add to your garden and landscape. And with recent and much-welcomed attention to doing the right thing for the environment, many homeowners are seeking guidance.

GARDENING

With Mother's Day just around the corner, moms everywhere are about to get bombarded with flowers. How long they last is up to mom.

On the House

For graduates living alone for the first time, there could be some rude surprises setting up house without the help of mom, dad or a dorm maintenance crew.

Many of the best tea herbs are easy to grow, beautiful, and naturally resistant to pests. Even if you don't have garden space, many delightful tea herbs will grow in containers on a porch or windowsill.

Try growing these herbs for tea

Given the American love affair with coffee, it's surprising more people don't roast their own beans at home. All you need is a corn popper to make fresh and fragrant coffee beans.

THE CREATURE FEATURE

It's spring! You've been looking forward all winter to being outdoors with both your dog and your garden. But now you remember that to dogs, seedlings are for trampling and dirt is for digging. Fortunately, a little planning can help plants and pups get along more harmoniously:

WILD THINGS

Spring ephemeral woodland wildflowers can inspire chlorophyll addiction, even in recalcitrant non-gardeners.

As a young girl, Nancy Crawley told her mother she would live in a weird house and it would be purple. Today, she thinks the deep-blue-and-white A-frame she lives in with her boyfriend, Mike Mansfield, and their 9-year-old son Zaine is close enough.