The Commercial Appeal (2007-Current)

Sometimes Critters Get Confusing Names

In North and South America, naming of bird species is now the responsibility of the Nomenclature Committee of the American Ornithologist's Union (AOU). The reasons for the names of bird species is a source of befuddlement to many casual birders, at least for those who bother to think about it. There is a "Northern Flicker" and a "Western Gull," but no corresponding "Southern" or "Eastern" species.

2007's Best Garden - Can You Dig It?

Show off your green thumb by entering our 2007 Garden of the Year Contest. This year, we want to salute the enthusiastic and hard-working gardeners in each of the areas served by our zoned newspapers.

Tomato-Mushroom Ragout Simple, Easy to Fix and so Tasty

We picked up some really nice fresh ravioli at the store last weekend. They were stuffed with spinach and cheese, but any type of ravioli would work, as would plain pasta. With the busyness that comes with the end of the school year, I didn't have the time or energy to spend in the kitchen.

Great Finds - Deals Under $20 Are Ripe for Picking

High maintenance, moi? Yes, that's what Mr. Great Finds recently said . and suffice it to say I was just a bit miffed about it.

Garden Calendar

Today, Saturday and Sunday : Rendezvous 2007: Brussel's Bonsai hosts annual convention at 8125 Center Hill. Full registration $200 ($100/one-day pass). Demos and workshops throughout the weekend. Europe's and America's top bonsai masters on hand at the convention. Featured guest artists include Kenji Miata, Yasuo Mitsuya, Roy Nagatoshi, Michael Hagedorn, Kathy Shaner and John Powell. Resident artists include Brussel Martin and Dana Quattlebaum. Call (800) 582- 2593. Online: brusselsbonsai.com...

Key to an Attractive Landscape Is Attentiveness

Most established ornamental plants in the landscape require care to stay healthy and attractive. Regular fertilization, pruning, watering, mulching and pest control are all part of a good landscape management program.

Home & Design Calendar

People - Big Stars, Big Bids Raise $7m for Aids Research

Sharon Stone played auctioneer, Kylie Minogue and Julian Lennon sang, and burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese did a saucy strip routine - all to raise money for AIDS research. An annual benefit soiree on the sidelines of France's Cannes Film Festival this week raised $7 million for the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR).

Plant Favorites, Savor Fruits (and Veggies) of Efforts

You can't call yourself a vegetable gardener in the South without a few tomato plants. It's the law. Or at least it ought to be.

Joy in Numbers -- Cecilia Clanton's Garden Spans the Seasons with Skillful Selection, Mass Groupings of Same Plants

Most gardeners know that grouping several of the same plants together creates greater visual impact than having one of this and one of that scattered about in the beds. Cecilia Clanton takes that idea and multiplies it by a hundred or even a thousand to create an exuberant show in her 3 1/2 -acre garden in Nesbit.

Gardening 101 - Sowing Seeds of Tradition -- Across the World and Across Time, Vegetables Came From the Garden; Staying in Touch with Those Roots Is Satisfying

Editor's Note: This is the fifth in our occasional series of stories to help novice gardeners and those who are new to the area garden like the pros. Behind her Brighton, Tenn., home, down a steep hill and in front of the horses' paddock, Celia Ortiz has planted a vegetable garden.