On the Homefront

Church Hill lauded

This Old House magazine has named Church Hill among the best old-house neighborhoods. The July/August issue credits the Richmond neighborhood with architectural diversity, home craftsmanship, preservation momentum and for its neighborhood amenities including walkability, safety and community.

The magazine's editors appreciate the area's brick sidewalks lined with gas street lamps and its rows of late-19th-century Italianates and Queen Anne Victorians with wrought-iron porches.

The issue is on newsstands Monday and online at http://www.thisoldhouse.com/best-places. Corner Lots

Cost-cutting lawn and garden tips:

• Plant perennials instead of annuals. Annuals are short-lived, use excessive water.

• Eliminate lawn where you are not using it. Lawns are one of the most intensive maintenance and water-consuming plantings in a landscape.

• Leave lawn clippings -- don't bag. Clippings contain water and nutrients that benefit the lawn.

• Reduce your watering to the minimum neededto keep the yard and garden healthy.

• Apply a ground-cover mulch to cut down on weeds.

• Select drought-tolerant plants.

• Fertilize only as needed based on the requirements of your individual plants.

For more on garden care, go to http://www.naturedesigns.net. It's time to . . .

Remove old flowers from your annuals and perennials. Deadheading is the term used to describe the process of removing dead flower heads to encourage new blooms. The longer old blooms remain, the more energy the plant puts into producing seeds in them. By removing the blooms as soon as they begin to fade, you can increase the number and quality of blooms for the remainder of the season.