LIFELINES

By Standard-Examiner wire services

Tue, 05/24/2011 - 10:37am

Miracle-Gro product helps gardens grow

Miracle-Gro's Expand 'n Gro planting mix takes some of the heavy lifting out of planting container gardens.

Expand 'n Gro is a blend of plant food and coconut coir, so it's lighter than traditional potting soil. It's also concentrated, so the compact package is easier to carry and store.

The planting mix expands as much as three times its size when mixed with water. It feeds plants for up to six months and retains up to 50 percent more moisture than regular potting soil, according to the manufacturer, Ohio's Scotts Miracle-Gro Co.

In addition to being used in containers, it can be mixed with garden soil to aerate it and make it more workable.

Expand 'n Gro is available in a limited number of markets, at about $10.99 for an 8.4-quart bag, which expands to make 1 cubic foot of soil, or $15.99 for a 17.2-quart bag, which makes 2 cubic feet of soil.

'Girl's World' offers sassy sewing patterns

Sewing for girls is all about whimsy and fun. It's about indulging in cheerful fabrics, fanciful designs and childlike imagination.

Jennifer Paganelli encourages that sense of playfulness in "Girl's World: Twenty-One Sewing Projects to Make for Little Girls."

Paganelli, a fabric designer who runs the company Sis Boom, offers instructions for clothing and other items for girls 2 to 14. The book has projects for all skill levels, with patterns included for some of them.

"Girl's World" is written for adults, but Paganelli urges parents to let their children help with the projects or use them to teach sewing skills.

The book is published by Chronicle Books and sells for $24.95 in hardcover.

-- Standard-Examiner wire services