Akron Beacon Journal

What's new: one tool for garden

Painters love 5-in-1 tools for their handiness at tackling a variety of tasks. Now True Temper has taken a cue from those versatile gadgets and created the Planter's Buddy, a multifunction gardening tool.

The Planter's Buddy is a combination trowel, bulb planter and weeder. Its 6-inch blade has a straight edge for cutting sod, a serrated edge for opening bags of soil and mulch, and a sharpened notch in one side for cutting twine. Inch markings on the blade allow the gardener to measure the depth of a planting hole, and the end of the handle doubles as a tamper for pounding in stakes, markers and fertilizer spikes.

The tool is available at Lowe's, Home Depot and True Value stores, the manufacturer says. Suggested retail price is $14.99.

The shelf: sock, glove magic

Can a craft book steal your heart? "Sock and Glove" just might.

Crafter Miyako Kanamori has created an endearing menagerie in resurrecting the art of fashioning dolls out of old socks, gloves and mittens. She introduces readers to her craft by means of a simple story populated by her whimsical creatures, then provides instructions for creating the stuffed animals.

You just might find yourself hoping that the dryer eats one of your socks.

"Sock and Glove" is a Perigree Trade Paperback Original. It's in bookstores and sells for $12.95.

Q&A: redirect patio rinse

Q: I clean my patio with a Clorox solution every year to get rid of the yellow-green stuff that grows on it, and then I flush it with a hose. Could that account for the roses around the edge not doing well, and will the bleach bother other plants? Joe Walter, Akron, Ohio

A: Since you apparently have moss or algae growing on your patio, it evidently doesn't get a great deal of sun. That could be why your sun-loving roses aren't thriving.

Nevertheless, chlorine is toxic to plants and all living things, for that matter. Just how toxic it is depends on the concentration and the duration of exposure.

Your plants might not be harmed by a weak solution of chlorine bleach, but horticultural educator Denise Ellsworth of the Ohio State University Extension in Summit County believes that it's better not to take a chance.

Ellsworth recommended placing a tarp on the edges of the bed to protect soil and plants when you apply the bleach solution, and then letting the solution dry on the patio instead of rinsing it off. You might also use a shop vac to suck up the solution or figure out a way to redirect the rinse water, she said.