House Garden Designs: January 2009

Apples

Saturday, January 31, 2009

In the mountains for the weekend, we were walking near a city park. My attention was drawn by recently planted trees and shrubs near a recreation center. Much to my surprise (and delight), blueberries, a mulberry, apple trees, and yellow-stemmed dogwoods were among the plantings.

The centerpiece was a largish apple tree, with multiple grafts, marked by aluminum tags. They read Esophus Spitzenberg, Winesap, and something else I couldn't read. What fun! There was plenty more space between the building and the basketball court for vegetable gardens, I thought...

The North Carolina mountains are apple country, and heirloom apple varieties are getting more attention.

Western North Carolina is home to a wide variety of small growers and producers, with locally-grown or produced vegetables, artisan bread and cheese, and seasonal tailgate markets, well-supported. A visit to a local organic market found a regional brewer giving away free samples of their ales; my gardening companion was impressed!

Temperatures Set To Plummet.

This was the view as I walked to my car after school yesterday and it reflects the way I was feeling, dark and out of focus. A couple of minor things had gone wrong in the day and because I was so tired they kept playing on my mind. And instead of getting straight down to paperwork at lunchtime, I'd had to keep an eye on a child who had been sick, (and then perked right up), so I felt I'd started my afternoon all behind. Later then I found it hard to change the role play area in the classroom while the cleaner was bustling about ( no fault of hers) and I eventually left school feeling absolutely exhausted. Imagine my joy on arriving home to find I would have to go back into town to collect Linas from the train station at 7.00. This was only surpassed by the feelings of greater happiness when due to train delays I would have to pick him up after 10.00. I didn't have the energy to blog or do my sit-ups.

Today, despite the house being invaded by gun-toting airsoft dudes, (Linas, Romas and 2 friends), I'm in a much better mood. It's been cloudy all day long but not too cold, so after washing my car I put in several hours of weeding. There is just so much work to do in the garden. I never know whether to start where the weeds are the tallest and choking the plants or to start where the weeds are tiny, clear a bigger area and know that each tiny weed had the capability to grow into a mighty nuisance. The fact is it all has to be done and today was a good start.

Here are my hens waiting at the gate for another bucket of yummy weeds to be added to the compost heap. The marans and the black rock almost look ready to start laying again. I don't expect much from the warrens ( the red hens), they are elderly ex-battery hens that are the last of a group of 14 I got about 5 years ago. Battery farming is a disgusting system and I'm glad that I was able to re-home a few hens. After living a year on the space of an A4 piece of paper the hens are no longer economic and generally end up in pet food or dumped.

The daffodils on the bank behind the house are still looking very cheerful. The other clumps in the garden are only about 4" high.

These 2 rockery sedums are providing tiny splashes of colour among the dusty green and greys of winter.

Talking of winter , temperatures are set to plummet from tomorrow, here are the temperatures according to Metcheck.

Sat 9.00 4C feels like -1C

Sun 6.00 am -1C feels like -6C

Sun 3.00 2C feels like -7C

Sun 6.00 -3C feels like -10C

Mon6.00am -1Cfeels like -7C

For here that is really, really cold. Luckily it is supposed to be dry tomorrow which makes life easier and I'll definitely be taking the car up top tomorrow afternoon so that I can get into work even if the predicted snow has come.

Design Styles - Home Improvements Ideas

We would like to walk you through the following brief descriptions of the most popular interior design styles meant to give you an understanding and edge in choosing the look you would like your home to have.

MODERN

Modernist designs are known for their purist sensibilities including clean lines, spaciousness, and efficiency. It is a very popular style in Europe and North American condo living due to the spaciousness that it emphasizes. There is the absence of moldings and corbels, yet presence of very subtle textures, and nothing that creates a busy look.

Style is reflected through technological materials such as stainless steel, glass, plastic, smooth wood veneers and other sleek materials. High-gloss lacquer finishes, exotic wood veneers, and stainless steel accents create a high-tech look.

white modern kitchen interior designs and stylish homes

CONTEMPORARY
white modern Contemporary.jpg

Contemporary is of the moment. It is whatever’s different and what works for today. It’s uncluttered. Contemporary designs have some of the high-tech look and functionality of a modern design, but are not purist in style and design. One of the hallmarks of good contemporary design is its compatibility. In other words, pieces from different periods are combined to create a richer, more interesting look in a room.

In a contemporary space, it...s common to find a juxtaposition of styles such as an antique rug or historic wood table used with an ultra-modern sofa in a streamlined and technologically advanced space. All it takes is the confidence to play a little, and a new way of looking at things.

TRADITIONAL/CLASSIC kitchen

Ornamental elements such as moldings and posts are commonly used in a traditional design to reflect timeless elegance and sophistication. The classical style is represented by crown moldings, light valences, raised panel doors, columns with ornaments, hardwood flooring, and rich materials such as tumbled marble.kitchen

COUNTRY living room
country interior

The country style is a casual version of the traditional style. Materials that are hand made or

stylish country interior

have a hand made look are preferred and have more variation. Worn and weathered items are celebrated and remove formality for a space. Itâ..s all about comfort.

A sad tale - but a happy ending

This is a tale not for the faint-hearted. A sad tale of cruelty and neglect which will probably get me drummed out of the ranks of the garden blogging community. If you're liable to get upset, it might be best not to read on ...

I have an office. And in my office there was an enormous Scindapsus (or Pothos, or Epiphremnum, or Raphidophora - see here for why this plant has more aliases than most of the criminals listed by Interpol). A lovely plant, which trailed down about 3ft from the top of a bookcase in the office all winter, full of glossy green and yellow variegated leaves. Then in the summer months, I'd cut it back and leave it to grow back trailing over the balcony - scindapsus loves the indirect light, the heat and humidity which the balcony gets.

Scindapsus loves the light. So what do I do to it? I leave it in a completely dark room for a week.

I didn't mean to be cruel, honestly. It was just bad planning. I don't work in the office every day, but when I'm not there I always go in the morning to open the shutters and let the light in, and then go back at night to close up. And then suddenly I couldn't get there for a week.

When I did get back, the signs of neglect were evident. Gone was my glossy, bushy plant. The leaves were yellowing and starting to fall, and were full of the tell-tale brown patches which scindapsus is prone to when it's ill-treated.

Full of guilt and remorse, I brought it home for some tender loving care. Comments from the rest of the family were not encouraging : It's dead .... Throw it away.... You're not going to leave that thing there are you... What do you want another one for - you've already got a houseful.

You can see from the photo that it lost most of the leaves, but after a month of intensive light therapy by the window, the colour has come back and there are signs that it's picking up again. Some fairly hard pruning this spring (there is nothing uglier than a "leggy" scindapsus) and it should be back to normal by the autumn. Phew. Here it is today sitting on what used to be the hamster's table with four other friends.

Because, as my husband pointed out, it wasn't the only one I had. Whenever I cut it back, I can never resist replanting the stems. And it's such an easy plant to grow that they come up every time. Just stick them in some potting compost, like these which went in last year ...

... or grow them in water. Pop them into a flower vase, top the water up once a week and forget about them. They'll put out roots and be perfectly happy.

I usually let my scindapsus trail. That way it looks good on the balcony in the summer, and obscures some boring files from view in the winter. In the garden centres you usually find them trained up mossy poles - I find this a drag as they grow so quickly that you're always trimming and they quickly start to look untidy. I prefer the natural chaos of the cascade effect.

Scindapsus comes from S. East Asia where it grows among the trees in the tropical rainforest - hence it's liking for heat and humidity. Ideally you should keep them at between 18°C (65°F)and 29°C (85°F). Mine tend to stay out until about October, when temperatures may be down to about 7-10°C (45-50°F), but then it's time to bring it in. Mist regularly to provide humidity.

But if it's fussy about temperature, it's very easy-going when it comes to soil and fertiliser. It grows happily in the ordinary potting compost I get from the supermarket, and doesn't seem to care whether I fertilise or not. It gets fertiliser when I'm watering all the plants together and there's some in the watering can - but I've also let it go without for long periods with no apparent ill-effects. It's fairly happy-go-lucky about watering too - most sources advise you to water moderately and let it dry out between waterings, especially in winter. But it's been "drowned" by my plant sitters occasionally, and has always bounced back.

It's a very, very easy houseplant to grow and to look after. And also good to have around the house as it absorbs indoor pollutants such as formaldehyde (which may be released from new furniture, carpeting and other products), and benzene (plastics, detergents, synthetic fibers and more). Scindapsus is poisonous if eaten however - don't add it to your salads and keep it away from kids and pets like rabbits (or hamsters), which might be tempted to have a nibble.

Oh - and though I've never tried, they say that by controlling the light conditions, you can also control the colour. In shade, green will predominate; give it more sun and the yellow variegation will be stronger. Most sources say to avoid direct sunlight - but mine gets it for about two hours a day all summer, and there are no problems.

Just don't leave it in the dark.

Serene Country Home

Friday, January 30, 2009

Time to getaway! The color palette of this country home designed by Steven Gambrel gives off such a relaxing vibe. It just feels so quiet...if that's possible! I think the first image is my favorite. The blue and white prints, the lanterns, the window panes...it's all so pretty!

Brussel sprouts

Thursday, January 29, 2009

I haven't grown brussel sprouts successfully myself to date; the few plants that I have tried were either eaten by a woodchuck or frosted in the shady conditions of my main vegetable garden in winter.

So I definitely perked up in the fall when my greens-averse colleague mentioned how much she liked her homegrown brussel sprouts, as she put plants into the vegetable garden.

I'd never eaten a brussel sprout before going off to graduate school. In (San Franciso) Bay Area vegetable markets, though, fresh brussel sprouts were a new, enticing vegetable (along with fresh mushrooms, red peppers, and all sorts of other things). I tried them, in my enthusiasm for the variety of winter vegetables that were available, many from the productive nearby coastal valleys, and enjoyed their fresh, cabbage-like taste.

Spending time in Germany after graduate school, brussel sprouts were ubiquitous, but overcooked, offered up in little dishes at the Mensa (the University cafeteria). What was more memorable was the cucumbers with dill.

Returning from traveling during winter break, another colleague mentioned how good the baby brussel sprouts were, from the plants set out in fall.

I plucked a few this afternoon, along with some side broccoli sprouts and leaves, and some tough, overwintered spinach, and stir-fried them (in olive oil) with onions and garlic as our dinner vegetable -- absolutely delicious. I kept the leftovers for my lunch, not my gardening companion's, for a change!

Baby Sheepdogs.

It turned very cold this afternoon and despite Metcheck assuring me it won't freeze tonight I decided to play safe and park up at the top of the hill. It was dark before I got home but at least it is now light when I get in the car at 7.30 in the morning. I like to feed the hens before I eat my breakfast and browse a few blogs, so I'm still stumbling up to the hen run in the pitch dark. The weather forecast for Sunday night is for temperatures to plummet so I've stocked up on de-icer spray and will definitely be leaving the car up top then.

School was fairly relaxed today though I still haven't managed to organise our visit to the police station . Children are funny, this afternoon I was outside with them for their play time and there was a line of 12 little girls all squeaking / shrieking loudly while being pursued around the playground by a group of boys. This went on for quite a time so I did ask what they were doing and was told they were 'baby sheepdogs', I'm not sure what the boys were and I don't think they knew either but it was good to see so much activity. We have a short pe session every day and for a warm up I have the children jogging around while I finish rolling up trousers that are too long, ( for most sessions they just take off shoes, socks and jumpers), and if they get tired they can go for a brisk walk instead. After a few minutes there is a lot of puffing and panting but their fitness is gradually improving. It is sad that these days children have fewer opportunities to run around and spend longer at sedentary activities instead. I was surprised a couple of years ago when I did a survey with a class of 6 year olds and found out that most of them had a tv/dvd player in their rooms and that a fair number ate their evening meal without their parents but in front of the tv. This was in a school in a more deprived area than where I am now.

The Turquoise Door

I've always been a little shy of having a window in my doorway...and this goes well beyond a little window. But I LOVE it! The turquoise door just makes it all the more incredible. Of course, this image is from Domino. *sniff sniff*

Architects Have Great Tools!

Architects have many great tools that they can work with. And under skilled hands they can be a great benefit to their clients. One such tool is a software program called Google Sketchup. Sketchup is a 3d modeling program that is surprisingly easy to use. The images you see below are of a house designed by Larson Brenner Architects in Stillwater, Minnesota. The images represent a series of color studies that were performed with Sketchup. The basic design had already been completed and we were now at the stage of finalizing materials and colors for the roofing, walls, windows. The top image is pretty much where we ended up and the images below represent the various intermittent studies.

Pretty cool huh? It is a great way to visualize your end product. For more sketchup examples you can see the plans at

Simply Elegant Home Designs

Dream Modern Kitchen Design and Pictures

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

kitchen interior accent design

I just came across my dream modern kitchen design that has most of the elements that I want should I be able to build in the future. The first thing that catches my eye in the pictures is the wine cellar storage underneath the island. I love the look it creates in the kitchen. If you are a wine fan, then this may be a nice touch. I will admit that there is quite a bit of storage so perhaps a scaled down version would be appropriate. One idea would be to put an ice maker or beverage cooler in one of the sections there. To the left of the wonderful Thermador refrigerator is a small station for a computer and cookbooks. What a nice idea! How often are you waiting for something to cook and have to stand in the kitchen? Here you can multi-task while spending your time there. You can also store all your recipes electronically which is a nice feature.

dream modern kitchen design

I do love the size of the kitchen island and the fact that there is a sink there. It would be easy to have barstools or furniture brought up on one side of the island for kids or guests. The stove and oven are beautiful. I love the size of this appliance and the amount of cook space it provides. I am not so sure about the cabinet color. I would maybe opt for a different color of kitchen cabinets. The sink along the right counter looks great with the window. I do like where the dishwasher is tucked into the space to the right of the sink. My favorite elements of this dream modern kitchen design are the wine storage, computer workstation, appliances, and size of the kitchen island. Pictures:

contemporary kitchen pictures