: Home & Garden

For romantic arrangements, start with a creative vase

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:23 CST

By Becky Dunaway Smith

Valentine red-and-whites

What's better than one great vase? More than one, of course! This four-in-one bud vase is crafted from stoneware and has a glossy white finish. $14.99, Cost Plus World Market.

This red-hot vase has just the right amount of bling without going overboard. $25.75, Creekside Collections.

Color her (or his) world

Make a bold statement and appeal to modern sensibilities with this contemporary twisted orange vase. $40, dh Collection.

Vibrant green, this vase follows a slim, simple, curved line that allows your flowers to take center stage. $12.95, Pier 1 Imports.

This square vase with a bold flower relief is a soothing aqua; pair it with bright pink, orange or coral buds for a real pop of color, $29.95, Pier 1 Imports.

Down-to-earth tones

Surprisingly lightweight, this "antique" urn will last long after the flowers have faded. $37.50, Antique Garden.

This cachepot is covered with the language of love. Fill it with flowers or a potted plant now, and use it later as a catch-all on a desk. $18.25, The Pepper Patch of Arlington.

Artful texture

Maybe your love affair is more traditional, with just a hint of the unexpected. This dove-gray vase appears to be splashed with white raindrops. $22, dh Collection.

This sweet whitewashed terra cotta vase is wrapped with a lace appliqué. $12.99, Cost Plus World Market.

Say it with or

without flowers

"True love never grows old." These bright orange and white vases are sleek and simple, but deliver a powerful message. $9.99 each, Stein Mart.

Shopping bag: Singer celebrates anniversary with Singer 160

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:28 CST

Shopping bag

Singer Sewing Co. is marking the brand's 160th anniversary with a sewing machine that's reminiscent of machines from years past.

The Singer 160 Limited Edition has modern features designed to make sewing easier but a retro appearance inspired by early Singers.

Among its features are a one-touch stitch selector that lets the user choose from 24 built-in stitches, a presser foot sensor that ensures that the foot is in the correct position, and an extra-large work area.

The machine is priced around $500. It's being sold by the HSN shopping network and is available on www.hsn.com and through its mobile app.

-- Mary Beth Breckenridge, Akron Beacon Journal

On the shelf: 'The Porch Book'

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:28 CST

On the shelf

Better Homes and Gardens' The Porch Book (Wiley, $21.99 in softcover) offers an escape from the winter doldrums.

The book will have you dreaming of spring days in a rocking chair, and it just might nudge you into creating a design to make that dream come true. A variety of porch and home styles are featured, so just about any homeowner can find inspiration.

In addition to before-and-after photos and information on architectural styles, the book contains design help and structural information. You'll also find style ideas for finishing and decorating a porch to make it your own.

-- Mary Beth Breckenridge, Akron Beacon Journal

The Garden Guru: Landscaping, like decorating, is about color

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 07:49 CST

By Neil Sperry

Great landscaping color doesn't just happen accidentally. It comes with a thorough knowledge of the tools you'll be using (flowers, foliage and hardscaping elements), and it requires careful planning. As our son's driver's ed teacher once told his carful of teenagers, "You gotta see the big picture." As we head into another growing-season chance for you to help your landscape shine, let's work, step by step, to develop a plan for color beds.

What are your favorite colors? There's little point in adding red to your garden if your favorite color is blue. Be sure your colors are harmonious with the nonliving things that surround them, such as walls, walks and patios, then go with the shades that most cheer and inspire you.

Just like the insides of our houses, our landscapes are made up of "rooms." At a minimum, you can compare the front yard to your living room, your back yard to the den and the work or storage area to your garage. (Good luck with that one!) If your lot is large enough to allow it, you'll be able to create additional rooms via creative use of fences, berms, retaining walls and hedges.

The point of all that is that each of these rooms can have its own seasonal color scheme. What you use in your front yard absolutely does not have to mesh with what you plant in the back -- that is, unless they're concurrently visible from any one place.

Keep breaking it down into manageable modules. You'll want to change out your color plantings in any given spot at least two times per season, one for the cool months of November through mid-April, and the other for the warm weather from late April through October. So, that all adds up to the opportunity to try a lot of fun plants, since you'll have two color schemes per room, and two or three rooms (or more) in your landscape.

Once you've determined the colors you want to use, make a list of the very best plants to provide them. Remember that flowering trees and shrubs typically bloom one or two times per year, and that they flower for two or three weeks at a time. Fall color lasts about that long, too. Point being, those are rather fleeting sources of landscaping color. Sure, you need to consider and include them, but you probably don't want to base your entire garden design on them alone.

Perennials are somewhat in that same boat. Almost all perennial species will bloom at the same time this year that they flowered last year, and that bloom time for all but a handful will last two or three weeks. If you're going to use perennials effectively, you'll want to nestle them among other flowering plants of compatible shades and sequential bloom times. Good perennial gardens require very careful planning, and they'll also need a sequence of 10 or 20 types of plants to provide pockets of color through the season.

Annual flowers and foliage provide the biggest show for the bucks, and they're the easiest way for a newcomer to succeed with landscaping color. Your biggest responsibility with them will come in choosing types that can handle Texas weather and soils, and that's where your homework pays off. Base your plantings on proven types. If in doubt, get help from a Texas Certified Nursery Professional. If you want to experiment, do so carefully and away from prime visual spots.

Small beds may only need one or two types of plants for the best look. If you have larger, more spreading beds, you may choose to use sweeps of like plants in the foregrounds and backgrounds. Still, simple is always in style, so don't feel like you need to have big assortments of types.

We used to plant primarily in monochromatic beds. That was 15 or 20 years ago, and even if we used two or three types of plants in the bed, they were all of the same basic color. Now, however, you'll see rich blends of similar shades. Growers and retailers have created special mixes of colors, knowing that they'll combine for a great overall show. Tulips planted with pansies, all in shades of yellows, oranges and whites, or blues, soft yellows and whites -- all kinds of great choices. You'll have the same opportunity as you create your summer beds from annuals you find in local retail centers. You'll be able to blend shades of purple, or you'll have fun mixing all types of reds or pastels.

Patio pots and hanging baskets let you put accent marks on your efforts. Any plant is elevated to a position of prominence when it's grown in a pot. Use containers near your entries, as accents on the patio and at any other place where you want to draw attention. If you're limited on space, they're a great way to create an effective color design, and do so completely above ground.

Neil Sperry publishes Gardens magazine and hosts Texas Gardening noon-1 p.m. Saturdays and 9 a.m.-noon Sundays on WBAP AM/FM. Reach him during those hours at 800-288-9227 or 214-787-1820.

One to grow: Laura Bush petunia

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:23 CST

One to grow

Laura Bush petunia

Petunias may be one of the most popular bedding plants in America, but they rarely appear on any list of top flowers for Texas. The reason is that petunias are Yankees by nature. They prefer cooler temperatures and drier air than we have in the South. Gardeners may be fooled when they see bright, perky petunias on nursery shelves in the spring. The cheerful, cup-shaped flowers in many rich colors often lure buyers into believing they will continue to charm through the entire season. But once the temperature rises, petunias start to shrivel, grow lanky as their flowers fade, then disappear. It is, all in all, a very disappointing experience for flower-lovers.

However, one petunia has proved to be a survivor in Texas and was bestowed the name "Laura Bush" and honored as a Texas Superstar. Blooms of Laura Bush may be smaller than many hybrid petunias, but they appear in greater number as the plant spreads and flowers through the summer.

Common name: Laura Bush petunia

Botanical name: Petunia X violacea "Laura Bush"

Flowers: Cup-shaped flowers are 2 to 3 inches wide and a glaring pinkish-purple color some would call fuchsia. They possess a sweet, subtle fragrance. Flowers appear as early as mid-February and continue until the first hard freeze. Numerous flowers grow on each plant; at the height of blooming, little foliage can be seen through the mass of flowers.

Foliage: Bright green leaves are thick, oval-shaped and slight hairy. Leaves and side stems grow on thick stems. Plants will grow 18 to 24 inches tall and as wide as 36 inches.

Care: Laura Bush petunias grow best in full sun with rich, well-drained soil. Water droplets on the petals cause the flowers to spot and close up, so avoid overhead watering -- use a drip or soaker hose instead. This type of irrigation will help prevent foliar diseases as well.

To keep the plants from becoming rangy and to encourage more flowers, trim your plants by a third a few times during the growing season. You may be cutting off flowers, but the plants will rebound and sprout new blooms quickly.

Hardiness: Although these plants are annuals and last only one season, they reseed freely, and new plants come up year after year. Seedlings appear in winter and start blooming in late February or early March.

Landscape uses: These mounding, trailing plants look great in a hanging basket or spilling out of a large pot. Use them to edge a wide perennial border or as a ground cover under roses.

Mary Wilhite owns Blue Moon Gardens, a garden center near Tyler. Visit www.bluemoongardens.com, or contact Wilhite at mwilhite@embarqmail.com.

Keep landscape shrubs alive through proper irrigation

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:23 CST

Many homeowners wonder why shrubs died last summer and which shrubs to plant as replacements. The most common reason for shrubs dying is inefficient irrigation (too much or too little). This summer, we could also add to that a lack of heat tolerance.

An efficient irrigation system distributes water evenly throughout the landscape. This is accomplished through good design, installation, scheduling and maintenance. If we assume that the design and installation are correct, the maintenance and schedule require checking.

Make sure your system is working properly. Check for pipe and valve leaks or breaks; clogged, malfunctioning or misaligned heads; misting versus spraying due to too much pressure; and water spraying onto hard surfaces. Most irrigation auditors report that lack of maintenance and poor scheduling cause the most problems.

Schedule irrigation one or two days a week after 6 p.m. and before 10 a.m. Water deeply and infrequently. Judge water requirements in the morning. In the heat of a summer afternoon, all landscapes look like they need water. If in doubt, stick a long screwdriver in the soil. If the soil is wet, the screwdriver will easily go into the soil. If the soil is dry, it won't.

Determine how long to run each irrigation zone/station by placing catch cans (tuna cans are the perfect height) throughout the zone. Run the zone for about 3 minutes. Measure the water in each can. If the cans do not have equal amounts of water, check each sprinkler nozzle for blockage or damage. Use the amount of water in the tuna can and the time to figure out how to water 1 inch of water per week. Each zone may be slightly different. Set the irrigation controller for the run time for each zone.

If irrigation water runs off before enough is applied, use the soak-and-cycle method. Runoff usually occurs in lawn areas. Water these areas in two or more short cycles instead of one. Create a zone for soak-and-cycle by setting different start times, with 20 to 30 minutes between cycles. If the lawn is on a slope, this method saves water from running off the landscape.

Maintain a 2- to 4-inch mulch layer in all planted areas. This keeps the soil moist, allows water to infiltrate the soil efficiently, moderates the soil temperature and breaks down into nutrients for the plants.

Shrubs are used as foundation plantings, screens, living fences and specimens. Plant shrubs that will thrive in a given location according to light requirements and potential size. For ideas about which shrubs to plant, go to aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkind. Submit your ZIP code to the Plant Selector for a list of plants that grow in your area, ranked by Earth-kindness. Also, check out the Texas SmartScape plant list at www.txsmartscape.com. Or you can visit fortworthtexas.gov/savefwwater for suggestions about landscape water conservation.

Dotty Woodson is the water resources specialist at the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. Reach her at 972-952-9688 or d-woodson@tamu.edu.

The Garden Guru: Get outside and prepare your yard for spring

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:10 CST

Neil Sperry

I was out working in my garden one of those beautiful days early this week, and I suddenly realized that just two or three weeks from now, bulbs will be blooming and trees and shrubs will be leafing. This happens to me each winter. I get holed up doing "indoor things" when it's cold, and then I realize that I just can't wait any longer for my outdoor responsibilities. Here's my list. My bet is that some of these tasks might fit well on your list, too.

Dormant-season transplanting. I have a couple of shrubs I want to move from one spot to another, and winter is the only time to accomplish that task. They're dormant now, so there isn't any fresh growth to wilt from the roots that I'll lose as the plants are lifted and relocated. I'm pretty careful when I dig plants. I keep the soil firmly in place around their roots, and I always carry them by their soil balls, never by their trunks. I'll get them reset at the same depths they were growing before, and I'll water them thoroughly to settle their new soil. I'll also thin the top growth by 30 percent, again to compensate for roots that I've left behind. I'm not sure if I'll use a root-stimulator fertilizer. Sometimes I do, but more often I don't.

Along a similar line, I have two young Japanese maple trees that we planted 14 months ago. Something went wrong over the summer, and those trees tilt toward each other at 10-degree angles. I know better than to try to pull and stake them back into vertical. The only permanent way to get them plumb is to dig and reset them. Sure, it means they're starting their new root growth almost anew, but better that than to have to look at crooked trees every day. Once they're reset, I'll stake them to be sure that this doesn't happen again. I didn't think they were tall enough to justify it last year. Bad decision.

Late-winter pruning tasks. This is last call for trimming deciduous plants. You can see dead and damaged branches better when the plants are bare, so that makes the job a lot easier.

Remember, as you're pruning summer-flowering shrubs now, never to "top" crape myrtles. There is no defense for this disfiguring practice. Probably the most plausible excuse would be because your plant has grown too tall, in which case, you really ought to move it somewhere else in your landscape. If you have a crape myrtle that has been topped before, the quickest way to a nice-looking plant would be to cut it to the ground and retrain the vigorous new shoots that come up.

I'm not into formal pruning in my own landscape. I prefer to buy plants that grow to the shape and size that I need, then pretty much leave them to grow to their genetic potential. However, that doesn't mean that I never prune or train them, and one annual task at my house is to use gasoline-powered hedge trimmers to shape the dwarf hollies and boxwoods. We remove a small amount of their top growth (probably 15 to 20 percent) each February, to give them rounded forms. Then, as the new growth comes out, it's soft-textured and very natural-looking. Other than to remove an occasional errant branch, they don't get pruned again until the same time the following year. I wait until February so I don't have to look at that formal pruning any longer than necessary.

Similarly, our nandinas are pruned late every winter. Most of what I've used is the old "Compacta" form that grows to 42 inches tall. Like the old, taller standard nandinas, it tends to get leggy. Nandinas are pruned differently from any other shrub that we grow. Each cane is cut individually with long-handled lopping shears, to within 1 or 2 inches of the soil. The canes send up new shoots that fill in from below. I probably cut two-thirds of my canes back each February. The shorter stems maintain the look of the bed until the new growth springs out in early March.

Rework and replant color beds. Recent rainfall has given me renewed enthusiasm for getting cool-season color planted. For old beds that I'm tuning back up, I'll add an inch each of sphagnum peat moss, compost and pine-bark mulch. An inch of expanded shale is still there, so I won't have to replenish it for a couple years. If I had new beds to prepare, I'd add 4 to 5 inches of organic matter and an inch of expanded shale, then would rototill to a depth of 12 inches.

Early-season vegetables. Onions and snap peas should be planted immediately. Mid-February, I'll set out broccoli and cabbage transplants and seed-potato pieces. Leafy and root vegetables will come late in the month.

Those, then, are the prime tasks in the landscape and garden. There are dozens of smaller ones, but these are the most time-sensitive.

Neil Sperry publishes Gardens magazine and hosts Texas Gardening noon-1 p.m. Saturdays and 9 a.m.-noon Sundays on WBAP AM/FM. Reach him during those hours at 800-288-9227 or 214-787-1820.

Organic calendar for February 2012

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:55 CST

Organic calendar for February

Week 1

Feb. 5-11

To freshen indoor carpets, collect and dry rose petals or lavender blooms. Spread across carpet and vacuum after 15 minutes.

Prune peach and plum trees to encourage growth. Cut limbs at a 45-degree angle. Prune one of every three branches. Spray foliage with seaweed spray once a week until the last spring frost (usually March 15).

Prune all other fruit trees, if branches are in the way of humans and animals, just before bud break.

Make the first application of spray to fruit and nut trees when buds are pink. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses plus 1 to 2 tablespoons seaweed plus 1 tablespoon natural apple cider vinegar per gallon of water. Optional ingredients: fish emulsion, garlic tea, baking soda, liquid biostimulants such as Agrispon or Medina Plus, neem and citrus oil or d-Limonene. In addition, feed with a granular organic fertilizer such as GardenVille, GreenSense, Bradfield, Sustane, at 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Apply lava sand at 80 pounds per 1,000 square feet and apply sugar straight from the kitchen at 2 to 5 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Save time and mix the dry ingredients in a wheelbarrow and make one application.

Week 2

Feb. 12-18

Companion-plant broccoli and Brussels sprouts with carrots or bush beans; cabbage with onions; cauliflower with potatoes, rosemary or oregano; peas with carrots, potatoes, radish or beans; and asparagus with nasturtiums. Cover if a late freeze hits.

Select and plant annual color: petunias, pinks, snapdragons, alyssum, calendulas and gladiolas. Fertilize at least once during the growing season with earthworm castings.

Prune grapes at least 80 percent.

Prune bush roses, unless they are a variety that blooms only in spring. Purchase and plant antique roses, which survive despite Texas weather and a lack of attention. During mild winters, many will remain evergreen.

Wisteria didn't bloom last year? Prune the roots to jump-start it for spring.

Transplant shrubs or bushes that are too large for their current location. Dig a new hole before digging a large amount of root ball. Soak the root ball in fish emulsion or seaweed water before placing it in its new home. Keep it well-watered for several days, then taper watering to once a week until established.

Cut off winter-damaged foliage from Asian jasmine, monkey grass and other ground covers to renew growth.

Week 3

Feb. 19-25

Cut back deciduous shrubs such as butterfly bush and American beautyberry to 12 to 18 inches tall. Spread a layer of compost over their roots.

Divide perennials, if needed. Place a handful of earthworm castings in the bottom of each hole when replanting.

Time for the first lawn fertilization. Apply 100 percent organic, granular fertilizer (Bioform Dry, Sustane, Texas Tee, Bradfield) three times a year at a rate of 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Take advantage of Mother Nature and fertilize just before or after rainfall. Apply liquid fertilizer (Medina Plus, Agrispon, Bioform, Neptune's Harvest) five times a year during the growing season. Follow directions on the product.

Week 4

Feb. 26-March 3

Time for the first fertilization of all plants. Use granular or liquid fertilizer five times a year. Blackstrap molasses and vinegar are liquid additives that will improve the soil. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons per gallon of water. Spray when the dew is on the foliage in the morning or late evening. During dry periods, you may have to water an area lightly before spraying.

Position copper barrier strips around a strawberry patch and any other plants that attract slugs.

Make willow, oak-bark or pecan-shell tea to soak seed or new plants before placing them in the garden. Heat 1 gallon of water, and add 1 ounce of bark, twigs or pecan shells. Turn off burner. Steep until cool. Strain and add enough water to make 3 gallons of tea. Store unused mixture in a plastic container. Shake it well before using.

Give your azaleas a boost with sulfur and Ruffin iron (granular or powder), Maestro-Gro Azalea Bed Prep or Rabbit Hill Farm Bunny Trails manure. Repeat in July.

Apply a solution to the trunks of stressed trees. Mix equal parts manure, compost, diatomaceous earth (DE) and soft rock phosphate. Add a couple tablespoons of cornmeal and enough water to make a paste. Paint it on tree trunks or apply it with gloved hands.

Gail I. Morris writes this column for the Star-Telegram. She can be contacted at Texasblooming@gmail.com.

Let it shine: Try shades of yellow for home decor bursting with fresh, happy colors

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:55 CST

By Kim Cook

Winter won't be over for a while, but already the sun is climbing a little higher in the sky and feeling a little warmer.

Early spring catalogs and shelter magazines are letting the sun in, too, with a variety of yellow hues in paint, furnishings and accessories.

Yellow can be cheerful and uplifting, or mellow and warm. It plays well with all woods and most other colors, and complements a wide range of decor styles. Whether you're bold enough for egg yolk or prefer the softer, mustardy side of the hue, yellow is worth considering.

It's a color that wakes up a kitchen, and DeLonghi's recently introduced Kmix collection of brightly colored counter appliances includes an energizing yellow that's caffeine for the eyeballs.

Rachael Ray, KitchenAid and Le Creuset have kitchenware in the hue.

And you'll find graphic print mugs and Marimekko sheet sets at Crate & Barrel with pops of yellow. The Zest margarita pitcher and glasses feature a zingy swirl of citron, and there are lemon-printed dish towels here, too. But there also are pieces in a more muted, creamy gold -- the Georgie ceramic lamp base would work with a sleek leather desk or a floral sofa. Curry flavors the Baxter rug, and there's the Silhouette sofa in a similar tone.

Wildon Home's Rawlins powder-coated-wire accent table is a light and airy way to introduce the color and could go indoors or out when the warmth returns.

CB2 has a low-slung glass and steel coffee table with yellow enameled wheels, a step stool in marigold and a gorgeous round serving bowl coated on the inside in gold.

Yellow and white is a fresh, happy combination. Rizzy Home's throw-pillow collection features zippy yellow floral, starburst and circle motifs; Thomas Paul's Flock rug comes in a crisp canary and white pattern. California's Kreme design studio has done both butterfly and bird motif wall coverings in that color combination, great on an accent wall or to give a small space some punch.

Michigan-based furniture maker Eric Kuczynski has designed a cool, modern, cube coffee table that he offers in a choice of glossy or matte yellow finishes. In a room with gray, navy or black-and-white furniture, you've got a statement piece.

A Senegalese woven basket, great for storing stuff at the front door or in the family room, comes in an unexpected yellow graphic at West Elm.

If you're interested in trying paint, remember that yellows look more intense on the wall than most other colors. Acid yellow is great in textiles or accent pieces, but on walls it can jangle the nerves. Consider the light in a yellow room, natural and artificial: Pale yellows in north-facing rooms can look peaked, yet soothe a sunny space. An intense, saturated yellow can overwhelm a windowless or south-facing room but make a small powder room or entry look like a jewel box.

Benjamin Moore's Vellum, Yellow Topaz and Bumble Bee are all warm, versatile shades. If you're looking for a little exuberance, take a look at Rain Slicker and Sunny Saturday from Mythic Paint. Even the names sound upbeat.

Shopping bag: Jonathan Adler-designed toilet-paper roll covers

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:46 CST

Shopping bag

Designer Jonathan Adler is all about bringing style with a dash of whimsy to the home. So it's not surprising that he would team up with Cottonelle to design covers for stashing that spare roll of toilet paper.

Adler, known for his pottery and home furnishings, introduced his first line of covers in August and recently unveiled his designs for a spring collection. The covers all have bold, modern designs.

Consumers can get a roll cover for free using an offer code found in specially marked packs of Cottonelle Clean Care toilet paper, or they can buy them for $2 each. In either case, they pay an additional $1.99 for shipping and handling.

For more information, go to RespectTheRoll.com.

-- Mary Beth Breckenridge, Akron Beacon Journal