: Home & Garden

That Breathless feeling is a good thing in the summer landscape

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:24 CST

By NORMAN WINTER

Sometimes the competition in the world can leave you breathless. In the plant world it's certainly more than a figure of speech as a new euphorbia series, Breathless, is making its debut this year.

It seems that it was just a couple of years ago that Diamond Frost euphorbia entered the gardening world and quickly swept every award. It also became widely recognized as just about the toughest flower you could grow, blooming from spring through frost.

Breathless is much like Diamond Frost, although perhaps a little tighter in habit. Diamond Frost reaches about 18 inches tall and Breathless a little shorter, closer to 15 inches. The big difference is that Breathless Blush gives gardeners a choice of colors.

It displays white flowers that are actually bracts, blushing with pink. The leaves are a dark green with red tones. You may find the leaf color reminiscent of the shrub burgundy loropetalum. Breathless Blush also has the same controlled habit, reaching about 12 inches tall with a spread of 20 to 24 inches.

Like Diamond Frost, Breathless ruggedly performs in the landscape all summer. You also will adore its mounding habit in mixed containers. Diamond Frost has been used as the ideal filler type flower in open pockets, but the Breathless habit allows it to take on a slightly more prominent role, if desired.

The competition doesn't stop with the Breathless series; Hip Hop and Whiten Manaus also are making their debuts. Hip Hop is very similar to Diamond Frost in bloom and habit, but White Manaus has shocked everyone with its pristine-white blossoms and giant structure.

White Manaus is not only a prolific flower producer but also approaches 3 feet in height. It is a cloud of white all growing season. The euphorbia is an environmentally friendly addition to the landscape, drought-tolerant and virtually pest-free.

For best blooming, select a location with as much sunlight as possible, although some shade is acceptable. Prepare the bed well so this persevering plant will establish quickly and happily in your flower bed. If you have a soil more suitable for making bricks, incorporate 3 to 4 inches of organic matter, such as compost, humus or peat, to not only loosen, but also improve drainage and aeration. Soggy wet soil is your enemy. Plant at the same depth in which they are growing in their container, 10 to 12 inches apart, even 14 inches, if you find the White Manaus.

The white-flowered selections make great partners with Intensia phlox, such as Neon Pink, Orchid Blast or Cabernet.

The Breathless Blush combines well with pink-flowered selections of salvias and burgundy-leafed grasses, while adding a touch of a lime-green foliaged plant, such as coleus or lamium, will add some extra zest.

Horticulturist Norman Winter is vice president for college advancement, Brewton Parker College, Mount Vernon, Ga. and author of Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South.

One to grow: Crested leopard plant

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:35 CST

Crested leopard plant

Dark green, glossy leaves with a wavy edge give this plant the look of a verdant clam.

Common name: Crested leopard plant, parsley Ligularia

Botanical name: Farfugium japonicum 'Crispata'

Why you want it: This evergreen plant is so unusual it will have visitors asking, "What is that?" Great-looking foliage for a shady garden has the added benefit of bright flowers in fall.

Foliage: Large, leathery leaves are round, 4 to 6 inches in diameter, with wavy edges. Leaves grow on long stems in a dense clump and stay green all year.

Flowers: Bright golden-yellow flowers appear in autumn, held a foot or more above the foliage on hairy, bare stems. The daisylike flowers bloom in clusters, creating a splash of color in the garden.

Size: Leopard plant grows 2 feet tall and wide and slowly spreads by rhizomes.

Care: All varieties of leopard plant need a shady location with moist soil. Leaves will turn over if they get too dry. Water well and they will recover, but don't allow this to happen too often. Remove brown leaves and flower spikes when the blooms fade. Keep mulch around the roots to maintain soil moisture in summer and to add protection in winter.

Landscape uses: Farfugiums, formerly classified as Ligularias, are much better shade foliage in the South than the more popular Hostas. Leopard plants tolerate heat much better, are bothered less by slugs and stay evergreen. Put leopard plant in beds that receive only morning sun or dappled shade. Plants have enough texture to stand out singly but make a striking spectacle planted in large clumps or drifts. Combine with ferns in back and Ajuga in front.

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

It's tater time in the garden

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:35 CST

The weekend scoop

Seed potatoes are available at local feed stores and now until mid-February is a good time to plant. Digging the potatoes out in a few months is like a treasure hunt. Each piece of seed potato you plant grows six to 20 potatoes or 11- to 30- pounds, depending on the potato variety and growing method. Select a sunny location with good drainage. Create the vertical garden or potato stack using a 5 gallon bucket, old garbage can, 3- to 5-old tires, welded wire fencings tied together like a tomato cage and pick a sunny location where you can place a pile of compost or straw. For a bucket or garbage can, cut off the bottom of the container and cut or drill some holes along the sides. If using tires, drill about 4 large holes on the bottom side of each tire so the tires will not hold water.

Russet and new potatoes are available at most feed stores and garden centers. Potatoes from the grocery store are treated with a growth regulator so they will not sprout in storage, thus seed potatoes are necessary. Cut them into pieces with 2 to 3 eyes. Allow the potato pieces to dry, or callus, overnight. Add 4- to 6-inches of compost to the container or the first tire. Plant three or four potato pieces in each potato stack. The plants will grow in about three or four weeks. Allow potato plants to grow about 4 to 6 inches high, then place more compost around the stems. Harvest the potatoes when the plants start to flower or wait until the plants start to yellow. And harvest before the hot weather starts.

Dotty Woodson is the water resources specialist at the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. Reach her at 972-231-5362 or d-woodson@tamu.edu.

Get started on developing your landscape

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:38 CST

Neil Sperry

The prospect of putting together a really fine landscape can seem overwhelming to a novice home gardener. That's when it's good to think about the brick mason who's just about to begin working on an entire office park. The only way that job -- like yours -- is ever going to get done is one piece at a time.

Granted, that brick layer is probably going to have help, but nothing says you can't have assistance as well. Let's try to assemble the flow chart for creating a landscape. We're going to work backward, from the whole back to the individual parts.

Start by assigning the "use areas" of your plan. The front yard, or public area, is that part that will be most highly visible. The back yard, or private area, is the section where you and your family will relax and entertain. The service, or work area is what's left over, generally in the back, behind the garage or against the rear fence.

Next, think of how you'll be using those areas. Think about the assets that are already in place, large shade trees are an example. Make a list of how you'll be using each of the spaces and, especially, how you'll be crossing through them. Walks and garden paths will be critical spaces that call out for micro-landscaping.

The public and private areas will each need a focal point. Your home's entry will be the focal point of the front yard, but in the back it could be a swimming pool, statue, fountain or decorative yard lamp.

Continue to break each section down even further. Once you've decided where the walks and beds will be, then you'll be ready to think about them, one square foot at a time. All of those segments will have to fit together visually in order for the landscape to be coherent and functional.

Find the focal point

Think of it this way: You'll want to plant shrubs in beds that flank the focal point of the yard, and arrange them in ways that draw viewers' eyes toward the prize -- the doorway or the garden art. The shrubs become the "frame" for the focus, and you don't want them to draw undue attention. Simple shrubs with evergreen foliage will work a lot better than some highly variegated showstopper plant.

Choose only species that are suited to your soils and climate, and use only types whose mature sizes will fit the spaces you have for them. That's where help is available. Ask a full-time nursery professional for assistance.

Next, choose plants to grow alongside the structural shrubs of the garden. Ground covers are a good transition between shrubs and turf grass, but so are low annual flowers. Pine-bark mulch makes a nice, neutral transition, as do small, rounded river rocks.

Simplicity is a good goal. It's a lot easier to have a beautiful landscape that is purposely kept simple than it is to design and maintain one that is visually busy. Any given part of a landscape probably should have only three or four types of shrubs and one or two types of ground covers. It's probably best to see only one type of mulch in each section of your landscape also, perhaps two, if you use decorative stone in that capacity. Limit your species of annual color to a handful, and use them in modest, well-positioned beds. Again, use them to draw attention to the focal point of the planting. Don't allow them to become distractions.

Bed edgings can tie parts of a garden together visually, whether it's a long sweep of green metal edging driven almost completely into the ground so that it's barely visible, or perhaps a very low shrub hedge (boxwood or dwarf yaupon) or tall, clumping groundcover (liriope). You might even use larger river rock embedded partially into the ground.

If you can allow yourself to compare landscape design to interior decorating, think about the process of choosing floor coverings, furniture, lamps and artwork, then insert plants and landscaping elements in the same way. It's a fun process, if you take it slowly, and the best part is that a great landscape is never finished, because unlike furniture and floor coverings, plants will keep on growing.

On the shelf: Setting the table

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:35 CST

Using pieces from the past helps to set a mood when you're setting the table.

Jacqueline deMontravel and the editors of Romantic Homes magazine help you create table settings using vintage finds in their new book, The Vintage Table: Personal Treasures and Standout Settings (Clarkson Potter, $35).

The book covers practical issues such as storing your tableware and caring for linens, but it emphasizes the creative side. The authors encourage readers to create a tabletop diary where they can keep fabric swatches, color chips, inspirational photos and other helpful materials, and they include plenty of photos and table-setting ideas to spark the imagination.

-- Mary Beth Breckenridge, Akron Beacon Journal

Valentine's Day treats

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:28 CST

We love this trio of new Crate & Barrel cupcake products for Valentine's Day. Start by decorating your cupcake with sprinkles using a set of six stencils with heart images ($5.95). Then, for a home party or presentation, display your wares on a white, filigreed metal three-tier cupcake stand with vintage appeal ($29.95). Or pack up the mini cakes for your kid's school party in a plastic 24-cup carrier (includes muffin pan, $24.95). All at www.crateandbarrel.com. To check if items are in stock at the store at 1420 Civic Place, Southlake Town Square, Southlake, call 817-421-8003.

-- Catherine Mallette

Make a modern version of sailors' valentines

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 10:09 CST

While traditional gifts like candy, flowers and cards are wonderful for Valentine's Day, why not make an investment of time instead to show someone how much he or she means to you?

Shell mosaics, or sailors' valentines, were tidings of love carried home by seamen who bought them from craftsmen on the island of Barbados in the British West Indies. Traditionally, these mosaics were encased in octagonal boxes and featured designs like a compass rose at the center. They were popular from the 1830s through the 1890s and are highly collectible. Even today, sailors' valentines created by shell artists in New England and Florida often command prices from $400 to $2,500.

Our version of the sailors' valentines are infinitely simpler. For one thing, we used a 10-inch-by-12-inch rectangle instead of an octagon.

Heart-shaped valentine

Supplies

Seashells in various colors and shapes ($2.99 for a bag of mixed shells, at the craft store)

Mat board

Glue (We used Liquid Fusion, also found at the craft store.)

Tweezers

1. Sort the shells according to type and color. Muffin tins make this process easy and orderly and the beauty of the individual shapes and the range of colors on even the tiniest of shells makes the task enjoyable.

2. A note on the gluing process: Lay one long bead of glue per line and then use tweezers to set the shells in place. Keep the shells similar in size and facing the same direction. The glue I used sets after about 30 minutes, which allows for adjustments. While I waited for one section to dry, I could work on another section and rotate among the areas.

3. Decide on a design. Our pink shells, known as rose-petal tellins, fit naturally into a heart shape, which became the design's focal point. Then we filled in the heart. A few rosy pink shells formed an "X" (symbolizing a kiss) in the center. (The Internet is a great source of inspiration when trying to decide on different designs.) We then filled in the rest of the heart with white and pearly shells. One note: Try to keep the composition balanced as you plan the overall design. If one type of shell is used on the bottom, it should be used on the top, and the same with the sides and corners.

4. Draw semicircles around the edge. I used a compass, but even the bottom of a drinking glass makes a good template.

5. Glue shells onto the pencil-marked semicircles. It's easier to work inward from the pencil line.

6. After the semicircles are filled, fill in the background between the central heart and the scalloped perimeter. I chose one color, a small, black, round shell called a nerite.

Mini shell flowers

I also made a couple of very easy shell flowers and framed them in coordinating mini silver frames. Just remove the glass to accommodate the dainty flowers.

Supplies

Glue

Black card stock, cut to fit the frame

Homemade gifts kids can give their valentines

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:52 CST

By CATHERINE MALLETTE

We heart Valentine's Day, a holiday dedicated to love -- and candy. Here are some quick, inexpensive gifts to make with the kids this weekend in anticipation of class parties and visits to Grandma.

For a posse of girlfriends: Candy jewelry

If your daughter wants to give her BFFs a little something special, whip up these super-simple candy necklaces or bracelets, based on an idea we found on FamilyFun.com.

You will need:

Plastic wrap

Scissors

Wrapped candies of your choice (We used Hershey's Kisses for a bracelet and Brach's peppermint Valentine Nougats for a necklace.)

Decorative ribbon (found at Michaels)

1. Cut the plastic wrap to the desired length (hold it up to see about how much you will need for a necklace or bracelet), then cut it in half to reduce the width.

2. Lay candies about an inch apart inside the wrap. Note: We prefer wrapped candies, which may be more of a challenge to wrap, but which seem like good choice in cold and flu season. Fold the wrap in half so the candies are in a kind of tube.

3. Starting at one end, tie a 4-inch length of ribbon around each side of the candy to secure it in place.

4. Tie the two ends together to form the necklace/bracelet. Add more ribbon to this closure if desired. Trim excess ribbon to make your project look neat.

For kids who like to play with their food: Candy airplanes

Ask your valentine "What's up?" with this project, also based on an idea on FamilyFun.com.

You will need:

Stick of gum (Juicy Fruit comes in a stick form and has a nice silver wrapper to work with.)

Red marker

White self-adhesive address labels

Just redo it: An expert tells you how to build on trends in your kitchen and bath

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 14:24 CST

By GAILE ROBINSON

Kitchen and bathrooms are the most important rooms in the house when it comes to remodeling, selling and buying. Interest in them is so rabid that they command their own trade shows and gobble up a huge portion of HGTV’s and DIY’s online Web sites. According to the Association of National Homebuilders, improvements in these extensively plumbed rooms also carry one of the largest rates of return when houses are sold; 78 percent of the remodeling costs are usually refunded, so builders, potential buyers and soon-to-be-sellers carefully watch the trends in kitchen and bath design.

Here to share her insight on such matters is Elizabeth Falconer, owner of Position by Design in Fort Worth who has been in the building business for almost three decades. She has completed hundreds of custom homes and more than 1,000 model homes and interior-design projects in 42 states. She regularly talks at home-building trade shows on kitchen and bath trends. These are her observations on trends that are waxing and waning.

Kitchens

"Your home design dictates how you socialize," says Falconer and, in many cases, the kitchen has become the hub of the house, as well as a performance stage. She attributes this to famous chefs taking over the kitchen and making it as much a male preserve as a female one.

It was the men who ushered in the desire for high-performance industrial-grade appliances, although, "quite frankly," she says, this market has peaked because the huge appliances visually overpower the space.

"It’s more practical to put in two residential-grade stove/oven combinations. They give you the double cook tops, which are the benefit of an industrial-size cooking surface, plus the two ovens, and they actually cost less," she says.

More appliances: Many kitchens are kitted out with two ovens, two work islands, two dishwashers or dishwasher drawers, and two refrigerators. "Upscale homes will have additional features, including wine storage and built-in appliances like coffee makers," she says. Falconer also has seen double laundry rooms, "one for the master bedroom and one for the guest wing." Wondering where you’d put another side-by-side washer and dryer? No worries, Falconer says, "I expect to see European-style washer/dryer combos in the near future, and they take even less space."

"There is also a demand for morning kitchens in master bedrooms," she says, so that the homeowners don’t have to pad downstairs to get their coffee

More kitchens: Some high-end homes boast double, triple or quadruple kitchens. Falconer is familiar with a home in Fort Worth’s Mira Vista neighborhood that has "a regular kitchen, a catering kitchen, a wine grotto with a sink, refrigerator and microwave, as well as a kitchen in the media room and an outdoor kitchen."

She says she believes that the interest in outdoor kitchens will continue because "as the price under the roof goes up [or stays up], the integration of the indoor-outdoor spaces will take on an increasingly important role because they offer more 'living space’ with a lower price per foot."

Clever storage: As the kitchen space opens up, there is less wall space for upper cabinets, "so we will see an increased pantry size, and use of smart storage," Falconer says. She points to a drawer under the bottom shelf in the kick plate area, flush with the floor. "This is something you’d find on a boat where every square inch has to be useful." She pulls out photos of tall, narrow cabinets next to the stove that hold row upon row of single spice jars, each one easily found and neatly arranged.

The cyber cafe: One thing Falconer tried to anticipate in building her own kitchen was the need for additional electrical outlets. She doubled the number called for by code. Along her long bar, she placed outlets every 18 inches or so. But it is still not enough. Whenever her adult children come home, they plug in their laptops and cellphone chargers, and her kitchen "looks like a cyber cafe," Falconer says.

The end of the triangle: For decades, kitchen designers have been lauding the kitchen’s "work triangle," which is the configuration between the stove, refrigerator and sink. Falconer says the "work triangle is a dinosaur. The triangle needs to be a trapezoid to include the most utilized appliance — the microwave." Incorporating this appliance necessitates rethinking relationships of use.

"The refrigerator should be on the outside edge of the space near the seating area," she says, because it gets a lot of kid traffic, and this keeps the noncooks from crossing paths with hot food coming from the ovens.

Is there any other surface?: "Granite is still the material of choice for countertops. But be careful," Falconer warns, "some materials that are being sold as granite are too soft to technically qualify and are giving granite a bad rap. If you cannot afford slab granite, an alternative is granite tile. Installed with epoxy grout, you get the same basic performance at a fraction of the cost."

Bathrooms

"After the absurd growth in the ’90s, the master-bath size has stabilized in a more realistic scale with the homes of the 21st century. Of course, that is relative, but I am seeing even the huge homes cutting out the vast wasted spaces that we built in the last decade. The closets are still huge, but the bathrooms are more human scale," Falconer says.

Separation of his/her space: The master bathroom is dividing in two, with more demand for not just for two sinks but for two separate vanities, along with his and her dressing rooms. "In the very high-end [homes], there are his-and-her master baths," says Falconer," and that usually trickles down to lower-end and production homes in some form."

The T.C.: What used to be known as the water closet is becoming the toilet closet. "Toilets will be increasingly compartmentalized," meaning they will have their own room, but Falconer says this is more common in Texas than in the rest of the country. Along with the separation of master baths, don’t be surprised to find his and her toilets as a design feature of dual master baths.

Hardware: One of the most economical redos for either the kitchen or bath is to replace outdated hardware with new fixtures. The most popular hardware finishes are rubbed bronze, oil-rubbed bronze and brushed stainless. None of these is highly reflective, and oil-rubbed bronze has a dark brown, almost black matte finish. New finishes are constantly flooding the market, so there are dozens of choices. But not all fixture manufacturers follow suit, says Falconer, so the knobs and handles you find may not have towel bars, or light fixtures, to match.

Tough-growing lantanas just got even more attractive

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:35 CST

By NORMAN WINTER

Look for Bandito lantanas to come blazing to the front of the flower border in landscapes all across the country this spring and summer thanks to their rich colors, compact habit and rugged performance.

Lantanas have become favorites with gardeners everywhere over the last decade, not only because of their colors but their ability to attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Lantanas range in size from the huge almost shrublike to the shorter and spreading. It’s the new Bandito lantanas (growing to 14 inches tall) that can be planted at the front of a border and used as filler plants in mixed containers.

The taller version quickly gained in popularity with rich colors coupled with vigor that everyone deemed just about perfect. They are ideal for the middle of the border and don’t require constant pruning to keep confined.

Now the same plant breeders are introducing the Bandito Orange Sunrise and Bandito Rose and Bandito Red. These are heat- and drought-tolerant, persevering plants, with larger flowers than you might expect on lantanas.

All of these lantanas are a kaleidoscope of ever-changing colors. The lantana bloom is actually a cluster of smaller flowers that start with one color and then age as the day evolves, eventually reaching the mature color. Although you don’t normally think about foliage as being an asset with lantanas, it is with the Bandito series. The leaves are a deep, dark green and semi-glossy. They are striking plants.

Lantanas are grown by most of the country as annuals. In zones 7 and 8, the key to a spring return is excellent winter drainage. Soggy wet winter soil is just not tolerated by lantanas.

To grow yours select a site in full sun with fertile well-drained soil. If you are plagued with tight, heavy clay, loosen it with three to four inches of organic matter, such as peat, compost or humus. While you are preparing the soil, add a little slow-release fertilizer, such as a 12-6-6, at a rate of 2 pounds per 100 square feet.

You’ll probably buy 6-inch containers, so dig your holes two to three times as large as the root ball, planting at the same depth they are growing in the container. Finish the job by adding a good layer of mulch to conserve moisture, deter weeds and moderate soil temperatures.