Take a look at what's on our radar. Spoiler: We can't help it, we're having a London moment. 

• Above: Spending the summer in London? This sounds like something out of a dream: a roving gin garden. Photograph by Olivia Rae James. 
• Fire pits come in many shapes and sizes, and they're all beautiful. 
• What you'll think when you see this wildflower eye candy: There'll always be an England.  

• Above: We're craving this teak indoor/outdoor bench from our new favorite UK-based retailer, Rowen & Wren. And we know just where we'll put it.
• A handy gardener's guide to June, whatever your zone. 
• The best part of a summer wedding: the blooms. Here, eight gorgeous centerpieces. 

• Above: If you're reading this in London, and can tear yourself away from the gin garden (see above), get to Open Squares now.
• And next weekend: Look for us at GROW London! We're offering ticket discounts for Gardenista readers.  

• Above: Lilac Pruning 101. Don't wait; prune now for the best bloom next year. Photograph by Justine Hand. 
• Party-ready outdoor rooms for entertaining.  

See how we lead up to Father's Day by celebrating the gentleman gardener in this week's Cool Dads issue, and how Remodelista celebrates the male aesthetic in their Cool Dads issue. 

More Stories from Gardenista

• Current Obsessions: Hello, Peonies
• Current Obsessions: Almost Summer
• Current Obsessions: Going Outdoors

When garden designer Andrea Filippone was studying architecture at Harvard, she focused on modern style: She loved clean lines and rectangular shapes, and lots of steel, concrete, and glass. She fully expected to make her career following the innovations of Le Corbusier, Gropius, and van der Rohe. Then, in the early 1990s, she fell in love with an abandoned 19th-century dairy farm in New Jersey.  

The farm had four ramshackle barns and acres of land, including a sunny, flat area that looked just right for growing vegetables. Filippone (who is president of the New Jersey-based firm AJF Design) decided to build an edible garden the size of a mini football field on the 60-by-200-foot rectangle. It took her two years to improve the soil—a mixture of clay and silt—with liberal additions of compost, manure, and sand. Then she planted her vegetables.

And then came the deer. Giant herds of them, with hearty appetites and the superhero ability to leap tall fences. The deer were frequently joined by their friends the groundhogs, vegetable lovers who were experts at tunneling under fences.

But all was not lost. Filippone devised an ingenious solution for thwarting the jumpers and the tunnelers. And she did it without sacrificing style, symmetry, or a single bed of salad greens.

Are you designing a new edible garden this summer—or hoping to improve on last year's plan? For the next 48 hours, Filippone is here to answer any and all reader questions posted in the comment section below. Fire away!

Photography by Andrea Filippone, except where noted. 

Above: Deer will leap a fence only if they can spot a clear landing on the other side. Armed with that knowledge, Filippone devised a deer-proof double enclosure. The first line of defense: an 8-foot-high privet hedge. The second: a 7-foot-high wooden fence, a few feet inside the hedge.

Above: Towards the bottom, the fence is lined with wire mesh that extends to a depth of 3 feet below ground, a barrier to ward off groundhogs.  

Above: One of the four antique French tree guards that enhance Filippone's vegetable garden, providing height and visual interest.

Above: When Filippone first saw the property more than 20 years ago, the four barns may have been eyesores—but she spotted their potential to become a beautiful house. Now restored, the barns are ingeniously linked with innovative passageways, creating a structure that accommodates both living and business. Photo by Jeanne Rostaing.

Restoring the barns was only the beginning. Filippone had always been interested in growing things, but she was very much a novice when she began designing and building the gardens that would surround the barns. 

Above: Squash vines and espaliered apple trees line and soften the vegetable garden's fence. 

Above: French garden design has clearly influenced Filippone. Early in the growing season, the vegetable garden looks formal: perfect squares laid in a grid and edged with boxwood. But, as Filippone points out, by summer's end the symmetry disappears, obscured by the disorder of crops allowed to bolt, go to seed, and basically run wild. "I need the structure because I let the vegetables take over," she says.  

Above: A squash vine breaks through the grid. 

To most of us, companion planting means combining different plants simply to discourage insect pests. To Filippone, with her architect's sensibility, companion planting also provides opportunities to create patterns and textures. She likes to mix plants of different sizes, shapes, and colors to create pleasing contrasts. She grows late-harvest and early-harvest plants together for continued interest. For insect control, she adds parsley, lavender, oregano, and mint. 

Above: Filippone is the primary worker in her vegetable garden, but she gets help from her 10-year-old twins, Isabella and Tessa. Together, they choose which vegetables and varieties to plant. They like to buy locally, getting their seed packets from nearby grocery stores and seedlings from area nurseries and farmers' markets.  

Above: The vegetable garden seems even larger when you realize that other gardens on the 35 acres also require Filippone's care. There's a kitchen garden next to the house and even a test nursery for boxwood, which Filippone became interested in when she was researching plants that deer avoid. Now she's studying the organic management of the shrubs as a way of eliminating problems caused by Cylindrocladium buxicola, boxwood blight. (For boxwood alternatives, see How to Eliminate Boxwood Blight.)

Above: Filippone grows lettuce for color as well as nourishment. Photograph by Jeanne Rostaing.

To care for her vegetable garden, Filippone relies on a number of labor-saving techniques. She uses drip irrigation, loosens the soil and adds compost only in the spring, and mulches with chopped leaves. She limits herself to organic gardening methods. Because she herself is mainly a self-taught gardener, she urges beginners not to be afraid to experiment.

For tips on your own garden, just ask a question below. Andrea Filippone is available all weekend to advise you. 

For another approach to thwarting deer, see Elegant Deer Fencing, Hamptons Edition. Read about smaller edible gardens at DIY: Small Space Vegetable Garden on Remodelista and DIY: A Family Friendly Vegetable Garden. 

More Stories from Gardenista

• Outbuilding of the Week: Garden Workshop by Rodic Davidson Architecture
• Garden Visit: The Latest Word on Roses, from the Royal Horticultural Society
• Architects' Roundup: Fire Pits and Outdoor Fireplaces

Table of Contents:

• Prize
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Official Rules 
• Back to Gardenista Awards Page

Prize

Winning projects will be covered with full posts on Remodelista or Gardenista, and winning entrants will receive a Jielde SI333 Signal Desk Lamp in bronze, designed exclusively for Remodelista and Gardenista.

Above: The Jielde SI333 Signal Desk Lamp in bronze, at the home of Remodelista editor-in-chief Julie Carlson.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Who is eligible to enter the contest? 

Individuals located in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom are welcome to enter. We regret that we cannot open the contest to projects from all countries at this time. Designers and owners/tenants are invited to submit their spaces. Entrants need not be design professionals; gardeners, homeowners, architects, DIYers, interior designers, and landscape architects are all invited to submit. See our Official Rules for exceptions.

What are the 10 Remodelista contest categories?

Best Kitchen Space — Designed by Professionals

Best Living/Dining Space — Designed by Professionals

Best Bedroom Space — Designed by Professionals

Best Office Space — Designed by Professionals

Best Bath Space — Designed by Professionals

Best Kitchen Space — Designed by Amateurs

Best Living/Dining Space — Designed by Amateurs

Best Bedroom Space — Designed by Amateurs

Best Office Space — Designed by Amateurs

Best Bath Space — Designed by Amateurs

What are the seven Gardenista contest categories?

Best Garden — Designed by Amateurs

Best Small Garden — Designed by Amateurs

Best Outdoor Living Space — Open to Everyone

Best Edible Garden — Open to Everyone

Best Hardscape Project — Open to Everyone

Best Professional Landscape — Designed by Professionals

Best Garden Shed or Outbuilding — Designed by Professionals

Will you explain the Gardenista categories in greater detail?

Best Garden: Best overall outdoor garden designed by an amateur.

Best Small Garden: Houseplants, indoor gardens, window boxes, fire escape gardens, container gardens, vertical gardens, etc. designed by an amateur.

Best Outdoor Living Space: Outdoor sitting rooms and lounge spaces, outdoor kitchens, outdoor dining rooms, outdoor showers and baths, etc. open to both professionals and amateurs.

Best Edible Garden: Kitchen gardens, vegetable patches, raised beds, outdoor herb gardens, etc. open to both professionals and amateurs.

Best Hardscape Project: Stairways, decks and patios, driveways, pathways, fences, swimming pools, garden gates, trellises, etc. open to both professionals and amateurs.

Best Professional Landscape: Best overall outdoor garden or landscape designed by a professional.

Best Garden Shed or Outbuilding: Garden sheds, storage sheds, barns, garages, carports, greenhouses, pool houses, backyard studios, outhouses, guest houses, etc. designed by a professional. Though an outbuilding is typically detached from a main house, it's not required here.

What if my project has been covered on Remodelista or Gardenista before? What if I am a member of your Architect/Designer Directory?

If we have featured your project on our site(s) before, please do not submit that project for consideration. All are welcome to submit new projects, including members of our Architect/Designer Directory.

Can I submit more than one entry?

Yes, you may submit one entry into each category for which you qualify. You must complete an entry form for each submission. Please use the same email address for all of your submissions, as well as the same public-facing name. 

Can I submit a project for more than one category?

One project may be submitted for more than one category, but a single photo may not be submitted twice. For example, if you would like to submit two spaces from a single project—say a kitchen and a bedroom in the same home—choose up to six photos of the kitchen and submit them as a single entry. Choose up to six different photos of the bedroom and submit them as a single entry. Entries will be excluded if the same photo is submitted for more than one category.

When are entries due?

Monday, July 7 by midnight PDT.

What kinds of photos are you looking for?

Please upload a maximum of six photos per entry. Look through our sites to get a sense for the kinds of photos we like. Consider the way we cover any single room or space, and follow suit if you can. We need to be able to see the space you want us to consider, but we also enjoy detail shots.

Photos must be a minimum of 700 pixels wide (whether the photo is displayed horizontally or vertically does not matter). Photos can be in JPG or PNG format and may have a maximum file size of 5 MB each. Photos cannot feature any identifiable person. Please note that we cannot provide individual help with photography or image sizing.

Do I need to have professional photos taken of my space?

No. We use both professional and amateur photography on our sites, and we will evaluate contest images in the same way we review images for our sites. 

What is the Design Statement?

Please prepare a brief statement describing your project and what you were aiming to achieve. The form will accept a maximum of 250 words. Your project will not be judged on your design statement but it can help us understand your project. If you are a contest finalist, your project will be judged by reader vote. Your design statement can help readers understand and vote for your project. 

How will you choose the winners?

A guest judge has been assigned to each category, and the guest judge will review projects alongside Remodelista and Gardenista judges to choose up to five finalists in each category. Remodelista and Gardenista judges will review every contest submission. We will announce the finalists on our sites and the eventual winners will be chosen by public voting. There will be 17 winners total: one winner for each of the 10 Remodelista and seven Gardenista categories.

Who are the judges?

The competition will be judged by a panel of Remodelista and Gardenista editors, plus one guest judge in each category. 

When will finalists be announced, and when is the public voting period?

Finalists will be announced on Wednesday, July 16 and public voting will begin. Voting ends on Friday, August 8 at midnight PDT.

If I am a finalist, can I publicize my project and ask people to vote for me?

Yes! We will share some tips with all finalists about publicizing your project to maximize your votes. We will share a contest logo with you to post on your blog, Facebook page, etc.

When will winners be announced?

Winners will be announced on Saturday, August 9.

Even if I don’t win, is there a chance you will publish my project on Remodelista or Gardenista?

Yes. By sending your photos and project details to us, you give us permission to use them. We may publish some images to publicize the competition, and we may publish your images on our site at a future date, always with proper credit.

If my entry wins, who will be credited for the design?

On the entry form, you will be asked to list the contributors to the project. Listed contributors will be named if your project wins. By submitting a project, we assume that you are entitled to do so. See our Official Rules (below) for details.

How do I enter?

Enter online here.

What if my question isn’t answered here?

If not answered in our Official Rules, please email feedback<at>remodelista.com with "Design Awards" in the subject line. We cannot guarantee a response, especially if you are requesting individual assistance with your submission.

Official Rules of the Remodelista/Gardenista 2014 Considered Design Awards

Remodelista.com/Gardenista.com 2014 Considered Design Awards

Official Rules

NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID IN QUEBEC AND WHERE PROHIBITED.

The Remodelista.com/Gardenista.com Considered Design Awards (“Contest”) starts on Monday, June 16, 2014 at 12:01 am Eastern Time (“ET”) and ends at 11:59 pm PT on Friday, August 8, 2014 (“Contest Period”).  

All Contest entry submissions should be received between Monday, June 16, 2014 at 12:01 am ET and at 11:59 pm PT on Monday, July 7, 2014 (“Submission Period”)

Public voting will take place between 12:01 a.m. ET on Wednesday, July 16, 2014 and 11:59 pm PT on Friday, August 8, 2014 (“Voting Period”).

ELIGIBILITY: Contest is open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia, Canada (excluding Quebec), and the United Kingdom who are 21 years of age or older at time of entry.  Employees, officers, directors, agents and representatives of SAY Media, Inc. (“Sponsor”), its parent, subsidiaries, affiliates and advertising and promotion agencies, and members of their immediate family (spouse and parent, children and siblings and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and persons living in the same household, whether or not related, of such employees, officers, directors, agents and representatives, are not eligible to enter or win. Void in Quebec and where prohibited by law. Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state provincial and local laws. By participating, each entrant agrees to abide by these Official Rules and decisions of Sponsor and judges, which shall be final and binding in all respects relating to this Contest.

HOW TO ENTER:  During the Submission Period, you may enter in one or more of the following categories (each, a “Category”):

1. Best Kitchen Space
2. Best Living / Dining Space
3. Best Bedroom Space
4. Best Office Space
5. Best Bath Space

1. Best Garden (Best overall outdoor garden designed by an Amateur)
2. Best Small Garden (Houseplants, indoor gardens, window boxes, fire escape gardens, container gardens, vertical gardens, etc. from an Amateur).
3. Best Hardscape Project (Stairways, decks and patios, driveways, pathways, fences, swimming pools, garden gates, trellises, etc. Open to everyone)
4. Best Edible Garden (Kitchen gardens, vegetable patches, raised beds, outdoor herb gardens, etc. Open to everyone)
5. Best Outdoor Living Space (Outdoor sitting rooms and lounge spaces, outdoor kitchens, outdoor dining rooms, outdoor showers and baths, etc. Open to everyone)
6. Best Professional Landscape (Best overall outdoor garden or landscape designed by a Professional)
7. Best Garden Shed or Outbuilding by a Professional (Garden sheds, storage sheds, barns, garages, carports, greenhouses, pool houses, backyard studios, outhouses, guest houses, etc. Though an outbuilding is typically detached from a main house, it's not required to be detached for this Category.)

Each Remodelista.com Category will have a Professional and Amateur Sub-Category (each, a “Sub-Category”). Gardenista.com has two categories open only to Amateurs (Best Garden and Best Small Garden), two Categories open only to Professionals (Best Professional Landscape and Best Garden Shed or Outbuilding), and three Categories that are open to all types of entrants (Best Outdoor Living Space, Best Edible Garden, and Best Hardscape Project). Enter your project into the Professional Sub-Category if:  (a) you are currently employed as a home or garden design professional, or (b) if you received payment for the project you are submitting.  All other projects should be entered into the Amateur Sub-Category. 

To enter a particular category, visit (as applicable) either Remodelista.com or Gardenista.com (each a “Website” and collectively, the “Websites”) and (1) follow the directions to upload up to six (6) photos (each a “Photo” and collectively, the “Photos”) of an indoor and/or outdoor space (as applicable) that you designed and/or you own or rent and that reflects the selected Category, and (2) provide all requested information  (including your first and last name, country/state/province/territory of residence, email address, and description of the project).  You will also be required to confirm that you have read, understood and agree to abide by these Official Rules and are older than 21 years old.  For the purposes of this Contest and these Official Rules an “Entry” shall include the “Photo”.  

Limit one (1) Entry per person/email address for each Category for which you qualify.  Each Entry must feature a different indoor and/or outdoor space (as applicable) in Sponsor’s sole discretion.  

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

• Any Photo must be submitted in one of the following formats: JPG or PNG, and cannot exceed 5 MB.  

• The Photo Entries should only show the space and must not contain any reference to, or the image or likeness of, any identifiable person.

Entries generated by script, macro or other automated means or by any means which subvert the entry process are void.  Entrant may only use one (1) email account in connection with this Contest. Entries received from any person or email address in excess of this limitation will be void. Entries will not be returned.  

PROHIBITED CONTENT:  Each Entry may not contain, as determined by the Sponsor, in its sole discretion, any content that:

• is derogatory of any ethnic, racial, gender, sexual orientation, religious, professional or age or other protected group or individual(s);

• is profane or pornographic;

• contains nudity;

• is obscene or offensive; endorses any form of hate or hate group;

• appears to duplicate any other submitted Entries;  

• defames, misrepresents or contains disparaging remarks about Sponsor, its products or services, any person or any other entity;

• contains trademarks, logos, or trade dress owned by others, without permission, to the extent permission is necessary;

• contains copyrighted materials owned by others (such as music, photographs, footage, sculptures, paintings, texts and other works of art or images), without permission, to the extent permission is necessary;

• contains materials embodying the names, likenesses, voices, or other indicia identifying any person (living or dead), such as license plate numbers, personal names, e-mail addresses or street addresses, including, without limitation, celebrities and/or other public or private figures, living or dead, without permission, to the extent permission is necessary;

• communicates messages or images inconsistent with Sponsor and/or its reputation; and/or

• violates any law.

Entrant represents and warrants that he/she has all necessary rights, title and interest, including copyright, in each Entry, and that each Entry does not infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, publicity or other intellectual property or other rights of any person, living or deceased, or entity.  If an Entry contains any material or elements that are not owned by the entrant, and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties, the entrant is responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the Entry, any and all releases, permissions and consents necessary to permit the use and exhibition of the Entry by Sponsor in the manner set forth in these Official Rules, including, without limitation, permissions from any person who took the Photo(s) submitted as an Entry. Sponsor reserves the right to request proof of these permissions in a form acceptable to Sponsor from any entrant at any time. Failure to provide such proof may, if requested, render Entry null and void.  By submitting an Entry, entrant warrants and represents that (a) he/she has the right to submit the Photo, (b) he/she consents to the submission and use of the Photo in the Contest and to its use as otherwise set forth herein, and (c) the use of the Photo by Sponsor as contemplated herein will not violate or infringe upon the rights of any third party.

By submitting an Entry, entrant represents and warrants that the Entry conforms to these Official Rules and understands that Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may disqualify the Entry for any reason, including if it determines, in its sole discretion, that the Entry fails to conform to these Official Rules in any way or otherwise contains unacceptable content as determined by Sponsor, in its sole discretion.

USE OF PHOTOS:By submitting a Photo, entrant hereby grants to Sponsor, its licensees, successors and assigns a non-exclusive license to use, adapt, edit, modify, reproduce, distribute, display, perform, create derivative works based upon, or otherwise exploit the Photo in any manner or media now known or hereafter devised throughout the world in perpetuity for advertising, promotional and other purposes (including, without limitation, displaying the Photo on the Websites and/or Sponsor’s websites and social media sites as part of a library of Entries) and waives all his/her rights, including moral rights, in and to the Photo, without further compensation, notification or permission. Entrant agrees that Released Parties (as defined below) are not responsible for any unauthorized use of Photos by third parties.  Sponsor has no obligation to make use of the rights granted herein and may take down any Photo at any time and for any reason, in its sole discretion.  

JUDGING:  All eligible Entries received by Sponsor will be judged by a panel of qualified judges based on the following criteria, with each criterion being weighted equally: (a) simplicity of the design, and (b) compatibility with the overall theme and aesthetic of the Remodelista.com or Gardenista.com website for the applicable Category (“Judging Criteria”), to determine up to five (5) potential finalists in each Category or Sub-Category on each Website, for a total of up to eighty-five (85) potential finalists (up to fifty (50) per Remodelista.com and up to thirty-five (35) per Gardenista.com) (each, a “Finalist”).  The same individual can be selected as a Finalist in more than one Category. In the event of a tie, an additional, “tie-breaking” judge will determine the Finalist(s) based on the Judging Criteria. Sponsor will not reveal the judging scores for any Entry.

PUBLIC VOTING: Each Finalist Photo will be featured on each Website during the Voting Period. Visitors to the Websites can select their favorite design. Limit one (1) vote per person per IP address and per Category per day during the Voting Period. For the Categories with Sub-Categories, a person can submit one (1) vote each day in each Sub-Category. The Finalist receiving the highest number of valid votes in a Category (or Sub-Category, as applicable) at the end of the Voting Period, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, will be deemed a potential winner. One (1) potential winner per Category (or Sub-Category) will be determined by public voting, for a total of up to seventeen (17) potential winners. The same individual may be selected as a potential winner for multiple Categories (or Sub-Categories). Votes received from any person/email address in excess of the stated limitation will be void. Votes obtained or suspected to be obtained by any fraudulent or inappropriate means, including, without limitation, trading votes or offering prizes or other inducements to members of the public, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, will be disqualified and all associated entrants will be void. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, if the Sponsor has grounds to suspect any entrant or third party of cheating, deception or fraudulent or unsportsman-like conduct of any kind (including, without limitation, manipulating the Contest, choice of prize winner(s) or any Entry) the Sponsor reserves the right (in its sole discretion) to disqualify any entrant, vote or person it reasonably believes to be responsible for, or associated with, such activity. In the event of a tie, a “tie-breaking” judge will determine the winner based on the judging criteria set forth above. Use of script, macro or any automated system to vote or with the intent to impair the integrity of the voting process is prohibited and all such votes will be void. Sponsor reserves the right to not award any or all prizes (except where prohibited) if, in its sole discretion, it does not receive a sufficient number of eligible and qualified Entries.

The odds of being selected as eligible to win will depend on a combination of: (i) the total number of eligible Entries received in each Category (or Sub-Category, as applicable) during the Contest Period and (ii) the total number of eligible “votes” the entrant’s Photo receives from the Voting Period and (iii) the score the Photo receives by the judges in accordance with the Judging Criteria outlined above.

For the purposes of submitting a vote in this Contest in accordance with these Official Rules, a “day” shall mean  twenty-four (24) hours from the time a participant submits a vote during the Voting Period.

WINNER NOTIFICATION: Potential winners will be notified by email within three (3) days of selection at the email address provided at time of entry and may be required to execute an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Liability and Publicity Release or for residents of Canada, a Declaration and Release (collectively, the “Release”) (unless prohibited by law), which must be returned within five (5) days of the date appearing on prize notification. Return of prize or prize notification as undeliverable, failure to sign and return requested documentation within the specified time period, the inability of Sponsor to contact a potential winner within a reasonable time period or noncompliance with these Official Rules by any potential winner will result in disqualification and, at Sponsor’s sole discretion, the prize may be awarded to a runner-up (who received the next highest number of valid votes in the same Category during the Voting Period), who will be subject to disqualification in the same manner.

Prizes: There are a total of seventeen (17) prizes available to be won (one (1) per Category or Sub-Category). Each winner will receive one (1) Jielde Signal Lamp in a color to be determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”): $500 U.S. Dollars (“USD”) each.  Total ARV of all prizes: $8500 USD. All applicable federal, state, provincial and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the winners. Winner may not substitute, assign or transfer prize, but Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to substitute prize with one of comparable or greater monetary value.  All prize details are at Sponsor’s sole discretion.

RELEASE OF LIABILITY:  By participating, each entrant agrees to release, indemnify, discharge and hold harmless Sponsor and its parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, and advertising and promotion agencies, and the respective officers, directors, shareholders, employees, agents and representatives of the forgoing (collectively, “Released Parties”) from any and all injuries, liability, losses and damages of any kind to persons, including death, or property resulting, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from entrant’s participation in the Contest or any Contest-related activity, the use of entrant’s Entry, the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prize and/or Sponsor’s use of the rights granted herein.

PUBLICITY GRANT: By participating, each entrant agrees to the use by Sponsor and its designees, of his/her name, voice, performance, biographical information, image and/or likeness for advertising, publicity, promotional and other purposes, in any and all media now or hereafter known, worldwide in perpetuity, without compensation (unless prohibited by law) or additional consents from entrant or any third party and without prior notice, approval or inspection, and to execute specific consent to such use if asked to do so.  

PERSONAL INFORMATION:  Sponsor and its authorized agents will collect, use, and disclose the personal information you provide when you enter the Contest for the purposes of administering the Contest and prize fulfillment. By entering this Contest, you consent to such collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information. Residents of Canada: The Websites may be hosted on servers in the United States, and the personal information you provide may therefore also be subject to the laws of the United States.For further information about Sponsor's privacy practices, please see Sponsor's Privacy Policy at: http://www.remodelista.com/privacy-policy.

GENERAL CONDITIONS Released Parties are not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, damaged, inaccurate, stolen, delayed, misdirected, undelivered, or garbled Entries, email or mail; or for lost, interrupted or unavailable network, server, Internet Service Provider (ISP), website, or other connections, availability or accessibility or miscommunications or failed computer, satellite, telephone or cable transmissions, lines, or technical failure or jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected transmissions or computer hardware or software malfunctions, failures or difficulties, or other errors or difficulties of any kind whether human, mechanical, electronic, computer, network, typographical, printing or otherwise relating to or in connection with the Contest, including, without limitation, errors or difficulties which may occur in connection with the administration of the Contest, the processing or judging of Entries, the announcement of the prize or in any Contest-related materials.  Proof of Entry submission does not constitute proof of receipt. Sponsor reserves the right to correct any typographical, printing, computer programming or operator errors.  Released Parties are also not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by site users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest.  Released Parties are not responsible for injury or damage to any person's computer related to or resulting from participating in this Contest or downloading materials from or use of the Websites.  Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the Contest or Websites, who act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner or who are in violation of these Official Rules, as solely determined by Sponsor, will be disqualified and all associated Entries will be void. Should any portion of the Contest be, in Sponsor’s sole opinion, compromised by virus, worms, bugs, non-authorized human intervention or other causes which, in the sole opinion of the Sponsor, corrupt or impair the administration, security, fairness or proper play, or submission of Entries, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Contest or these Official Rules, in whole or in part, at any time and without notice or obligation and, if terminated, at its discretion, select the potential winner from all eligible, non-suspect Entries received prior to action taken who will be subject to disqualification in the same manner using the judging procedure outlined above or as otherwise deemed fair and appropriate by Sponsor. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE WEBSITES OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES AND OTHER REMEDIES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS’ FEES) FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.  If and to the extent English law applies to these Official Rules or any claim relating to it, nothing in these Official Rules will in any way limit or exclude any party’s liability for death or personal injury caused by its negligence, or for fraud.  Sponsor's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Official Rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision.  If any provision of the Official Rules is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable, then the Official Rules shall be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or unenforceable provision was not contained therein.  In the event of a dispute as to the identity of the person who submitted any Entry, the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at entry will be deemed to be the entrant and he/she must comply with these Official Rules. The "authorized account holder" is the natural person assigned an e-mail address by an access provider, service provider, or other person or organization responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the account associated with the submitted address. The potential winner may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder.

Request for Winners LIST: For the winners list (available after Saturday, August 9, 2014), visit remodelista.com or gardenista.com.

Sponsor: SAY Media, Inc., 180 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA 94107

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As summer solstice approaches, we'll spend the week preparing for Midsummer. We'll be exploring Scandinavian gardens, summer homes, and cocktails. Elderflower cordial, anyone?

Monday

Above: In this week's Architect Visit, Danish architectural firm Lykke + Nielsen launch a side business creating modular cottages for summer living. We just need a US architect to riff off this, and we'll be all set.

Tuesday 

Above: Photograph via Bo Bedre.

A summer house north of Copenhagen has it all: an outdoor shower, a sunny patio, and simplicity. Plus, a dog who could be the identical twin of Michelle's papillon Larry. Dalilah recreates the look in this week's Steal This Look.

Wednesday

Above: Photograph via The Balcony Gardener.

Portable and collapsible are two of our favorite words to describe seasonal furniture. This week's 10 Easy Pieces is devoted to stylish outdoor chairs you can fold up and tuck away come winter. Not that we have to worry about that for a while.

Thursday

Above: Photograph by Nicole Franzen.

A hog wire fence can be the height of elegance; trust us on this one (and see this week's Hardscaping 101).

Friday

Above: Photograph by Nicole Franzen for Gardenista.

What makes a garage a home? Scandi style from Ikea, of course. We explore budget options for summer guest quarters in this week's Outbuilding of the Week.

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The Danish architectural firm Lykke + Nielsen has launched a side business building modular summer cottages. Created from a simple modular template, the houses can be in place within six months of ordering, configured to fit the buyer's needs. Mix and match room modules—a bedroom, a kitchen/bath, a living room—and join them by adding a breezeway module.

Here are two examples from the Lykke + Nielsen portfolio that caught our eye. To learn more, go to Moen Huset. Now we just need an architect in the US to riff off this idea, and we'll be all set.

Photography via Small House Bliss.

Above: A breezeway connects two living areas in the Længehus modular house, located in the countryside south of Copenhagen. We like the way the exterior door props open to create a windbreak.

 Above: The cottage with the door closed. The siding is tar-treated larch.

Above: This larger cabin was built in a forest an hour north of Copenhagen. It's made of two modules that sit at right angles; the deck extends the length of the living area.

Above: Black metal window frames and an iron wood-burning stove provide visual contrast with the all-white interior.

Above: Floor-to-ceiling windows run the length of the living room, allowing plenty of light in.

Above: The living room seen from the sleeping loft.

Above: The streamlined kitchen, white with black accents.

Above: The downstairs bedroom is easily opened up to the outdoors.

Above: A wall-mounted vanity gives the small bathroom a spacious feel.

Above: The sleeping loft has skylight windows and is reached by a ladder.

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• Garden Visit: An Enchanted Garden in Sweden
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Pelargonium: "The Stork's Head"

Please don't call them "geraniums." We have to get past that.
 
They're actually pelargoniums, flowering plants indigenous to South Africa. In Sweden, where gardeners have a soft spot for these warm-weather natives, pelargoniums commonly spend the long winter indoors—in greenhouses or on windowsills, generally being coddled. There's even a name for Sweden's national addiction: pelargonsjukan, which translates to "pelargonic disease." We prefer to think of it as a hobby.

Above: For more images, see Pelargoniums in our Photo Gallery.

These members of the family Geraniaceae are often misidentified as "geraniums." Don't they deserve better? With as many as 300 species, pelargoniums play a lot of useful roles in the garden: shrub, scented herb, container plant, and cheerful window box companion.

Above: Photograph by Erin Boyle.

You say geranium, I say pelargonium . . . but where did the confusion start? You can blame the 18th-century Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus; he included them under the genus Geranium and the name stuck—despite the efforts of French botanist Charles L’Héritier to reclassify them a few decades later.

Cheat Sheet

• Hardy and happy in window boxes and planters, pelargoniums are the backbone of many container gardens.
• Variegated leaves and a wide range of flower colors—from white to ruby red to fuchsia pink—make pelargoniums a flexible companion to other summer annuals.
• Varieties with scented leaves perfume the air with lemon, mint, rose, and coconut.

Keep It Alive

• If you're growing pelargoniums in pots, water sparingly and let the surface of the soil dry out.
• Hardy in growing zones 4-8.
• In other zones, you can root soft cuttings and keep them indoors as winter houseplants.

Above: Photograph by Kendra Wilson.

The 19th-century American poet Frances Sargent Osgood had a soft spot for so-called scented geraniums. Of the flowers, she wrote, "Your heart is a rose, and your soul is a star!" 

Above: The plant's nickname, the Stork's Head, comes from the notion that the seed resembles a stork's bill. The first known variety to be cultivated was Pelargonium 'Triste' (not shown, by the way), which is still available today (a packet of seeds is £2.99 from Chiltern Seeds). Pale pink with purple-striped petals and a yellow center, it can grow to a height of 18 inches.

Above: Photograph by Justine Hand.

To find out where you can see one of the finest collections of pelargoniums in the US, read The Scented Geranium: Spring's Must-Have Plant (see, we do it too).

Planting your patio pots? See our guides to Alyssum and Boxwood and browse our full Field Guide archive.

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• Field Guide: Tomatoes
• Field Guide: Foxglove
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We're thrilled to announce the second annual Gardenista Considered Design Awards, which give us the chance to honor our readers' gardens and outdoor spaces. Read on to learn more about the contest—and the custom lamp from Jielde you stand to win.

Every day, we show you the gardens we love; now it's your turn to share. Do you have a kitchen garden that's in its summertime prime? An amazing deck you built yourself? A window box that's the envy of the block? We want to know about it!

Our competition is open to all readers and all sorts of gardens and outdoor spaces, from tiny fire-escape plantings to spacious pool houses. We have separate categories for amateur and professional designers, and a covetable prize: Winners will receive a Jielde SI333 Signal Desk Lamp in bronze (shown above), in a color designed exclusively for us. And all the winning projects will be fully profiled on the site.

This year, we're excited to have a panel of guest judges, including many garden design luminaries whose names will already be familiar to you. Stay tuned; we'll announce the roster on Tuesday. 

Contest Categories:

Best Overall Garden (Amateur): The best overall outdoor garden designed by a non-professional.

Best Small Garden (Amateur): Indoor gardens, houseplants, window boxes, fire-escape gardens, container gardens, vertical gardens, and more.

Best Outdoor Living Space (Everyone): Outdoor sitting rooms and lounge spaces, outdoor kitchens, outdoor dining rooms, outdoor showers and baths, and more.

Best Edible Garden (Everyone): Kitchen gardens, vegetable patches, raised beds, outdoor herb gardens, etc.

Best Hardscape Project (Everyone): Stairways, decks and patios, driveways, paths, fences, swimming pools, garden gates, trellises, and more.

Best Professional Landscape (Professional): The best overall outdoor garden or landscape designed by a professional.

Best Garden Shed or Outbuilding (Professional): Garden sheds, storage sheds, barns, garages, carports, greenhouses, pool houses, backyard studios, outhouses, guest houses, and more. (Note: Though an outbuilding is typically detached from a main house, that's not a requirement here.)

Interiors enthusiasts, there's a competition for you, too: The Remodelista Considered Design Awards has 10 total categories this year, also open to amateur designers and professionals. Head to Remodelista for details. 

Important 2014 Dates:

Submission Deadline: Monday, July 7, by Midnight PDT
Finalists Announced and Reader Voting Begins: Wednesday, July 16
Reader Voting Ends: Friday, August 8 
Winners Announced: Saturday, August 9

How to Enter:

We've simplified the entry process. Write an overall design statement describing your project and submit up to six photos of the project, along with a separate caption for each photo. You may submit one project in each category for which you qualify. All projects will be published in the Gallery tab of the contest site within a few minutes of submitting. For each category, a guest judge will work with Gardenista editors to review all the entries and choose up to five finalists. After we announce our finalists, we will invite friends, family, and fellow Gardenista readers to cast their votes.  

See our contest Terms & Conditions and FAQ for more information. 

Enter the contest here. And readers, don't forget to come back and weigh in during the voting period. 

Good luck!

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One would expect to find lavish gardens surrounding the stone castle-turned-hotel called Häringe Slott, near Stockholm. And one would not be disappointed:

Photography via Ingalls Photography.

Above: Located on the edge of a nature preserve a half-hour drive from Stockholm, the Häringe estate's sprawling gardens date to the 1930s. A succession of wealthy and eccentric industrialists-turned-collectors owned the property, and each put his idiosyncratic mark on it.

Above: The interior design brings the outdoors in. To see the interiors, go to An Enchanted Castle in Sweden.

Above: It was banker Torsten Kreuger who built the gardens in the early 1930s.

Above: After Kreuger went bankrupt in the 1930s, Häringe Slott was bought by Axel Wenner-Gren, a vacuum-cleaner magnate who owned Electrolux. 

Above: Summer wildflowers and fruit from the property.

Above: An inveterate collector, Wenner-Gren entertained celebrity acquaintances such as Greta Garbo and Josephine Baker at his palace.

Above: Disconsolate at his failure to broker diplomatic relations between Germany and England that would have prevented World War II, Wenner-Gren and his wife left Sweden on their yacht. They returned to Häringe Slott only after the war ended.

Above: After Wenner-Gren's death in 1961, the castle's furnishings were sold off. The property's subsequent owner, Olle Hartwig, painstakingly reacquired the collection.

Above: The castle is set by the sea in the Häringe-Hammersta Nature Reserve, which has farmlands and pastures.

Above: The landscape is varied, including a pond and coastal bays.

Above: Twilight at the end of the dock.

Above: Wenner-Gren and his wife, Marguerite, are buried near the castle's East Wing.

For more Swedish garden design, see "Outdoors: Ulf Nordfjell Garden Design."

This is an update of a post originally published July 6, 2012.

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When you live in a climate where winter is the longest season, you have to cram a lot of outdoor living into the rest of the year. Just north of Copenhagen, we discovered a summer house that's designed to keep you outside from May to August. We've rounded up everything you need to recreate the look:

Above: We first spotted this outdoor space via Delikatessan. We love the terrace's simple color palette: the black exterior, white window frames, and the furniture and flooring in shades of gray. Photograph courtesy of Delikatessan. 

Above: The outdoor shower is our favorite part. You'll get a similar look with the Barber Wilsons Mastercraft Exposed Deck/Wall Mounted Tub and Shower Set, available in polished chrome with a 5-inch rain-shower head; $3,040 from Quality Bath. For other ways to bathe alfresco, see 10 Favorites: Outdoor Showers.

Above: The teak lounge chairs at the Danish summer house have a nice weathered look. After some time, Thos. Baker's Classic Teak Steamer Chair (from $645 to $995, depending on cushions) will have the same appearance. To get the look in a hurry, refinish your chairs with Behr's Weatherproofing Wood Stain in Cape Cod Gray. See more stains in Palette & Paints: 8 Colorful Exterior Stains.

Above: A 20-inch square Charcoal Ticking Stripe Outdoor Pillow made from weather-resistant Sunbrella fabric is currently on sale for $29.95 from Crate & Barrel.

Above: A 12-inch Rattan Pot Cover (a slightly smaller version of the one seen against the wall) can be found for about $20 on Amazon. 

Above: Plop a pelargonium into the pot (but Please Don't Call It a Geranium). A packet of 10 seeds of Nano White is $3.99 from Swallowtail Gardens. For UK gardeners, a potted white Pelargonium Zonale is £3.99 from the Vernon Geranium Nursery.

Above: Create an instant stoop in front of the door by simply laying a few Concrete Blocks end to end; $1.28 each from Home Depot.

Above: The exterior paint is a close match to Benjamin Moore's Gravel Gray (second from left on the bottom); $68 per gallon. For more gray swatches, see Shades of Gray: Architects Pick the 10 Best Exterior Gray Paints. 

Visit our archives for more from our Steal This Look series. And for an interior upgrade, see Remodelista's Steal This Look: A Scandi-Inspired Bedroom, Small Space Edition. 

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We're thrilled to announce a new addition to our awards program this year: a roster of garden- and design-world luminaries as guest judges. 

Each judge will review one contest category alongside the Gardenista editors and will choose up to five finalists for his or her category. After that, the winner will be chosen by you!

See below for instructions for how to enter:

Above: Bob Vila, America's Handyman, is judging our Best Garden Shed or Outbuilding (Professional) category. Read more about Bob. 

Above: Landscape designer Judy Kameon is judge of our Best Outdoor Living Space category. Read more about Judy. 

Above: Writer and organic gardener Margaret Roach is judging our Best Edible Garden category. Read more about Margaret. 

Above: San Francisco nurserywoman Flora Grubb is judge of our Best Overall Garden (Amateur) category. Read more about Flora. 

Above: Textile designer Neisha Crosland is judging our Best Hardscape Project category. Read more about Neisha. 

Above: Isabelle Palmer, the Balcony Gardener, is judging our Best Small Garden (Amateur) category. Read more about Isabelle.

Above: Interior designer and T Magazine European editor Rita Konig is judging our Best Professional Landscape category. Read more about Rita. 

How to Enter:

We've simplified the entry process. Write an overall design statement describing your project and submit up to six photos of the project, along with a separate caption for each photo. You may submit one project in each category for which you qualify. All projects will be published in the Gallery tab of the contest site within a few minutes of submitting. For each category, a guest judge will work with Gardenista editors to review all the entries and choose up to five finalists. After we announce our finalists, we will invite friends, family, and fellow Gardenista readers to cast their votes.  

See our contest Terms & Conditions and FAQ for more information. 

Enter the contest here.

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If there's one day a year when a person should be permitted to parade around like a faerie queen, it's your birthday. But let's not discriminate. Like watermelon and marshmallows, flower crowns belong at summertime picnics. And Midsummer parties. When I recently took Chelsea Fuss's online flower class (more about my exploits here and here), one assignment was to make a flower crown. 

So let the flower crowning begin:

Photography by Erin Boyle, except where noted.

Above: Photograph by James Casey.

My previous experience with flower crowns consisted of the countless dandelion crowns I strung as a child. Those versions have their proper place in flower crown history, of course, and the technique used there will not be criticized by me. But those braided dandelions have long stems and floppy flowers; they're not right for a faerie queen. 

For this crown, you'll need feathery flowers. And start with a frame. To begin, I chose three flowers that looked as close to wild as I could find in New York City. From the bodega down the street, I bought goldenrod and sea lavender, and from the garden I've been trying to maintain in front of my building, I plucked gooseneck loosestrife. It's not often that I get to snip from a city garden, and I relished the opportunity.

Above: If you have the space and want to grow plants from seed, you can find packets of Goldenrod Seeds and Sea Lavender Flower Seed for $2.49 each at Outside Pride. White Flower Farm sells potted Gooseneck Loosestrife (shown here) seasonally.

Above: When I tried making flower crowns in the past, I wanted them lush and leafy, so I left most leaves attached. Chelsea taught us that less is more in the leaf department, so this time I stripped the stems. (See below for details on how to sign up for Chelsea's class.)

Above: From Chelsea, I learned that a flower crown starts with a frame of light wire, sized to fit your head and covered with green Floral Tape ($5.73 from Amazon). Then you make a series of tiny bouquets, wrapping the stems of each with tape.

Above: Next, attach the bouquets to the frame with more tape. I wanted the loosestrife to hang down in a decorative way, so I left some of those sprigs longer.

Above: My biggest challenge was adding the final miniature bouquet. Luckily I was able to email Chelsea for emergency advice.

Above: Photograph by James Casey.

Here's a closeup of my crown in action, loosey-goosey gooseneck loosestrife and all. 

Chelsea's Floral Arranging 101 is offered online through Nicole's Classes. The four-week course costs $125 plus the cost of floral supplies. For more beautiful examples of student work, see Chelsea's blog, Frolic. 

For more of our favorite DIY Bouquets, see our Floral Arrangements archive. And for my other adventures in floral arranging, see our Bouquet of the Week posts.

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Consider that in the northernmost parts of Scandinavia the growing season is 60 days long. The rest of the year is basically a prelude to or recovery from winter. This is all you need to know to understand the local impulse to spend every possible moment living outdoors, wallowing in nature. A picnic table, outdoor tub, and stylish privy will get you through the summer months just fine.

These are not people who take their gardens for granted. Nor do they fuss over them, or try to force nature to assume an artificial symmetry. Self-sowing wildflowers are rampant. Manicured lawns and precisely pruned shrubs, not so much.

Wondering how to achieve a similarly relaxed and ecstatic relationship with your own garden? Here are 10 tips:

Above: Photograph via Kotipalapeli.

1. Live outdoors as much as possible. For your indoor rooms—kitchen, shower, bedroom, living room—create corresponding outdoor spaces to which you can decamp in summer. These don't have to be overly complicated or costly; an outdoor kitchen can consist of a couple of shelves under an eave where you store plates and cups (near an outdoor spigot for washing up), a dining table and chairs, and a grill.

2. Use natural and recycled materials. Weathered wood, old benches, and metal bins transformed into planters are gentle incursions on nature's domain.

Above: Photograph by Meredith Swinehart.

3. Use colors found in nature. As backdrops, gray, brown, white, and green will complement the plants and trees in the surrounding landscape. For our favorite shades of Green, Black, Gray, and White—as well as other colors—see our Palette & Paints archive.

4. Take a minimalist approach to hardscaping elements such as paths and fences—"less is more"—to allow them to blend into their natural surroundings.

Above: Photograph of Carl Linnaeus' garden by Patrice Todisco via Landscape Notes.

5. Don't try to tame your garden. After blooms are spent, leave seed pods in place. Encourage volunteers to grow in cracks. If you feel an urge to hard prune something, try picnicking until it goes away. 

Above: Foxglove, anyone? These are clearly optimal growing conditions for digitalis. Photograph by Patrice Todisco via Landscape Notes.

6. Learn from your plants. Take note of the ones that are flourishing in your garden; they are happy with the sunlight, soil, and water conditions. Let them spread as they want, and don't waste your time coddling weaklings or laggards. 

Above: Photograph by Annika Orre via Nyan.

7. Build a privy. That's utedass to you, in Sweden. Traditionally, these detached buildings—wilderness toilets, if you will—sit near cabins in rural areas. Throwbacks to a simpler time, they're often built of scrap wood and are austere in design, providing a reminder of how close to nature you can get if you want. For another modern version, see Outbuilding of the Week: A Stylish Swedish Outhouse.

8. Take advantage of the light. In Scandinavia, the changeable northern light is an everyday fact of life. In your own garden, you can study the light to see how it moves across your property. What elements—outbuildings, second stories, tall trees—create shady pockets in the garden? Does the sunlight hit your garden differently in spring, summer, and fall? Plant accordingly.

Above: Photograph via Julia's Vita.

9. Don't give up gardening in the winter. Set up a potting shed or indoor area that's pleasant to work in when the weather is inhospitable. Whitewashed walls, open shelving, pegs to hold tools, bins of soil, and a few terra cotta pots should be enough to lure you into the dirt in January.

Above: Photograph via Stallmästeregården.

10. Pot some pelargoniums. Equally happy as houseplants in winter and as patio companions in warm weather, pelargoniums are that rare thing: the true indoor-outdoor plant.

For more Scandi style, see Steal This Look: A Danish Summer House With Outdoor Shower. And on Remodelista, see An Architect's Dream Commission in Norway.

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• Garden Visit: An Enchanted Garden in Sweden
• Architect Visit: A Modular Danish Summer House—Ready To Go in Six Months
• The Garden Designer Is In: A Deer-Proof Edible Garden, East Coast Edition

A wedding is a great excuse to walk around the garden in the loaming, basket and scissors in hand, collecting fresh flowers for confetti. But why wait for such a big occasion? If you enjoy deadheading, there are plenty of ways to make use of those almost-spent petals.

Above: Photograph by Mimi Giboin for Gardenista.

The springtime weeks of fruit-tree blossom are followed by months of other petals of all kinds. Even so, it all happens too quickly. Couldn't we bottle it? No, but we can snip and tear. 

Above: Making flower confetti is simple—and you don't need to confine yourself to roses, even if it's for a wedding. Choose any petals you like, but add useful plants that hold their shape, like tried-and-true Bupleurum (above; $3.65 per seed packet from Johnny's Selected Seeds). Just gather almost-spent flowers and strip off the petals, putting them in one pile and the discarded centers and stalks in another. Photograph by Georgie Newbery at Common Farm Flowers.

Above: Look for petals with scent and/or an unusual color. Annuals are perfect for confetti, as they're programmed for abundance. When each flower is broken apart you'll have more petals than you thought. Dark cornflower (left; $3.65 per packet from Johnny's Selected Seeds) adds depth; you can use larkspur later on. Eschscholzia 'Ivory Castle', a white-and-yellow California poppy (right, $2.50 per packet from Eden Brothers), adds the same silkiness you get from rose petals. Images from Common Farm Flowers.

Above: Flower blossom is very welcome when it drifts indoors or onto garden tables. When my friend Theodora throws a party, she makes a flower-strewn path that leads guests from the street to her front door. Photograph of Rosa 'Falstaff' with the shadows of Cephalaria gigantea and Thalictrum by Ros Badger.

Above: Rose petals, of course, are the classic choice. Says Miss Pickering, who runs a flower shop in Stamford, England: "Roses are colorfast, scented, beautiful, and have a wide range of colors. The petals still look pretty once they've been thrown and they photograph well."

Go for full-blown roses whose petals are about to drop to the ground. Shown here, a mixture from pale pink Rosa 'New Dawn' to brighter 'Gertrude Jekyll,' peachy 'Buff Beauty' and dark, velvety 'Tuscany Superb.' According to Georgie Newbery, of Common Farm Flowers in the UK, dark roses keep their color best. The scent of roses becomes stronger as they begin to dry, so Georgie prepares confetti the evening before a wedding. She insists that five roses are enough, if you add a supporting cast of annuals. Photograph by Kendra Wilson.

Above: Fresh flowers are easier to throw than dried, Georgie says, as the retained water gives them weight. They also provide more volume, so you need fewer.

In this confetti, scent is provided by dark sweet peas ($1.95 for seeds from Eden Brothers) and Sweet William ($2.95 from Eden Brothers). Color comes from orange Calendula ($1.95 from Eden Brothers), magenta Geranium 'Patricia', and pale yellow giant scabious (Cephalaria gigantea; last two varieties available in the UK only). Photograph by Kendra Wilson.

Above: Don't wait for a wedding to make confetti. Sprinkle a bright palette on a table, indoors or out, for any celebration. And at dusk, light the tea candles. Photograph by Kendra Wilson.

Does eating petals appeal? See DIY: Add Edible Flowers To Your Salad.

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• Field Guide: Pelargonium
• Field Guide: Tomatoes
• Field Guide: Foxglove

What I love about warm weather: Guests show up at a moment's notice. Sometimes it's easier to feed them than to seat them, though, unless you have a secret stash of folding chairs—the weather-resistant kind that won't punish you for absentmindedly leaving them outside when the party's over. Let us help you with that:

Above: Photograph via The Balcony Gardener.

Metal

Above: With a durable steel frame and weather-resistant powder-coated finish, the silver-colored Arc En Ciel Folding Chair weighs about 10 pounds and is $89 from Design Within Reach.

Above: A set of compact (and budget-friendly) folding chairs is £35 from The Balcony Gardener.

Above: Made of steel, Fermob's Latitude Folding Chair has a backrest made of weather-resistant fabric. It's available in 10 colors; Linen/Savanna is shown here (the backrest's top band is customizable). A set of two is $432 and is nonreturnable from Y Living.

Above: Constructed of powder-coated steel, the Folding Bistro Chair from Fermob is the classic Paris chair. It's available in 20 colors, including white, for $108 from Potted.

Metal and Wood

Above: The folding Bayern Chair combines a galvanized steel frame with a seat and backrest made of ash wood; 94.12€ from the Dutch company Elefant.

Wood

Above: Made of teak, a sturdy Tropico Folding Dining Chair has a handle that makes it easy to carry when folded; a set of two is $415 from All Modern.

Above: Designed by Gunilla Norin, a Viken Folding Chair is made entirely of teak (except for a couple of tiny screws). For pricing and information, see Skargaarden, which sells it with evident pride: "The chair is, despite its apparent simplicity, a construction that demands a high degree of precision in production. Every teak strip must be treated with care and respect (yes, you’re allowed to think that we’re exaggerating, that doesn’t bother us)." 

Above: An Applaro Folding Chair is made of solid acacia wood with an acrylic glaze. It's designed for outdoors use, but storing it indoors is recommended to protect the finish; $35 from Ikea.

Above: Constructed of hardwood, a Spontaneity Folding Chair is manufactured in Vietnam. Non-returnable, it is $99 from Jamali Floral and Garden Supplies.

Above: From Smith & Hawken, a 2-Piece Folding Patio Chair Set is made of mahogany and rust-resistant steel; $130 at Target.

None of these chairs suit your fancy? We have more! Go to Folding Chairs For Spontaneous Summer Dinner Parties. Looking for an outdoor café table? See 10 Easy Pieces: Outdoor Bistro Tables and Chairs. 

This is an update of a post originally published April 3, 2013.

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• Steal This Look: A Danish Summer House with Outdoor Shower
• Shades of Gray: Architects Pick the 10 Best Exterior Gray Paints
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Dear Readers:

Nobody's perfect, especially us. We were so thrilled to hit the launch button on this year's Considered Design Awards that we failed to notice a fatal flaw: our apologies, but projects submitted between Monday, June 16, and today, June 18, have not made it into the gallery. If you submitted in that time frame, please re-upload your project. Our sincerest apologies for the inconvenience. 

The uploader tool is now working properly and is ready to take your projects. Enter here before July 7, 2014.  

-The Gardenista Team

More Stories from Gardenista

• Winner's Prize: 2014 Gardenista Considered Design Awards
• Guest Judges of the 2014 Considered Design Awards
• Announcing the Gardenista 2014 Considered Design Awards

In addition to receiving a full project profile on our site, all seven winners of the 2014 Gardenista Considered Design Awards will be given a limited-edition Jieldé SI333 Signal Desk Lamp in Bronze (a powder-coated finish that was commissioned exclusively for us). We love the industrial chic of this iconic French lamp, and are confident our winners will, too. 

Photography by Emily Johnston Anderson for Remodelista.

Above: The Jieldé SI333 Signal Desk Lamp in Bronze, on Julie Carlson's desk in Mill Valley.

A bit of history: The first Jieldé lamp was created in 1950 by Jean Louis Domecq, a designer in Lyon, France. Frustrated by the lack of heavy-duty, hardworking task lamps on the market, Domecq set out to design the most functional working lamp in the world. In the end, he created something that was not just functional, but also beautiful. In 2006, Jieldé introduced the Signal collection, including a line of smaller-scaled lamps for the home, in a range of finishes.

Above: The Jieldé SI333 Signal Desk Lamp is adjustable at each joint, with a base diameter of about 6 inches and two articulated arms, each about 12 inches long. The size is ideal for a home office or bedside use.

Above: The lamp's bronze finish functions as a neutral but adds a glamorous note to any space. Each lamp comes with a numbered plate.

Above: The on/off switch registers a heavy, satisfying click.

How to Enter the 2014 Gardenista Considered Design Awards:

We've simplified the entry process. Write an overall design statement describing your project and submit up to six photos of the project, along with a separate caption for each photo. You may submit one project in each category for which you qualify. All projects will be published in the Gallery tab of the contest site within a few minutes of submitting. For each category, a guest judge will work with Gardenista editors to review all the entries and choose up to five finalists. After we announce our finalists, we will invite friends, family, and fellow Gardenista readers to cast their votes.  

See our contest Terms & Conditions and FAQ for more information. 

Enter the contest here.

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What I've noticed more and more lately (and admired) are hog wire panels: used for fences, gates, and trellises. A mainstay on ranches for decades, hog wire panels been discovered by homeowners and landscape designers as an affordable, low-profile solution for maintaining a wide-open view while keeping animals out. They even possess a certain elegance. 

Above: A see-through hog wire gate welcomes guests to a Michigan summer house by Kettelkamp & Kettelkamp.

What are hog wire panels?

Also called cattle or livestock panels, hog wire panels are made of steel rods welded at every intersection and galvanized with a zinc coating. Feed and livestock-supply companies sell different styles with different rod gauges. You'll want a heavy gauge for a longer-lasting fence that won't sag. 

Above: Photograph by Michelle Slatalla. 

How do you construct a hog wire fence?

Four-foot-high hog wire panels, a common size, come in 16-foot lengths, which are usually cut in half to make 8-foot sections. For posts, my local landscape contractor recommends using 4-by-4-inch pressure-treated Douglas fir, set in concrete. The stringers (or rails) at the top and bottom of the fence could be 2-by-4-inch pressure-treated fir or redwood. You can either staple the hog panels to the posts, or sandwich the panels between 1-by-1-inch pieces of redwood to hide the ends of the wire.

Most homeowners in my Northern California town are concerned about keeping deer out of gardens, so they often add a 2-by-12-inch kickboard at the bottom to make the overall fence 6 feet high. You need at least that to keep deer out.

Above:  Hog wire fence and a see-through gate creates an sense of open space. Straight wire strung above the hog panels adds height to the fence. Photograph by Ellen Jenkins.

Above: Close-up shows 1-by-1-inch redwood strips hiding the sharp edges of the wire. Photograph by Nicole Franzen for Gardenista.

Which plants grow well on a hog wire fence?

One of the nice things about a hog wire fence is that it acts as a trellis. Almost any vining plant will grow on hog wire: jasmine, clematis, potato vine, hardenbergia, and many more. Climbing roses can be tied against the wire. You'll have a living fence in no time, if that's what you want. The one vine that doesn't do well on metal wire is ivy, because it uses suckers to climb.

Above: A tall hog wire fence protects an edible garden from deer. Photograph via Deborah Silver.

How much does a hog wire fence cost?

If you're using wooden posts and rails, a hog wire fence is a little more expensive than chain-link, but costs less than a solid cedar fence. The panels come in 16-foot lengths and in heights ranging from 3 to 8 feet. For example, a 16-foot-long fence of 4-foot-high panels costs about $50 per linear foot in my area. If you're doing the labor yourself, the fence can be quite inexpensive.

If you hire a landscaper or fencing contractor, installing a 6-foot-high wood-and-wire fence costs from $35 to $50 per running foot, depending on labor costs in your area. If you omit the 1-foot stringer at the bottom and install a 5-foot fence, the cost per running foot is about $10 less: from $25 to $40.

Above: Photograph by Michelle Slatalla.

Hog Wire Fence Recap

Pros:

• Inexpensive—less than a wood fence
• Durable and strong
• Preserves the view
• Flexible—can bend
• Easy to install
• Keeps out larger animals such as dogs and deer

 Cons:

• Edges can be sharp, and must be covered with trim
• Does not provide privacy
• Does not deter smaller pests

Looking for a fence to repel deer? For more ideas, see A Deer-Proof Edible Garden, East Coast Edition and Elegant Deer Fencing in the Hamptons. And browse our Hardscaping 101 archives for Picket Fences.

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A new kind of garden event is coming to town this week. It's called GROW London, The Contemporary Garden Fair, and it's exactly what we've been waiting for. Yes, the Chelsea Flower Show just finished and the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show is coming up. (Royal Horticultural Society, you spoil us.) But GROW London is different. Here's how:

What is GROW London?
This brand-new event, billed as a contemporary garden fair, takes place over three days on Hampstead Heath, June 20-22. Chic and modern, it comes hot on the heels of the Affordable Art Fair (June 12–15). Both have the same founder, Will Ramsay, who is joined at GROW London by Thérèse Lang, the creative brain behind the late, great Cottesbrooke Hall Plant Finders Fair.

A contemporary garden fair—does that mean no baskets?
GROW London will showcase streamlined designs such as copper and zinc containers from Bronzino (above) and stylish furniture from Barbed for Fermob (see the chrome-yellow table and bench, below). And yes, there will be baskets, as well as traditional tools, but there will also be a strong urban slant. The setting is a very green part of London, with large family gardens. 

But there will be plants?
The organizers of GROW have a reputation for seeking out the best. At least 20 specialist nurseries will be on hand, with plenty of plants to choose among. Glendon Plant Nursery, based near me in Northamptonshire, is a small but unerring source. Their poppy 'Aglaia' (above) has a cameo role in my own garden. Crûg Farm Plants, a regular at the Chelsea Flower Show's Great Pavilion, will also be there for the more unusual and outsized.

What if it rains?
GROW London has the edge on the traditional village show: It's being held under cover. In fact, the space will be transformed by renowned flower decorator Shane Connolly (above, at Windsor Castle), the royal wedding favorite who brought field maples into Westminster Abbey for the marriage of Prince William and Kate.

Besides a Champagne bar, expect an impressive list of speakers, including free presentations by Steve Benbow, the London Honey Man, and Gardenista's own Christine Chang Hanway, with an update on the latest garden trends (look for Christine on Friday, June 20, at 2:30 pm). The Society of Garden Designers will offer free 20-minute consultations for those seeking design advice (sign up early, and bring photos).

Ideas to take home:
GROW London is all about the takeaway. Even if you don't order a new pergola from Italy via Uno Più (whose handsome outdoor furniture is shown at the top of this page) or buy some unfeasibly attractive orange rubber slip-ons from Mouillière (above), you won't leave the show with an empty notebook, mind, or shopping bag.

Location and tickets:
GROW London takes place on Hampstead Heath on the Lower Fairground Site, East Heath Road, London NW3 1TH. The nearest stops by public transport are Hampstead on the London Underground and Hampstead Heath by overland train. See GROW London for more information.

Tickets are £10 in advance and £16 at the door. Since Gardenista is one of the sponsors, our readers will receive a 50 percent discount when they book online and use the discount code GROWGARDENISTA.

For more on Shane Connolly, florist to the Royals, see Ask the Expert: 10 Tips for Wedding Flowers From Kate Middleton's Florist. And we've got the London Honey Man covered here: The Bees of Buckingham Palace.

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Our friends at Makers & Brothers, the dashing purveyors of Irish design Jonathan and Mark Legge, like to keep things in the family. But they've generously shared their mother's recipe for elderflower cordial, a syrup that's the basis for a delicate, old-fashioned floral drink long beloved in Europe yet curiously little-known in the US. The Legges have also agreed to reveal their secret source for elderflowers. Word of warning: you may have to travel to Dublin for the full experience.

"Elderflower cordial has always been a favorite in our family; everybody from our granny to our dad loves the stuff. We learned from our mum, who has been making it for us since we were tiny," the brothers write in their blog. "To us it is the taste of carefree, long summer days."

Makers & Brothers' Elderflower Cordial

• 25 elderflower heads (elderflowers grow in large clusters; each cluster constitutes a head)*

• 3 lbs cane sugar

• 2 oz lemon juice

• 1 1/4 quarts boiling water

• 2 lemons (zest and slices)

*Elderflowers are the white clustered blossoms that bloom in June on elderberry shrubs, also known as elders. They're found in temperate to subtropical regions, and are common in the UK, Europe, and almost all over the US. This USDA map shows where elderberries thrive stateside.

To see how the cordial comes together, follow the instructions below.

Photos via Makers & Brothers. 

Above: Begin by finding elderflowers in bloom. 

Above: The Legges' elderflower source unveiled: "We climb the walls into our local ruined abbey." For more clues, visit the Shed, the Legges' shop in Abbey Court, in Blackrock County, Dublin, and ask them to point the way to the abbey and the elderberry tree.

Above: Elder branches against the blue skies of Dublin. 

Above: The elderberry's flowers grow in large heads; each individual blossom has five petals.

Above: An oval willow basket woven by Kathleen McCormick gently holds the elderflowers.

Above: Domino, the Legge family dog, guards the day's pickings.

Above: The ingredients are ready to go.

Above: It's a good idea to shake out the elderflower heads, in case there are any creatures hiding inside. The stems can be left in place.

Above: Put the sugar and lemon juice in a large bowl, and pour in the boiling water.

Above: Stir until the sugar dissolves.

Above: Drop in the lemon slices and zest.

Above: Add the elderflower heads.

Above: Stir gently with a wooden spoon. Then cover and allow to steep for 24 hours. 

Above: Strain the infusion through a fine sieve and pour the liquid into a decanter—shown here, a Carafe and Glass Set (plus additional glasses) by Jerpoint Glass of Kilkenny, Ireland. To serve, dilute the cordial to taste, using flat or sparkling water, and add lemon slices. Or add it to a gin and tonic, a vodka and soda, or even Champagne. Then raise a toast to the delights of summer.

Homemade cordial is, of course, the ideal (as is clambering around ruins to gather the flowers). But you can also buy a bottle of Belvoir Elderflower Cordial ($8.50 for 500 ml) from Jolly Grub.

For other easy summer drinks recipes to try, see our posts on a Hibiscus and Lime thirst quencher, Lavender Soda, and Summer Goddess Sun Tea with Chamomile Syrup. 

Stateside, Tama Matsuoka Wong forages for elderflowers, too, at Foraging for Dessert.

This is an update of a post originally published July 30, 2013.

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Raise your hand if you have space to sleep all your houseguests. Thought not.

Basically, no one has enough guest rooms. But as I learned from living in New York (where for two years I operated a de facto hotel to accommodate the sleep needs of anyone I'd ever met who was averse to spending $350 a night on a room), nearly every home has space you can transform into emergency guest quarters.

"Extra bedroom" is, after all, a loose term. It can be a synonym for "basement." Or "fold-out sofa." Or even "closet," in the case of those space-deprived urban parents desperate to put the baby's crib somewhere. In my Upper West Side apartment, the extra bedroom was an inflatable mattress that traveled from room to room, as needed. In Northern California, where I live now, the gimlet eye of the beleagured host often fixes on the garage.

Even the tiniest one-car garage, it turns out, can become an instant cottage (with help from Ikea). We recently spent the night in this 186-square-foot guest grottage to prove the point:  

Photography by Nicole Franzen for Gardenista.

Above: Two pairs of vintage French doors, unearthed at Ohmega Salvage in Berkeley, CA, run the length of one wall to let in plenty of natural light.

In the amount of space it takes to keep a car, the guest grottage has a tiny living room, library, bathroom, and kitchenette.

Above: As a backdrop to a vintage captain's bed, a wall of closets and cubbies is covered in Wainscot Panels ($19.75 for an 8-by-4-foot panel at Home Depot) in an homage to shiplap siding.

Above: Narrow closets with shelves and hanging space flank the bed. Above is more hidden storage, three cubbies big enough to store suitcases (and an extra inflatable mattress). The reading light is a Reed swing-arm lamp in oil-rubbed bronze ($335) from Rejuvenation.

Above: The view from the captain's bed. On the opposite wall, behind the miniature library, lurks a bathroom offering guests full toothbrushing capabilities. The floor is cork; glue-down Black Ripple Cork Tiles are $1.79 per square foot at iCorkfloor.

Above: Kitchenette by Ikea. The backsplash is made of stainless Perfekt Plinth, cut to fit ($15 per 88-inch length). A stainless steel Fyndig sink ($26.98) and Edsvik chrome faucet ($49.99) are set in a beechwood Numerär countertop ($195 for a 73-inch-long slab).

Above: The entertainment center: a full bar and the Remodelista Book ($21.69 from Amazon). Lucky guests.

Above: Yes, that's a glimpse of the toilet, visible behind the open pocket door.

Above: Ikea's Bråviken sink ($250) and Dalskär faucet ($69.99) in the bathroom.

Above: Enje roller blinds from Ikea ($17.99 per 23-inch-wide panel) serendipitously fit as well as custom window coverings.

Above: Beyond the grottage is a small garden.

For more garage-to-cottage transformations, see Garage Turned Studio Apartment and on Remodelista, The Studio Apartment, Garage Edition.

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