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Meet Me in Seattle: A Hothouse to Visit on a Cold Day

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Modeled on England's Crystal Palace, the 100-year-old sparkly glass house in Seattle's Volunteer Park has 3,426 window panes, five display houses of exotic plants, and a tropics-worthy level of humidity that will make you forget it's winter on the other side of the glass:

Above: All the plants in the Volunteer Park Conservatory are grown on-site, most of them from cuttings, according to the Seattle Times. Photograph by Sftrajan via Flickr.

Above: The conservatory has five separate houses, for different kinds of plants, including: cacti, succulents, bromeliads, ferns, and palms. Photograph by Robert Drozda via Flickr.

Above: Agave. Photograph by Robert Drozda via Flickr.

Above: The conservatory is home to a 96-year-old jade plant, grown from a cutting that dates to 1916. Photograph by Daniel McConnell via Flickr.

Above: Nearly a century old and native to South Africa, the Crassula argentea has grown into a jade tree in Seattle. Photograph by J Dong via Flickr.

Above: Built with funds from a $2 million bond issue approved by voters in 1910, the conservatory deteriorated—with rotted wood and rusted ironwork—by the late 1970s and was forced to closed for nearly eight years. Reopened in the mid 1980s, the conservatory has been completely restored. Photograph by Robert Drozda via Flickr.

Above: Staghorn fern. Photograph by Jingqun Luo via Flickr.

Above: Agave closeup. Photograph by Robert Drozda via Flickr. The conservatory is open to the public from 10 am to 4 pm, Tuesday through Sunday. For more information, see Seattle Volunteer Park Conservatory.

For more winter gardens to visit, see "Baby, It's Warm Inside: The Phipps Conservatory" and "Modern Vertical Gardens for a Victorian Glass Palace."


DIY: Elegant Black Stained Window Boxes

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The garden version of the little black dress? We've found it.

Inspired by how glamorous a simple wood window box by East London Furniture looks in black, we've sourced the materials necessary to recreate the look (in a matter of minutes):

Above: Known for making products from recycled materials, East London Furniture operates out of a workshop in central London.

Sydney Harbour Palm Beach Black Wood Stain

Above: Sydney Harbour Palm Beach Black Wood Stain is a water-based colorfast black stain; prices start at $46.10 from McCollum Interiors in NYC.

Pine Rectangular Planter

Above: An untreated Pine Rectangular Planter, 42 inches long by 13 inches wide, is $98 from Jamali Garden.

Shopper's Diary: A Modern Take on Bonsai

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The last thing you'd expect on a quiet residential street in a posh Tokyo neighborhood is a subversive shop. But behind Sinajina's mossy, manicured sign, bonsai artist Kenji Kobayashi is selling a radical idea along with his tiny trees.

Breaking with traditionalists who prefer their carefully cultivated dwarves to be hundreds of years old, Kobayashi teases young, tender plants into Seussian contortions. His whimsical creations include miniature landscapes, hedgehogs that grow moss on their backs (see them on Ginkgo Telegraph), and pine seedlings that literally tie themselves into knots to please him. With prices that range on average from $40 to $600, Sinajina's inventory is designed to convince a younger generation that bonsai, Kobayashi says, can no longer be dismissed as "a dull hobby for old men."


Above: if it looks more like a pet than a plant, it's no accident. Kobayashi hopes customers will treat his trees like members of their families. Image via Tokyotoshi.

Above: Kobayashi opened his shop 10 years ago, after a stint living abroad in Portland, Oregon, where he studied with bonsai masterKawamoto Toshio, founder of the saikei style ofclustering trees to create miniature landscapes. Image via Tokyo Greenspace.

Above: Inside the shop, maple seedlings and moss bushes are trained without the use of traditional bonsai wires. Image via Metropolis.

Above: Do you need supplies to create your own modern bonsai landscapes? See "Gift Guide: For the Bonsai Gardener." Photograph via Keshiki Bonsai.


Above: A pine seedling has been convinced to curl up over itself; image via Tokyotoshi.

Above: At classes for both beginners and advanced students, Kobayashi explains how to use deciduous plants—such as astilbes and ferns—to make “little landscapes of our lives.” Image via Tokyo Greenspace.

Above: Mounded moss, pebbles, and small stone paths can create a scenic illusion—or keshiki—in the bonsai style Kobayashi pioneered. Image via Tokyo Greenspace.

Above: The plants need to be re-potted every three years, at which time their roots are pruned; image via The Doll Flowers.

Above: Sinajina blends into the suburban surroundings of Tokyo's Jiyugaoka neighborhood; image via Kush.

N.B.: This is an update of a post published Feb. 23, 2012.

Gift Guide: For the Bonsai Gardener

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You say you want to start a bonsai revolution. Or maybe someone you know wants to join the one that's already underway courtesy of bonsai master Kenji Kobayashi and his tiny twisty trees.

For more on Kobayashi, see our post "Not Your Father's Bonsai." Here's everything a bonsai revolutionary needs get started:

Keshiki Bonsai: The Easy, Modern Way to Create Miniature Landscapes

Above: Kobayashi's new book Keshiki Bonsai: The Easy, Modern Way to Create Miniature Landscapes contains easy-to-follow, step-by-instructions to create counter-intuitive (and simplified) bonsai landscapes. It's $13.57 at Amazon.

Ryuga Ohkubo Hasami Shears

Above: For trimming bonsai (or other house plants), a pair of stainless steel Ryuga Ohkubo Hasami Shears is $77.95 from Wee Tree Farm.

Japanese Black Pine

Above: A Japanese Black Pine is a pre-bonsai specimen, which means it's been trimmed and encouraged to begin growing into an interesting shape; the rest is up to you. It's $69 from New England Bonsai Gardens.

Stainless Steel Root Rake

Above: A Stainless Steel Root Rake, for delicately untangling root balls, is $18 from Bonsai Superstore. Use the wide, flat end of the rake as a spatula, to loosen a plant from its pot or to smooth sale.

Unglazed Ceramic Rectangle Bonsai Pot

Above: An Unglazed Ceramic Rectangle bonsai pot, 13.5 inches long by 10 inches wide, is $49 from Eastern Leaf.

Above:

An Orb to Ornament the Garden

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Generally we prefer plants for garden ornamentation, but a rusted iron sphere from Los Angeles-based Potted has us reconsidering.

Made from bent steel, Rusted Iron Spheres are striking sculptural elements in the garden. Or, as Potted co-founder Mary Gray suggests, they can be placed on the top of a large pot as a spherical trellis for plants to grow through. Set them by fast-growing vines that can grow over and around them.

Rusted Iron Spheres

Above: The Rusted Iron Spheres are available in three sizes: 18, 24, and 36-inches in diameter, starting at $145 at Potted.

Rusted Iron Spheres

Above: Designed by Potted, the Rusted Iron Spheres are fabricated in Los Angeles. The color of the weathered steel complements greenery.

Rusted Iron Spheres

Above: Left out in the elements, the steel will develop a patina.

N.B.: See another Potted original design in our earlier feature: Urban Gardener: The City Planter.

Holiday Gift Guide: For the Armchair Angler

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Whether the person on your holiday list is an actual angler, a fishmonger, or just an avid watcher of Deadliest Catch, here are five ideas sure to please.

N.B.: We've got everyone on your list covered; see all of our gift guides in our House Gifts section.

Above: A Fishing Creel, made of English Willow, has hand-stitched bridle leather and brass fittings; it's £295 from The Great English Outdoors.

Above: This Gyotaku fish reproduction print of a Rainbow Trout, or "Niji Mas"' in Japanese, is $35 from Fishing for Gyotaku on Etsy.

Above: Baron Wells' Fly Cufflinks are hand-tied and wrapped in wire in Boise, Idaho and made from machine-dulled Daiichi fishing hooks. The cufflinks are made with South American corozo nut and sterling silver connection links; $85 from Baron Wells.

Above: A Bamboo Fish Mat measures a little more than 7 inches long; $9 each from Ferse Verse.

Above: Photographer Corey Arnold's Fish-Work: The Bering Sea (Nazraeli Press) chronicles Arnold's retreats as a fishing boat crew member on the Bering Sea; $65 directly from Nazraeli. Photograph by Corey Arnold Photography.

Above: Designed in the 1950s by Marianne Nilsson, the Blue Herring Linens are made on a Swedish cotton and linen blend; $18 for a single napkin, $22 for a tea towel, and $49 for a tablecloth from Heath Ceramics.

Above: James Prosek's Ocean Fishes: Paintings of Saltwater Fishes is coveted by Izabella's husband, Brandon, who put the book on his wish list because, "the artist traveled the Atlantic from Nova Scotia to the Cape Verde Islands to see each species firsthand as it came out of the water, before it lost its living colors."

Glamorous Gold and Silver Leaf Planters

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Spotted via Feliz, a collection of cement planters wrapped in metal leaf from Austin, TX-based designer Joanna Wojtkowiak. To us, they scream "holiday season."

Above: Wojtkowiak molds the planters in used almond milk containers and adds silver or gold leaf, or enamel. She sells the Concrete Cube Planters on Etsy, for prices ranging from $16 to $25.

Above: A Cubic Concrete Planter With Tiny Tree-ish Succulent is $25.

Above: Wojtkowiak typically does not seal the leaf; it will oxidize and darken. Planters with sealed leaf are also available, upon request. For more information, see her Oh, Laszlo shop on Etsy.

Garden Secrets: What a Landscape Architect Plants at Home

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Whenever we feature a lavish, big-budget garden project, we can't help wondering: What does a landscape architect's own backyard look like?

Here's one answer to that question. Northern California landscape architect Pete Pedersen—who designs grand seaside overlooks, formal garden schemes, and terraces that spill down slopes to infinity-edged pools—invited us to visit his home in San Anselmo, a half hour's drive north of San Francisco. He designed his one-acre garden and built much of it himself ("I'm handy with tools," he says) over the course of the past seven years. Here's his story:

Photographs courtesy of Pedersen Associates.

Above: Eight years ago, the Pedersen family was looking for a house in San Anselmo. "My wife was driving in the neighborhood and saw a 'For Sale' sign on the land. There's wasn't even a road to it, just four empty lots," says Pedersen. "We bought all four lots. We had to become developers to afford the house we wanted. We sold our own house, bought the raw land, and rented a house for a year while we did it."

After selling off some of the empty land to a builder, Pedersen ended up with a one-acre parcel on a steep slope. The challenge: "We wanted the house to empty out onto flat terraces instead of decks. I have to be connected to the ground, to walk out the door and be able to walk onto dirt," he says.

N.B.: We want to see your garden too. Send us photos and we may feature it in a future post. Here's how.

Above: "When you build a house, you're not going to have any money for landscaping. Guess what? The same thing happens to a landscape architect," says Pedersen. "So the garden has sort of unfolded."

The first stage of the project was to install infrastructure for an irrigation system and to amend the soil "so we would have the bones to work with," Pedersen said.

A couple of years later, Pedersen designed and built the gate himself, using western red cedar wrapped around pressure-treated posts. On either side of the path is euphorbia; in the foreground is a Phormium 'Yellow Wave,' native to New Zealand. It will reach a height of 4 feet and prefers full sun or light shade.

Above: The property is sloped, so Pedersen established flat spaces and a series of terraced garden beds."I find that if you have to go up and down more than, say, six risers, you're in trouble because you're never going to use that part of the garden," he says.

All the stone walls have blind joints. "You don't see any mortar, which shows of the stone very nicely," he says.

Above: In the garden, Pedersen has created a layered look, with "finer" plants close to the paths and "rougher, coarser, larger" plants behind them.

The ground cover that grows between the stones is rubus, a trailing raspberry that roots itself as it grows, allowing it to creep and seek out water. "It looks best in dappled light," says Pedersen. "In full sun, the leaf edges can get cooked."

Above: Pedersen and his oldest son built the bocce court about two years ago. I's "half size," he says. "We play a little bocce during the cocktail hour. It's like playing adult marbles."

The purple Mexican bush sage is irresistible to hummingbirds. "We've got tons of them," says Pedersen. "The birds are thick up there."

Above: "Some things became available because of my work," says Pedersen, who inherited three mature Canary Island date palms from a client who didn't want them. "I became a home for wayward palms." The palms were trucked to Pedersen's yard, where "we needed a crane to get one of them in."

The lawn is on completely flat areas, and the "garden" is on all the slopes. "It's a billy goat garden," says Pedersen. "You need ways to get in and around on the terraced slopes. There are little paths and things eked into the side of the slopes to get you up there."

Above: Planting the large palm trees made a big difference, says Pedersen. "Mature plant materials really set a tone when you enter a property, and give you a structure you wouldn't otherwise have in a young garden," he says. "We placed the palms for both maximum enjoyment and privacy. They have great stature."

N.B.: We want to see your garden too. Send us photos and we may feature it in a future post. Here's how.


DIY: Gilded Holiday Decor

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Creating holiday greenery with foraged plants and a little gold paint is easy and fun. The true beauty of this project lies not only in the results, but in the fact that the outcome—depending on where you live and what's available to you—will always be uniquely your own.

My passion for working with foraged greens (and not-so-greens) is twofold. First, operating within the confines of what I can find in my own yard forces me get creative. Rather than simply copying a DIY project, I have to dispel preconceived notions about the desired results, and open my mind to new opportunities presented by the materials at hand. Second, in so doing, I learn to see the plants in my withered yard in a whole new light.

Above: Let the materials guide you. Find the intrinsic beauty of each specimen and seek to enhance it. Here, a humble weed in its desiccated state becomes a thing of rare beauty with a bit of gold paint.

Above: This project is about what you already have: paint brushes and whatever twigs and greens you can get your hands on. All you may need to buy is a little gold and silver paint. I used Martha Stewart's Multi-Surface Metallic Acrylic Craft Paint and Liquid Gilding, both available at Michaels.

Above: Remember to think outside the box. I happen to have holly in my yard, but eschewed it in favor of non-traditional greens like thorns and dried oak leaves.

Above: Be extemporaneous. I didn't want this project to be fussy (OK, let's call it what it is: I didn't have time to painstakingly paint each leaf). But I actually found that quick brushstrokes often had a more desirous effect than more deliberate applications.

Above: Mix and Match. My little holiday "boutonniere" of beech, oak, and dried Black-Eyed-Susan is waiting for a package or a lapel to adorn.

Above: Use your gilded greens on packages, mantels, as a centerpiece for the holiday table, or to enhance wreaths and garlands. (Note that any leaves that are not already dried will wither once inside, unless you put them in a bit of water.)

Above: I have to admit that I've never really been a fan of the summer flowers and foliage of either azaleas or bar berry. But this holiday vignette has made a convert out of me.

Above: Another little boutonniere includes azalea leaves, rose hips, and dried red leaves of burning bush.

Above: So much fun, I got a little carried away. My bureau received a little holiday bouquet as well.

Above: Not holly berries. Withered rose hips complement the plum-tinted azalea leaves.

Above: I'm just going to leave this little guy right where he is next to the ink drawing by my aunt.

Above: One of my first attempts resulted in a more "obvious" holiday assemblage. But it's still very pretty.

Above: The ridges and tiny buds of this burning bush cried out for a little silver paint.

Above: Life beyond its dramatic scarlet leaves: the green stems and aubergine flowers of burning bush are lovely next to silver paint.

N.B. Looking for more DIY decor? See 235 inspired Holiday Projects is our DIY section.

A Room of One's Own, for a Bee

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Not all bees like to live in hives. The loners don't sting and they don't produce honey, but they are pollinators. Offer them a roof over their tiny heads:

Mini Solitary Bee Houses

Above: A set of three Mini Solitary Bee Houses, made of oak with steel roofs, are $34.95 from Williams-Sonoma Agrarian.

Mini Solitary Bee Houses

Above: Mount the bee houses on a wall, fence post, or tree. Each house measures 4 inches long by 1.5 inches wide by 1.5 inches high.

For more about how to attract pollinators, see "For the Bees: Gardens With Pollinating Plants."

5 Favorites: Fronds and Flowers and Mirrors

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Prop up a mirror near a house plant and watch it primp. The reflective powers are very flattering. Here are five of our favorite pairings:

Above: The multiplying effect of a mirror's reflective surface turns a potted plant or two into an entire garden. Photograph via Coffeeklatch.

Above: Small mirror, big impact. Photograph by Aya Brackett. For more, see "A Seasonal Celebration: Creatives Included."

Above: A bough or two, transformed into a forest. Photograph via Light Locations.

Above: Silvery tillandsias look even more so in front of a triptych mirror. For more, see "Miss Havisham's House Plants."

Above: Photograph by Sarah Lonsdale. For more, see "Plundering a Painter's Garden."

Above: Photograph via Justina Blakeney.

Holiday Table en Plein Air

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Los Angeles landscape designer Judy Kameon takes her holiday entertaining outside.

Entertaining outside is the rule rather than the exception for Judy Kameon of Elysian Landscapes (a member of the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory), who was raised in Santa Monica, California. Originally trained as an artist, she fills her lush landscapes with a painterly sense of color that extends to the details of her outdoor rooms (and even to the food). It’s common knowledge that her guests never want to leave. Would you?

N.B.: Want to see more of Kameon's ideas for holiday entertaining outdoors? Check out her Mood Board on Pinterest.

Judy Kameon, Elysian Landscapes, blue mosaic side tables, roaring fire in fire pit, pies on table

Above: Kameon's edible offerings are home grown and homemade. "Lemons picked right off the tree make a bright and flavorful tart," Kameon says.

Judy Kameon, Elysian Landscapes, outdoor seating area with fire and lanterns, red Casimidy lanterns

Above: During the holiday season, there can be a chill in the air even in LA, where an outdoor fire and lanterns warm the festivities.

Judy Kameon, Elysian Landscapes, Plain Air firepit

Above: "A Plain Air Firepit is perfect for cool afternoons and evenings," Kameon says. Plain Air is Kameon's streamlined collection of custom made outdoor furniture.

Judy Kameon, Elysian Landscapes, green stripey napkins, Les Toiles Du Soleil, Casimidy colored lanterns

Above: "My stripe-y napkins are from Les Toiles Du Soleil and the best lanterns come from Casamidy in San Miguel de Allende and can be ordered in a rainbow of colors," Kameon says.

Judy Kameon, Elysian Landscapes, Plain Air daybed, red cushions, red mosaic tile round coffee table, hoop chairs

Above: Oversized Daybeds are de rigeur for lounging. Kameon accents the green upholstery with complementary red accents including the Red Mosiac Tile Coffee Table.

Judy Kameon, Elysian Landscapes, Dawnridge table with red chandelier, outdoor lighting globes

Above: Hollywood film designer Tony Duquette's fantastical Beverly Hills estate Dawnridge (L) is a Kameon favorite. Kameon creates her own fantasy (R) with a "super fun outdoor lighting story I did with my friend Steve Orr for the late and great Domino mag!"

Judy Kameon, Elysian Landscapes, Dawnridge outdoor table setting at night with lanterns

Above: "More is more at Tony Duquette's home, Dawnridge. Had dinner here one night and wanted to pull up a moving van and take it all," Kameon says.

Judy Kameon, Elysian Landscapes, Plain Air green mosaic dining table and blue upholstered benches

Above: Plain Air's Dining Table and Benches are the beginnings of a Kameon trademark color palette. "An aqua glass tile table with sapphire benches is a cool color combination for warm weather dining," Kameon says.

Judy Kameon, Elysian Landscapes, Iittala light blue glass Kartio carafe, lime green plate

Above: Color is everywhere in a Kameon setting—even in the table ware. "This Pitcher from the Finnish company Iittala is great for water, lemonade, or even better, sangria; and Enamel Plates in lime green are perfect for outdoor dining," Kameon says.

Above: "This Monkey Bottle Opener will have people fighting to open your beer and Laguiole makes the perfect handsome Corkscrew that works like a charm," Kameon says.

Above: "These giant white lima beans are from our garden; freshly picked, shelled, and ready to cook," says Kameon.

Above: A barbecue with yellow squash from Kameon's garden.

N.B.: Looking for more holiday table setting ideas? See A Holiday Table with Sou,l where New York designer Brad Ford shares his holiday entertaining ideas, and Holiday Tables Fit for an Englishman, where London designer Ben Pentreath entertains in the city and country style.

Holiday Shopping at the Remodelista Market

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We were supposed to be "helping out" at the third annual holiday Remodelista Market on Saturday. Not shopping. We even put our handbag with our wallet in a safe place behind the registration table to avoid succumbing to impulse buys. That worked . . . for about five minutes.

Here are some of our favorite garden must-haves from the market, held at Heath Ceramics in San Francisco this past Saturday:

Above: More than 30 designers set up tables offering goods for the home, books, perfume, clothing, toys, chocolate, candles, linens, ceramics, planters, and more.

Above: We gave out little matchbooks full of seeds.

Above: We "helped" for awhile at this table, where it turned out to be very addictive to stamp tree patterns on brown paper. Portland-based architect Brendon Farrell, along with Javid Howell, created limited-edition stamp sets that feature plant species from the Cascadia region of the Northwest: Douglas Fir, Oregon White Oak. For more information, see Holiday Gift Guide: For the Arborist.

Above: Florist Louesa Roebuck's table; magnolias are in season in San Francisco. For more, see Louesa Roebuck, Renegade Florist.

Above: LA-based landscape architect Josh Rosen brought tillandsias, tiny planters, and his lightweight aluminum Air Plant Frame vertical gardens. For more, see Instant Indoor Garden.

Above: Josh Rosen winds wire around a tilandsia montana to create a sculptural house plant.

Above: San Francisco-based designer Chad Wright brought his sky-high Attic Birdhouses, in three colors and varying heights. For more, see A Penthouse for the Birds.

Above: The Attic Birdhouses are attached with screw-in stakes to stabilizing concrete bases.

Above: Just another sunny Saturday afternoon in December in San Francisco.

N.B.: For more, see "Remodelista Holiday Market 2012 at Heath Ceramics in SF."

Winter Walks: To School and Back, in Marke, Belgium

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What does your garden look like in winter? What about your hometown?

In a small Flemish town in West Flanders, Alesa Dam usually drives to her daughters' school to deliver the girls, ages 7 and 5, before heading to her office. But on a day off from work, if there's "a nice snow carpet," she says, they sled to school along a scenic path. One day in December, Dam took her camera along:

(N.B.: Do you you have a favorite route that changes with the seasons? Do you take a daily walk in your garden even when it's buried in snow? If so, send us photos and we may feature your winter walk in an upcoming post. Here's how: Send photos to edit@remodelista.com, with a brief description of where you live and how your route became a favorite.)

An hour's drive from Antwerp, Marke is a small town (pop. 7800) on the outskirts of the historic city Kortrijk, which served as a hub for the European wool and flax industries in the Middle Ages. "Remains of human civilization in Marke dates back to the second and third centuries A.D.," Dam says. Photograph by Alesa Dam via Flickr.

"Winters in this part of Belgium are very soft," says Dam. "We do get snow every winter season, but it will typically melt within at most a day." Above: photograph by Alesa Dam via Flickr.

A medieval chapel and leprosarium, where patients' records date to the late 1400s, was destroyed by Allied bombs in 1944. Photograph by Alesa Dam via Flickr.

Like many cities in Belgium, each winter Kortrijk floods the main square to create an ice rink during the winter holiday season. "This used to be a German military graveyard, with soldiers from both World War I and World War II buried here," says Dam. "In 1955, the remains of the soldiers were relocated. This is now used as a playing ground for the local youth clubs." Photograph by Alesa Dam via Flickr.

Behind the hedge (L) is the municipal graveyard next to "de markebeek," the Marke brook.

"It is a rather curvy brook, except for one straight part," says Dam. It has a path alongside of it called the "markebekepa" ("Marke brook path"), and a road called "markebekestraa" ('"Marke brook road"). The brook flows into the Leie.


"In the top left corner, you can see a path. That is the 'markebekepad,' " says Dam. "If you take a closer look, you can even see a glimpse of the 'markebeek.' It's on the very left, on the left of the path, covered with trees." Photograph by Alesa Dam via Flickr.

Above: Photograph by Alesa Dam via Flickr.

N.B.: Do you you have a favorite hike that changes with the seasons? Do you take a daily walk in your garden even in the snow? Send us photos and we may feature them in an upcoming post. Here's how: Send photos to edit@remodelista.com, with a brief description of where you live and how the winter walk became your favorite.

DIY Video: A Scandi-Inspired Holiday Wreath

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I've been noticing delicate Scandinavian holiday wreaths floating around lately; last week I said to myself, "Enough is enough, I'm making one."

All you need for this wreath are a few materials from the hardware store (see our sources below) and a few sprigs of greenery. You might even consider adding a clip-on taper candle holder in the center, and if you do, I suggest these traditional Silver Candle Holders (10 for $12.99 from Bestemors).

Want to give it a try? See my DIY video below for step-by-step instructions (you'll need to source the materials outlined below).

Above: The finished wreath, hanging on the wall of my SF apartment.

DIY holiday wreath made from bay leaves and privet berries

Above: The bay leaves are punctuated with deep blue privet berries.

Wrapping the leaves onto the wreath with silver wire

Above: Wrapping small bunches of bay leaves with thin silver wire.

Here's What You'll Need:

N.B.: Looking for a garland to go with that wreath? Find it along with 18 other Gardening and DIY Videos.


Holiday Gift Guide: Door Mats to Covet

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My father-in-law once gave my mother-in-law a garbage can for her birthday, and she was pleased. This is true too: I'd love to get one of these doormats for Christmas (I hope my husband is reading this).

Above: Handwoven, vegetable-dyed sisal Straw Mat; $26 from the Joinery.

Above: Natural, unvarnished Teak Doormat; $59.95 from Crate & Barrel.

Commune Hex Doormat

Above: The Commune Hex Doormat is $60 from Commune. Made in India of 100 percent coir, the doormats are also available from Lulu & Georgia, the new online shop from Decorative Carpets' Sara Sugerman.

Above: Handmade in Vermont, the Chevron White Pine Doormat includes an attached bristle brush for scraping boots; $94 at Kaufmann Mercantile.

Into the Field: A Dinner in an Oslo Greenhouse

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In late September, Oslo-based Food Studio hosted a dinner in a field near the old king's residence in Bygdøy. With the delivery of a greenhouse, a pile of sheepskin and Norwegian sweaters, and Nordic farm-to-table fare, a wintery dinner was born.

The Dinner in the Fields was at Kongsgården, the country's largest bionymanic garden, owned and tended to by University of Oslo Biology professor Linda Jolly. As 16 guests arrived at five in the afternoon, Idun Leinaas, from Norwegian Biologisk-dynamisk Forening, gave a garden tour encouraging guests to taste raw produce and snack on basil varieties grown in cold frames.

The group then went into the house to pickle beet root in a traditional Norwegian method. "Everybody had brought a jar with them to take it home filled with their own pickled beets as a juicy reminder of the experience," says Valentina Bertoldo and Brian W. Jones of Food Studio. Next the dinner guests headed into the field for dinner...

Photography by Christoffer Johannesen and Tim Varney for Food Studio.

Food Studio dinner in the fields

Above: A glass greenhouse is set on wooden palettes, delivered by Hobby Drivhus.

Food Studio glass greenhouse with sheepskin chairs

Above: Table benches were covered in various sheepskin to help insulate the greenhouse.

Food Studio place setting with cups and water

Above: The table prepped for the five-course dinner prepared in the field (with the garden's produce) by Food Studio house chefs Magne Ilsaas, and Jan and Tove Svartsund.

Food Studio dinner guests getting a tour of the garden

Above: Dinner guests on a tour of garden-to-table produce on offer in the Kongsgården.

Food Studio dinner guest serving dinner

Above: Food Studio teamed up with Fretex to keep dinner guests warm with traditional Norwegian sweaters.

Food Studio greenhouse in the garden

Above: Oversized hurricane candleholders are paired with rectangular wooden plates.

Food Studio bundles of branches as table decor

Above: Bundled twigs function as table decor.

Food Studio serving dinner by headlamp

Above: Chef Magne Ilsaas plated dishes by head lamp, moving from the greenhouse to the open-air kitchen to serve each course.

Food Studio dinner in the fields at night

Above: The dinner included: Bøgedal beers from Denmark, rhubarb juice, pickled mussels, pumpkin gnocchi, fiskerboller, goose, and smoky apples with oatmeal cream.

Food Studio outdoor greenhouse dinner

Above: Guests dining beneath a looming Norwegian night sky; a path dotted with candles and sugar pie pumpkins made a glowing path to the main house.

N.B.: See 22 more inspiring Greenhouses in our Gallery of rooms and spaces.

Holiday Gift Guide: For the Florist

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In my past life as a florist, I spent five years testing the best (and the worst) tools. For the floral-designing friend in your life, here's a roundup of tried-and-true essentials.

N.B.: To make sure we've got everyone on your list covered, see all of our gift guides to date in our House Gifts section.

Louesa Roebuck rose bouquets in wax paper

Above: Foraged flower expert Louesa Roebuck sources dark brown wax paper to wrap her bouquets. For a similar look, this 30-Pound Pack of Wax Paper Sheets is $130 per bundle (and sure to last for numerous bouquets) from U-Line Shipping. See how Roebuck wraps her flowers in Not Your Mother's Rose Bouquet.

Japanese gardening pruners

Above: Every artist needs the right tools. These hand-foraged Japanese Pruners are my absolute favorite, providing a clean cut to allow the most surface area possible at the end of a stem; $98 from Kaufmann Mercantile.

Boulettes Larder hand creme for culinary professionals

Above: Chefs aren't the only ones with tired hands; the Moisture Seal Creme for Culinary Professionals from San Francisco's Boulettes Larder is one of the best investments you can make; $65 at Quitokeeto (contact for availability) or directly from Boulettes Larder. Photograph by Heidi Swanson.

Rubber gardening tug trugs

Above: For those whose homes double as pop-up studios, stackable flower buckets are essential. Due to storage issues, I always seem to be without the appropriate amount of buckets (I once used my blender to hold bunches of ranunculus). These Rubber Tug Trugs are made from recycled plastic and are $18 each from The New General Store.

Vintage-style floral frogs

Above: A good flower frog is hard to come by; for minimal, Ikebana-inspired arrangements, it's a must-have accessory. These Steel Metal Frogs are available in four sizes, at prices ranging from $5 to $15, from Sprout Home. Read more from our post Vintage-Style Flower Frogs—Finally.

10 Easy Pieces: Cold Frames

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As cold sets in, offer your tender plants and early seedlings protection from life-threatening wind, temperatures, frost, and snow with a cold frame designed to be placed directly on the ground or on top of existing garden beds.

(N.B.: Cold frames are not difficult to make. See our earlier post Cold Frames in the Garden for DIY ideas.)

williams sonoma cedar cold frame

Above: This Cedar Cold Frame is made of untreated Western Red Cedar, naturally resistant to rot and insects. It has a plexiglass lid that is slanted to allow for runoff of water and prevent accumulation of snow and leaves. It measures 20-by-30-by-15 inches; $199.95 at Williams Sonoma.

farmer d cedar cold frame

Above: Farmer D's Cedar Cold Frame measures 3-by-3 feet and is designed to sit on top of a raised garden bed or can be placed directly on the ground; $199.95 at Williams Sonoma.

cedar cold frame on legs

Above: Balcony or patio gardeners in cold climates can create a standing cold frame by pairing Farmer D's Cedar Bed on Legs with the Farmer D 2-by-4-foot Cedar Cold Frame; $299.95 and $199.95, respectively, at Williams Sonoma.

Above: The Forest Premier Cold Frame features two independently opening lids, each with a large and small timber prop to enable you to vary the level of exposure for the plants inside. It is 46.5 inches wide and 31 inches deep and comes with a 15-year warranty; £122.99 at Hayes Garden World.

Halls Aluminum Cold Frame

Above: Halls Single Poly Cold Frame has a corrosion-resistant, light weight aluminum frame and a plant-friendly polypropylene cover. It measures 39-by-24 inches and is $59.46 at Garden.com.

Manufactum-hot-bed-tunnel

Above: The Steel Frame Hotbed Tunnel offers cold weather protection with a steel tubing and UV-stabilized PE foil construction that is stable but very lightweight, offering great mobility. The cover opens either manually (it can be locked in any position), or automatically with the help of an activation device; €168 at Manufactum.

manufactum steel hotbed tunnel

Above: The Stainless Steel Hotbed Tunnel is placed over the desired garden bed and fixed with galvanized steel ground anchors.

Cedar cold frame kit

Above: The Sunnyside Projects Cedar Cold Frame Kit requires limited assembly with standard hand tools. The 2-by-4 foot cold frame is made with rot-resistant tongue and groove cedar, rust-free aluminum, and professional double-walled greenhouse panels; $250 through Sunnyside's Etsy Shop.

juwel biostar coldframe

Above: Made in Austria, the Juwel BioStar 1500 Premium Cold Frame features three roof windows, including one with an automatic opener. The panels are made of durable twin-wall polycarbonate, providing a high level of insulation and the strength to supportsix -feet of snow. It has a "no-drip" coating to prevent excess condensation from forming on plants. It measures 59-by-32 inches and includes four corner stakes; $359.99 at Green House Nation.

juwel biostar cold frame

Above: The Juwel BioStar 1500 Cold Frame can be reconfigured, taking off the top windows, to make it usable all year long. Image via the Urban Artichoke.

solexx large cold frame

Above: Perfect for existing raised garden beds, the large Solexx Deluxe Cold Frame measures 8-by-6 feet. It can be mounted to your existing raised bed, or with the optional Solexx Tie-down Kit ($29.95), can be anchored directly into the soil. This can also be used to as coverage to over-winter your potted plants; $452 at Greenhouse Nation.

advantek cold frame

Above: The simple Advantek Cold Frame is made with weatherproof fir lumber and features a lock-open and close lid. It measures 39-by-23-by-15 inches; $61.99 at Wayfair.

galvanized cold frame

Above: A sturdy budget option is the Single Galvanized Cold Frame. It measures 26-by-24-by-15 inches and is $39.99 at Master Gardening.

N.B.: See our earlier post Raised Garden Bed Round-Up for more ideas.

Moss Graffiti as Holiday Decor: Williamsburg Edition

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Wandering in Brooklyn the other day, I was headed toward Williamsburg when I saw the moss graffiti wall that Mexican artist Hugo Rojas created this year for the DUMBO Arts Fest. I managed to restrain myself (but just barely) from reaching up to rub a velvety hoof:

Photographs by Julie Carlson except where noted.

Above: Rojas' work is on the wall at Galapagos Art Space, at the corner of Main and Water streets (take the 2 or the 3 train to Clark Street).

Above: Moss wall graffiti, popularized by artist Edina Tokodi (see her work at Mosstika), is a wry offshoot of spray paint. A way to redeem concrete landscapes, the installations are also the ultimate low-maintenance vertical gardens.

Above: Donner? Or Blitzen?

Above: Photograph via Brooklyn Street Art.

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