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Modern-Day Canning: Everything You Need to Know, Step by Step

March 2, 2018, 3:00 am
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With the abundance of grocery stores and fresh markets today, I never fully understood why anyone would choose to spend hours toiling over the canning process. That is, until I grew a garden of my own. I had overplanted my veggies last year by a long shot, and found myself at harvest time trying to pawn off baskets of produce to every friend, neighbor, and relative willing to accept. So this year I decided it was time to learn a thing or two about canning.

To get started, I turned to my friend Sean, otherwise known as S. Pajot, the cook and writer behind outdoor, food, and lifestyle blog Blackbloods.

“In the old days, when self-reliance wasn’t a lifestyle choice, people made pickles and other canned goods because they weren’t interested in starving through the winter,” he explains. “Giving food a vinegar bath and sealing it in jars was a good way—like sun-drying tomatoes or distilling corn whiskey—to keep summer and fall crops from rotting before they could be either eaten or sold.”

Still, I wondered, unless you have a garden of your own, why can food in 2018?

“For me, it’s just profoundly pleasurable learning how to do things for myself, but also, food seems to taste better when it’s made from scratch in your own kitchen with raw ingredients dug out of a backyard garden or bought off a farmer working nearly the same dirt that you call home,” Sean says.

That sounded reasonable enough.  I asked him to help me stock my pantry for the cold months by preserving, sealing, and shelving my favorite fall and winter vegetables. Here are the results—and read on for step-by-step instructions to make spicy pickled rainbow carrot spears:

Photography by Marta Xochilt Perez.

1. Find the best produce.

 As with any kind of cooking, the most consequential thing when canning is the freshness and quality of the ingredients. To get started, we went off in search of our preferred kind of produce—local, organic, and harvested this morning.
Above: As with any kind of cooking, the most consequential thing when canning is the freshness and quality of the ingredients. To get started, we went off in search of our preferred kind of produce—local, organic, and harvested this morning.

“Here in Southeast Michigan, we’re lucky, because there isn’t any lack of regionally and responsibly raised food,” Sean points out. “It’s a place that, despite having been despoiled by the lumber, auto, oil, and many other industries throughout the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, still has rich soil, the Great Lakes, and deep agricultural traditions. And like many other parts of the United States, it’s also been touched over the last few decades by the eat-local, organic, and farm-to-table movements. There are heirloom seed growers just ten minutes outside Ann Arbor and urban farmers tilling lots in some of Detroit’s almost entirely abandoned neighborhoods.”

There isn’t a shortage of local-food markets in our neck of the woods either, what with Detroit’s sprawling century-and-a-half-old Eastern Market and the year-round, weekly bounty of the Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market, as well as smaller neighborhood gourmet groceries like Ann Arbor’s Argus Farm Stop and The Produce Station, and The Farmer’s Hand in Detroit.

For would-be canners across the country, there ought to be similar markets in your town, but if not, it’s quite likely that a quick Google search will turn up a local community-supported agriculture program, commonly known by the acronym CSA.

2. Prep, ASAP.

 Upon returning to the kitchen with armloads of delicious yet perishable produce, it’s important to take inventory, and immediately.
Above: Upon returning to the kitchen with armloads of delicious yet perishable produce, it’s important to take inventory, and immediately.

“There are many vegetables that need to be washed, chopped, cooked and jarred right away; they just won’t keep well, whether sitting on the counter or stashed in the refrigerator, and there’s nothing that canning can do to save limp green beans,” Sean says.
When he and I did our fall canning, there was no waiting two days (or even one) before we turned my already-tender backyard tomatoes into four jars of red-wine-spiked arrabbiata sauce.  There was likewise zero procrastination before we diced our farm-bought yellow and orange chiles for sweet pickled pepper hash.
With late-fall and early-winter crops, though, the rush to forestall spoilage becomes a little less frenzied because the cooling temperatures allow food to keep longer, and because we’re usually dealing with hardier vegetables. “These kinds of robust veggies—like the onions, radishes, beets, and carrots that we chose for our December and January canning sessions—can even be cellared for months without going bad,” Sean explains. “They’re also exactly the kind of produce, along with tough greens like kale and chard, that keep ripening throughout the winter in hoop houses and greenhouses, then show up on the tables at cold-weather farmers’ markets.”

 For canning, Sean suggests making thick cuts, as a chunkier vegetable is less likely to soften too much or get slowly broken down by vinegary brine as your jars sit on a shelf in the pantry for months.
Above: For canning, Sean suggests making thick cuts, as a chunkier vegetable is less likely to soften too much or get slowly broken down by vinegary brine as your jars sit on a shelf in the pantry for months.

No matter how long one vegetable or another may stay fresh, you’ll eventually need to start chopping. “It’s best to use simple cutting techniques, like a hefty stick cut for carrots, or a thick slice, like we used on our red onions and red radishes,” Sean advises. However, it is always worth toying with less standard approaches, as he and I did, using a peeler to turn Michigan-grown daikon radishes and giant carrots into long, flat ribbony strips for our riff on the classic Vietnamese pickled side dish do chua.

 For crushing spices, under normal circumstances, there should be a mortar and pestle at hand. But when planning our fall canning, we overlooked the fact that my kitchen was not equipped with just such a device. So we were forced to improvise, grabbing a C.S. Osborne Wooden Mallet  ($18.99 from Seattle Fabrics) from the basement and wrapping the nutmeg, cardamom, star anise and allspice in a clean prep towel, then hammering it to exactly the right degree of grittiness.
Above: For crushing spices, under normal circumstances, there should be a mortar and pestle at hand. But when planning our fall canning, we overlooked the fact that my kitchen was not equipped with just such a device. So we were forced to improvise, grabbing a C.S. Osborne Wooden Mallet  ($18.99 from Seattle Fabrics) from the basement and wrapping the nutmeg, cardamom, star anise and allspice in a clean prep towel, then hammering it to exactly the right degree of grittiness.

The knife work is only half of the prep, though. The other half is sorting and smashing the spices, and blending them for each recipe. “You’ll want black peppercorn, yellow and black mustard seed, dill seed, coriander seed, whole clove and nutmeg, cardamom and star anise pods, dried chiles, allspice berries, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaves,” Sean says. “And yes, it’s good to combine them all, leaving some whole and crushing others, for a general-use pickling spice that’s always ready to go. But it’s definitely better, if time isn’t short, to tinker with mixes tailored to each vegetable and the kind of vinegar that you’ve chosen for the brine.”

3. Start canning.

What you’re aiming for.
Above: What you’re aiming for.

Sealing our pickles in sterilized glass jars, then dunking them into boiling water for 30 minutes or so. That’s the canning process in 20 words or less. Doesn’t seem so complicated, does it? And yet there are so many ways the whole thing can go wrong

“Maybe you forget to clear the air bubbles from the top of a jar of cocktail onions, which leads to a flotilla of mold,” Sean says. “Or maybe you try to grab a screaming hot jar of golden beets with your bare hands, which leads to broken glass and an inedible mess all over the kitchen floor.”

“As for gear, you don’t need a bunch of gadgets and paraphernalia. The simpler your setup, the better,” Sean insists.

Your new best friend, the jar lifter.
Above: Your new best friend, the jar lifter.

Aside from jars, lids, and screw bands, Sean’s kit includes:

  • 8-quart stainless-steel preserving pan
  • 21.5-quart Granite·Ware Canning Pot With Wire Rack ($19.97 from Amazon)
  • Prep towels
  • Medium mixing bowl (for sterilizing lids)
  • Wide-Mouth Steel Funnel With Handle ($8.12 from Amazon)
  • Measuring cup (for ladling)
  • Large tongs
  • Slotted spoon
  • Chopsticks (for popping pesky air bubbles)
  • Jar Lifter ($6.27 at Amazon—”so I don’t ever again burn the first few layers of skin off the palms of my hands”)

Your canning technique will require a few simple steps:

First, heat the water.
Above: First, heat the water.

“To start, before doing anything else, fill the canning pot with water, leaving only four inches to the rim, and crank the heat to high,” Sean says. “This has to be the first thing you do, because when you’re boiling around 20 quarts of water, it is going to take forever. But after it’s hot, you can kill the burner and use a lid to keep the pot close to the right temperature till you’re ready to sterilize your jars or process some canned goods.”

 Next, wash the jars, lids, and screw bands.
Above: Next, wash the jars, lids, and screw bands.

“Even if they look clean, they aren’t clean enough. Just sponge them with soapy water. Or throw the jars and bands into the dishwasher. The lids need to washed by hand, though; and don’t scrub or brush them, because you do not want to damage the adhesive that creates the seal that prevents our pickles from becoming disgusting.”

 While the water is boiling and the jars are drying, it’s time for mise en place.
Above: While the water is boiling and the jars are drying, it’s time for mise en place.

“Grab your just-cut vegetables from the fridge, toss together your spice mix, and lay out your tools. Then fold two towels into nice neat squares and place them on the counter near the stove: one will serve as a staging area for filling still-hot jars with still-hot pickles; the other will serve as a cooling area for the processed jars that you’ll be lifting out of the canning pot in an hour.”

 Now, with everything in its right place, we need to sterilize the jars and lids. 
Above: Now, with everything in its right place, we need to sterilize the jars and lids. 

“It’s true that they’re clean, because they’ve been washed, but they’re not microbe free,” Sean says. “So use the jar lifter to plunge the jars into the boiling water. Wait at least 15 minutes or just until you’re ready to fill them, then pull the jars out, using the jar lifter, and dump the hot water back into the pot before setting them on the folded towel.” As for the lids, he adds, “put them in the mixing bowl and ladle in a cup or two of boiling water.”

Above:
Above:

“This is the point at which we make our pickles,” Sean says.

“The most basic recipe for the non-fermented variety includes vinegar, salt and some spices,” he explains. “We need the spices for flavor, and nothing else. The salt tastes good, but it also curbs bacterial growth. However, the most significant detail is the acidity of the vinegar, which must be at least five percent in order to lower the pH level of our pickles and brine to at least 4.6, creating the kind of high-acid brew that inhibits the survival of microbial bugs.

S. Pajot in action.
Above: S. Pajot in action.

“Vinegar alone is often enough to properly preserve vegetables; you don’t necessarily need to cook your pickles,” Sean says. “But it does help kill bacteria. It more deeply infuses the brine with the flavor of the spices. And I think it improves the texture of most veggies.”

 “Use a funnel, some tongs, a slotted spoon, and a measuring cup to transfer the vegetables, spices, and brine,” Sean says. “Yes, you could do without one or two of these tools, but they make it a lot easier to fill your jars without any messy kitchen incidents that waste hours’ worth of work or leave permanent scars.”
Above: “Use a funnel, some tongs, a slotted spoon, and a measuring cup to transfer the vegetables, spices, and brine,” Sean says. “Yes, you could do without one or two of these tools, but they make it a lot easier to fill your jars without any messy kitchen incidents that waste hours’ worth of work or leave permanent scars.”

Try Sean’s recipe for carrot pickles:

Spicy Pickled Rainbow Carrot Spears

Plant-based diet, as art.
Above: Plant-based diet, as art.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound rainbow carrots, quartered lengthwise, then cut into four-inch sticks
  • 2 ½ cups apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon pickling or kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon crushed dried chiles with seeds
  • 5 cloves garlic, sliced widthwise

Combine vinegar, salt, maple syrup, the spices, and sliced garlic with a half cup of water in an eight-quart preserving pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes. Add the carrots, and cook for another five minutes.

The pickles are still hot. The jars and lids are still hot.  Put them together, using a funnel, tongs, slotted spoon, and measuring cup to transfer the mixture to the jars.

If there are air bubbles floating on the surface of the brine, take a chopstick and pop them. (“An oxygen-less jar is one more factor that will keep microorganisms from colonizing your pickles,” Sean explains.) Next, clean the edge of each jar with a damp paper towel, pop on the lids, and screw on the bands until snug. “Don’t crank them too tight. You’ll want to eventually open these things. They also shouldn’t be too tight because all of the air needs to escape from the jars while they’re being processed in the canning pot. ”

Another crucial tip: “Make sure to leave what’s called head space, a half inch for pickles,  between the food and the rim. It is the thing that allows for a vacuum to be created and an airtight seal to form after the jars have been pulled out of the pot and they’re cooling.”

With the jar lifter, load the now-full jars into the pot. “They should be evenly spaced, sitting neatly on the wire rack, at least an inch underwater,” Sean says. “Add more water, if needed. Turn up the heat, if needed. Then watch it boil.”

The processing time for canned goods differs from recipe to recipe—sometimes ten minutes, other times 20, even occasionally 30—and there will be added time if your kitchen happens to reside at an elevation of 1001 feet or higher. “For example, we gave our spicy carrots a 15-minute boil. But if you were canning in Isabella, Minnesota, at 2,000 feet above sea level, then you’d have to tack on five extra minutes.”

Altitude Added Time:

  • 1,001 to 3,000 feet 5 minutes
  • 3,001 to 6,000 feet 10 minutes
  • 6,001 to 8,000 feet 15 minutes
  • 8,001 to 10,000 feet 20 minutes

“Once you’ve reached the prescribed processing time, switch off the heat,” Sean instructs. “Give the jars five more minutes in the hot water, then pull them out with the jar lifter and arrange them on your second towel, in a diamond pattern or a figure eight or whatever seems like fun. All that’s important now is leaving them alone for the next 12 to 24 hours. Don’t shake them. Don’t poke them. Don’t unscrew and rescrew the bands. Just wait, and enjoy the tinny popping sounds coming from the kitchen. That means the lids are sealing.”

After letting the jars rest for the half or whole day, test them. “Jab the middle of each lid with your finger; it shouldn’t pop up and down,” Sean says. “There’s also the so-called lift test, which requires you to remove the screw band and pull up on the lid from its edges with the fingertips of one hand. If the lid holds, we are done.

The modern-day root cellar.
Above: The modern-day root cellar.

“Now, you’ve only got to worry about giving tours of your pretty pantry,” says Sean. “And eating everything.”

For more of Michelle Adams’s recent adventures, see Before & After: A Garden Makeover in Michigan for Editor Michelle Adams. And have you been following our Plant-Based Diet stories this week? See:

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Current Obsessions: Cinephile

March 2, 2018, 11:00 pm
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A look at what’s on our radar, this first weekend of March and looking toward spring.

Screenings al fresco. Photograph from Garden Muse: A Remodeled Retreat Stays True to Its Roots on Menorca.
Above: Screenings al fresco. Photograph from Garden Muse: A Remodeled Retreat Stays True to Its Roots on Menorca.

Recently in Obsessions:

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Expert Advice: 10 Tips To Get Your Garden Ready for Spring

March 3, 2018, 1:00 am
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Waiting for spring can make you as antsy as waiting for Christmas when you were a kid. Will it ever get here? And then it arrives suddenly…and there’s no more luxurious time to scheme or dream.

We think of winter as a gift—precious time to prepare for spring. Barb Pierson, nursery manager at White Flower Farm in Connecticut, has 10 essential tips to prepare a garden for spring. We’re on it:

Photography by Sara Barrett for Gardenista, except where noted.

1. See What’s Not There

white-flower-farm-trial-garden-white-garden-trial-bed-stone-wall-gardenista.JPG

Above: A trial bed at White Flower Farm.

When trees are bare and plants are dormant is the best time to study a garden’s underpinnings. “In the winter, you can see what’s missing. Are there areas where you need screening because you suddenly you notice the air conditioning unit that looks horrible?” asks Pierson.

2. Add Trellises, Tuteurs, and Supports

white-flower-farm-trial-garden-border-color-gardenista

Above: On that topic, “now is a good time to think about—and add—screening elements like trellises and tuteurs,” says Pierson. “There’s room in the garden to put them in.”

Pierson’s favorite is a white pyramid tuteur (visible in background above). See more ideas in 10 Easy Pieces: Garden Tuteurs, A Glamorous Trellis to Reflect Sunlight, and DIY Bean Trellis.

3. Help Your Hardscape

white-flower-farm-purples-gardenista

Above: This is a good time to fix or add to your hardscape. “Get sand to fill the cracks on a brick path, for instance,” says Pierson. “it’s a great time to think about edging. Do you want to add some kind of stone edging? Add it now.”

4. Plant Trees and Shrubs

white-flower-white-garden-border-gardenista

Above: Give your garden good bones by strategically placing small trees and shrubs to anchor beds. “Ask yourself what small trees and shrubs do you want and do you need more evergreens,” says Pierson. “Think about focal points and build out from there.”

Some ideas to consider: spring-flowering dogwoods, trees with Colorful Fall Foliage, and replacing a fence with a Hedge.

5. Place Your Order

white-flower-farm-white-garden-gardenista-4

Above: Cleome hasserliana in bloom against a stone wall at White Flower Farm.

After you decide how to fill the holes, place an early order to get the best selection and prices on both specimen trees and hardscape elements.

“Last year, I waited too long and for my own garden I couldn’t get the white tuteur before we sold out,” says Pierson. “I like it because it looks clean and actually becomes part of the garden design.”

6. Buy Seeds

white-flower-farm-white-garden-gardenista-2

Above: Nicotiana and echinacea mix well in a border.

“I like to direct-sow in spring,  but it’s very important to order now or you won’t get what you want,” says Pierson. “One of my favorite vendors is Renee’s Garden. I’m ordering all my cosmos, zinnias, and sunflowers now.”

The secret to sowing seeds directly into the ground? “Raised beds are the answer because you’ll be sowing into nice, light, fluffy potting soil. If you don’t have air in soil, you’ll have problems.”

For more of our favorite sources for seeds, see: Ask the Expert: 7 Tips to Grow Cut Flowers and 10 Easy Pieces: Heirloom Seeds for Spring.

7. Rehab Your Tools

garden-pruners-4-gardenista

Above: Photograph by Erin Boyle. For more, see How to Clean and Care for Garden Pruners.

Now is the season when you have time to clean, oil, and repair tools. Do it. “I was just down in my basement last night to take stock, to look at my scissors and pruners and what needs to be sharpened,” says Pierson. “My gloves are a disaster; the middle finger always goes out. Anything I need to replace for the coming season, I’ll do now because I’ll get better price and availability.”

8. Prune Judiciously

700_pruning-saw-technique

Above: “If you live in a zone where you already see that trees and shrubs have buds swelling, you want to get the pruning done before they do leaf out,” says Pierson. “It’s also a good time to move or remove plants that just didn’t do well, for instance if you tried to grow a full-sun thing and it’s not in full sun anymore.”

9. Weed With Enthusiasm

weeds-white-flower-farm-gardenista

Above: “If your ground is not frozen,  now is a great time for weeding before the roots get established and everything goes to seed,” says Pierson. “It’s easier to weed in moist soil.”

10. Mulch for Moisture

white-flower-farm-white-hydrangeas-gardenista

Above: “A lot of landscapers will have early specials on mulch and if you are in an area where it’s not going to snow, it’s not a bad idea to start thinking about it,” says Pierson. “If you have a shrub border established and you want to get that mulch on before it gets hot, it’s not a bad idea—especially if you live where you know it’s going to get dry later in the season. Get it on now to capture the moisture while you have it.”

See more pre-spring cleanup ideas tips for growing Perennials, Annuals, and Edibles in our curated Garden Design 101 guides. And if you’re taking advantage of one of the last weekends of winter to do some armchair gardening, see:

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9 Secrets to Growing Succulent Plants Indoors

March 3, 2018, 11:00 pm
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I’ve killed every succulent I’ve ever attempted to grow. Things start off well enough, but a few weeks after I bring one into my home, it starts to look spindly and sad before it gives up and dies. Despite hearing time and again about how foolproof succulents can be, I’ve never had luck. I have a hunch that I’m not the only one. Fellow succulents killers, are you out there?

Welcome to Throwback Sundays: Readers’ Favorite Posts from the Past.

Distraught about my inability to nurture a succulent in my tiny New York apartment, I took advantage of a recent trip to San Francisco to head to that city’s gardening mecca, Flora Grubb Gardens, to ask for advice: Why are my succulents dying, and how can I keep them alive?

N.B.: See our favorite hardy varieties in 10 Easy Pieces: Best Succulents.

Photography by Erin Boyle, except where noted.

1. Don’t overwater.

Let’s talk climate. Succulents like it dry. They grow in San Francisco grow like weeds. Wedged between crack in the sidewalks, spilling out of containers in the middle of the street, twisting out of hanging planters suspended from lamp posts, the succulent plants in the City by the Bay are so healthy and abundant that if I didn’t know better, I might actually believe they were mocking me.
Above: Let’s talk climate. Succulents like it dry. They grow in San Francisco grow like weeds. Wedged between crack in the sidewalks, spilling out of containers in the middle of the street, twisting out of hanging planters suspended from lamp posts, the succulent plants in the City by the Bay are so healthy and abundant that if I didn’t know better, I might actually believe they were mocking me.

If you live in a wetter climate, let plants dry out thoroughly between waterings (those pillowy leaves hold moisture to use when they’re growing in the desert).

2. Let the sun shine.

 Give succulent plants as much sun as possible. They are desert plants and thrive in hot places with plenty of sunshine. It’s no surprise that a sun-loving plant doesn’t enjoy life in my dimly lit New York apartment.
Above: Give succulent plants as much sun as possible. They are desert plants and thrive in hot places with plenty of sunshine. It’s no surprise that a sun-loving plant doesn’t enjoy life in my dimly lit New York apartment.

3. Conduct experiments.

Try out different kinds of succulents. They’re not all alike. Some will thrive in indoor conditions that others might not like. Read on.
Above: Try out different kinds of succulents. They’re not all alike. Some will thrive in indoor conditions that others might not like. Read on.

4. Go green.

Start with the green ones. The greener their leaves, the greater the chances that they’ll survive inside. Pass up the gray ones, the blue ones, and the purple ones, and head straight for the bright green leaves.
Above: Start with the green ones. The greener their leaves, the greater the chances that they’ll survive inside. Pass up the gray ones, the blue ones, and the purple ones, and head straight for the bright green leaves.

5. Embrace old faithful.

Succulent plants and succulents at Flora Grubb in San Francisco

Above: Varieties in the Crassula genus are a dependable option. A Crassula “Gollum” Jade is available from Mountain Crest Gardens for $3.95.

6. Get agave and aloe.

 If you prefer the cactus look, agave and aloe plants can also do surprisingly well indoors if placed in a bright window. The thread-leaf agave (above) has my eye in particular.
Above: If you prefer the cactus look, agave and aloe plants can also do surprisingly well indoors if placed in a bright window. The thread-leaf agave (above) has my eye in particular.

7. Know your colors.

Part of the appeal is the variety of colors and shapes. But succulent plants in the purple and orange color family are really better suited for outdoor spaces.
Above: Part of the appeal is the variety of colors and shapes. But succulent plants in the purple and orange color family are really better suited for outdoor spaces.
Instead of focusing on having a variety of color, look for green succulents in a variety of shapes.
Above: Instead of focusing on having a variety of color, look for green succulents in a variety of shapes.

8. Provide breathing space.

Give succulent plants room to breathe indoors. In outdoor settings, they can do well in crowded compositions, but in lower indoor light, it’s best to space them apart so that a maximum amount of sunlight can reach them.
Above: Give succulent plants room to breathe indoors. In outdoor settings, they can do well in crowded compositions, but in lower indoor light, it’s best to space them apart so that a maximum amount of sunlight can reach them.

9. Plant in unglazed pots.

Planting succulents in unglazed plants can help them to drain completely and will prevent them from becoming waterlogged.
Above: Planting succulents in unglazed plants can help them to drain completely and will prevent them from becoming waterlogged.

What else? Any other tips for the succulent killers among us? See more tips and container-plant design ideas for our favorite succulents:

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Gardening 101: Crocus

March 4, 2018, 1:00 am
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Crocus, Crocus:   “The Early Riser”

What will heaven look like when we get there? Emily Dickinson predicted a springtime Resurrection, with “the feet of people walking home” amid clumps of crocuses. We’ll be in sandals.

Above: For now we thank those tiny cup shaped flowers for making late February and early March bearable. Photograph by Takashi .M via Flickr.

Above: Most crocuses bloom in spring; plant their corms in the autumn in clumps of 12 or more. If they like your soil, crocuses will naturalize and, as the years pass, spread across your early lawn like a pond of purple and yellow and white. Photograph by Takashi .M via Flickr.


 crocus-hellebore-strawberry-leaves-magnolia-sophia-moreno-bunge-gardenista

Above: A bunch of white crocuses on the bulb (in the foreground) add delicacy to florist Emily Thompson’s picks for an early spring arrangement. for more, see DIY Floral Arrangement: Magnolias and More, with Emily Thompson. Photograph by Sophia Moreno-Bunge.

We love the autumn version–Crocus sativus–too. Named for the ancient Hebrew word for “saffron,” Crocus sativus produces the spice; each flower has the red threadlike stigmas you pay for so dearly at the market (it takes nearly 4,000 flowers to produce an ounce of saffron).

Above: Photograph by Takashi .M via Flickr.

Cheat Sheet:

  • Perennial: Grows from bulb-like corms
  • Hardy: Zones 6-8 (and 9 in the West)
  • Pair it with plants that can live in snow, such as winter jasmine or snowdrops

Keep It Alive:

  • If over-eager buds appear in January, cover with milk cartons to protect from cold
  • Partial to full sun
  • Water in fall if beds are very dry

Above: Photograph by Takashi .M via Flickr.

If you want to harvest your own saffron, pick Crocus sativus flowers on a sunny day and then let the stigmas dry before using them in recipes.

Above: Photograph by Takashi .M via Flickr.

N.B. : For more about spring flowers, our Garden Design 101 guides including our primer on Bulbs & Tubers 101 can help answer your questions:

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10 Garden Ideas to Steal from Instagram

March 4, 2018, 11:00 pm
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Remember when gardens were outdoors instead of on Instagram? Maybe we can compromise. I spent a couple of hours on the sofa flipping through photos (#itsajob), the modern way to travel around the world to look at beautiful gardens and houseplant collections, and came up with a bunch of ideas we should be stealing for own gardens. This means getting off the couch, of course, but I feel like I can do it if I take my phone along in case of emergency photo op.

Here are 10 ideas for indoor and outdoor gardens to steal from Instagram—for planting, repotting, painting, and putting pretty branches on the mantel:

Glossy Greenery

From the always inspiring @haarkon_ , (199,000 followers is not an accident) comes this advice: Pick houseplants with foliage that complements the colors in nearby fabrics.
Above: From the always inspiring @haarkon_ , (199,000 followers is not an accident) comes this advice: Pick houseplants with foliage that complements the colors in nearby fabrics.

You can create a romantic tropical jungle in a corner, like this one in the Sheffield, England hair salon of @kojoandlee_hair, by grouping houseplants with glossy, shiny foliage and different leaf shapes to play off each other. Suggested: bird of paradise, monstera, and to create a focal point, an attention hog with variegated leaves such as the Fatsia Japonica ‘Spider’s Web’ shown at right (a starter plant in a 4-inch pot is $17 from Plant Lust).

Perennials in Pots

Flowering saxifraga and coral bells,  potted by @mettekrull. Our UK contributor Kendra Wilson discovered Denmark-based photographer Mette Krull on Instagram; see more of her garden at Garden Visit: Mette Krull’s Danish Greenhouse.
Above: Flowering saxifraga and coral bells,  potted by @mettekrull. Our UK contributor Kendra Wilson discovered Denmark-based photographer Mette Krull on Instagram; see more of her garden at Garden Visit: Mette Krull’s Danish Greenhouse.

For some reason, tropical plants are most likely to be treated as houseplant. But let us not overlook flowering perennials. In a garden bed you may need to mass them to make a statement. But coral bells blooming in a container is unexpected, and eye catching. Plant it in the garden, transplant to a pot when it blooms, and then—back outdoors until next year.

Trying to choose a flowering perennials to bring indoors? See our curated guide to Perennials 101 or choose a Heuchera cultivar with help from Coral Bells: A Field Guide.

Black Facades

 The Soot House in Maine, which sculptor-turned-builder Anthony Esteves built from scratch, is painted with a Japanese-style, fermented paint that Esteves makes out of soot as well as water and persimmon. “It absorbs into the wood like a stain and creates a solid color in one coat,” he says. Photograph by Greta Rybus (@gretarybus).
Above: The Soot House in Maine, which sculptor-turned-builder Anthony Esteves built from scratch, is painted with a Japanese-style, fermented paint that Esteves makes out of soot as well as water and persimmon. “It absorbs into the wood like a stain and creates a solid color in one coat,” he says. Photograph by Greta Rybus (@gretarybus).

We featured the Soot House a few months back; see more at Curb Appeal: A Classic New England Color Palette on Spruce Head in Maine.

Winter Flowers

Garden designer Miranda Brooks’s winter-flowering branches evoke spring on her Brooklyn mantel. See more at @miranda.brooks.
Above: Garden designer Miranda Brooks’s winter-flowering branches evoke spring on her Brooklyn mantel. See more at @miranda.brooks.

Feathery witch hazel branches flower in late winter, when you need them most.  See more at Witch Hazel: A Field Guide and find planting and design tips for more of our favorite winter-flowering shrubs at Viburnum: A Field Guide and Mahonia: A Field Guide.

Foraged Florals

Foraged branches from nettle tree are transformed into a voluptuous floral arrangement by LA-based florist  Sophia Moreno-Bunge of Isa Isa Floral. Photograph via @wafflesoph.
Above: Foraged branches from nettle tree are transformed into a voluptuous floral arrangement by LA-based florist  Sophia Moreno-Bunge of Isa Isa Floral. Photograph via @wafflesoph.

See more of florist Sophia Moreno-Bunge’s adventures in Florist in Residence: My Two Months at Villa Lena In Tuscany. Foraged flowers can have the benefit of looking simultaneously wild and tamed in a vase.

Tropical Backdrops

A magical tropical landscape for Palihouse in Los Angeles, created by landscape architects Terremoto.LA (photograph via @Terremoto_LA).
Above: A magical tropical landscape for Palihouse in Los Angeles, created by landscape architects Terremoto.LA (photograph via @Terremoto_LA).

Oversize foliage, ferns, and fronds are a dramatic foil for a tailored, controlled landscape. If you live in a warm climate, see our design guides for Tropical Plants 101, including consider Palms, Tree Ferns, or Proteas.

No-Mow Lawns

UK-based garden designer visited Dallas and discovered a soft-textured Carex grass that “doesn’t need much water and doesn’t need to be cut.” See more at @lucianogiubbileigardens.
Above: UK-based garden designer visited Dallas and discovered a soft-textured Carex grass that “doesn’t need much water and doesn’t need to be cut.” See more at @lucianogiubbileigardens.

For alternatives to turf grass, see Fields of Green: 5 Favorite Lawn Substitutes and Hardscaping 101: Ground Covers to Plant Between Pavers.

Smudged Outlines

Branches of smoke bush create a hazy, cloudy atmosphere in a floral arrangement by Tokyo-based florist Iki Yukari at the Little Shop of Flowers. See more of her arrangements at @thelittleshopofflowers.
Above: Branches of smoke bush create a hazy, cloudy atmosphere in a floral arrangement by Tokyo-based florist Iki Yukari at the Little Shop of Flowers. See more of her arrangements at @thelittleshopofflowers.

See more of her work at Shopper’s Diary: The Little Shop of Flowers in Tokyo and be inspired by the possibilities of flowering smoke bush to create a soft, textural cloud in a garden. See tips for growing the shrub and integrating it into a garden design at Smoke Bush: A Field Guide.

Layered Color

Foliage can create colorful layers in a landscape, as evidenced by the Japanese maples in this Tokyo garden, captured by designers @roman_and_williams_.
Above: Foliage can create colorful layers in a landscape, as evidenced by the Japanese maples in this Tokyo garden, captured by designers @roman_and_williams_.

See more of the design duo’s work at The Guild: A Glamorous New Emporium in SoHo from Roman & Williams on Remodelista.

For tips on how to take a multilayer approach to adding color in a landscape, see Alexa’s post on 10 Garden Ideas to Steal from the Dutch Masters.

Secret Spots

We’ve long been admirers of Maria Dremo Sundström’s own garden in Sweden and her discoveries on @mariapaalmbacken. Here is a greenhouse Tvååker, Sweden where owner Viktora Johansson (along with her  partner, Marie Emilsson) offer workshops and tours via their Trip2Garden site.
Above: We’ve long been admirers of Maria Dremo Sundström’s own garden in Sweden and her discoveries on @mariapaalmbacken. Here is a greenhouse Tvååker, Sweden where owner Viktora Johansson (along with her  partner, Marie Emilsson) offer workshops and tours via their Trip2Garden site.

Vines, climbers, and a shady corner in the shelter of a tree is a good location for a secluded shed, greenhouse, or other outbuilding. Creating a distant destination will make even the smallest garden feel spacious.

See more of Maria’s garden at Garden Visit: At Home with Maria Dremo Sundström in Sweden.

See more garden ideas to steal:

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10 Easy Pieces: Portable Greenhouses

March 5, 2018, 1:00 am
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Is a portable greenhouse the best weapon in a spring garden? My friend Kate, who grew up in Wisconsin where the growing season is very short, recommends germinating seeds in a mini greenhouse on a trolley that you can move to follow the sun. “My brother has one he wheels around his garden,” she says.

Here in northern California, Kate’s last crop of sunflower seeds mysteriously failed to germinate in the ground (“I even soaked them,” she said). This spring, she has a new plan: planting sunflower seeds in a controlled environment, in little plug pots in a portable greenhouse to make sure they stay warm, get enough water, and bask in several hours of direct sunlight even in March.

Another thing to know about portable greenhouses? They’re adorable. Here are 10 to consider this spring:

A Portable Wooden Cold Frame Greenhouse by Giantex measures 35.4 inches by 31.3 inches by 23.0 and, as shown in the top photo, has hinged lids. It is $86.99 from Glow Home Decor.
Above: A Portable Wooden Cold Frame Greenhouse by Giantex measures 35.4 inches by 31.3 inches by 23.0 and, as shown in the top photo, has hinged lids. It is $86.99 from Glow Home Decor.
An Aluminum Frame Greenhouse measures 100 centimeters by 100 centimeters (about 39 inches by 39 inches) and has a double-sided lid. For more information and prices, see Vertak.
Above: An Aluminum Frame Greenhouse measures 100 centimeters by 100 centimeters (about 39 inches by 39 inches) and has a double-sided lid. For more information and prices, see Vertak.
A mini Tabletop Greenhouse has a vented cover; $19.95 from Gardener’s Supply.
Above: A mini Tabletop Greenhouse has a vented cover; $19.95 from Gardener’s Supply.
A portable Wooden Greenhouse measures 35.4 inches by 19.3 inches by 40.5 inches and has a foldable lid and a storage shelf; $58.99 from Amazon.
Above: A portable Wooden Greenhouse measures 35.4 inches by 19.3 inches by 40.5 inches and has a foldable lid and a storage shelf; $58.99 from Amazon.
Slightly larger than the model shown above, a four-lidded, waterproof aluminum Cold Frame greenhouse is £40.99 from Mano Mano.
Above: Slightly larger than the model shown above, a four-lidded, waterproof aluminum Cold Frame greenhouse is £40.99 from Mano Mano.
A Compact Convertible Garden Greenhouse & Lattice Kit designed by inventor and Shark Tank cast member Lori Greiner is 36 inches long and can be reconfigured as a trellis during warm months when you don’t need a greenhouse; it is $59.99 at Amazon.
Above: A Compact Convertible Garden Greenhouse & Lattice Kit designed by inventor and Shark Tank cast member Lori Greiner is 36 inches long and can be reconfigured as a trellis during warm months when you don’t need a greenhouse; it is $59.99 at Amazon.
A pine Latchmere Raised Cold Frame has a plexiglass lid and side panels; £140 from Garden Trading.
Above: A pine Latchmere Raised Cold Frame has a plexiglass lid and side panels; £140 from Garden Trading.
A Growit Backyard Raised Bed Greenhouse has a steel frame and tension ropes to hold a roll-up cover in place; $59.99 from Shelter Logic.
Above: A Growit Backyard Raised Bed Greenhouse has a steel frame and tension ropes to hold a roll-up cover in place; $59.99 from Shelter Logic.
A 72-inch-long, wooden VegTrug Cold Frame Elevated Planter Bed is double-insulated with polycarbonate panels and is $229.99 from Hayneedle.
Above: A 72-inch-long, wooden VegTrug Cold Frame Elevated Planter Bed is double-insulated with polycarbonate panels and is $229.99 from Hayneedle.
A waterproof square PlantHouse Portable Greenhouse is available in five sizes (from 24 inches to 60 inches) and comes with stakes to secure it to the ground. Prices range from $34 to $240 depending on size at Greenhouse Megastore.
Above: A waterproof square PlantHouse Portable Greenhouse is available in five sizes (from 24 inches to 60 inches) and comes with stakes to secure it to the ground. Prices range from $34 to $240 depending on size at Greenhouse Megastore.
A two-tier Portable Greenhouse with wheels (and lockable brakes) has a tear-proof PVC cover and is $39.99 from Amazon.
Above: A two-tier Portable Greenhouse with wheels (and lockable brakes) has a tear-proof PVC cover and is $39.99 from Amazon.

See more ways to get a jump start on spring:

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Rethinking Quince: Styling a Classic Spring Blossom

March 5, 2018, 3:00 am
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Quince is often the first sign of spring at the flower market. I breathe a deep sigh of relief upon the first sighting. You can’t go wrong with a large glass vase full of these architectural blossoms in any room. But I wanted to go beyond the obvious and play with quince as art, by using one stem at a time, pairing it with an unexpected curry-colored vase, and floating a mass of blossoms in a modern frosted bowl. Think: wabi sabi.

Photography and styling by Chelsea Fuss.

For a large-scale floral arrangement, you can’t go wrong with quince branches.
Above: For a large-scale floral arrangement, you can’t go wrong with quince branches.

The sheer scale of quince demands that these branches be the star of the show. Even one stem in a small vase will offer an unexpected play on scale, and a surprise to a corner of a room. Adding quince to a color-saturated, angular ceramic piece brings out the bright coral of the petals and lines of the branch.

Just one branch can be an artful display when paired with the proper vase.
Above: Just one branch can be an artful display when paired with the proper vase.

When bringing quince inside, trim the stems at an angle, and cut upwards into the stem to make sure the branch can absorb as much water as possible. You can remove the dying blossoms to encourage new ones to open, or enjoy their beautiful decay on the stem.

Create a wabi sabi display with textured vases of different shapes and sizes.
Above: Create a wabi sabi display with textured vases of different shapes and sizes.

Use vases that have different shapes and sizes to create a display with visual interest. All the colors here work together but each vase ofers a contrast, even if ever so slightly, of texture, color, and shape.

Above The mustard-colored vase is from Henriette Arcelin, a Lisbon-based ceramist.
Above The mustard-colored vase is from Henriette Arcelin, a Lisbon-based ceramist.

The branches offer interesting architectural lines and when paired with a mass of blossoms, create a quintessential spring flower arrangement.

An offbeat, organic-style vase by Sofia Albuquerque is the perfect match for two quince stems.
Above: An offbeat, organic-style vase by Sofia Albuquerque is the perfect match for two quince stems.

Make a grouping of vases, or use a large twig on its own for an artful, textured, display.

A frosted bowl from The Golden Rabbit, a garden shop in Dusseldorf, holds quince blossoms.
Above: A frosted bowl from The Golden Rabbit, a garden shop in Dusseldorf, holds quince blossoms.

A bowl of quince blossoms is a quick and easy flower arrangement that will bring spring indoors.

The coral pink is visible through the frosted glass of the bowl.
Above: The coral pink is visible through the frosted glass of the bowl.

A simple bowl of quince blossoms showcases the gorgeous pale pink and coral petals.

Playing with the scale of the branches makes a surprising statement.
Above: Playing with the scale of the branches makes a surprising statement.

Pairing a tall branch with a smaller vase is an elegant surprise and enables you to appreciate the scale of the branches. It makes a statement here in a corner of my country cottage.

A curry-colored vase is the perfect color contrast for the coral blossoms of quince branches.
Above: A curry-colored vase is the perfect color contrast for the coral blossoms of quince branches.

Find out how to grow your own in Gardening 101: Flowering Quince.

See more of Chelsea’s arrangements in our Rethinking Flowers series:

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In Seattle, An Urban Landscape Designed for Privacy and Indoor/Outdoor Flow

March 5, 2018, 11:00 pm
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When a young couple found an aging, one-bedroom cottage for sale on the east side of Seattle’s desirable Capitol Hill neighborhood, they looked past its flaws and instead at its generous, 4,800-square-foot lot—and began to imagine making a permanent home there.

First, the flaws: The couple required three bedrooms, not one, and wanted an “efficient, low-maintenance, and modern” house that the tiny cottage couldn’t provide. The pair also missed the courtyard-style homes of their native South Africa, and prioritized indoor-outdoor flow above almost all else. Last, the lot was flanked by multiunit rental buildings (with heavy foot traffic) on both sides, and was sited on a busy arterial street with a city bus line.

The pair engaged Shed Architecture & Design to reinvent the narrow lot, so they replaced the cottage with a 2,450-square-foot, three-bedroom home with concrete terraced front and privacy features at every turn. Concrete walls at the front and a detached garage at back block views of the house from passersby. On the sides, which face the rental buildings, windows were added only where needed, and a concrete wall and cedar fence shield the backyard from prying eyes. The planting scheme, developed by Williamson Landscape Architecture, was designed to look vaguely South African by “evoking California native shrub land, but with plants that thrive in the Pacific Northwest,” says Shed architect Greg Shiffler. Let’s take a closer look.

Photography by Rafael Soldi, courtesy of Shed Architecture & Design.

For a modern take on a traditional Seattle house (per the clients’ request), Shed designed a concrete terraced front with door painted in Pure Orange. The exterior paneling is corrugated black metal and white painted Hardie board.
Above: For a modern take on a traditional Seattle house (per the clients’ request), Shed designed a concrete terraced front with door painted in Pure Orange. The exterior paneling is corrugated black metal and white painted Hardie board.
Though the front landscape is one of two usable outdoor spaces, the concrete walls provide complete privacy for the homeowners. The front will be further screened as the grasses and Portugal laurel trees grow.
Above: Though the front landscape is one of two usable outdoor spaces, the concrete walls provide complete privacy for the homeowners. The front will be further screened as the grasses and Portugal laurel trees grow.

The clients “miss living in a warm climate,” says Shiffler, which motivated their desire for California-style plantings. The landscape architect used low-water plants where possible.

Shed took cues from South African houses built around courtyards and designed two courtyard-style outdoor spaces at the front and back of the house. The front courtyard terrace is sited to the right of the front door, just off the living room. It’s filled with three-quarter-inch clean crushed rock—a temporary solution until the homeowners have pavers installed.
Above: Shed took cues from South African houses built around courtyards and designed two courtyard-style outdoor spaces at the front and back of the house. The front courtyard terrace is sited to the right of the front door, just off the living room. It’s filled with three-quarter-inch clean crushed rock—a temporary solution until the homeowners have pavers installed.

“Creating comfortable outdoor spaces with free-flowing connections to the interior living areas was paramount,” says Shiffler.

A built-in concrete patio bench extends inside the house, where it is polished and functions as a plinth for the living room entertainment center. The outdoor furniture is Hot Mesh by Blu Dot.
Above: A built-in concrete patio bench extends inside the house, where it is polished and functions as a plinth for the living room entertainment center. The outdoor furniture is Hot Mesh by Blu Dot.

“The front terrace provides a nice position from which to survey the streetscape, while its wall shields those seated on the terrace from pedestrians below,” says Shiffler.

A view through the eat-in kitchen to the back patio. The detached garage is visible at the back.
Above: A view through the eat-in kitchen to the back patio. The detached garage is visible at the back.

Due to the rental properties on either side, the house is designed for interaction with the outdoors only on its ends—both the front and back walls have floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors.

A small seating area on the back patio uses two Eames Wire Chairs flanking a small table made of Douglas fir framing scraps. Star jasmine climbs the cedar fence.
Above: A small seating area on the back patio uses two Eames Wire Chairs flanking a small table made of Douglas fir framing scraps. Star jasmine climbs the cedar fence.
The clients designed a side pathway of black river pebbles and concrete pavers, reused from the previous landscape, bordered by a fence of horizontal cedar boards. The path links the detached garage to the house; the door at the end of the path opens onto the home’s entry foyer.

The exterior wood siding and window trim is made of vertical-grain Douglas fir and western red cedar, with panels of half-inch fir plywood. The patio is made of water-resistant ipe wood; left unfinished, it has turned a silvery gray over time.
Above: The exterior wood siding and window trim is made of vertical-grain Douglas fir and western red cedar, with panels of half-inch fir plywood. The patio is made of water-resistant ipe wood; left unfinished, it has turned a silvery gray over time.

The clients love to cook and they entertain frequently; the kitchen opens immediately onto the back patio for easy outdoor entertaining in good weather.

The back patio is framed in concrete benches, bordered by ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass. A tall concrete wall at left provides complete privacy from the neighbors on that side.
Above: The back patio is framed in concrete benches, bordered by ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass. A tall concrete wall at left provides complete privacy from the neighbors on that side.

“The back deck surface feels great underfoot, and the concrete bench provides seating for a long outdoor table,” says Shiffler. “The tall concrete wall extends the kitchen outward, soaks up and reflects the sun, and walls off the neighboring apartment building.”

The light-filled home is both private and open to the outdoors.
Above: The light-filled home is both private and open to the outdoors.

For more elegant privacy solutions, see:

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10 Easy Pieces: Black Wire Fencing

March 6, 2018, 1:00 am
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The little black fence is our new must-have accessory for curb appeal. We’ve long been admirers of the clean, simple lines of hog wire fences, so it’s only natural that we’ve fallen hard for the dark elegance of black wire fencing.

Did we mention that black wire fences are easy on the budget? Whether you buy standalone panels or $150-foot-long rolls, you can expect to pay less than for a typical picket, panel, or woven fence.

How best to describe the black wire fence of your dreams? Whether you call it cattle fencing, wire mesh, hog wire or just plain stylish, here are 10 options to consider:

Wire Mesh Rolls

A 50-foot roll of Black Vinyl Coated Welded Wire Mesh is 4 feet wide; $142.78 via Amazon.
Above: A 50-foot roll of Black Vinyl Coated Welded Wire Mesh is 4 feet wide; $142.78 via Amazon.
A 50-foot roll of 4-foot-wide black Steel Welded Wire Rolled Fencing is $59.98 from Lowe’s.
Above: A 50-foot roll of 4-foot-wide black Steel Welded Wire Rolled Fencing is $59.98 from Lowe’s.
With a hexagonal pattern, a 150-foot roll of black vinyl Hex/Poultry Netting Mesh is $199.99 from Fencer Wire.
Above: With a hexagonal pattern, a 150-foot roll of black vinyl Hex/Poultry Netting Mesh is $199.99 from Fencer Wire.
A 100-foot roll of black Vinyl Coated Welded Wire Mesh is 30 inches wide has UV inhibitors to prevent fading in sunlight. It is $293.54 from Louis Page.
Above: A 100-foot roll of black Vinyl Coated Welded Wire Mesh is 30 inches wide has UV inhibitors to prevent fading in sunlight. It is $293.54 from Louis Page.
Particularly useful for tree guards and to create rabbit barriers around raised beds in edible gardens, a 15-foot roll of 3-foot-high Black Plastic Hardware Net is $23.78 from Fencer Wire.
Above: Particularly useful for tree guards and to create rabbit barriers around raised beds in edible gardens, a 15-foot roll of 3-foot-high Black Plastic Hardware Net is $23.78 from Fencer Wire.

Wire Mesh Fence Panels

A 2-gauge Jerith Patriot Ornamental Wire Fence comes in three heights from 48 to 72 inches. A panel is from $72.42 to $93.84 depending on height at Fence Store.
Above: A 2-gauge Jerith Patriot Ornamental Wire Fence comes in three heights from 48 to 72 inches. A panel is from $72.42 to $93.84 depending on height at Fence Store.
A Black Powder-Coated Steel Decorative Fence Panel by Ironcraft is 48 inches high and available for pickup at selected Lowe’s stores. See Lowe’s for prices and information.
Above: A Black Powder-Coated Steel Decorative Fence Panel by Ironcraft is 48 inches high and available for pickup at selected Lowe’s stores. See Lowe’s for prices and information.
A five-piece metal Staked Garden Fence is constructed of black powder coated metal; $99.99 from Improvements.
Above: A five-piece metal Staked Garden Fence is constructed of black powder coated metal; $99.99 from Improvements.
A Euro Black Powder-Coated Steel Decorative Fence Panel measuring 4 feet high and 5.9 feet wide is $36.86 from Lowe’s.
Above: A Euro Black Powder-Coated Steel Decorative Fence Panel measuring 4 feet high and 5.9 feet wide is $36.86 from Lowe’s.
Black wire mesh fencing is attached to 4-by-4 sawn board fencing. For more information and prices, see North Georgia Fencing.
Above: Black wire mesh fencing is attached to 4-by-4 sawn board fencing. For more information and prices, see North Georgia Fencing.

If you’re designing a new fence, installing an upgrade, or planning a repair to existing panels, see more tips and inspiration in our curated guide to Fences 101, including Hog Wire Fences, Picket Fences, and Woven Fences. For more ideas, see:

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11 Ways to Add Curb Appeal for Under $100

March 6, 2018, 3:00 am
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Too many people ignore curb appeal until it’s time to move. Then they spruce up the place for the next residents. How does this make sense? Every time you come home, the sight of your front door should give you the sort of euphoric endorphin rush that long-distance runners feel when they stop.

Adding curb appeal doesn’t have to be expensive. Take it one step at a time: here are 11 ways to add instant curb appeal for $100 or less:

New House Numbers

Above: When architect Mark Reilly gave an Edwardian home in San Francisco a full remodel, the facade also got a facelift. Photograph by Bruce Damonte via Mark Reilly Architecture.

House numbers are one of the first things to catch the eye–first-time visitors are looking for them to confirm they’re at the right address–and should set a tone for what to expect indoors as well as out. The spare, slim lines of Hillman Group 5-In Satin House Numbers (above) hint at the modern interior that lies beyond the traditional facade; $5.98 per number at Lowe’s.

Uniform Color

Above: Photograph by Meredith Swinehart.

Architect Mark Reilly also updated the facade by changing the entry stairs and porch from brick to Brazilian black slate and by painting the building’s trim and body the same color. The paint is Gray by Benjamin Moore (color 2120-10). For more of our favorite gray exterior paints, see Shades of Gray: Architects’ 10 Top Paint Picks.

Well-Kept Gutters

A rain spout protrudes from a copper-trimmed roof. Photograph by Brian W. Ferry for Remodelista; styling by Alexa Hotz. For more see The Wood House: A Midcentury House in Progress in Westchester.
Above: A rain spout protrudes from a copper-trimmed roof. Photograph by Brian W. Ferry for Remodelista; styling by Alexa Hotz. For more see The Wood House: A Midcentury House in Progress in Westchester.

Nothing says “Boo Radley lives here” like clogged gutters full of soggy leaves and the odd bit of twigs. Don’t be shy about attempting this housecleaning chore yourself. Make it pleasant by using the the World’s Loveliest Gutter Shovel, your oldest pair of waterproof garden gloves, and a bucket to fill with water to flush out the downspout.

For more tips on installing and caring for gutters, see Hardscaping 101: Rain Gutters.

Coat Hooks

On my covered front porch, I corral hats, coats, shopping bags, and dog leashes with a black Portis Hat Rack from Ikea; $19.99. Photograph by Matthew Williams.
Above: On my covered front porch, I corral hats, coats, shopping bags, and dog leashes with a black Portis Hat Rack from Ikea; $19.99. Photograph by Matthew Williams.

If you have a mudroom or covered entryway, you can turn it a welcoming extension of your home with hooks for coats, jackets, and dog leashes. Hanging fabric instantly softens the look of a space (think: curtains).

A New Porch Light

A Vintage French Farmhouse Flushmount fixture rated for use in a sheltered porch. It comes in five finishes, including weathered zinc and matte black and three sizes, at prices ranging from $239 from Restoration Hardware.
Above: A Vintage French Farmhouse Flushmount fixture rated for use in a sheltered porch. It comes in five finishes, including weathered zinc and matte black and three sizes, at prices ranging from $239 from Restoration Hardware.

Above: It’s hard to go wrong with a black matte ceiling light, a versatile style that complements both modern and traditional facades. We recently rounded up our favorites, including several under $100, in 10 Easy Pieces: Black Porch Ceiling Lights. Check out more of our favorites in 10 Easy Pieces: Classic Ceiling Porch Lights.

A New Doormat

Above: Getting a new doormat is the exterior equivalent of getting new carpet. But far, far less expensive. You need an upgrade if yours is stained, scuffed, worn down, or faded. If you’re looking for a new doormat, see 10 Easy Pieces: Durable Doormats.

A Sailor’s Oblong Rope Doormat is $66 from Trout and Mathilda via Etsy.

Matching Planters

Architect Barbara Chambers flanks an entryway at her house in Mill Valley, California with two identical terra cotta planters and boxwood topiaries. For more of her garden, see Architect Visit: Barbara Chambers at Home in Mill Valley.
Above: Architect Barbara Chambers flanks an entryway at her house in Mill Valley, California with two identical terra cotta planters and boxwood topiaries. For more of her garden, see Architect Visit: Barbara Chambers at Home in Mill Valley.

Flank your entryway with matching potted plants (as above) to create symmetry.

A Colorful Door

Above: Photograph by Eve Ashcraft.

Think of your front door as jewelry for your house. It can be a little flashier than the rest of the outfit the facade is wearing. A strong color that complements wall and trim paint colors can be pleasing. (To get the look of the bright blue door above, paint color consultant Eve Ashcraft recommends Benjamin Moore’s #2067-20 Starry Night Blue paint in Advance Satin Finish.)

For more color ideas, see 5 Favorites: British Front Doors with Style.

A New Mailbox

Above: For more, see LA Confidential: A Private Courtyard Goes Luxe on a Budget. Photograph via Naomi Sanders Landscape Design.

If your mailbox is rusty or dented, consider replacing it with a long-lasting aluminum or steel model. See our favorites in 10 Easy Pieces: Slim Mailboxes and  10 Easy Pieces: Indestructible Mailboxes.

A Well-Behaved Hedge

Above: Architect Barbara Chambers keeps a rosemary hedge pruned to a height that frames her windows instead of covering them. For more, see Architect Visit: Barbara Chambers at Home in Mill Valley. Photograph by Nicole Franzen for Gardenista.

Overgrown bushes that block your front windows are not a good look. Ever. Period. Shrubs should frame your windows but never hide them (unless you’re on the run from the law).

Do you live in a climate where rosemary is a perennial? You too can have an herb hedge. For more on growing and caring for rosemary, see our recent Field Guide: Rosemary. For other climates, see our Shrubs Design Guide for more ideas.

Fence Post Caps

A simple but elegant decorative element: Architect Barbara Chambers capped fence posts in copper. A similar 4-by-4 inch Ornamental Copper High Point Treated Post Cap is $9.97 from Lowe’s. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.
Above: A simple but elegant decorative element: Architect Barbara Chambers capped fence posts in copper. A similar 4-by-4 inch Ornamental Copper High Point Treated Post Cap is $9.97 from Lowe’s. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista.

Sparkling Windows

Photograph by Liesa Johannssen for Gardenista.

Washing the windows will improve the view from within as well as from the curb. Are you wondering if you can wait until spring? If your windows have cobwebs, a visible layer of dust, or dirt on the sills, you can’t. Get out there and get the job done on the next sunny autumn day. Use our all-natural cleaner with The Secret Ingredient to Make Windows Shine Bright Like a Diamond.

Window Boxes

Above: Zinc window boxes outside the Paris home of architect Nicolas Soulier and ceramicist Cécile Daladier.  For more, see A Ceramist and an Architect in Paris.

A window box is the fastest way to add color to your facade. Update the plantings year round and you can change the look every season. Wondering where to start? For more about choosing, installing, and maintaining a window box, see Hardscaping 101: Window Boxes.

If you are inspired to spruce things up a bit, see our archives for more Curb Appeal posts and check out our curated design guides to Exteriors & Facades, Exterior Hardware, and Pavers. And on Remodelista, see Outdoors: House Numbers from A Short Walk in Cornwall.

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Gardening 101: Dead Nettles

March 6, 2018, 4:00 am
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Dead Nettles, Lamium: “Colorful Carpet”

I need to start with some honesty. Dead nettle is one of those plants that almost has everything going for it, until it doesn’t. The promise is that Lamiums are fast-growing perennial ground cover or container plants that brighten partly sunny spots and produce charming flowers. The reality is that this hardy opportunist, if left unchecked, can become unsightly and sometimes invasive.

Please keep reading to learn about this plant with a cautionary tale.

Lamium amplexicaule. Photograph by Andreas Rockstein via Flickr.
Above: Lamium amplexicaule. Photograph by Andreas Rockstein via Flickr.

There are about 50 Lamium species in the mint family. Commonly called dead nettles because their leaves resemble stinging nettles with no ability to sting, this near-evergreen plant (in mild climates) is a low creeper; some cultivars become randomly mounded.  As members of the mint family, these plants have square stems, toothy-edged leaves, and a spreading habit (read: they can go crazy). Mainly grown for their two-toned leaves, which can be frosted or marked with splashes, Lamium also sometimes surprises you in late spring or summer with flowers that are relatively small, resembling snapdragons, and in colors ranging from white to pink to purple.

Lamium galeobdolo ‘Variegatum’. Photograph courtesy of Auckland Museum via Wikimedia.
Above: Lamium galeobdolo ‘Variegatum’. Photograph courtesy of Auckland Museum via Wikimedia.

Now for the dark side. There is an aggressive variety, Lamium galeobdolon ‘Variegatum’, and if you turn your back it will creep and dominate every unoccupied garden space and be a nightmare to remove. The only way to get rid of it is to diligently dig out its rhizomes. Don’t be fooled by the attractive, silver-streaked leaves and cute yellow flowers. This variety truly lives up to its invasive, mint-family reputation.

A less aggressive alternative is ‘Hermann’s Pride’, a slow-growing, clump-forming ground cover that has jagged, silvery green leaves and bright yellow flowers. Photograph by Andrey Zharkikh via Flickr.
Above: A less aggressive alternative is ‘Hermann’s Pride’, a slow-growing, clump-forming ground cover that has jagged, silvery green leaves and bright yellow flowers. Photograph by Andrey Zharkikh via Flickr.
Lamium maculatum ‘Orchid Frost’. Photograph by Andrey Zharkikh via Flickr.
Above: Lamium maculatum ‘Orchid Frost’. Photograph by Andrey Zharkikh via Flickr.

And then there’s the other types such as L. maculatum ‘Orchid Frost’ which at first boast stunning silver leaves and sweet two-lipped flowers. But then brutish slugs and snails can infiltrate and turn your plant into a mass of riddled holes or worse, a pile of mush. Prepare for the inevitable invasion by applying a pet- and wildlife-safe bait such as Sluggo ($12.16 for 2.5 pounds of pellets from Amazon).

Another thing to know is that although most fair best in moist conditions, dead nettles also will grow in dry shade. They do not, however, thrive in poorly drained or compacted soil and many types suffer from wintry wet soils with crown or stem rot. On the other end of the weather spectrum, in hot climates the leaves may get brown and crispy; this is when you can happily cut back the plant to stimulate new fresh growth.

Lamium creates a tapestry, mingling with coral bells, cyclamen, and other ground covers. Photograph by Meet the People, Witness via Flickr.
Above: Lamium creates a tapestry, mingling with coral bells, cyclamen, and other ground covers. Photograph by Meet the People, Witness via Flickr.

Cheat Sheet

  • Dead nettles create a unique tapestry beneath small trees or among plants that can stand up to the competition. Can be invasive in fertile, moist soils.
  • Lamium’s attractive foliage provides interest even when flowers are not in bloom.
  • Relatively fine-textured foliage combines well with plants that have large leaves such as hostas for textural contrast, and with dark-leaved plants such as burgundy-colored coral bells. Other good companions are hydrangeas, hellebores, and ferns.
  • Deer resistant.
Photograph by Free Use Photos via Flickr.
Above: Photograph by Free Use Photos via Flickr.

Keep It Alive

  • Grow the quick-growing ground cover in moist but well-drained soil in partial or full shade. Tip: Varieties with silver leaves often need more light to maintain their color. Don’t plant near smaller plants which may be overtaken. Dig out rhizomes to keep in bounds.
  • Dead nettles are hardy perennials in USDA growing zones 4 to 10.
  • Prune or shear lamium back after the first bloom to promote compact growth.
  • Slugs, snails, mildew, and leaf spot are common.

If you’re looking for the ground cover—to fill a shady spot, to grow under a tree, or burst into flower in August when everything else is drooping—see our new curated design guide to Ground Covers 101, which covers Dead Nettles 101 as well as our other favorites, including Bugleweed, Coral Bells, Lungwort, and Lilyturf. For more inspiration and tips, see:

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Garden Visit: At Home with Winemaker Rosemary Cakebread in St. Helena, CA

March 6, 2018, 11:00 pm
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Soon after graduating from college, winemaker Rosemary Cakebread and her husband, Bruce, planted a tiny cabernet sauvignon vineyard in St. Helena, California. Three decades later, after a small expansion (they bought the property next door), Rosemary Cakebread’s organic vineyard, Gallica, is located on what she calls “two gravelly acres” and produces 1,000 cases of much-sought-after wine each year.

That’s the short version of the story. In the longer version, Rosemary worked her way up from early cellar jobs to a winemaking position at Spottswoode Vineyard before founding Gallica. Meanwhile, Bruce joined Cakebread Cellars and over the decades the family business grew exponentially, earning international accolades for its wines.

By the time the couple was ready to transform their two gravelly acres into a modern headquarters—and new garden—for Gallica, they had learned “exactly where the sun rises on the property and exactly where it sets,” she says. To take advantage of the site’s setting and the property’s 360-degree views of the surrounding Napa Valley, the Cakesbreads built a strategically oriented barn and guesthouse. Let’s take a tour:

Photography by Mimi Giboin.

At the Gallica vineyard, what looks like a compound actually is only two buildings: a 1,200-square-foot white barn designed by St. Helena-based Daniel Hale Design and a 1,700-square-foot corrugated guesthouse with one bedroom designed by San Francisco-based architect E.B. Min of Min | Day Architects.
Above: At the Gallica vineyard, what looks like a compound actually is only two buildings: a 1,200-square-foot white barn designed by St. Helena-based Daniel Hale Design and a 1,700-square-foot corrugated guesthouse with one bedroom designed by San Francisco-based architect E.B. Min of Min | Day Architects.
A gravel driveway and parking area connects the Gallica vineyard to a nearby road.
Above: A gravel driveway and parking area connects the Gallica vineyard to a nearby road.

The property also has another, larger house but “every time we come over to the guesthouse, we think maybe some day we’ll come to live in this smaller setting,” says Rosemary Cakebread.

The barn houses her office and equipment for the vineyard.

A dry creek serves a dual purpose: it directs the flow of rainwater and creates a striking visual element in the landscape. In the background redwood tree which was on the site when the Cakebreads bought the land is the the property’s tallest tree.
Above: A dry creek serves a dual purpose: it directs the flow of rainwater and creates a striking visual element in the landscape. In the background redwood tree which was on the site when the Cakebreads bought the land is the the property’s tallest tree.

Landscape architect Jonathan Plant created an environmentally friendly garden with low-water plants (which thrive in the dry Napa climate) and Raul Hurtado Landscaping oversaw the garden’s construction and planting.

Before the new garden was installed, “we really didn’t realize how big it was because there were these trees that had been there, and big foundation plants, and although weren’t doing well they took up a lot of space,” says Rosemary Cakebread. “Sometimes you don’t realize how much space you have until you eliminate things and take a good look.”

Edging the dry creek are grasses (clumps of Carex x comaris ‘Amazon Mist’) and deep purple drifts of Teucrium cossonii ‘Majoricum’.
Above: Edging the dry creek are grasses (clumps of Carex x comaris ‘Amazon Mist’) and deep purple drifts of Teucrium cossonii ‘Majoricum’.

“We made our little creek bed to make a place for the rainwater to go,” says Cakebread. “In 2017, when we had a lot of rainfall, we learned that it works well.”

Bluestone pavers connect the buildings and miniature butterfly bushes (Buddleia ‘Blue Chip’ and ‘Ellen’s Blue’) attract hummingbirds “in abundance,” says Rosemary Cakebread.
Above: Bluestone pavers connect the buildings and miniature butterfly bushes (Buddleia ‘Blue Chip’ and ‘Ellen’s Blue’) attract hummingbirds “in abundance,” says Rosemary Cakebread.
All the plants are watered via a drip irrigation system to conserve water.
Above: All the plants are watered via a drip irrigation system to conserve water.
  A coastal oak, the biggest tree on the property, has a younger twin (half its size).  “It’s a wonderful tree,” says Cakebread.
Above:  A coastal oak, the biggest tree on the property, has a younger twin (half its size).  “It’s a wonderful tree,” says Cakebread.

Landscape lights are Tiki Path Lights by WAC Lighting. “We bought those ourselves,” says Cakebread. “We’ve lived on the property for a long time, so we knew how we would be coming and going, especially at night.”

A shaded, poured-concrete patio is furnished with chairs and an ottoman from Janus et Cie and overlooks the garden.
Above: A shaded, poured-concrete patio is furnished with chairs and an ottoman from Janus et Cie and overlooks the garden.
At either end of a patio are sliding screen doors from Sacramento-based Western Windows.
Above: At either end of a patio are sliding screen doors from Sacramento-based Western Windows.
Other plants in the landscape include succulent Senecio vitalis (narrow-leaf chalksticks), the low-growing shrub Cistus cobariensis (white rose rock), and the California lilac Ceanothus ‘Concha’.
Above: Other plants in the landscape include succulent Senecio vitalis (narrow-leaf chalksticks), the low-growing shrub Cistus cobariensis (white rose rock), and the California lilac Ceanothus ‘Concha’.
The overall effect of the garden is to lure visitors outdoors, says Rosemary Cakebread. “We just wanted it to be very relaxed and simple.”
Above: The overall effect of the garden is to lure visitors outdoors, says Rosemary Cakebread. “We just wanted it to be very relaxed and simple.”

If you’re designing a low-water landscape or want to make an existing landscape more environmentally friendly, start with our curated Hardscape 101 guides for Decks & Patios, Gravel Gardens, and Succulents & Cacti 101. For more of our favorite drought-tolerant gardens, see:

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10 Easy Pieces: Crank Hose Reels

March 7, 2018, 1:00 am
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Nothing concludes a satisfying stint in the yard like neatly wrapping up the hose. But a tranquil afternoon of gardening can deteriorate into a sweaty wrestling match if you have to manhandle 100 feet of synthetic rubber onto a hose holder. With a manually rewinding hose reel, a few turns of the crank zips the hose back into place like Lady (or the Tramp) sucking in a spaghetti strand. For durability and style, choose a metal version, like the ten fine specimens below.

For a portable version, consider a hose reel on wheels. A Swiss-made Small Steel Hose Trolley has a steel frame, rubber wheels, and a comfortably sized hand crank. The Cadillac of hose reels, it is designed to be “the last one you’ll purchase.” It is €316 from Manufactum.
Above: For a portable version, consider a hose reel on wheels. A Swiss-made Small Steel Hose Trolley has a steel frame, rubber wheels, and a comfortably sized hand crank. The Cadillac of hose reels, it is designed to be “the last one you’ll purchase.” It is €316 from Manufactum.
A swing arm allows the Yard Butler Wall Mount Swivel Hose Reel to turn 180 degrees so the hose can be unwound at any angle from the wall. All-steel construction; holds up to 100 feet of 5/8-inch hose; $119.99.
Above: A swing arm allows the Yard Butler Wall Mount Swivel Hose Reel to turn 180 degrees so the hose can be unwound at any angle from the wall. All-steel construction; holds up to 100 feet of 5/8-inch hose; $119.99.
Delight your inner firefighter with this oversized post-mounted number that holds 400 feet of hose on a powder-coated steel frame. Special order HRG-400FT-FIT from Valley Industries in Minnesota (1-800-864-1649); $157.45 with an extra fitting for garden hoses.
Above: Delight your inner firefighter with this oversized post-mounted number that holds 400 feet of hose on a powder-coated steel frame. Special order HRG-400FT-FIT from Valley Industries in Minnesota (1-800-864-1649); $157.45 with an extra fitting for garden hoses.
Liberty Garden Products’ Multi-Purpose Stainless Steel Hose Reel can be mounted on a wall or in the ground. It is 19 inches tall, can hold up to 200 feet of 5/8-inch hose, and costs $289.62 from Sustainable Supply.
Above: Liberty Garden Products’ Multi-Purpose Stainless Steel Hose Reel can be mounted on a wall or in the ground. It is 19 inches tall, can hold up to 200 feet of 5/8-inch hose, and costs $289.62 from Sustainable Supply.
A similar version in powder coated steel, a 3-in-1 Hose Reel capable of holding 200 feet of hose is $69.99 from Home Depot.
Above: A similar version in powder coated steel, a 3-in-1 Hose Reel capable of holding 200 feet of hose is $69.99 from Home Depot.
The Model 1041 Wall-Mount Hose Reel can be mounted in either a parallel or perpendicular configuration on a wall or fence. It wraps up to 150 feet of 5/8-inch garden hose onto its aluminum-alloy body. A braking system stops the reel from unspooling more hose than you want; $169.99 by Eley.
Above: The Model 1041 Wall-Mount Hose Reel can be mounted in either a parallel or perpendicular configuration on a wall or fence. It wraps up to 150 feet of 5/8-inch garden hose onto its aluminum-alloy body. A braking system stops the reel from unspooling more hose than you want; $169.99 by Eley.
A steel Swiss-made Alba Krapf Metal Hose Reel holds a hose up to 60 meters long and is £197.95 from Amazon UK.
Above: A steel Swiss-made Alba Krapf Metal Hose Reel holds a hose up to 60 meters long and is £197.95 from Amazon UK.

A Manual Rewind Hose Reel can be customized to fit several diameters and lengths of garden hose. Made of aluminum, it can be ordered with or without wheels; for more information and pricing, visit Perth, Australia-based dealer Real Ezy.
Above: A Manual Rewind Hose Reel can be customized to fit several diameters and lengths of garden hose. Made of aluminum, it can be ordered with or without wheels; for more information and pricing, visit Perth, Australia-based dealer Real Ezy.
A Stainless Steel Hose Reel is available in three finishes—a standard mill finish, a non-reflective satin finish, or a highly polished finish—that resist corrosion. For more information and pricing, see Hose Craft USA.
Above: A Stainless Steel Hose Reel is available in three finishes—a standard mill finish, a non-reflective satin finish, or a highly polished finish—that resist corrosion. For more information and pricing, see Hose Craft USA.

Above: A swiveling Wall-Mounted Hose Reel has a capacity to spool a 60-meter hose and is £24.99 from Screw Fix.

A Wall Mounted Hose Reel made of die-cast aluminum is painted a dark bronze color and can be mounted for either left- or right-handed operation; $289 from Griot’s Garage.
Above: A Wall Mounted Hose Reel made of die-cast aluminum is painted a dark bronze color and can be mounted for either left- or right-handed operation; $289 from Griot’s Garage.
Don’t need a crank? See other tricks for detangling garden hoses:

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Cut Flowers: How to Help Hellebores Last Longer

March 7, 2018, 3:00 am
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Anyone who has seen a hellebore in a garden understands why these charming flowers have recently surged in popularity to become a sought-after ingredient in bridal bouquets, a must-have perennial in a shady bed, and the darlings of Instagram.

With sweetly nodding heads, moody colors, and their willingness to bloom in winter when everything around them looks like dead sticks, hellebores are fairly perfect. With one exception. They make terrible cut flowers. Notorious for drooping, wilting, sulking, and otherwise behaving terribly, many hellebores last less than 24 hours indoors. This is unacceptable.

Are there ways to help hellebores last longer in a vase? The other day I decided to find out, conducting an experiment with flowers I cut from my own garden. Here’s what I learned:

Photography by Mimi Giboin for Gardenista.

Which hellebores last longest as cut flowers?

The conventional wisdom is that the greatest predictor of a hellebore’s life span is its stage of development at the time you cut it. Many growers and florists say a mature flower—one with a visible seed pod which has dropped its stamens—will last longer.

Can conventional wisdom be trusted? I headed outdoors, where a patch of mixed hellebores bloom in a shady spot near the front door. My plan was to cut both immature and mature specimens of every variety of Helleborus in my garden.

In the garden, hellebores are naturally droopy. This is Helleborus x ballardiae ‘Merlin’, which darkens, as it ages, from dusty rose to purple.
Above: In the garden, hellebores are naturally droopy. This is Helleborus x ballardiae ‘Merlin’, which darkens, as it ages, from dusty rose to purple.

How do you know if a hellebore is mature or immature?

In an immature specimen, a yellow fringe of stamens is surrounded by small, ruffled petals. The large purple “petals” are actually sepals that enclose the petals.
Above: In an immature specimen, a yellow fringe of stamens is surrounded by small, ruffled petals. The large purple “petals” are actually sepals that enclose the petals.

Even after a flower finishes blooming, the sepals will stay on the stalk and continue to “bloom,” which is why hellebores are prized for having a long season of color.

In a mature hellebore, you can see the seed pod has formed (top); the petals and all but a few stamens already have dropped.
Above: In a mature hellebore, you can see the seed pod has formed (top); the petals and all but a few stamens already have dropped.
I cut the flowers at the base of the plant.
Above: I cut the flowers at the base of the plant.

Will some Helleborus cultivars last longer?

To try to answer that question, I cut as many different cultivars of hellebores as were blooming.

In addition to purple ‘Merlin’, I cut Helleborus foetidus, with chartreuse clusters of cupped flowers; Helleborus x hybridus ‘Ivory Prince’, with pink buds that open into creamy white blooms, and pastel-colored Helleborus × ericsmithii ‘Candy Love’.
Above: In addition to purple ‘Merlin’, I cut Helleborus foetidus, with chartreuse clusters of cupped flowers; Helleborus x hybridus ‘Ivory Prince’, with pink buds that open into creamy white blooms, and pastel-colored Helleborus × ericsmithii ‘Candy Love’.
A volunteer, in the name of science.
Above: A volunteer, in the name of science.

A note about hellebores: there are nearly two dozen species—and of those, many cultivars—and I wish I had more types growing in my garden. I want them all, really. There are double-flowered hellebores, for instance, unspeakably beautiful, which I might want most. There are speckled hellebores and striped hellebores and white hellebores delicately edged in purple.

But my tests were limited to a small selection in my garden— all cultivars commonly sold in northern California. For a world-class collection (including 82 of its own hybrids), browse Ashwood Nurseries in the United Kingdom. In the US, Virginia-based Pine Knot Farms has a large selection of hellebores.

Just picked.
Above: Just picked.

How do you condition cut flowers?

After I took the cut flowers indoors, the next step was to prepare them for their new home: vases.

Before florists arrange flowers, they condition the plant material. The general rules for conditioning are (1) strip leaves off the bottom two-thirds of a stem (so you don’t have errant leaves rotting under water in a vase); (2) make a fresh, angled cut at the bottom of each stem to make it easier for flowers to drink water, and  (3) leave flowers in a cool, dark place (in clean water) for a few hours or overnight to acclimatize them.

For special cases—and hellebores fall into this category—there is lots of advice about extra steps one could take before arranging them. Some florists stick pins in their stems. Others swear by the boiling water method, in which each stem is dipped into a hot pot for 30 seconds to “seal” it. Still others recommend a further step to take; after dipping them in water “slit them carefully right up their length, almost to the flower head at the top,” suggests UK-based gardening writer Robin Fox Lane. “Then, stand the slit stems in cold water right up to the flower and leave them overnight.”

I guess I could do all that. Once. But I am hoping to regularly bring hellebores inside to arrange as cut flowers, without having to dedicate hours to fussing with them. So I followed general guidelines but skipped the boiling and the slitting.

I gave the flower stems a fresh, angled cut after we brought them indoors.
Above: I gave the flower stems a fresh, angled cut after we brought them indoors.

What tips are there to make hellebores last longer?

First, to summarize the variables for this experiment:

  1. I cut both immature and mature flowers to compare their staying power.
  2. I cut a variety of cultivars.
  3. I followed general guidelines for conditioning flowers but skipped the extra steps (no boiling water, no slit stems).

And I discovered…

Hellebores in clean vases of cool water.
Above: Hellebores in clean vases of cool water.

The hellebore that lasted the longest in a vase was ‘Merlin’. The deeper the shade of purple, the longer it lasted.

My purple hellebores in all stages of maturity had staying power, lasting from five to seven days in vases.
Above: My purple hellebores in all stages of maturity had staying power, lasting from five to seven days in vases.
With the other cultivars, it didn’t seem to matter if they were mature or immature flowers; by the next day they were droopy and spent. Even their foliage looked wilted.
Above: With the other cultivars, it didn’t seem to matter if they were mature or immature flowers; by the next day they were droopy and spent. Even their foliage looked wilted.
The winner is… ‘Merlin’, still blooming happily a week later.
Above: The winner is… ‘Merlin’, still blooming happily a week later.

In this instance, the specific cultivar was a better predictor of longevity than the stage of development of the flowers. Would this be true across the board, if I could test every hellebore in the world? I only wish I could.

N.B.: To see more hellebores in action, see our Garden Design 101 guide to Hellebores. And browse our archives:

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Before & After: Moody Blues for an Elegant Victorian in San Francisco

March 7, 2018, 11:00 pm
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If anyone other than my friend Amy Lindburg wanted to buy a Victorian two-flat in San Francisco in “almost original condition” with knob-and-tube electrical wiring and no central heat, I would have pointed out that the situation could easily become the sort of costly nightmare not seen since Mr. Blandings built his dream house.

But anyone who knows Amy knows she is extremely effective. And daring. She was a hardware engineer at Apple at a time when there were practically no female engineers anywhere. She’ll take her family on a two-week trip to eastern Europe without booking a hotel room until the day she arrives (and has never had any problems). When she says she is going to do anything—from playing the French horn in the local orchestra to shipping virtual computer environments ahead of schedule—you can consider it done.

So when Amy said she was going to buy a house in extreme vintage condition, remodel it, and live on the top floor with her three children, I had no doubt the project would be a huge success. (Wait until you see the kitchen on Remodelista next week.)  Painting the facade the deepest, darkest shade of blue was a risk. Here’s how it turned out:

Photography by Daniel Dent for Gardenista except where noted.

A dark blue facade, accented by glossy black trim, lends the house an elegant air.
Above: A dark blue facade, accented by glossy black trim, lends the house an elegant air.

It seems obvious now, this elegant paint palette. But when Amy bought the house a little more than a year ago, the facade’s future was less clear…

Before

The first time Amy saw it, the house was painted beige, for want of a better word, with taupe-ish trim and a green entry stairway. Photograph by Amy Lindburg.
Above: The first time Amy saw it, the house was painted beige, for want of a better word, with taupe-ish trim and a green entry stairway. Photograph by Amy Lindburg.

The conventional wisdom is that if you want something to appear bigger, paint it a light color. But in this case, the off-white, two-story house looks diminished, almost as if it’s shrugging in defeat between its two taller neighbors.

From top to bottom, the five blue paint colors that Amy considered for the facade were Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy, Evening Sky and Polo Blue; ICI Paints’s Gabled Blue, and Benjamin Moore’s Washington Blue.
Above: From top to bottom, the five blue paint colors that Amy considered for the facade were Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy, Evening Sky and Polo Blue; ICI Paints’s Gabled Blue, and Benjamin Moore’s Washington Blue.
Amy knew from the beginning that she wanted to paint the house dark—and blue is one of her favorite colors. But which blue was the right blue?

The problem with paint swatches? They all look alike.

From L to R, sample cans of  Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy, Evening Sky and Polo Blue; ICI Paints’s Gabled Blue, and Benjamin Moore’s Washington Blue.
Above: From L to R, sample cans of  Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy, Evening Sky and Polo Blue; ICI Paints’s Gabled Blue, and Benjamin Moore’s Washington Blue.
Amy bought samples of each of the five blue paints so she could paint large swaths of color directly on the facade of the house.

Painted in bigger patches on the facade, the colors looked markedly different from one another. Photograph by Amy Lindburg.
Above: Painted in bigger patches on the facade, the colors looked markedly different from one another. Photograph by Amy Lindburg.
Differences in depth, tone, and saturation revealed themselves in the sunlight. Photograph by Amy Lindburg.
Above: Differences in depth, tone, and saturation revealed themselves in the sunlight. Photograph by Amy Lindburg.

It was clear to Amy that a single dark color for body and trim would would unify the facade and give it a stronger presence. She also decided to paint the building’s lower-level details—including the garage doors, entryway doors, front stairs, and fence—a glossy black to ground the house.

After

“I wanted to do as little as possible, to preserve the original architectural details,” says Amy.
Above: “I wanted to do as little as possible, to preserve the original architectural details,” says Amy.

And the winner is … Polo Blue. Depending on the time of day and the ratio of sunlight to fog (this is San Francisco, after all), Amy’s house can appear to be nearly black, navy blue, or a deep jewel tone—as on the winter afternoon when this photo was shot.

To emphasize the rich tones of the paint palette, Amy added warm gold and brass accents:

Gilded house numbers, like jewelry, dress up an entryway. For more on the subject, see Outdoors: Gilded House Numbers by See.Painting on Remodelista.
Above: Gilded house numbers, like jewelry, dress up an entryway. For more on the subject, see Outdoors: Gilded House Numbers by See.Painting on Remodelista.
A vintage brass ceiling light fixture mounted above the entrance to the garage is a reconfigured porthole from Big Ship Salvage. For a similar weather-resistant fixture, start with an Authentic 15 Inch Brass Ship’s Porthole for $425 from Big Ship Salvage.
Above: A vintage brass ceiling light fixture mounted above the entrance to the garage is a reconfigured porthole from Big Ship Salvage. For a similar weather-resistant fixture, start with an Authentic 15 Inch Brass Ship’s Porthole for $425 from Big Ship Salvage.
A copper downspout will develop an aged patina over time.
Above: A copper downspout will develop an aged patina over time.

If you’re considering a paint job, see our curated guide to Exteriors & Facades 101, including Black Magic: Architects’ 8 Top Paint Picks. And see more of our favorite Before & After projects:

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A Vital Vine: 11 Best Varieties of Ivy

March 8, 2018, 1:00 am
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The yearbook at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut is called The Ivy, named after the ivy-covered buildings on the quadrangle. When I arrived there for my junior year, the fustian towers had been recently stripped of its evergreen vines; a pity since they must have been built with ivy in mind. College gothic is nothing without ivy.

Although ivy continues to be treated with hostility, a study carried out between Oxford University and English Heritage in 2010 found that Hedera helix provides a thermal covering for walls and can be useful in protecting old buildings. The host needs to be strong, and the ivy kept in check but otherwise, complete removal is no longer urgently advised (to say nothing of its benefits to wildlife for food and shelter). If you are planting ivy, though, choose one of the more interesting varieties:

Photography by Britt Willoughby Dyer for Gardenista.

Hedera helix ‘Tripod’

Deeply cut, arrowhead leaves of Hedera helix ‘Tripod’.
Above: Deeply cut, arrowhead leaves of Hedera helix ‘Tripod’.

Choose exaggeratedly long and pointed leaf ivy, as seen in Irish hedgerows or German fairytales. They draw attention from a frankly not very beautiful wall, while moving in unpredictable directions. Hedera helix ‘Tripod’ is not a thug.

Ivy lives symbiotically with trees in sheltered conditions, like a hedgerow or woodland. It has its roots planted firmly in the ground and is not a parasite. Aesthetically, a dark blob blurring the lines of a good deciduous tree might not be your cup of tea. Overgrown ivy in a canopy is unhelpful in winter, adding to wind resistance and the possibility of the tree coming down. A balanced approach is needed; cut woody monsters at the stem, while making amends by planting controllable ivy over doorways and along sturdy walls. There are hundreds to choose from, many slow-growing.

Not all ivy is big and self-supporting; many are small, thriving on wire supports.
Above: Not all ivy is big and self-supporting; many are small, thriving on wire supports.

Ivy’s benefits for wildlife outweigh its drawbacks in a garden. As pollinators begin to run out of food in autumn and early winter, the sputnik flowers of mature ivy are rich in pollen and nectar. On a warm day, ivy seems to buzz, a magnet for the ivy bee and more. Later, dark berries with a high fat content are beneficial to thrushes and blackbirds, who don’t join in with the smaller birds on hanging feeders. The “mess” of leaves provides excellent cover for invertebrates, some of which are eaten by birds. Ivy feeds specific and rare creatures such as golden hoverfly, holly blue butterfly, and swallow-tailed moth.

For the benefits of shaggy gardens, see: Can We Please Be Less Fanatically Tidy?

Hedera helix ‘Carolina Crinkle’

Slightly resembling Boston ivy (which isn’t in the ivy family), Hedera helix ‘Carolina Crinkle’ is highly decorative, requiring support.
Above: Slightly resembling Boston ivy (which isn’t in the ivy family), Hedera helix ‘Carolina Crinkle’ is highly decorative, requiring support.

Hedera helix ‘Tussie Mussie’

Hedera helix ‘Tussie Mussie’ is similarly pointed and pedate-leaved, with pale green splashes.
Above: Hedera helix ‘Tussie Mussie’ is similarly pointed and pedate-leaved, with pale green splashes.

Ivy ‘Tussie Mussie’ looks as though it belongs in an Edwardian glasshouse. It benefits from being displayed as a specimen, on a columnar support, rather than being expected to cover a vertical flat plane.

Hedera helix ‘Golden Curl’

Hedera helix ‘Golden Curl’ is both variegated and crinkly around the edges. Its chartreuse coloring benefits from good light.
Above: Hedera helix ‘Golden Curl’ is both variegated and crinkly around the edges. Its chartreuse coloring benefits from good light.

Hedera algeriensis ‘Gloire de Marengo’

Hedera algeriensis ‘Gloire de Marengo’.
Above: Hedera algeriensis ‘Gloire de Marengo’.

Algerian ivy has more restrained coloring and a good arrow-heart shape; it would form an elegant backdrop in an urban garden. It holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society and is fairly vigorous, reaching a height of about 10 feet.

Hedera helix ‘Parsley Crested’

A vigorous American variety from 1950, Hedera helix ‘Parsley Crested’ has edges that are mainly crimped. The leaves turn to copper in autumn.
Above: A vigorous American variety from 1950, Hedera helix ‘Parsley Crested’ has edges that are mainly crimped. The leaves turn to copper in autumn.

Hedera maroccana ‘Spanish Canary’

Glossy leaves of Hedera maroccana ‘Spanish Canary’.
Above: Glossy leaves of Hedera maroccana ‘Spanish Canary’.

Ivy is useful in containers when young. At this stage it is pliable, with fresh green growth, becoming mature and woody on reaching its full height or destination (it is at this stage that it gets into gear to flower as well). Hedera maroccana ‘Spanish Canary’ can be grown in a conservatory or outdoors with frost protection. Dangling or climbing, it is dramatic.

Ivy is an excellent house plant, the best air purifier among the evergreens. A small version of the ivy shown here, with a confusingly similar name, is Hedera canariensis ‘Spanish Canary’.

Hedera colchica ‘Sulphur Heart’

Amorphous in shape and pattern, Hedera colchica ‘Sulphur Heart’ does resemble a yellow-green heart.
Above: Amorphous in shape and pattern, Hedera colchica ‘Sulphur Heart’ does resemble a yellow-green heart.

Quick to cover walls or ground, self-clinging Persian ivy needs careful consideration before planting, as it will keep going up to about 16 feet.

Hedera helix ‘Smithii’

Small, star-shaped Hedera helix ‘Smithii’, which makes a good indoor plant.
Above: Small, star-shaped Hedera helix ‘Smithii’, which makes a good indoor plant.

Hedera pastuchovii ‘Ann Ala’

Hedera pastuchovii ‘Ann Ala’.
Above: Hedera pastuchovii ‘Ann Ala’.

Collected by botanist Roy Lancaster near the Caspian Sea and named after his guide, this dagger-shaped ivy is quite vigorous at 13 feet. Its unusual leaves would complement the textures of other evergreens such as ferns or pines.

Hedera helix ‘Saint Agnes’

Ivy thrives in soil that is rich in limestone, or rubble. Shown here: Variegated Hedera helix ‘Saint Agnes’.
Above: Ivy thrives in soil that is rich in limestone, or rubble. Shown here: Variegated Hedera helix ‘Saint Agnes’.

Ivy is the plant favored by Bacchus, god of wine; it was invested with the power of preventing drunkenness. As a wreath, it adorned the heads of Romans who had attained intellectual or sporting prowess. All the more reason, surely, to bring it back to the college campus.

See more tips for growing and caring for ivies in Ivy: A Field Guide and more about our other favorite Vines & Climbers in Jasmine 101, Creeping Fig: A Field Guide, and Bougainvillea 101. For more ways to use vines and climbers in your garden, see:

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Hardscaping 101: Driveway Paving

March 8, 2018, 3:00 am
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When designing a garden for a client, I consider every piece in the puzzle: the homeowner, the location of the house, the architecture, the current landscape, the hardscape—and the driveway. While a driveway may seem like an unglamorous aspect of the overall design (on a par with say, drainage), a driveway actually is one of the most important elements in a landscape. Why? Not only is it used every day, a driveway also is integral to creating curb appeal.

An attractive driveway will increase resale value if a homeowner ever wishes to sell—and in the meantime will welcome you home every day. When it comes to designing a driveway, one of the most important choices is the material underfoot (or in this case, under the wheels). Please keep reading to learn more about the most versatile paving materials and to figure out which is best for your driveway.

What are the best materials to pave a driveway?

A ribbon driveway has permeable pavers and a planting bed of succulents and low-growing ground covers. See more at Required Reading: Private Gardens of the Bay Area. Photograph by Marion Brenner.
Above: A ribbon driveway has permeable pavers and a planting bed of succulents and low-growing ground covers. See more at Required Reading: Private Gardens of the Bay Area. Photograph by Marion Brenner.

The most common materials to pave a driveway are poured concrete, asphalt, pavers, and gravel. Which is right for you? Each material has both pros and cons: all driveways age and deteriorate, and some show signs of needing a facelift sooner than others depending on how harsh the elements are, how much use a driveway gets, and if the job was done correctly in the first place. With that said, some pavement choices are better for certain climates, architectural styles, and budgets.

Always start your materials exploration by keeping your climate and your budget in mind. This will expedite your decision making and keep you on track.

Poured Concrete

A poured concrete driveway connects visually to the pavers on a front path in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. See more of this project at Landscape Architect Visit: A Refined Family Garden with Flexible Play Zones. Photograph by Art Gray.
Above: A poured concrete driveway connects visually to the pavers on a front path in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. See more of this project at Landscape Architect Visit: A Refined Family Garden with Flexible Play Zones. Photograph by Art Gray.

Concrete is made by mixing cement with various aggregates (sand, gravel, and rocks) with water and then allowing this mixture to cure. A favored sturdy and long-lasting material, concrete works well with most architectural styles because of its ability to be customized.

Concrete Driveways: Pros and Cons

Photograph courtesy of Urban Organics Design. See more at Hardscaping 101: Poured-in-Place Concrete.
Above: Photograph courtesy of Urban Organics Design. See more at Hardscaping 101: Poured-in-Place Concrete.

Pros:

  • Concrete is durable and easy to maintain.
  • Decorative options are available for concrete, including staining and stamping.
  • Concrete can be cheaper than stone pavers (but is more expensive than asphalt).
  • Contemporary houses routinely have concrete driveways as a design element to unify the space. Strong geometric shapes can be formed and poured for a custom, modern look.

Cons:

  • Concrete requires proper site preparation and framing before pouring.
  • Concrete can be disturbed or cracked by nearby tree roots.

Asphalt

Photograph by Alexander Lyubavin via Flickr.
Above: Photograph by Alexander Lyubavin via Flickr.

An asphalt driveway is a combination of aggregate (sand, stone and gravel) mixed with liquid asphalt cement (a petroleum product). While the mixture is hot and unbelievably stinky, it is delivered to your home and applied to a sub-grade. Asphalt is a very common choice, especially in snowy regions where snow removal is required or in situations with a tight budget.

Asphalt Driveways: Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • Asphalt is very economical, less susceptible than concrete to cracking from frost heaves, and makes snow removal easier.
  • If damaged or worn, asphalt can be re-layered.

Cons:

  • Asphalt is a high-maintenance material because of its tendency of cracking if not properly sealed.
  • Needs to be routinely sealed every three to five years.

Pavers

For more of this driveway, see Landscape Architect Visit: A Very American Garden on Cape Cod. Photograph courtesy of Stephen Stimson Associates.
Above: For more of this driveway, see Landscape Architect Visit: A Very American Garden on Cape Cod. Photograph courtesy of Stephen Stimson Associates.

Pavers come in a variety of styles: cobblestone, brick, and pre-cast concrete.  Tip: Bricks are the least durable and cobblestones are the most durable. Concrete pavers can create a stronger driveway than poured concrete.  If you want to create an old-world look, cobblestones are a good choice. However, if you own a brick home or already have brick walkways and patios, brick pavers will integrate better.

Pavers Driveways: Pros and Cons

See more of this driveway at New Glamor for Old Hollywood: A Visit to Howard Hughes’ Garden. Photograph by Lana Von Haught courtesy of Kathleen Ferguson.
Above: See more of this driveway at New Glamor for Old Hollywood: A Visit to Howard Hughes’ Garden. Photograph by Lana Von Haught courtesy of Kathleen Ferguson.

Pros:

  • A variety of patterns, colors, and sizes of pavers are available, and if one piece gets damaged it can be replaced individually and you don’t have to repair an entire driveway.
  • Concrete pavers are typically interlocking, which makes for speedy installation and a strong surface.

Cons:

  • Cobblestones, in particular, make snow removal harder because of the unevenness.
  • Pavers can be a pricier choice.
  • Some patterns and designs can look dated over time.
  • Disturbance from tree roots can be challenging to pavers.

Gravel

For more of this gravel driveway, see Garden Visit: At Home with Winemaker Rosemary Cakebread in St. Helena, CA. Photograph by Mimi Giboin.
Above: For more of this gravel driveway, see Garden Visit: At Home with Winemaker Rosemary Cakebread in St. Helena, CA. Photograph by Mimi Giboin.

In general there are two types used: traditional gravel and crushed granite. Crushed granite is finer and more stable. In some areas–especially rural areas–traditional gravel driveways are economical and popular.

Gravel Driveways: Pros and Cons

After crossing a granite bridge, a gravel driveway leads to a carriage house and a main house. See more of this driveway and garden at Lessons from the Land: Finding a Lost Landscape on the Coast of Maine. Photograph by Jonathan Levitt courtesy of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Above: After crossing a granite bridge, a gravel driveway leads to a carriage house and a main house. See more of this driveway and garden at Lessons from the Land: Finding a Lost Landscape on the Coast of Maine. Photograph by Jonathan Levitt courtesy of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

Pros:

  • A rainbow of different colors is available.
  • Gravel requires minimal maintenance besides regrading and occasional weeding.
  • Unlike solid materials such as asphalt or concrete, gravel (including decomposed granite) is more eco-friendly because its permeability encorages excess water to percolate back into the ground water supply.
  • Gravel resists cracking or sinking.
  • An option that is a more natural alternative to concrete and asphalt is to add a stabilizer to crushed granite to produce a more solid but still rustic surface. This additive is more expensive than loose crushed granite, but still less expensive than decorative concrete or pavers.

Cons:

  • Scattered gravel can look messy and be a total nuisance.
  • Additional gravel may be need as the material disperses or is removed by tires or water  runoff, especially on slopes.
  • Loose crushed granite also can be tracked indoors on shoes and can damage hardwood floors.
  • If snow removal machinery is needed, some loose gravel may be removed during the process.

Is installing a driveway a DIY project?

See more of this driveway and garden at Architect Visit: A Natural Pool and Passive House in New York’s Hudson Valley. Photograph by Reto Guntli courtesy of BarlisWedlick Architects.
Above: See more of this driveway and garden at Architect Visit: A Natural Pool and Passive House in New York’s Hudson Valley. Photograph by Reto Guntli courtesy of BarlisWedlick Architects.

Installing a driveway is best left to the pros, but you should be included in the design process. Doing research ahead of time regarding materials and finding reputable contractors is key. We hope the information provided here is a springboard to get you researching and designing.

If you’re embarking on a landscape projects, see our Hardscape 101 design guides, including Gravel 101. For more inspiration, see:

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Required Reading: Brilliant & Wild—A Garden from Scratch in a Year by Lucy Bellamy

March 8, 2018, 11:00 pm
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So much of garden-making is in the long game. Waiting for plants to fill out and to reach their potential can take years. But for anyone with a bare patch of soil or a blank slate of a garden, it’s perfectly possible to create something not only beautiful but also low-maintenance and sometimes budget-friendly in just a few months. This is essentially the idea behind Lucy Bellamy’s new book, Brilliant & Wild: A Garden from Scratch in a Year–a simple guide for total beginners who want to achieve a wildlife friendly haven rich in color and form.

Photography by Jason Ingram, courtesy of Brilliant & Wild.

Bellamy is the editor of the elegant UK-based magazine Gardens Illustrated, but there’s nothing lofty or intimidating in this book, with lovely photography by Jason Ingram.
Above: Bellamy is the editor of the elegant UK-based magazine Gardens Illustrated, but there’s nothing lofty or intimidating in this book, with lovely photography by Jason Ingram.

Bellamy’s book is chiefly inspired by the low-maintenance and long seasonal interest of the New Perennial Movement, whose chief proponents, including Dutch designer Piet Oudolf, create extraordinarily beautiful gardens and landscapes using naturalistic swathe or seemingly random matrices of contrasting or complementary plants.

“Consider what you will see when you look out of the windows or come out of the door,” advises the author. “If you have a favorite plant or combination you are excited about, place it where you will see it most.”
Above: “Consider what you will see when you look out of the windows or come out of the door,” advises the author. “If you have a favorite plant or combination you are excited about, place it where you will see it most.”

Bellamy breaks it all down for the novice—a garden with less watering, less weeding, less work: what’s not to love? This isn’t an instant garden, exactly. Even these sorts of fast-growing perennials will fill out and multiply over time, but it’s definitely a garden of quick gratification and one that can work on almost any scale. The smallest backyard patch can be given over to a meadow of luscious perennials that will draw you outside or which you can admire from indoors.

 Grasses act as a fantastic foil for perennials and create texture, movement, drama, and amazing silhouettes—from the billowy haze of Deschampsia or the rich colors of Panicums to the light, feathery inflorescence of Pennisetums.
Above: Grasses act as a fantastic foil for perennials and create texture, movement, drama, and amazing silhouettes—from the billowy haze of Deschampsia or the rich colors of Panicums to the light, feathery inflorescence of Pennisetums.

A useful directory flags some of the best plants for this type of scheme, and to create a successful design it’s important to understand the different forms of each. Umbellifers (including the gorgeous Anthriscus ‘Ravenswing’ or the pincushion blooms of Astrantia); spikes (including colorful spears of Agastache, salvias, or Veronicastrum), or dots (the cheery bobble heads of Knautia, heleniums, or Echinops) are all listed within their groups.

For each plant, Bellamy includes a botanical profile with the best species to choose and details about how they grow, where they look best in the garden, and what other plants will make good companions.

 By using a single color, you can create really impactful displays. Repetition can pull a scheme together: “Ribbons of a single plant that pop up here and there throughout the space are a good way to tie everything together, so add some to your plan—alliums work well for this,” Bellamy writes.
Above: By using a single color, you can create really impactful displays. Repetition can pull a scheme together: “Ribbons of a single plant that pop up here and there throughout the space are a good way to tie everything together, so add some to your plan—alliums work well for this,” Bellamy writes.

By being very selective, Bellamy gives us a range of plants that will work with all the others in various combinations. With simple sketches, she shows us how to make the scheme work using groups, repetition, or simple matrix designs.

 The real joy of this type of planting is its year-round appeal. Choose the right plants and you can have a garden that looks good for 10 months of the year or more, selecting perennials not for their flowers but for the seed pods and winter skeletons they leave behind.
Above: The real joy of this type of planting is its year-round appeal. Choose the right plants and you can have a garden that looks good for 10 months of the year or more, selecting perennials not for their flowers but for the seed pods and winter skeletons they leave behind.

After you’ve cut it all back in late winter, you can make way for a succession of spring bulbs that will bring a joyous array of color to the garden before the perennials really get going in late spring.

A hardcover copy of Brilliant & Wild: A Garden from Scratch in One Year is £13.60 from Amazon UK. A US edition will publish in June; for information, see Amazon.
Above: A hardcover copy of Brilliant & Wild: A Garden from Scratch in One Year is £13.60 from Amazon UK. A US edition will publish in June; for information, see Amazon.
For more of our favorite gardening books, see:

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Trending on Remodelista: 5 Design Ideas to Steal for a Kitchen Remodel

March 9, 2018, 1:00 am
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Do they call it a “gut renovation” because its can be gut-wrenching? A kitchen remodel need not upset one’s equilibrium. This week the Remodelista editors tracked down new design trends (and checked in on some of their favorite go-to strategies). Here are five design ideas to steal for a kitchen remodel:

6 Cabinet Styles

See more in Remodeling 101: A Guide to the Only 6 Cabinet Styles You Need to Know.
Above: See more in Remodeling 101: A Guide to the Only 6 Cabinet Styles You Need to Know.

“Type ‘cabinet styles’ into Google Images (like we did) and you’ll get an array of glossy, dated-looking wood cabinets with ornate arches, louvered doors, some even with inset stained glass,” writes our contributor, Barbara Peck. “We’ve narrowed down the options. As far as we’re concerned, these are the only six cabinet styles you need to know: glass-front, Shaker-style, beadboard, flat-front, plywood, and natural (that is, unfinished) wood.”

Custom Commercial-Style Refrigerators

Alexa takes a close look at a line of residential refrigerators, including a a glass door model, from a St. Louis, Missouri–based refrigerator company. (Last week, the company introduced an option for custom-finish fronts.) See more in this week’s Appliances post.
Above: Alexa takes a close look at a line of residential refrigerators, including a a glass door model, from a St. Louis, Missouri–based refrigerator company. (Last week, the company introduced an option for custom-finish fronts.) See more in this week’s Appliances post.

Freestanding Storage

If built-in cabinets are too pricy (or if your stay in your current home is temporary), the solution may be budget-friendly modular storage units you can take with you if you move. See more in this week’s Kitchen of the Week makeover post.
Above: If built-in cabinets are too pricy (or if your stay in your current home is temporary), the solution may be budget-friendly modular storage units you can take with you if you move. See more in this week’s Kitchen of the Week makeover post.

Ceiling-Mount Range Hoods

Do your eyes glaze over trying to parse the fine print when you compare ceiling-mount range hoods? Alexa has gotten to the bottom of it, and recommends her favorites in this week’s 10 Easy Pieces post.
Above: Do your eyes glaze over trying to parse the fine print when you compare ceiling-mount range hoods? Alexa has gotten to the bottom of it, and recommends her favorites in this week’s 10 Easy Pieces post.

Ikea Cabinets + Custom Fronts

This week’s Home Tour post features a Brooklyn makeover, a townhouse with a cleverly designed kitchen with half-height Ikea cabinets with fronts from SemiHandmade and custom parts.
Above: This week’s Home Tour post features a Brooklyn makeover, a townhouse with a cleverly designed kitchen with half-height Ikea cabinets with fronts from SemiHandmade and custom parts.
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