A small newspaper ad caught the eye of art dealer Judith Pillsbury 45 years ago while she was hunting for an apartment in Paris. Truthfully? It would have gotten anyone’s attention.
The ad in Le Monde described a sprawling four-bedroom flat, on the ground floor of an 18th-century stone building on the Rue du Bac on the Left Bank. It was in an excellent location (the Saint-Germain-des Prés neighborhood was known equally well for its bakeries and brasseries as for the artistes who haunted them). And—most important to Pillsbury—the apartment had its own garden, a 445-square-meter leafy courtyard.
Reader, she went to see it the next day.
Although the garden “had been abandoned for a long time,” as she later recalled, Pillsbury found clues to its past lives: five mature maple trees, a “magnificent” fig tree, boxwood parterres, and a wall of ivy. She and her husband, Henry (the great-grandson of flour company founder Charles Alfred Pillsbury), had moved to France from the United States a few years earlier and were in search of a permanent home abroad for their family. They promptly bought the apartment for 900,000 francs (the equivalent of about $200,000) and subsequently asked designer Mark Rudkin, who would later redesign the Palais Royal garden, to rescue the landscape. And what a wonderful job he did.
Today the apartment is for sale again, asking price €12.7 million. See the full listing at A + B Kasha, and stroll around the garden with us:
Above: A sitting room overlooks the garden and is connected by an iron staircase to the courtyard. The apartment has exclusive use of the garden (but does not own it).
Rudkin’s design for the garden is intentionally untamed. “I don’t get too worried about gardens,” Rudkin said, “because I know they’re always accidental.”
Above: The view from upstairs is of leafy tree canopies.
Garden designer Rudkin was, like the Pillsbury family, part of the expat community in Paris. The son of the founder of the American baked-goods company Pepperidge Farm, he grew up in a family of gardeners on a 125-acre estate in Fairfield, Connecticut. A self-trained horticulturalist, his first public commission was a château garden in in Picardy.
Above: Rudkin designed the octagonal pond. “The first thing we spent money on was the garden,” Pillsbury recalled. “I knew that all our neighbors look down on the garden and they would appreciate it.”
Above: When Pillsbury’s children were young, there was a sandbox in the garden and, in wintertime, an ice rink.
Hydrangeas, boxwoods, and alliums flourish in the garden. Another touch of purple often seen in Rudkin’s gardens is his signature plant: Verbena bonariensis. Read more at Verbena: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design.
Above: When the Pillsbury bought the apartment, the garden was paved with gravel. Today a rectangular lawn act like a rug, to create an outdoor living room.
Above: After purchasing the apartment, Pillsbury and her husband demolished an old stable and re-used the stones to create a terrace and garden walls.
Above: Ferns delineate areas of the garden without blocking views.
A collector of gardens as well as of art, Pillsbury also purchased Parisian textile designer Nicole de Vésian’s iconic garden, La Louve, in Provence. Read more in Garden Visit: A Parisian Stylist in Provence.
Are you designing a garden from scratch or rehabbing an existing landscape? For inspiration, see our curated guides to Garden Design 101. For more of our favorite Paris gardens (and tips for how to add a chic element to your own), read more:
This week the Remodelista headed to France to celebrate all things À La Française. Here are five design ideas they brought back just in time for the holiday entertaining season:
Above: A one-of-a-kind vintage set of six Mix-and-Match Champagne Coupes, all crystal, collected throughout France; €75 at Madame de la Maison.
Thank you, France, for inventing champagne to celebrate all important holidays. As for the first champagne coupes? The glasses arrived at smart parties in the early 1800s, with a wide and shallow design to allow the bubbles to disperse faster.
The coupe has not been improved upon: not by the flute, not by the goblet. Collect mix-and-match champagne coupes from consignment shops (bonus points for the ones with grape vines etched on the glass). See more ideas for setting a festive table at Vintage French Style You Can Rent: Madame de la Maison in Paris.
Grease Stain Remover
Above: With all the butter and vinaigrette that gets sopped up with baguette after a Parisian lunch, there’s bound to be a rogue drip that finds its way onto your pristine white shirt. The French solution? Terre des Sommières (€6.50 at Merci): a powdered clay that absorbs grease from fabric, leather, and suede (for hand washing, and not the washing machine).
Above: Champagne-based viticulturist Cédric Bouchard installed a Danish Vipp kitchen when he remodeled a 300-year-old manor house in the French countryside. Photograph (and top photograph in the post) courtesy of Vipp.
“I walk barefoot all day, in and out of the house, so having a kitchen raised on legs spares my feet from bumping into the toe kicks of traditional cabinetry, says Bouchard. See more Vipp in our Kitchen of the Week post.
Earlier this week, Meghan Markle elevated muck boots to an art form, wearing a rubber pair to muck around New Zealand stylishly. (Read on to see the pair she picked.)
Of course gardeners have long loved Wellies. Whether you’re tromping through rain, snow, mud, or crowds of well wishers throwing bouquets at you while you’re on a royal tour, you’ll be happiest in waterproof footwear. Here are 10 of our favorite pairs of Wellington boots for the well-dressed winter gardener:
Above: From Hokkaido-based manufacturer Daiichi Gomu, a pair of Rubber Rain Boots made from recycled rubber tires is $125 at La Garconne.
Above: For the budget-conscious gardener, Tingley’s waterproof Economy PVC Boots are made from 30 percent recycled material and are available in men’s sizes for $16.20 a pair from Galeton.
Above: We included Aigle footwear in our Gardenista 100 list of indispensable classic products for the well-appointed gardener (for the other 99, see our book, Gardenista: The Definitive Guide for Stylish Outdoor Spaces). Says Kendra: “Aigle footwear, instantly recognizable as French because of its great style, was originally made by an American who set up a factory in France. Vulcanization, a technique for curing rubber, is key to the comfort; it was developed by Charles Goodyear, who sold the patent to the founder of Aigle.” A pair of Paracours 2 boots is $120.
Above: Meghan Markle’s pick, a Tall Chore Boot from The Original Muck Boot Company is currently sold out in all sizes but we suspect it will be back in stock as soon as it’s humanly possibly to manufacture more; $125 per pair.
Above: From New Zealand-based Skellerup, Quatro Farm Boots are 16 inches high and available in men’s sizes for $122.40 from Galeton.
Above: With a buckle on the back, Original Adjustable Rain Boots from Hunter are available in three colors including black as shown and are $160.
Above: From Barbour, Tempest Wellingtons have a neoprene lining for warmth and are available in olive; £83.29 from Mole Valley Farmers.
Above: Lined with fleece for warmth, a pair of tall Insulated Wellie Rain Boots has pull-on loop handles and is $89.99 from L.L. Bean.
Above: Designed to keep dairy farmers’ feet warm, a pair of Classic Ultra High insulated boots will keep you warm at temperatures as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit and is $135 from Bogs.
Above: A pair of rubber split-toed Jika-Tabi Gardening Boots from Japan have a reinforced band over the ankle for grip; £65 from Objects of Use.
Recalling a Parisian garden that reflects the sky, and TK other things on our minds this weekend. Have a look:
Above: At the end of our À La Française issue, we’re revisiting one of our all-time-favorite Parisian oases, by a ceramicist and an architect, where a Jardin Miroir reflects the sky.
Start the season early with two wreath-making workshops at McEvoy Ranch in Petaluma, next Saturday, November 10.
This weekend Southern California garden emporium Rolling Greens will open a new location in LA’s Arts District, complete with pumpkin workshops and more. Get all the info here (and check out their upcoming holiday events, too.)
Hytte is the Norwegian word for cabin, and more than a quarter of all Norwegians own at least one of these rustic getaway homes, notes Oslo-based based architects Mork-Ulnes Architects, who recently designed a tiny, 900-square-foot model for an American couple who moved abroad seven years ago.
For clients Scott Young and wife Christine Griffin Young, the challenge was to marry the design of a traditional hytte (compact and efficient) with the wilderness landscape that surrounds it.
The solution? The cabin “breaks apart the traditional rectangular cabin building plan into a pinwheel which radiates into the landscape to both frame four distinct views—Mylla Lake, the rolling hillside, the sky, and a towering forest—and to form wind- and snow-sheltered outdoor patios,” say the architects, who also have an office in San Francisco.
Above: The exterior is sided with untreated pine and the roof also is clad in wood.
The typical Norwegian hytte is small and cramped (“usually dark with pine clad walls, small windows and low ceilings,” the architects say) and lacking modern amenities such as running water (think: outhouse). But there’s no law that says it must be so.
The house has three bedrooms, two full baths, a combined kitchen and living room, and a sauna.
Above: Planning rules required a gable roof, which the architects “split” to create a pinwheel-shaped floor plan.
“It’s a great place to visit year round in both good weather and bad,” says homeowner Scott Young. “The views to the outside make it feel like you are outside when you are in. It is a cozy cabin for our family of four and dog, but can comfortably accommodate eight to ten people.”
Above: The design created two outdoor terraces, each with two walls to block wind and a half-gable roof to divert snow.
Above: Windows in the bunkroom frame the woodland views. “The wings of the house engage four distinct characters of the site: the great room looks onto Mylla Lake, the guest room looks towards the rolling hillside, the kids’ room looks up at the sky, and the bedroom has a private view of the towering forest,” the architects say.
Above: “During the cold winter months, when the cabin is half buried in snow and the surrounding landscape is white, the family goes on long ski tours and warms up in the sauna afterwards,” the architects say.
Above: The cabin sits at the edge of Mylla Lake, an hour’s drive north of Oslo.
Above: Custom milled windows and exterior doors are by Nyhuset Bruk.
Above: The untreated pine siding will weather to a silvery gray over time.
See more of our favorite landscapes in Scandinavia:
Amsterdam-based designer Jonael van der Sloot describes his terrarium pendant lights as tiny “sustainable worlds.”
The collection from Spruitje (which means “little sprout” in Dutch) combines plants and moss inside glowing glass orbs to create “self-sufficient raw nature.”
Above: Van der Sloot’s Big Brother is €399 from Spruitje.
“Please note that the lamp included in the terrarium has little to no effect on the plants but is shouldn’t be on for more that 6 hours,” says can der Sloot. “Turn off the light when leaving the terrarium unattended.”
“Terraria love of bright indirect sunlight,” says van der Sloot. “Be sure to keep your terrarium away from direct sun as the sun through the glass will cook your plants.”
He also advises to “rotate the terrarium once a month about 180 degrees if the plants start to grow in one same direction.”
How complicated could it be to keep a houseplant alive? (This is the question you ask yourself in the plant shop when you buy your first succulent, cactus, fern, or fiddle-leaf fig tree.)
Why didn’t anyone tell me how complicated it is to keep a houseplant alive? (This is the question you ask yourself a month later.)
We’re here to help. Here are 10 things nobody told you about houseplants, essential secrets to keeping your sanity despite the demands of your most finicky potted friends:
1. Buy plants in pairs.
Above: Begonia rex and friends (also pictured in the top photo of the post) can be finicky. Buy them in pairs in case one dies. Photograph by Leslie Santarina.
You can’t control your houseplant’s life before you buy it—and sometimes by the time you bring it home it’s already sick. It may be infested with tiny bugs. It may be suffering from root rot if it was over-watered. Or it just may be a finicky type, like Begonia rex.
Double your odds of success by buying houseplants in multiples of two. Worst-case scenario? They both thrive.
2. Some plants don’t crave sunshine.
Above: Keep a maidenhair fern (Adiantum raddianum) out of direct sunlight, which can singe its lacy fronds. And be sure to give it plenty of water: this is one plant that loves moist soil. Photograph by Mimi Giboin.
Plenty of plants can thrive in a dark apartment. Many of them hail fro tropical climates or rainforests where they grow beneath other plants or tree canopies. For our list of favorites, see Best Houseplants: 9 Indoor Plants for Low Light.
3. A plant that drops all its leaves may still be healthy.
Above: Also known as false shamrock, Oxalis regnellii grows from bulbs and may go dormant in summer. Read more in Gardening 101: False Shamrock. Photograph by Mimi Giboin.
Some houseplants that grow from bulbs can go dormant for a season, dropping their leaves and dying back. Do not despair. Give it time—and move it out of sunlight to a spot where it can get some sleep.
Above: After the flowers finish blooming, the leaves die back. When Oxalis regnellii sends up new shoots to signal dormancy’s end, give it well-drained soil and put it in a sunny spot. Photograph by Mimi Giboin.
4. A cactus likes cold weather.
Above: An Easter cactus earns its nickname by blooming (as if on command) in springtime. Although most Easter cactus cultivars have red or pink flowers, hybrid Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri ‘Sirius’ has white flowers. Photograph by Mimi Giboin.
The conventional wisdom is that cacti like it hot because they come from the desert, where there is beating sun and baking temperatures. But those temperatures drop when the sun goes down and at night a desert can be quite cold. To keep your potted cactus happy indoors, put it in a sunny—but cool—spot.
5. Houseplants are allergic to dust.
Above: Submerge tillandsias in water to keep them hydrated and to keep dust from settling on their foliage. See more in Gardening 101: How to Water an Air Plant. Photograph by John Merkl.
“Unfortunately, the same dust that settles on your computer screen also settles on your plants and inhibits the leaves from properly photosynthesizing. Dusting houseplants can be accomplished with a damp cloth and some patience,” writes our contributor Erin Boyle. The solution is to dust leaves monthly, with a cloth or brush, or to rinse foliage with a damp sponge. To avoid damaging delicate plants, cradle a leaf in one hand to support it while wiping or brushing it.
After you use clippers, pruners, or hand trowels, clean the, with rubbing alcohol to sterilize them. That way you’ll avoid transferring bacteria or bugs from one houseplant to another. Read more in Goodbye, Fungus Gnats: Pest-Free Potting Soil.
7. Plants need babysitters.
Above: When you leave town, you should leave plants with a babysitter, human or otherwise. Glass watering bulbs or terra cotta plant nannies made of unglazed clay will gradually release moistures to the roots while you’re away. Photograph via Samuji.
8. Houseplants would rather live outdoors than in.
Above: Ferns and friends fancy the humidity levels and greater air circulation of the outdoors; bring them out in warm weather to perk them up. Photograph by Mimi Giboin.
There’s no such thing as a houseplant, after all—just outdoor plants forced into living indoors in pots. Some will put up with indoor conditions better than others but in general, all plants prefer higher humidity levels and increased circulation. When weather cooperates, bring them outside to soak up fresh air and dappled sunshine.
9. The best months to buy houseplants at Ikea are…
“Four times a year, Ikea puts new plant introductions as well as seasonal plants (poinsettias at Christmas, daffodils in spring, and so on) on the shelves: February, April, August, and October. So if you are looking for something new and different, and the freshest plants, these are the months to pay a visit,” writes our contributor Jane Perrone. Read more in An Insider’s Guide to Getting First Dibs on the Best Ikea Houseplants.
10. “Green” succulents are easier to grow than “gray” ones.
Above: “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,” writes our contributor Erin Boyle.
A soft coconut fiber door mat isn’t for everyone. For something more indestructible, effective against muddy boots, and vintage-looking, turn to the wire mesh or industrial metal doormat. Here are our 10 favorites.
Above: The Galghard Wire Doormat from Gracie Oaks is made of coiled wire with a brown finis; $49.99 at Wayfair.
Above: You can source a more heavy-duty industrial Steel Mat Shoe Scraper made of flexible mesh cold rolled steel. It’s available in custom sizes by contacting Durable Corporation.
Gardeners tend to have strong opinions about their tools, maybe because their favorites develop personalities after a season or two of use. Personally? I could pick out my own pair of Felco pruners in a police lineup. Probably so could Cape Cod gardener Sheila Bonnell.
When we visited Sheila to shoot photos of her garden for our Gardenista book, Julie took a peek inside the tool shed—and discovered Sheila’s go-to rakes, pitchfork, trowel, garden gloves, and Felco pruners. Plus a pair of orange garden clogs.
Today we launch our new Tool Porn series to profile gardeners’ favorite tools (and offer suggestions of where to buy the same or similar tools). If we looked inside your garden shed, what would we find?
Photography by Matthew Williams.
Above: Sheila’s peaked-roof garden shed, seen from the kitchen window, sits on the far side of her edible garden.
Above: Inside the shed. With a permanent marker, Sheila draws the outlines of her tools so she can remember where each one belongs.
Above: Long-handled tools hang from the rafters.
Above: Still life, with tools. A gravel rake and a skinny rake (with rust on its tines), a pair of Felco pruners, three pairs of gloves, and a trowel with a homemade hanging loop. And a pair of orange rubber clogs.
Wondering where to get similar gardening gear? See our list of sources:
Above: Sheila also has a lightweight retractable hose that she loves, she says, because it never kinks. See our picks at 10 Easy Pieces: Retractable Garden Hoses.
Above: Thanks, Sheila, for sharing your tools (and garden) with us.
Browse our Tools archives to see more of our favorites. Read more:
Boston Ivy, Parthenocissus tricuspidata: “Gentle Tendrils”
The first thing to know about Boston ivy is that it is not Virginia creeper. Don’t confuse its lobed, glossy leaves which end in three points with Viriginia creeper’s five-fingered leaflets (the hint is in the name: P. tricuspidata versus P. quinquefolia).
Boston ivy vines systematically spread over verticals and horizontals, while its cousin the creeper waves about in the breeze. If you like the look but are worried by ivy, this is the plant to choose: Boston ivy is not an ivy at all, being a member of the colorful and deciduous Vitaceae family. Not only does it offer season-enhancing color but after its leaves have dropped, buildings are able to take in warmth from winter sun.
Boston ivy saves more energy than evergreen ivy in winter, and is equally efficient in summer, cooling down west- and south-facing walls. Additionally, its method of adhesion is less damaging. While ivy supports itself with aerial roots that exploit weakness in masonry, the tendrils of Boston ivy stick with adhesive pads that don’t infiltrate the fabric of a structure.
Traditionally found adorning august buildings such as those at Harvard University, Boston ivy was largely culled in the 1980s along with ivy (there is some debate over whether the Ivy League was named after Boston ivy or real ivy, Hedera helix, which has been allowed to remain at Princeton). In the UK, the All England Lawn Tennis Club where Wimbledon takes place is famously clothed in Boston ivy, still a glossy dark green in July when the tournament takes place.
Above: Dark green in summer, Boston ivy turns bronze, then red, then flaming in autumn.
Boston ivy is native to Japan, not New England. Coincidentally, one of its more sought-after cultivars was first discovered growing near the home of the Boston Red Sox; P. tricuspidata ‘Fenway Park’ is distinguished by lime green leaves in summer that turn yellow, orange, and red in fall. P. tricuspidata ‘Veitchii’ carries an Royal Horticultural Society award of garden merit.
Above: Seasons merge on a wall of Boston ivy.
Boston ivy celebrates the season in a similar way to other members of the grape vine family; with great flamboyance. Shadows of just-departed leaves create an effect of molten embers, the longer exposed areas being a deeper red. However, when the leaves go, their pale stalks remain, in a horrible anticlimax. A fine black tracery decorates the host building or structure over winter.
Cheat Sheet
• Boston ivy is a sensible alternative to classic ivy, although it is even more vigorous, growing to more than 30 feet, reaching maturity in from five to 10 years.
• Because Boston ivy is not evergreen, it is less heavy than ivy in winter; its adhesive disks, resembling tiny lizard’s toes, stick on top of mortar instead of digging into cracks.
• Like ivy, Parthenocissus tricuspidata provides a good insulation for buildings and a safe haven for wildlife.
Keep It Alive
• Boston ivy is very hardy, thriving in a wide range of situations (including USDA growing zones 4 to 8) and in any aspect, whether sheltered or exposed. Soil type is not a problem, whether acid or alkaline, chalk or clay, although like so many plants it prefers moist and well-drained.
• Autumn color is guaranteed whether planted in sun, partial, or full shade.
• Boston ivy benefits from being tied at first but ultimately it is self-clinging.
Above: Boston ivy in the Cotswolds, England.
As with all vines and climbers, growth should be kept away from gutters and roofs; Parthenocissus tricuspidata is not for the laissez-faire gardener. If you find that you need to remove it from a particular elevation, cut the stems at the base first, only unclothing the wall when the plant has weakened. Since vines are chosen by birds for nesting, wait until winter to do this.
Above: In which gutters, roofs and paintwork have been spared, by a methodical gardener.
When you’re watering a garden, smart irrigation controllers take away the guesswork. They even check the weather forecast in your neighborhood before deciding how much water to give your plants.
The newest generation smart controller from Rachio is a stylish, easy-to-use model:
Save water and make plants happier. With a smart irrigation controller, technology allows you to customize the irrigation levels in your garden based on soil type, sun exposure, and your plants’ needs.
“Rachio lets you choose fixed or flexible schedules for watering, but either way the controller makes daily adjustments depending on weather conditions. Let’s say low temperatures are forecast; the Rachio will automatically skip watering that day,” writes our contributor Barbara Peck.
Above: To power the smart irrigation controller, connect it to the AC power adapter (included).
Rachio’s smart irrigation controller is designed to withstand temperatures from -4 degrees Fahrenheit to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you are a sports-loving person, you have no doubt enjoyed the bounty of the American ash tree which for generations has provided the raw material for ubiquitous sports equipment such as baseball bats, particularly the famous “Louisville Slugger,” as well as tennis racquets, bowling alley floors, hockey sticks, snowshoes, and even the oars and keels of small boats. The wood of Fraxinus americana is hard, resilient, and especially important for those bats, racquets, and sticks, extraordinarily able to absorb shock. Outdoor furniture as well as the handles of gardening tools are also frequently made of this heavy, narrow grained wood.
For the home gardener a white ash tree, which in maturity has a rounded shape and typically reaches 60 to 80 feet in both height and width, can be an attractive source of shade that provides distinctive seasonal interest.
Is white ash the right tree to plant in your landscape? Read on for everything you need to know:
Above: Seed pods on a white ash tree. Photograph by Keith Kanoti via Flickr.
Bright green purple-tinged flowers (male and female grow on separate trees) appear in the spring with winged seeds showing up in the fall to provide food for a variety of birds including wood ducks, finches, cardinals, grouse, and grosbeaks.
White ash trees are prized for their dramatic display of fall color which turns from a brilliant gold to a purplish maroon.
White ash is commonly found in the forests of eastern North America, the largest of 16 native ash species recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Although Fraxinus americans is a sun lover, it has developed the clever survival trick of tolerating shade when it is young so it can survive in the understory of the woods until it grows taller than its neighbors and can get unobstructed sunlight.
Above: A mature white ash tree at the Stevens-Coolidge Place in North Andover, Massachusetts. Photograph by Spablab via Flckr.
Cheat Sheet
If you have the space, use white ash as a shade or specimen tree, but be aware that it is susceptible to a particularly virulent pest (see below).
White ash generally tolerates urban conditions and can be used successfully as a street tree.
The flowers, which appear in April and May, are attractive to many species of butterflies.
Keep It Alive
Fraxinus americana is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9.
Plant a white ash tree in full sun in moist, organically rich soil.
Although white ash is somewhat tolerant of temporary flooding, it prefers good drainage
If you are considering an ash tree for your property, it would be wise to first consult a tree expert for information on the emerald ash borer (EAB), an iridescent half-inch-long Asian beetle that is devastating ash trees all over the United States. According to Kathleen Knight of the USDA Forest Service (who spoke at a recent EAB seminar hosted by the New York Botanical Garden), the borer was discovered in Michigan near Detroit in 2002. Since that time, she says, it has killed millions of trees and will most probably kill millions more.
The adult beetle, which probably traveled here on planes and cargo ships in commercial packing material, does only minimal damage by chewing on ash foliage. The larva of this insect resembles a segmented worm and infests the tree beneath the bark, feeding on the inner bark or “phloem,” which is the avenue through which nutrients travel from the leaves to the rest of the tree. The larva destroy the phloem, effectively cutting off the tree’s food supply and starving it to death.
Above: The leaves of the white ash tree turn a vivid yellow in autumn. Photograph by Virens via Flickr.
At this time there is no effective prevention or cure for an EAB infestation. If you have an existing ash tree on your property, some recently developed insecticide treatments can arrest EAB damage if it is not too severe when it is discovered. The USDA Forest Service has compiled information about how to identify the borer and treatments for affected trees. Chemical therapy must be timed and applied correctly to be effective. It is highly recommended that you consult a professional arborist or other horticulture expert for help.
This week the Remodelista editors experimented with color—and discovered the warming powers of the perfect shade of gray. Here are their five favorite design ideas for adding warmth with a dash of gray:
Gray Kitchen Cabinets
Above: A kitchen remodel in a circa-1890 Victorian townhouse in Park Slope, Brooklyn included new cabinets (also shown in the top photo of the post), painted in Farrow & Ball’s warm gray Pigeon.
Above: A collection of Mason Cash pottery in shades of cream and gray on display at Les Touilleurs in Montreal.
In Montreal, emporium Les Touilleurs is a “classic store with big open-pantry displays that evoke true kitchen feelings,” say its owners. See what’s on offer in this week’s Shopper’s Diary.
Concrete Candelabra
Above: From Brooklyn-based design studio Vonnegut Kraft, a Dune Candelabra cast in matte concrete takes design cues from brutalist architecture.
The simple texture of cast concrete can marry modern and traditional design elements together in a room. See more ideas in this week’s Steal This Look post.
Oil Paintings
Above: A 19th-century portrait of Clarissa Pear (“a friend of mine’s great cousin,” says homeowner Donna McNeil) In a church-turned-house in Rockland, Maine,. Photograph by Greta Rybus.
Put down that cup of tea, throw on a coat, and head outdoors to take a good look at your house from the street. In the weak light of November, do you see room for improvement? Here are 11 foolproof ways to add curb appeal and make your home look welcoming from now through winter:
Frame the Facade
Above: On Martha’s Vineyard, Lake Street Studio saved a writer’s cottage from demolition and repurposed it as a guest cottage. Photograph by Gil Jacobs.
Prune trees so their silhouettes frame the house instead of blocking it.
The best time to prune most trees is when they’re dormant; it’s easier to see the structure and shape of a tree when it doesn’t have leaves.
When pruning, remove diseased or damaged branches first. Then prune for shape: remove low-hanging branches that obstruct views or hang over walkways or block access to driveways. Thin the crown to allow light and air circulation. For tips, see DIY: Pruning Trees in Winter and Expert Advice from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Upgrade the latch on your gate. You know the one: it doesn’t catch properly (hasn’t for years, maybe) and it annoys you every time because the gate doesn’t close unless you fiddle with it. Now is the perfect time to take care of this problem because there’s not much else in the garden to distract you from the task.
Above: For our favorite gate latches, see 10 Easy Pieces: Gate Latches.
Plant Bird Berries
Above: Photograph by Justine Hand.
There are plenty of birds around in the winter, and their bright plumage looks like jewelry against the snow. To lure them to your house, Plant a Winter Berry Garden with shrubs such as burning bush, snowberry, and bayberry.
Replace house numbers. Is there an ugly font above your door? Chances are it’s more noticeable–and annoying–during winter months when you’re not distracted by other colors and textures in the garden. It’s an easy fix; for ideas, see our House Numbers archives for Modern House Numbers and Enamel House Numbers and Parisian Gilded House Numbers.
Above: Narcissus blooming in snow. Photograph by Natalia Medd via Flickr.
Plant snowdrops, hellebores, and early narcissi in the garden. Plant a few clumps at the edge of the path for winter color. For our favorite pink, white, purple, and black varieties of hellebores, see 5 Favorites: Hardworking Hellebores That Stand Up to Snow.
Stop Tracking Mud
Above: A 12.5-inch-wide Boot Scraper is $275 from Morris L. Hallowell IV Custom Architectural Ironwork.
Get a boot scraper. As Janet pointed out recently, “Sometimes doormats just aren’t enough to tackle the mud that garden boots love to collect.” See 5 Favorites: Iron Boot Scrapers.
Leaves the Lights On
Above: Photograph by John Merkl for Gardenista.
Leave your holiday lights up until February. Twinkly white lights will welcome you home–an excellent consolation prize for a lack of daylight.
Wear Winter White
Above: Photograph by Erin Boyle.
Add seasonal decor. Take advantage of winter weather: put ice lanterns on the front steps or flank the front door with potted pine evergreens. For ideas, see DIY: Winter Ice Lanterns.
Wash the windows. All that winter grit and grime is making it harder for weak sunlight to get indoors. For an all-natural window cleaner, see The Secret Ingredient for Streak-Free Windows.
Does composting have a dark side? Let’s just say I’ve made a few mistakes.
There was the time, for instance, when my husband and I decided to mix the materials in the compost bin to speed up the process. I held the lid open as he jammed in a pitchfork. Imagine our surprise as a fat brown rat suddenly leapt from the depths of the grass clippings, ping-ponged off the pitchfork handle, and landed on the top of the fence.
As the rodent ran off, my husband and I shrieked. He dropped the pitchfork, I slammed shut the bin, and we ran inside the house to cower behind the kitchen door. We didn’t open the compost bin again for six months.
Don’t let composting take you surprise. Be prepared by knowing these tips: 10 things nobody tells you about compost.
1. It can take up to two years to make compost.
Above: A compost pile in Healdsburg, California. Photograph by Mimi Giboin for Gardenista.
Does your neighbor brag about producing perfect compost in three months while you, meanwhile, have been nursing an anemic pile of scraps for more than a year with no results? Don’t despair. It may take you up to two years to transform trash into lovely black compost. But you can speed up the process—and give your neighbor some competition—if you tweak a few things.
First, the background. To make compost, you need four things: the raw ingredients (organic matter, plus water, oxygen, and bacteria (the good kind). Tinker with the mix to see speed things up. For instance, if you shred, chop, or cut up larger materials such as leaves, twigs, and grass clippings, the will break down faster. If your pile seems dry, spray with the hose and mix everything using a pitchfork.
2. Dryer lint belongs in compost bin.
Above: Photograph by Justine Hand.
If your clothes and bath towels are made of natural fibers (such as cotton), the lint that accumulates in the dryer screen can go straight to the compost pile. Cotton is a plant, after all.
3. Rats want to live in your compost bin.
Above: Photograph by Matthew Williams.
If you throw the wrong kind of food scraps—including bread, pizza crusts, meat, or cheese—into a compost bin, consider this an invitation to local rat population to stop by for a meal. And once vermin gets in the bin, those rodents are likely to settle in and get comfortable. After all, it’s warm and dark and safe in there.
Avoid turning your bin into a rodent motel by limiting the vegetable matter you compost to yard and garden scraps. (If you do add the occasional orange peel or raw vegetables, bury them deep in the pile where it’s hot enough to break them down fast.
Also, get a secure bin that closes tightly—on all sides, including the bottom—to keep rodents from slipping in through between the slats.
4. Don’t compost bread, cooking oil, or meat.
Above: Chef Alice Waters keeps a compost bucket handy in her kitchen sink in Berkeley, California. Photograph by Daniel Dent for Gardenista.
Beyond attracting hungry rodents, certain kinds of food waste can mess with your compost. For instance, cooking oil can ruin the moisture balance and make it harder to produce compost.
5. Your compost bin may be a breeding ground for bacteria.
Some kitchen waste, such as animal products, may introduce the wrong kind of bacteria (anaerobic) into the compost pile.
Anaerobic bacteria won’t produce enough heat to break down the compost bin’s materials quickly. They also can produce unpleasant (to humans) odors) that will attract scavengers and insects.
6. Your bin does not need to get “heat up” to create compost.
If you’re patient, your organic materials will turn into compost eventually—even if they never “heat up” to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (the magic temperature for “cooking” compost fast).
7. Before you buy compost, ask what’s in the bag.
Above: Photograph by Jim Powell.
If you buy compost, task what you’re buying before you bring it home: it could be yard waste compost, manure compost, mushroom compost, or vermicompost.
If you get compost from a municipal facility, it is likely to have been made primarily from grass clippings or shredded leaves. Best use: Mix it into heavy soil or clay to lighten it (you’ll need to add fertilizer, as well, when you dig it in.)
Composted manure is a very rich substance; if you buy it in bags, it has been treated to kill bacteria. If you get it in bulk, it’s best to add it to soil in autumn; by the time the spring growing season rolls around, bacteria will have died.
Sold in bags, mushroom compost is generally a type of composted manure which was used to grow sprout mushrooms. After the mushroom harvest, the soil gets sold as mushroom compost. It is rich in nutrients but may have a strong smell.
Worm castings diluted with soil is the mix that is typically sold as vermicompost.
8. Your compost pile should never smell bad.
Above: Also shown in the top photo of this post, a Clarington Forge Border Fork is handmade in England and has a compact 37-inch ash handle to make it easy to maneuver in tight spaces such as compost bins. It is $78 from Terrain.
If your compost pile smells bad, it’s trying to tell you it needs more oxygen. The solution may be as simple as to aerate it, mixing it with a pitchfork or adding more paper or wood chips to the pile. If you smell rotten eggs, that means the pile is producing hydrogen sulfide; turn it well so the bottom layers are exposed to more air circulation.
If you smell ammonia, that’s a sign of high nitrogen levels (probably from grass clippings). Add paper, wood chips, and more raw vegetable matter.
It’s OK to compost grass clippings and plant matter that may have been treated with pesticides becaue the composting process will break down the chemicals. For more information on this topic, see Cornell University’s guide to composting.
10. When in doubt, turn your compost.
Above: A Compost Turner that has “a free spinning hardwood handle, allowing the user to aerate compost with ease and efficiency, and without strain,” notes the retailer. It is $80 from Shed.
If you live in an apartment, you can make compost on your kitchen countertop (your house plants will thank you) with an odor-free compost bucket made of bamboo:
Above: Made of biodegradable bamboo fibers, a Composter is available in two colors, including graphite as shown; $40 from Bamboozle.
What scraps can you turn into compost: Vegetable and fruit peels, cores, and rinds; moldy bread, leftover grains, tea bags, coffee filters, expired spices, and egg shells. Maybe the question should be: what scraps can’t you transform?
Above: The 7-inch-high composter comes with a tight-fitting lid and two filters to prevent odors.
N.B.: Need more composting questions answered? See:
A houseplant vine can become curtains on a window, or add a layer of texture to a bare brick wall, or inject life into a sterile, tiled bathroom—if only you can convince it to actually grow indoors. Some will climb. Others will trail. Here’s a guide to growing and training our favorite vines to behave like happy houseplants.
When we talk about “houseplant vines,” we’re describing a category of twining, trailing, and climbing plants that includes a lot of species that may not be true vines.If we were being strict about the definition of “vine,” we’d be limited to draping a bookshelf or framing a kitchen doorway with about 70 species of Vitis in the Vitaceae family, which which cling and climb via means of tendrils.
True vines include chestnut vine (Tetrastigma voinierianum), which isn’t the easiest plant to get your hands on but makes a vigorous houseplant. It’s good for covering larger spaces speedily. Grape ivy (Cissus rhombifolia) and miniature grape ivy (Cissus striata) have beautiful compound leaves of a more modest size than the chestnut vine, and are far more widely available. They are happy in lower light areas, as is kangaroo vine (Cissus antarctica) another old favorite that will tolerate a wide range of conditions without turning up its toes: just keep it out of direct sunlight. Begonia vine (Cissus discolor) is the diva of the group, requiring similarly high humidity to the rex begonias who it resembles (but is not related to).
There’s a logic to the idea that English ivy (Hedera helix) will do well indoors. After all, it takes over in the garden if given half a chance. And yet ivies often suffer in modern homes, because they aren’t suited to the warm temperatures and dry air found within.
Tree ivy (x Fatshedera lizei) is a cross between English ivy, Hedera helix, and Japanese aralia Fatsia japonica. Like traditional ivy, it won’t do well in centrally heated rooms, especially in winter, but is ideal for a cool conservatory or covered porch.
Cape ivy (Senecio macroglossus) and German ivy (Delairea odorata) are the ivy-lookalikes to grow if you don’t like to live in an icebox, as they’re both much better adapted to average room temperatures and humidity levels. Just bear in mind that German ivy is considered an invasive weed in many parts of the world, so don’t go planting it outside.
Aroids
Above: Monsteras are climbers. Read more at Gardening 101: Monstera. Photograph courtesy of CenteroftheWebb.
You say Araceae, I say aroid. This plant family is huge, but there are a few species from the clan which make successful vining houseplants, the best known of course being the Swiss cheese plant, Monstera deliciosa. Coming up on the rails is its relative, Monstera adansonii, another vining aroid with windowed leaves.
Above: A philodendron trained as a trailing vine, a Vining Kokedama is $36 at Pistils Nursery.
And let’s not forget the pothos vines or epipremnums, and the Philodendrons, too. All of these, given time and good care, will grow huge, but they will all tolerate a hacking back when they get out of line. Rather than relying on tendrils, these plants grow thick aerial roots from their leaf nodes and grasp onto anything convenient to cling to.
How to Train Vines
Should they trail, or climb? That’s entirely up to you, but there are many ways of displaying your houseplant vines. Here are some suggestions.
Trailing Vines: Whether you buy a Victorian original from a junk shop or invest in a midcentury modern update, a plant stand is an inspired way to display trailing vines. Just make sure it is tall and sturdy enough to display a plant effectively (particularly a heavy-leafed monstera or philodendron). If you prefer to keep your plants off the ground and away from kids and cats, consider a Well Light Planter from Toronto-based designers Object/Interface. These pendant lights can accommodate one or more trailing plants and look fabulous over your dining table. A series of strands hanging like a curtain over a window or door looks great too,: mount erect a shelf above the door for pots, or secure a bar across the window to accommodate hanging pots.
Climbing Vines: If you prefer your vines to climb, most (with the exception of the true vines) will need some help to cling. One method is to tie vines to a moss or coir pole, which also helps to keep humidity loving plants happy. Either buy one, or make your own. For a more contemporary look, allow vines to vines romp across a plain wall or along a bookshelf at regular intervals using clear plastic stick-on hooks. Or wind them around a trellis (as shown above).
Remember, however you choose to display your vines, the more difficult it is to reach your plants for maintenance tasks such as watering and pruning, the most attentive you’ll have to be. The vines that often do the best are those that hang down around a bathroom or kitchen sink so that you can keep an eye on them as you wash up each day. If you find your plants getting too leggy, don’t be afraid to keep pinching out the growing tips during the growing season; this will help to keep plants bushy.
After a visit to London’s Kew Gardens earlier this year, there’s one scene that stands out in my memory: A brilliant flash of yellow garden hose snaked through the glasshouse floor while jumpsuit-clad gardeners kept their temperate plants hydrated. The yellow hose had such an impact that I went on the search for other colorful options. Here’s the lineup.
Above: From a company that designs—and markets—garden hoses like fashion handbags, Garden Glory’s Caribbean Kiss Garden Hose is $119 at Garden Glory.
Above: The Heritage Garden Hose, shown in Yellow, is designed as a classic garden hose from toxin-free polyurethane with rust-proof fittings; $59 for 50 feet or $98 for 100 feet at Terrain.
Above: Frontgate’s Premium Garden Hose, shown in Terracotta, is $69.97 to $76.99.
Above: Available from Zangra, the Zee Garden Hose is made in Belgium and comes in white, black, green, and red (shown) for €74.50.
Above: The Heritage Garden Hose, shown this time in Blue, is designed as a classic garden hose from toxin-free polyurethane with rust-proof fittings; $59 for 50 feet or $98 for 100 feet at Terrain.
Do plants need blankets in winter? Ideally not. “The true time to assist a plant that can be hurt by cold is before you plant it,” the gardening columnist Henry Mitchell believed. What he meant by that was you should choose plants suited to your climate, give them well-drained soil, and protect them from overhanging trees prone to dropping branches in snowstorms.
But life is not always ideal. Some winters an unexpected frost, record temperatures, or prolonged cold spells can damage your garden. Or you may be the sort of gardener who gave in to temptation, unable to resist the charms of a “tender” plant better suited to a slightly warmer growing zone. You owe it to your fragile specimen to keep it alive.
Plant protection in winter can take many forms: you can warm the soil, you can wrap a shrub, you can block the wind. Here are 10 ideas to keep your plants happy in the cold, dark months:
Burlap Plant Cover
Above: A 12-foot-long Burlap Plant Cover with a width of 40 inches is $11.99 from Clever Brand via Etsy.
“Potted plants will also survive the winter in a sack padded with some straw or leaves as a buffer against the cold,” notes the retailer. “The sacks will also protect smaller evergreens like boxwood from the winter sun.”
Soil Warmer
Above: To extend the growing season, florist India Hurst of Vervain Flowers unfurled black growers’ cloth, which absorbs sunlight to warm the soil. Photograph by India Hobson via The Garden Edit.
Above: Similar to the growers’ cloth Hurst uses is Groundtex Landscaping Fabric, which also suppresses weeds; £36.47 for a 50-meter roll (approximately 164 feet) at Town & Country Turf. For US gardeners, a similar 250-foot roll of Garden Weed Barrier Landscape Fabric is $99.99 from Amazon.
Fleece Jacket
Above: Protect plants from cold temperatures as low as -76 degrees Fahrenheit (-60 degrees Celsius) by wrapping them in a blanket or a roll of fabric. Available in three sizes, Winter Fleece Plant Covers are £7.99 from Crocus.
Fleece Blanket
Above: Performance fleece is also available to US gardeners. Made of sheep’s wool, a 2-by-1-meter blanket of Frost Protection Fleece “protects seedlings and young plants from wind, cooler weather and nocturnal frost,” says Manufactum; €9.
Above: A few months ago photographer India Hobson visited the studio of florist India Hurst of Vervain Flowers, who gardens in “tumbling old glasshouses” at her parents’ plant nursery in England’s West Midlands. Hurst relies on hoop houses to keep plants warm in winter weather. Photograph by India Hobson via The Garden Edit.
Frost Protection Cloth
Above: If you want to make a DIY tunnel or hoop house, you can make a metal or wooden frame and cover it with Frost Protection Cloth; a 250-foot roll is $90 from poly-Tex.
Polytunnel
Above: Nearly 10 feet long, a Polytunnel Kit from Sage Horticultural is $1,265 AU (about $883 US) and has a galvanized steel frame, flap doors, and treated pine support timbers.
Curtains for Planters
Above: A Protection Frame and Cover fits over a 2-by-8-foot garden bed. With a steel frame and mesh curtain, it is $99.95 from Gardener’s.
N.B.: With autumn chores underway, we have a few more suggestions for your weekend:
