If Nat King Cole’s crooning doesn’t inspire you to roast chestnuts this time of year, then the scent of Manhattan street carts, or the latest Francis Mallmann cookbook, should do it. However you get there, you’ll need the proper fireside tools to cook them right. As it turns out, there’s a whole world of forged iron and steel tools, and they aren’t just for roasting chestnuts, but also for cooking breads, popcorn, meat, eggs, marshmallows, and even waffles or Italian sandwiches over an open fire. Here are our 10 favorites to put your fireplace to work this winter.
Above: Earlier this year, Permanent Collection came out with Alice’s Egg Spoon, a version of chef Alice Waters’ hand-forged iron spoon for cooking the perfect egg over an open fire. It’s made by Shawn Lovell in Alameda, California and is $250 at Permanent Collection. For more see Object of Desire: Alice Waters’s Egg Spoon from Permanent Collection.
Above: The Spit Jack Tuscan Fireplace Chestnut Roasting Pan is made of food-grade stainless steel and, as opposed to the first chestnut roaster we listed above, has a cage that keeps all chestnuts in place—making it easy to rotate while roasting; $55 at Spit Jack.
Above: The Swiss Grill Forks are meant for cooking meat, vegetables, and bread on an open fire. A pair is made in Switzerland from a single piece of stainless steel; $24 at Schoolhouse.
Above: Another tool from Cast in Style, the Toasting Fork made from black-finished iron is £10.
Above: The Snow Peak BBQ Rod is meant for roasting marshmallows, hot dogs, fish, and vegetables over an open fire; $34.95 at Snow Peak.
Above: The Kadai Chapati Pan is made for toasting Indian chapati and other breads over a fire pit or BBQ; £12 at Cast in Style.
Above: The Rome Industries Cast Iron Waffle Iron is made for cooking waffles over a fireplace or stove; $30 for the model with an extra long handle at Food52.
For more fireplace tools and fireside accessories see our posts:
Devise plan for festive holiday lights, check. Unearth box of tangled mass of string lights from closet, check. Test outdoor outlet GFCI to be sure still working. What? I didn’t know I had to do that–is there anything else I forgot?
Turns out there probably is. Here is a list of safety essentials for outdoor holiday lighting that should be on every list.
How many strings of holiday lights can you safely connect?
San Francisco’s Christmas Light Pros advise a maximum (regardless of the number of strings) of 600 incandescent mini lights plugged into a single outlet.
Standards from the safety experts at Illinois-based Underwriters Laboratories (UL) state that a maximum of 210 watts can be connected when using 22-gauge wire, and a maximum of 420 watts can be connected when using 20-gauge wiring. On average, 100 incandescent bulb string requires 40 watts of power. “So, always check the instructions in case the fuses on your strands are built for more or less,” SF Christmas Light Pros say.
Above: For outdoor lights, including Twinkle lights sold seasonally, see Terrain.
What holiday lights are safe to use outdoors?
Any lighting you plan to use outside must safely stand up to the elements. Look for the UL outdoor rating on the package.
Water and electricity do not mix. Limit your holiday lights to those that are UL-rated for the outdoors (they can also be used indoors). Don’t make the mistake of thinking that any plastic-coated wire also is outdoor friendly. All the parts of the lights need to be damp- and temperature-proof.
Above: With LED hights, Gardenista editor in chief Michelle created a holiday light display using many, many light strings (thankfully, not all connected). Photograph by John Merkl for Gardenista.
Can all extension cords be used safely outdoors?
No. Only extension cords UL-rated for outdoors should be used as they are made with materials that can withstand exposure to the elements. Indoor cords can short out if they get wet, potentially causing damage to your outlets and lights. Also, extension cords have power limits. Be sure to match your lights’ power needs (amperage) with the amperage rating of extension cords.
How do I prevent an outdoor electrical outlet from overheating or shorting out?
Outdoor electrical outlets are required to have GFCIs (ground-fault circuit interrupters) to protect from electrocution. This causes an automatic turnoff if there is any change in the electrical flow. Before starting your holiday lighting installation, be sure to test your GFCIs to be sure they are working. The Electrical Safety Foundation has a simple GFCI Test Tutorial. Also don’t overload your outlet (see below).
Above: Photograph via Terrain.
Avoid electricity altogether by lighting the way for your holiday guests with votive-filled ice lanterns. See step-by-step instructions in DIY: Botanical Ice Lanterns.
How many lights can I plug into an outdoor electrical outlet?
Eager to load up that one outdoor outlet with multiple plug adaptors? Think again. Outlets have their limits in terms of power, and overloading can result in overheating that can cause fire.
Above: For a selection of LED Branch Starburst lights, see Gardener’s Supply.
Most household outlets, whether indoors or out, are rated for 15 or 20 amps, which supports a maximum of 1800 watts and 2400 watts respectively. Electricians, however, advise never going above 80 percent of capacity, bringing the recommended maximum wattage to 1440 for a 15-amp circuit and 1920 for a 20-amp circuit. And, be warned, some circuits support more than one outlet. How to find out? You can test which outlets are on each circuit by turning off circuit switches, and then turn on each, one at a time. When doing so, check to see which outlets have power running. Each outlet with power is being operated by that same circuit.
Above: Photograph by John Merkl for Gardenista.
Any other holiday lighting safety tips to keep in mind?
Make sure to replace any broken bulbs before starting.
Keep connections off the ground.
Fasten outdoor lights securely to protect them, and the people around, from wind damage. San Francisco Christmas Light Pros recommend using light duty staples and gutter clips (available in many sizes and configurations).
Above: Gutter clips (and, in a pinch, document binder clips) are a good way to attach light strings. Photograph via Terrain.
When fastening light strings, be sure to avoid puncturing the cords, which can damage the insulation and compromise the wet-rated performance.
Feeding power from inside? Make sure that cords are not pinched in doors or windows, which could damage the cord’s insulation.
Hanging holiday lights outdoors this week? Here’s more help:
As the year draws to an end with long, cozy nights, chilly days, and a sprinkling of holidays, I am drawn more and more to baking. Good smells and celebratory indulgence indoors mark the season, and a heady scent of fresh-cut fir meets you at the corner where nomadic tree sellers ply their trade.
Arranged in bright rows at greengrocers and suspended from leafless branches, persimmons are another seasonal marker that I look forward to all year. While I always freeze some of the very ripe fruit for an instant and crowd-pleasing sorbet (just cut in half and scoop), I also love to use the silky pulp in a sweet loaf, with fragrant spices that sing of Christmas.
Read on for a festive fruit loaf recipe that makes the most of this seasonal fruit. Its moist slices are versatile enough for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Above: When I see perfect persimmons for sale, I pounce—and buy a lot.
An easy way to keep ripe persimmons for later use is to freeze them (it’s a simple way to preserve a glut). No need to wrap them, either, as their skins protect the luscious flesh inside. For baking I remove the fruit from the freezer an hour before I start mixing (and if you are serving them as an all-natural sorbet, remove them just 10 minutes before you mean to eat them). For this loaf, simply scoop the insides out into a bowl when needed.
Above: Any ripe persimmon can be used for the persimmon spice loaf recipe below.
If you happen to find native Diospyros virginiana fruit while foraging, before processing make sure they are soft to the point of squishiness.Underripe they are tannic and they will ruin your bake. Taste to test. Use a food mill to push the ripe pulp into a bowl beneath; the skin and seeds will remain behind.
Above: If you are using pointy-bottomed ‘Hachiya’ persimmons (with teaspoon, above), they should be gelatinously ripe; if they are not soft they will be tongue-scrubbingly tannic. Fat-bottomed ‘Fuyu’ persimmons (in the enamel dish behind) are edible and sweet when firm, but for this recipe wait until they are close to squishy, then mash their pulp so that it is smooth. You can do this by kneading the flesh hard through the skin, using your thumbs, then scooping it out. Or use a food processor (a few remaining chunks are OK).
Above: This fruit loaf is good enough to enjoy on its own, with nothing more (or less!) than good butter, or a smear of labneh or thick Greek yogurt if you prefer to temper the sweetness and load up on probiotics. But it is also a versatile vehicle for breakfast jam with coffee, slivers of good cheese at lunchtime, or toasted and topped with good pâté, chopped liver, or smoky baba ghanoush as a party appetizer.
Persimmon Spice Loaf
Makes 1 large loaf
This yields a large, dense and moist loaf that keeps well.
Loaf
1 ½ cups ripe persimmon pulp (4-5 ‘Fuyu’ or 3-4 ‘Hachiya’, depending on size)
1 ¼ cups sugar
½ cup melted unsalted butter
3 large eggs
¼ cup natural yogurt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
Optional topping
1 tablespoon fir sugar (or mix 1 tablespoon sugar with powdered ginger, or a pinch of cloves)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
Butter a loaf pan (5.5 by 10.5 inches).
In a large bowl, combine the persimmon pulp, sugar, melted butter, eggs, yogurt, spices, and salt. Beat them together until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir these into the wet mixture with a spoon, using as few motions as necessary. Transfer the batter to the buttered pan, sprinkle the sugar topping across the batter (if using), and slide into the oven.
Bake for 70 minutes, or until a skewer or toothpick inserted fully into the thickest part comes out clean. Gently tip the loaf from the baking pan and allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing.
The Chelsea boot has been a popular choice for footwear ever since Queen Victoria’s shoemaker patented the design for the new-fangled ankle boots in 1851. (Her majesty wore them daily, it was said.)
With their elastic gussets, waterproof Chelsea boots are an easy-on, easy-off choice for garden footwear. We’ve rounded up 10 favorite pairs stylish enough to wear even when you’re not planning to tromp through muck:
Above: A pair of waterproof leather Women’s Thermal Boots is lined with Thinsulate (a synthetic fiber insulation) for warmth; $214.94 from Blundstone.
Above: From Sperry, a pair of Flex Deck Chelsea Chukka rain boots is available in three colors including black; $119.99 at Amazon.
Above: A pair of Lela Chelsea Boots has a waterproof corrugated vulcanized rubber outsole; $440 from Phillip Lim.
Above: A pair of Women’s Classic Rub 47 Boots from designer Ilse Jacobsen available in six colors including Grey as shown is $119.99 from Mountain Steals.
Above: A pair of Camper Pix Boots with rubberized matte leather uppers with elasticated sides is on sale for $149 (marked down from $195) at Urban Outfitters.
Above: From Hunter, the Original Waterproof Chelsea Rain Boot is available in four colors including black as shown here and in the top photo. “In hot or humid weather, natural latex rubber releases a protective wax film; simply wipe it off with a damp cloth,” notes the manufacturer; $135 from Nordstrom.
Above: Sorel’s waterproof Emelie Chelsea Boots have leather-wrapped heels and are available in three colors including Cattail as shown. A pair is $150 at REI.
See more garden footwear (and fashion) in our recently 10 Easy Pieces archives. Read more:
Most people who write columns have an expertise. I was chosen to write this column, however, because of my lack of expertise. Instead of experience and knowledge, what I bring to this gardening column are ignorance and questions—lots of them, mostly beginner. Since launching Your First Garden and The Garden Decoder in September, I’ve become a little more confident about what it takes to grow and care for flowers, edible plants, and my lawn. With 2018 about to wrap up, I thought I’d share some of the lessons I’ve learned—lessons I wish someone had told me before I started (and killed) my first garden.
1. Not all soils are created equal.
A rose is a rose is a rose. But soil? There are different types of soil, and some are better than others. Topsoil, for instance, is nutrient-dense and fluffier than what’s under it. “Real topsoil is the most valuable layer of soil,” says Dr. Stephanie Murphy, the director of Rutgers Soil Testing Laboratory in New Brunswick, New Jersey. See Your First Garden: What You Need to Know About Topsoil to find out which type of topsoil to buy and how to enrich your own.
Raking leaves is bourgeois. The best, most efficient autumn strategy is to hang up your rake and instead mow the leaves on the ground, essentially pulverizing them. This creates a layer of leaf mulch which, left to winter in place, will eventually compost into nutrients for healthier soil, says Kenneth Hacker, a farmer and local food preserver with Eastern Mass. Provisions Co. See Your First Garden: What You Need to Know About Raking Leaves for details.
Above: Snowdrops enjoy the naturally dampish conditions of a woodland floor; adding leaf compost (aka “leaf mold”) makes them feel at home. See Gardening 101: Snowdrops.
3. Lawn care is more than just mowing.
If you want a healthy lawn come spring, you have to do more than just mow it. Proper fall lawn care includes aeration, overseeding, and fertilizing. Learn why this fall regimen results in a greener lawn in April in Your First Garden: What You Need to Do in Fall for a Lush Lawn in Spring.
If your homegrown vegetables taste terrible, it’s not necessarily your cooking; it may be because they’ve “bolted.” When a plant bolts, it has prematurely gone to seed and is now spending more of its energy growing the flowers and seeds than the leaves (leaves are what you want from edible plants). Bolted vegetables and herbs are basically inedible. See The Garden Decoder: What Happens When Edible Plants ‘Bolt’? to find out how to prevent that from happening.
5. Timing is critical when it comes to planting vegetables.
An addendum to No. 5: Your vegetables are less likely to bolt if you plant cool-season crops in the fall. See The Garden Decoder: What Is a ‘Cool-Season Crop’? to find out which vegetables fall under this category.
6. Alliums are the easiest flowering bulbs to grow.
For a longer period of blooms in your garden, consider planting bulbs that will flower in early spring. You can’t just decide in April, though, that you want to plant, say, a tulip garden; you have to plan ahead and plant the bulbs in the fall. Barbara Pierson, nursery manager of White Flower Farm, says alliums, which start out as large bulbs, are great for beginner gardeners. “The larger the bulb size, the more obvious the roots, which helps when determining which side is up.” See Your First Garden: What You Need to Know Before You Plant Bulbs for more tips from Barbara.
I’m not embarrassed—okay, maybe just a little bit—to admit that my first year of gardening yielded a pretty pathetic, sparse-looking garden. Part of the problem is that I realized too late that I should have planted more than one specimen of the same plant. Planting in groups is especially critical when it comes to bulbs, which grow into single flowers. Plant bulbs in clumps (not rows) and plant them closer than the instructions recommend, says Barbara. Her tips for specific bulbs: “For allium, you will plant them in threes. For daffodils and tulips, ten to twelve in a group is best. I like when they emerge looking like a bouquet of flowers, and large swaths or drifts of blooms planted closely is beautiful.” To learn how to create a natural-looking garden with blooms that come back and spread every year, see The Garden Decoder: What Does It Mean to ‘Naturalize’ Bulbs?
8. A thriving plant in your garden starts at the nursery.
Just as you would check the expiration date on a jug of milk before you buy it, you should examine the health of a plant before you buy purchase it from a nursery. When plants start off on the wrong foot, it’s hard to resuscitate them. See Your First Garden: What You Need to Know Before You Plant a Tree or Shrub for tips from Rowan Blaik, director of living collections at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, on how to check if a plant is healthy.
9. Some perennials shouldn’t be cut back after blooming.
A desiccated, brown flower equates to a dead plant, right? Not exactly. Before I interviewed San Francisco-based garden designer Sarah Madeline Stuckey Coates for Your First Garden: What You Need to Know About Cutting Back Perennials in the Fall, I thought that all flowers should be cut back during a fall cleanup of the garden. Now I know that some should be left untouched for visual interest in the winter and, more important, for the welfare of insects, birds, and other little critters. Read the story to find out which perennials to cut back and which to leave alone.
I am so sorry to break it to you gardening newbies out there: Your garden still needs attention in the winter. So put on your layers and cold-weather accessories, and get to work. Thankfully, your to-do list is shorter (and easier) than it would be in the spring. See Your First Garden: 10 Things to Do in the Garden in December.
For insight into how I turned out the way I did, consider the year that my mother declared that we’d have an “18th-century Christmas.” While our friends asked Santa for American Girl dolls, Adidas Samba sneakers, and fluorescent-haired trolls, my sisters and I were left to scratch out lists that included wishes for wool mittens and scarves. The guideline was that all the gifts had to be homemade, or at the least, something that children in the 18th century might have received. It took some convincing to get us onboard.
On Christmas morning, our stockings hung heavy with oranges and walnuts and beeswax candles. We all did our best to look amused.
Read on for step-by-step instructions to make your own dried fruit garland for the holidays:
Above: Despite my lack of enthusiasm for my mom’s scheme at the time, to this day I have a soft spot for anything that smacks of, well, an 18th-century Christmas. I made this dried fruit garland to deck my halls.
In case there’s a historian in the crowd, it should be noted that the history of decorating wreaths and garlands with dried fruit dates from the early 20th century and the height of the Colonial Revival era, and not from the Colonial period itself. The thought of sacrificing an orange for décor would have been unthinkable to the colonists. …Details.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Assorted apples, pears, and oranges
Walnuts
Upholstery needles
Twine
Cookie rack
Cookie sheet
1. Choose a variety brightly colored apples, pears, and oranges.
Above: The colored peels will make the garland more beautiful.
Step 2: Slice fruit into 1/4-inch slices.
Above: Slice through the center of the fruit. Prepare to sacrifice your first few fruits (make fruit salad from the duds!) because it takes a bit of practice to get a clean cut.
3. Place sliced fruit on a cookie rack on top of a cookie sheet.
Above: Elevating the fruit on a rack allows air to circulate to help fruit to dry evenly.
4. Bake at 150 degrees for from five to six hours.
Above: Yes, you read that right. This is a project for a lazy (and chilly) afternoon at home. The next time I make a garland, I might try air drying the fruit (See Justine’s Dried Vegetables to see how).
5: When the fruit is visibly dried, remove from the oven.
Above: Allow fruit to cool before proceeding.
6: Use an upholstery needle to thread the dried fruit onto thin twine.
Above: You can also add walnuts or cinnamon sticks to the garland.
7. If you include walnuts or cinnamon sticks, use a hammer.
Above: With a hammer, gently tap the top of the needle through the top of the hard surfaces of the nuts and spices.
8. Hang the garland in a sunny spot to enjoy all season.
Above: The dried fruit looks particularly pretty with sunlight coming through the slices.
See more ways to add edible plants and garden flowers you your holiday decor:
Are you expecting guests this weekend or next? This week Remodelista editors offered some suggestions to make everyone’s holiday season more comfortable:
Trundle Bed
Above: A Thompson Trundle Bed ($1,049) from Urban Green Furniture is painted in Farrow & Ball Slipper Satin to match the walls of a guest room.
Above: The ebonized Brazilian mahogany Framed Tray from London-based designer Rose Uniacke is $683 (it’s also available in English oak, English walnut, American black walnut, and raw oak).
You can make it snow indoors with pots of white cyclamen.
There are quite a few kinds of cyclamen—nearly two dozen species—beyond the common, florists’ cyclamen for sale in supermarkets. And yet. The large-flowered potted variety you see everywhere can be a care-free, ruffly petaled thing of beauty if you set pots of it on the mantel or beneath the Christmas tree.
After the holiday season ends, cyclamen will be happy to continue blooming year-round in its pot. (I set mine in a sheltered spot that gets a northern exposure and water once a week.)
Photography by Michelle Slatalla.
Above: Cyclamen persicum, native to Mediterranean climates, can do well in the garden too, if you live in a growing zone where temperatures don’t drop below freezing. If you bought a plant or two for the holidays, paint the plastic nursery pots gold for now and decide later, after New Year’s, if you want to commit.
Above: Cyclamen spreads from tubers. If you like the look of its velvety, upright petals—they remind me of the ears on a certain little dog I know—you also can experiment in the garden with more delicately shaped woodland varieties.
Cyclamen cilicium, for instance, has pale purple flowers. It is 3 inches tall and native to Turkey and has mottled green and white leaves. In the garden, it will tolerate light shade.
Above: For instant holiday decor, head to the supermarket; potted cyclamens are inexpensive and will bloom through the season in well-drained soil. I paid $4.99 per pot for mine.
Interested in other bulbs and tubers for your garden or indoor space? Get more ideas on how to plant, grow, and care for various bulbs and tubers with our Bulbs & Tubers: A Field Guide.
Happy holidays from all of us here at Gardenista. Here are eight things to know about, wherever you are this weekend.
Above: “To add a touch of nature to my gift wrapping, I go outside and fill a basket with boxwood, privet berries, holly, and different types, which I use to decorate packages,” says stylist and writer Tricia Foley. See more of her decorating ideas in The Monochrome Holiday: 8 High/Low Design Tips from Tricia Foley. Photograph by Marili Forastieri.
On these darkest nights of the year, it’s important to add as many spots of light as possible. This week, add a little light to warm the night outside. A trio of ice lanterns will welcome guests (oh come, all ye wassailers).
Read on for materials and step-by-step instructions for making botanical ice lanterns:
Photography by Erin Boyle.
Above: Gather supplies. I used cylindrical containers, but you can get other shapes (so long as the smaller container is wide enough to hold a tea light or votive candle).
Materials (per lantern):
2 containers of different sizes
Electrical tap
Water
Foraged finds ( orange or clementine slices, cedar branches, pine needles, juniper berries, cranberries, etc.)
Below freezing outdoor temperatures (or a freezer)
Flameless tea lights or votives
Above: Use electrical tape to center the smaller container inside the larger one. The water will keep the the container afloat, but you’ll need the tape to keep it centered.
Above: After you put the center container in place, add botanical elements. I used cedar and juniper branches for my first lantern.
Above: Cedar and cranberries made a festive combination for a second lantern.
Above: For the last lantern, I started with a base of juniper berries on the bottom of the jar before adding water and a second container.
Above: The best part about working on a craft project surrounded by family? Last-minute ideas. My sister-in-law was munching on a clementine while I was filling these lanterns, so I decided to slice one up and make a citrusy lantern, too.
Above: Ready to freeze.
Above: All three lanterns, ready for freezing.
Above: If you have snow, or freezing temperatures, freeze your lanterns outside. A warning: check on your lanterns often. The first time I made an ice lantern, I let it freeze for about six hours and loosened it from the jar when the water was frozen, but not cloudy. The second time, I got a little bit distracted and left the lanterns to freeze for about eight hours…and ended with a Weck jar casualty.
Stay on the safe side and check your lanterns every hour or so to make sure that they’re not over-freezing. If you’d prefer to put the lanterns in the freezer and not worry about them, by all means, use plastic vessels instead, the process is the same.
The more foraged materials you add to the glass, the more slowly the ice will freeze (the jar that broke was on the lantern with the least amount of greens).
Above: After they froze, I removed the tape and ran the jars under lukewarm water to loosen them. They slid right out.
Above: Nestled in a bit of greens, they made a welcoming ensemble on the front stoop.
Above: To preserve the life of the ice lanterns and to alleviate any worry of the greenery catching fire, I used flameless outdoor tea lights. The tea lights technically aren’t supposed to get wet, so if you notice the temperatures starting to get warmer, consider removing the lights.
Above: When I made my first trial ice lantern, I was concerned about the bits of greenery that floated to the surface of the water, but I ended up really liking the bits that stuck out of the top of each lantern.
Above: I’ll be making these festive lanterns all winter (they’re just as pretty on a city windowsill as on a country stoop), and they take only a few minutes to put together.
Here’s to all the hipsteaders who’ve gone back to the land to farm (and post on their Instagram accounts), as well as to all seasonal settlers and weekend escapees who’ve left city life behind part-time. From the Cotswolds to the Catskills to the California coast, they’ve changed our ideas about organic gardening, farming, and country curb appeal.
Here are 11 great ideas to steal from hipster homesteaders.
1. Add egg amenities.
Above: At The Fancy F, a 15-acre enterprise in New York’s Hudson Valley, chicken farmers Caity Delphia and partner Aaron Dunn (she’s also a medical illustrator and graphic designer, and he’s also a landscape designer) house their flock in a coop finished in local hemlock and white cedar shingles (“we used underlayment shingles, which are cheaper than red cedar”).
Above: A weathered copper weathervane adds vintage character and is more accurate than your iPhone at tracking wind currents. A similar 17-inch Fox Weathervane is $300.95 from SDS Supply. Photograph by Joe Fletcher, courtesy of General Assembly.
In New York’s Catskills region, actress Amanda Seyfried transformed a barn into a guesthouse for friends and family. “People have a romantic idea of converting a barn,” says Brooklyn-based designer Sarah Zames of General Assembly, “but they’re not built to code for people.” The solution was to rebuild the guest quarters. On the roof, a weathervane lets her know which way the wind is blowing. See more in A Converted Catskills Guest Barn for Actress Amanda Seyfried on Remodelista.
Above: Former Brooklynites Dana McClure and Chris Lanier remodeled a circa-1850s barn, Ravenwood, in the Hudson Valley. Lanier, who grew up in Texas and previously worked in the restaurant Café Boulud and WD-50, is just as comfortable making stew in a Lodge Camp Dutch Oven that hangs from a campfire tripod. Photograph by Brooke Fitts, courtesy of Ravenwood.
When Brooklyn native Casey Scieszka and husband Steven Weinberg decided to open a nine-room inn next to their Catskills farmhouse, they went the DIY route as much as possible, painting their own eaves and building from scratch the Spruceton Inn’s wooden bar. Then they balanced effort with ease, with a hammock hung between two serendipitously sited trees.
Above: At the Deer Isle Hostel in Maine, daily life is off the grid. Water is hand-pumped from a well on the property and solar panels power electric lights. With no refrigeration, a granite cellar keeps perishables cool. Photograph by Anneli Carter-Sundqvist for Deer Isle Hostel.
Above: In coyote country, a guardian llama can keep a flock of sheep safe from attack. Photograph by Sylvia Linsteadt.
“Near the blue waters of Tomales Bay in Marshall, California, owners Kelli and Ken Dunaj sustainably tend olives, sheep, cows, and chickens on 200 acres of land, careful to honor the natural balance of predator and prey in their beloved, wild West Marin landscape,” writes contributor Sylvia Linsteadt.
“Coyotes are an important part of the natural ecosystem, helping to keep everything in balance,” says Kelli Dunaj, who relies on nonlethal rings of defense—an Akbash dog named Cassie and a Grand Pyrenees/Maremma cross named Bear on the periphery, a series of movable electric fences, and a guardian llama inside each pen with every flock. See more of Paco the llama at Behind the Scenes: A Visit to Spring Coyote Ranch in West Marin.
7. Build an open-air kitchen.
Above: Chris Adjani and Aria Alpert Adjani founded a membership-based modern farm ($350 a month) at Noci Sonoma in Healdsburg, California. Photograph by Mimi Giboin.
8. Do a makeunder, not a makeover.
Above: When remodeling, maintain your home’s weathered appearance. On a derelict 1830s farmhouse that had been abandoned for the past 40 years Hudson Valley home, located in Accord, New York, original clapboards were left untouched, writes Justine, adding that “rotted boards were replaced with new ones smeared with mud from the nearby stream to activate an instant oxidation process.” Photograph by Justine Hand.
Above: Knitwear designer Kathleen Holland keeps the rolling green “lawn” mowed outside her 200-year-old Welsh farmhouse “with sheep freely grazing on the mountain slopes,” writes UK -based correspondent Christine Hanway. Photograph by Simon Brown.
“The gray stone walls combined with the shock of wild foxgloves and color and texture of the surrounding area are a great source of inspiration for my knitwear designs,” says Holland. See more at A Rustic Farmhouse in Wales, Wellies Included on Remodelista.
10. Paint your barn black.
Above: “In Pine Plains, New York, the L-shaped barn at Sky High Farm has two attached volumes serving as a livestock barn and a harvest processing facility,” writes Meredith. “The structure has a corrugated metal roof with wood siding painted in Benjamin Moore’s Black.” Photograph by Rush Jagoe, courtesy of Berman Horn Studio.
Above: When great minds meet. “In Wiltshire, England, George Winks, the designer and craftsman behind Temper Studio, and Chris Wheatley-Hubbard, owner of Four Feathers Rural Courses, had the idea to convert an old shepherd’s hut in Wheatley-Hubbard’s barn into a mobile kitchen,” writes Annie. Photograph by Emma Lewis.
In summertime red twig dogwoods can look like space fillers, adding nothing but a bit of structure and not very interesting flowers. It could be that the shrubs are preparing for the next six months: in autumn and winter, they begin their extraordinary payback, with moody foliage followed by flaming stems.
Recently we visited the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden at Wisley in Surrey and found three of our favorite colorful varieties of red twig dogwood, looking their best in winter. Read on for our checklist of must-have cultivars (and see our guide to Red Twig Dogwood: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design for more tips for coaxing many seasons of brilliant color from your shrubs):
Above: Burning bushes. Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ flaming away at the Royal Horticultural Society’s headquarters at Wisley.
People who plant for winter color are usually keen gardeners, and therefore optimists. It’s easy to appear this accomplished if you choose tried-and-tested performers in the Cornus family. One of the most astonishing reds is Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’, the Bloodtwig Dogwood which displays a palette of red with orange, on the same plant.
2. Prune with Impunity
Above: A red twig dogwood’s color loses luster over the years. To forestall fading, you can take one of two approaches: Cut back the shrub to the ground every two to three years, or remove one quarter of a shrub’s stems every year (to avoid sacrificing its springtime flowers).
If you are renovating an old garden, approach outgrown blobs of shrubby dogwood, willow, or ghost bramble with a pair of loppers—this month. Alternatively, if they are in good heart and good color, enjoy them for a bit longer.
3. Ghost Bramble
Above: Red twig dogwood and ghost bramble (Rubus cockburnianus is in the foreground) make an amazing combination in a landscape.
Above: Ghost bramble is also known as “decorative bramble” or any manner of things, for people who are unsure about their stark beauty.
Ghost bramble is quite a grown-up plant, generally cultivated by people who know what they are doing. And yet, for all the atmosphere it gives to an otherwise dull garden in winter, it is worth knowing that all that needs to be done is to cut it back to ground level in early spring. A chainsaw will do.
Above: The Royal Horticultural Society shows off, with a whole hedge of ghost bramble.
Above: Imagine the satisfaction of cutting these Rubus cockburnianus stems to the ground in spring.
4. Dogwood ‘Sibirica Ruby’
Above: Cornus alba ‘Sibirica Ruby’ is another vivid, solid red. With more hauteur than the warmer Cornus sanguinea, it is a dramatic partner for Rubus cockburnianus.
When it comes to pruning for color, you can coppice red stem dogwood in the same way as ghost bramble. Reduce it (almost) to the base, ideally just above the first two buds. If you prune in late March or early April, new growth will be more clearly visible and you will not be faced with cutting back the stems in their prime.
Above: You can edge a path with colorful mix-and-match cultivars to great effect.
5. Dogwood ‘Bud’s Yellow’
Above: Dogwood ‘Bud’s Yellow’. This kind of outrageous color is rarely seen in winter, and it is a sign that the Cornus sericea shown here has been kept sufficiently moist throughout the year, with plenty of light.
Shrubby dogwoods are so tolerant of wet that they make good bog plants. Growing them around a pond has the advantage of allowing them to be seen easily, with their reflection an added bonus.
Above: Layer after layer of drama, texture and color, in Surrey.
6. A Horizon of Color
Above: A distant fire. Plant red twig dogwood en masse to draw the eye (past the molehills) toward a horizon of color.
Another option for pruning a dogwood, that is often seen with willow, is pollarding. After young plants have been left alone for their first two or three years, they can be pollarded by cutting back the main branches to two or three feet above the ground. Older specimens, like those growing around the lake at Wisley (as seen below), may have a single trunk that thickens over the years. These are also pollarded. Young stems are cut back to old wood.
Above: Pollarded cornus around the lake at Wisley.
After pollarded shrubs are returned to stubby trunks in March or April, they soon will be disguised by summer perennials and grasses.
N.B.: A colorful winter landscape is every garden’s birthright. For more ideas for adding vivid drama against gray skies, see our Garden Design 101 guides, especially Red Twig Dogwood 101 and Shrubs 101. Read about more of our favorite winter-worthy shrubs:
Additionally, get more ideas on how to successfully plant, grow, and care for dogwood tree with our Dogwood Tree: A Field Guide.
Interested in other types of trees? Get more ideas on how to plant, grow, and care for various trees (specimen, deciduous, evergreen) with our Trees: A Field Guide.
Finally, get more ideas on how to plant, grow, and care for various shrubs and hedges with our Shrubs: A Field Guide.
You really love a list, don’t you? Reader, your favorite stories this year included many itemized recitations—10 secrets to soothe succulents, 18 garden design trends for ’18, and infinite ideas to organize your backyard shed (and yes, we included the one about putting in a Persian rug to make puttering feel posh).
The most popular story of the year, though, was about a humble houseplant, a Christmas cactus capable of boosting your holiday happiness. A modest flowering friend—is that what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown?
Have you checked off all the to-do items on your 2018 gardening list? Double check: here are our top stories of the year. …Let us know if you have a favorite to add to the mix (all nominations welcome).
Above: Take it from Annie, who says, “The Christmas cactus is a plant of magic and mystery.” Throughout her childhood in Maine, a Schlumbergera bridgesii bloomed faithfully every holiday season. Read more in Gardening 101: Christmas Cactus. Photograph by Maja Dumat via Flickr.
With enthusiasm like this for seasonal succulents, we can’t wait for Easter cactus season to roll around.
First, the good news. Any three potted succulents will look good together. Now, brace yourself: “Gray” succulents can be horrible houseplants. These are two essential things you need to know about succulents, and yet no one has thought to clue you in? Read more hard truths in 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Succulents.
Above: Could it be this easy (and beautiful) to rid your life of annoying, buzzing pests? Experiment alongside us, with bug repellents otherwise known as lavender, marigolds, basil, rosemary, mint, and scented geranium. Photograph by Mimi Giboin.
We came up with a plan to bring the full power of your anti-mosquito forces to the deck or patio: a mosquito repellent floral arrangement. Pretty, and pretty powerful.
“In the digital era, a slew of landscape design software will help you design your landscape like a pro,” writes our contributor Leanne Potts. Her sleuthing turned up 10 of the best.
“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,” writes our contributor (and houseplant whisperer) Jane Perrone. She shares all the secrets.
It’s not that we’re in a hurry. It’s just that “anyone with a well-tended garden knows the endless hours that can be eaten up by chores,” writes our contributor Clare Coulson, who offers helpful advice to minimize the drudgery.
Let’s raise a glass to toast all the hipsteaders who’ve gone back to the land to farm (and post on their Instagram accounts), as well as to all seasonal settlers and weekend escapees who’ve left city life behind part-time. Hope to visit you again come spring.
Don’t take it from us; even Orson Welles knew the significance of a classic snow sled. Here are our favorites—from toboggan to sled to DIY kit.
Above: The Davos Toboggan from Swiss furniture company Graf is designed from ash wood with an extra-long sliding surface at front and back for greater stability; €259 at Manufactum in Germnay.
Above: From Colorado-based Mountain Boy Sledworks, the Slalom Sled is made from marine-grade molded plywood with a waterproof finish. We first wrote about it in 2012 when it was available directly through Mountain Boy Sledworks; today it can be found on eBay for $249.99.
Above: For the Olympian in training, the Sirch Horn Sled Abyss H11 is made from “deam bended ash wood” with an acacia seat and stainless steel runners; $227 at Connox.
Above: Made by Northern Toboggan Co., a family-run company in northern Minnesota, the Classic Wood Toboggan Sled is six feet long and fits two adults or two kids made from red oak; $473 at Northern Toboggan Co.
Above: Another classic from Northern Toboggan Co. in Minnesota, the Wooden Pull Sled is made from red oak, stainless steel hardware, and braided rope; $299 at Northern Toboggan Co.
Above: The Sirch Racing Sled Abyss R13 is similar to the deem bended ash wood sled, also from Sirch, from above, but with a frame that comes to a point in the front; $353 at Connox.
Above: For the hands-on experience, the DIY-style Northern Toboggan Kit comes with everything you need to build your own in the comfort of your cabin; $299 at Northern Toboggan Co.
Above: The Mercedes of snow sleds, the Fully Rigged Toboggan is one for the whole family. It’s modeled after the dogsleds of Northern Canada and the Arctic. It’s made of red oak, stainless steel hardware, and canvas and comes with a custom black -enameled steel snowmobile hitch and heavy-duty canvas wrap for storage; $1,483 at Northern Toboggan Co.
You saw a plant you loved in a shop or nursery. You brought it home, and for months it warmed your heart. But then it started to decline. What are you doing wrong? Is it dying? Can you save it?
For answers, we talked with the plant doctor: Christopher Satch, who has a master’s degree in botany from Rutgers University, teaches plant science at the New York Botanic Garden, and is involved with the Manhattan Orchid Society and the American Orchid Society. Oh, and he’s also the plant scientist for The Sill, which has two shops in Manhattan and ships houseplants nationwide.
As the plant doctor, Chris fields calls and email from people seeking advice about ailing houseplants; he also dispenses knowledge during weekly drop-in clinics at The Sill’s Upper West Side shop. The best way to keep a plant happy, he says, is to learn what it wants before you buy it—and only buy plants that suit the conditions you can offer. If you live in a ground-floor apartment with little light, say, don’t get a plant that will only thrive with tons of direct sunshine.
How can you diagnose a dying plant’s problem in time to cure it? “A lot of symptoms overlap with many causes,” says Chris. “You have to piece together the puzzle to diagnose the problem.” Here’s how to cure your plant’s ailment.
How can I tell if I am overwatering?
Above: Check the soil with a finger to gauge dryness. Photograph by John Merkl.
Symptoms: “If the leaves are turning yellow, the soil is moist, and you can see fungus growing at the base, you’re overwatering,” says Chris. Customers are sternly warned about how often their new plants will need water.
Solution: “Keep cacti and succulents in the sun, which cooks them dry very fast—that’s what they like,” Chris says. “Give these plants a dry rest, maybe a week, and then water them. Shade plants like ferns want their soil to be moist for a little while. Let them approach dryness—but then hit them with water right away.”
Prevention: No plant likes its roots sitting in water, which is why the pot needs good drainage—either a hole in the bottom or a layer of lava rocks or recycled terracotta shards (they’re porous, so they absorb excess water and slowly release it).
Above: Fuchsia thymifolia has delicate, lacy foliage and teardrop flowers. Photograph by Mimi Giboin.
Symptoms: If leaves look droopy and are falling off, it’s a good sign that the plant’s not getting enough water.
Solution: “The goal is to saturate the soil so it’s evenly moist, and then let it dry out before watering again,” says Chris. “Most indoor plants are tropical, and they like warm water, not hot or cold.”
Chris outlines two basic watering techniques. The first: “Pour a little water into the center of the pot, let it sink in, pour a little more, and keep doing that until the soil is saturated.” How much water in all? A good rule of thumb is about a quarter to a third of the pot’s volume.
The second technique: soaking. “Put the potted plant in a sink or bowl and pour water slowly onto the top of the soil. Keep going until about a half inch of water has gone through the pot and collected in the sink or bowl. Then let the plant soak—maybe even a full day. Take it out and let it drip dry before putting it back in its planter or plate.” (This method only works when the pot has a drainage hole in the bottom—it can even be plastic.)
Prevention: “Sometimes people just dump water on the plant and it immediately flows through and comes out the bottom,” says Chris. “Your plant has not been watered—if you stick your finger into the soil you’ll see that the center of the root ball is still bone dry. That’s why soaking is important.”
Tip: That trick about putting ice cubes in the pot so the water is released slowly? Forget it.
Above: Tried and tested, here are nine of our favorite houseplants that can survive in low light. See the whole lineup at Best Houseplants: 9 Indoor Plants for Low Light. Photograph by Mimi Giboin.
How can I tell if my plant needs more or less sun?
Symptoms: You can blast most indoor plants with light and they’ll be fine, because the sun is much weaker when it comes through a window. But plants that prefer low light, like ferns and calathea, will be burned by too much sun—blanched leaves are a sign. On the other hand, plants that are not getting enough light may get spindly and stretched out or start dropping leaves, says Chris.
Solution: Most houseplants prefer medium to bright light. “Think of the fiddle-leaf fig, which people plant as outdoor hedges in Florida. They love the sun, and they’ll drop leaves in response to lower light.”
Prevention: Artificial light may help. If the natural light in your home is really low, artificial light can make plants happier. No bulb offers the full spectrum of light that plants need—not even the ones designed as grow lights—but using a more intense bulb will increase the effect. Chris recommends an LED or CFL (compact fluorescent) bulb (screw-in, not tubes), as long as it’s 1,000 lumens or more; either warm or cool is fine.
How can I tell if I’m fertilizing too much or too little?
Above: In nice weather, houseplants appreciate some outdoor time, to get better air circulation and higher humidity levels. Photograph by John Merkl.
Symptoms: Too much fertilizer and “your plant will get crispy edges, called salt burn, and the leaves may turn brown or black,” Chris says. “Basically, the plant will start falling apart very fast.” But too little fertilizer may cause a plant to stop thriving; fertilizer is important for longevity. “When a plant grows in nature, the soil is infinite; the roots can keep stretching out to find new nutrients,” Chris says. “But in a pot, that’s their universe and you’re essentially their god. Once the nutrients have been exhausted, the plant says ‘Uh-oh, what am I going to do?’
Solution: “You have to be their savior, and add fertilizer to provide nutrients—it’s literally a multivitamin for the plant,” says Chris. Follow the instructions on the label.
Prevention: Use crystals, liquid, or slow-release pellets as recommended.
How can I tell if the pot is too small?
Above: Time to repot, to give roots more room to grow. Photograph by Meredith Swinehart.
Symptoms: Chris says customers email him asking, Why isn’t my plant growing? “I look at the photo and write back, ‘Do you not notice how big the plant is in relation to the pot?’ It’s like trying to jam your foot into a shoe that’s two sizes too small!”
Solution: A rule of thumb is that the volume of the plant should be two-thirds above ground and one-third below ground. The soil level should be within an inch or two of the rim, depending on the pot size, so when you pour in water it can pool before seeping in.
Prevention: When you buy a plant that comes in a plastic pot, repot it right away. “Plants are sold overgrown; they’re not meant to live in those pots. They need room to grow,” says Chris.
Tip: Don’t let your soil get too old. “Potting mix does decay and get mucky over time,” says Chris. Even if you’re fertilizing regularly, swap out some of the soil every year or two. It’s also a good opportunity to see if your plant needs a larger pot.
Symptoms: Dry air is very bad, causing plants to crisp their leaves, says Chris.
Solution: Keep plants well away from vents, heaters, radiators, and air conditioners. To combat low humidity, he offers three pieces of advice: “Humidifier, humidifier, humidifier.” Get the largest one you can—it’s great for human health as well. If you only have a dinky one, put it right next to the plants.
Prevention: Misting can help if it’s done regularly, but as soon as the mist dries, the effect is gone. You can also group plants with similar needs to create a microclimate—but note that if you get pests, every plant will be infested.
Above: Whether you want to save money or be more environmentally friendly (or just love being crafty), you can avoid harsh chemicals by using homemade remedies to fertilize, cure plant ailments, and improve soil. See our favorites in Homemade Remedies: 5 Natural Garden Helpers. Photograph by Mimi Giboin.
Symptoms: Mealy bugs look like tiny white cotton balls. Other bugs look like, well, bugs.
Solution: “Using an insecticide like Raid is like using an atom bomb to knock down a house,” says Chris. “And those chemicals can hurt the plant.” He recommends washing the plant with warm water, then wiping it down to remove as many bugs as possible. Follow up with a spray of horticultural oil or insecticidal soap, being careful to reach the crevices and the undersides of the leaves.
Prevention: Keep your plant clean (dust or wipe its leaves gently) and check it regularly for bugs.
Where do I find more information about caring for my houseplant?
Above: Photograph by Minmi Giboin.
“Most of the time those little plastic tags you get with a plant are useless,” says Chris. Ask the person you buy it from; a good nursery should know what they’re selling. Otherwise you can always contact Chris at The Sill, search online, or send your question (with a photo) to your local botanic garden.
How can I tell if my plant is dead or salvageable?
“If it’s brown or looks dead, it probably is dead,” says Chris. But some woody plants, like the rubber tree and the fiddle-leaf fig, can recover even if they’ve died back to the stalk. “Blast it with light, give it a little fertilizer, water it when it’s dry, and it’ll say ‘Life is worth living! Let’s regrow!’ You could have the same luck with plants like pothos and monstera, as long as there’s a little vine or stem left.”
On the other hand, if a plant’s too far gone—and definitely not beautifying your home—it can be wise to cut your losses and start again with something fresh.
“Most indoor plants will do absolutely fine on a steady diet of dappled sun and water when they’re dry,” Chris says reassuringly. “Cacti and succulents need more bright light and dry soil; ferns need wetter conditions. And then there’s Sansevieria, which deserves all the respect—whether it’s under artificial light or blasted with direct sun, it’ll just keep growing.”
The best time of year to plant a new hedge is when shrubs are dormant—and the most economical way to do it is with bare root plants.
Because bare root shrubs are field grown and can be shipped with no soil or pots, the cost of using them is often significantly lower than using potted or root-balled plants. And, as with bare root trees, hedging plants can be put into the ground at any time during their dormant season (usually from November until April) if the ground isn’t frozen.
Preparing the area for planting a new hedge can be time-consuming (although well worth it), but planting a bare root hedge is a breeze. Here’s a step-by-step look at how I planted a bare root copper beech hedge:
Above: Bare Root Beech Plants(Fagus sylvatica) make good hedging plants are available in various sizes for prices from £1.49 to £11.99 depending on size from Impact Plants.
The size of hedging you order depends a lot on where you will plant it. If you have a smaller area to plant and you want the hedge to have a presence sooner rather than later, then you can buy bare root hedging that has already been growing for several years and may already be 5 or 6 feet tall.
Above: But it’s much cheaper to choose younger plants that are 1 or 2 feet tall–a new hedge that’s just a couple of feet high might not look imposing at first but will put on growth quickly (beech or hornbeam will grow at least a foot each season).
Calculate how many plants you will need (a nursery will tell you exact planting distances depending on the maturity and variety of hedging) and make sure that your order will arrive after you have prepared the ground.
Bare root hedging can be kept in its packaging in a shady, cool spot for a few days. If you need to keep plants for longer than this you can loosely heel them into a hole or trench to keep them moist until you are ready to properly plant them.
How do I prepare the ground to plant bare root shrubs?
Above: Very young saplings can be slit planted (slotted into a spade’s depth), but for most hedging it’s worth taking the time to dig a trench. The trench should be a spade’s depth.
First, clear the area of any vegetation. Grass and weeds will compete with the hedging, so it’s vital to remove anything green and growing from the planting area. Then dig a trench. If your soil is poor you can enrich it before planting with manure.
By loosening the soil, you will also make it easier for your hedge to start spreading its roots.
How do I prepare bare root shrubs for planting?
Above: Keep roots moist until you are ready to put bare root plants into the ground. Perennials and shrubs are available at Al’s Garden Center.
If you’re planting soon after your plants have arrived keep them in their plastic wrapping until you are ready to plant. Then take a bundle and soak the roots in a bucket of water for an hour before planting.
How do I plant bare root shrubs?
Above: Use a line running the whole length of the trench to ensure you maintain a straight line. (And use a bamboo pole to ensure you are planting at the correct depth.) You also can plant in a staggered double row, in which the plants will be zig-zagged, which will create a fuller effect faster.
Make sure that each sapling is planted to the same depth as it was in the nursery (you typically can see a line on the main stem) and try to make sure that the roots are spread out as much as possible. At this stage, you can add mycorrhizal fungi to the roots to promote growth if you want to.
Above: Place each plant at the correct planting distance, then backfill the trench making sure that there are no air pockets. It’s much easier to do this with two people—one person to space and hold the plants in the correct position and a second person to backfill with soil.
How do I care for my bare root shrubs after I finish planting a new hedge?
Above: After you’ve finished the row go back and make sure each plant is straight (especially important if you’ve planted at speed), and then firm in the area around each plant with your heel.
Water the plants in and then mulch a foot on either side of the plants to keep the area weed free. Be sure to keep the hedging weed-free and watered in the first summer after planting.
Are your winter garden chores underway? Here’s more inspiration:
Anyone with a well-tended garden knows the endless hours that can be eaten up by chores. And there’s no finish line in sight—cultivated ground comes with a year-long schedule of planting, weeding, mulching, pruning, cutting back, and composting (with a lot more jobs on top if you also grow your own plants from seed or cuttings).
There’s a reason why retirees take up gardening; it can easily become a full-time job. But there are ways to lighten the load. Gardening pros (or people who spend nearly all their time maintaining their plots) have plenty of tricks up their sleeves. We asked a few gardening friends to share their secrets to save time in the gardens.
As chatelaine of Easton Walled Gardens, Ursula Cholmeley knows a thing or two about time-saving techniques. She has been restoring the gardens on the Easton estate (which has been owned by the Cholmeley family since 1561) over the past two decades. “An obvious but vital tip is to get tools, compost, feed, and pots in stock before you need them,” advises Ursula. “That way you don’t spend a beautiful sunny spring day going to the garden center, but can get straight into the garden and enjoy your work. And remember to add slow release six-to-eight-month fertilizer for your summer pots. They will grow strongly and need less liquid feed.”
If, like the Cholmeleys, you have a big space to maintain then think about giving some of it over to a meadow. “A spring bulb meadow is a lot less work than a traditional summer meadow,” adds Ursula. “Plant bulbs that flower before May in an area of grass each autumn and then mow from June onwards. You can have a succession of bulbs from January crocuses to species tulips in late May and use the area as a lawn for the rest of the year.”
Some jobs seem like a mountainous task but save time in the long run. At Tremanton Castle husband and wife garden designers Isabel and Julian Bannerman order a vast amount of winter mulch that’s spread over borders. It’s a big expense and a very time-consuming exercise, but come spring it suppresses weeds and ensures that soil and therefore plants are stronger and healthier too.
Gardener and author of The Pottery Gardener, Arthur Parkinson, designs and maintains the exuberant garden at Emma Bridgewater’s vast Stoke-on-Trent pottery. And the space needs to look good year-round for the benefit of factory staff and visitors. Some tricks can do double-duty.
Save on watering time by using larger pots, which will dry out much more slowly. They will also add more drama. “For added height place long Tom pots or galvanized tall buckets within the actual flower beds in the autumn and fill them with tulip bulbs. You can take this one step further too and use dolly tubs and or old cattle troughs filled with a succession of cosmos, roses, and clematis.”
5. Choose low-maintenance plants.
Above: Arthur Parkinson loves rich color: Dahlia ‘Totally Tangerine’ is used in many of the summer pots along with D. ‘Waltzing Matilda’ and Cosmos ‘Antiquity’ along with some billowing foliage, from Panicum ‘Frosted Explosion’ or, in this case, millet. Photograph by Arthur Parkinson.
Don’t add more work with high-maintenance plants. “If you want scent in the garden, go for the richly perfumed Phlox ‘Blue Paradise’, which will give a bunch of annual sweet peas a run for its money, and it won’t need any of the work that annual sweet peas demand either,” recommends Parkinson.
Pests can wreak havoc and undo lots of good work, so focus on prevention rather than cure. “Mix vegetables such as kale through your dahlia beds; they’ll not only look striking but are less likely to get affected by pests because they are alone whereas if planted in lines together they are more likely to draw attention to themselves,” says Parkinson.
7. Rely on companion ducks.
Above: Photograph by Clare Coulson.
“If you have a large garden and water, then bantam call ducks and miniature crested Appleyards make the most beautiful slug control. I let them waddle through the whole garden in the middle of May before the summer bedding is planted out into the garden.”
8. Add year-round structure.
Above: Photograph by Arthus Parkinson.
To avoid a barren look in flower beds over the winter, Parkinson suggests building in plant supports as the garden goes to sleep, saving a big job come spring: “Go foraging for the young, long twiggy whips of silver birch that you can then weave easily into curving snakes and upside-down broomstick-like tepees to await the growth of tall perennials and climbers underneath them come,” he says. “Their presence will make any space look like its gearing up for the growing season ahead and give instant interest and structure while the garden is asleep.”
9. Stake early.
Above: See more in Garden Visit: At Home with Writer Daisy Garnett in London. Photograph by Clare Coulson.
London-based writer Daisy Garnett uses a similar strategy, using winter and early spring as the time to get organized to save chaos later. “Stake early,” advises Daisy. “This actually adds time to your planting, but again is so cost effective in the long run. It’s so much quicker to stake your plants before they really need it. Trying to right a plant that has flopped over and then got itself into contortions while seeking light and sun takes ages. Shoving a stake in as you plant and weed takes no time at all.”
And sometimes the simplest tips can be the most useful. “I’ve learned the hard way: Always have a container of some sort with you,” adds Daisy. “Bag, bucket, trug—to carry whatever you are using—rowel, ties, string, secateurs. And use it. Get in the habit of always putting your stuff in there even when you move just an inch. I could well have used better the hours I have spent over the years searching beds, greenhouse, and compost bins for lost trowels.”
If you’re laying out a new garden or rehabbing an existing landscape, see more inspiration in our Garden Design 101 guides. And for more landscaping ideas, see:
This week on Remodelista, the editors took a look back at their favorite interior design ideas of 2018:
The Cuban Mop
Above: The “genius of the Cuban mop lies in the simplicity of its design—no bells and whistles, just two sticks that screw together into a T. It’s inexpensive, lightweight, easy to use, and a cinch to clean: just throw the soiled towel in the washing machine,” writes Justine. Photograph by Justine Hand.
Above: An array of companies is offering custom cabinet fronts to pair with Ikea’s kitchen systems. “Ikea cabinets are like building blocks,” says Finnish company A.S. Helsingö.
Happy New Year from the Gardenista team. Here are a few things to know about before the year’s through.
Above: We’re reminiscing about this dinner party we threw a few years back, with botanical ideas to steal for New Year’s parties and midwinter celebrations of all kinds. Photograph by Aya Brackett for Remodelista; see more in A Seasonal Celebration, Creatives Included.
Coming up in March at The New Craftsmen in London: an installation by glassmaker Jochen Holz and floral designer Philippa Craddock (you may recognize her from the arrangements at the Royal Wedding).
