GARDENING & PLANTS | Stately Kitsch

Target’s Latest Outdoor & Patio Collections

March 14, 2013 — 4 Comments

I was over at Target last week and they have all of their spring/summer outdoor collections out on display. Aaaaaahh…thoughts of spring!Â They also had a nice their Patio Look Book 2013 available, so I quickly snapped one up! I know I am suppose to be focused on a certain third floor, but sometimes you need a quick little diversion! So I thought I would show you a few of the items that caught my eye. I don’t actuallyÂ NEED much for the outside but a little virtual shopping is still in order. Above I am totally digging the Moroccan style metal lantern, round blue and white ottoman/pouf and the blue pot (which is actually durable resin).

Their outdoor rugs are also looking really nice this year, although the prices are a little higher then I am use to.

This wicker set is pretty cute. I actually reminds of something CB2 would sell. I am also really in love with the pillow.

More of these faux-ceramic resin pots. I hate having to bring pots in over the winter to avoid problems with frost and these at least in the pictures look like a great option. Plus the resin ones tend to be lighter! I am also digging the hakonechloa grass in the pot. This could even possibly be left in the pot over winter (in part sun to shade).

I am also liking this colorful wicker ottoman. I don’t have a place for this but I like the option of using it for a seat, a table or even turning it over and using it to store stuff.Â At $39.99 it is a little more than I would want to spend, but I will have to check it out in the store next time.

I think the one item I may actually consider picking up are these really cute outdoor dahlia pillows. At $15 a piece, I think that they may add some drama to the backyard.

Time to get back to thinking about a certain upstairs space!

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In -Shopping, GARDENING & PLANTS, INTERIOR PRODUCTS, FURNITURE & FABRICS

A Few Winter Blooms at Swarthmore College

February 1, 2013 — 2 Comments

On Sunday we went for a family walk around Swarthmore College (aka Scott Arboretum). The kids were quite happy running around in the cold. I find it so easy to hide away in the winter but the kids are good at reminding me that fresh air is a good thing! After an hour Sam was disappointed when I told him it was time to go home. While we were there I made it our goal to find some pretty winter interest plants.

I really loved these hydrangeas. These had such aÂ great structural quality that I liked against the snow.

I have admired this particular crape myrtle (Natchez) on several occasions. It is quite a large specimen and has lovely white flowers at the end of the summer. This variety apparently grows to 30′, which this one must be close to. But the bark is the real show stopper as far as I am concerned. I don’t have a place in my yard for this, but if I did I would definitely pick one up.Â Although maybe this might be a nice tree for the front yard. hmmmm….

This Jasminum nudiflorum low grounding shrub ~~I don’t know what the name of this ground cover is, but it~~ was quite lovely and was taking over quite a large area of hillside (thanks to Carolyn for identifying it).

I have a few astibles in my yard, but I don’t think about them as offering winter interest. This garden made me rethink this. These are ‘Vision in Pink’, which look great considering that these flowers have been out like this for months. I suppose it is about planting several close together to get this effect.

Edgeworthia is new to me. Carolyn from Carolyn’s Shade Garden wrote an excellent article about them in December. I was quite intrigued by the post, where she included this particular specimen at the College. I was happy to see it in the middle of winter. She is suppose to have a few of these for sale this spring. Again, I don’t have a place for this, but it is really quite stunning.

The buds are fuzzy, how cool is that!

I have no idea what type of vine this is (wisteria?) but I thought the shape was stunning against the stone wall and lantern.

Finally here are the kids playing in a sculpture. Clearly we need to have some more outdoor winter adventures!

Does anyone have any recommendations for places to go around Philly?Â I was thinking that Chanticleer Garden might be fun, but it isn’t open this time of year.

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In GARDENING & PLANTS

Save the Camden Children’s Garden

January 30, 2013 — Leave a comment

This is a little off topic, but it is important so I wanted to share. The Camden Children’s Garden is being evicted by the State of New Jersey and given two months to clear the site. So I am joining the Blogger Day of Action to Save the Camden Children’s Garden I am including some pictures from over the yearsÂ (thanks Tim). The garden was designed by Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates with Rodney Robinson Landscape Architects.

It was one of the first projects I worked on when I start at VSBA. I only worked on it a little bit but it was such an exciting project to be involved with and I still have fond memories of the opening party. It is one of the best examples of Steve Izenour’s built work. Not only is the Children’s Garden a great place to take the family but they also do SO much great work in Camden supporting and running community gardens around the city and offering youth education, training and employment.

Michelle Obama even highlights it in her book “American Grown”. It is a sad day that the NJ would decide to take something with such positive impact to such an under served community and destroy it.

Please consider adding your support to save the Camden Children’s Garden. Sign the petition here.

Here are some related articles:

http://articles.philly.com/2013-01-25/news/36550264_1_dinosaur-garden-camden-city-garden-club-children-s-garden

http://articles.philly.com/2013-01-28/news/36579132_1_garden-club-valerie-frick-amusement-park

http://camdenchildrensgarden.wordpress.com/category/first-lady-michelle-obamas-book/

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In -Design, ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN, GARDENING & PLANTS, Kids Outdoor Play Spaces

Blooming This Week: Cabbage, Succulents & Nandina

January 16, 2013 — Leave a comment

With the unseasonably warm weather I thought it was about time that I headed outside to check on the garden. We have only had a couple of really cold days this season, so a number of plants are confused. I have been very pleasantly surprised with a couple of the cabbages that I bought this fall. This is the first time I have planted these and I thought that they would be long gone by now. The pink ones are fairing better than the darker purple ones, but the fact that they aren’t all shriveled up but nice and full is impressive.

A couple of my succulents (hen and chicks) have also been quite happy. The one above is in my front urn. The one below is still in the nursery pot because I never got around to planting it. I am really liking these little guys as fillers for my pots and planters. They tend to get a little lost when the other plants are in full bloom, but they sit there so nicely, helping to fend off the weeds. And now that most everything has died back, they provide nice texture and color. Both of these are mostly green in the summer, but with the colder weather have added a nice red to the tips.

Speaking of succulents, my Autumn Joy Sedum are sprouting. I thought that they sprouted early last year at the end of February. I guess we will see if we get some serious snow or cold, how they fair.

I am still in love with the Nandina Domestica â€˜Gulf Streamâ€™ (Heavenly Bamboo) that I planted in the fall of 2011. This miniature variety does not produce berries, but the colors are so nice and it looks so good this time of year (all year for that matter). I also planted a regular one with berries by our driveway and it is doing equally well.

Finally I thought I would show you some of the hellebores. My main grouping of common hellebores have not started blooming yet, but this other patch of Helleborus foetidus are just starting to. I picked these up at the Scott Arboretum Plant Exchange a couple of years ago but this is the first time that they are going to bloom for me, so I am pretty excited about that. The only issue is that they are kind of tall, so I may need to do some more rearranging in the planting bed later this spring.

Do you have anything interesting blooming in your garden?

P.S. To see previous Blooming This Week posts (and imagine warmer weather) click here.

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In -Blooming This Week, GARDENING & PLANTS

Winter & Holiday Deocorating at Terrain

December 10, 2012 — Leave a comment

: Mix of Greens,Â Holly Berries, Eucalyptus paired with a Vintage Style Sign & Twinkle Lights

I stopped over at Terrain this weekend for some winter & holiday inspiration. The weather was dreary to say the least but it was still beautiful. I hope you enjoy the eye candy! The number of outdoor arrangements and plants was impressive! I wanted to scoop them up and bring them home! I think that they have really upped their game in terms of outdoor plants and exterior decoration. Of course most of them were REALLY expensive. The displayÂ makes we want a larger garden just so I could grow some of these plants for cuttings. Maybe I will stop over at Produce Junction and see what I could pick up to make my own outdoor arrangement. So stay tuned!

Holly Berries Mixed with Greens, Eucalyptus & Red Twig Dogwood in a Stunning Urn

I think this was my favorite arrangement. The colors and size was spectacular (over 4′ across). I think one of the surprises in their arrangements was the mix of cuttings with perennials. They usually do a nice job of mixing perennials with annuals, but this time of year all the annuals (with the exception of some of the cabbages are done for the season). They actually use quite a few small bushes (that were also for sale). I’m not sure if they are really dwarfs or just babies, I will have to investigate! I also thought the use of eucalyptus was brilliant. I think of it being used in boring interior applications, but outside it brought a new color and texture to the arrangements (and appeared to be holding up quite well outside).

Mix of small cabbages, heather and sedum

I like the use of heather here paired with the small cabbages. I just saw some heather for sale the other day locally and was wondering how it would fair outside. Maybe I will give it a shot.

Planter with Nandina, Coral Bells & Autumn Joy Sedum

I really liked this arrangement, especially since I own all of these plants, and these are all readily available. I actually have 3 miniature nandina sitting behind the shed waiting to be planted. Maybe I will throw a couple of them in pots on the deck for the winter. Also as long as the winter doesn’t get too cold the coral bells should make it through. I do wonder with the pot being exposed though how it might fair. Will the roots freeze?

Beautiful Window Boxes

The window boxes were stunning. I have never seen the black cabbages before. I also liked these grape vine orbs. They have lights in them, but at $148 a piece, I may try to replicate them for my yard. I always have random weedy vines that I might be able to use to replicate this.

Miniature Outdoor Display

Finally, this miniature outdoor scene was splendid. I am trying to think of a place for something like this that could be seasonable in our yard. One more item for the to do list!

P.S. Here are the photos from last year’s visit.

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In -Shopping, GARDENING & PLANTS

The Unexpected Houseplant & A Quick Visit to Terrain

October 23, 2012 — 4 Comments

The Unexpected Houseplant by Tovah Martin (those are primroses in the picture)

It is another one of those weeks here where any hope of getting a project finished or staying on schedule has disappeared. We have 1 case of pink eye and 1 case of 3 1 /2 year old surly, stubborn, clingy girl. One of the few actual accomplishments for the weekend (besides attending 3 kid related get togethers) was making it over to Terrain at Styers on Sunday morning to see Tovah Martin. Her new book, The Unexpected Houseplant is out and she was having a book signing and demonstration. Maisie and I watched Tovah work her magic on a couple of indoor planters. Tovah is probably best known for her terrarium design but I first discovered her on her blog Plantswise. Tovah was lovely and very inspiring. I am halfway through the book now and am feeling pretty inspired!

Indoor Planter for a Sunny Location

I have to say that although I love gardening outside, my indoor plants do NOT thrive. I have somewhat of a black thumb indoors. I am hoping to change that, and I think this new book might be the start of good things to come! Tovah advocates for planting what you love! I am totally guilty of having mediocre indoor plants in random pots and then totally neglecting them. She shows you how to step out of that rut and plant exciting beautiful plants inside.Â Now I just need to get started!

For inspiration, I thought I would show you a couple of beautifulÂ planter that she made up while I was there. These were designed for a woman who has a sunny bay window. The one above is a pineapple plant (which I do love) paired with red and orange flowers (that I totally forgot to get the name of) and a miniature bromeliad (one that doesn’t flower but looks so beautiful regardless). I also learned that the pineapple and the air plants are also members of the bromeliacae family.

Another Planter for a Sunny Window

The second planter (designed to go with the one above) was mostly filled with succulents and more of the miniature bromeliads. I am totally in favor of succulents, since by their nature don’t require much care. I have a few now, but they all live in individual pots.Â On the subject of succulent planters I saw that Emily Clark just posted about a beautiful centerpiece that she put together yesterday made out of driftwood and succulents.

Mix of Planters

I also really liked these shade friendly planters in the foreground above. Unfortunately most of my windows are too bright for these. Although I am totally in love with the lower plant in the foreground, which is ‘Frosty Fern’ (Selaginella kraussiana ‘Variegata’) which is a kind of moss. Tovah recommends putting mosses as understory plants, which is some cases can work in sunnier locations when you have broader plants sitting above.

Another useful recommendation that I asked about and is described in the book is using cat friendly plants like grass. I haven’t had any luck with growing the kitty grass that they sell at the pet store, but I am really intrigued to try something like a blue fescue. I might even grab one of my smaller perennial grasses from outside and try it indoors for the winter. I like the idea of giving the kitties something to munch on that will be good for their tummies, and then they will hopefully be less likely to eat the plants that aren’t so good for them.

My Little Helper

Finally my little helper smiled for me with the plants. Now if she only was this well behave all of the time! Now if I can just get her to help with the watering!

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In GARDENING & PLANTS

Halloween Approaches & Other Ramblings

October 18, 2012 — 4 Comments

Blue Pumpkin with Blackbirds

Life has been quite busy around here. Any hope of getting house projects finished has disappeared (at least for the next little bit). Halloween has been the big topic of conversation at our house. The kids are very excited and we have finally managed to sort out the costume situation and partially decorate the front porch.Â I picked up these blackbirds at the $1 store and I really like them especially since they have wire at the bottom for attaching. I still have hopes of making scary silhouettes for the front windows. We don’t get very many kids at our house, but I would like to entice at least a couple more to stop by.

Beautiful Fall Display at Terrain

One of the few up sides of frequenting a construction site south of here is that it is only a couple of miles from Terrain. I managed to squeeze in a few minutes and a pumpkin latte earlier this week. Their displays are always stunning. Above they have mixed a water feature with colorful annuals (kale, celosia and coleus) with a perennial low grass in the front and large branches in the back. I managed to pick up a couple of grasses on sale. I will probably be planting these in my raised bed for now and replant in their final location in the spring.

In other news, Mr. S. has been SUPER busy at work getting a bunch of things ready for the Constitution Center’s new exhibitÂ American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. I am hoping to be able to show you a couple of things next week. In the meantime the opening party is tonight, so I will be stepping out this evening.

Notch Neck Shift Dress from Boden

We are suppose to be dressed in 1920’s attire, which is a bit of a departure for me. I spent a long time looking online for the right dress, since I couldn’t bring myself to get a flapper dress. After much debate and some returns I bought a new dress that I would call “vintage inspired”. I think it is pretty cute (although given the chance I would probably buy most of my clothes from Boden).Â I still have to think about the accessories. Mr. S. (who is a far better dresser than I am) just picked out some handsome looking clothes from his closet last night.Â Wish me luck!

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In FAMILY, GARDENING & PLANTS

Blooming This Week: Asters, Amsonia & Toadlilies

October 15, 2012 — Leave a comment

Purple Aster with Amsonia

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend! We had a nice warm day on Sunday, probably one of the last for the season. Unfortunately it is nearing the end of the gardening season here. There isn’t a lot in bloom at the moment and I have run out of steam in the garden.Â The garden is looking a little weathered and there is a lot of weeding to do but I thought I would show you the last couple of bright spots in the yard.Â I am still in love with the Amsonia in my yard and am always looking for new spots to put it in. It starts out slow in the spring with some blue flowers but it is a show stopper this time of year in a lovely lime green that will fade to yellow as the leaves change. The asters are also in bloom. I have a short purple (exact variety unknown). I keep thinking that I should plant some tall varieties for the back of the bed.

Common Toad Lilies

The toad lilies are looking great (except for the few that got chomped down by the bunnies). The mounds of these plants are really good about expanding. I divided the ones that I bought a couple of years ago before I put them in the garden and now they are huge again. Next year I will probably divide a few of these to spread them out further.

Common Toad Lily Flower

They look so much like orchids, how can you go wrong?

The Shade Garden with one of our pumpkin friends

And of course the garden wouldn’t be complete without some pumpkins. In our case Maisie picked out some pumpkin decorations which decorate the shade garden that we pass on our way to the garage every day.

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In -Blooming This Week, GARDENING & PLANTS

Fall Inspiration from Tyler Arboretum

October 8, 2012 — 2 Comments

Beautiful Mix of Fall Colored Perennials & Shrubs including Coral Bells in 2 Colors and Barberry

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Saturday was splendid here and we took the opportunity to head over to Tyler Arboretum to enjoy the fall weatherÂ and let the kids run around in the woods (and up into some treehouses). I have to say that Tyler is pretty great. Over the last few years they have added a lot of kid friendly treehouses and experiences, that are the right mix of natureÂ paired withÂ activities to keep the kids occupied. So if you are in the Philly area I highly recommend a visit.

I thought I would share a few of the interesting plants and creations that we saw on our visit.

Berm with tube for the kids to climb through.

Maisie loved this tube with a berm on top. I was impressed that the plants could survive on top, including a beautiful Oak Leaf Hydrangea and some purple beautyberry (which make excellent cuttings also). Depending on the topography of your yard this would be pretty easy to replicate.

Gnome Bridge: I love the use of twigs for guardrails

Palette Shed

I really liked this shed that used a palette vertically on one side and filled it with annuals. The vintage terracotta roof tiles are also a nice touch.Â I think this would be an interesting idea for someone to liven up a boring shed.

Bamboo Teepee with Rock Seats

I really liked this extra large bamboo teepee, complete with large rock seats. I have a stockpile of bamboo, so I am excited to try replicating this somewhere (Zdenka I am thinking of your house).

Beautiful 7′ tall light purple asters

Very Interesting Mystery Plant: ~~Can someone tell me what this is?~~ Asclepias physocarpa? (Thanks Stacey!) The seed pods are amazing.

Beautiful Mix of Annuals still holding strong

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In FAMILY, GARDENING & PLANTS, Kids Outdoor Play Spaces

How To Install a Slide off of a Deck

September 24, 2012 — 13 Comments

Sam seeing the slide installed for the first time

Well it has been a long time coming, but we finally have a slide set up off of our deck! I first thought about adding this a couple of years ago, since we don’t have space in the yard for a full swing set. This spring I put a plan together and figured out where to put the sandbox and swing. The only component left was the slide. Then I looked and looked on Craigslist, with no luck. Then summer hit and the last thing on my mind was working out in the yard. Well at the end of the summer I got lucky and someone about a block away put a slide out for the garbage. I drove past it and got very excited. We were on our way to a kids birthday party and couldn’t stop. I thought sure it would be gone by the time we got back, but fortunately it was still sitting there. I walked over and found that it was in incredibly good shape and looked to be about the right height! Then I proceeded to run down the block with it like a silly kid.

Sam testing out the new slide

It has been sitting in its new home for the past month waiting for me to get around to cutting the handrail and bolt it in. This weekend I got tired of the kids asking if it was “nailed in yet” and decided to get it functioning while they watched a movie.

Drilling for the new Carriage Bolts to hold the slide on the deck

The first step after determining the rough location was to determine how I was going to attach the slide. The slide had 2 holes at the top. I decided to reuse these and bolt through the deck. Our decking is 1 1/2″ thick pressure treated wood. This gave us a nice strong material to bolt through. I drilled a small pilot hole at each location to make sure it was a clear shot. I ended up having to shift it over about 1/4″ to miss the joist underneath.

Guardrail after removing the spindles and lower horizontal member.

Next I removed the portion of the guardrail that was in the way. I unscrewed the vertical spindles. Then I took one of them and doubled up the spindles on the freestanding side. Then I used a sawsall to cut the bottom member.

Then I drilled the final larger holes and bolted them in with carriage bolts (the kind that are round and smooth on top). I also used a large washer underneath (to increase the bearing on the wood) and then a locking washer (to keep it nice and tight) and finally a hex nut. I used a 3/8″ carriage bolt. It looked nice and sturdy and I new that the top would cover the slide holes.Â I spent about $3 for the bolts, washers and nuts. Pretty good deal!

Finally I had Mr. S. stand on top of the slide to make sure it was nice and tight and I used a wrench underneath to do the final tightening.

Our deck is a little over 5′ off of the ground (a lot of play slides are designed for 5′). So after the top was installed I did a little regrading at the bottom. I also made sure that the bottom of the slide was firmly in the dirt (by about an inch) so that it wouldn’t move.

The slide is definitely a little steeper than it would be on a playset, which makes it extra fast. The kids LOVE it. I think if I had smaller kids I would have added some additional dirt to the bottom.

Here is my rendering from this spring:

Rendering of play area from this spring.

And here is our play area now:

Sam making good use of the “new” slide.

I am pleased to be able to give them areas to play outside without sacrificing a large portion of the yard to swing set. What do you think?

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In DIY, FAMILY, GARDENING & PLANTS, Kids Outdoor Play Spaces, OUR HOME

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