Interiors – Calmconvo

Perk up hanging baskets

admin — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 16:39:51 +0000

When you see those huge, tumbling, beautifully-flowering hanging baskets in open gardens, outside pubs or strung up on lamp posts through summer,
for gardeners it's always with an envious eye that we look at them. How on earth do they get to be so teeming with flowers and foliage and looking so perfect? The key to their success is constant care, more so than with standard container planting.

Watering is key to keep them looking fresh and fabulous

Dense planting and taking steps to ensure water doesn't drain away too much helps, so line the basket with absorbent matting. Then water, water, and water again!

Don't feed every time you water, just do that weekly. If you're at the planting stage, however, you can add some slow-release feed pellets to aid the plants during summer.
Putting a hanging basket in a windy spot may stress the plants, as they'll lost moisture, so consider where your baskets will go and that you may have to further increase the amount of water you give them!

Here’s a free resource to help create drought-tolerant, water-wise landscaping in your home garden

admin — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 14:03:47 +0000

As Southern California gardeners select drought-friendly plants and keep water conservation in mind, it also would be wise to not forget about maintenance.

Organizational and upkeep tips can help avoid the hits and misses. And for those with questions or who simply like doing things by the book, there are plenty of options including a recently released title: “California Friendly: A Maintenance Guide for Landscapers, Gardeners and Land Managers,” by Douglas Kent.

For Kent, it’s not about sales. In fact, through a first-ever collaboration between the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the Metropolitan Water District and the Southern California Gas Company, the books are free. The idea is to provide information that helps gardeners create a space that is beautiful and sustainable for the long term.

Upkeep tips can help

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Many homeowners listened to the clarion calls to conserve water, ripping out more than 170 million feet of thirsty green lawns during the past eight years, Kent said.They replaced the grass with “California-friendly” landscaping.

Yet, for many, maintaining those landscapes hasn’t been easy, resulting in sad-looking and ecologically challenged yards.

Couple that with pronouncements about the drought the state has battled for years being over and the lifting of some water restrictions, and concerns arise — people will revert back to more familiar water-wasting efforts.

That shouldn’t happen, Kent said. The reliability on water is dependent on having everyone use water wisely.
“It (the book) covers the key aspects of managing a modern landscape: irrigation and working with recycled water; water, fertilization and regeneration requirements for hundreds of plants (most native); natural strategies for weed and pest problems; and managing storm water capture opportunities, including rain barrels,” he said in an email.

The book is comprehensive — with chapter after chapter of do’s, don’ts and advice — and there’s also answers to some important questions. How often should you water? How can you handle natural pest control? How can you manage various surfaces and runoff? Which grasses, perennials, shrubs, succulents and cacti work and, better yet, how do you take care of them properly?

Consider the book a guide and resource.

“Creating and maintaining landscapes takes all kinds of people: owners, managers, contractors, vendors and specialists are vital to a landscape’s success. But it is the men and women in our gardens that ultimately get the job done — the people who get their hands dirty hauling manure, scraping their skin reaching for a weed and enduring harsh weather to preserve beautiful spaces,” he wrote in the book’s dedication.

Kent wants gardeners and consumers to think beyond plant lists and irrigation practices and accept the belief that treating the Southern California landscape correctly directly affects its health and vibrancy along with the people who live here.

For backyard kitchens, the sky’s the limit

admin — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 21:40:14 +0000

This homeowner decided to take advantage of his “backyard” scenery — Malibu — and install an outdoor kitchen from Kalamazoo. (Photo courtesy Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet)

Whether you grill, barbecue, smoke or saute, cooking outdoors seems to add a special flavor to whatever is being served.

With the summer grilling season here (July is National Grilling Month, after all) consider the options, such as taking your backyard entertaining space up a notch with an outdoor kitchen. According to the Hearth Patio and Barbecue Association, 10 percent of grill owners have an outdoor kitchen, and among those outdoor kitchen fanciers, one-third are likely to be upgrading within the next three years.

Before getting started

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find out what permits are needed, how will it be connected to your indoor version and whether home utilities can be easily used.

Are you going to want hot and cold water? Make sure natural gas can be connected. Think function. To maximize space for cooking and entertaining, consider spots for hot zones (grills, pizza ovens), dry zones (food prep and storage), wet zones (sink) and cold zones (refrigerators and freezers).

Decide how you want to use the outdoor kitchen. Do you want just the basics or are you interested in more specialty equipment pieces such as tandoors, wet bars and blender stations? List what you want and divide it into “musts” and “extras” as your budget allows. Call on contractors when needed, but also consider prefabricated modular kits that can be easily put together.

And, since the whole idea is to entertain — either your family or others — don’t forget about seating.
When Mary and Michael Fry of Yorba Linda bought their house 15 years ago, it came with an outdoor barbecue, but one ill-placed and not very functional. When the wind blew, so did the smoke — right back in the cook’s face. Since the family enjoys spending as much time outside as possible, they decided to upgrade. A lot.

“We actually have pictures of friends barbecuing in goggles, so we decided to redesign, reconfigure and elaborate on just an outdoor barbecue, with the addition of an outdoor refrigerator, ice maker, warming drawer, side burners, lighting, storage, trash storage, serving, dining and barbecue counters including a sink and remotely expandable awning,” Mary Fry said in an email. “We also added an outdoor fireplace for the adults and an outdoor fire ring for the kids.”

Outdoor living has been important to her family. The investment has paid dividends throughout the years with the outdoor space being used for client appreciation and charity events, neighborhood gatherings, their son’s college graduation party and even a wedding. More recently, it served as a lovely party venue for Michael Fry’s Harley-Davidson buddies and their significant others.

The Frys had the fun catered by Jonathan Duffy Davis and Jonathan Dye.

“I am entirely enthusiastic about outdoor kitchens,” said Davis, owner of Tule Peak Farm in rural Aguanga, south of Hemet in Riverside County. “Jonathan Dye and I have conducted cooking classes for the last five years. As a farmer on brand-new/raw land, I’ve spent the last two years planning my incredible 1,000- to 1,500-square-foot outdoor kitchen and event space complete with a 100-year-old wood stove, clay pizza oven, bar and plenty of counter space and seating for guests.”