Landscaping
What’s Happening in souther California – Garden Edition December 2011
As always, I want to remind you to shop local, and get the freshest produce around by heading out to the local Farmer’s Markets in Santa Clarita:
Sundays 8:00am – noon
College of The Canyons Parking Lot
Don’t forget to visit my friend Sarah from Worldwide Exotics
There is also another great Farmer’s Market:
Thursdays in Old Town Newhall from 3-7pm.
On to Garden Fun!
Sat/Sun December 3 & 4 , 2011
Placerita Canyon Nature Center Annual Craft Faire
10am – 4 pm
Make your own quality wreaths or Yule logs. A multitude of crafts are available for the kids to make. All materials are supplied. All items are reasonably priced from $2 to $16. The Gift Shop will be open and a food truck will be on site. This is the only fund-raiser of the year, and the funds help the center to care for their animals and run public programs. No credit cards please; checks and cash only. For more information, call 661.259.7721
Sunday December 11, 2011
Planting Natives at the Community Garden of Santa Clarita – Central Park Site
Please stop in 9am – ??? to help us!
Saturday December 17, 2011
Holiday Birds – Bird Walk
8-10 am
Ed Davis Park in Towsley Canyon
24255 The Old Road
Santa Clarita, California 91321
The year-end has a long tradition of bird watching and counting. Let’s celebrate our local birds on this easy hike. Beginning birders are welcome. Binoculars optional. 2 hours. Meet at Towsley Canyon’s front parking lot. Free programs, parking $7 inside park. Contact (310) 858-7272 x131 or Park link: http://lamountains.com/parks.asp?parkid=10
Friday December 23, 2011
Get The Kids Out of the House Nature Walk
8 am – 10 am
Pico Canyon’s Front Entry – opposite historic Mentryville
We have just the right plan to get the kids and visiting family out of the house so you can wrap presents. Send them to the park for a couple of hours of fresh air and cool nature stuff. 2 hours. The program is free, parking $7 inside park. Contact (310) 858-7272 x131 or try the Park link Sponsored by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and presented by the Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority.
Monday December 26, 2011
Green Thumb Christmas Clearance Sale
Pick up some amazing deals on the beautiful ornaments and décor that might not have been swooped up during the holidays.
Descanso Gardens:
I had a wonderful time this week at Descanso visiting with friends and taking in the sites. There were still some chrysanthemums, the fall colors were amazing and the camellias are starting to bloom! They also have a few holiday events, that you might want to take in.
Saturday & Sunday December 10 & 11 is a big day:
Breakfast with Santa at the Gardens 9:30 – 11
Holiday Boutique 10am – 4 pm
And on Saturday the 10th – there is also wreath making at 10 am and 2 pm
Here is the link to their calendar
Oh, and YES! I did get to see the vertical garden – check out one of my photos.
The gardens are ablaze with fall color, and there are still a few programs to take advantage of this month.
Saturday December 3, 2011 –
10am – 12pm – Arboretum Adventures – The Cactus Garden
12pm – 4pm – Organic Fruit & Vegetable Gardening
For more about the upcoming events – check out this link
I hope that you have a fun month – there are sill a lot of gardening events to attend, and don’t forget to use your imagination to create some unique gardening gifts for your friends and family!
For more about my designs, please visit my website
My Favorite Books
I have been taking both my portfolio and a couple of favorite books with me lately on first time client meetings and they have been met with great excitement!
I have had more than one person ask me to send them links to one or the other of the books I carry or have been furiously scribbling away while we are looking at beautiful, inspirational photographs.
I love to get new ideas from other talented designers and horticulturalists and both of these books give me inspiration every time I turn the pages.
I was lucky to attend a book signing last year sponsored by APLD where Carol Bornstein and Bart O’Brien were speaking. I had been anxiously awaiting the publication of their book, Reimagining The California Lawn, (written along with David Fross) since I had heard Carol speak during the summer of 2010 at the Pacific Horticultural Symposium. This book has proved to be everything that I had anticipated and more. I thought it would just be for my use, but find that it inspires my clients to think outside their standard comfort zone because the photographs are so amazing.
I have always loved edibles, since I have been a kid in New York, our family had fruit trees, berry bushes, and always a vegetable garden. I have been adding edibles to my garden designs when ever even the slightest opportunity presents itself. When I heard about the next book – I was VERY excited! I have never had the opportunity to meet Ivette Soler, author of the Edible Front Yard, but I follow her on twitter and was kept up to date on the status of her book until its publication. This book has beautiful photographs by Ann Summa and is a must have for anyone thinking of adding edibles to their landscape – either in the front yard, or anywhere else.
I hope you take a moment to look at the links to these books, gain some inspiration, and maybe add to your collection.
Enjoy!
For more about my designs, please check out my website.
Flea Market Finds
My friend and colleague Tami Smight and I share a love for antiques. We use them in our homes and gardens and we love to talk about them at Design Seminars around town.
Recently Tami & I had a chance to sit down and discuss how she came to love adding personality to her home and the homes of her clients re-using pieces of art and antiques.
Tami and I became friends a few years ago and I have been lucky enough to partner up with her on projects and in the Harmonious Home Team along with Elaine Giftos Wright. Tami is originally from Chicago, so we both enjoy the vibe and excitement when we head out east. Tami was an RN at UCLA, so she came to Interior Design with a special talent for nurturing and she helps her clients learn about themselves, their homes, and their design style. Inspired by her mother and sisters, she has had a thriving Interior Design business in Santa Clarita, California since 2004.
Julie: When did you start collecting antiques?
Tami: 1998 was the year we bought our current home, I started buying antiques to add character to our home because buying used items kept me within my budget –I found that I was drawn to them because they were beautiful, full of character and really became a part of my style.
J: Has anyone in particular influence your love of antiques & eclectic pieces?
T: Sue Sargent, my friend Dave’s mom. She was an antique dealer that I really looked up to. Since we are transplants Sue & Dave have invited us over for Christmas each year. I loved her home – I would spend time looking at all the pieces (and drool over many) and I couldn’t help but notice that it made her home feel comfortable and down to earth… and I love that! I also love that she would specially choose vintage toys for her grandchildren, so she was actually giving them precious heirlooms for the next generation.
J: It sounds like you feel she was creating family memories, I know when I have heard you speak about the holidays that plays into your tips.
T: Yes! I love creating family memories; I love that each gift can have a special story behind it. I want my children to have those kinds of memories too, and later to create them.
J: Why do you think antiques add to your home and garden décor?
T: They add an instant sense of history, they also give your space patina – and I love that. I love to mix old and new pieces; it gives the space the sense that it has been furnished over time, with love and care. It tells a story too.
J: What kind of people might think about adding antiques to their home and garden?
T: Anyone can benefit! I think it is great to start small, so you feel comfortable; take the container planting you have in your yard and replace it with an antique vessel of some sort, you can re-use the same plants – but give it a whole new look! You could also add some architectural elements – old iron finials, an armillary or an antique birdbath added to your planter bed would make them more of a focal point.
J: Where do you shop for antiques?
T: I started at the local Antique Mall, but my favorite is the monthly Rose Bowl Flea Market. I started two years as a fun outing and I go a few times each year now. I love to shop there because there is always an abundance of each type of piece I’m looking for so that I can both price shop, and style shop.
J: How do you select the right pieces?
T: I think it is good to start with a goal in mind, but keep an open mind. If something speaks to you – buy it! You’ll find the right place for it.
J: Can anyone shop for special pieces?
T: Yes, but it sure helps to have designers to inspire and guide you. Designers are also great about placement. You want your pieces well displayed, not hidden away in a corner or cabinet.
J: What do you bring with you when you shop?
T: If I have an area in mind I bring dimension, like for example the size of a wall I want a piece for. I also bring a tape measure, comfortable shoes, a hat, water and … an open mind!
J: Do you have a favorite piece that you have picked up over the years?
T: Yes! Now this shows just how you have to be in the right place at the right time. I went uncharacteristically unprepared and arrived at a stand just as the French dealer that I’ve been dying to buy a piece from was unloading her truck. When she unveiled a pair of blue shutters, I knew they would be perfect for my stairway. As I mentioned I didn’t have a tape to measure them with, but when I got them home they fit to within ½” !
J: Obviously they were yours. That’s the beauty of shopping with someone that has impeccable fashion sense!
Tami and I really enjoyed hanging around and chatting, about antiques but more importantly we enjoy shopping for them! So… we’re headed out to the Rose Bowl Flea Market on Sunday November 13, 2011 and … we’d love for you to join us!
Here are the details:
- 8:00 am: Meet at Courtyard by Marriott parking lot (Santa Clarita, Ca.)
- · Return between 1-3 pm
- · Dress for sunny, warm weather (layers work well) bring a hat & water!
- · Carry your own purchases to the car
- · Food and drinks available for purchase at the Bowl
- · Bring cash for purchases (some vendors do accept cc)
- · Your investment is $275/person — Blogger discount!!! $250/person
- · Fee includes transportation, parking, admission, items selection assistance & design advice
This event is limited to only five (5) people!
email our team email and we will coordinate payment via cash, check or credit card
[email protected] for reservation
How to Care for Cuphea
Cuphea plants are great shrubs/perennials (depends on who you talk to) they are evergreen and come in lots of different sizes and colors. They can be used as a border plant, ground cover, or to fit a tight spot. I love that they are colorful, easy care, and in some cases just the right size for the overly small planter beds that I sometimes come up against! There are two very different types of cuphea that grow nicely in Southern California, the hysopifolia type (Mexican Heathers) which are a more shrub like type with wood stems and the ignea and lutea types (cigar plants) which are more like perennials with a softer stem.
Mexican Heathers (woody types)
Photo courtesy of Worldwide Exotics
These like good drainage with regular garden water. They attract hummingbirds, butterflies and bees and are easily pruned to shape. The young plants are happy when given a fertilizer with extra phosphorus. This encourages root development, which in turn leads to beautiful flowers. Phosphorus is the second number on the fertilizer bag – so look for a higher middle number and you will have the right type. Well-established plants will also benefit from fertilization – especially in the spring.
Deadhead the flower blooms so you get lots more blooms during the growing season. If you aren’t sure what deadheading is, I’ll explain. Deadheading is pinching back the dead flowers at their base. When you do this you allow the plant to utilize the available nutrients for growing – not send nutrients to the dead flower head.
Cigar Plant (softer, more perennial types)
These types are known by the common name of cigar plant and firecracker plant. They have a long cigar shaped flower, in red/orange, pink, and even a yellow – they are very attractive to hummingbirds. They flower from summer and can last well into the winter months – only being cut off when frost (may) hit.
Once your cigar plant is well established in your garden it is a good idea to pinch it back at the tips, this will encourage more branching and in turn that means more flowers… You should prune your Cuphea so that it stays neat; it is also a pretty rapid grower so if you select one that is too large for the area you’ll need to keep up on it to keep it contained. You can also prune it back to the ground to promote healthy, new growth. So prune hard in early spring and late fall to shape. They don’t bloom well in full shade, but a little protection from mid day sun is good and make sure that you don’t over water.
If you live in a cold area the plant can be grown as a perennial by over wintering the plants indoors.
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Wordless Wednesday – Harvest Heat
Yellow Trumpet Vine
Fennel & Gaura
Red Hot Roses
For more about my designs, please visit my website!
