Cool-Season Vegetables: How to Boost Cabbage

When summer winds down, it’s time to acquire cool-season vegetables like cabbage into the floor. The classic pine is round and green or red, but look at a backyard catalog and you’ll find cabbages that end in a point or are relatively flat, savoy cabbages with their feature ruffled leaves, and stunning varieties with blue-green leaves plus a purplish-red head. Some are more streamlined and may last longer into warmer weather.

They’re generally split into early, midseason and late cabbages. The early varieties are best for spring blossoms; the others do better in the fall. You will even find flowering cabbages, which stand out in the garden, especially following the first frost hits. These are usually grown as ornamentals, but they’re edible.

More: The way to grow cool-season veggies

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

When to plant: Like most cool-season crops, cabbage is happiest growing in fall or spring. For spring planting, then sow the seeds of an early variety in very early spring. You can even start them indoors about six weeks before the last frost date and place out transplants three weeks afterwards. For fall and winter crops, plant seeds of midseason and late varieties in summer time.

Days to maturity: 50 to 100

Light requirement: Full sunlight is best; partial color can also be fine, especially if the weather heats up quickly.

Water necessity: Supply ample water and keep the soil moist.

Favorite cabbage kinds: Alcosa, Arrowhead, Brunswick, Early Jersey Wakefield, Gonzales, January King, Late Flat Dutch, Mammoth Red Rock, Red Drumhead, Red Express, Red Meteor, Redball, Samantha, Savoy King, Savoy Queen, Super Red 80, Winnigstadt

Planting and maintenance: Be sure that your soil is fertile and well drained. Sow seeds around a half inch deep and an inch apart. Give them space, setting them thinning them to 2 feet apart with 2 feet or more between pops. They enjoy water, so keep the bed continually moist. Feed the plants about halfway through the growing period using an entire high-nitrogen fertilizer. Weed them as the roots are shallow.

Cabbage is prone to problems; what do you expect when there are bugs named cabbage loopers, cabbage root maggots and cabbage worms? They may also have problems with diseases, like damping off and downy mildew, and these are simply a few of the possible problems.

Solving plant problems: You can watch to see if the issue resolves itself obviously, especially if you observe the principles of integrated pest control and organic gardening. But if it gets out of hand, take steps to eliminate it, beginning with the least invasive strategy and moving out of there. Rotating crops in the future may help with a few problems. Heads will divide if they are too old, therefore harvest before that happens.

Harvest: View the cabbage heads carefully and harvest until they divide. Store them in a cool spot and keep them damp to help prolong their storage life.

More: How to Boost Cool-Season Vegetables

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Get It Done: Strike the Coat Closet

Sometimes there are so many things in the home that require organizing that we don’t even know where to begin; I know that I don’t. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was your mess.

Take it one job at one time. Sit down and make a list of all the regions of your house you’d really like to see neat and organized. Hang it on the refrigerator or write it onto a chalkboard wall, and make it a goal to finish 1 job per week until you are done. In reality, you may even get fancy and turn it to a ideabook like that I did.

If the thought of making a list is overwhelming (I know the feeling), don’t worry. I’m going to make it easy for you by giving you one job per week which you’re able to accomplish within a few hours. Make sure you have sufficient time to complete the job and have a shopping trip; otherwise you will wind up with more of a mess.

We’re going to begin with the coat closet.

How to Organize Your Coat Closet

Approximate time:
1-3 hours, depending on whether you have to create a rush to the store.

Installation: Box for contributions, garbage can, box for items which will discover new homes elsewhere, notepad and pen for jotting down thoughts and needs across the way vacuum cleaner and dusting supplies.

More: Take a “Before” shot so that you can feel additional satisfied when this is over.

Getting started

• Take out everything and put it into a spot where you are able to organize it all.
• Thoroughly clean out the closet in the top to bottom. Dust shelves, corners, ceiling, walls, sticks and the flooring. You’ll be amazed and a little grossed out by what’s hiding in there. Then you’ll feel satisfied that it is all clean.

Hable Construction

Espresso Beads Storage Box – $98

Evaluate and kind

• Determine what will remain in the closet. For instance: outerwear for the current season, sports equipment, 1 pair of Wellies per family member, umbrellas, gloves and hats.
• throw everything that needs to find a new house (out-of-season coats, sweatshirts, additional shoes, toys) in a basket. Go put away this stuff right now; you don’t want it distracting you while you put the closet back together.
• Throw everything you are likely to donate into a different box, create an inventory checklist for tax purposes and put it in the car to take to Goodwill.

Pottery Barn

Kellan Shoe Rack – $89

• have a look at what needs to find a house back within the closet.
• Consider how it’s going to match. Can a shoe rack or baskets for umbrellas, hats and gloves help? Would you want some over-the-door hooks for bags and scarves? How about another shelf? Are you going to require a much better system for corralling sports equipment? Create a list.

Liquid Printer

Hat Boxes

Get the right boxes

Scout out your home for appropriate boxes and baskets. You may always cover plain old cardboard shipping containers with pretty paper to jazz them up, or you may require a visit to The Container Store, Target or Ikea. Look at each product and see what it needs, create a list of container sizes to fit your area, and hit the stores.

Hint: The gift-wrap section often has pretty boxes which aren’t so expensive and seem like classic hat boxes. Also check the office supply department to save some cash on appealing containers.

IKEA

BUMERANG Curved clothing hanger – $3.99

Shop

as you’re out shopping, catch fitting hangers which can handle the weight of coats. Hanging a winter coat on a cable and cardboard hanger from the dry cleaner is obviously a neglect.

Amazon

Honey-Can-Do On The Door Clear Shoe Organizer – $13.99

If you have room for this, a clear over-the-door shoe rack is great for keeping hats, gloves and other small items organized and easy to discover.

Contemporary Hooks And Hangers – $5.99

Enjoy restocking your closet

Place everything which belongs in the coat closet back in. Be a bit precious about getting all the coats face exactly the same manner and organizing things by color or length to make it seem photo prepared.

Admire your job

Tatum over at A Few Minutes of Me did a motivational task of organizing and sprucing up her coat closet. It is a fantastic lesson in maintaining your clutter corralled. (Another lesson: If you background the rear wall, then you’ll be more motivated to keep it clean so that it is possible to enjoy the view.)

Once you are finished, you are done until next week, when we will attack another issue spot around the home. Step back, admire your job and go reward your self.

More:
8 Incredibly Clever Organizing Tricks
Small Actions to Organizing Success

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Permit Screen Doors Mesh With Your Style

I love front doors that have glass to bring in additional light to brighten the home’s entry area. And in warmer weather, having the ability to open the front door to permit all that light and fresh air to come indoors is really a wonderful thing. However, I so dislike so many of the screen doors that are readily available. It is truly sad when a beautiful front door is covered with a screen door that little thought was given to.

For those wondering where they can get a nicer screen door, a good local carpenter ought to have the ability to create one or, even better, try out a regional millwork firm. I have had great experiences with millworkers, since these people have the right skills and tools for producing just about any door you style. And though the price can get up there to get some of these doors, many of the examples below can be obtained for just marginally more than the ubiquitous aluminum doors from the big-box retailers.

So have at it. Let your imagination be your guide in developing a beautiful screen door that fits you and your property. Let’s take a look at a few examples of screen doors that do precisely that.

Susan Wallace

Susan Wallace

1. Ensure it is artful. Artist Susan Wallace in Austin, Texas, generates screen doors that are unique and intriguing. Whether as studies of circles or …

Susan Wallace

Susan Wallace

… as branches, Wallace’s screen doors are as much about art as they are about work. You can see more of those doors and her artwork here.

Smith & Vansant Architects PC

2. Make it colorful. One of the great advantages of using wood to get a screen door is that it can be painted as you’d like. So go on and paint the door the exact same color as the trim so the shade joins all of the nice detail collectively.

Blue Sky Building Company

3. Make it fun. The screen door doesn’t need to be squares and rectangles. How about some patterns and cutouts? A carpenter or woodworker can create something similar to that for you.

Rethink Design Studio

4. Make it a double click. Display doors can be double doors also, especially when they’re part of the whole porch. Just be cautious and use some additional reinforcing, like a cable rail, to keep these doors from warping and sagging.

Smith & Vansant Architects PC

Whether at the line of the porch or the house wall, a double screen door will certainly keep the inside light, bright, refreshing and bug free.

All About Windows Inc

Motorized Screen Door

5. Permit it retract. Not so much a doorway in the conventional sense, these screen panels retract into the structure, and the tracks are integrated neatly. They are a well-thought-out solution whenever there are multiple screen panels.

Bud Dietrich, AIA

6. Make it a combo. A screen panel in the hot weather can easily give way to a glass panel if it is cold outside. This keeps the screen door useful all year round.

Albert, Righter & Tittmann Architects, Inc..

7. Match the entry door. Do not hide some of the pleasant features of the main door. Instead, make sure the structure (stiles and rails) of this screen door up with those in the main door.

Castle Homes

8. Let things slide. A screen door doesn’t need to be hinged. In reality, there will be a number of situations when you’re want that screen door to slide to the side — something that is easily done with an overhead track.

Grizzly Iron, Inc

9. Ensure it is metal. Whether you have a wrought metal door created or …

John Termeer

… you repurpose a closed wrought iron gate, a screen door like this will add beauty and security to your home while keeping it bug free.

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How to Design (and Live) With Meaning

Architects can be a group. But generally, I usually do not take myself or my profession badly. (Maybe some of you have discovered?) I have a tendency to make light of my fellow angst-ridden coworkers. Find the comedy and I have a tendency to lighten the mood. I will giggle together with the best of them at the absurdities of my livelihood. But under the layers of sarcasm and angst and snark lies enthusiasm and a profound affection for design.

Do not allow my smirk fool you. In my core is an overriding belief in the power of design. Occasionally I have to take a minute to remind myself of the. I composed some principles for design for myself, a list of what’s essential for me to remember when I start new work. This started out as a very personal list, however I think it may apply to other people too.

Think of these as directions for designers.

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

No designer is in it for the price. We all aspire to something don’t we?

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

It’s a significant distinction.

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

I try to consider my projects as a continuation of a larger work, and of my work as merely a small portion of the total community.

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

I try to target for the elegance of balance instead of the perfection of sequence.

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

It’s the ideal way to think of design. It’s like the leave-a-penny, take-a-penny menu near the cash register.

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

I think all layout should be constructed to last.

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

Honesty in materials, in construction technique, in building program, in motivation, in meaning, in intent, in all things.

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

Trust yourself. When it’s really important for you, it’ll be important to everyone else too.

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

The hardest part is staring at the blank piece of paper. Beginnings are always challenging, but once you start, you can start to revise, and that’s the easy part.

Jody Brown Architecture, pllc

Layout is a process; a lifelong undertaking.

OK, I feel better. Now I will return to making fun of myself.

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Vegetables and Flowers Mix in Beautiful Edible Gardens

Expanses of ornamentals planted chiefly for aesthetics in days past were available exclusively from the gardens of the strangest land baron or royal. There was little worth for the average citizen in spending time and resources cultivating plants which didn’t create something useful. The lawn was a scheme for raising plants used for food, medicine, seasoning, scents and more.

We no longer rely on the lawn solely because of its manufacturing value, nor will be a backyard composed entirely of ornamentals beyond the range of the average Joe or Jane. But doesn’t a garden composed of plants equally beautiful and productive make sense? Say hello to the blended garden — or what I affectionately refer to a cottage-potage backyard — in which fruits, vegetables, veggies and herbs mix freely with decorative species.

No have to bulge the veggie garden in with all the laundry line, trash cans, compost bins and other drab service areas. Sure, a veggie garden can look just a little punk from the off-season, but with just a little creativity, it doesn’t have to.

Beauty and Bounty

It is time to quit banishing the edibles to the rear 40 and deliver them front and center. Feature them. Flaunt them. Celebrate them. Mix edibles into your boundaries; plant vegetables and herbs in beautiful containers scattered throughout your outdoor spaces, add fruit trees along the curb strip. Want a shade tree? Pick one which provides fruit as well. Need to screen something from your own view? Try out a fast-growing evergreen fruiting vine.

By integrating edibles and ornamentals we receive attractiveness and Profession — while squeezing the maximum from the time and resources we invest in our modern day yard. You are just a couple of strawberry plants, a few lettuce seeds and perhaps a fruit tree or two away from your own beautiful and extremely productive cottage-potage backyard.

The cottage-potage backyard. I envision the historical predecessor of what I predict the cottage-potage garden could have appeared somewhat similar to this backyard, with edibles like kale (in the foreground), herbs and squash (adjoining to the house) implanted here and there along with scented flowers and ornamentals.

Margie Grace – Grace Design Associates

My own blended backyard. My garden has witnessed a lot of change over the 20-plus years I have been tending it. I started raising create in large, colorful containers set among flowering perennials from the curb strip and along the drive about eight decades back. The large pots provide lots of no-bend, clean-shoe gardening (my favorite kind). The pots are placed where there is good sun exposure and air circulation, providing construction, interest and color to the garden. They look good at the height of the growing season and at the off-season as well.

I come home at the end of the day and spend about five minutes between the curb and my front entrance. By the time I cross the threshold with a couple of new fare, I have figured out what’s for supper and decompressed from the pressures of the day.

Tip: To hold down prices, I selected baskets from the greatly discounted “moments, chips and dings” section at large pottery supply shops.

A space-saving, high-density producer. Watermelon is tucked below the towering hollyhocks to squeeze the maximum from this space within this free-spirited backyard.

HUISSTYLING

Small distance? Espalier and graft. Apple, pearshaped, fig and other fruit trees are easily espaliered (trained to grow flat against a wall, a trellis or a arrangement of stakes). This espalier provides screening and fresh fruit.

Tip: Desire more types of fruit than you’ve got space for trees? Select “fruit salad” trees with multiple varieties grafted onto one espaliered plant.

Margie Grace – Grace Design Associates

Ditch that the orchard. Newly planted espaliered apple trees are at home in this perennial border, providing bushels of apples to go with an abundance of fresh blossoms. These trees have been trained as cordons,the familiar form of grape vines. Growth is restricted to a few main horizontal branches within easy access.

The cordoned apples provide needed screening for this front-yard backyard, and the nearby flowers attract pollinators, which improve fruit production.

Tip: Annual dormant-season pruning increases the number and density of fruit buds, so reducing the total footprint of this tree while keeping high yields.

This garden is located on a quarter-acre four-unit multifamily residential site in downtown Santa Barbara, California. Vegetables, herbs, ornamentals and over 30 fruit trees joyfully, beautifully and fruitfully coexist, thriving on saltwater. Discuss getting the most from your own resources!

AMS Landscape Design Studios, Inc..

The contemporary edible. The blended garden easily adjusts to any garden design. Fruit trees are seamlessly incorporated into this contemporary outdoor living area, bettering the distance from just beautiful to bountiful as well.

Diane Licht Landscape Architect

Double-duty layout. A vine-laden arbor provides colour for an outdoor dining area and heaps of fresh table grapes. These vigorous vines aren’t too fussy about soil, can withstand periods of drought once established and, other than yearly pruning and a bit tying up, require minimal maintenance. Look at planting several varieties of grape on a large arbor for a cornucopia of fresh fruit.

Vines are not the only fruit which can be trained to increase overhead. Although slower than blossoms, lemon, lime, fig, apple and pear — to name just a few — are great options to cover an arbor or a pergola.

Tip: Utilize a deciduous vine like grape or kiwifruit in which you would like to have colour in the summer and sunshine in winter.

Mark English Architects, AIA

Variety is the spice of life. Look for interesting color and form from the wide variety of veggies, fruits and herbs out there. A wealth of exquisite forms and colours exist to add attention to perennial beds and containers.

Or try a twist on the veggie garden that you’ll be thrilled to feature front and center. In this picture, colorful row plants are put out on a jaunty angle, including movement and play to the article.

Glenna Partridge Garden Design

Harness the decorative qualities of food-bearing plants. Artichokes, for example, are stunningly beautiful integrated into a planting scheme. They provide color, texture and structural interest — and a delicious feast. Eat them when they are young and tasty for the freshest ‘choke you’ve ever needed, and leave a few to grow into huge, dramatic purple-blue blooms to cut and bring indoors.

Witt Construction

Still favor a traditional veggie patch? No difficulty — maintain the vegetables together but give some thought to the layout and construction of beds. Break from the standard 4 feet by 8 feet raised wood beds lined up along the rear property line.

Give your beds design and an attractive layout that looks great year-round. Include a place for lounging, entertaining or dining. Low stone walls add enclosure, visual interest and extra seating within this united veggie garden and dining patio.

Huettl Landscape Architecture

Veggies plus play with. Raised Cor-Ten beds are superstylish and perform well with the steel-edged boccie court. Start looking for opportunities to integrate your veggie patch along with other outdoor spaces to find the maximum use, value and joy out of your backyard.

Margie Grace – Grace Design Associates

Powerful structure for powerful interest. This parterre-inspired veggie garden, with its strong architectural lines, is appealing year-round. Insert the playful sprinkler — which looks to be an armillary sphere if not in performance — and you have a vegetable garden that’s fetching sufficient for center stage.

Make raised beds a focal point. Rather than hide the veg patch out of view, these homeowners chose to cultivate their produce exquisite raised stone beds, which also serve as a focal point at the end of their own backyard. The stone walls provide extra seating for large gatherings and attract crops within easy access without the need for bending or stooping.

More:
Experiments Aplenty Fill Vancouver Edible Garden

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Palatable Palettes: 9 Bathroom Color Schemes

Looking to inject some fun colour in your home but feeling concerned about taking it too far? I say be fearless when it comes to picking up the spaces in your home that are used only occasionally or for limited periods of time. For instance, a tangerine-orange bedroom might not be optimal for a midafternoon nap or a relaxing read before bedtime, but the exact same colour in your powder room will provide a boost to an oft-overlooked portion of your house. Obviously if you are a fan of long, relaxing baths, you might want to stay away from a few of the more bright, lush palettes shown here, but it’s still possible to use colour in an interesting way to enhance your toilet.

Here is a small sample of numerous bold and gorgeous bathrooms that may be found on , together with examples of colour and material palettes that take inspiration from every fabulous bathroom.

Light Favorable

Take Inspiration from Nature

Who doesn’t enjoy relaxing by the water, rather having a cool drink in your mind? Inject that vacation vibe in your toilet by using colours inspired by the sea. This tranquil, spa-like bathroom with its own palette of sea and sand could provide relief following even the most stressful day.

Jennifer Ott Design

Example palette: Use many distinct shades of soft blues and greens to give your bathroom the look and feel of a spa. Clockwise from top left (all from Benjamin Moore): Caribbean Cool, Crystal Springs and Paradise View, with zebra wood.

Sullivan, Goulette & Wilson Ltd.. Architects

Small Bursts of Enormous Colors

A good tip to remember while picking materials and colors for your home is to limit bold colours to things that may be altered quickly, easily and inexpensively — usually via accessories and paint. This bright children’s toilet has a very neutral foundation: the floor, vanity, vanity countertop and shower are substances that would be costly to replace with every new colour tendency, but also the paint on the exposed ductwork, towels and assorted accessories can be substituted regularly without breaking the bank.

Jennifer Ott Design

Example palette: Saturated oranges and vivid turquoises are popular colours right now; use them sparingly for a wonderful unexpected burst of colour. Clockwise from top left (all from Valspar): Trolley, La Fonda Fiesta Blue and Relaxed Navy, with vertical-grain carbonized bamboo.

Renewal Design-Build

Pick Two

For those who are not completely onboard with a glowing and bold-colored toilet, here’s a good illustration of a vibrant yet more restrained palette. Putting two very deep, vibrant colours — teal green and gold yellow — against a background of soft white gives the room a cozy and inviting texture.

Jennifer Ott Design

Example Colour: By limiting the palette to just two colours (plus a neutral) your toilet is going to have a great dash of colour without being too jarring. Two distinct palette choices featuring golden yellow and deep teal, clockwise from top left: Sunbeam and Teal Lake, both from Glidden, and Shell Creek and Yellow Sass, both from Mythic Paint.

Famosa – The Surface Studio

The excellent Shade of Red

Occasionally you need to violate your rules. While this bathroom features bold colour in a means that is not really simple to replace, I think that it is an excellent illustration of another great piece of information: Pick 1 item and make it the star of this series. In cases like this the stunning, rich, deep reddish tile is put off beautifully in an otherwise white, minimalist-style toilet.

Jennifer Ott Design

Example palette: The reddish tile here is stunning, but if you are looking for a more affordable or easy-to-change alternative, you could paint a red accent wall in your toilet. Some lush reds to consider, clockwise from top left: My Valentine out of Benjamin Moore, Rectory Red out of Farrow & Ball, High Drama out of Behr and Heartthrob from Sherwin-Williams.

Fenwick & Company Interior Design

Elegant in Blue

for those bathers out there, here’s a means to do a vibrant bathroom that is also relaxing and soothing. It can help to have such a large, luxurious tub, clearly, but you can turn any bathroom into a sanctuary by employing tonal blues (blues that have some grey mixed in, making them less bright and more subdued) along with white or other light neutrals.

Jennifer Ott Design

Example palette: Select tones of your favorite colour to create an elegant and classy toilet. Clockwise from top left ( from Sherwin-Williams): Cloudburst, Raindrop and Great Falls, with a gentle white floor tile such as this Veranda ceramic tile in Pearl from Dal Tile.

Drew Maran Construction

A Shower Worth Waking For

As a self-proclaimed nonmorning person, I must say that even I would happily jump from bed in the afternoon to enter this shower. Such an exhilarating color of lemon-lime is definitely a wake-me-up colour if there ever was one. I enjoy that the rest of the toilet walls are kept light and the floor is neutral, making the large walk in shower the highlight.

Jennifer Ott Design

Example palette: Dark neutrals help ground a large swath of a more vibrant hue. Clockwise from top left : Citron from Behr are put off nicely by a charcoal grey floor tile and ipe floorboards in the shower.

Shoberg Custom Homes

Subtly Bold

Do not overlook the colour of the wood cabinetry into your toilet. The deep, rich walnut colour of the vanity grounds that the space and contrasts nicely with the soft grey and blue colours of the dressing table mirror and the tile backsplash. This is another tasteful bathroom that’s ideal for a long, relaxing bath.

Jennifer Ott Design

Example palette: Light blues and grays with dim woods give a very upscale, contemporary look. Clockwise from top left (all from Mythic Paint): All’s Quiet, Bedford Blues and Shiny Nickel, with walnut-stained oak.

Whitten Architects

Fun Floor

Another often-overlooked opportunity for injecting colour in a space is via the floor. In this delightful bathroom the majority of the components are white and clean, but the vibrant cherry and mandarin-orange floor and also the orange-yellow accent wall add warmth and character.

Jennifer Ott Design

Example palette: These happy, warm colours would look fantastic in a glowing white toilet. Clockwise from top left (all from Serena & Lily): Sunshine Dandelion, and Persimmon, with white painted shiplap walls.

Camilla Molders Design

Gorgeous, Colorful Tile

Anybody who has browsed tile alternatives recently knows there is a seemingly endless number of colours, materials and styles to choose from. It may be overwhelming trying to select something that works with all your other choices. I often advise frustrated customers to take a step back and select the one single material they absolutely love. Start with that 1 substance as your construction block and pick the rest of the materials and colours to support it. This exquisite tile may stand on its own in a space. The rich wood and neutral flooring and wall shade allow it to take centre stage.

Jennifer Ott Design

Example Colour: If you are leaning toward a tile or a background that has a busier pattern but are concerned that it will be overwhelming, consider picking one that is offered in similar colours. Analogous colors are colors that are adjacent to one another on the colour wheel, such as hot colors of oranges and reds, or trendy colors of blues and greens.

This tile in harmonious colors of blues and greens is just magnificent. Similar colours, all from Farrow & Ball, are shown in this example palette. Clockwise from top left: Blue Ground, Stone Blue and Folly Green, together with walnut.

More: 8 Great Kitchen Color Schemes

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Gardeners Champion Nature's Cause from the City

Lisa Lee Benjamin wants you and everybody you know to get excited about the bugs that live in your city. Through the invention of urban lands, she hopes to make space for the flora and fauna we desire for a healthy environment — and encourage people to”grapple with where they draw the line between rampant insect and neighbor.”

Urban Hedgerow is a group of San Francisco”instigators” and musicians, formed by Benjamin and horticulturalist Jason Dewees, aimed at creating public awareness of the outstanding — and necessary — environmental processes happening around us every day. By creating pockets of nature deep within the city, they hope to redefine what makes a landscape great.

Urban Hedgerow

Urban Hedgerow team members reuse urban legends to make wall-mounted shelters for pollinating insects and even migratory birds.

Hedgerows were initially used in farms as property divisions and lane lines. To Urban Hedgerow, a traditional hedgerow is”a row of shrubs and trees in the margins of state spaces, one that people gently manage and partly neglect. It is a space that attracts and harbors wildlife also offers people wind protection, enclosure and pest management.”

The classic hedgerow is a clear interaction of the wild and managed landscape — darkened trees beside closely planted farm areas. In a similar way, Urban Hedgerow installations like this one bring fragments of the wild into the city, redefining the fringe.

Urban Hedgerow

Public awareness and support are all critical to Urban Hedgerow’s achievement, so the team aims to create pieces that are appealing, possible and fun.

This weapon of foraged and recovered substances designed and built by Benjamin and Kevin Smith hangs at Flora Grubb Gardens at San Francisco. This art piece and possible habitat invites us to inquire just how willing we are to invite nature into our domestic arenas, even in a subtle way.

Urban Hedgerow

This Urban Hedgerow prototype is designed to hold bundles of foraged twigs and plants for bug habitats. It was exhibited at the Farmer’s Block exhibition at San Francisco.

Urban Hedgerow

Benjamin and collaborator Moose Curtis made an Urban Hedgerow installment at London’s 2012 Chelsea Fringe Festival. It focused on building awareness of 2 species of a neighborhood blossom: Vanessa cardui and Vanessa atalanta.

In an installment titled”I Love Vanessa,” Benjamin tagged countless street plants and weeds with butterfly-size tags identifying them as critical butterfly habitats. Being presented with sidewalks as hosts to the beautiful Vanessa blossom, passersby may rethink the value of”weeds” and what they mean to animals.

Urban Hedgerow

Curtis power washed images of the butterflies on walls and sidewalks surrounding the installation as an additional reminder of the wild animals that occupy spaces that are managed.

Urban Hedgerow

Take a look at a map of butterfly image places. The installation will stay intact in Chelsea until the artwork naturally weathers away.

Urban Hedgerow

Many things go into the choices of places chosen for Urban Hedgerows. Public spaces are significant, because they optimize exposure and enable pedestrians to take note and ask questions. Proposed habitats in San Francisco match critical avenues for migratory birds.

“Reclaim Market Street!” (shown here) was made as a temporary green space in the center of San Francisco’s Civic Center. By simulating a native habitat in this political and pedestrian center of San Francisco, designers, artists and plant experts were able to talk about their expertise and collaborate with the public on a communal stage.

Urban Hedgerow

Nesting birds and insects can find shelter inside this habitat built with Green Roof Shelters. Native plants and collected organic materials like wool and bark are tucked within recycled and reused construction materials.

While Benjamin works with artists to make attention-grabbing shelters, the real needs of nesting birds and bees still must be met. Even after that, the end result is not always foolproof. “I watched a bee go straight into a screw hole following a week working on a hand-crafted sand concrete panel for nesting bees,” Benjamin says.

Urban Hedgerow

Little hedgerow prototypes, such as this, empower portability.

There is still a lot left to be found about the lasting importance of these mini urban habitats. The environmental benefits that humans receive from indigenous plants, bugs and insects is undeniable — pollination, decomposition and carbon removal are only a couple. Benjamin believes that consciousness at the personal level will determine the way we influence our environments moving forward.

“The pests will well survive without us, but we will not survive without them,” she says. “Overall we are just a different animal, so we should begin behaving like one.” Pay attention to what is happening right around you and respect what is there, she says.

Urban Hedgerow

Rolled burlap, twigs and other organic materials cost small and create vibrant and textural habitats.

Benjamin suggests leaving some areas of your backyard organic, or planting host or pollinator plants. Think about backyard”problem” regions differently. If considering your hedgerow, Benjamin reminds us to to be creative, intentional and resourceful with materials. Ask yourself if they were in your place, exactly what the animals would select.

Urban Hedgerow

Urban Hedgerow invites everybody to effort and collaborate together on their own for”the unseens that fuel our existence,” Benjamin (revealed ) says. “I hope soon we could only be a place for people to give all the fantastic things they find to inspire each other to create.” Check out Urban Hedgerow to Learn More.

More:
9 Flowers That Draw Butterflies

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1970s Style Finds Groove Today

I recently took a drive along with my husband the coast and we played a Name That Tune sort of game. He knows his music, and his favorite music genre is ’70s rock: bands whose songs I know but whose names — Little River Band, Eagles, Bob Seger, Credence Clearwater Revival — elude me. We had a California retro moment driving up the coast in our van, ’70s music playing along with palm trees everywhere.

What do you envision when you consider taking a drive in the ’70s? Do you have postcard imagery in mind of joyful people forcing in convertibles with palm trees and tie-dyed tops?

While my husband beat me at Name That ’70s Song, I recalled my living room from the ’70s and decided to examine some retro-inspired spaces to see how performers are bringing the colour and fun of those times into new insides for today.

Grace Blu Designs, Inc..

When I was a kid in the ’70s, my area had pink and orange polka dots. This chamber just made me laugh as it inspired a flashback. The only thing missing is the bright yellow doughnut telephone I had with a long, curly cord. It used to get tangled following hours of talking on the telephone.

UBERDESIGNHOUSE

Remember those rainbow bumper stickers everybody used to have in their cars? This ’70s-inspired rainbow wall along with arc lamp look ideal for a game room or basement hangout. The comfy chairs are great for relaxing with friends while playing a few rounds in an Atari.

Ninainvorm

The pillow designs along with the patchwork rug remind me with some of jeans that I had when I was a kid. The ’70s aesthetic was all about primary colours.

Anthony Baratta LLC

Even though there are a few midcentury chairs blended in this, the designs and wall art are legendary ’70s. Notice all the different geometrics blended in together with uniquely shaped furniture.

More primary colours, a love-inspired stencil with a quilt on mattress. This Bohemian space is completed by A Moroccan pouf.

Simone Alisa

A silver upholstered bed with mirrored nightstands and a grey shag rug — now that’s disco!

Roger Hirsch Architect

The very first time that I saw a dialogue pit was in a James Bond film from the ’70s. To this day that is my notion of a great entertaining layout.

Integrated

This distance looks like Marcia Brady’s room, with large flower-power wall art, hanging bubble pendants along with a white shag throw rug.

Vintage Renewal

A vintage Bohemian-style barrel chair sits boldly with primary colours. See illuminates the pillow on the chair.

A vintage pattern on homemade-looking curtains coordinates using an orange macramé wall hanging.

maison21

A bright orange Malm Lancer fireplace brightens up the mood in this ’70s-inspired living room in Palm Springs. Malm Lancer fireplaces have been first first produced in the 1960s in Sonoma County, California. This style gained fame in the ’70s and still looks fresh today.

Anthony Baratta LLC

More rainbow colours and geometric patterns have been blended fearlessly by Anthony Barrata in this living area. Note the orange, yellow and red blended with mirrored furniture.

Inform us : What’s your favorite ’70s-inspired style?

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Sliding Door

A sliding door, also referred to as a jump door or slider, hangs from an overhead track and goes backward to open. A track underneath the door helps keep it in line.

AT6 Architecture : Design Build

Sliding panels operate well in this modern bathroom, in which the frosted glass look is reminiscent of shower doors.

Tamar Schechner/Nest Pretty Things Inc

Sliding doors are commonly found on closets.

LDa Architecture & Interiors

Any style of door can be converted to a slider. The only hardware needed is a pull or cup.

Griffin Enright Architects

This oversize sliding door could easily be confused for a floor-to-ceiling window.

Browse photos of sliding doors in design

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Pint-Size Patios Packs a Punch

This time of year, al fresco living feels like sheer luxury: satiny blue skies, lush gardens and trees wild with vibrant blooms. But what if you’re short on outdoor area to enjoy spring at its summit? No matter — you can turn even the tiniest of patios into an inviting retreat. Have a look.

Dufner Heighes Inc

Spring-fresh furnishings with powerful, sculptural lines spark this differently basic patio. The sea green of the seat and chairs brings the greens out of these plants, although the tabletop evokes the impression of blossom petals.

Iris

The angled couch makes clever use of this diminutive outdoor nook. By not chopping up the terrace, it makes the space feel bigger than it actually is and provides ample seating for a cozy gathering of a couple of friends (or longer, in case nobody has personal space issues). Upholstery that is the same creamy color as the brick walls also expands the terrace visually.

Feldman Architecture, Inc..

With a minimalist, Zen feel, this tiny courtyard invites quiet contemplation. The narrow built-in seat is intended to not waste an inch of distance, and its subtlety retains the focus on the gorgeous pattern of these pavers and plantings in the center.

Kentaro Kurihara

What should you do if you have only a sliver of outdoor floor space? Believe vertically. Despite its Lilliputian dimensions, this terrace has enough breathing space above to block it from feeling helpless.

Ben Herzog

Sometimes a simple strategy is all you need. A set of chairs tucked casually on this miniature patio offers an ideal spot to perch for a bit and inhale the fresh air.

A patio does not have to be attached right to the house. Located to one side of the garden and surrounded by thick plantings, this one has the feel of a secluded retreat.

Shades Of Green Landscape Architecture

Rather than squeezing in a full size dining table and chairs, these homeowners went straight for relaxation — and who could blame them? Roomy chaise longues are only right for afternoon siestas in the shade.

A crossover between a deck and a terrace, this platform extends right from the inside, merging outdoors and indoors without missing a beat.

More:
Get Ready … It’s Patio Time!

Find Your Perfect Patio

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