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•Closing Up Your Container Garden
by: Debbie Rodgers
All good things eventually come to an end and so summer is waning, even as autumn gives most of us a fresh start. I'll bet your summer container plantings aren't really benefiting, though, from the back to school-oh I love a clean notebook boost and aren't dying as gracefully as summer itself is. You're going to have to help them through this!
Saving Summer
I understand if you just can't bear the thought of waving good-bye to your wave petunias just yet. That's okay -...
•Seeding Flowers Indoors An Inexpensive Way to a Beautiful Summer Garden
by: Debbie Rodgers
Every year you plan that THIS will be the year you have pots and pots of lush plants on your balcony or deck. Then you visit your local nursery in the spring and reality hits -– the cost for your fantasy is just outrageous! Sound familiar?
But you can have the planters of your dreams at a fraction of the cost and with a choice of varieties far beyond what the local garden center offers. How? Start your own flower seeds now.
If you’ve never grown from seeds indoors...
•Life s a Beach A Shore Theme in Your Outdoor Space
by: Debbie Rodgers
Twentieth century American architect Phillip Johnson once said, I hate vacations. If you can build buildings, why sit on the beach? Mr. Johnson evidently didn't how to relax, but as another summer is slipping away, you can. Did you visit the beach this year? Do you wish you had? Either way, you can create a seaside feel in your outdoor space and enjoy memories of the shore at home! Here are some quick tips.
Color
Your choice of color will be the biggest...
•Home for a Gnome
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by: Debbie Rodgers
Kitsch is defined by several dictionaries as relating to poor quality or gaudy art objects that appeal to “low-brow” taste. But in the garden, kitsch categorizes folksy or commercial art that’s viewed condescendingly by some, and with irony by others. It’s this irony (this stuff is so bad it’s good) that has made items such as pink flamingos and garden gnomes more widely popular in recent years.
Garden gnomes have long been popular in Europe, especially in the middle...
•Make a Grand Entrance of Your Front Door
by: Debbie Rodgers
You may find it difficult to believe that the days will start getting longer in the Northern Hemisphere in just four short weeks. You can find yourself this time of year coming home on dreary days, or welcoming evening visitors in the dark. It's neither safe nor inviting. But good lighting at your front entrance gives a warm and secure welcome to any who enter.
Mention outdoor lighting at this time of year and many people think of strings of lights. But why not go for...
•Sleeping Beauties Porches For Dreaming
by: Debbie Rodgers
There's something magical about sleeping outside, drinking in the night sounds of crickets, frogs and wind chimes, watching fireflies and stars, and feeling the cool night breeze. You'll find children giggling long past their bedtime from sheer excitement.
A treat for adults and children alike, sleeping outdoors has long been a part of camping tradition, but many adults also have fond memories of childhood nights in their parents' or grandparents' sleeping porch.
The...
•What s Underfoot A Quick Guide to Patio Surfaces
What's Underfoot? A Quick Guide to Patio Surfaces
by: Debbie Rodgers
Patios and terraces have always been popular outdoor spaces. Whether a Parisian courtyard or a rooftop alcove, only porches and sunrooms beat out these paved (or semi-paved) retreats in a recent survey of my readers as the most ideal outside living space. Let's examine some of the wide variety of patio surfaces.
Patio Stones
Somteimes called flags or slabs, patio stones are flat square or rectangular blocks of pressed...
•Light Up the Night Quick Facts about Outdoor Lighting
by: Debbie Rodgers
When the days start to get shorter, the darkness may drive us inside from our porches, patios or decks. Don’t despair – outdoor lighting can lengthen the day and dramatically extend the potential of our outdoor living spaces.
The first step, as with any project, is to plan. How do you want to use this space after dark, and what lighting will you need? Lighting can be summarized in four categories:
Security lighting is needed in highly vulnerable areas of your...
•Luau Decorating with a Hawaiian Theme
by: Debbie Rodgers
Hawaii is a first choice travel destination with millions of people - and for good reason. Bring a little of that island feeling into your home, either indoors or in your outdoor living space. You can apply this theme to an elegant dinner party, a fun and funky luau, or anything in between.
1. First, look at the space itself, including floors, walls, roof or ceiling.
Texture
Think natural materials. Try bamboo matting on the floor. It's fairly inexpensive, very...
•There are Stories to be Told Start a Family Tradition
by: Debbie Rodgers
One of the most rewarding ways to use your outdoor living space is to gather your family members for a reunion. Perhaps it's a small group that gets together annually, or a large one whose far-flung members attend every two or five or even 10 years. Whether large or small, a reunion is a wonderful opportunity to knit families closer together through shared stories.
In the much-underrated 1990 film Avalon, a Russian immigrant to 1940s America relates the disintegration of...
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