This charming corner of a city garden in San Francisco, located behind a Victorian house, is evidence of what thoughtful planning can achieve. At this time of year, when leisure is sometimes made imperative by the weather, a garden’s importance, and full meaning come sharply into focus. Your garden and mine can and should be … Read more
Here in California, where our mild climate permits it, our outdoor living season is not restricted to the few months of summer but may, in some years, extend from the middle of April to the middle of October. Our patio, as all outdoor living rooms are firmly called in California, whether they are truly patios … Read more
There were probably many people having outdoor fireplace fun before we discovered it, but it is like having grandchildren: You only pay attention to them once you have one of your own. Then you begin bragging about it. Our backyard became significant when we added a fireplace and grill, set up a picnic table and … Read more
When I built my terrace, I decided it would be a place for outdoor living and outdoor relaxing. To make it harmonious, both within itself and with its surroundings, its colors must be in soft low notes, with just a touch of brilliance for emphasis. The 15-foot-square terrace is paved with flagstones and enclosed by … Read more
Four excellent possibilities are presented here when planting in containers: succulents, carissa, and holly leaf osmanthus, and for an oddity, the scouring rush or equisetum. Pertinent Suggestions For Potted Plants Succulents With succulents, add sand and peat to the potting mix—sand to ensure good drainage and peat to retain moisture. If water runs out too … Read more
The roof garden at the Garden Center of Greater Cleveland, designed and constructed in 1940 by the Garden Club of Cleveland in conjunction with the City’s sesquicentennial celebration, has become an inspiring stimulus to thousands of city gardeners in the area. The Fine Arts Garden in Wade Park contains a wide collection of shrubs, vines, … Read more
With flourishing flowers and foliage just across the threshold here in Florida, you wouldn’t think we would bring the outdoors in, but everyone does, and on a much larger scale than in colder climates. Here new homes are planned to include a Florida room, designed with plants as the central theme, a family room, and … Read more
If you have a poured concrete patio that seems to “float” in your yard there are many good ways to anchor it to the surrounding landscape. Potted plants are decorative and mobile, lending themselves to quick changes to show off a particularly handsome bloom or hide a former beauty’s faded splendor. Formal beds along the … Read more
Have you ever, just before a summer party, wondered what you could do to dress up your terrace, porch, or front entrance with a few plants? With a little forethought, you can have enough potted plants on hand for such purposes, and this is the time to start or buy them for use this summer. … Read more
The terrace of Flora Harris faces South, so the problem was to keep it from reflecting too much heat and glare from the Connecticut summer sun and still look attractive all winter from the living room. The floor on one section is smooth concrete, so we can quickly move chairs and wheel tables about, and … Read more