Finding The Right Address

30 December, 2011 Reply

We live in the country. Not way out there, but far enough out that at night it is quite dark. One of the biggest complaints we get when people are coming to visit, is that they can’t find the addresses on houses in the dark. I’ve been considering getting a new address plaque, one that is large enough that people can’t miss it. Online I found that they have what are called estate plaques. That may be just the thing I’m looking for.

House address plaques can actually be very important, should you ever need the assistance of an emergency crew. If the police, fire department, or EMS crew can’t find your house it can spell catastrophe. I’ve heard of emergency crews driving up and down a street to locate the house and wasting up to ten minutes, because the house was not properly marked. This could be the difference between a parched kitchen and the complete destruction of your house, or even life and death.

This ornate pansy plaque is just up my alley. It would really dress up our home.

I really like the address plaques that look like they might be used in the Victorian era with scrolls, filligree, or anything that makes it look artistic and antique is just up my alley. If you saw my furniture you’d know that the more ornate something is the better I like it.

It think that out here in the country address signs that are done in the reverse of books stand out better. Dark background with a light colored numbers seems to be much easier to read at night. However, if you live closer in, where there will be street lights to assist people looking for your home, then you can probably go with any color combination you want, or even all brass or silver.

Now that it’s the new year, it might be a good resolution to make sure your house is well marked for both visitors and emergency vehicles.

A New Look And Feel For The New Year

26 December, 2011 Reply

Over the past few months I’ve been looking at business opportunities and have settled on a couple to try out. So, I’m going to be expanding this blog to cover not just gardening, but also home remodel, repair and decorating. Also, the blog may be moving to a new URL once I decide on the name for my business. As much as I love Green Avalon it doesn’t immediately tell someone what my business is all about, so I need to come up with something new.

This site will offer an expanded blog with home improvement, remodel, and redecorating, with the do-it-yourselfer in mind. It will continue to include great information on gardening and outdoor spaces.

My new business will be as an interior decorator where I help people who have a mansion taste, reproduce the look they want, by doing most of the work themselves, at a fraction of the cost. My husband and I have remodeled most of our house for around $10,000. That included a totally new kitchen: tile floors, oak cabinets, tile countertops, new appliances, paint and trim; new bamboo flooring in three rooms; new carpet in four rooms; repairing damaged walls, texturing, and painting (including faux finishes) in five rooms. We saved ourselves thousands of dollars doing it ourselves and it’s not as difficult as they want you to think.

Look for the addition of how-to videos, articles, and in the near future informational DVDs as well as some of my favorite products that can be delivered right to your door.

This combines two of my favorite things. Making things beautiful and teaching, both of which I excel at. If you want a sneak peek, just go to my other site and take a look at the before and after photo album. The photos of the yard are incomplete, as we only started on the yard this last summer, due to extensive travels in the past. Hope you enjoy the new offerings!

Elegant Pools And Ponds

24 December, 2011 Reply

This beautiful iridescent tile would certainly create a fairyland effect at night.

Now that the gardening season has come to a close for most of the United States, we can all start making plans for improvements for the coming season. Many of us may be considering a water feature for our yard. Pools and ponds are outdoor features that add a lot of value to your property, not to mention the enjoyment they bring.

There are a lot of different styles to choose from as well. You can go totally natural, to highly sophisticated, to renaissance elegance, creating just the mood you want.

On a home improvement show I saw an ornate glass tile scene added to the bottom of a newly installed in-ground pool. The owner’s house was two stories high and when you looked from the upper story you could see an ocean-like bottom complete with dolphins and whales, fish and anemones.

Not all of us desire, or can afford, to go that ornate. The addition of glass tiles around the border of either a pool or pond can add a more subtle touch of elegance. Add underwater lights and you have a sparkling fairyland at night. It really looks and feels magical.

Glass mosaic tilecan be used in other areas, as well. They can be added to an outdoor sink area, cooking areas, in the base of a fountain, even added to a brick or stucco wall with solar night lighting highlighting them. They can give you that extra touch of elegance you’re looking for.

For those wanting a more natural look, obviously buying a load of rocks and stones will work for a pond, but now they even have stone mosaic tiles for your pool! For a more sophisticated, modern look you might want to consider metallic mosaic tile. They would look great not only in a pool, but as a backsplash for a cook-out area.

So, during the snowy winter months, when your yard is asleep, you can be creating exciting new additions for the spring. You can get everything in order, including contractors and supplies, so that you can jump into it quickly and easily when the warm weather returns.

Invasive Plants Weren’t Always Considered Invasive

22 December, 2011 Reply

I was reading and interesting article about a book on invasive plants. “Invasive Plants: Guide to Identification and the Impacts and Control of Common North American Species” by Sylvan Ramsey Kaufman and Wallace Kaufman not only has a listing of invasive plants found in the US, but the history of why they came to the country.

Here in the mid-Atlantic there are several plants that are considered invasive that were mentioned in the article. One of my favorites is the mimosa tree. Although listed as an invasive plant I’ve never found more than a few of them dotting the landscape here and there. I think it’s beautiful and would actually like to have one in my yard, but since it is listed as an invasive, I’ll not do that.

How can anything so pretty and aromatic be invasive!?

One I’ve had and am still having personal experience with is kudzu. Many people in this region are familiar with what I call kudzu monsters. This is where the kudzu has taken over the landscape, crawled up the trees, entirely covering them and creating amazing “monster” shapes. Unfortunately this kills the trees. Kudzu can cover acres in very short order.

At our former residence we lived on a picturesque dirt road. Right at the entry to our little piece of heaven there was a small kudzu monster forest. Because the surroundings were so beautiful, I often took walks. One day, in mid-summer, I walked all the way down to the kudzu forest. As I was walking along I smelled this absolutely heavenly scent. I looked everywhere for the source and was startled and amazed when I found it was coming from the beautiful spiked flowers on the kudzu. Now I understand why it managed to mesmerize us into thinking it was a nice tame plant. Anything with flowers that pretty and aromatic has to be good, right? Well, unfortunately our climate was absolutely ideal for kudzu, so it grew at unprecedented rates. Combine that with a huge root system that can sprout runners and you’ve got the picture. I’m still dealing with one plant we found on our property. We’ll keep cutting it back until it dies from lack of energy. When we found it, it had already covered several trees and was branching out onto our neighbor’s property.

So, if you’re dealing with an invasive plant you might want to take a look at Kaufman’s book or at least do an internet search so you can understand the origin of the plant and why it arrived in the US in the first place. That might make you a little less angry with your ancestors. You can also read David Bare’s article. It has other interesting examples from the book.

Long-term Planning For Gardens

19 December, 2011 Reply

Shade patterns change throughout the year. Keep a log for successful planting.

Maybe you’ve got it on you resolution list to finally do something with the yard. You’ve got some ideas, but aren’t sure exactly which plants will work well for each garden.

The first thing you need to do is know the lay of your land. Which way is north, south, east, and west? How does the house line up with these directions? Where are large trees or shrubs located in relation to the directions? Are the trees/shrubs evergreen or deciduous?

Before you plant anything you need to know what the shade quality is going to be in any given location. One way to do this is to start keeping a record. You may only be able to do it on weekends, but on one weekend day start as early in the morning as you get up and keep a record of how much shade there is and where it is located throughout the day. You can do this with a video camera, or you can make sketches. In order to be a complete record this needs to be done for an entire year. It would be a great thing to do for the coming year.

You don’t need to wait another year to start your gardens, but if you’ve got areas that are questionable, you might put them last on the list. Some areas will be simple to know. For instance areas that have no trees and the house doesn’t shade it are going to be full sun. The north side of the house, if it is pretty accurately true north will get no sun at all, so plan that area for storage, etc. However, most houses aren’t that perfectly aligned, so knowing how much sun the “north” side of the house gets may let you know if you can have a partial or full shade garden.

When I moved into our current house I made some mistakes, mostly because I didn’t want to wait to see the shade patterns for the whole year. I just assumed the north side of the house was pretty much north. However, our house is almost 45 degrees off from any of the true directions. I planted a whole bunch of deep shade plants up against the house, only to find out, the next summer, that by June the front of the house is in full sun from about 1 p.m. on! Needless to say I’ve got a few shade plants waiting for me to get the garden back in the woods started. They do OK, but will do much better when relocated.

The most interesting thing is I thought that one end of the house would be totally unusable and it turns out that it is going to be perfect for the spring garden. It goes into shade about 1 p.m. So, the plants will get morning sun, but when it gets hot in the afternoon they’ll be in the shade. I think I’ll be able to extend my spring growing season by another month this way. I’ll let you know. I hope to get the garden up against the house started this year, but we’ve got a lot on our list of things to get done, so don’t know if it will get to the top in time. I hope so, cause that will almost double my summer growing space!

Anyway, keep a diary of your yard throughout the year and you’ll have much better success in knowing which plants will fit which area.

Other things to consider are if it is at the bottom of a slope (will get colder), does it stay wet after a rain, is it always dry, can you get water to the area easily. Just really look at all the weather factors that could affect the success of your plantings and you’ll end up with a beautiful landscape ,without a lot of trial and error and plant loss.

Time To Think Seeds – No GMO

12 December, 2011 Reply

Yep, it’s that time of year. Time to start drooling over this years seed catalogs. I’ve already received several and have to reign myself in, as I’ve got quite a few packets of seeds left from last year.

One thing you should consider when looking at seeds is their safety and purity. There are studies starting to come in showing that GMO seeds are affecting, not only the natural world around us, but our very bodies. The GMO tags are being found in pregnant women and their newborn babies, some illnesses are being exacerbated by GMO products, etc. This is just the tip of the iceberg. I knew before there was any hype at all that I wanted nothing to do with GMO products.

I found a nice entry on Facebook by Union County Master Gardeners that I thought you might want to take a look at.  It covers some of the safe seed pledge signers, but not all. What I found interesting is they’ve included seed companies that Monsanto owns, as well as Monsanto derived varieties that could be being sold by anyone. They even give a link to “final handlers” people who are the last to handle seeds as they go out to the seeds companies. They know where the seed originated and can tell you who offers safe varieties.

So, as you’re putting together your list this year, check to make sure none of your favorites are on the “dirty” list. If they are, start to look for replacements. I don’t think you want to be a laboratory for Monsanto’s untested seeds.

Family Visit

8 December, 2011 Reply

Guest post from: Natalie Walter

Tomorrow is a big day! My brother and his family will be arriving at the airport for Christmas and I am planning to be there to meet them. I have not seen them since last Christmas because they are currently living on the other side of the country. They will be staying at my house for the first few days that they are here so I have been cleaning and cooking for days. I think I have most of what I need to do completed for their arrival—beds in the guest rooms are made with clean sheets and bathrooms are clean with fresh towels. Closets have been cleaned out to make space for their hanging clothes and the living room furniture has been dusted. I pre-made home cooked meals so I can spend more time visiting and less time cooking while they are here and even prepped some snacks for the kids. I will just need to do a few minor things in the morning tomorrow before I set my Wireless Security System and leave for the airport, like run the vacuum and clean out the dishwasher. I can’t wait!

After A Hard Day’s Work

5 December, 2011 Reply

Is your mattress ready for the junk heap?

I love my bed. As a matter-of-fact if I could take just one thing with me when I move, it would be my bed, really! I bought it 23 years ago and it’s still as comfortable as the day I bought it.

After working out in the yard, I often come in feeling a bit sore and stiff. One night’s sleep on my “magic” bed and I’m fit as a fiddle. When traveling abroad I dream about my bed at home. When I return my whole body anticipates the luxury of my mattress.

So, if you’re finding you’re waking up still creaking from the previous day’s activities, it may be time to look for a new bed. Investing in a good quality mattress can make all the difference. The mattress I bought was considered very expensive at the time. I waited until there was a mattress sale at one of the local retailers, and really got it for a song and a dance. I believe it was one of the best investments I ever made.

I took a peek online to see what’s available in mattresses and found that Coast to Coast Mattresses is having a huge sale right now, with free delivery! The prices are almost unbelievable. They’re not much more than I paid 23 years ago! One nice feature is they have a Mattress Advisor that gives you recommendations when you put in your specs. If that doesn’t help there’s also a Sleep Specialist available all the time to help you pick out your dream bed.

So, stop creaking and start leaping out of bed ready for another day enjoying nature, out  in your garden.

Christmas Plants Around Pets & Small Children

1 December, 2011 Reply

During the holidays we enjoy having all kinds of beautiful wreaths, flower arrangements, swags, and other living decorations. However, if you have pets or small children joining you for the holidays, you need to be aware of plants that can pose a hazard to them. Most plants are not out and out killers, but they can cause a lot of discomfort and possible trips to the hospital.

First off, know your animal. Some animals are totally uninterested in new plants, others have to chew everything. If you plan a new baby pet to be given to someone in the family this Christmas, better to stay away from any, even the mildly toxic, plants. You don’t want to end up in the emergency room with a sick puppy or kitten. Worse yet would be to lose the pet altogether.

Know your children, too. The younger they are the more you have to watch out for ingestion. An infant that is crawling will want to put everything it finds in its mouth. A toddler may be responsive enough to understand when you say no.

Of course being safe is the most important thing. Here are some of the plants frequently used in holiday decorating that can be toxic to pets and/or children.

Once thought highly toxic, poinsettias have been bred to be only mildly irritating.

Poinsettia – It is mainly seen as a non-toxic plant anymore. Breeding has lowered the toxic substances found in them. However, small animals can still have some discomfort if they ingest a lot of the leaves.

Mistletoe – The berries are highly toxic. You should remove the berries and discard them in a safe place if you have critters or children that may munch them.

Holly – I think most people know that the red berries are poisonous, so nix the berries if munchers abound.

Four lesser known, but still highly toxic plants are, bittersweet, boxwood, pine, and Jerusalem cherry (also called winter cherry). Jerusalem cherry is quite toxic and can cause a coma. Pine is toxic in large amounts. Small amounts can be irritating, but if they eat a few pine needles you don’t need to panic.

You might decide to forego live decorations for a few years when you have youngsters, be the human or furry, in your house during the holidays. After they’ve outgrown munching everything in site, you can start using live decorations again.