waiting. waiting. waiting. waiting. waiting. waiting. waiting. waiting. waiting. waiting. waiting. waiting. who wants to wait with me… anybody?
DAY 7…
DAY 14…
DAY 21…
Getting there. Come on, grass!!
Archive for April, 2010
how long ’til grass?
Friday, April 30th, 2010how’s that curlex holding up?
Thursday, April 29th, 2010
So the Curlex has been in place for a few weeks now. Has it kept our slope from washing away? I am pleased to report that yes, so far, it has successfully b**ch-slapped our erosion issues.
Here’s where we were on March 30 after all that flooding…
More soil was added during the first week of April…
Then the Curlex erosion control matting was added and erosion control plants put in the ground…
And here’s what it looks a few weeks later after planting and some fairly heavy rains…
No dirt under the matting has washed out. However, dirt from above (not held by the matting) washed down over it. Just a little. And no wonder, with no grass, very few plants and absolutely no mulch, the water just rushed down the slope and took some of our new topsoil with it…
Very happy with the Curlex. I see a few weeds beginning to poke their heads through here and there…
I’ll have to put a stop to that immediately.
Remember the slope between us and our neighbor? The area where we found the lead levels so high and had the soil dug up and carted away?…
Our lovely neighbors and I thought it would be smart to put down Curlex on this slope, too, before the spring rains washed all the new soil downhill…
So I took care of that a few weekends ago and then started plugging in some plants sure to hold that slope back…
On the front slope, one of the native plants we chose was a Symphoricarpos var. albus (Common Snowberry), which produces big white berries in autumn. I figured that closer to the house it would be nice to have more color, so I chose Symphoricarpus x ‘Kordes’ Amythest (Coralberry)…
Not a native variety but it produces the most irresistible, insanely colored berries you’ve ever seen — good for the birds…
amethyst™ coralberry | colorchoiceplants.com
I also threw in a few native Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ‘Massachussetts’ (bearberry) like we have on the front slope…
Not only good for erosion control, it also produces bright red berries for the birds in the fall…
common bearberry | abnativeplants.com
And for good measure, I thought I’d see if some of my brilliant chartreuse Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’ might work here…
Like all sedums, it’s a tough little stonecrop that covers the ground quickly and doesn’t ask for much care or much water. Flowers for the butterflies in summer. And in the fall, it takes on the most gorgeous pinkish-orange overtones that will look fab with the colorful berries on the plants around it…
sedum angelina | awaytogarden.com the BEST gardening blog EVER
I’m not done adding plants to the slope…
Something ferny with a bluish or silvery cast would make a nice foil to the other shades going on. I’ll report back when I find just the right thing. In that far back corner slope starting at about the oak, I want to plant Rhus aromatica ‘Gro Low’ (Fragrant Sumac). I just discovered it during last week’s trip to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden…
A native great for holding slopes that fills in quickly, is undemanding and drought tolerant, and offers flowers and catkins (food for birds) in the spring. In the fall, it turns flamey red…
fragrant sumac gro-low | finegardening.com
What a showstopper. I haven’t found a local nursery that carries it, although there’s bound to be one. High Country Gardens has it, for sure. I think I may be able to use it under our dogwood out front as well.
For those of you have slopes like I do, I came across another great article on not-your-typical groundcover alternatives. Worth exploring.
* * * * * *
UPDATE: Okay, I’m having some luck in hunting for slope plants with blue foliage that can handle a mix of sun and shade. There’s Carex Glauca Blue Sedge…
carex glauca (or flacca) blue sedge | bluestem.ca
Or Carex Glauca (also Flacca) Blue Zinger…
carex glauca blue zinger | plantdelights.com
Ferny, no. But they have a similar upright and then arching manner that make them strong contenders.
front slope done, check
Thursday, April 29th, 2010Just a few weeks ago, April 6 to be exact, the first round of planting our front slope left us two-thirds of the way done…
Yesterday, elves descended and finished up the planting. Yay! My friends Shiva and Ellen tackled the last third of the erosion zone using the same plants as the rest of it…
Same story as before: Cut the Curlex. Dig a hole. Plant…
Later that afternoon, all done…
Amazing how much greener everything is in just the last few weeks. The oaks leafed out, our pathetic little dogwood (doesn’t like being planted in the shade of an oak) is flowering and the plants in the slope have really taken off. Definitely looks like Spring.
And now my little garden pixies are gone… Elvish has left the building. Victory dance.
back in the sacks
Tuesday, April 27th, 2010I was looking through my snaps from Ann Sacks and thought maybe my fellow tile lovers might like to see some more — they don’t work in our entryway but deserved to be ogled.
Like linen tiles. That actually feel like woven fabric…
I’ll just shut up and show you the rest…
Glad I got that out of my system! Just a taste of tile to come, I’m sure. I’ll get more serious about exploring our options when we start looking beyond the entryway.
apiary field trip
Monday, April 26th, 2010David and Coryndon’s bee class made a bee-line (sorry, I had to) out to Smithfield, RI for a visit to Beehavin’ Apiary this past weekend. I’ll let David tell you all about it…
My bee class was invited to watch a demonstration on how to transfer a package of bees into a hive at a local apiary. The package above was developed in the early 20th century as a way to distribute bees by mail. Bees can only live a couple of days without food or water and in the days before the interstate highway system, U.S. mail was the best way to get bees quickly to their new homes.
The queen is in a small wooden box inside a metal can in the lid of the package, she needs to be protected from the other bees for the first several days, until they get to know each other.
The lid and can are removed and the lid temporarily replaced over the opening.
The queen’s box is placed in the center of the new hive, it has a sugar candy plug in the end which the bees will eat through, at first they want to get at her to kill her but over the course of eating their way in to her, they will become accustomed to her smell and by the time they free her it’s one big happy family in the hive.
Once the queen’s box is in place, the bees in the package are dumped gently into the hive. They recognize it immediately as a great place to start a home and move right in.
The hive will need to be fed a 1:1 mixture of sugar and water (in the glass jar) until nectar is flowing in the flowers surrounding the hive. The hive shown here is called a nuc (short for nucleus) and only has five frames in it, it’s a kind of temporary hive.
Some bees wil be reluctant to leave the package so it’s left open near the hive entrance for a day or so. In two days it will be time to check that the queen has been released, if not she’ll need to be freed by hand. And then she will lay eggs — up to 1,500 per day!
spring at brooklyn botanic
Friday, April 23rd, 2010PVD-NYC-LAS. What a crazy week! Looking back on it I must say the absolute best part of it all was a trip to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It’s a must whenever we’re in town. Last weekend was the height of the cherry blossoms. Springtime in New York never looked more incredible… (as always, click to biggify)
Hanami is April 3 through May 2 and “celebrates the Japanese cultural tradition of enjoying each moment of the cherry blossom season.” It’s truly magical…
Wish we were there this weekend for Sakura Matsuri, which closes out the month-long festival. Instead, I’ll be getting dirt under my fingernails here at the homestead. Can’t exactly complain about that.
Also a riot of blossoms: the magnolias. Their perfume is intoxicating…
And the lilacs. A huge field of them — and so many different varieties!
The French cultivars seemed to have the best smell. I think I sniffed my sniffer off…
Closer to the ground, the grape hyacinths and euphorbias looked amazing. What a great combination of shades…
And these little minty looking guys with pink heads. Anybody know what these are? So cute. I need some of these…
The jonquils and epimediums look great together. My epimediums are just starting to pop in Providence…
Between the foliage of the Japanese maples and the azaleas just starting and the cherry trees in full bloom, the Japanese garden was bursting with color…
I’ve been researching Japanese maples so I geeked out over this linearlobum (also called threadleaf). Love the bright green against the red bark…
Currently considering adding a Crimson Queen Japanese maple — it’s a dissectum. Here’s one at BBG viewed through a Weeping Katsura…
Can’t forget the wisteria. Some of the vines were still bare. Their gnarly structure looks so great all year. I might even love that more than the flowers…
Some of them were already in bloom, though…
In May, this place is insane with scent of wisteria. Heady stuff. If you haven’t been to Brooklyn Botanic, go around Mother’s Day. It’s fantastical.
what happens in vegas…
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010Here in Las Vegas for a video shoot. If it weren’t blindingly gaudy and garish, it wouldn’t be Vegas, right? (Pardon the very uncrisp iPhone pix.)
Flowery mosaic tile floors…
Floor to ceiling crystal chandeliers…
The crystals closeup… mmmm, twinkly.
Massive parasols hanging from the ceiling. I’m sure the stylist called these “whimsical”…
The disco bathroom — walls covered top to bottom in disco ball-esque mirrors. That was actually pretty cool…
Look up: disco balls!
But in case you’re thinking about getting all Studio 54 while you’re in here, think again…
More crazy ceiling lights…
At night, they change color…
In the hotel, a two line phone next to your toilet. With a hold button. “Excuse me a minute while I ugh…”
Outside the casino, quintessential Vegas views… and Manilow.
And now, homeward bound. Replete with debauch.
field trip to henrybuilt soho
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010Another droolfest in New York City: this time, a visit to HenryBuilt. Stopping by their Soho showroom gave us a chance to imagine custom modern cabinetry in our own space. *sigh*
The quartersawn walnut, solid bamboo, veneer rift-cut oak and quartersawn teak cabinets are all handcrafted in Seattle using primarily FSC-certified woods for sustainability. Lots of lovely details, like minimal stainless steel pulls perfectly mortised into the wood. Here they’ve worked in a Corian countertop but we also saw stainless steel…
Love the subtle shades of the laminate. And there are plenty of options to choose from, as you can see…
Drawers and cabinets can be outfitted as you see fit…
They can even work in a fridge and freezer drawers, ovens, yadayada…
I’m particularly enamored with the warmth of the walnut, given that our floor, ceiling and walls will be very light…
A very helpful chap talked us through the HenryBuilt process, which is basically that they’ll work with you and your architect (if you have one) to make sure everything suits your plans and footprint, and take advantage of the space you have. Because our tiny kitchen space is essentially in our living space, it’s important that all the cabinetry tie together seamlessly and be multifunctional — this is the kind of thing they take into account.
It was nice to see their Viola Park line represented. It’s a bit more affordable than the HenryBuilt pieces as these are “off the shelf” components you configure yourself as opposed to having them customized. Laminate below but they offer wood options as well…
The Paperstone countertop just begs to be touched. Very tactile…
They’ve extended their line into other areas of the home now. This teak wardrobe features leather pulls and lots of little storage nooks…
The craftsmanship is pretty impeccable…
The interior was fitted with industrial felt pockets and shoe shelves. Who wouldn’t love that?
Also drooled over an oak entry piece with storage below…
… and storage cabinets up above. I love how they cut in openings below the doors instead of on the doors to keep the look super minimal…
To die for. Our friends Laura and Ben commissioned a HenryBuilt kitchen just a few years ago — so jealous. Maybe Laura will let me drop by and see how it’s holding up. Laura? Whaddya say?
visit to ann sacks
Monday, April 19th, 2010Happened to be in New York City and made a special trip to the Ann Sacks showroom on East 18th today. Soooooo glad we went. Tile in person is so different from tile online — as you might imagine.
It’s hard not to get distracted by the possibilities for the kitchen or bath…
But we focused on looking at using concrete tile in our entryways, which was our mission in coming here in the first place. Some beautiful choices in concrete, mostly patterned…
The Andy Fleishman Neo Terrazzo was particularly beautiful with a lovely matte finish…
Up close, you can really make out the mother of pearl and stone pieces — the aggregate comes from the North Carolina coast…
The Paccha tiles made in Morocco (by Popham Design) are amazing, especially to the touch. They have a very handmade, artisan look to them, which makes sense since they are, duh. But the… hmm, what word to use? if we were talking about fabric I’d say the hand of the tiles is very warm and matte to the touch. Really beautiful with a lot of depth…
We saved our favorite for last: the Angela Adams Argyle concrete tiles (sorry, the lighting in this part of the showroom, not so good)…
They’re huge! 16″x16″. Way bigger than I imagined. Available in nine colors by Angela Adams or, get this, customizable in any Benjamin Moore paint color. Nice. The color goes all the way through the tile…
so even with wear and tear, just sand them down, refinish the top and you’re good to go. Made in America. $23 a sq ft. Good thing we don’t need much.
No final decision yet, but I think we’ll go home, look at our BenMo color chips and maybe order a sample. Before any decisions are made I want to see some Fritz terrazzo tile firsthand. Stay tuned! Like you care, ha.
the burbs and the bees
Friday, April 16th, 2010David’s first bee class was last night! He gives us a download…
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_bee
I went to my first bee class last night with my friend Coryndon down at CCRI in Cranston. The burbs.
The teacher has been involved in beekeeping since the mid-’70s and teaching classes about bees for about ten years, mostly at local agricultural schools. This is the first general-populace course he’s taught. Apparently there’s a big increase in interest lately. Good for the bees!
It was the first of six three-hour classroom sessions, I learned some basics like:
- Kept honeybees are a species first domesticated by the Egyptians.
- Bees eat nectar and pollen.
- Rhode Island is far from an ideal place for commercial beekeeping.
- Queen bees can live as long as five years but workers just live a few months.
- Bee space is 1/4″ to 5/16″, if you leave a bigger gap between parts inside your hive the bees will build honeycomb in it, and if you leave a smaller gap the bees will seal it shut with propolis.
Bees are wicked cool. I already knew that.
We’re looking forward to having a hive or two, even though we may not get much (or even any) honey from them. For us, it’s more about the support of our bee friends than hopes of harvesting honey. Honey production really depends on what the bees find to eat, and whether that’s enough for them to make any extra as the average hive needs about 80 pounds of honey to make it through the winter. 80! See — I actually learned something in class last night.
I’ll let you know how the rest of the classes go.