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50 Hot New Plants for 2012

February 1, 2012 in Gardening by Brooke | No comments

This spring-like weather is making us want to ditch the desk and get outside to play in the dirt!

In January, the 2012 National Green Centre at the Overland Park Convention Center showcased 50 hot new plants (including two local KC companies!) in horticulture. Each made their way to the runway during the 2012 Sweet Melissa Fashion Show, benefiting the Sweet Melissa Fund, an organization that helps lung transplant patients and recipients.

Presented by the Western Nursery & Landscape Association, this second annual trade show brought in new breeders and growers, garden centers, landscape contractors and designers, and plants from all across the country.

If you have a green thumb and are ready to spruce up your garden this spring, take a peek at the entries for the hottest new plants for 2012 — you won’t be disappointed!

To see more entries for the 2012 hottest new plants, click here. And, mark your calendars for the 2013 National Green Centre January 6-7 in St. Louis.

Let the digging begin!

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Fun Fabrics Found Here!

March 8, 2011 in Design and Decorating by Brooke | No comments

Sina Pearson Textiles, a New York-based designer/manufacturer of contemporary upholstery fabrics, introduces it’s spring 2011 Global Village collection — it’s environmentally friendly and can be used inside and out.

This new collection uses motifs and patterns found in cultures all across the globe as well as high-performance, environmentally friendly materials (100-percent solution-dyed Bella-Dura olefin fibers that are all kinds of resistant with a GreenShield finish), with four complementary patterns in 20 colorways.

The best part? You can only find them in San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Phoenix and, yes, Kansas City. Visit Museo at 3021 Main St. in KCMO or online at museousa.com. Get a sneak peek at some of the styles below. (List price $78-$112 per yard.)

Mixed Charcoal/Turquoise Patterns

Mixed Charcoal/Turquoise Patterns

Pinata Party

Mixed Yellow Patterns

Mixed Red Patterns

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Bundle Up Your Home!

January 10, 2011 in Sale Alert by Brooke | No comments

Brrr…it’s cold out there! To keep extra toasty inside, add insulation to your home — with the help of Star Companies. When you present the coupon below, you’ll receive 10-percent off any new installation. They also can help with drywall, fireplaces, custom shelving and closet systems, and energy audits.

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Good tomes for your homes

March 4, 2010 in Gardening, Going Green by Andrea | 2 comments

We adore the printed word and pretty pictures, especially when they feature our favorite topics: homes and gardens. Below we pick a few of our favorites that have come across our desks.

Prefabulous + Sustainable: Building and Customizing an Affordable, Energy-Efficient Home (available in April) by Sherri Koones, with a foreword by Robert Redford.

If you think prefabricated = low quality, you should see the 25 unique factory-built homes Koones profiles in this book. They vary in style, design, size and type of construction, but each is green, efficient, sturdy and more cost-effective than site-built homes. The book not only dispels the negative myths surrounding prefabricated houses but illustrates how beautiful these types of homes can be. It also includes a resource guide for builders. www.abramsbooks.com

27 Things to Feng Shui Your Home by Tisha Morris, a certified life coach and feng shui expert.

Feng shui has been around for centuries, yet it continues to intrigue homeowners to this day. When you move a couch, mirror or even a vase, for instance, the energy shifts in your home. Following the tenets of this ancient Chinese art, you can make sure that energy is positive. Geared toward beginners, this guide succinctly covers how to de-clutter, select colors, integrate the five elements, stimulate the senses, make repairs and improvements, and much more. www.turnerpublishing.com

The NEW Low-Maintenance Garden by Valerie Easton

Low-maintenance doesn’t have to mean lots of mulch and ugly groundcovers as the photography in this book proves. Hardscaping covers surface area for a user-friendly environment, and an appropriate plant palette can also help keep weeds under control. By following some of Easton’s maintenance-reducing strategies, gardeners can spend less time working and more time enjoying the scenery. www.timberpress.com

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Dual Action

February 17, 2010 in Design and Decorating, Going Green, Style, shopping by Brooke | No comments

Nowadays, homeowners are looking for furniture pieces that are both eye-pleasing and functional. The Temple Day Bed by The HomePort Collections is brand new, debuting for the first time at the end of January at the New York International Gift Fair.

Also eco-friendly, the day bed is made of mahogany and maximizes space by acting as a couch during the day but reclining into a bed at night. It includes 4 bolster pillow surrounds and 2 Kapok pillow mattresses. (Too bad the dog isn’t included, too.)

 

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Bringing in Nature

January 12, 2010 in Baths, Going Green, Outdoor Living by Brooke | 1 comment

Inspired by nature’s simplistic and cozy elements, we came across Stone Forests’ Wooden Inspiration Collection, which offers different furniture pieces, such as pedestals for the bathroom and garden benches, with unfinished edges and clean lines to provide an organic, modern look. Designed from sustainable hardwood, each piece is handmade, so no two are alike.

The L-Slab Pedestal (below left) shows its individuality with unique knotholes and striations when crafted from its original state. This particular one is featured with the Bronze Zen vessel. The Windsor Back Bench (below right) is a durable bench with intricately carved spindles for comfort and functionality. It’s definitely eye-catching and looks great in the garden. For more of nature’s products, check out www.stoneforest.com.

 

 

 

 

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Remodeling should start here

January 6, 2010 in Design and Decorating, Going Green, Remodeling, Style by Andrea | No comments

Now that we’ve entered a new year (and a new decade) many of you are probably thinking of moving forward. That often means changes to your home. Remodeling can increase you and your family’s use of and satisfaction with your home for many years; for those who are thinking of staying only a few years, certain upgrades can add value and help get that "sold" sign in your yard faster than the house down the street with the 1970s-era kitchen. But remodeling comes with its own set of challenges and requires plenty of research before starting.

One of our favorite series of books comes from the "Not So Big" collection by architect Sarah Susanka for her message of home design that’s comfortable, sustainable and meaningful, and not just about architecture but life in general. Her latest, "Not So Big Remodeling," was just voted in the Top 10 by customers of Amazon.com for 2009.

Her approach is to work with the existing footprint as much as possible, improving character but not necessarily size — small changes can make a big impact, she says. Favoring quality over quantity, Susanka and co-author Marc Vassallo offer advice on evaluating problem areas, identifying effective strategies and updating the layout for today’s lifestyles. She also spends time covering her definition of "green," which refers to not only sustainability, energy efficiency and durability, but also to innate beauty and appropriateness of size.

Find out more at www.notsobighouse.com.

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Finding great things

December 16, 2009 in Design and Decorating, Going Green by Andrea | No comments

"Reduce, reuse, recycle" is the mantra of our new ‘green’ era. While green can be complex, it can also be as simple as using furniture you already have in a new room or reupholstered in a new fabric. Or, it can mean using furniture that someone else has decided they no longer want and dropped it off at a consignment store for you to pick up at a good price. We interviewed Dana Jo Cox and Teo Jacobson, owners of Great Finds Consignment Furnishings & Gifts in Overland Park, about their business doing just that.

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Easy-Care Gardening

July 8, 2009 in Gardening, Going Green by Andrea | No comments

 

The hot and muggy weather is upon is. I barely want to step outside, much less work up a sweat in the garden. Fortunately, I’ve been working on creating a more low-maintenance environment through a few steps. My advice?

1. Plant perennials. Annuals make a great show in color but are short-lived and require a lot of water. I prefer perennials that return year after year so I don’t have to continuously replant.

2. Eliminate lawn where you can. I love a green grass carpet, but I hate mowing it. Save time and water by laying mulch or gravel or planting a ground cover. Better yet, make your space work for you by planting food crops. You don’t have to go all out, but a few tomato plants, raspberry bushes or asparagus roots will give you some tasty treats and won’t require you to use petroleum like a mower does. It’s a movement that’s happening in KC — check out foodnotlawnskc.org.

3. Don’t bag your lawn clippings. The leftover blades will nourish the soil, resulting in less of a need for water and fertilizer. If you really don’t like the look, bag then drop the clippings in a compost bin with leaves and other organic material to improve your soil after it all breaks down.

4. Capture rain water for use in the garden. A  1,200-square-foot roof can garner you about 600 gallons of water. I have two old Kentucky whiskey barrels repurposed with spigots and drip irrigation hoses so that I don’t even have to stand there and give my plants a drink.

5. Select drought-tolerant plants. Kansas City is in Zone 6 so look at the label carefully to see if a plant you want to purchase is appropriate for our region. There are many beautiful and unusual native plants to try as well. Most nurseries have enough of a selection, but Prairie Wetland Center in Belton specializes in natives.

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A Long-Lasting Squirt

July 2, 2009 in Gardening, Going Green by Andrea | No comments

Help your plants beat the heat and save yourself some quality time handling a hose with the patent-pending miniSquirt, designed by local landscape designer Chris Coope. It injects a natural corn-based polymer directly into a plant’s root zone,  creating hundreds of little water pockets that release slowly as the plant needs more water. This unique garden implement works great for hanging baskets, pots, indoor plants and raised planting beds. Best yet, one application lasts for an entire year! Find it for $30 at www.envirain.com.

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