Outdoor Design

Vegetable Gardening For The Beginner

October 7, 2019

Our household has grown vegetables in some way, shape or form for years now. Some seasons, our garden has been very simple and others have been more elaborate – depending on who was inspired and what our summertime activity levels were. Tomatoes are a given, as are zucchini and summer squash. I’ve delighted in the years we’ve grown beans and butternuts, carrots and beets – and there is nothing more satisfying than making dinner and realizing the majority of the produce was grown and harvested right from your own yard.

If you’re feeling the itch to grow vegetables, dive in. You can start small and add more year by year, or you can work with a landscaping company to help you go the full Monty the first time around.

Tips For Beginning Gardeners

Here are some tips for getting your garden started.

Get your priorities straight

There are certain must-haves if you want to grow a garden that bears fruit. These are:

Plenty of sunlight. Most vegetables, especially those harvested in late summer and fall like lots and lots of light. Six hours per day would be the minimum and eight to ten is even better – especially if you love juicy tomatoes.
High-quality soil. Soil is more than just a bunch of dirt. Healthy soil is a microcosm in its own right – full of rich, drainable soil that has plenty of minerals, decaying organic material, worms, microbes, fungus (mycorrhizae), and other energizing properties. If you’ve already started a compost pile, great – you’ll be able to incorporate fully composted materials into your soil beds. If not, you’ll want to spend time in your local nursery – bring in a soil sample from your garden area if you’re planning to use your own soil. Employees will help you figure out how much soil and/or soil amendments you’ll need for this year – and they can also help you with planting and spacing tips.
Compost. If you don’t compost yet, it’s time to start. While it’s too late in the game for this year, next year’s garden will thrive as a result of your efforts. Read Composting At Home to learn more. You’ll be amazed at how much organic materials you produce each week – and now they’ll all be invested into future food stores.
Access to water – not too little, not too much. Another reason soil quality is so important is that it must be loamy enough to retain a bit of water, but not too sandy (or it drains too much) or clay-rich (where water sits and rots the roots). If at all possible, I recommend installing a drip system equipped with a timer as this makes watering way easier.

Start Small and Grow Your Garden Each Year

Unless you have professional help, it’s best to start small. Gardening is an evolving process so if you go too big the first year, you might wind up with a whole lotta nothing, or more zucchini than you ever wanted to see in your lifetime.

According to the Farmer’s Almanac – a good “starter” garden for a family of four would measure 10-feet x 16-feet, with vegetable rows running north-south. That’s a pretty decent plot so if you’re a couple or your kids are really little, feel free to start smaller. You can also purchase portable raised beds – or build your own – that can be set up on top of existing soil and filled in.

Some of the veggies worth considering are:

Tomatoes
Green beans (add stakes or climbing cones)
Radishes
Carrots
Beats
Zucchini or summer squash (no more than four plants – they’re prolific)
Peppers
Corn (space accordingly so they don’t block other plants from the sun)
Kale or chard
Lettuce
Marigolds – bordering gardens with marigolds helps to deter certain pests, including rabbits

Once your summer harvest is over, you can continue planting a new round of greens that will keep your kitchen leafy rich through the winter and early spring.

I recommend buying organic seeds and starting them inside – those should be started now, OR purchase small, organic starters at a local nursery to give yourself a head start when you plant. Use the Almanac’s Planting Dates Calculator to determine when to begin planting in your neck of the Bay Area. Planting zones are tricky around here because of all the coastal/mountain variations.

Consider Container Gardening in Smaller Spaces

If you just want to get your feet wet this year, or don’t have much room to work with – container gardening is the way to go. With this method, you use appropriately sized containers – no less than 7-inches and typically no more than 12-inches deep – filled with soilless fill that retains water and has nutrients included.

You can grow almost anything in a container if you choose the right container and planting mix. Read, Urban Gardening With Vegetables, to learn more.

Cultivating your own vegetables is addictive and it’s a healthy, outdoor activity. Your children – or grandchildren – will love to help you plant, tend and harvest. Happy growing!

12 Ways To Pretty Up Your Patio

June 27, 2019

In the past, a bistro table and chair set with a few hanging plants was enough to call your patio complete. Now, patios are being designed as social centers, extra living space and retreat spaces where residents and guests can make the most of the outdoors.

12 Ways to Make Your Patio a Perfect Oasis

This trend was partially started when the economy crashed, gas prices went up and “staycations” became more popular. Now, everyone realizes what a treat it is to have an outdoor space that is inviting, comfortable and attractive. The following are 12 ideas for creating the perfect patio.

Get comfortable furniture. If you’re on a budget, blow the bulk of it on comfortable patio furniture. Everything else can be pulled together on a dime. However, if your furniture isn’t comfortable, the patio will sit unoccupied and there is no point in that.
Invest in at least one space heater. Spend the money on at least one outdoor space heater so your patio – or an area of it – can be used year-round.
Learn to be a container gardener. Container gardening is a simple way to adorn your patio with life and color. Visit your local nursery and discuss which plants do well in containers, which season they bloom (so you can divvy them up to gain year-round interest) and which ones attract bees, birds and other pollinators that will make your patio come alive and provide hours of contemplative entertainment.
Think about privacy. As long as you’re at the nursery, talk to them about the hedges, plants, trees and shrubs that will help you create privacy from the neighbors. Even a simple lattice screen can suffice.
Get in indoor/outdoor area rug. Area rugs help to anchor a seating area or designate a certain area for a specific task. They also add color and style. Placing an area rug or two on your patio will give it a more homey feel.
Consider your theme. Approach the outdoor realm with similar consideration to the way you think about your interior spaces. Think of a theme, vibe or color scheme you want to create and then build on that.
Think about lighting. Just as your heater(s) will allow your patio to be used year-round, the right lighting plan will make your patio as inviting in the evening hours as it is during the day. Include task lighting as well as ambient lights – dimmers are always a bonus – so you can control the mood.
Add a water feature. The sound of running water is soothing but it also helps to mitigate ambient sounds like the neighbor’s music or traffic on a busy street. There are water features of all sizes and types or you can easily build your own.
Hang some art. I love when clients have art hanging outside. It’s unexpected but so appreciated. It helps to provide that indoor-outdoor feeling in addition to adding style and color.
Create different seating areas. If your patio is large enough, I recommend creating different areas – one for dining, one for lounging or napping, a conversation corner, etc. Create focal points for each one.
Include an outdoor bed. There are many different versions of outdoor beds. If you don’t have space for the full-size version, look for porch swings that have outdoor mattresses as the seat so you can enjoy the best of both worlds.
Let there be shade. Provide shade coverage of some sort so you and your guests will have a reprieve on hot summer days.

Attracting Butterflies To Your Garden

June 3, 2019

Where are your favorite places to hang out? Odds are, you flock to places with scenery you find attractive and where the food and drinks are scrumptious. Butterflies are no different. These fascinating, ephemeral, winged creatures enjoy gardens that offer a variety of brightly colored flowers, tasty nectar or plants that protect and feed their larval young.

Plant Your Garden With Butterflies in Mind

Visual beauty is typically the first thing on a homeowners mind when planning spring and summer gardens. Before you go too far planning a perfectly synchronized bloom palette, take a little time to learn about the plants and flowers that attract butterflies. You’ll still be able to paint your outdoor canvas with a rainbow of colors, while simultaneously providing pollinators with choice edibles.

Watching butterflies is hypnotic, and planting the flowers and shrubs they prefer provides hours of enjoyment for you, family and friends. In addition to butterflies, you’ll also enjoy the presence of other pollinators such as bees and hummingbirds. I recommend purchasing a copy of Stokes Butterfly Book : The Complete Guide to Butterfly Gardening, Identification, and Behavior, which is a wonderful companion to keep by your side for further information on attracting and identifying common North American garden butterflies.

Now, on with a list of plants you should add to your landscape to delight in butterfly revelry. All of the following are California natives, which means they are the exact plants resident butterfly species have evolved with and adapted to. Plus, the wide majority of them are drought tolerant – another major bonus.

Indian Mallow and Flowering Maple (Abutilon palmeri). This isn’t a stunning plant, but it is hardy and subtly sweet. It’s used to hot, dry rocky slopes, but still manages to look green year-round and produce gorgeous bright yellow to yellow-orange flowers all spring and early-summer long.

California Buckeye (Aesculus californica). Flowering trees are butterfly favorites as well, and the California buckeye is certainly one of their preferred species. Especially attractive to the larvae of the Echo Blue Butterfly, buckeyes prefer partial shade and sun and will grow to about 15-feet high.

Beautiful Rockcress (Arabis pulchra var. gracile). The name says it all. It is, indeed, a beautiful perennial plant with stunning purple blooms. It’s a favorite to a wide variety of native butterfly species. It loves the sun and does quite well in rock gardens.

Sunset Manzanita (Arctostaphylos hybrid). This type of manzanita is a shrub, rather than tree, and will top out at 3-feet tall and 6-feet wide. It’s a great drought tolerant groundcover for front and backyards, and looks beautiful against the backdrop of a redwood fence. Sunset Manzanita is also a favorite hangout for more than a dozen butterfly species, including Monarchs, Mourning Cloaks, Red Admirals and California Tortoiseshell butterflies.

Marsh Baccharis (Baccharis douglasii). Butterflies aren’t the only reason you’ll want a Marsh Baccharis growing in your garden. This plant is an entomologist’s delight, attracting a range of interesting flies, beetles and other insects and bugs. Marsh Baccharis has bright green leaves and tiny, cream-colored blooms. It isn’t a focal point to speak of, more like a nice background plant.

California Lilacs (Ceanothus). If I had to pick a favorite flower, lilac would be a contender. They are as stunningly fragrant as they are visually attractive, and they continue to flourish for decades once established. It’s hard to believe that a plant this evergreen and profuse in its blooms is also drought tolerant.

Venus Thistle (Cirsium occidentale venustum). Here’s another fun addition for your rock garden. Thistles may look hostile, but their nectar is a favorite of both adult swallowtails as well as hummingbirds.

Saltgrass (Distichlis spicata). This is a grass, not a flower. It looks like a Bermuda grass and behaves like one too. Saltgrass is a favorite home for multiple species of butterfly larvae and can handle seriously high traffic areas.

Buckwheat (Eriogonum spp.). There are many different species of buckwheat and virtually all of them are attractive to pollinators. One of my favorite species is called sulfur flower (Erigonum umbellatum), which blooms bright yellow and grows just 3-inches tall, making great groundcover. Do be aware that it prefers cooler climates, with partial sun.

Penstemon “Margarita BOP” (Penstemon heterophyllus). Penstemon is gorgeous in all her different species but the “Margarita BOP” is a good one. It blooms sky blue and becomes purple, remaining evergreen when not in bloom. It also does well in high-traffic areas of the yard or garden.

Western Azalea (Rhododendron occidentale). Have a poor-draining area of your yard? Try planting some Western Azalea and see how they do. These plants thrive in moist, bog-like environments. Their leaves are deciduous and they have bright white blooms with swatches of golden pollen to attract our winged friends.

This list could go on and on but the following should get you started. What are some of your favorite butterfly-friendly plants?

The Perfect Front Door Color

December 17, 2018

Your home’s front door is almost like the smile on your face; it’s a welcome beacon for family, friends and unexpected guests. In fact, the front door is considered by many cultures to be like the mouth of the home, and you must be careful about the energy you let inside. Even the color can be symbolic, depending on your beliefs.

The color you choose for your front door can run the gamut from bold and bright to more conservative or neutral, and each one will leave a different impression. If you’re stuck choosing a new front door color for your home, we have 7 tips to make your job a little easier.

Align with the architecture. Because architecture always reflects a period, certain colors will look better than others. For example the exterior paint colors used for colonial architecture will vary from those used for a Mediterranean-inspired design. Many of the major exterior paint manufacturers make period- or architecture-specific palettes that can help narrow your choices.
Play by the exterior paint rules. Architects and designers typically recommend selecting three to four different colors for your exterior paint. These are referred to as the field color, the trim color and the accent color. The latter is used for shutters, railings, and architectural accents. Your door can fall into this third category OR you can select a fourth color that is used solely for the front door.
Consider your landscape. Are there dominant colors in your landscaping? Working with these colors and highlighting a particular favorite color that appears in your geography or planted landscape can also be a good way to select your front door color.
Consider feng shui. While feng shui comes to us by way of China, there are interesting similarities between the color rules used by this specific design code and rules from other cultures. For example, blues are thought to represent peace and tranquility. Red doors are typically considered “welcoming”, which is why early-American homes often had red doors. A red door let wayfaring travelers know they could stop, enjoy a meal and stay the night along their journey. If you are seriously interested in feng shui, the direction your door faces will also determine your color options. You can read more about it in this article by feng shui expert, Rodika Tchi.
Take a peek at the neighbors. No, I don’t advocate keeping up with the Joneses, but your neighborhood has its own style and (hopefully) synergy as well. For this reason, I do recommend you try to select a color that blends somewhat with your neighborhood’s collective environment.
Be trendy. Not surprisingly, exterior paint colors don’t trend as frequently as interior paint colors and with good reason, right? Nobody wants to repaint the exterior of their home more often than necessary since it is cost and labor intensive. However, there are broad trends and, right now, deeper and darker colors like blues, grays and slates and woody taupes are popular.
Throw caution to the wind. Have you always wanted to go completely wild and paint your front door an atypical color? Why not do it? The good news about painting a front door is that it’s easy to repaint if you aren’t happy with it. There’s no reason why you can’t try something more daring as long as it still works with your existing exterior paint colors.

Shopping For Patio Furniture

November 11, 2018

April showers bring May flowers, right? That’s what we’re hoping for here in the Kristina Wolf Design studio anyway. While we’re thrilled about all the rain our state has absorbed this year, we’re ready to turn our sites on sunshiny weather – and that means more time spent in backyards and patios.

If you haven’t shopped for patio furniture lately, you might experience a bit of sticker shock; it’s an investment. Even lower-end products sold in big box gardening shops have whopping price tags. For this reason, I recommend saving up until you’re able to splurge on higher-quality products made by well-established brands. The right choice will yield furniture that lasts decades, and that beats spending money every year to replace cheaper, worn out versions.

7 Tips for Purchasing Patio Furniture

Here are 7 tips to help you make the right investment for your outdoor lifestyle.

Get your priorities straight

What are you purchasing the furniture for? This will dictate which pieces you buy. Do you dine outdoors on a regular basis? If so, a larger dining table and chairs makes sense. If not, a smaller café table with chairs will suffice and the rest of your furniture can be mix-and-match chairs and a couple of ottomans that also serve as tables or additional seating as needed.

Are you a lounger and/or is your backyard the go-to space for cocktail hour or morning coffee? In that case, a couch (which can always be pulled up to a table) and a chaise lounge or two are essential.

Make a list of which furniture gets priority so those pieces make the cut first.

Think about size

You’ll want to think about the square footage of your outdoor area and then make sure your furniture is sized according to the space.

Squeezing too much in, or placing oversized pieces in smaller spaces, yields a crowded and less relaxed energy – and that’s not the idea. Larger patios have room for furniture-style pieces while a smaller patio should feature perimeter benches and lower profile tables and chairs.

Try them on for comfort

Never purchase patio furniture you haven’t tried out on your own. Like bar stools or dining room chairs, you should be able to sit down and remain in place for at least a minute or two, so you’re absolutely sure you’re making a comfortable choice. The last thing you want is a chair that pinches thighs, tables that are too high or too low for eating or project comfort, or chair arms that are too skinny to actually support a real life arm. Don’t forget to check out adjustable chaise lounge positions to make sure the angles are all comfortable – and that you can access a completely prone position for lounging on your tummy.

Consider all-weather and storage options

Materials definitely matter for a few reasons. First, you don’t want to purchase a sturdy and heavy wrought-iron set if you’re planning to rearrange furniture on a regular basis, or if you’re going to be storing them seasonally as they are cumbersome to lift and maneuver. Similarly, you shouldn’t purchase weather-vulnerable wood furniture unless you’re committed to sealing them each year before the wet weather kicks into gear. Look for patio pieces that are inherently weather resistant and/or that are coated with high-quality protective coatings to extend their lifetime.

Really think about your outdoor lifestyle, weather you’re going to be storing furniture or not, how often it will be moved around, and the climate where you live. If you are planning to store it, have you narrowed selections to those that fold, stack or come apart easily for space efficiency? Answers to these questions will narrow your options in regards to materials and maintenance requirements.

Figure out which material makes the most sense for you

Those brand new plastic or acrylic pieces look amazing in the store, and the price may feel right, but you’re guaranteed to need new furniture within five years. Rule of thumb: always purchase from established brands to make sure you’re fully satisfied.

So, that leads to an analysis of higher-quality materials.

Wrought-iron. Beautiful and long lasting. Also very heavy and can be ruthless when it comes to stubbed toes and shins. Look for powder-coated, UV-resistant finishes, rust-proof hardware, and seamless welds.
Aluminum. Yields a high-quality look but is much lighter-weight. Again, you’re looking for powder-coated, UV-resistant finishes, rust-proof hardware, and seamless welds.
Recycled plastics or polymers. Unlike the cheaper plastic options, these are thick, heavy and durable. Consumers also like the rounded and more sculpted (mid-century modern) style available from these moldable materials. Look for UV-stabilizing pigments to prevent fading.
Wood. Only purchase patio furniture made from denser wood such as eucalyptus, teak or Shorea wood (looks like teak but is much cheaper). Almost all other wood products need to be sealed every year – and the reality is that most homeowners don’t do it. Look for wood furniture that isn’t glued together.

Purchase covers or a stylish storage shed

Even the most weather-resistant patio furniture materials last longer when it’s protected. If you aren’t planning on storing furniture, purchase heavy-duty covers from the manufacture so they fit well.

Pay attention to warranty information

Do pay attention to warranty information, particularly information pertaining to the furniture’s structural integrity. While paint and coatings are relatively easy to replace, your furniture’s structure should come with respectable warranty protection so you can rest easy – physically, mentally and financially.

Comfortable, high-quality patio furniture is the foundation for years of outdoor memory making with family and friends. Designing an outdoor living space that suits your interests and lifestyles – optimizes your outdoor space.