CasaSugar

Cool Idea: A Car Turned Planter

CasaSugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:12:37 -0700

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Having a Green Thumb Could Give You a Red Rash

FitSugar — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:25:01 -0700

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RHS Chelsea Flower Show Opens Today

CasaSugar — Mon, 18 May 2009 09:28:02 -0700

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Cool Idea: Kartell/Philippe Starck Topiary Garden

CasaSugar — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:13:43 -0700

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Su Casa: Hanako66's Backyard Makeover

CasaSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:30:25 -0700

Su Casa member Hanako66 recently put in a lot of work to make her yard and garden shine.

She writes,

These pictures were unfortunately not taken in the spring when everything was in bloom, but will give you an idea of what our yard looks like. I still really need patio chairs too! When my husband and I moved in, the yard was completely dirt. We installed all irrigation, plant material, grass, and our pavers all on our own. My husband even built me a planter for my garden! The only item that we contracted out was our concrete.

I'm impressed by the amount of work Hanako66 and her hubby did. All of that landscaping and building adds up to a lot of weekends! For more pictures of her beautiful outdoor space, read more.

Do you have a home update to share? Then join Su Casa!

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Photographer to Watch: William Wright

CasaSugar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 04:30:02 -0700

Seattle-based photographer William Wright contributed the lush shots in the book Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways, which documented secondary living spaces around the US. Wright's talents extend far beyond the backyard, though. A commercial photographer since 1984, Wright specializes in architectural and garden photography, and has been commissioned for projects by architects, authors, and interior designers. He has a talent for capturing tiny, compelling details in a room, while also bringing out the best in exterior home shots. Take a look at the gallery for some of my favorite shots from Wright.

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Before and After: My Garden's Blooming!

CasaSugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 05:30:36 -0700

A while ago, I showed you how to build a garden box and plant it.

Here's how my garden first looked after I planted seeds and seedlings in it.

To see how it's growing, read more.

It's definitely taking off! I had to add a trellis to support some vining cucumbers and peas, and will have to add more supports for my vining plants soon.

While this garden may look chaotic, I've found that planting a variety of veggies and herbs and flowers in one space has a number of advantages. First, you can group more plants into a small space, depending on whether they're growing up (peas) out (squash) or down (beets). Also, by mixing up plants, there's less of a chance of them all getting attacked by insects or a disease. And finally, when I pull up a row of beets or cut off a head of lettuce, I can immediately put in another seedling or row of seeds to replace that part of the garden that's been used.

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Su Casa: This Garden Is Coming Up Roses

CasaSugar — Mon, 12 May 2008 07:45:54 -0700

Even though Good to Grow month is over, I couldn't let a technicality like that prevent me from sharing some photos of SweetpeasMom's lovely flower garden.

She writes,

This is a little area on my back deck. SweetPea couldn't stay out of the picture. On the left on the deck are two miniature rose plants and then some white flowers I don't remember the name of. On the right side on the deck is a pot with tulips (which didn't bloom this year... so far... that's wishful thinking for you!) and it also has strawberries growing in it. . . . And I don't know the names for any of the flowers along the top, I got them all because they were different shades of purple and I wanted color out there. We had a stormy night a few nights ago, and it kind of beat them all up. I don't know if they'll come back, but I'll keep them there until I'm sure they're dead. (Again, wishful thinking!!) I didn't get a picture of it, but I planted some jasmine this year off of the deck and I'm hoping it will grow up through the lattice.

Anyone know the name of any of these other flowers? Be sure to also check out the gallery for the pretty shots of SweetpeasMom's roses. Want to share your photos? Here's how to join Su Casa.

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Cool Idea: Living Wall Systems

CasaSugar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:30:00 -0700

To kick off Earth Day here on Casa, I thought I'd show you a very cool way to bring a little green into a cramped-for-space home or garden. The ELT Easy Green Living Wall ($39 - $249) is a modular-living wall panel that you can buy pregrown or that you can plant on your own. Made of 100-percent recyclable plastic, it is environmentally friendly, not to mention aesthetically pleasing. A vertical garden of sorts, it's a great option for those lacking green space, but it also has a wonderful, modern visual quality that I've seen nowhere else. Each Living Wall looks unique, as its appearance all depends on which plants are used. There are numerous ways to use Living Walls; you can take a traditional route, using it as decor (like a planter), give it function, using it as a fence, or take a modern approach, livening up an exterior wall, as shown. What do you think? Would you buy one (or several)? I kind of want one . . .

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Su Casa: Lovely Garden Colors

CasaSugar — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:00:41 -0700

Recently, Rubiesymusica wrote about the transformation of her home's outdoor space with the coming of Spring. She wrote, "Usually everything is in full bloom by Easter, but the lack of rain has pushed it back by two or three weeks. The lilies are starting to bloom, but the big pink and purple flowers that line the siding of the house are already gone!"
Do you want to post photos of your home? To join the Su Casa group, just follow this link and click "subscribe" beneath the photo on the lefthand side of the page. Once you're subscribed, click Share in the upper lefthand menu of any TeamSugar page and choose what type of post you want to create. If you have just one photo and some text, create a blog; if you have a gallery you want to share, select photos.

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Cool Idea: Swords Into Ploughshares, Planting the Piece

CasaSugar — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:00:57 -0700

Richmond, VA, artists Christopher Humes and Noah Scalin have taken the Bible literally in their art installation strong>Planting the Piece. The artists interpret the Book of Isaiah quote, "And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks" in a wholly 21^st century - and absolutely inspirational - manner.

The artists molded a 9mm 910 pistol, and then filled the mold with red clay powder, organic humus compost, water, and a seed mixture of annual and perennial flowers, including cornflower, daisies, blazing stars, lupines, poppies, and many other flowers. After these pieces of growable art have been exhibited, they are then planted, sometimes in garden boxes, and sometimes in abandoned city lots. As the "gun" decomposes into the landscape, flowers grow from it, echoing an iconic antiwar image from the '60s.

To find out how you can get your own seed gun or seed bomb, as well as to see a gallery of photos, read more.
In their artist's statement, they write:

Over time and with the appropriate amount of nurturing, the simple act of planting a seed can create life; sustenance and beauty. Applying a dedication to the act, or prayer, we can unite the audience and promote a discussion for change. With our literal sowing of these "swords into plowshares" we visually eliminate the violence from our community and pay respect to the lives lost and affected. . . . And in nurturing the "piece" to flower or fruition we are then committed to change and at the same time giving something back to the community.

To order your own seed gun, seed bomb, or donate to the project, go here.

Source

DIY: Terrarium

CasaSugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:15:31 -0700

Are you longing for Spring green but your backyard is full of snow and mud? Then get some interior green going with an easy-to-make terrarium. (Thanks to Grumpalita for the great photos of her terrariums!)

Supplies

Glass jars with lids. You can find these at thrift stores for hardly any money at all.
gravel
rich potting soil
small, shade-loving plants such as fern, moss, viola, or hosta
spray bottle filled with water

To find out how to make your terrarium, read more

Here are the steps:

Put an inch or two of gravel into any sort of clear glass container.
Add potting soil halfway up the container. You can use a funnel to keep the soil from marring the glass.
Plant flowers and plants such as small ferns, mosses, hosta, violets, or other low-light plants in your terrarium.
Add decorative rocks, glass, or other fun items (I think one or two vintage children's toys look great in these.)
Mist the plants with a your spray bottle.
Cover the terrarium with the lid. Note: You can use a clear glass bowl for a lid as well.
Keep the terrarium in indirect light, and water it only when beads of moisture no longer form on the glass.

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Coveted Crib: A Lush LA Garden

CasaSugar — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 08:45:13 -0800

Actors Brenda Wehle and John Carroll Lynch recently shared their backyard garden retreat with the LA Times.The Sherman Oaks, Calif., home's garden features a lovely pool, grapevines that form a canopy over a breakfast patio, an infinity pool, and native plants.

When Wehle and Lynch moved into the home four years ago, they were confronted with a less than thrilling prospect for outdoor living, including a leaky, outdated pool that was surrounded by concrete, a tall wall along the property line, and a monoculture, water-heavy lawn. Working with Marilee Kuhlmann of Los Angeles-based Comfort Zones Garden Design, the couple transformed an uninspiring lawn and pool into a serenity-filled lush garden. Ornamental grasses, Mediterranean olive trees, native shrubs and perennials, and low-water, low-maintenance ground covers replaced the lawn, while an infinity swimming pool took the place of the leaky old one.

Check out a few of the pictures below, and then read the whole article here.

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Cool Idea: Edible Estates

CasaSugar — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 09:06:07 -0700

Tired of a turf lawn? Maybe just tired of all the water it takes to keep the thing green? Then maybe it's time to try Edible Estates, an experimental project by Fritz Haeg, a Los Angeles architect, The project pushes the idea that lawns, which are, in many parts of the world, unnatural groundcover, should be replaced with native plants and edible crops.

Edible Estates have been built in Maplewood, New Jersey, Salina, Kansas, Lakewood, California, and London, England, among other places, and have been funded by donations, museums, and grants. The next Edible Estate will be built in Austin, Texas, over the weekend of March 14th - 16th, 2008.

To see a gorgeous gallery of edible estate photos, and to find out how to apply for your own Edible Estate, just read more

To find out how to get into the running for the Austin Edible Estate, check out this posting.

Any inspired gardeners out there want to make your own Edible Estate?
Source

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