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Sugar Editorial Picks
Do You Have a Swing on Your Property?
Lately I am loving swings hung indoors, like the one in Padma Lakshmi's home. But really nothing beats an old swing hung from a sturdy tree outside. I love the idle oscillation of a heavy wooden bench.
Name This Tree
I spotted this tree, which had been trained along a fence to grow low and long, instead of tall and bushy, at the Sunset magazine kitchen garden. This tree yields delicious Mediterranean fruit, and doesn't grow in colder climates. Can you guess what it is?
How-To: Dispose of Your Christmas Tree
Unless you have an artificial Christmas tree or none at all, you'll need to safely dispose of your live tree after the holidays. First things first: Don't burn it in your fireplace! This can contribute to creosote buildup in your chimney, and most Christmas trees will dangerously pop and spark in a fire.
Midday Muse: Alternative Christmas Trees
I simply adore this alternative two-dimensional Christmas tree made by All the Luck in the World out of useless but pretty objects she's collected over the years. It's a work of pure genius, absolutely beautiful . .
Guess What Type of Tree This Is?
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is eight tons and 72 feet tall. Can you tell me what type of evergreen it is?
Have You Decorated Your Tree Yet?
Some families head out to the tree farm or the neighborhood tree lot the day after Thanksgiving. We usually wait for the first weekend of December to find our perfect tannenbaum. Have you, like 30 Rock's Tracy Jordan, found your tree and decked it out yet?
Fall Garden: Scarlet Jewell Maple
If, like me, one of your favorite parts of Fall is taking in the gorgeous colors of leaves, you might want to consider purchasing trees for your yard that are known for their Fall colors. For instance, if you love brilliant, fiery red tones, you might want to check out the Scarlet Jewell, a variety of maple tree that gives you bright red color typically two weeks ahead of other maple trees. Growing to a height of 70 feet and a width of 30 feet, its leaves are dark green in the Summer, and it grows in zones 3-7, preferring moist, slightly acidic soil.
Midday Muse: Rogue Knitters Strike Again
Remember when I told you about the woman who knitted sweaters for trees? Seems like someone in my neighborhood was inspired by her work. I found this well-bundled tree outside of a cafe in Berkeley.
Steal of the Day: Gump's Branch Lamp
For those of you who, like me, don't mind a little of the forest setting up shop in your living room, then this Gump's Branch Lamp (normally $495, on sale for $294.99) is a find indeed. Exclusive to the store, this floor lamp adds a hint of nature to your home without screaming trendy. This delicate sapling of a lamp is hand cast from brass with realistic bark detailing and a dark bronze finish.
Artist of the Day: Carol Hummel
An overt sign that the growing crochet trend has been taken to new heights, literally, is artist Carol Hummel's Tree Cozy. As part of a two-year exhibition of eight works by sculptors in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Hummel crocheted a cozy with brightly colored nylon and synthetic material for a tree in front of Cleveland Heights City Hall, which wouldn't impede "the growth of the tree or [harm] wildlife." In her artist statement, Hummel refers to the tree cozy as "an emphatically handmade blanket representing femininity and comfort" which covers "a natural object representing masculinity and strength," a piece that personifies the tree "keeping it cozy and colorful throughout the year, enhancing the beauty of nature," and evokes "memories of bygone times and places when life was good," as well as "softens the strong tree form while also emphasizing it."
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