Book Review: Gardenista: The Definitive Guide to Outdoor Spaces, by Michelle Slatalla

One of our favorite websites for home inspiration is Remodelista: Sourcebook for Considered Living.  Its companion website, Gardenista: Sourcebook for Cultivated Living, appeals to our outdoor aesthetic, with posts on garden style, plants, seeds, projects, indoor gardens, outdoor gardens and more.

Michelle Slatalla, editor-in- chief of the website has produced a new book, Gardenista: The Definitive Guide to Outdoor Spaces which explores the premise that our homes’ outdoor spaces can, and should be as welcoming and carefully considered as our living rooms and that when treated as extensions of our homes, these spaces enrich our lives.

The book includes beautifully photographed tours of twelve different gardens; planting guides for a variety of climates; studies of more than a dozen outdoor structures including some remarkable chicken and lots of design ideas and do-it-yourself projects.

The book explores gardens as wells as accessories and furnishings, offering horticultural advice in terms of color and climate.  This is a superb book, with artful color photographs and innovative gardening ideas using real homes and it’s inspirational in the true sense: you feel that many of the ideas are within your reach.

Image via Gardenista

Garden Recipe: Fig and Bleu Bites

Figs. Blue. Sweet. Savory.

What about those four words together doesn’t sound like a mashup you want to eat and with which you want to ply your guests?  We have a struggling little fig tree that provides about enough figs to make three tablespoons of fig preserves. Sometimes more, but at least figs are here this time of year and waiting for you to use them.

These are easy, so good, and you can even buy the fig preserves instead of making them.  This recipe makes about 3 dozen.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 ounces Point Reyes Original Blue cheese (or something equally as wonderful), crumbled
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Fig preserves, about 3 Tablespoons

RECIPE:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the flour, butter, blue cheese and a few grinds of black pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the dough just comes together and starts to form a ball.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times. Roll out to 1/8 inch thick with a floured rolling pin, wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for about an hour.

Cut 1” rounds out of the dough with a floured cutter and transfer the rounds to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Using the back of a round half-teaspoon measure or your knuckle, make an indentation in the top of each dough round. Spoon about ¼ teaspoon of fig preserves into each indentation, using your finger to push the preserves as best as possible into the indentations.

Bake the savories for 10 – 14 minutes, until the preserves are bubbling and the pastry is light golden on the bottom. Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool. You can make these a day ahead and keep them in two layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container.

Garden Cocktails: End of Summer

Leaving summer behind is always a little bittersweet, but apples are making their way into the farmer’s markets and this refreshing cocktail lets us hold on to our sweet summer months while looking into the face of autumn.

END OF SUMMER
Makes 1 cocktail

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 oz. Karlsson vodka, or other potato vodka
• 2 oz. fresh apple cider
• Dash simple syrup
• Pinch of celery salt
• 3 dashes celery bitters
• Juice of one lime

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients over ice, shake and strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a celery salt rim.

Photo Credit:

Creative Commons, 20141109-OC-LSC-0011 by U.S. Department of Agriculture, is licensed under CC by 2.0
Creative Commons, celery salt by Jax House, is licensed under CC by 2.0

The Clay Authority: Protecting Terracotta

As a fifth generation Californian, it’s easy for me to take beautiful weather and sunny, sandy beaches for granted, I also realize that for most of the country, this time of year presents some concerns when it comes to taking care of your garden and terracotta planters

Two years ago I wrote an article for Eye of the Day entitled “How it Works: Frost Proof Terra Cotta”. The big take away from this article are the two words “vitrify” and “porosity” that are of particular interest to those of you from areas concerned with freeze/thaw issues, due to the porosity of certain clay used to make planters.

The following month I continued with “Terra Cotta Transformations”, bringing the reader into the realm of technical ceramics by explaining what exactly happens with clay during its firing cycle.

Freeze/thaw can be viewed as synonymous with expansion/contraction. But there are also many reasons to want to waterproof pottery. Although waterproofing and frost proofing pottery both pertain to porosity, frost proofing also deals with extreme temperatures.

So as we begin to move into winter and we consider protecting our garden pottery investments, here are a few things to think about:

Protection from Frost and Cold:
If you need to protect your terra cotta from freezing, either move it inside, cover the planter (and the plants), and definitely do not over water, or if possible, don’t water at all.  A quick test for the pottery itself would be to ask the dealer where you purchased the planters if they have any pot shards. Use them to test the durability of the pottery by soaking them in water, then put them in your freezer for a day or two. If it hasn’t cracked, take it directly from the freezer and put the shard in the sun. You’ll learn about the quality of your investment.

Waterproofing Terracotta:
If your concern is waterproofing your pottery, the research is simple to find a myriad of products on the market these days to seal low fire pottery (especially for tile). If it’s high fire then you don’t have to worry about water leeching through, especially if it’s been glazed.

Let’s all settle in for what always proves to be an elegant, sometimes challenging, yet always amazing time of year—Winter!

And if you ever have any technical questions about garden pottery, feel free to consult with me through EOD.

Change in the Garden:  What To Plant in the Fall Garden

It’s that time of year where the weather gets a little cooler, we get some rain (maybe less in California), and changes are made in the garden. Eye of the Day interviews some plant experts on their Fall favorite plantings and best tips for the garden.

Alison Walker, a Texas native who recently moved to California, has worked with plants and nurseries for over six years. She is excited to be living in a cooler climate and to get to plant all her recommendations below.

What to Plant:

Herbs:

• Cilantro
• Chamomile
• Lemon Balm
• Mints
• Parsley
• French Tarragon

Veggies:

• Cabbages
• Lettuces
• Carrots
• Brussels Sprouts
• Kohlrabi
• Turnips
• Kale

Edible Blooms:

• Purslane
• Nasturtiums
• Oxalis
• Calendula

Evergreens:

• Lavender
• Rosemary
• Sages
• Thyme

Regular Garden Maintenance:

• Add and Remove plants per climate requirements
• Prune blooms and harvest bigger leaves on plants like Basil
• Plant or deadhead Marigolds to act as deterrent for bugs
• Fertilize, compost, and mulch as necessary
• Replace and refresh any leggy leaves

Mimi Richardson is our resident succulent expert but grew up around all types of plants. She has worked at nurseries across the central coast. These are here tips for your Fall garden.

 What to Plant:

Grasses:

• Fountain Grass
• Mondo
• Carex

Blooming Plants

• Coprosma
• Easter Lily
• Cotoneaster
• Gazania
• Strawflower
• Proteas

Other Recommendations:

• You can be more hands off in the garden at this time of year
• No Fruit Trees
• Succulents are always a good idea
• Have fun with fall containers and arrangements with:
  • Pumpkins, Warted Pumpkins
  • Artichokes
  • Oranges
  • Decorative Corn
  • Decorative Gourd
  • Butternut Squash
  • Ferns
  • Pomegranates
  • Celosia

Adrian Nunez is a Nurseryman at Seaside Gardens in Carpinteria, CA. He has focused on the retail side at Seaside for the last five years but has worked with wholesale nurseries for 17 years. He gives his best recommendations and tips for the Fall season.

No. 1 Tip for the Fall:  The most important and fundamental thing is to prepare your soil.  Get rid of weeds. Know your soil health, does it have enough nutrients? Use a soil tester that you can get at any garden store. Does it need nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium? Dig at least six inches into the soil, loosen it up a bit, and add organic components. Before you plant anything, know your soil.

What to plant?

• Bulbs
• California natives
• Shrubs
• Vegetables: broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, radish, spinach, kale

What to look for in buying plants?

• Check the laTbels, what size will it get in terms of height and spread. Check the growing information and know the size.
• Take the time to find the best shape plant. Look at it for health.
• Look for plants that haven’t bloomed yet—better chance of surviving transplants.

What to consider for water?

• Once you’re done planting, mulch the area to reduce water loss. If we end up not getting any rain, just do a once-a-week deep watering which will further prevent water loss.
• In case we get water, do it every other week and reduce watering depending on how much rain we get.

Any other common FAQs for Fall gardens

• When is the right time? Plant at end of October, early November. Ground is still warm enough to plant even with cooler weather.
• What’s going to bloom through Fall? Rudbeckia, Coreopsis, ornamental grasses, Red Hot Poker or Kniphofia
• Other tips? Feed plants now if you haven’t already done so in the summer. Good season for feeding.

Photo Credits:
Creative Commons, mint by yoppy is licensed under CC by 2.0
Creative Commons, brussel sprouts on stalks by Nick Saltmarsh is licensed under CC by 2.0 
Creative Commons, sage by Isaac Wedin is licensed under CC by 2.0 
Creative Commons,  starr-120403-4187-Carex_buchananii-habit-Kula-Maui by Forest and Kim Starr is licensed under CC by 2.0 
Creative Commons, Protea. by Mark Freeth is licensed under CC by 2.0 
Creative Commons, farmersmarket09095 by Kel and Val is licensed under CC by 2.0 
Creative Commons, Kale by Clyde Robinson is licensed under CC by 2.0 
Creative Commons, Red Hot Pokers by Ian Parkes is licensed under CC by 2.0 

Today, Eye of the Day interviews Lisa Cox of Lisa Cox Landscape Design on a recent project in Los Olivos, California. Lisa is a designer we love to work with and it’s always a joy when she stops by the showroom sourcing decor for her designs. As the season slowly transitions into Fall here in California, this Before and After project is a sign of good change to come.

Eye of the Day: Tell us a little about yourself and this project.

Lisa Cox:  My company, Lisa Cox Landscape Design, tackles residential projects exclusively in the Santa Ynez Valley. After moving here 3 years ago, I could see there was most definitely a need for Landscape Designers in our area.  Since I was the new gal in town, I started slowly with residences in my area and a few Tasting Rooms in Los Olivos, and then that was a great boost for my business.

This particular project in Los Olivos was a European Farmhouse that needed a face lift. Considering the property was already a stunner, it was a delight to tackle the project.

EOTD: What was your client’s goal for this particular garden?
LC: The client wanted to completely rework the front garden to create a more traditional plant palette of roses and boxwood in tandem with drought tolerant plants that do well in the Santa Ynez Valley such as rosemary, lavender and olive trees. We think the outcome was very pleasant, and works well with her charming residence.

EOTD: What was your initial vision for this garden? 

LC: My initial vision was to recreate something you would see in Provence, France. Since the homeowner considers France their second home, it was even more of an inspiration to help with that “look.”

After removing most of the original planters, we created areas of interest such as a rose garden, shade garden, and sun drenched beauty garden!

EOTD: Were there any unique problems that came up during the design or installation?

LC: I think the biggest challenge was correctly reworking the existing irrigation system for the newly planted areas, and using good sized plants to create an “Instant yard.” The design phase was easy since the homeowner is a very gifted interior designer with a good eye. A great collaboration.

EOTD: What would you describe as your garden design aesthetic and how do you work with your client’s own vision for the landscape?

LC: Each project I tackle starts with the needs and wants of the client. Sometimes, their input is great, and other times, I am allowed complete freedom to create what I think will work for not only the style of their home, but function, flow and of course, aesthetics. As I start to design, it all seems to come together with time.

Before I start a design, I send out a list of questions for the client to answer that entails how they will use the space being created, substrate choices, and plant choices that appeal to them. This usually guarantees I can design freely knowing I am in line with their vision for their home.

EOTD: For the pottery, why these particular pieces? 

LC: The vintage Greek oil jar was a perfect fit to blend both a traditional and Mediterranean look with a touch of rustic created by the aging finishes Eye of the Day offers.

EOTD: What was your favorite part of this project and design?

LC: Most definitely working with the homeowner and creating a vision that not only gave her a little piece of France, but also how the end result screams Santa Ynez Valley and all our glory here in wine country.

To view more of Lisa’s work, visit Lisa Cox Landscape Design or her Facebook page.

Photo Credits: Rich Cox Photography