Last week Kathy Sandel shared her former garden in Calabasas, California, and today we’re back visiting her current garden in Sacramento:
27.11.2023 - 10:18 / thespruce.com / Sarah Lyon
If you're lucky enough to have a fireplace mantel in your home, you won't want to miss out on the opportunity to decorate it this holiday season and create a beautiful display that the whole family will enjoy.
If you're wondering where to get started when it comes to outfitting your mantel so that it appears stylish and festive, you'll want to keep the following tips from pro designers top of mind.
Below, four experts share some of their favorite mantel styling techniques, ranging from the kinds of greenery they like to use to the unexpected colors they look forward to decorating with year after year.
Before you head to the store, look outdoors for some inspiration. There are many natural elements that will look beautiful on your mantel this holiday season; use these as a foundation for your vignette.
Lindsey Gregg, a designer with Big Sky Design in Wilmington, North Carolina, enjoys draping a live magnolia or cedar garland across her mantel and then threading felt ribbon through the greenery and tying bows to the corners. Best of all, this project is easy and affordable, she explains.
«Ribbon comes in so many different colors, is easily accessible, and can be reused year after year,» Gregg says. «I'll often use that same felt ribbon as a garland on my Christmas tree.»
Keep in mind that you don't have to embrace bright reds and other loud Christmasy hues if your aesthetic leans more neutral.
«I love to decorate mine with winter decor rather than holiday-specific pieces,» notes Michelle Gage, the founder of Michelle Gage Interior Design in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
For example, the designer says, to consider displaying glass or bottle brush trees that are icy blue, silver, or white in hue. To mix things up, Gage
Last week Kathy Sandel shared her former garden in Calabasas, California, and today we’re back visiting her current garden in Sacramento:
I have stored my seeds in many ways—in jars, in plastic storage containers, in used bubble mailers, in cute “binder” gift books, in Ziploc bags. Keeping seeds organized can be a challenge, especially when you grow an extensive vegetable garden. There’s the question of how to organize and categorize. But did you know that your seed storage conditions can also affect the viability and germination rate of your seeds? In this article, I’m going to share some tips on how to keep seeds and container options for storing them.
Seed saving is the art of collecting the seed from your crop and using it in subsequent seasons to grow new plants. Even if you save only small quantities of a few crops, understanding more about the life cycle, breeding tendencies, and botany of your crops will help you manage and care for them more effectively.
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Tips for Growing Strawberry Geraniums Outdoors
While some may be familiar with Japanese sacred lily (Rohdea japonica, Zones 6–10), Rohdea pachynema is an uncommon species that is indeed a Rohdea less traveled. Found only in the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan, it is an intriguing member of the Asparagaceae family that is slowly becoming more available to gardeners. It was formerly known as Campylandra sinensis or C. pachynema, but recent DNA work has moved it into the genus Rohdea, whose name commemorates German botanist Michael Rohde. We can find no documented common name for this species, so we have dubbed it “yellow thread rohdea” since pachynema means “thick thread” (referring to the colored central stripe on the leaves).
While growing plants from seed is less expensive, it does require extra steps when compared to growing plants or starts from your local garden center.
Would you like to maximise your cantaloupe harvest? This list of good companion plants for cantaloupe will help you give your plants the best chance of thriving and fruiting.
While these plants can take the cold, they may need special care to thrive in certain environments. Follow these guidelines to ensure that your hardy cacti and succulents last for years to come.
‘Marian Sampson’ hummingbird coyote mint
Deck the halls with boughs of holly—or don’t. Decorating for the holidays the traditional way, with lights, wreaths, and a tree full of ornaments, isn’t for everyone. If you want to bring the seasonal spirit into your home without dragging boxes of holiday knick-knacks out of storage, you’re in luck. There are plenty of ways to get your home feeling festive, and not a single bough of holly is necessary. To learn how to execute a holiday-inspired home design—one without Santas or stockings—we tapped designer Gideon Mendelson for his expert advice.
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