FURNITURE

Coastal tends to be more casual, so I prefer sofas without skirts and open-armed chairs with a natural wood finish. You don’t want furnishings to be fully upholstered and skirted and heavy. Mix it up and keep things personal: pair caned or bobbin-armed chairs with your grandmother’s reupholstered side chairs.

For more information and inspiration, visit donnaelle.com

@donnaelledesign

Feeling indecisive?

Try this color experiment…

Meander in a paint store and select four colors from the display that speak to you. Don’t think about why you like them—just go with it.

Purchase sample sizes in latex flat (and get a few foam brushes—no need to invest in a fancy brush for this exercise).

Stroke the pigment on a piece of 8 x 10 in. (or larger, if you desire) mixed-media paper or foam core.

Hang these sample boards in a light-filled space and live with them for a few days. See how the color interacts with the light as it changes throughout the day.

When you’ve found your color, seek out a tiredlooking room in your home that could benefit from a fresh coat of paint. Paint a wall, niche, or woodwork in the room.

We are your local, full time, year-round REALTOR® team. lapsleymartinteam@compass.com www.LapsleyMartinTeam.com

@LapsleyMartinTeam @CapeCodProperties

Heritage Museums & Gardens is a 100-acre property in Sandwich that has much to offer visitors, from the museum’s collection of antique cars and Wampanoag history to art exhibits and special events throughout the year. Perhaps the most impressive feature of all, however, is the gardens themselves. Here, two collections of plant species are so magnificent that they have their own festivals every spring and summer.

In New England, rhododendrons flower from late May into mid-June. The rhododendron collection at Heritage was started by textile magnate Charles Owen Dexter, who owned the property from 1921 to 1943. It was continued by J.C. Cowles, the Dexter estate superintendent, into the 1960s.

Dexter began collecting and hybridizing rhododendrons, striving to create new varieties with the heartiness to survive in New England. Some of his varietals showcase color, like ‘Dexter’s Avondale,’ which flowers in a deep red; others spotlight fragrance, like ‘Dexter’s Spice.’ There are over 150 varieties—‘True Treasure,’ ‘Peppermint,’ ‘Apple Blossom,’ ‘Scintillation,’ and ‘Honeydew’ are just a few—as well as unnamed cultivars.

You can walk the gardens and see thousands of rhododendrons. Some are over 100 years old and tower above you as tall as trees. It’s truly magical to walk the meandering pathways through a shifting palette of pink, white, peach, purple, and red.

RHODODENDRON FESTIVAL begins May 30th.

Heritage Museums & Gardens

67 Grove St., Sandwich heritagemuseumsandgardens.org

Hydrangeas bloom on the Cape from early July through September. Most people have heard of ‘Endless Summer’ or ‘Nikko Blue’ hydrangeas as they are staples of our region’s summer landscape. Their big, beautiful mop-head flowers bloom in pinks, blues, and even purples depending on the soil pH.

But these are only two of over 155 species and cultivars that can be seen in Heritage’s Hydrangea Display Garden. Created in partnership with the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society in 2010, it expands with new plants each year. Also not to be missed is the North American Hydrangea Test Garden, established in 2016 and designed by Horticulture Director Les Lutz. Here you will find new hybrid varieties being grown and studied under the leadership of horticulturist Dr. Michael Dirr, author of over 300 well-known scientific publications.

Seeing the hydrangeas against the backdrop of Heritage’s already impressive gardens is truly eye candy. Giant pompoms in gorgeous shades of pink, blue, purple, white, and lime green entice as they develop, explode into bloom, and even as they fade. Flower details range from lace-capped and frilly edged to solid colored and variegated. Leaves can be smooth, serrated, or oakleaf shaped. My personal favorites are lace-capped ‘Jogasaki,’ an oakleaf hydrangea called ‘Snowflake,’ and a new test garden cultivar called ‘Froggie.’ capecodandtheislandsmag.com

The collection is impressive and will immediately inspire you to go home and work in your own garden. You can even purchase plants on your way out.

HYDRANGEA FESTIVAL

July 8th - 17th

Heritage Museums & Gardens

67 Grove St., Sandwich heritagemuseumsandgardens.org

Other Hydrangea Fest events Cape-wide capecodhydrangeafest.com