Spring 2012 Home & Garden Special

Backyard decorating/D7

Put a vine anywhere/D12

BUILDERS TOUR OF HOMES

Spring

Included with this special section

A N D

HOME GARDEN THE GLOBE GAZETTE

THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012

JEFF HEINZ/The Globe Gazette

Spring has brought forth colorful flowers across North Iowa. Our annual Spring Home & Garden section is packed with ideas for flower and vegetable gardens and decorating ideas for indoors and out.

Mini hostas’ popularity growing “There’s a trend right now for miniature gardens,” Spece said.

Mini hostas, which have a leaf hen it comes to hostas, great things area of 6 square inches or less come in small pack- and are no more than 6 inches tall, are perfect for those who ages, according to live in the city and don’t have a Joshua Spece, co-owner of In the Country Garden and Gifts in lot of room to grow things, according to Spece.

Independence.

“You can have an entire hosta Mini hostas are very popular at the moment, he said during a garden on your patio or deck,” he said. recent gardening seminar at Mini hostas tend to get lost North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City co-spon- among bigger plants, so a lot of people reserve an area just for sored by Iowa State University them, according to Spece.

Master Gardeners.

By MARY PIEPER

mary.pieper@globegazette.com

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He said they work well in rock gardens, or fairy gardens with miniature accessories.

“There are so many fun possibilities,” Spece said.

Mini hostas also are fun to grow in containers, according to Spece. He said you should move potted hostas into an unheated garage or shed during the winter.

Hostas can grow in any kind of soil, from pure sand to pure clay, as long as they get enough moisture, according to Spece.

Hostas don’t have to grow in complete shade, but they do

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need shade during the hottest part of the day, from late morning to mid-afternoon.

Too much sun can cause blue varieties to turn green, but a little sun is good for golden hostas, according to Spece.

“It’s a balancing act,” he said.

You should break up the soil so it is nice and loose before planting hostas, according to Spece.

He said he likes to use wood chip mulch because it holds in moisture.

See HOSTAS, D5

D2• THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012

SPRING HOME & GARDEN

Page Editor: Webb Cole • GLOBE GAZETTE

KEY TO DESIGN OF SOLAR HOME IS SOUTH-FACING WINDOWS —

Catching sun’s rays saves on energy bills

By MARY PIEPER mary.pieper@globegazette.com

solar home can save money on heating and cooling and help the environment with little additional construction cost, according to Dennis White, a Charles City building designer.

The design of a solar home follows the sun’s path through the day, said White, owner of D.A. White Residential Designs.

“It’s really quite logical,” he said.

The key is south-facWhite ing windows that catch the sun’s rays during the winter.

During the summer, overhangs, awnings or shutters prevent heat gain through those windows.

If you are building a new home and want to take advantage of solar energy, you need to find a site that has clear exposure to the sun on the south side, according to White. He said you need to make sure there aren’t trees or other obstructions such as tall buildings that will block the sun.

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WHITE SUGGESTS having almost everything on the first floor of the house. He also recommends a long, narrow design to maximize exposure to the sun.

You don’t have to build a new home to take advantage of solar energy, according to White.

“It’s very doable to reuse a building,” he said.

If you are going to remodel your existing house or buy a home and remodel it, you need to check for southern sun exposure and make sure there isn’t anything in the

Photos courtesy of DENNIS WHITE

Dennis White designed this solar home in rural Cresco. A solar home can save the owner $100 a month on utility bills for six months out of the year, according to White. neighborhood restricting sunlight, according to White.

Then you need to inspect the home to see if it needs new windows or insulation, he said.

Before you buy an existing home, you need to make calculations to see if it would cost more to remodel the house than to build a new one, he said.

The key elements of solar design, which can fit into any building style, are as follows, according to White:

thermal mass materials, such as concrete, brick or stone, used in sunlit floors or walls, store heat during sunny days and release it slowly at night. Dedicated heat storage media, such as water tanks or rockfilled chambers, can also provide thermal mass. In the summer, cooling these materials with ventilation at night allows the thermal mass to help keep the house cool throughout the day.

• CONTAINMENT OF BUILDING HEAT: This • HEAT GAIN requires minimizing air THROUGH SOUTHinfiltration and installing FACING GLASS. To maxi- sufficient insulation in mize heat gain, the long roofs and walls, including axis of the building and basement and crawl space the majority of the winwalls or under floors. dows should face within 15 An air-to-air exchange degrees of south. The sundevice is needed to swap light must strike the intethe stale air inside with rior energy-absorbing fresh air. surfaces.

White said one way an existing home can reap • HEAT STORAGE IN solar energy benefits is to SUNLIT MASS: High

create a sunroom with south-facing glass that can be closed off from the rest of the house at night.

Windows, doors or vents allow heated air from the sunroom to circulate into the house.

At night the sunroom is closed off.

He said this is a good option for people who

“want a more conventional home” with wood floors and carpeting.

A solar home can save the owner $100 a month on utility bills for six months out of the year, according to White.

More than 75 percent of all the power generated in the United States goes to residential housing, so

Garden ‘rooms’ offer variety of pleasures

Gail Robertson (left) of St. Petersburg, Fla., chats with Pam Brown, a University of Florida extension horticulturist, about the several different garden rooms she designed into the yard rather than remodel her house. People increasingly are taking their living outdoors, using their gardens or patios as playgrounds, dining areas and offices, among other things.

By ROSANNE DOMBEK For The Associated Press

ow’s the perfect time for dreaming about your spring and summer garden. Gather up your seed and garden catalogs, take some notes, visit a garden center, let your imagination loose and put a plan on paper.

Choosing one style, though, can be difficult.

Do you want a formal garden, a cottage garden, perhaps herbs mixed in with vegetables and flowers?

Will you grow only culinary herbs, or a combination of culinary, aromatic and decorative?

Well, why not a little of them all?

Consider planting a number of smaller, themed gardens. I did that at my home in Maine, and came to see each one as a room: ••• There was a beautiful knot bench in the TEA GARDEN where I grew chamomile, lemon thyme, sage, yarrow, lemon balm, roses, calendula, bee balm, mint, lemon verbena and several scented geraniums.

The bees loved this garden, and it was a great stressreliever to sit on the bench in the warm sun and listen to the buzz of their activity, inhale the fragrances, and enjoy the garden’s peace and beauty. In the middle of winter, it was possible to sit and recall

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See ROOMS, D8

anything that reduces the amount of fossil fuel used by those homes is good for the environment, he said.

But the benefits of a solar home go beyond that, according to White.

When you walk into a solar home, “your bones are warm and it just makes you feel good,” he said.

AP Photo/Dean Fosdick

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SPRING HOME & GARDEN

THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012 • D3

Lake Earth Days activities continue through Sunday CLEAR LAKE

lear Lake’s Earth Days activities continue through Sunday, April 22.

The Annual Regional Green Expo and Business/Earth Day After Hours will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April

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19, at the Surf Ballroom.

Check out the booths with energy saving ideas for homes as well as booths on wellness, gardening and outdoor adventures.

The expo is sponsored by the Mason City and Clear Lake Area Chambers of Commerce and the

Clear Lake and Mason City Earth Day committees.

Clear Lake’s Community Cleanup will run from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 21, beginning at City Park.

You can sign up by calling Trish at the Chamber

at 641-357-2159 or online at trish@ clearlakeiowa.com.

Bags are available at the Clear Lake Parks and Recreation Department office or at the Chamber prior to Saturday, April 21. or at the park on the day of the cleanup.

M.C. cleanup day set for Saturday ason City’s 19th annual community-wide cleanup and rally held in conjunction with Earth Day and Earth Week is set for Saturday.

Cleanup teams will col-

M

Tips to get your house in shape

By Home and Garden Television

ere are some things to do around your house as weather

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permits: • In the spring you can get away with less light, so swap your high-wattage bulb for a three-way bulb and your room will have a softer feel. Opt for energyefficient CFL-type bulbs, which last longer and can cut down on electric bills.

• Heavy rains plus freezing and thawing can destabilize steppingstones in your yard. Make your space safer this spring by lifting loose stones and adding enough filler to even them out. Sand or stone dust offer better support than soil.

• Take down, clean and store storm windows for the season. Before you install screens for summer, inspect and repair any tears or holes. Install your screens and treat yourself to an early glass of lemonade.

• Skim the bottom of garden ponds to remove fallen leaves and other debris. Get pumps and filters operating again as soon as the weather permits.

• Get rid of old newspapers, pieces of no-longernecessary mail and outdated magazines. Instead of letting things pile up in the future, get a gorgeous basket to put by the door and toss in your outdated papers every day. Shred anything confidential and empty the whole thing often.

• Move your refrigerator away from the wall and vacuum its back coils. This helps the fridge work more efficiently and avoids a fire hazard. Then check the seals by closing the door over a dollar bill. If the bill stays put when you pull it, the seals are tight. If not, adjust the latch or replace the seals.

• Unplug your electronics and use an electrostatic cloth to wipe all surfaces, front, back, underneath and especially the vents.

Once a month, spray compressed air into all crevices of keyboards and disk drawers.

lect trash in designated areas from 9 to 11 a.m. The rally will run from 10 a.m. to noon near Prairie Playground in East Park.

The rally will feature food, music, Earth Dayrelated activities and activity tables for peoples of all ages.

Door prizes include two kids’ bicycles and helmets donated by Walmart.

Youngsters can build mini-solar car kits. Miniwind turbine kits will also be available to demonstrate energy output.

A challenge will be offered to teams to search

for the most unusual litter item. Winners will be determined by the Earth Day Committee. The prize will be a pizza party from Casey’s Carryout Pizza.

Registered teams also will be entered into a drawing for a pool party for up to 60 people at the Mason City Family Aquatic Center.

A category for new teams has been added this year.

“We can always use new teams to help with this community project and we wanted to have a little fun with getting more teams interested in volunteering,” said Earth Day co-chair-

man Todd VonEhwegen.

New teams will be placed in a drawing for a prize to be announced at a later date.

In 2011, 90 teams cleaned up 8,600 pounds of litter at nearly 100 sites.

For more information regarding Earth Day Clean Up visit www.earthdaynorthiowa.org or call the city’s volunteer service coordinator Angie Determan at 641 421-3372 or email her at adeterman @masoncity.net.

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Free paper shredding and recycling will be offered from 8 to 11 a.m.

Recycling of cell phones and MP3 players will be offered from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 21, in the Lakeview Room at the bandshell.

The Festival Fun Run takes off at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 21, for children in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Experience wild critters with “Bird Man” Mike Havlik at a program at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 21, at City Park. The Amazing Planet Maze, free food and games will also be available. Ron Andrews of Clear Lake, a former Iowa Department of Natural Resources staff member, will have a trumpeter swan available for a closeup view.

The National Earth Day Sunrise Walk and Peddle Around the Lake starts at 6 a.m. Sunday, April 22,

from the Lakeview Room.

A Picnic for the Planet will begin at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 22, at Clausen’s Cove on the south shore of Clear Lake. Bring your lunch and enjoy the outdoors. The project is part of an event to set a world record for the most picnics in 24 hours.

Reach Clausen’s Cove on Clear Lake’s south shore at the intersection of 235th Street and Cedar Avenue by driving west on South Shore Drive, south on Dogwood Avenue at Camp Tanglefoot, turn right onto 235th Street and another right on the Cedar Avenue gravel road to the lake.

The 250-acre Clausen’s Cove was donated to The Nature Conservancy after being in the Clausen family since 1891. A natural beach, sedge meadow and oak savannas provide a diverse home to native plants and birds.

D4• THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012

Page Editor: Webb Cole • GLOBE GAZETTE

SPRING HOME & GARDEN

TRANSFORMATION IN FOREST CITY —

Sloped yard becomes home to flowers, deck

By RAE YOST

project, “I don’t know if I’d do it again,” Loden said as FOREST CITY he smiled. “There is a reaark Loden’s son people get paid to do handiwork this for a living.” covers most of Loden did research on his backyard on retaining walls and landSouth 6th Street in Forest scaping before he started City. the project.

Loden has spent the past two summers trans“FOOTINGS ARE the forming a significantly most important,” Loden sloped backyard into a said. “You have to keep it usable yard with beds for level and true.” strawberries, flowers and a He started with the lowdeck. est level on the north side Although Loden used a of the lawn first. skid loader and small exca“Getting that first row vator to remove and level going was the hardest,” dirt on the back lawn, Loden said. “It had to be much of the work in the started right in order to be beds and on the retaining finished right.” wall was done by hand.

Loden stacked masonary “There was a lot of blocks that weighed 15-tomoving material by wheel- 55-pounds apiece. He barrow and by hand,” hauled the bricks from a Loden said. “There was a store in a neighboring lot of effort put into that town. Some days he was wall.” able to measure to get the Loden installed a twobricks cut before he tier retaining wall with the brought them home but on beds for flowers and other days he needed to cut strawberries and room for the blocks to fit. a deck. There is still work Loden owns a half-ton that needs to be complet- pickup so, “I could only ed, including a sunken haul so many blocks in the deck. truck at one time.”

“I’d grab one block, he’d THE LANDSCAPE pro- grab three,” Loden’s ject was driven by a need to daughter Emily said of make the back yard more moving and stacking the usable, Loden said. blocks.

The lawn had a steep Making sure the wall slope that covered much of was level was important the backyard. but installing the correct “We wanted a nice, amount of rock and other usable yard, so we did it,” drainage material was also Loden said. important. Loden used Loden had experience three-inch perferated tile. building a house and doing Work progressed as time other construction proand the budget allowed, jects. He and his wife, Loden said.

Mary, knew it would be a Emily Loden said she costly landscaping project was surprised at how the and they decided to stick project progressed some to a budget and do it them- days. selves, Loden said.

“I’d be gone for three While satisfied with the hours and another row was For The Globe Gazette

M

RAE YOST/Forest City Summit

Mark Loden stands by the project in his backyard. hours before work on the project.

LODEN DIDN’T record The family has enjoyed the strawberries and the how many hours he spent on the project. A truck dri- various flowers and plants in the beds. ver for a bread company, Loden said Mary has Loden spent days off and added,” she said.

planted flowers in a variety of colors.

Now, as spring approaches, the flowers and strawberries will be planted. Loden will also be working on the sunken

deck area.

“There is always something else to do,” Loden said. “I guess you could say I’m still not done.”

Rae Yost is editor of the Forest City Summit, another Lee Enterprises newspaper.

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Hostas can grow in any kind of soil, from pure sand to pure clay, as long as they get enough moisture.

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HOSTAS: Most common problem is slugs From D1 You don’t really need to fertilize if you have good soil, according to Spece, but if you are going to fertilize, the best time to do so is in the spring.

Some people have trouble with mini hosta roots popping out of the ground during the winter and spring because they are so small.

Using mulch and planting the hostas near big rocks can help take care of this problem, according to Spece.

He said to be sure to water the hostas and apply pesticide on the entire bed, not just individual plants.

The most common problem with hostas is slugs, according to Spece.

“They leave your plants looking like Swiss cheese,” he said, noting one or two slugs can destroy a mini hosta.

Spece recommends using a homemade slug JEFF HEINZ/The Globe Gazette spray of one part ammonia and 10 parts water. Put it Hostas don’t have to grow in complete shade, but they do in a spray bottle and spray need shade during the hottest part of the day, from late at night when the slugs are morning to mid-afternoon. out, he said.

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Page Editor: Webb Cole • GLOBE GAZETTE

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A worker prunes an apple tree in New Paltz, N.Y. A desire to tidy up the garden and do something outdoors — even before much is happening in the garden — drives many of us out to prune now. This is a fine time for pruning from the perspective of most plants.

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‘Renovate’ trees, shrubs through careful pruning The second option is to wood. This “new” shrub renovate the shrub over a will be shapely and bear period of four or five years. abundant, fragrant blosdesire to tidy up soms. the garden and do Although this takes more time, the plant will look something outOld apple trees decent and flower doors — even made like new throughout the recovery before anything much is Old apple trees similarly really happening there yet, period. often suffer neglect. Such Exercise this option by garden-wise — drives cutting two or three of the craggy, old trees do have a many of us out to prune rustic charm, but too oldest stems to ground now. many of their fruits are level or to vigorous Good. branches low on the plant pest-ridden, lacking flavor Now is a fine time for pruning from the perspec- each year in late winter. At and high out of reach. Can the plant be returned to its tive of most plants. Certain the same time, thin out former glory? some of the youngest pruning questions preAgain, the answer is yes, sprouts growing from dictably pop up this time ground level, making sure with, again, renovation of year. pruning. to leave a few as replaceA lilac makeover But before you pick up ment shoots for the old Lilac sometimes get your pruning tools, ask wood you are removing. overgrown with neglect.

After a few years — how yourself whether your Can a tangled mass of efforts will be justified. Is many depends on how stems with awkward pos- long the shrub has been the tree of a particularly ture and few flowers be good variety? Do you realneglected — you will have brought back to its former cut away all the old wood ly want a tree where that glory? and replaced it with new See PRUNE, D8 Yes, it can. There are two options in “renovation pruning” such a shrub.

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THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012 • D7

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‘REPURPOSING’ OBJECTS FOR OUTDOOR DECORATING —

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This outdoor decoration is at the home of Kayla Myers in Clear Lake. Myers works at The Red Geranium.

Homeowners finding new uses for variety of objects

By LAURA BIRD

and picture frames, other popular items are tin and iron decor, Wrolson MASON CITY said. eople always say one man’s “We sell a lot of metal planters or junk is another man’s treaarbors or benches,” she said. “A lot of sure. That old saying is espeit’s used in the decor and not just as a cially true this year when it functional piece.” comes to outdoor decorating.

Myers has also seen a wheelbarrow “The repurposing thing I’ve seen in full of plants and in her own backyard the last few years is popular, especially she turned a old galvanized wash tub this year,” said Kayla Myers, a floral into a fountain pond. designer at The Red Geranium, Clear She also has an old mirror, glass Lake. “Really junking.” bottles and glass totems throughout For example, someone might take her backyard. an old picture frame, door or chairs Glass totems involve taking old and lean them against a tree or set it glass pieces, such as plates, and buildup with flowers and other plants. ing them into a totem pole.

“It’s very rustic,” said Judy Wrol“I have those all over the garden,” son, owner of Cornerstone Cottage, Myers said. “I have a shady backyard Hampton, who’s also noticed the so it brings some color to where I can’t trend. “We’ve always done well with really grow flowers.” them (salvage items), but very strong Other outdoor decorating trends with them this year.” include large painted metal daisies, In addition to old doors, windows wind chimes made out of salvage laura.bird@globegazette.com

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items, such as utensils, and garden flags, Wrolson said.

Ellen Montgomery, owner of The Basic Birder in Mason City, has also noticed other trends, such as large wind spinners, unbreakable gazing balls made out of stainless steel and a variety of solar lights, decorative rain gauges and bird feeders/houses.

“They are everything from whimsical with frogs on them or golf bags to beautiful glass or copper ones,” she said about decorative rain gauges.

The same is true of bird houses and feeders.

Feeders can range from simple designs to copper tops, and as far as houses they can range from traditional options to ones shaped like an outhouse, moose or hat, Montgomery said.

“They’re just fun things and bring a lot of decorative color to your yard,” she said.

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An assortment of various glass items is used as and outdoor decorating arrangement at the home of Kayla Myers in Clear Lake.

JEFF HEINZ/The Globe Gazette

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D8• THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012

SPRING HOME & GARDEN

ROOMS: Fragrant garden is what name implies From D2 the warmer days of summer; the bee balm seed heads were as fragrant then as in midsummer, and you had only to crush one to be taken back.

••• The CULINARY GAR DEN was circular with a birdbath in the center. The walks around the beds were of crushed rock, and bricks outlined the circular shape. In the winter, the snow would melt off the rocks first and leave the herb beds covered, making an interesting pattern. I grew tarragon, marjoram, curled onion, chives, sage, winter savory, Welsh bunching onion, garlic chives, thyme, oregano, nasturtium, parsley, coriander, chervil, basil and borage here. It was my habit to pick a bouquet of these herbs to chop and toss into a salad. If there were any left over, I would put them in a basket to dry for winter use, or freeze them in a little water to add to a winter soup. As soon as the snow melted, the chives and bunching onions were there to harvest for the first taste of spring. The blue jays and mourning doves that frequented the birdbath were great company on an afternoon spent cultivating and harvesting.

••• The ROSE GARDEN was next; it had two entrance trellises and a third trellis with a bench underneath.

In the beginning, I planted 14 old-fashioned roses, but some didn’t survive the cold winter. I replaced them with the more vigorous rugosa rose. This garden was also circular, but with a larger center then the culinary garden. I edged the center with sweet alyssum; placed a lovely old clay pot in the middle filled with scented geraniums; then planted double pink petunias around it. The effect was of a huge tussie mussie. I planted creeping thyme between the bricks in the path. The aroma was out of this world. When the thyme was in bloom, the bees were busy at the blossoms so it was necessary to step carefully. The trellises made interesting shadows in the snow for a pleasing winter effect. Garden

Page Editor: Webb Cole • GLOBE GAZETTE

structures can be important for a winter garden.

••• The next garden was the EVERLASTING GARDEN, where I planted herbs and flowers that dry for decorative use: liatris, strawflowers, statice, echinops, xeranthemum, acroclinium, feverfew and salvia horminium, to name a few. Everlastings are generally easy to grow, and in most cases the annuals can withstand a light frost. I planted this garden first in the spring and simply covered the rows with Remay cloth until the days became warmer. A huge number of strawflowers can be harvested from just a dozen plants; I picked them every sunny day.

This garden provided me with bouquets to carry to friends, fresh flowers in summer and dried bouquets in the winter. The pleasure of giving and getting was twofold — between the garden and me, and between my friends and me.

••• I had never heard of a LIBATION GARDEN until one day I realized I had inadvertently planted hops, grapes and elderberries together in one corner of the main garden, and that all are used to make alcoholic drinks. I decided to expand on the idea, did some research and discovered that heathers were once used as a substitute for hops in making beer. So I added heathers to this garden. I planted sweet woodruff for May wine, and a quince bush, rose bush, mint, wormwood and lemon balm for making cordials. A friend would occasionally harvest hops for beer, but I didn’t try it. I did, however, harvest the hop cones each year for use in sleep pillows, an old-time remedy for insomnia. And the heathers were a marvelous addition for year-round pleasure. The reds, greens and golds of the leaves and the pink, rose and white flowers make a garden tapestry to be enjoyed even on a winter walk. I harvested bunches to use in wreaths and winter bouquets. There was a low bench in this garden that was a wonderful place to hide away and sit quietly.

Turn outdoor space into home extension

By ROSEMARY SADEZ FRIEDMANN Scripps Howard News Service

ver wish you had a bigger house or more living space? If so, consider adding an extension to your house. This can be a completely enclosed room or simply an extended patio. According to the American Society of Landscape Architects, more and more homeowners want better function and more usability from their outdoor spaces. So as you can see, you’re not the only one wishing for more usable living space. Let’s explore what we can do to get there.

First, you need a plan.

Start by defining your space. This outdoor extension should feel comfortable and should also feel like it is part of the rest of the house. The definition you give the space should include how you intend to use it. Will it be for occasional use? Will it be more of a family gathering room? Will you be entertaining there? Is it going to be an outdoor kitchen? These questions will help you determine what needs to be included in the plans. The answers to the questions will also determine if the addition will be simply a floor or if it will include a covering overhead and perhaps walls, too.

Next, start selecting materials. It would be best if the materials were natural.

If you intend to add an overhead covering, decide whether you will need walls or just posts to hold the ceiling up. Are the walls to be permanent, such as glass, rocks or bricks, or more casual, such as canvas fabric?

How you furnish the space will depend on how open or enclosed it is. In addition to the furnishings, don’t forget to include this space in your holiday decorations. Do you decorate your house for Easter? Be sure to include this new space in your decorations. How about the Fourth of July? Go ahead and put a few flags in the new addition.

A great product for the floor, roof and supports would be cedar, and Western Red Cedar would be a good choice as it is versatile, holds a finish for a very long time and also weathers beautifully. If you choose to use cedar you might want to view the possibilities at www.wrcla.org.

Check out the photo gallery for ideas and inspiration.

A few years ago I incorporated part of my backyard into my home. That decision turned out to be an excellent one that my family has enjoyed very much.

Rosemary Sadez Friedmann, is an interior designer in Naples, Fla.

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The mint crept out into the path, and its refreshing fragrance would linger long after it was touched.

••• The FRAGRANT GARDEN was just what the name implies. On warm summer afternoons, its heady aroma could be overpowering. Lavender was of course a part of this garden. Old-fashioned cinnamon pinks, though not as attractive as the new hybrids, smelled beautiful.

I planted several dwarf lilacs and a half dozen peonies, along with several fragrant rugosa roses and garden phlox. There was a succession of aromatic blooms all summer, from the early spring peonies to the late summer phlox. I harvested huge baskets of peony petals for potpourri, and added rose petals from the rose garden. I enjoyed strolling in the gardens

just at dusk and picking a bouquet of fragrant herbs to infuse for use in the bathtub. I would put some sprigs in a pan of water, simmer for a few minutes and then strain the infusion into the bath water.

The whole house would smell sweet.

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PRUNE: Don’t cut too much in one year tree is?

Some young trees could already be bearing in the time it would take to restore this one, so before beginning renovation pruning, consider “pruning” the tree with a saw — at ground level.

If you do decide to renovate the old tree, now is a good time to start. First make some large cuts low in the tree to thin it out and, if you want, to lower it and limit its spread.

Cut one or two major limbs back to their origin or to sturdy side branches. If more major limbs need cutting back, wait a year, and if still more must go, hold off for yet another year. If you cut too much in one year, there is the risk of sunburn on once-shaded bark.

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near some of your pruning cuts. Some of these sprouts, especially those of moderate vigor, might be in good positions to make permanent new limbs. Save those and cut away the others, especially when many are clustered near a pruning cut.

With major cuts out of the way for now, progress to more detailed pruning, using a small pruning saw and lopper.

Look over the stems and cut back to sound wood any that are diseased, dead or broken. Also remove stems that are overcrowded or weak. Cut back any drooping stem to a branch near the place where the stem starts drooping.

Finally, stand back and admire your work. Cleaned up, an old fruit tree can look even more charming than it did when it was neglected and overgrown.

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THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012 • D9

SPRING HOME & GARDEN

3 quick projects to cut clutter

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f, like me, you spent this winter hibernating and eating baked goods, your home may have paid the price.

Maybe it got a little disorganized, or is starting to look like an episode of “Hoarders.”

Spring is a great time to shake off that winter sluggishness and free yourself from clutter.

But where to begin?

Spring cleaning can feel overwhelming if your todo list is more like a to-do novel.

Never fear: Three professional organizers are here to offer three projects you can do in an afternoon each:

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• Hall closet

• Bedroom closet Once you’ve mastered the hall closet, Brooke Butin and Heather Perrilliat of HeatherBrookes in Los Angeles have a plan for tackling your bedroom closet.

The first thing to do is purge, Butin explains. Create a donate pile, a consignment pile and a giveto-friends pile.

Perrilliat suggests trying on anything you haven’t worn in a while. You could even invite a friend and turn the chore into a fashion show.

“Not everyone has the budget to buy new clothes,” Butin said. “Look for clothes that could get new life from an alteration — you could save a couple hundred dollars by spending $20.”

Once you’ve cleared out the old, take stock of what’s left. Seasonal clothes should be boxed up and put in storage. The rest should be placed on matching hangers facing the same direction and categorized by type — i.e., shirts, pants, dresses.

“You have to make your closet function for you,” Perrilliat said. “If you’re a jeans and T-shirt person, keep those toward the front.”

After you’ve categorized, organize your clothes by color within each category. Use closet tab dividers between categories if you want to go the

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term reference files should live in the file cabinet, whereas temporary files should be stored on your desk and categorized into actions, such as “To pay” or “To respond.”

To keep your desk clutter-free, Carpiniello recommends an inbox where you can keep paperwork until you have time to deal with it. Alphabetizing or color-coding files is a personal choice, but all your files should have tabs on the left side instead of in multiple locations — all that scanning from side to side is hard on the eyes.

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Receipts and manuals for items you no longer own and any regular bill statements you don’t need for tax or legal reasons should also get the heaveho. Pull out any tax-related files from the previous year and keep them in a separate pile.

If you don’t have a filing system in place, “it’s best to make a list of which files you’ll need before you create them,” Carpiniello said.

Organize files into longterm reference and temporary action files (i.e., invitations and bills). Long-

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A cluttered closet of Christmas decorations is shown before an organizing project. Nikki Havens of Seriously Organized in Bloomington, Minn., recommends starting your de-cluttering with your entry hall closet. With a small closet or walk-in, it’s important to use the most convenient spot in your home to your advantage. extra mile. These can be particularly helpful with look-alike items — no more struggling to distinguish skinny jeans from bootcut at 6 in the morning.

Butin advises utilizing vertical space for accessories and shoes. The shelf above the hanging bar can house hat boxes and shoes stored in clear plastic boxes. Side walls can hold hooks for handbags, and a corkboard can display jewelry. Belts get messy quickly, she warns, so rolling them and placing them in a basket is your best bet. You can also keep your go-to shoes in a basket on the floor.

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• Files With your closets in order, the last, oft-dreaded task is at hand: organizing files. Most of us would rather clean toilets than take on this project, but it’s probably the most important. Luckily, you can kill two anxiety-causing birds with one stone by pulling your tax files as you go.

If you have a filing system in place, Mia Carpiniello of Organizing Philly in Philadelphia suggests pulling out every file and seeing what you can get rid of or consolidate.

Consult with an attorney about legal documents, but in general, you can recycle or shred any items you haven’t looked at in a year.

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Nikki Havens of Seriously Organized in Bloomington, Minn., recommends starting with your entry hall closet. With a small closet or walk-in, use the most convenient spot in your home to your advantage. First, identify the coats you actually wear and pull out anything you don’t, along with outerwear that’s wrong for the season.

“If you have too much stuff, you can’t find anything,” Havens said.

After culling your coat collection, she suggests using the floor for frequently used shoes, and adding two shelves directly above them. Buy two color-coded bins for each family member and label them with names. (Don’t forget the dog, who comes with its own clutter.)

Place the first set of bins on the bottom shelf. These baskets should be used for seasonal accessories, like hats and gloves in the winter or goggles in the summer.

“If you don’t use it a couple of times a week it shouldn’t be there,” Havens said. “Keep two pairs of gloves — you don’t need eight.”

Use the second shelf of bins for what Havens calls the “clutter control center.” From hairbands to finger-painting masterpieces, these tubs are the place to throw odds and ends as you come in the door.

Finally, Havens recommends removing the hanging bar and installing hooks in a diamondshaped pattern for coats and bags. Kids can take the lower hooks while adults claim the top ones.

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D10 • THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012

SPRING HOME & GARDEN

Page Editor: Webb Cole • GLOBE GAZETTE

What you need to know about screens, screen care

By AMY LORENTZEN

snap them with a towel to send water drops flying and prevent hard water stains. or many of us, If you pay someone to spring cleaning wash your windows, it’s a includes washing good idea to inspect the winter dirt and screens beforehand. That debris off of windows and way you won’t blame washwindow screens. Paying ers for tears already there, extra attention to screens and you can ask them to pay now can end up saving homeowners money, as well for any damages that occur as ensuring better views and during their work. keeping out bugs.

Repairs for a reason Here’s the lowdown on The point of having winscreens and screen care: dow screens is to let you Cleaning is key open up your home to fresh The average home has 12 air while keeping bugs and to 15 window screens, usu- debris out. Rips and tears in ally made of aluminum or the mesh, or bent screen fiberglass with a vinyl coat- frames, defeat that purpose. ing. Experts recommend Walker said you can do washing them twice a year, some minor repairs on your but at least once in the own. Inexpensive patch kits spring to rid them of winter available at home improvegrime. ment stores include small “We’ve had the rain and pieces of mesh that grab the snow all winter and the around holes and close dirt builds up on them,” said them up. Pieces of houseScott Walker, president and hold tape can cover up tiny owner of Screenmobile, a tears. Neither option is mobile window and door attractive, Walker adds, but screening company with they can serve as quick fixes close to 100 locations in otherwise good screens. throughout the country. “If Homeowners can you think of them as a filter, attempt to fix slight bends you wouldn’t want to in aluminum screens, but breathe all the dust and the should know that the frame dirt that builds up.” may crack under the stress.

The easiest way to start is Spring cleaning is also by marking screens so you’ll the time to repaint wooden remember which window screen frames if needed. they fit, said Colleen Maiu- Painting helps seal the wood ra, a spokeswoman with and keep it from warping.

Lowe’s Home Improvement stores. You can use a marker Preventing damage or a small piece of tape that’s Children and pets can be strong enough not to be especially tough on screens washed away by the garden and screen doors because hose. She suggests a cleansometimes they just don’t ing solution of 1 cup ammo- see them. Consider using nia, 3 cups of water and a decorative stickers to squirt of dish detergent. remind them that a screen is Lay the screens on a flat there. Pet screens can be surface, thoroughly wet mounted on sliding screen them with a hose and use a doors for easy access for squirt bottle to apply the pets that enjoy the outcleaning mix. Leave it on for doors. about 10 minutes, use a For those who might have soft-bristled brush to used an elbow to keep a remove stubborn grime, swinging screen door from then rinse. Don’t scrub alu- closing too quickly, there’s a minum screens too hard; better option that won’t you could dent them. cost you a repair. Check the Maiura suggests shaking top of your door for a piston screens to remove excess mechanism that you can water. If you’ve got fiberturn and increase the presglass ones, you can gently sure, to make the door close For The Associated Press

F

more slowly.

To keep window screens and doors sliding smoothly, Walker suggests skipping oil-based lubricants such as WD-40 and instead using a silicone-based lubricant, such as furniture polish.

If you have the storage space, cleaning screens in the fall and then storing them away during the winter can extend their life.

Replace as needed If a screen has large or multiple holes, or if its frame is bent or broken, then it’s time for a new one.

“Our rule of thumb is that if the frame . doesn’t seal up against the window, then the bugs can come around there, so you’d need to replace it,” Walker said.

Fiberglass screens, which have a vinyl coating, will begin to show white strands, which means “there is virtually no integrity” left in the screen, he adds.

AP Photo/Phifer Wire Products, Inc.

A dog is shown leaning against a pet-resistant “Pet Screen,” a product offered by Phifer Wire. The screen, made of a vinyl-coated Polyester, resists damage caused by pets.

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New products Maiura said that if you’re switching screens, consider a charcoal color for better visibility. She and Walker both touted new fine-mesh screens that can block small bugs and improve your view. The screens are made of super-fine strands so homeowners see less screen and more scenery.

“It’s almost like an invisible screen,” Walker said of his company’s BetterVue product.

Other new products include strong pet screens that cats can climb without tearing and retractable screen doors that are mounted on door jams so they’re hidden when homeowners don’t need them.

Walker, who is based in Thousand Palms, Calif., said entire patio enclosures are being built with retractable screens that are motorized for easy use.

Homeowners will also start seeing strong, stainless steel screens on the market that offer some security.

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SPRING HOME & GARDEN

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Click on the “Everything” tab in the middle of the home page to see all images ooking for new home design being pinned at a certain time. Or scroll trends or fresh ways to brighten up down to narrow what you’re seeing to your living space for spring? categories such as art, design, DIY and These days, many designers and crafts, gardening, or print and posters. design enthusiasts are turning to the How to thrive social media site Pinterest for inspiration.

You can turn your pinning up a notch A virtual pinboard or scrapbook, the by downloading the Pinterest app to your website allows users to collect and organize their favorite images and ideas from smartphone, letting you pin products or home-improvement ideas you see while around the Internet.

“Pinners” can add their own images to out and about, Soto said. “This is so helpful for when I’m looking for ideas on their online profiles, or peruse others’ my upcoming products,” she said. pinboards and “like” or “re-pin” their Search often if you’re looking for ideas images for future use. for a specific room or project.

Each image links back to the website “Follow someone so that when they from which it was taken, and images can be organized by topic, color, design, event update their boards, you will be notified,” said Megan Meloy, design expert for the or any other category.

While there’s not yet a way to quantify Norcross, Ga.-based children’s room retailer KooKoo Bear Kids. She said she pins, style and home decor are among uses Pinterest every day to showcase the Pinterest’s most popular pinning catecompany’s merchandise, at http://pingories, said Lauren Indvik, an editor at terest.com/megankkbk. the social media news blog If you’re looking for more followers, Mashable.com.

Dyas recommends making yourself Remodeling your kitchen? Create a “Kitchen Makeover” pinboard and scour known by following, liking and commenting on other people’s pins, and not Pinterest for ideas. Or go more specific: pinning everything you like at once.

“Countertop Ideas” or “Kitchen Paint Colors.”

What to avoid “Pinterest is like keeping an electronic “Don’t limit yourself to creating a sinclip file — that manila folder with tons of gle board dedicated to one topic,” said tear sheets from magazines. It’s how I Soto. “Combine everything that you love renovated my first kitchen,” said Mary and make several boards that cover a Leigh Howell, a free-lance public relawide range of interests.” tions specialist in Greensboro, N.C. She also recommends branching out to Women make up most of Pinterest’s pin images from many different websites, more than 10 million users, and are drinot just one. ving traffic to home magazines like Blogger Amy Lynn Andrews, who Country Living and Elle Decor in record penned a list of Pinterest tips at numbers, Indvik said. Last summer, Pin- http://bloggingwithamy.com/pinterestterest sent more traffic to marthastewtips, advises against cutesy descriptions art.com than Facebook and Twitter com- for pins (“Super cool!” “Love this!”). bined, and House Beautiful magazine has Instead, use keyword-rich entries (black seen triple-digit increases in referrals in concrete countertop) to make your pins the past six months, according to Indvik. and boards easier to find.

For The Associated Press

L

How to start You can join Pinterest by requesting an invite from someone already on the site, or by clicking “Request an Invite” on the home page. Once invited, register using your Facebook or Twitter account.

Once you create an account and install the “pin it plug-in” to your bookmarks bar, Pinterest automatically generates a few generic pinboards for you to begin pinning to. Either nix or rename these boards to something you actually care about so they don’t appear blank on your online profile, advises Brie Dyas, editor of Stylelist Home for the Huffington Post.

Start pinning by searching in the upper-left corner for an item or project (keep it short), or look up brands, stores and TV personalities, browse their pinboards and share what you like, said Sabrina Soto, host of HGTV’s “The High Low Project.”

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‘Must-follow’ boards, pinners Everyone has the ability to be a great pinner, Howell said.

“You don’t have to be famous or artistic,” she said. “You just have to recognize great visuals.”

Here are some popular boards and pinners as recommended by home-design pros and Pinterest fans. Search for them by their user names: • Lonny Magazine: lonnymag • HGTV: hgtv • • Elle Decor: elledecor Rue Magazine: ruemag • Real Simple: realsimple • Joy Cho: ohjoy • Etsy: etsy • Better Homes and Gardens: bhg • Rachel Halvorson: rachelhdesign • DIY Network: diynetwork • Gray Livin’: graylivin • Martha Stewart Living: ms—living

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D12 • THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012

Page Editor: Webb Cole • GLOBE GAZETTE

SPRING HOME & GARDEN

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ern and Judy Harper, owners of TownsEnd Winery & Vineyard in Hansell, have 1,300 grapevines growing on two acres of land.

But you don’t need that much space to grow some grapes.

During a recent gardening seminar at North Iowa Area Community You can enjoy the fruits of your labor with a backyard vineyard.

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by Iowa State University Vern Harper Master Gardeners, Judy Harper said one grapevine can produce 12 to 30 pounds of grapes.

One gallon of wine can be made from 12-16 pounds of grapes, and a batch of jam can be made from just 8 pounds of grapes.

As long as you have an open area, “you can put the vine anyplace,” she said.

V

GRAPEVINES CAN be grown in any type of soil.

However, they don’t do well in wet soil, so adequate drainage will be necessary, Judy said.

One thing you do have to be concerned about is sun exposure.

“Grapes do not like to be in the shade,” Judy said.

East exposure is best for grapevines, she said. South exposure also is good.

North exposure, however, is very poor.

It usually takes three to five years for a vine to start producing grapes.

Concord, Reliance, Edelweiss and Swenson Red grapes are good for eating and also good for making wine, Judy said.

Grapes are very susceptible to diseases.

The Harpers use fungicides such as copper sulfite to prevent disease.

These fungicides need to be applied right away in

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Judy Harper of Hansell talks about trimming grapevines at a recent gardening seminar at North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City. the spring. The spraying needs to happen every week to 10 days.

“DO NOT WAIT for the disease to start, or you are too late,” Judy said.

The Harpers use two types of insecticide and rotate them every week “so the bugs don’t get used to them,” Vern said.

You should only grow American grapes, he said.

If you try European grapes, they will die due to disease.

However, you can still get European-tasting wine with American grapes, Vern said.

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SPRING HOME & GARDEN

You can grow nutritious vegetables in backyard • Some tips for beginning vegetable gardeners.

Page D14

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“Onions would be easy to put in also,” Litterer said. “You just have to keep them Litterer said one or two tomato

By LAURA BIRD weed free.” plants would provide enough daily laura.bird@globegazette.com She also suggested tomatoes for a family of four; howMASON CITY planting onion bulbs ever, if they want to do canning or oor eating habits can someclose together and if times set in during the sum- freezing, gardeners will want more.

Pleggenkuhle you want even bigger The same is true with peppers, she mer months with busy onions to leave the said. schedules and kids out of bulb a little exposed.

Pleggenkuhle also suggested school, but it doesn’t have to be that Green beans are another option, planting a variety of peppers ranging way. however, they take up more room, from bell peppers to jalapeno pepFresh, nutrition-packed vegetaLitterer said. pers if desired. bles can be grown in your own back“They need space,” she said.

With both peppers and tomatoes yard.

“Every seed you put in the ground you’ll want to buy transplants and “They can plant in flower beds,” you’ll get several beans from it.” not try to grow them from seeds, said Becky Litterer of Becky’s If someone is really limited on Pleggenkuhle said.

Greenhouse, Dougherty, if someone space, but still wants to grow beans, If you have a raised bed, regular doesn’t have much space. “That’s flower bed or a little room for a gar- Litterer suggested buying pole beans what I do.” and letting them grow or climb up a den, other easy vegetable options Raised beds and container garinclude carrots, radishes and lettuce. trellis. dening are also good options if All three of them are easy to grow someone doesn’t have much space OTHER OPTIONS for gardeners and can provide food most of the for a garden, said Rick Pleggenkuhle, summer if the planting is staggered. who have more space are cucumCerro Gordo County Iowa State Unibers, squash and watermelon. versity Extension ag and horticul“Per hill or planting site you’ll “THROW OUT 30 SEEDS every ture program director. want at least 8 square feet or more for couple of weeks or one row every Peppers and tomatoes lend them- two weeks in the spring,” one plant,” Pleggenkuhle said. “They selves best to containers.

Pleggenkuhle said. “That would give are very easy to grow actually.”

One or two hills of cucumber, you a good supply of radishes “WHEN IT comes to vegetable squash, watermelon or other vining through the month of June.” gardening the easiest things are plants, such as pumpkins, should Gardeners could then resume tomatoes or peppers in containers,” produce enough for one family. planting radishes, carrots and letPleggenkuhle said. “A lot of times With any of the plants it’s importuce in early August and continue that’s something you can have on tant to keep the weeds down, Litterthrough October, depending on the your deck or patio.” er said. weather.

There are options for families with limited space

THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012 • D13

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PROUDLY OFFERS: PLANTS: Resistance to pests varies sion specialists and trusted nurserymen. A plant that’s pest-prone in one part of the country may be very resistant in another, and vice versa.

• If you can’t find resistant cultivars, consider another species. There are dozens of trees and shrubs that can thrive in a tough environment.

• Remember that if a plant is stressed for any reason — incompatible soil or light conditions, too much or too little water, etc. — it’s going to be vulnerable to attack.

Here are specifics on some popular plants: • Garden phlox is a sta-

ple of many perennial gardens, but in warm, humid climates, it’s highly susceptible to mildew. The flowering dogwood is prey to a wide range of insects and diseases, including borers and anthracnose.

The European white birch is susceptible to the bronze birch borer.

In many of our favorite plant families, some members are especially insectand disease-prone. The good news, though, is that others are not.

For garden phlox, the resistant cultivars include “David,” “Delta Snow,” “Natascha,” “Robert Poore,” “Speed Limit 45”

and Phlox caroliniana.

Certain dogwood cultivars like “Cherokee Princess” and “Pluribracteata” (the double-flowered form) show excellent resistance to anthracnose; and there’s always the Kousa dogwood, which resists most of the things that plague C. florida.

• White-barked birches are generally susceptible to borer, particularly if they encounter stress. The

much-touted Betula platyphylla “Whitespire” birch is resistant, but only if the tree has been vegetatively propagated from the original resistant strain and not grown from seed. So if you don’t want to risk tangling with the borer, you could consider the river birch, which offers multicolored, exfoliating bark.

— Courtesy Marie Hofer on hgtv.com.

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D14 • THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012

Page Editor: Webb Cole • GLOBE GAZETTE

SPRING HOME & GARDEN

Tips for beginning vegetable gardeners

By DEBBIE ARRINGTON

audience,” she said. “They didn’t know anything about ardeners aren’t gardening, but they asked born with green questions as we went. That thumbs; they earn spurred more ideas.” them, one stain Gardening can be an and callus at a time. intimidating hobby, she But every backyard noted. There’s so much to farmer started somewhere. learn, from deciphering the The ranks of beginning back of a seed packet and vegetable gardeners contin- reading a fertilizer label to ue to swell along with inter- fighting pests. est in food safety, healthy “A lot of folks are casually eating and that household interested in plants or garperennial — saving money. dening, but don’t do it a lot,” Master gardeners have said Elzer-Peters, a North been deluged with questions Carolina-based horticulturby newbies on veggies. ist who has done extensive “Vegetables really work at botanical gardens. brought people in the last “They buy plants at Home few years,” said Sacramento Depot or the grocery store (Calif.) County master gar- because they think they’re dener Gail Pothour. “It’s pretty. Those plants might always a popular topic, but live, might die, but they still now it’s very popular. It don’t know the basics.” could be an economic thing; FOR NEWBIE veggie garpeople can save money. Or they may be more condeners, Elzer-Peters concerned about what they’re centrated on technique, eating.” from seed to harvest. Her Most of all, the beginners methods apply to both ediwant to know: How do I bles and ornamentals. In make vegetables grow? planning new gardens, she makes room for flowers.

START WITH patience.

They help attract bees — The first warm springlike important for pollination. weather tempts gardeners to Urban backyards may not jump the calendar and start have much space — or sun planting tomatoes.

— for a garden. Community Wait, said Pothour. gardens fill that void.

“Don’t plant too early. Make They also help new garsure the soil is warm. If you deners learn through their put things in too early, they spirit of community. don’t grow and you just get What to plant? discouraged.”

“No. 1: Grow what you That makes a planting like to eat,” said Bill Mayschedule or chart a must, nard, Sacramento’s comshe added. “People really munity garden guru. “After don’t know when to plant.” a few seasons, you can try For beginners, she sugdifferent varieties. But start gested vegetables with large with something easy: zucseeds such as beans or chini, tomatoes, radishes squash. “They’re easier to and lettuce. Plant what’s in handle. They sprout quickly season; that’s key. No tomaand make a lot.” toes in winter or Brussels Vegetable gardening has sprouts in summer. Get a found new converts among plant schedule and use it.” recent college grads and AND DON’T FORGET to young families in their 20s and 30s. They grew up on water, Maynard added, supermarket produce but “especially when you’re want to try their hands at starting seeds.” tomatoes and squash. They While doing all that, keep track of everything, advises need to know the basics Claudia Alstrom of Rancho without feeling like dirt Cordova, Calif., a volunteer dummies. at the Cordova Senior “THAT’S EXACTLY Activities Center’s Green Thumb Garden Club. With what I was trying to do — a 14 raised beds, the garden real back-to-basics book, provides fresh produce for but not talk down to people,” said Katie Elzer-Peters, the center’s lunch program author of “Beginner’s Illus- one day a week as well as vegetables for members. trated Guide to Gardening: “A journal helps you Techniques to Help You Get remember what worked and Started” (Cool Springs what didn’t work,” Alstrom Press). “A lot of folks don’t said. “Write down what you grow up mowing lawns — plant, when you planted it, my dad didn’t let us.” where you bought it. You’ll Elzer-Peters, 32, turned want to know that stuff next to her friends, who also served as the book’s models. year when you plant another garden.”

“They were my target Sacramento Bee

G

AP photo

First lady Michelle Obama plants vegetable seedlings with Girl Scouts, foreground, from left, Emma Vonderlinn, Emily Burnham, of Fairport N.Y., and Gia Muto, during a spring planting of the White House kitchen garden on March 26.

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