Home&Real Estate Home Front
CUT FLOWERS ... Nancy Garrison, longtime participant in the UC Cooperative Extension program, will offer a class on “Growing Cut Flowers” on Saturday, April 23, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Common Ground Educational Center, 559 College Ave., Palo Alto. The class will cover which flowers have the staying power to do well in arrangements, including purple orach, amaranths, alstroemerias, purple millet, peonies and long-stemmed roses. Cost is $31. Information: 650-493-6072 or www.commongroundinpaloalto. org or growingcutflowers.eventbrite.com/
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OPEN HOME GUIDE 44
Also online at PaloAltoOnline.com
Spanish Eclectic
Early Modern
Stanford Historical House & Garden Tour offers insights into the way things were
Arches were added back to the entry hall, as well as to the master bathroom. Luckily, most of the woodwork just needed refurbishing.
RARE, HEIRLOOM BULBS ... Chris Wiesinger, aka “The Bulb Hunter,” will talk about his search for rare heirloom bulbs acclimatized for warm climates at the next meeting of the Garden Club of Los Altos on Tuesday, April 26, at 1:30 p.m. The group meets at Christ Episcopal Church, 1040 Border Road, Los Altos. Guests pay $10. Wiesinger will also be signing his new book, “Heirloom Bulbs for Today.” The talk will be preceded by a plant and bake sale from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Information: 650-964-7614 SO LONG THIRSTY LAWN ... Deva Luna will teach a class on lawn alternatives on Thursday, April 28, from 6 to 9 p.m. The free class is offered by the Bay Area Water Supply & Conservation Agency. Information: 650-349-3000 for exact location in Mountain View SWAP PLANTS ... This is the week to start digging up unwanted (but healthy) plants, seedlings, cuttings, bulbs, small trees or shrubs to bring to the Garden Club of Los Altos plant exchange on Saturday, April 30. The exchange, which is co-sponsored by the Los Altos Recreation Department, takes place from 10 a.m. to noon at the Hillview Community Center parking lot, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos. No privets or invasive plants — but all others must be labeled for the free swap. Information: 650-906-1651
by Carol Blitzer/photos by Sunny Scott
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DIVERSE SPRING TOUR ... Gamble Garden’s annual Spring Tour takes place Friday and Saturday, April 29 and 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at five gardens in Crescent Park and Old Palo Alto, with a theme of “Outdoor Living in Palo Alto — Fine Landscape Design for California Lifestyles.” Activities, food, music and shopping will take place at Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley St., Palo Alto. Cost is $35 in advance, or $40 on the day. Information: 650-329-1356 or www. gamblegarden.org COOKING CLASSES ... Upcoming cooking classes at Palo Alto Adult School include “An Evening in (continued on pager 36)
The exterior is far closer to Birge Clark’s vision, after the Ruths brought back the scrolled detail, an arch over the entry and tiles on an angled roof. Broken-up pieces of pillars and stonework, remnants of post-earthquake Stanford University, were used in walls and walkways in front and back.
irst impressions didn’t deter Carol and Ron Ruth from falling in love with their Birge Clark-designed home in the San Juan neighborhood on Stanford Campus. The home they ultimately purchased in 1999 and restored had a distinctly 1950s modern affect, with its flat roof and linear exterior. And much was obscured by overgrown ivy and opportunistic trees that joined the three ancient oaks in front. No one would have known it was a Spanish Eclectic Period Style home, built in 1921. But once they stepped inside, the Ruths saw that the “bones” of the house were untouched, from the large windows to the hardwood floors. Days after moving in, the Ruths discovered the original plans — as well as the 1950s remodeling plans — and knew they wanted to bring their home closer to Clark’s vision. The results of their labors will be on display during the seventh annual Stanford Histori(continued on page 35)
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