2013 June/July Home & Design

JUNE/JULY 2013

Living by the

dock on the bay

The Dennis family enjoys coastal living on the Appalachicola Bay

Get decked out!

Beth Appleton reflects the beauty of nature

Inspirations

for bringing the beach with you

Shady characters wanted Beat the heat, save energy

June &July Cover Story Living by the bay is a beautiful way to go

Inspirations Bring the seaside home

6 2

Build a deck that last for years Beat the heat with some shady ideas and save energy

Profile Beth Appleton

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22

In the garden Hang it up! Find ways to enjoy floral color even at the coast

IN EVERY ISSUE

26

6 16

3 Inspirations 4 Introduction

ON THE COVER

Cover photo by LONG’S PHOTOGRAPHY 339-5799, 702 W. Tharpe Street www.longsphotography.com

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June/July 2013

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INSPIRATIONS Jute bag holds all of your beach belongings: Sweet Patina, $18.75

This sign says you’re ready to play: Baden-Baden, $45

Get clean with all-in-one-sponge and goat’s milk soap from Rosie’s Botanicals in Sopchoppy: Sweet Patina, $13.00

This napkin holder allows you to change the decorative element as your entertaining themes change: At Home, $28

FIRSTWORD

Published by the Tallahassee Democrat president and publisher

Julie Moreno 850-599-2126 jmoreno@tallahassee.com designer

April Miller contributing writers

Marina Brown Tricia Dulaney Andy Lindstrom Kathy Radford Kati Schardl

contact us advertising

Lisa Lazarus 850.599-2333 llazarus@tallahassee.com Home & Design Magazine is published six times a year by the Tallahassee Democrat at 277 N. Magnolia Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32301. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. Home & Design Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos and artwork.

I

grew up in Jacksonville, Fla. Five bridges crisscrossed the city divided by the St. Johns River. All roads east led to the Atlantic Ocean. Water was a constant sidekick. There is something so freeing about driving across a body of water with your window down and your hand sailing through the air. It’s like a perfect adventure on the way to your aquatic destination preparing you for fun, relaxation and good times.

You can get that feeling crossing the bridge to Apalachicola and looking down into the town while you’re plotting your destinations. Visiting the Dennis home is a wonderful respite. The clean lines and warm wood just make you want to sink into a chair and stare out to the bay. I love the details in their arts and crafts home. The clean lines and wide boards give a sense of heritage and stability to every room. And we have an added treat from Karen. She added a fig recipe from her trees that sounds delicious.

With the intense light and heat at the coast, we’ve got some other stories that you’ll be interested in.

Kathy Radford will introduce you to the idea of Hanging Gardens and Tricia Dulaney has researched shades and window treatments to give your energy savings a boost. Andy Lindstrom talked to the pros regarding building a deck at the seashore that lasts and lasts.

Our Inspirations items were the hardest to choose. There were so many great items out there for your home at the beach or décor that brings the beach to your home in town.

And as I turn to leave the coast, alas, this is my last issue at the helm of Home & Design. It’s been great fun and so interesting to work with so many homeowners, designers, architects, businesses and builders. Tallahassee is a treasure trove of creative, passionate people all making our area beautiful. Please give a warm welcome to Amanda Leighty, who is also our Your Health Editor. If you have ideas or interesting houses that should be in Home & Design, please contact Amanda at aleighty@tallahassee.com. Our next issue is the Outdoor Living edition publishing on Aug. 7.

Lisa Lazarus

show us your stuff

Home & Design

Do you know of a home that should be in Home & Design? Please e-mail Lisa Lazarus, llazarus@ tallahassee.com

Please accept our apology: Mission San Luis was one of the retailers featured in Inspirations. Their correct address is: 2100 West Tennessee Street and phone 850.245.6406.

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Sweet Patina 2030-5 Thomasville Rd 727-4834

at: e it ’s r e h .50 H is w B E AC a t i n a , $ 2 2 tP S we e

S N O I T A PIR

INS

Target

2120 Apalachee Pkwy 3700 Bradfordville Rd

Enjoy the ocean in a candle: Target, $14.99

Take a nostalgic trip in a VW van: Baden-Baden, $35

At Home 1950 Thomasville Rd 692-3863 4 June/July 2013

This coral loo ks real, but it ’s perfectly balanced for your tabletop : Target, $14.9 9

Crabby when time flies? This wall clock can help: Baden-Baden, $56

Baden-Baden

Take a dip in ocean-inspired bowls: Target, $11.99

3534 Maclay Blvd S 668-4292

Ride the waves with this pearl-studded dolphin-also converts to a broach: Baden-Baden, $25

June/July 2013

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COVER STORY

The House That Passion Built

By Marina Brown

A

fter a first meeting with Karen CoxDennis, it’s hard not to have the word, “passion” running through your mind.

She is passionate when she speaks of her business, Forgotten Coast Productions, that independently produces; catalogues for many national brand clients, documentaries, reality television, creative consulting and public relations.

She is passionate as she describes her 25 years in Los Angeles, where she studied classical Latin, worked as an anthropologist for the state of California and met her husband of twenty years. She is clearly passionate about her love for her adopted state and town of Apalachicola, where she has devoted herself to establishing public parks and community spaces.

But most of it pales when compared to CoxDennis’ absolute ardor for the one acre of paradise situated directly on the Apalachicola Bay that the family calls home.

“We had already restored a 1909 turn of the

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century Florida house here,” she says, “but when I saw this ‘Marjorie Kinnan-Rawlings-style’ house built in 1928, draped in wild foliage, with a view that went on forever – I literally dropped to my knees.”

Perhaps if Cox-Dennis knew what making the old, well-known “Barber” property livable would entail, she would have cried for other reasons. But her husband wasn’t fazed. He had established a career as a restorer of period homes, so tackling a historic rebuild was right up his alley. “We kept the original footprint…and the soul,” says Cox-Dennis, of building their 4200 sq. ft. arts and crafts bungalow.

The only things salvageable were the trusses and some of the pine paneling, recycled into the main entrances, and guest house walls, respectively. But the Dennis’ wanted wood for their home that the original builders might have used. And that entailed “dead headers” dredging up antique cypress logs, fallen from barges into the Apalachicola River and allowing them to season before being cut on site, into clapboards, wainscoting, trusses and flooring.

For what was to become an enlarged arts and crafts-style bungalow, the Dennis’ used architect Joe Wynn to draw up their dream plans. Carl Dennis designed the interior features, in proportion to “the golden mean.” The arts and crafts movement was a knee jerk reaction to the industrial revolution, reverting back to quality materials, and fine craftsmanship.

“We wanted everything done by hand

if possible, by real artisans.” That would include the tongue in groove heartpine floors and Prarie-style staircase.

The talented artisan- carpenters on the job were; Kenny Pietrowski, Ethan Montgomery and Dave Weiler.

And even though Cox-Dennis describes the three bedroom house as “back to nature,” “Acadian” and “less dependent on

decorative arts,” there is plenty of artisanal workmanship wherever you look.

The “Greenman” tiles, faces of Celtic origin, were handcrafted for the fireplace surround,” Cox-Dennis says. And all of the wonderful doors and windows were custom-milled in Santa Rosa, FL. From the kitchen’s heart-pine countertops that must be sanded and

oiled to keep their beauty, to Paula Harmon’s original stained glass in the living room and breakfast space, even to the apple and fig trees whose fruit Cox-Dennis preserves every year, this new, ‘old’ house is a blend of beauty and re-creation….and the passion for a quiet time long gone by.

Even though by today’s standards, the Dennis house may have fewer large windows and the use of interior wood is dramatically increased, Cox-Dennis has chosen wall colors that are at once

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in harmony with the outside vistas and lighten the overall palette.

bed, she says, “We literally have never bought new furniture.”

A buttery yellow keeps the kitchen in perpetual morning, their daughter’s bedroom is the palest of pinks and the master bedroom, which opens to a sunny terrace, is a rosy terra cotta that can change perpetually with the days’ light.

Perhaps the sweetest spot, where the past and present seamlessly join, is the tea alcove off the master bedroom.

Here is her mother’s armoire from France; her own rocker where lullabies were sung; and her husbands childhood rocking chair, still in use.

These warm colors only enhance the antique furnishings. From the Eastlake bed Carl’s father was born in to Cox-Dennis’ childhood iron

“It’s perfect for watching our wild kingdom,” she says. “…out on the salt marshes, with the manatees, the bald eagles and the only Tupelo tree on the Gulf…”

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FIG & LEMON PRESERVES with CARDAMOM These preserves make a wonderful condiment with sharp cheese, red snapper or pork.

8 cups fresh figs 8 cups boiling water 2 and 2/3 cups granulated sugar 4 cups water 2 lemons-gratings of peel only 2 lemons (unpeeled), seeded and thinly sliced 1 tablespoon cardamom

In a large bowl, combine figs and boiling water. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Transfer to a colander and drain. Rinse with cold water. Drain again.

Prepare canner, jars, lids, etc. properly.

In a large, deep stainless steel saucepan, combine sugar, 4 cups water, lemon slices, lemon peel and cardamom. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil hard, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard lemon slices only.

Reduce heat to medium-high, returning syrup to a boil. Add 2 cups of the figs and boil until figs are transparent.

Remove figs with slotted spoon to a shallow pan, repeating with remaining figs. Boil remaining syrup and pour over all figs in pan. Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Ladle hot preserves into hot jars, leaving Âź inch headspace. Wipe rim.

Place lids on jars. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.

In a large stainless steel saucepan, bring fig mixture to a boil over mediumhigh heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and skim foam, if necessary.

Place jars in canner, covering completely with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, remove jars, cool, store, share!

Karen Cox-Dennis Apalachicola, Florida From the kitchen and fig tree of Karen Cox-Dennis

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Decks

built to last

By Andy Lindstrom

S

tainless steel may cost more than galvanized metal hardware.

But when it comes to building decks or other outdoor projects within reach of the Gulf’s salt-air appetite for less hardy fasteners, they’re well worth the price.

“I was inspecting a wooden walkway across a St. George Island marsh, and I noticed they used galvanized nails,” said Glenn Brand, sales manager at Florida Fence & Outdoor Living. “When I went to look underneath where it ended at the bay, 16 June/July 2013

the beams and decking suddenly collapsed and I dropped straight into the water like a rock. After a few years down there, the nails were just gone.”

Ryan Boyett of B&T Fencing, Inc. “On the coast, that’s maybe $18 to $20, mainly because of the need for stainless steel.”

Coastal deck construction doesn’t always end with such a dramatic splash.

But metal corrosion ranks high among several issues to consider, say Brand and other certified deck builders. One of the most obvious is added cost.

Glenn Dodson, building official with the City of Tallahassee’s Growth Management Department, said that flood-zone restrictions, driven pilings and elevation requirements must also be taken into consideration when building near the water.

“In Tallahassee, the typical off-grade deck with handrail and stairs will run around $14 to $15 a square foot,” said

“Many counties and even some cities can vary from the Florida building code,” Dodson said. Leon County, for instance,

mandates a building permit for any deck while Tallahassee limits the permit process to decks 30 inches or more above ground.

On the Gulf side of what’s known as the coastal construction control line, marking the anticipated storm surge or wind-blown waves from a 100-year storm, residential decks need not only county approval but a compliance sign-off from the state Department of Environmental Protection as well.

DEP’s Dee Ann Miller said that potential impact to the beach dune system, native vegetation and marine turtles come into play. “It’s all handled on a site by site basis,” she said. So-called “major” decks that are elevated and roofed would face a stricter review than a “minor” structure without a roof whether or not it was attached to a house.

“The only structures we allow on the dunes are walkovers to the beach,” Miller said. “Anything that has to do with actual deck construction is spelled out in the state building code.”

For someone reasonably handy with carpentry tools, decks are fairly simple to build. Some of the more complex aspects, such as footing installation, substructure spacing and intricate stairs and railings, might call for the skills of a professional carpenter. But much of the actual decking process can be a great excuse for a neighborhood party, like an old-fashioned barn raising.

Before any work can begin, however, a set of plans showing every aspect of the job from elevations to layout and materials has to be drawn up for growth-management approval. Charley Ingle, the building

inspector for Wakulla County, said that permits there carry about a $150 fee.

“Anything fancy could be a little more,” he added.

Typical add-ons might include built-in or freestanding benches and custom fire pits and grill islands, Ryan Boyett said.

Tables, planters and overhead pergolas that act as sun shades are also popular.

Professionals usually finish with a woodpreserving stain and sealer.

“The biggest mistake I’ve seen is trying to save dollars by going with a smaller substructure than conditions call for,” Glenn Brand said. “My advice is grit your teeth and do it right. The elements at the beach are very unforgiving. Whether you do it yourself or hire a licensed contractor, it’s very foolhardy to make do with less.”

S

o you want to add a deck to your coastal home. Will it be a patio-like platform on the ground or a multi-level extension of your indoor living space? Can you tackle the job yourself or should you hire a pro? Will the materials you choose stand up to the weather? What about local building restrictions? And how much will it cost?

With these and other questions in mind, here’s a four-step primer from initial design to protective finishes.

1)

2)

3)

4)

Plans and permits: Required for any deck in Leon County, more than 30 inches off the ground along the coast and in Tallahassee. Cost varies based on materials, labor and shipping.

Materials: Most decks in the Tallahassee area are built with pressure-treated pine, but redwood, natural cedar, several South American hardwoods and a recycled-plastic composite are other choices despite their relatively higher price. Most professionals recommend screws over nails and stainless steel rather than galvanized fittings, although budget restraints again factor in.

Construction: Building codes vary by county. In general, any residential deck more than six feet off the ground requires engineering and an architectural stamp. Footings should be reinforced with rebar, and 36-inch guard rails with no more than a four-inch space between spindles must protect any deck with a 30-inch drop-off.

Final touches: Regardless of wood type, all decking will benefit from some form of protective finish. Paint, stain, bleaching and water-repellent preservatives are popular choices, although all require follow-up treatment.

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FEATURE

A Bit on the

A

By Tricia Dulaney

Shady Side

h, Florida, the Sunshine State.

Our abundant rays are the envy of every snowbound latitude, the goal of spring breakers, siren call to vacationers the world over. Bless their hearts.

Yes, Floridians love bright beaches and wearing shorts in January. We do not love high power bills, the whine of an overworked air conditioner or hot chair

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brands on the backs of our legs. Dressing our windows is more than décor; it’s selfdefense, especially in beach houses, which typically endure sun reflected off water, not filtered by trees.

Fortunately we have plenty of options.

Charles Chick, of Chick’s Blinds and More, has been installing blinds, shades and shutters in the Big Bend area since 1974. While he will install stock blinds for customers and repair existing ones,

his custom installations all come from Skandia Window Fashions, most of them manufactured right here in Tallahassee and Thomasville.

“Custom” is a scary word for homeowners on a budget, but when talking windows, it makes sense. “The main advantage to getting blinds locally is that every window measures differently,” says Chick. “A 70” window can be 70 ¼” or 69 ½” depending on whether it’s framed

So many options! As a Skandia Window Fashions spokesperson says, however, there is no perfect window covering, just what’s perfect for your house. To consider: •

Fabric Drapery – makes a definite design statement, infinitely customizable, ranges from blackout to sheer, can be expensive

•

Vertical Blinds – excellent for large windows, French and sliding doors; many new finishes; can be damaged by pets and kids

•

Aluminum Blinds – won’t warp in heat and humidity; many color options; best if custom, particularly for larger windows

•

Faux Wood Blinds – looks like wood; won’t warp or fade as easily; economical; quality varies, so look carefully before you buy

•

Wood Blinds – attractive natural look; different stains to choose from; can swell, warp and fade in humid heat; more expensive

•

Woven Wood Shades – stylish, customizable, natural, less bulk when raised, no screening when open, light filtered but not blocked, more expensive

•

Cellular or Honeycomb Shades – more insulation and heat protection, less bulk, variety of colors, vulnerable to pet and kid damage, expensive

•

Interior Vinyl Shutters – best for heat deflection, won’t warp or fade, tilt controls light, expensive, more bulk can interfere with view

•

Interior Wood Shutters – classic ‘plantation’ look, best for heat deflection, expensive, can warp and fade, bulky June/July 2013

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out with sheetrock or wood. If you do your own measurements and order your blinds, shades, or shutters online, you’re stuck with the results.” Besides, he adds, custom blinds fit in length as well as width and have more ladders to support slats. Remember those sagging blinds in your first apartment that hung a foot below the sill?

Skandia, whose window fashions are marketed in at least 35 states, offers four criteria to consider when choosing window treatments: security and privacy, light control, fashion and installation. “The homeowner needs to weigh them all when coming to a decision,” says a spokesman.

“A beach house is usually a second home; people are probably not going to spend like the Rockefellers.”

Chick’s Blinds installs Skandia’s popular faux wood blinds in many beach houses.

“They’re economical, and they won’t warp or fade the way wood will.” Since they’re manufactured in Tallahassee, they can be installed quickly, sometimes within a week,

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and replacement slats are much easier to obtain if they need repair. Vertical blinds are still a prime choice for the sliding glass and French doors of many beach houses.

Shades are an option, as well.

According to Skandia, roller shades are hot right now, as are their Mandalay vertical woven blinds. Both offer choice in yarns, color, natural woods and bamboo, as well as degree of light filtered. “In a beach house, it’s all about the view,” says Charles Chick. “Shades open easily and fold up out of sight.”

Cellular shades and interior shutters are high-end coverings that boost both R value (a measure of heat flow resistance) and style. The “honeycombs” of the cellular shades trap air to slow heat exchange, and shutters provide an even better barrier.

“Step up as far as you want,” says a Skandia spokesman. Try motorized blinds with a programmable light sensor, remote control or even internet control. “You can close your blinds from Tibet.”

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PROFILE

Beth Appleton Paper, scissors, water; Beth Appleton colors our world in the most imaginative ways

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Beth Appleton and her husband, David Harbaugh at a recent opening.

By Kati Schardl

I

f asked to define paper in elemental terms, most people would go with earth, for the trees from which it’s made, and maybe fire, for the process of transforming pulp into paper.

But in the hands of artist Beth Appleton, paper can be transformed to evoke earth, fire, air and water – especially water.

Find out more about Beth Appleton’s children’s book “Gently Down the Stream” and watch two videos on her website at www.bethappleton. net, where you can also view examples of her works and find out more about the influences that shaped her as an artist.

Appleton is known for fantastical works created from hand-painted paper cut into thousands of small shapes and put together in assemblages that conjure exotic landscapes, both terrestrial and aquatic. With vibrant colors and layered textures, she summons the Florida of her childhood, home of beautiful mermaids and souvenir stands where treasures abound.

“When you’re a kid, there’s no sorting reality,” says Appleton, a thirdgeneration Floridian who grew up in Ocala with a Weeki Wachee mermaid for a neighbor. “I was convinced I was going to be a mermaid.”

Appleton would practice underwater ballet moves, coached by her neighbor.

Now, as an artist, she brings the same languid, otherworldly grace to her work.

“I think about synchronized swimming – the patterns and repetitions – and that shows up in my art,” she says.

Appleton developed a passion for Florida kitsch by exploring her aunt’s roadside fruit and souvenir stand. Her eye for color was caught by the brightly patterned clothing of Seminole Indians living nearby, and her fascination with making art from paper was born from her sister’s gift of a hand-crafted dress for one of her paper dolls. Making shell jewelry, weaving baskets, arranging tiles into mosaics – all helped form Appleton’s artistic sensibilities.

After attending FSU to study art education and then teaching in Leon County schools after graduation, Appleton was encouraged by husband David Harbaugh to do what she obviously loved best – make a living making art.

The couple lives on St. George Island and Appleton draws constant inspiration from the coastal life.

“I think it’s obvious in my work that we spend a lot of time living on the edge here,” she says. “It’s so dramatic – all the weather, the elements, everything comes into the work.”

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Appleton’s freewheeling, threedimensional style grew out of a frustration with getting a certain landscape right in an early work. She cut out the scene and patched the hole with another, and had an epiphany.

“They are not just our neighbors – they are modern-day heroes,” Appleton says. ”The book will feature great recipes from locals along with my more tropical-styled cut paper works to match the mood of the island.”

“I found a medium that would allow me to change my mind all the time,” she laughs. “I really love pushing paper into thousands of different combinations. You can change your mind and rip things up and move things all around.

The cookbook should be finished in time for the Florida Seafood Festival in November.

“(Paper) is a forgiving and flexible medium – It allows me to explore.”

After the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in 2010, Appleton’s work took on a fresh urgency. She worked as a citizen scientist for the Apalachicola Riverkeeper to take water samples in Apalachicola Bay and examine them with a digital microscope.

“Peeking into that microscope had a profound effect on my work,” she says.

Appleton created a new series of works based on what she saw. The works have been exhibited at Gadsden Arts Center in Quincy and at galleries on St. George Island and Apalachicola.

As her art has evolved, so have Appleton’s modes of expression. Last year, she created a video and children’s book, “Gently Down the Stream.” She is working on a cookbook with the First Responders Unit for the St. George Island Volunteer Fire Department.

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Currently, Appleton is working on a project for Gadsden Arts Center to recreate an era of Gadsden County history.

Appleton chose the area’s prehistory as her focus.

“I couldn’t start the piece of art without having a good background, so I started learning all about it and connecting all the dots,” she says. “Living down here on the coast, I can really see it. Gadsden county is defined by two rivers – the Ocklochonee and the Apalachicola. St. George Island was the southernmost point in the original Gadsden survey.

“With prehistory, it’s all about the clues you put together. Coming from examining tiny life through a microscope to a huge rediscovery of these primitive ideas and times – it seems to be opposite ends of the world from one another. I’m not sure how it’s all going to work out.”

One thing is certain – Appleton’s passion and curiosity will fuel the outcome.

“Making art is a way of life,” she says.

“It’s what I do and who I am.”

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GARDEN

s n e d r a G g n i g n Ha

st a o c e h t t a care y s a e d n a r colo e d i v o r p s n rde Hanging ga

By Kathy Radford

T

he Hanging Gardens of Babylon are said to have been spectacular gardens built

by King Nebuchadnezzar to cheer up his wife, and they are also considered one of the wonders of the ancient world. Whether you wish to emulate an amazing feat or simply want to create a great garden space without taking up a lot of square footage, a hanging garden might be the perfect idea for you. Especially well-suited to porches and balconies, hanging flower gardens can be a bright and cheerful use of vertical space; vegetables and herbs planted to take advantage of the open space above the ground can provide a delicious addition to your favorite recipes. There is no universal definition of what exactly constitutes a hanging garden. From “green” herb gardens that recycle plastic milk jugs to a display of blooms hung on the wall as “living artwork,” anything that suits your taste, desires and space constraints is a great choice. Your limit is only your creativity.

Swinging from the Trees

One option is to make use of Mother Nature’s hangers. Dangling shade-loving plants and interspersing them with a bird

feeder and twinkling, fiber-optic lights from the branches of your oak can make your backyard resemble a fairyland and amaze guests at an outdoor summer dinner party. Using interesting pots of similar-butnot-matching styles and hues and hanging them at varying heights makes a more visually appealing presence.

A Pallet of Colors Consider

building hanging wall art with blossoms and a discarded wooden pallet. Grocery stores and other retail outlets often get rid of the pallets that once held their stacks of product. Covering the back with gardening cloth and planting annuals between the rows can be an easy and inexpensive way to create a hanging flower box. This method does not produce instant gratification, however. It is necessary to give the flowers time to root into the soil so they don’t fall out when the pallet is hung vertically on the wall.

plants from those hooks. Remember that if you are going to place your flowers at or above eye level, you should be sure to look for flowers that will cascade down the sides of the container.

Specially Designed Planter Boxes With the increased interest

in making our outdoor spaces as lively and interesting as our indoor ones, various companies now produce readymade planters designed specifically for hanging on a wall. For a funky look, choose modern plastic pots in varied colors. Discover Wally, a flexible, felt-like planter with grommets for hanging and new-fangled watering techniques. Design your own look, including both plants and hanging wall pots or ensure a clean look by using a whole vertical system.

Traditional or a Twist A staple

of front porches across Tallahassee, plants hanging in pots above the porch railing make a pleasant backdrop for that rocking chair and good summer read. For a twist on the traditional, try attaching hooks to a sturdy tension rod placed between the porch floor and roof. Dangle small potted June/July 2013

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Tallahassee Opportunities When deciding what plants are best for you, you can do research at the library or on the Internet, consult with the agricultural extension agent, or for those with a particularly green thumb, you can certainly just read those little tabs in the pots and choose what speaks to you.

Another possibility, though, is to head on out to one of Tallahassee’s gorgeous garden centers. Consulting with a professional while shopping will help ensure you get the perfect buds and blooms for your space, but you can also go a step farther. Why not take a class or two? Native Nurseries on Centerville Road regularly offers workshops on such topics as butterfly gardening, container gardening, shady garden design and more. You can even learn about planting for the enjoyment of our feathered friends or how to grow and cook with yummy herbs and veggies. A center with lofty goals,

“Native Nurseries’ mission is to bring people and nature together in their yards and gardens.” Check their website at nativenurseries.com for a schedule of classes.

Tallahassee Nurseries also offers insights into growing in containers, when and how to prune your plants and even how to take photos of plants to showcase their beauty.

Want to grow what you can eat? For those interested in tasty gardens, Tallahassee Nurseries says, “In our climate we can grow vegetables nearly all year ... Visit us often to see what’s in season and let us help you plan a year-round harvest.” Check their website at tallahasseenurseries.com for a schedule of classes.

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