At Home Living 050716

Saturday, May 7, 2016 An advertising feature of The Topeka Capital-Journal

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Mastering mulching Picking the best garden bed cover, page 3 n Jamie Kidd on annual flower beds, page 2 n Home offices for women, page 4 n Pedestal vs. wall-hung sinks, page 4 REALTOR

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METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION

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Time to design your annual flower beds I’m feeling it. I’m feeling it. My hands are itching to get down and dirty — in my garden, of course.

What did you think I would say?

This spring has been a real tease — warm, warm, cool; cool, cool, warm; frost. I know many of you have planted your flowers and some vegetables. I have been a good girl and resisted the temptation for a good reason: The soil is inconsistently warm.

Most plants, while they may not die, won’t grow when the soil isn’t warm enough. Planting early may help get a jump-start on getting things into the ground. It doesn’t necessarily mean you are ahead of the game in flower or fruit production.

I look at it this way:

Jamie Kidd Jamie KiDD

jamiehan@ksu.edu jamiehan@ksu.edu

Planting early means, if the temperatures drop too much, I have to weed, water and cover my plants at night for an entire month while they don’t grow.

The plants I plant later in warmer soil often will outgrow the early plants, and I have less labor time involved.

Annual flower beds are just what they say they are — annual. Each year is a fresh opportunity to pour out your creativity

and challenge yourself to explore new plants never before seen in your garden.

Some plants will grow beautifully and others will push the limits, but, all in all, you will have learned a lot and enjoyed the journey.

Getting started

The first step is to find an area in which you’d like to have a splash of color.

Determine if the area is in full shade, part shade or full sun. It makes a big difference when selecting plants.

Clear the area of weeds and grasses. Amend the soil 8 to 10 inches deep with peat moss or compost and mix in a slow-release fertilizer like Osmocote.

The added material will

raise the bed somewhat.

This will improve drainage. Most annual flowers don’t like to dry out, but they also don’t grow well in soggy soils. Building raised beds with boards or stones is another great way to maintain good drainage.

Using pencil and paper, roughly draw the shape of your garden. Graph paper can help with sizing. One square can equal 1 square foot. Use graph paper with large squares to make it easier. Colored pencils can give you a sense of what you’re trying to achieve in color schemes.

Choosing plants

Designing with annuals can be as easy as picking colors. Choose three to four colors and buy plants

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

n The Shawnee County Extension Master Gardeners will have a free hands-on gardening workshop from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday behind Southern Hills Mennonite Church, 511 S.E. 37th. The workshop is geared toward beginners and those looking to be a better grower.

Call (785) 232-0062 to register. n The Master Gardeners will present “Community Gardens” at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th Ave. The program focuses on the history of community gardens, how to establish a garden, how to run one and more. n Questions about growing asparagus, peas, radishes or other vegetables will be answered by volunteers at 9 a.m. May 14 at the Master Gardeners vegetable garden in the southeast corner of the Expocentre parking lot, S.W. 21st and Topeka Boulevard. that are only in those colors. Monochromatic color schemes utilize various shades of the same color, such as light pink to dark red. Using colors that are opposite on the color wheel can add a great deal of excitement to your garden.

Choose plants that vary

in height — small, medium and tall. Place the tall to the back and the small to the front. A variation on placement would be to place combinations of heights in groups. Avoid straight lines. They tend to

KIDD continues on 6C

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Be sure you’re mulching your garden the right way

By Dustin Lemmon Special to The Capital-Journal

Have you been looking at your garden beds this spring and trying to decide whether to put down fresh mulch?

Maybe you put mulch down last year and most of it has either blown away or rapidly deteriorated, or maybe it didn’t prevent weeds from coming up like you wanted.

You could consider other options for covering your garden beds, but Dave Jackson, owner of Jackson’s Greenhouse and Garden Center Inc., 1933 N.W. Lower Silver Lake Road, says mulch is still a really good choice.

“That’s where you’re going to get the best bang for your buck,” he said. “It’s going to be good for weed

prevention, and it’s going to look good all season.”

If you’re having any doubts about mulch — or at the very least wondering how much to buy — here are some important things to consider.

SELECTING THE RIGHT MULCH Jackson and Brett Blackburn, owner of Blackburn Nursery Inc., 4100 S.W. 40th St., advise homeowners to avoid cheaper mulches that include hardwoods.

“They should stay away from mulches that have all or even some hardwood,” Blackburn said.

Hardwood mulches not only break down quickly, but they also are susceptible to artillery fungus, which can leave black spots on your home and vehicles.

These mulches also tend to come from large stock-

“If it’s up near the foundapiles and aren’t very clean, tion, be certain the mulch Blackburn said.

“Most bulk product is doesn’t say ‘blended’ (on the label), because it could have hardwood,” he noted. other stuff in it,” he In addition, said, noting the “you’ll want to bag may conbe careful tain 60-perabout the cent cedar mulch or cypress that the w i t h c i t y h a rda n d w o o d forestmixed ry proin. v ide ,” “What Jackson you put out added. by the trees, W h at METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION or anything you should else, is not all that look for are important,” he added. mulches that are The one exception is with 100-percent cedar or cypress, Jackson said. This mulch containing walnut. is particularly important Jackson said mulch with for the mulch you put near walnut can cause root damyour home’s foundation, as age to recently planted pehardwoods are more likely rennials.

Even if you use rock into draw termites.

stead of mulch, you can still have termite problems, Blackburn said, because it is the moisture that collects in the rock or mulch near your foundation that draws the pests.

If you’re willing to spend a little more, you can find mulches that are more durable. Jackson mentioned premium shredded, all-bark mulch, which he’s had last for up to three years.

Blackburn said products that are 100-percent cypress can have a texture so fine the mulch looks like pine needles and last three to five years.

“A lot of times you can fluff it up and spread it.

That’s the advantage of the high-grade cypress,” he said.

HOW MUCH TO BUY If you’ve used mulch

in the past and still had weeds sprout up, it’s probably because the mulch layer wasn’t thick enough.

Jackson said a 3- to 4-inch layer of mulch will provide good weed protection. If your mulch layer is 2 inches or less, you will need to consider putting matting underneath the mulch.

A standard 2-cubic-foot bag should cover 6 square feet with a 4-inch layer of mulch, Jackson said, adding he also sells 3-cubicfoot bags.

If you don’t use a thick enough layer of mulch, Blackburn advises using herbicides to fight weeds in your garden beds.

“Normally, you don’t put plastic under mulch,” he said, referring to garden mats. “It will slide right off.”

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Create private space for working woman Pedestal sinks help

By Cathy Hobbs Tribune News Service

Perhaps you have heard of the expression “man cave,” the affectionate term for a man’s private space. Women need their own private spaces, too. If your home allows, instead of having a universal office, consider an office just for her.

Ideally the location of a female home office should be easily accessible to prime areas of the home, but also afford privacy. A home office should also be a space where the primary user doesn’t have to worry about having belongings disturbed or removed.

Because the space should be for both work and relaxation, the space shouldn’t

TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

Light colors create a soothing atmosphere in this home office, an ideal location for the working woman. be designed as just an office. Don’t just focus on hard surfaces such as a desk; also incorporate soft elements such as sofas,

chairs and chaises. Creating opportunities in a space for relaxing “me” moments will go a long way.

While many male home

offices are filled with materials such as leather and colors such as rust, brown and black, a woman might desire a lighter feel. Colors such as white, gray, taupe and even soft pink are great choices in order to create a soothing and relaxing environment.

Looking for some materials choices? Consider soft upholstery pieces made from materials such as cotton, chenille or perhaps suede. Flooring options include sheepskin or a plush area rug with large loops.

For those who prefer natural materials, consider sisal, which is a popular choice for those looking for a modern look and don’t mind walking on stiffer surfaces.

save bathroom space

By Ed Del Grande Tribune News Service

Q: Dear Ed: While I have a standard toilet in my present bathroom, I would like to remove my box-type vanity sink for a wall-hung sink. This can give me a little foot room. But, I don’t want it to look like a commercial bathroom. Do they make attractive wall-hung sinks with the piping concealed? — Kate, New Hampshire A: In smaller bathrooms, designers and homeowners like to install pedestal sinks for this very reason.

With a pedestal sink, you do pick up some space-sav-

ing advantages of a wallhung sink while still getting a true designer look.

However, pedestal sinks do have a slight disadvantage when compared to a traditional wall-hung sink.

The floor pedestal can still get in the way when installed in a very tight space.

Good news for you is you can find attractive and versatile wall-hung bathroom sinks that accept factorymatched shroud covers to conceal the piping. The shroud only extends down about a foot, which sounds perfect since you’re looking for some extra foot room.

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Service Directory

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Kidd: Check light requirements for chosen plants Continued from 2C be boring, unless it’s a border.

K-State Research and Extension has a list of annuals that grow well in Kansas called Prairie Star; view the list at www.prairiestarflowers.com.

Don’t forget the foliage plants. Coleus and sweet potato vine are great plants for adding color without using flowers. Dusty miller has grayish/silver foliage. It is wonderful as a border and a contrast

for brightly colored plants. It works well at night along with other white-flowering plants.

Night lighting really sets them off.

Remember to check the light requirements of the plants you are choosing. Shade plants will not grow well in full sun and vice versa.

After planting

After all the flowers have been planted, water the garden

well to settle the soil around the root balls. When you’re sure settlement has happened, sprinkle a pre-emergence herbicide, like Preen or Hi-Yield Turf and Ornamental Weed and Grass Stopper/Dimension.

Preen lasts six to eight weeks and will need to be reapplied during the season.

Water it in immediately for best performance. Dimension only needs to be applied once. Watering can be delayed slightly with no problems.

Always follow the directions on the label.

Mulch the flower beds with 1 to 2 inches of compost, wood chips, straw, leaf mold/shredded leaves or other organic matter.

If a slow-release fertilizer wasn’t used, irrigate with a water-soluble fertilizer at least every two weeks.

Jamie Kidd is a horticulturist with K-State Research and Extension in Shawnee County.

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