At Home Living 061816

25th annual pond tour

Saturday, June 18, 2016 An advertising feature of The Topeka Capital-Journal

Find amazing area water gardens, page 6 n Jamie Kidd on tomato plant ailments, page 2 n Finding a faucet that fits inside and out, page 4, 5 n Find a place for silver in your home, page 10

homes.cjonline.com REALTOR

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Linda A. Ditch/Special to THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

2 | Saturday, June 18, 2016 | The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com

Tackle various problems that can affect tomato plants This article is for tomato growers everywhere!

Well, at least those in Kansas.

Tomatoes are one of the easiest and most popular plants to grow and can also, at times, be very frustrating. If you have ever had a tomato that rotted on the vine, a tomato leaf with spots or a tomato plant that wilted and died the articles this week and next are for you. (That should be just about every tomato grower in Kansas.)

Here is some information about physiological disorders, fungi and bacteria infections of tomatoes, how to avoid them, and how to control them.

Physiological disorders

These are not caused

Jamie Kidd Jamie KiDD

jamiehan@ksu.edu jamiehan@ksu.edu by fungus or bacteria but rather by cultural or environmental issues.

Blossom End Rot is due to lack of calcium and happens during hot, dry weather. It appears as a sunken water-soaked lesion near the blossom end of the fruit. The lesion turns black and creates a flat end on the tomato. This rot occurs when there is rapid plant growth and quick fluctuations in soil moisture. Calcium, even though it may be ample in the soil, is not

Master Gardeners

n Learn how to use a rain barrel and how to build your own during the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library Master Gardener seminar, 7 p.m., June 23, 1515 S.W. 10th Ave. n Bring ailing plants to the Master Gardener Sick Plant Clinic, 10-3 p.m., July 11, Fairlawn Plaza Mall, 2114 S.W. Chelsea Drive. Horticulture specialists will be on hand to answer gardening questions. able to be absorbed by the plant. Provide even and adequate soil moisture, especially during fruit set.

Mulching can help maintain moisture. Throw away the first tomatoes that have this problem.

The next tomatoes should be fine.

Blossom Drop can oc-

cur below 60 degrees or above 90 degrees.

Cracking on fruit happens with sudden summer rains or watering after a drought. The fruit is expanding more rapidly than its skin. Pick fruits in the pink stage and allow them to ripen indoors.

(Tomatoes do not ripen better on the vine.)

Weed spray damage occurs when phenoxy herbicides like 2,4-D are sprayed too close to the tomato plant. Leaves can twist and become distorted.

The plant can survive a light exposure and produce new, normal leaves in a few weeks.

Heavier doses of 2,4-D may not kill the plant but can stunt its growth and cause it to not produce much fruit.

Fungal Diseases Septoria Leaf Spot and Early Blight are the most common fungal diseases.

Both occur anytime in the growing season and make leaf spots typically on older leaves first nearest to the ground. Leaves fall off and fruit can become sunscalded.

Septoria Leaf Spots are SMALL water-soaked spots with centers of spots turning tan or gray with the margins remaining dark. Heavily infected plants may scorch and wilt giving the appearance of a wilt disease.

Early Blight leaf spots are up to ½ inch in diameter. They are brown, irregular in shape, and have dark concentric rings inside the brown area.

Anthracnose is a frequent problem in the latter part of the growing season on ripening tomatoes. Small circular, slightly sunken lesions appear on the surface of the ripening fruit. The spots quickly enlarge, become bruise-like depressions and develop a water-soaked appearance.

Fungal control

Here are several fungicides that have been shown to help control these fungal diseases: Fertilome Broad Spectrum Fungicide, Ortho Garden Disease Control, Garden Tech Daconil Fungicide Concentrate and Hi-Yield Maneb Garden Fungicide.

These are usually applied

KIDD continues on 3

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Kidd: Sanitation key to maintain tomato health Continued from 2C when symptoms appear.

Read the label and follow directions.

Bacterial diseases

Bacterial Speck and Spot are not common, but they can cause serious damage during wet growing seasons. Both diseases form spots on fruits and

leaves. A heavy infection can cause leaf drop, but the main effect is reduction of fruit quality. Both diseases cause 1/8 to ¼ inch black spots usually with yellow halos to form on the leaves. Bacterial Spot on the fruit appears in spots up to ¼ inch in diameter and become very rough and cracked.

Bacterial Speck lesions are much smaller (1/16 inch) and do not crack

or become scaly. Bacterial Speck happens in cool (65-75 degrees), wet conditions while Bacterial Spot likes warmer temperatures (75-85 degrees), heavy rainfall and high relative humidity.

Bacterial disease control

Chemical control of bacterial disease is inconsistent. Bacteria repro-

duce extremely fast, making it difficult to manage an epidemic. Therefore, there is not a lot of help with bacterial diseases.

Control measures

Sanitation, sanitation, sanitation! Tomato diseases can overwinter in all kinds of plant debris including weeds. Clean out the garden and do not compost any diseased

plants.

Avoid planting tomatoes in the same area of the garden year after year.

Buy healthy, clean seed and transplants in the spring.

Avoid overhead watering. This will help reduce humidity and leaf wetness.

Stake or cage plants to improve airflow which will reduce fungal activity.

Avoid rain splash transfer of diseases by mulching.

Use fungicides when symptoms appear.

Next week I will talk about soil borne tomato wilt diseases, the resistant varieties you should be buying, and insects that attack tomatoes.

Jamie Kidd is a horticulturist with Kansas State University Research and Extension in Shawnee County.

Blue is the new black when it comes to home decor

By Cathy Hobbs

Tribune News Service

Black remains a staple in home decor. It blends well with other colors and can add elegance to a space.

The same can also be said of blue, especially indigo.

Yes, blue is the new black.

Deep blue has become a

favorite for designers, especially those looking to use a dark, rich color without the harshness black can provide. For many homeowners and those in the design community, blue is a preferred choice to black, and it’s gaining popularity.

When it comes to using deep blue or indigo, here are

some tips to keep in mind: n Mix deep blue with soft neutrals such as white and taupe. The blue can help make these colors stand out. n Mix rich shades of blue with sharp contrast colors such as yellow or chartreuse. n Map your pops of blue

throughout a space. Color mapping is a technique in which one can repeat a color throughout a room. For example, introduce a blue piece of art and then use a rug with blue accents, then add a blue toss pillow. n Don’t be afraid to mix blue with black. Once considered to be taboo, from

fashion to home decor realms, dark blue and black are colors that are being displayed together. n Don’t paint a wall a deep blue unless it is an accent wall. Deep blue will likely overly darken a room if used as an overall color. n Don’t dismiss opportunities to introduce blue

into your space in interesting ways, such as ocean- or water-inspired art or photography.

Cathy Hobbs, based in New York City, is an Emmy Award-winning television host and a nationally known interior design and home staging expert with offices in New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C.

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Installing additional outdoor water faucets has benefits

By Angie Hicks Angie's List

Dear Angie: My home doesn't have an outside water faucet. What’s the approximate cost to have one installed?

— Jimmie M., Wytheville, Va. Dear Jimmie: First, consider taking one more look around the outside of your home and double-check you don't have an exterior water faucet or spigot.

Most homes should have at least one, if not two outdoor water faucets. Consider checking your local building code.

Multiple outdoor faucets can save time and aggra-

Angie’s list

The distance from an existing water line will influence the installation cost of an outside water faucet. vation. But even residents who already have faucets outside their homes often consider adding more.

Additional faucets let you

water the lawn and garden while washing your car simultaneously. More faucets also save you from having to run a hose from one end

of your home to the other.

Plumbers we spoke with say installing a new outdoor faucet can cost $300 to $450, depending on the contractor and the difficulty to connect the faucet with your existing water line.

The time and effort it takes to install the exterior faucet depends on whether you have a crawlspace or basement. Some plumbers work faster in crawlspaces, others in unfinished basements. Either way, if they have easy access to the water line they’ll be able to work faster, which can mean a lower price.

The job becomes more complicated if you have a

finished basement, because the plumber has to work around more obstacles to access the water line.

The plumber may have to cut through the ceiling or walls, so you might need to hire a separate contractor to patch the holes.

Also, ask your plumber about the best possible spot to install the new faucet.

If you’ve preselected a location far from the water line, it’ll take the plumber longer to complete the install, which raises the job price.

If you don’t want to pay an additional $150 to $300 for a plumber to repair the outdoor faucet, be sure you remove the hose at the end

of the summer. Otherwise, water that hasn’t drained can cause the spigot to freeze.

This is a common oversight, especially among first-time homeowners.

For more information on outdoor plumbing (no, not that kind), check out our Outdoor Plumbing Guide at www.angieslist.com/ plumbing/outdoor.htm.

Tribune News Service writer Tom Lange contributed to this report.

Angie Hicks is founder of www.

AngiesList.com, provider of consumer reviews and services.

Send questions to askangie@ angieslist.com or tweet with #AskAngie. Follow her @Angie_ Hicks.

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The right fit: Widespread or centerset?

By Ed Del Grande Tribune News Service

Dear Ed: We need to choose a new bathroom faucet for our existing sink. The more information I receive the more confused I get and I don’t know what to do. I need to choose between a widespread faucet or a centerset faucet. To help me make the right choice, can you please give me details about widespread and centerset faucets? — Fred, Florida A: Welcome to the world of replacing bathroom faucets. Not only are you choosing style, you also need to choose a faucet type that fits your existing bathroom sink.

For example: If you have a single-hole sink, you want to look for a single-hole bathroom faucet. However, when you have a three-hole bathroom sink, you usually need

Tribune News Service

With a widespread faucet, the spout and handles are usually three separate components. to choose between a widespread or a centerset faucet to correctly match the sink.

Two-handle centerset faucets are the standard compact models and measure 4 inches from the center of one handle to the center of the other handle. Widespread faucets measure at least 8 inches or more between faucet handles. Also, with a widespread faucet, the spout and handles are usually three separate com-

ponents.

Bottom line: Get out your ruler and hopefully with this information you'll now feel like you measure up to making your final faucet choice.

Master contractor/plumber Ed Del Grande is known internationally as the author of the book "Ed Del Grande's House Call," the host of TV and Internet shows, and a LEED green associate. Visit eddelgrande. com or write eadelg@cs.com. Always consult local contractors and codes.

6 | Saturday, June 18, 2016 | The Topeka Capital-Journal | homes.cjonline.com

Pond tour to visit dedicated sanctuary Garden took over 3 years to construct

By Linda A. Ditch

Special to The Capital-Journal

As you approach the gate leading into Tom Charest’s backyard, it feels as though you’re about to enter a secret, magical space. That sense is partly due to the metal Asian-style archway over the gate and the bamboo and vines woven through the structure, shielding your view from the water garden within.

Look up, and you’ll see the terra-cotta-colored tiles of the screened-in “hut” just inside the entrance.

On the wall next to the gate is a plaque that reads: “To all who enter this garden, it is dedicated in loving memory of my ‘Connie.’ ” Connie was Charest’s wife, who passed away eight years ago from heart and other medical issues.

Charest’s water garden, 2313 S.W. 33rd Street, is stop Number 9 on this year’s 25th Annual Topeka Area Pond Tour, June 25 and 26. His is also one of three gardens that will open in the evenings for night tours, which is new to this year’s event.

“Connie was the world’s greatest go-fer,” Charest said. “She wasn’t physically able to help much in her final years, but she was a great supporter.”

The garden came into existence 20 years ago and took over three years to build. It has seven terraces created by walls using 170 tons of rock, all of which were hand-washed

by Connie. Pointing to the walls, Charest said, “She washed all the rocks. They

A cement statue designed and built by Tom Charest sits by a small pond and waterfall in the upper part of his water garden.

The 25th Area Pond Tour

When: Saturday, June 25, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, June 26, 12 to 4 p.m.

Tickets: $6 per person (children under 12 free). Tickets can be purchased in advance at HyVee, Jackson’s Greenhouse, Old Prairie Town/Ward Meade, Porterfield’s, Skinner’s Garden Store, Topeka Landscape, Touch of Class Hair Studio, WatersScape Concepts, Wild Bird House, Wolf’s Camera, and Water’s Edge, or on tour days at each pond host location.

More info: www.TAWGS.org

Photographs by Linda A. Ditch/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Tom Charest’s garden features an Asian temple-style gazebo. The design comes from Charest’s interest in the Shogun television miniseries. were dug out of an old hillside, covered with dirt and stacked on pallets in the drive. She washed them all with a wire brush.”

The garden’s primary pond holds 7,000 gallons

of water and is 5 feet deep.

It is home to Charest’s school of Koi fish, some of which are 3 feet long.

Many waterfalls come out of the stone walls and into smaller ponds. Stone walk-

ways and arched wooden bridges lead to a templestyle gazebo in the garden’s center.

The Asian design came about because of Charest’s love of the Shogun televi-

sion miniseries and not from any travels to that area of the world. The gardening bug came years ago from his first job at Burns Floral, which closed in 2002. He has an art degree from Emporia State, and his artist’s eye shows up in many of the garden’s features, including the numerous cement sculptures he created. Also, don’t forget to look up at “Harry”, a bird-themed totem pole made from a dead pine tree.

“God gives us the tiniest glimpse of heaven through his most magnificent gardens on Earth,” Charest said, and then he added, “Mine’s not there yet.”

The Pond Tour is a fund-

raiser for the Topeka Area Water Garden Society. The proceeds go towards the beautification of Topeka by building community water features or donating funds to improve existing projects. The money raised last year help build the addition of three pools and an extra waterfall to Anna’s Pond at Old Prairie Town.

TAWGS President Chris Newell pointed out that membership in the society is a great way to tap into the knowledge of fellow members with decades of water garden experience.

He said, “I’m trying to do two things with TAWGS. I want this to be a club where people get together to talk, share ideas, and get to know each other, with some food and drinks. A social club. I also want us to be doing something for the Topeka community. If someone needs help, we can give advice.”

The Pond Tour begins at Anna’s Pond at Old Prairie Town, located at 124 N.W. Fillmore. This garden has a number of water features such as a bubbling rock, wall fountains, streams, waterfalls and a reflection pool. The garden has almost completed the transi-

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Pond: Tour also includes two bonus stops Making a place

feel like a home

Continued from 6 tion from an English theme to Asian.

Other gardens on the tour include: n Craig Dannenberg and Brad Williams, 1143 S.W. Wayne — Built in 2012, this pond hold 5,500 gallons of water while circulating 6,000 gallons through 2 waterfalls and many small bog filtration systems. Visitors will enjoy cattails, water iris, dwarf papyrus and numerous other plants. (Open for a night tour.) n Phil and Amy Thompson, 1740 Seabrook Ave. — A continuous work in progress since 2007, this garden features a 14- by 14-foot pool, an 8-foot stream and two waterfalls. The host will be happy to explain the tricks they’ve learned to decrease the maintenance time and increase the time for enjoying the water features. n Lee Wright and Alice Eberhart-Wright, 8049 S.W. Huntoon — These hosts were the recipients of the one and only TAWGS raffle many years ago, with members building the initial pond. It has since been updated by Topeka Landscape. The features include a small waterfall with a native stone-edged pool, home to many fish, frogs and aquatic plants. n Ron Evans and Sara

By Gabrielle Savoie Domaine

Linda A. Ditch/Special to THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

A dedation plaque outside the garden’s gate states who the area is dedicated to. Tom Charest’s wife died eight years ago but not before helping build the garden.

Tucker, 8050 S.W. Huntoon Street — Not just a decorative pond, this one was built to be a sanctuary for the area wildlife, including deer, turkeys, raccoons and birds. It features two ponds with a unique weeping water wall and a flat-top fountain. n Jill and Kevin McCarthy, 3600 N.E. Oakwood Drive — New to TAWGS, the McCarthy’s created their large pond with its waterfalls in the space that once housed a conventional above-ground pool.

(Open for a night tour.) n Tim and Catarina

Brunner, 4206 S.E. Oakwood Street — A deck overlooks this garden’s natural rock waterfall, which empties into a 1,000-gallon pond that is home to aquatic plants, Koi and goldfish. n Gene and Karolyn Roles, 5420 S.W. Fairlawn Road — Built to replicate the mountain stream the couple enjoyed in the Medicine Bow Mountains in Wyoming, the water in this feature travels 45 feet along a 16-foot stream, over six waterfalls, and through numerous ponds. n Dave Heinemann, 3826 S.W. Cambridge Court —

This pond features a double waterfall and a ledge of red steppers from quarries near Lymon, Colo.

Along with the private ponds on the tour, there are also two bonus stops.

One is at WaterScape Concepts, 715 N.E. US-24 highway, where they will be celebrating the business’ eighth year of helping gardeners create water features. The second is at Water’s Edge, 9th and Indiana in Lawrence. There, visitors will find a wide variety of water features, statuaries, plants and accessories on display.

If you've just graduated and are moving into an apartment for the first time, you know how overwhelming it can be to make your new space feel like home.

Maybe you’re just getting acquainted with your roommates (and their decorating “tastes”), or perhaps you’re stuck with hand-me-downs you’re less than crazy about.

Perhaps your apartment is a little less clean, organized and practical than the family home you’re so used to.

Whatever you’re struggling with, we’ve got all the solutions. Get ready to turn your new apartment into a home you'll love. n An entryway console.

Any self-respecting adult should have a dedicated spot to drop their keys, bag, coat, mail and shoes upon entering their home. Otherwise, these things end up on the floor, on a bed or on the back of a chair. n Kitchen basics.

When shopping for kitchen essentials, think first about what you cook regularly, what you want to learn how to cook and how you want to entertain. For instance, you don’t need a food processor if you favor

spaghetti over soups. n Sofa enhancements.

We get it. Sofas are a big investment, and they’re hard to transfer from one home to the next, so you might be inclined to stick to your hand-me-down or an IKEA basic. But no matter what your sofa is, it should never be the only piece of furniture in the room. n A dining space.

Whether it’s a couple of bar stools at the kitchen counter or an eight-person dining table, you should set up a proper dining space.

You can only eat in front of the TV (or worse in your bed) so many times before feeling like a lonely caveman. n Fresh sheets.

While your flannel sheets from college served you well, those ratty (and Cheetos-stained) blankets have no place in your adult apartment. A crisp set of quality sheets will transform the way you sleep and instantly lift your bedroom. n A quality mattress.

We all know that when you get a proper night's sleep, you’re more productive. Therefore, investing in a quality mattress might be the most important purchase you’ll make in your first apartment.

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Research plants before buying them for your landscape

By Maureen Gilmer Tribune News Service

We buy new plants because we fall in love with them. Every time you visit the garden center, your oxytocin starts flowing and you want all those beautiful flowers for your yard. But love is blind, and our judg-

ment becomes skewed by all that passion and beauty. The plants come home with us to live yet they die. We cry, then the compost heap is fed yet again.

Designers think deeply and on different levels about each plant before including it on the plan. They visualize it in the space at matu-

rity. They draw it that way too as a failsafe to ensure they’ve matched the right dimensions to the space provided.

Here are some of those details to help you verify any new plants for this year's garden improvements.

You'll find this info on the plant label or if not, look it

up online by botanical name to find the answers to these questions: n Will it survive the winter?

Know your U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness Zone and make sure the plant is designated as winter-hardy in that zone. n Will it fit?

Learn the shape, size and diameter of the plant at maturity, and use that as your criteria for whether it works or fits in the spot you have in mind. n Will to grow?

Plant labels stipulate the amount of sunlight required, typically full sun, part sun and full shade. Problems

arise when the designation doesn't include regional differences. Climate change and drought have brought many new plants into the market that are unknown to gardeners. Research them before spending money to make sure they are reliable in your area, particularly in colder or very arid climates.

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Service Directory

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Taking a shine to silver as home decor

By Mary Carol Garrity Tribune News Service

Silver and me, we’ve been together for more than 30 years, and our love affair is still shining bright. Nearly everywhere you look in my house, you’ll find evidence of my enduring passion for the precious metal: trays, urns, candlesticks, boxes, you name it. Like a lot of us who fall in love, I was set up by a friend.

Nancy is 20 years older than I, and we became fast friends when I was in my late 20s. I was still evolving my personal decorating style then, and in the blink of an eye, Nancy, with her fresh take on feathering your nest, became my muse and definer of all things cool in interior design.

The first time I visited Nancy's home in the country, I was like a sponge, absorbing everything I saw in her impeccably decorated home. I'd never before seen anyone approach decorating like Nancy did, mixing together the rustic and the refined to create a visual contrast that was intriguing yet satisfying in its simplicity.

Before I met Nancy, I thought formal pieces like silver serving trays and tea sets should be displayed with deference in a china cabinet. But on a rustic farm table so worn it looked like it might cave in, Nancy had placed an elegant five-armed silver candelabra

Tribune News Service

Silver trays and platters can be the base for many festive table displays. Collect items made of the precious metal. and a huge blue and white porcelain bowl filled with natural treasures she discovered on her treks through the countryside: a beautiful pebble, a fallen bird's nest, a pinecone.

In her kitchen, a gleaming silver food dome that looked

like it belonged in an English manor home rested on an old washed pine sideboard. It was mixed up, and I loved it.

For a girl who watched "Out of Africa" at least 10 times to drink in the romantic decor of the African plantation home

(and maybe Robert Redford), I thought Nancy's home was heaven. And, the soil from which I grew my own style. I started to collect silver pieces and experiment with how to display them in my home to create a feeling of relaxed elegance.

To my delight, I discovered that my mother-in-law, Mimi, was a kindred spirit when it came to silver. She, too, had collected it for years. And, to my even greater delight, she wanted to share it with me. I told her never to shop for me, to instead hand down to me pieces in her collection she no longer wanted.

For Christmas or my birthday, if I was on Mimi's good side, I would unwrap a piece of her treasured grape-leafpattern silver plate. When I was in the dog house, I received things like an old dusty basket that had been buried in her garage for years. One year, she gave me her divine silver tea set, which I displayed in my Atchison home for years.

When we moved to the cottage, we just didn't have a spot for it in our snug little space.

So I passed in on to our daughter, Kelly, who now displays it on her dining room buffet.

Some day, it will be my granddaughter Maeve's.

This column was adapted from Mary Carol Garrity's blog at www.nellhills. com. She can be reached at marycarol@ nellhills.com.

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