At Home, Sept. 17, 2016

Saturday, September 17, 2016 An advertising feature of The Topeka Capital-Journal

homes.cjonline.com

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY

Composting: Pile it on Turn yard waste into nutrients for garden, page 6

n Jamie Kidd on night lighting, page 2 n Bridge faucet: Form meets function, page 3 n Dwarf fruit trees grow in popularity, page 5 n Cleaning chimney worth the cost, page 6 METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION

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Night lighting can add to garden’s atmosphere “Ambiance” — the special atmosphere or mood created by a particular environment.

Ambiance is what makes us feel like we belong or want to remain in a particular space. Think of cozy, romantic restaurants with candles, alcoves of fancy old hotels or warm rock fireplaces and overstuffed chairs with low lighting.

Night lighting in your garden can create a similar ambiance, and it’s simpler and more affordable than you think.

Night lighting can do several things. It can extend the time you can spend in your garden and enhance the setting. It can address safety issues for you and guests walking through the yard.

Security can be handled in an aesthetically pleasing manner and be appropriate to the site. Lighting can bring special interest to specimen plants, sculptures and ponds while adding depth and interest to your creation.

Lights and shadows are always attention-getters. To achieve your goals for lighting, take time to do a little research and planning. Drive through nice neighborhoods likely to have night lighting.

Make notes of what catches

Jamie KiDD

jamiehan@ksu.edu

your eye. Do you like the up-lighting illuminating a beautiful tree trunk? What about the low lights guiding you up the walk to the front door? Is there a light on or in the fountain or pond?

Also, make a note of what doesn’t work, like harsh lights on a blank wall — you don’t want to look like a model home. Flood lights detract from the ambiance.

Are there glaring lights in the shrubs? Can you actually see the light bulbs?

Lights shouldn’t shine into the windows of the home.

Too many lights along a path can make it look like a runway. Unbalanced lighting will divide rather than unite a garden. Avoid high contrast ratios — hot spots of bright light surrounded by large dark areas. Flooding the whole garden with light creates an artificial atmosphere and washes out the moonlight and night sky.

Yard lighting used to be

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

The Shawnee County Extension Master Gardeners will demonstrate how to make and use compost at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 8 at the Master Gardener vegetable demonstration garden in front of the train engine on the southeast corner of the Kansas Expocentre grounds. solely electric. Today, there are a number of solar-powered lights that are making a big splash in the market.

They are easy to install with no wiring and have no electric bill. It is an easy chore that almost anyone can do.

Installation tips

Here are a few guidelines for night lighting your lawn and garden: n Light the pathways, even if they are simple routes only you use. You deserve enjoyment, too. Short or tall stake lighting is available for this; just press them into the ground. n Light stairs. Stick lights can be laid along the step.

String lights — 50 to 100 LED lights inside a PVC tube

KIDD continues on 10

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Bridge faucets make connection Extra spout clearance for washing gives kitchen faucet an advantage

By Ed Del Grande Tribune News Service

TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

A bridge-style kitchen faucet, which sits above the sink, is a good example of form meeting function.

Q: Dear Ed, I am thinking of installing a new kitchen sink with a bridgetype faucet. While I find this faucet attractive, does the bridge styling have any functional advantages as well? I don’t want to pay extra money for just good looks. — Jean, New Jersey

A: A bridge kitchen faucet is a good example of form meeting function.

Bridge faucets are twohandle kitchen faucets with the water connector pipe between the hot and cold valves exposed above the sink.

This is what gives it the “bridge” look. The faucet spout connects up and off the exposed bridge pipe to

complete a very dramatic look.

Because the main body of the faucet sits above the sink, one advantage is you can get extra spout clearance for washing or filling large pots. Another advantage is, because the faucet has no deck plate, it’s a very easy faucet to keep clean.

Keep in mind that in

most cases, the kitchen sink may need to be special ordered to fit this faucet style, but you can cross that bridge when you come to it.

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.

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Dwarf trees a popular option

By Dean Fosdick The Associated Press

Miniature trees have become a popular way to grow apples in backyards.

Dwarf and semi-dwarf trees are smaller than standard varieties, yet faster to mature and produce.

“Smaller trees are more efficient for labor. They’re also more efficient for space,” said Michael Parker, an Extension horticulture specialist and associate professor at North Carolina A&T State University.

“Why put up one tree when you can plant six small trees with lots of apple varieties?

If you lose one tree, it’s no big deal. You’ll have other trees producing.”

As for maturing, “With standard trees, you have to wait five to seven years,” Parker said. “It’s two to three years with dwarf or smaller trees.”

Choosing the right dwarf rootstock will result in miniature orchards, although you’ll still need to prune to keep trees down to size, Parker said.

“There are different dwarfing rootstocks, starting with 8-foot trees and going to 15 feet,” he said. “But you can’t just plant them and let them go. A dwarf tree doesn’t know it’s supposed to stop growing at 8 feet. Dwarf trees are smaller than the standard size, but they still need to be trained and pruned.”

Safety is yet another advantage when managing smaller trees. It’s easier to scout them for damage, and they require less ladder work — especially when applying chemicals.

“Most homeowners don’t have the necessary equipment for spraying over their heads,” said Michael Bush, an Extension entomologist with Washington State University’s Yakima County office. “Toxic

spray residues can drip down and run all over the applicators. A lot of pesticide labels warn against spraying more than 10 feet (high). They suggest that you hire a professional.”

Arborists generally recommend pruning apple trees twice a year: first when they’re dormant, to create better air circulation and prevent diseases, and second in the summer to eliminate suckers, improve light gathering and control growth.

“Try to keep limbs from growing straight up and down,” Bush said. “Encourage branches to grow laterally and keep fruiting lower to the ground.”

And don’t prune when rain is in the forecast, Bush said: “Blowing rain can introduce fungal and bacterial diseases into the wounds that eventually will spread from tree to tree.”

To determine which dwarf varieties work best in your area, Parker suggests reading up and checking with a local Extension office “to learn which rootstocks are adapted for the climate.”

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Miniature trees have become a popular way to grow fruit in backyards. Dwarf and semidwarf trees, like this Japanese plum tree, are smaller than the standard varieties but faster to mature and produce.

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Compost your way to a better garden Good composting materials include grass, vegetable peelings

By Dustin Lemmon Special to The Capital-Journal

Chimney cleaning costly?

Instead of bagging your yard waste this fall, have you considered turning it into compost?

“The whole idea behind composting is to reuse stuff you’re going to haul off to the dump,” said Brett Blackburn, owner of Blackburn Nursery Inc., 4100 S.W. 40th St. “It does keep stuff out of the landfill.”

Beyond helping the environment, composting also can provide more nutrients to your garden beds.

So what should you put in a compost pile?

By Angie Hicks Angie’s List

Right materials

Shawnee County Solid Waste recommends using the following items as composting material: grass, leaves, small tree limbs, vegetable and fruit peelings, coffee grounds, shredded paper, straw, hay bales and animal fats, although fats may attract pests to your yard.

The county also recommends adding dirt to your compost pile to keep odors down and assist in breaking down your compost materials.

Blackburn said the key is to use waste that will break down quickly and easily.

That means you don’t want to use larger sticks and branches, or plants that haven’t been cut up.

Even your grass clippings should be kept to a smaller size, if you want to use them in your compost pile.

“It’s the same with mowing,” he said. “You don’t want the grass to get real tall.”

So, if those are the dos, what are the don’ts?

No pet feces, eggs or

ELDON LINDSAY

Chimney sweeps use brooms or vacuums to clear chimneys of soot and creosote.

KEITH HORINEK/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Eddie Spencer, site manager at the Shawnee County Household Hazardous Waste Facility, and Joan Graves, operations assistant for Shawnee County Solid Waste, show off a Geobin composting system. Shawnee County Solid Waste recommends using the following items as composting material: grass, leaves, small tree limbs, vegetable and fruit peelings, coffee grounds, shredded paper, straw, hay bales and animal fats, although fats may attract pests. grease, Blackburn said.

You don’t want anything in your compost that could draw pests.

You also will want to avoid using any plants that were sick or in bad condition.

By including them, you could run the risk of introducing plant diseases to your compost pile, he noted. Those diseases may then infect plants where you use the compost.

Composting bins

Joan Graves, operations assistant for Shawnee County Solid Waste, said the department provides composting bins that resi-

dents can obtain free of charge.

To do so, you need to stop by the Shawnee County Extension office at 1740 S.W. Western Ave. to receive a coupon. The coupon may then be used to obtain the bin at Jackson’s Greenhouse and Garden Center, 1933 N.W. Lower Silver Lake Road, or Skinner Garden Store Inc., 4237 N.W. Lower Silver Lake Road.

Once you have the bin, getting started can be quite simple.

“Usually the best thing to do is to pick out a place in your yard and just start putting stuff there,” Graves said.

But how do you make sure the compost breaks down quickly so you don’t have to wait several months to use it?

In warmer months, if you use a composting bin and turn it regularly to provide air movement, it may only take two to three months for your compost to break down, Blackburn said. If you don’t do anything to help it break down, it may take up to a year.

You also can place fertilizers in your compost pile and water it regularly to help it break down, Blackburn said.

“You want to add water, enough so that it stays moist, not soupy wet, al-

most like if you’re watering plants,” he explained.

Your goal is for the compost to be fine enough — with grains about dimesized — that it will make it easier for your garden beds to absorb water and fertilizer, Blackburn said.

When spreading compost, try to make sure the bigger, chunkier material is at the bottom. This will help it break down faster, he advised. It’s also best from a fertilization and disease prevention standpoint if you use your compost in your yard, he said.

“Keep the waste in its own environment — in its own yard,” Blackburn said.

Dear Angie: How much does chimney cleaning cost? — Jay B., Santa Maria, Calif.

Dear Jay: Chimney cleaning costs depend on several factors.

What type of chimney do you need a chimney sweep to inspect? Hiring someone to clean a boiler chimney can cost as little as $40.

Full-size chimneys stemming from a wood-burning fireplace, however, typically cost at least $100 to $150.

Certain situations also can drive up the cost. If your roof provides limited accessibility, if the chimney sweep needs to use special tools or if the sweep needs to remove animals (living or dead) from the chimney, expect to pay up to about $350.

However, don’t let a potentially high price tag stop you from hiring someone to complete the job. Neglecting your fireplace could prove much more costly.

Chimney fires commonly result from creosote buildup. Creosote, which is extremely combustible, populates in most chimneys when wood burns. Regular chimney cleanings remove creosote, eliminating that as a cause of chimney fires.

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Service Directory

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Kidd: Driveway lights add safety Continued from 2 that is designed to hold up against the elements — can be wrapped on the railing or laid along the step.

Stake lighting works well here also. n Accent the most dramatic trees in the garden with solar spot lights. Illuminating the trunk and branches from below can add enough glow that the garden can be navigated safely at night. n Some decorative light fixtures can add style when used with moderation. n Holiday decorations are becoming solar-powered also.

This will save on your energy bill. n Lighting your driveway or parking area will make you and your guests feel safe.

Solar-powered options

Innovative lighting, such as solar-powered floating light globes in ponds, birdbaths or pools, create conversation.

Be sure to check for chlorine tolerance. Solar mushroom lights that change color will work well in the right place.

I also have seen hand-blown, cracked-glass balls on stakes with photocells that increase

their glow as the evening progresses.

If novelty intrigues you, there are solar-powered daisy lights to place among your flowers or floating hippo heads with glowing eyes.

Most solar-powered lights will last eight hours or more, and a sensor tells them when to come on. Some lights can be used in deeply shaded areas if they come with a detached solar panel and wire to allow the panel to be placed in full sun to charge the batteries.

Electric lighting is still available. It takes a little more planning, and you will need to take into account the

maturing of the landscape.

Some lights will need to be moved in time. Twelve-volt systems can be installed by homeowners. They are flexible, easy to relocate, designed for wet locations, operate safely when exposed to moisture, and have low energy costs.

Larger systems using 120 volts must be buried 18 inches deep and always be installed by a licensed electrician.

Solar lighting is fanciful, good for the environment and easy on the wallet. Have some fun with it. This is a good time of year to get some great sales on garden items.

TIP OF THE WEEK To get rid of the awful lingering stink of burnt popcorn in the microwave, fill a large microwave-safe bowl with 1 cup of water and sprinkle your favorite spice, such as cinnamon, or add several drops of vanilla or lemon extract. Bring to a boil.

You must let it sit inside for 10 to 15 minutes to cool down.

Wipe the walls down with paper towels. Leave the door open to further air it out.

SOURCE: WWW.HELOISE.COM

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