At Home Living 10172015

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Saturday, October 17, 2015 An Advertising Feature of The Topeka Capital-Journal

Jamie Hancock Garden Column – 2 Getting help cleaning the house – 5 Surrounded by treasured objects – 8 Tips for using stains on concrete – 10

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Chrysanthemums Jamie Hancock

jamiehan@ksu.edu Mum’s the word. “If you would be happy for a lifetime, grow Chrysanthemums.” (a Chinese philosopher).

Writings and pottery as early as the 15th Century B.C. depict the chrysanthemum as a beautiful flower much like we know it today. But, it was also used as an herb. It was believed to have the power of life by placing a single petal in the bottom of your wine glass. Boiled roots were supposed to cure headaches, young sprouts and petals were eaten in salads, and leaves were brewed into a festive drink.

Around 500 A.D., T’ao Yuan Ming developed stunning varieties of chrysanthe-

mums by careful cross pollination and selection. When he died his birthplace was renamed Chrysanthemum City or ChuHsien. Chu is the Chinese word for chrysanthemum.

Chrysanthemums arrived in Japan around the 8th Century A.D. The Japanese were so impressed with their beauty they made the chrysanthemum the official flower and crest of the Emperor. It became so prestigious that only royal and noble families were permitted to cultivate it. The highest Order of Chivalry in Japan is the Imperial Order of the Chrysanthemum and it could only be bestowed on nobility for service to the Emperor. Japan also has a National Chrysanthemum Day called the Festival of Happiness. Now, that is a good reason to celebrate.

Mums arrived in Europe in the 1600’s but, didn’t make much of an impression initially. It didn’t take too long though, before they became one of the most popular blooms for florist and gardeners.

As popular as the mum is here and in

Europe it is interesting to know that in Belgium and Austria they are primarily used as funeral flowers.

Chrysanthemums are burgeoning on display racks across the city waiting to enhance your front entry and patio for the fall. I am impressed every year when I see them. Making them survive from year to year can sometimes be a challenge. Let’s see if I can help you.

Chrysanthemums do best in full sun but, five to six hours per day will be sufficient to produce healthful plants. Morning sun would be best because it allows for the foliage to dry quickly and help prevent diseases.

Mums require good drainage. Soggy feet can cause root rot and kill the plant.

They also don’t like root competition so plant them away from trees and heavy shrubbery.

Plant mums about 18-20 inches apart.

Most varieties will bush out to about 30 inches. Plant them the same depth they are in the pot. Water them in well. Do not

fertilize if flowers or buds are present.

They don’t need it now.

Pinching is the removal of new growth at the end of each stem. Pinching by hand or cutting back with hedge shears two to three times before the 4th of July is necessary for mums to have a great show of color in the fall. Begin this process in the spring when the stems have at least four to six leaves each. Pinch off half of the length. Pinch again when an additional 4” of growth has happened; leaving 2” of new growth. Each time you pinch many new stems will develop. Each of those stems will produce a fist full of flowers. This will make all the difference for a good fall showing.

Mums need short day/long night periods to move from vegetative growth to reproductive growth. Streetlights or yard lights that remain on into the night can disrupt the flowering of chrysanthemums. (This will not be an issue this year if plants are already in bloom.)

HANCOCK continues on 3A

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Hancock: Help flowers survive the winter Continued from 2A Good air movement is recommended around mums to allow the foliage to dry well and prevent mildew issues. Place plants away from walls or obstructions that would hinder good air flow.

Chrysanthemums grow very well in pots. Use a good, packaged potting soil, make sure the pot has a drainage hole, and find a nice sunny spot. One good thing is that you can place the pot on a rolling tray and move the pot to follow the sunlight.

Most mums will survive light frosts.

Once the foliage has died cut it back to the ground and place several inches of mulch over the roots. This will prevent frost heave and thaw during the winter which can push the roots up out of the ground.

Once the roots are established (next fall)

this won’t be as big a problem. Uncover the roots in the spring and allow the ground to warm up with the sun. Mums in pots will need protection from winter cold. Either sink them into the ground or store them in an insulate garage or storage building.

In floral language, chrysanthemums symbolize optimism and joy. They sure bring joy to me in the fall.

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

Note: Look for the Extension office, Master Gardener, and Topeka Common Ground booth at the Mother Earth News Fair at the Kansas Expocentre October 24-25.

Stock photo/metro creative connection

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Getting help cleaning the house

By Linda A. Ditch Special to The Capital-Journal

School has started, and with it all of the practices for sports, music, dance, etc.

Plus, the holidays are fast approaching.

Sometimes life can be so busy it’s hard to find time to keep the house clean. This is where a professional house cleaning service or a housekeeper can help, and perhaps for less money than you might expect.

“Housecleaning is one of the things people fight about the most in a relationship,” Jennifer Hopper, owner of Jen’s House and Commercial Cleaning, said. “For what you pay for cable each month, you can get your

house cleaned.”

Cleaning services are flexible to fit your needs and schedule. It isn’t necessary to have your house cleaned each week, unless it’s what you want done. However, there are a number of alternatives.

Casey Worcester, owner of Maidpro Topeka, explained, “For maid service you have two options. Clients can sign up for a one time clean where we come out just one time and clean. This is most common for people moving in or out of a residence.

It is also common as gifts or spring cleaning. Some clients do two to four one-time cleans per year. The other option is recurring service. This can range anywhere from daily service to every other month.

Most common is weekly, biweekly, or monthly service.”

Fees are either one flat charge or an hourly rate. A cleaning service will give you an estimate based on how long the job will take, the size of your home, and what you want done. You can ask to have the entire house cleaned, or make some rooms off-limits, such as a home office. Plus, you can pick and choose just how much cleaning you want the service to provide. For example, will they be changing the bed linens or cleaning the inside of the microwave? Cleaning services and housekeepers often have a minimum time limit, typically two hours, so you will want to ask about this before signing up.

“Our fee is based on frequency and how long we will be cleaning.” Worcester said.

“The more frequent we are out for service the lower the rate. Our minimum is based on time and not size of the home or room.

We have a two hour minimum.”

Hopper said, “We charge a flat rate so the rate doesn’t change. If we do run over in time, there won’t be an extra charge. I actually make the girls stay for the entire amount of time even if they get done early.

They can then clean something extra, like the grunge that builds up around the lid of the washing machine, or sweep the front porch.”

CLEANING continues on 6A

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Cleaning: Safety first when hiring help Continued from 5A Worcester’s company does computer estimates to determine the cost. She explained, “When a potential client calls or fills out a web form, we ask questions like number of rooms to be cleaned, how many stories they have, how many pets, what type of flooring they have, amount of knick-knacks, and square feet of the home.

From that information we can give them an accurate time estimate and we just multiply that time by the hourly rate to come up with the cost.”

Of course, anytime you let a stranger into your home, the safety of you and your stuff can be a concern. This is where hiring a larger cleaning service can be a benefit since they can cover the expenses such as liability insurance and workers comp insurance better than an individual.

Background checks are a good place to start. Services often do this for all of their employees, but if you hire an individual,

you may need to do this yourself. Also, make sure they are insured for any loss, including theft or breakages, and covered incase they are injured while in your home. (You may want to have a chat with your homeowner’s insurance about this as well.)

Hopper noted, “I have the best employees in the entire world. Those girls are like family. They are very loyal and hard working, and would do anything for me and the customer.”

Other steps to take when hiring a cleaning service or housekeeper include:  Decide on what you want cleaned ahead of time, and how often you will need the service.  Ask friends and relatives for references, and also ask the service or housekeeper for references as well.  Ask to see proof that the service or housekeeper is bonded and insured.

CLEANING continues on 7A Stock photo/Metro Creative Connection

Cleaning: Know what a maid service will not do Continued from 6A  Check to be sure the maids have gone through a background check and are legal residents.  Even though most services will give you an over the phone estimate, ask to have a free in-home estimate as well so everyone is on the same page regarding the price.  Remember, you get what you pay for, so don’t let the cheapest price be the reason you hire a cleaning service.  Ask if you supply the cleaning products and equipment or if the service/maid does. Also check on what kind of products will be used, especially if you have allergies, children, or pets.  Does the service/maid guarantee their work? Will they come back promptly

to take care of any issues?  Be clear about what you want done.  There are jobs a maid will not do, such as clean windows or carpets. These are considered special tasks to be done by other professionals. (Cleaning services often will do these types of jobs for an additional fee and at time separate from the normal cleaning arrangement.) The maid is also not a babysitter or pet sitter, so don’t ask them to do either.

Hiring a cleaning service or housekeeper can ease the load to a busy schedule.

Once you’ve established a relationship with your cleaner, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without them.

“It makes life a lot easier,” Hopper said.

“It gives you time back with your family. I think that’s really important.”

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Surrounded by treasured objects

By Dianne Lawson Special to The Capital-Journal

Sonja Wolbert only has objects in her home that are meaningful to her. “I have to love it, have a connection with it or it has to make me smile,” Wolbert said. “I have to love everything in my house or I get rid of it. Even the plants I have are important to me because they were given to me.”

She loves old photographs of family members and also loves objects that tell a story. Something in her living room does both. An important photo in her dining room is of her father chiseling chunks off of the Berlin Wall. The snapshot is placed at the back of a shadow box, and also enclosed in the shadow box are actual pieces of the wall that he chipped off. Both of her

parents came from Germany to the United States when her father was in his teens and her mother in her early 20s. They came not knowing English and met each other in this country. To Wolbert, this photo represents the adventurous part of her parents and what they overcame to be here.

Other photographs adorn her home, including photos of people she cares about, vacations she’s taken, a lake she formerly lived by and an unknown woman. She bought a frame just for the photo of an unknown woman that came with the frame.

The photo is of the back of a woman with her arms outstretched as if she were embracing life. “I bought it because it makes me smile,” Wolbert said.

Her son is a glass blower whose special-

Stained glass window and photos of Chicago adorn the fireplace.

Clockwise from left: Stained glass window and photos of Chicago adorn the fireplace.

Sea shells in glass jars from travels to beaches. Photo of father chipping Berlin wall with actual chips from the wall. Hanging on the wall are cabinet doors her son drew on when he was young. ty is creating marbles. She has his marbles displayed in the house, including some in the holes for candles in a candelabra.

Shells are scattered throughout Wolbert’s home. She loves to travel and brings home shells from her trips to such places as Jamaica, Florida and Belize. She will place shells individually and also put all the shells she found in Jamaica in a large glass jar sitting next to a jar of shells she found in Florida. She keeps a collection of sea glass that she found in several places all together in a glass jar.

Cabinet doors taken off of a piece of furniture are mounted on a wall. “My son

scratched a picture on them when he was eight or nine years old. He was old enough to know better than to draw on furniture,” she said. She keeps them for sentimental reasons.

She loves quirky items such as windows and door trim from old houses. She placed an old stain glass window over her fireplace next to photos of buildings in Chicago. “I have door trim—tons of it—from

TREASURES continues on 9A

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Treasures: Keeping decor simple Continued from 8A houses I’ve torn down, as well as flipped,” she said. “I had a business where I sold pieces from houses.”

Not only does she have unusual objects in her home, she also uses ordinary objects in unusual ways. “Books are a decorator’s best-kept secret,” she said. “The lamp in the bedroom was too short, so I put books under it to raise it.” On top of the lamp she drapes some of her necklaces. “It’s the lazy way to put jewelry away,” she said.

Wolbert calls pressed aluminum, “poor people’s silver.” She uses it to store items, use as trays and put under plants. “I use it everywhere,” she said.

One item in her house that came with the house is her Dutch door, or half door.

“I love my Mr. Ed door,” she said. “It’s got so much character.”

Her master bedroom is her retreat and was the first room that she redecorated when she moved into her house. She keeps it immaculate, organized, comfortable, peaceful and calm. “When I go to bed, I need to have peace,” she said. “I make my bed every morning and I can start my day feeling organized and refreshed.”

Her guest bedroom has two twin beds that can be pushed together to create a king-sized bed or kept apart. She currently has the beds apart but facing each other so that people in bed can see each other to talk.

Wolbert only moved to Topeka two months ago and has been working on her home to make it her own. She is the home

solutions manager at The Furniture Mall of Kansas. For ten years before coming here, she owned her own interior design business. Her work experience helps her decorate her home, but her ideas are all her own.

Stained glass window and photos of Chicago adorn the fireplace.

Clockwise from top left: Green sea glass in the jar among the treasured objects.

Photo of unknown woman who is embracing life and the lazy way to put jewelry away. “Mr. Ed’s door–Dutch or half door.

Cat loves the calm, peaceful and wellorganized bedroom. Beloved photos and son’s marbles in candle holes of candelabra. Guest bedroom with beds set up so people can see each other

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Tips for using stains on concrete

stock photo/metro Creative connection

By Dustin Lemmon Special to The Capital-Journal

Are you tired of looking at that drab patio in your backyard or that boring gray concrete floor in your basement? Why not stain it?

If stained properly you can make your concrete look like a far more attractive.

Types of stains Acid-based concrete stains are similar to those used on wood, in that they are designed to soak into the concrete’s porous surface, giving it a more natural look.

This translucent stain will typically last longer, but doesn’t provide as many color options.

While acid-based stains are the oldest type of concrete stain, Bob Swafford, coowner of ColorWorks Paint and Supply in Topeka, advises inexperienced painters against using them.

“With concrete (the acid-based stain) goes where it wants to go and once it’s there it’s almost impossible to get it out of there,” he noted.

There are also water-based stains, which provide a more consistent appearance since they don’t have a chemical reaction with the concrete. These stains are more opaque.

Like paint, there are stains specifically made for exterior use. The sealant you use after applying your stain will also help provide protection from the sun, rain and other wear and tear, Swafford said.

Making sure your concrete is ready Chris Rhodes, manager of Sherwin-Williams in Topeka, said before you stain concrete you need to determine if it contains a curing agent. Curing agents help the concrete retain moisture, making it stronger and longer lasting. However, it also works against the stain that you want to apply.

“You can do a moisture test by applying droplets of water over a vast area,” he said.

STAIN continues on 14A

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Service Directory

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Stain: Preparing the concrete for stain Continued from 10A If the water beads, the concrete will need to be sanded down in order for it to absorb the stain, he explained. He emphasized that it’s important to test a large area before assuming the entire floor or sidewalk is ready to stain.

Rhodes said you can use sandpaper or other abrasives to prepare the concrete, or even rent a floor sander if you want to make the job easier and faster.

Swafford said making sure the concrete is clean and open to receive the stain is

very important.

“You can totally waste your time if you don’t do it right,” he advised.

Once this is done you will naturally want to make sure the surface is clean and dry before you start applying any stain. It is important to note that if there are any pre-existing blemishes in the concrete, such as a crack or scrape it’s possible they will be accentuated by the stain.

When applying the stain make sure to get an even coat. With concrete this can be even more important than when using paint or staining wood. You don’t want the

application of the stain to become uneven as it will remain noticeable later.

Other staining projects If you’ve recently finished staining your concrete patio or sidewalk, you might be thinking now would also be a good time to re-stain your deck. Rhodes said you would actually be better off waiting until next summer.

When people stain decks in the fall the likelihood that moisture will become captured underneath is higher. If that happens, the moisture can ruin the stain a few months down the road. That’s also

why Rhodes doesn’t recommend using power washers before staining a deck, as it will take that much longer for the wood to dry.

One thing you might do this time of year is work on removing any mold or mildew that has grown on the deck over the summer. Leslie Noller, general manager of Allied Paints in Topeka, said that will need to be done before you stain the deck in the spring or summer. She recommends using Trisodium phosphate, bleach and water.

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