geogiagirl's ideas
Autumn fern is the perfect addition to woodland gardens in the dappled shade beneath deciduous trees. Pair it with plants that have bolder foliage, such as hostas and rhododendrons, together with finely textured grasses, such as black mondo grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’) and Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ I like the look
$17,000 (including permits, demolition, asbestos removal, new work, new doors, trim, electrical, lighting, plumbing, painting, flooring and installation of everything). The furniture, rugs and other accessories cost about $3,500. Bench, wardrobes: Stuva, Ikea Justine Sterling Design Save to Ideabook Email Photo Measuring carefully, Sterling found that this system from the Ikea kids’ line best fit the space, with about a half inch to spare. She had a custom cushion made for the bench
Botanical name: Salvia greggii Common name: Autumn sage Origin: Native to Texas, New Mexico and Mexico Where it will grow: Hardy to 0 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zone 7; find your zone) Water requirement: Low to medium Light requirement: Filtered shade in the low desert; full sun in other climates Mature size: 2 feet tall and wide Benefits and tolerances: Drought tolerant once established, but looks best with deep watering weekly; attracts butterflies and hummingbirds Seasonal interest: Flowers in fall and spring in the low desert; blooms in summer in cooler climates When to plant: Fall or spring
When you do want lots of green and color, combine different grasses and drought-tolerant flowering bushes, like one of the many forms of lavender. While most traditional flowers and lawns slurp up water, a yard like this can surround you with nature and color and be largely self-supporting once established. Here gorgeous fronds of Orange Sedge (Carex testacea) and fountain grass (Pennisetum) offer both color and volume, with graceful textures
5 to 7 1/2 inches high, traditional shower curbs can be difficult to step over for those with poor mobility or vision. This shower curb is just under 2 inches, allowing easier access. Tip: Consider custom grab bars for a shower's glass entry door. These grab bars have a hammered finish, making them easier to grip with soapy hands. I like installing a grab bar right at the entry of the shower and near the shower niche, so bathers can steady themselves when entering and exiting the shower
If you live in a warmer climate, you may not need a shower door or shower curtain at all. Designing the space as a true wet room — with the entire bathroom floor as a shower pan — makes entry into the shower effortless and provides plenty of room for a caregiver. Tip: When planning a wet room, consider a wall-hung toilet. This toilet makes building the wet room much easier, since it does not send waste through the floor's waterproofing system. You can also place a wall-hung toilet in a higher position, which makes getting on and off it much easier
The team kept the existing floors, resurfacing and staining the concrete; with no need for subflooring or carpeting, they saved a little more ceiling height. When you're dealing with low ceilings (these are just 6 feet, 11 inches high), you need to think about every extra inch between the ceilings and the floors
Love the silver gray, blue and beige
0. Tile and glass enclosure. A frameless glass door combined with tiled walls gives this bathroom an open look. A tile surround with frameless glass windows not only makes the shower feel bigger on the inside, it also allows plenty of light in
ild senna always stops people in their tracks, primarily with its fanning oval leaves that resemble sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica). With flowers that go on and on for weeks, wild senna also stops docile and stingerless male bumblebees in their tracks, who love the pollen and nectar of its pea-like yellow blooms
Japanese forest grass (Hakenachloa macra, zones 5 to 9) may be one of the finest woodland grasses for dry shade. The foliage always looks clean and lush in summer and turns a beautiful blonde in the winter. The chartreuse foliage of the cultivar 'All Gold' brightens landscapes, and I've never seen it revert the way other cultivars do. Try these two under maples and other trees with surface roots
Autumn moor grass, a tough plant that will take a variety of soils, makes a great ground cover. This grass stays evergreen through most winters in the Philadelphia area — a pleasant burst of color in dreary weather. Along with reed grass (Calamagrostis brachytricha, zones 4 to 9) and most Carex, this grass grows with great success in light shade
Underplanting airy, warm-season woody shrubs, like Perovskia, can help suppress early cool-season weeds. Grasses like autumn moor grass (Sesleria autumnalis, zones 5 to 8), prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis; zones 3 to 9) or sedge (Carex pensylvanica, zones 3 to 8) can also help reduce management needs. Grand masses of grasses complement blocks of perennials in this landscape, along with a favorite woody perennial, Russian sage (Perovskia atrriplicifolia, zones 5 to 9). Both of these grasses are long lived and in time win out over most weeds. Underplanting these with bulbs won't disturb the roots of grasses
Coleus is a perennial but is usually grown as a summer annual. It's a solid choice for those shady spots formerly filled by impatiens (now not recommended or being sold in many areas because of very destructive downy mildew). Coleus looks great mixed in beds or pots with other summer annuals, or plant single types alone for a mass effect.
Common names: Valerian, Jupiter's beard Botanical name: Centranthus ruber USDA zones: 3 to 9 Water requirement: Light once established. Light requirement: Full sun or partial shade Mature size: 2 to 3 feet tall and wide Growing tips: Get the plant off to a strong start by watering it regularly during the first growing season. It can become invasive. Cut off old flowering stems to prevent seeds from spreading. Remove dry foliage for a neater look. Divide clumps every few years
Works well as a foundation plant in Southeast
You'll notice salvia in many of my pictures, because last year I added a grouping of them that was a little bluer than I expected, and I was trying to figure out what to plant alongside.
You'll notice salvia in many of my pictures, because last year I added a grouping of them that was a little bluer than I expected, and I was trying to figure out what to plant alongside.
I liked how this homeowner planted this palette garden with strawberries and impatiens to create a practical and lovely display all summer long
This small vegetable garden packs a lot into a tiny space. A gate and curving path like these would make mundane tasks like weeding and watering a delight
These wine bottles aren't just decorative; they're shoring up a portion of the yard that would otherwise get washed away in a big rain. The homeowner was quick to say that friends gave her and her husband many of the bottles, although she purchased a few of the cobalt ones, her favorites
This border of Annabelle hydrangea with a towering hedge of yew stopped me in my tracks. The yew not only provides complete privacy from the newer housing development behind it, but it also beautifully highlights the hydrangea. The look is so simple and yet so stunning. I realized it's the perfect solution for camouflaging the ugly wood retaining walls in an area of my own yard
The philodendron (Philodendron 'Burle-Marx', zones 10 to 11) can be swapped out with temperate plants with a similar texture, such as hostas (Hosta spp, zones 3 to 9), while the larger-leaved palm trees can be replaced with cold-hardy types, like windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei, zones 6b to 11) or needle palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix, zones 6 to 11). Oh, and that Swiss cheese plant (Monstera deliciosa, zones 9b to 11) peeking over the path? Its iconic cut leaves make it worthwhile to grow in a container and take indoors for winter
To make things interesting, plant tropical bulbs like elephant ears (Colocasia and Alocasia, zones 7 to 11) or winter-dormant gingers, like shampoo ginger (Zingiber zerumbet, zones 7b to 11), with its bright red cones held aloft by tall stalks in late summer and fall. These and other bulbs can be left in the ground or dug up in fall, depending on your climate. Out of the way to the side of the house, the tropical bulbs won't draw attention to themselves when they decline or get hit by frosts
Replace grass with shade-tolerant ground covers. Turf grasses can have a hard time growing in the shade, but low-maintenance ground covers combined with stepping stones make an excellent alternative. Their deep green and finely textured foliage also makes the perfect backdrop for bold and leafy tropical plants. Whether you live in Florida or New York, the mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus, zones 6 to 11) in this photo makes an excellent lawn replacement for shadier spots and remains evergreen in warmer zones. Liriope (Liriope muscari, zones 5b to 11) and ferns are also good choices for a finely textured ground cover
Brighten with bulbs. This planting of caladiums (Caladium spp, USDA zones 9 to 11) and variegated shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet 'Variegata') by Cynthia "Meems" Glover is an excellent example of how a seasonal planting of tropical bulbs can brighten up dark areas of the garden. Here the bulbs been allowed to mingle with other plants of finer foliage, giving the appearance of dappled sunlight in a forest clearing
A slat wall. Retail stores often use these walls to keep things off the floor but within reach. Different hooks and shelves fit into the horizontal slats, making for a customized storage center with minimal effort
Red-Hot Poker (Kniphofia sp), yarrow (Achellea sp), and geranium all have great cultivars to select from. The thyme between the pavers makes the space elegant, when it could have looked
Divide and plant what you already have.irregular stepping stones were made more romantic by planting Mazus repans around them. Nandina (right), brunnera (in path) and sedges keep the palette simple and graceful
Geranium macrorrhizum is a tremendous ground cover in shade, and is as deer-resistant as plants come. This designer dominated the space with this plant and a sedge — trouble-free plants that will live for decades. The textures complement each other beautifully
A 12- by 12-foot cedar gazebo shelters part of the garden. "I wanted it to be a chunky and beautiful protected structure, but I still wanted to be able to have the ceiling disappear and enjoy the stars, the sky or a thunderstorm," she says. A corrugated plastic roof gives her a clear view to the sky
Any bench can be made safer. Grab bars, free space and bench positions are clearly laid out in ADA planning guides. These spaces need planning from the beginning so that interior walls do not get in the way of transferring from a wheelchair to the bench. Any shower built larger than 36 by 36 inches should have multiple grab bars
shower benches should measure 17 to 19 inches off the finished shower floor. Occupational therapists may give me a measurement customized for a client's body
Because it extends out of the shower, there's no gap between the bench and the glass. Those small gaps can be a pain to clean.
If you are renovating your shower, ask the builder to frame out a seat ready for tiling. In smaller showers, a corner seat will take less room.
A minimum of 6 feet of overall counter space is best if you are installing two sinks
employ a craftsman tiler to miter the tiles, rather than installing prefabricated edging — this will create a seamless-looking niche.
love the pull out desk space
look at the base for the rainbarrel
Flasher daylily is different. The flowers are held high on sturdy stems and bloom for more than a month, while the foliage remains clean and needs minimal cleaning. The burnt-orange color stands up to strong sunlight without fading and looks superb against dark foliage such as the Grace smoke bush shown in the opening combination
Love it!
white washing the interior makes it look so much nicer. I also love the windows.
Raise some artistic decorative panels. Privacy screens don't need to be boring. These custom pieces block the neighbor's view and act as an interesting outdoor focal point
use laundry drawer in bathroom
Creeping lilyturf (Liriope spp, zones 5 to 9), shown here, has a lush, grass-like look and is also evergreen. Additional choices — depending on your garden's growing conditions — might include periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus, zones 4 to 9), creeping thyme (Thymus praecox, zones 4 to 9) or snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum, zones 3 to 9).
A huge walk-in shower and a modern, straight-side toilet were musts in the bathroom. She also used kitchen cabinets, which are deeper than bathroom cabinets, for more storage. The bathroom cost $10,000, including the sink, toilet, shower fixtures and faucet.
This sofa-chaise combination sports a track arm with a straight cushion. This arm is for you if you like a more contemporary look; it’s rarely used with a T-cushion, because most people think the straight cushion goes better with a contemporary design
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