The Buffalo News - Home and Gardening

Tools and techniques for cleaning your deck

Mon, 20 May 2013 07:55:13 -0400

I was looking at my home’s back steps, constructed of pressure-treated wood, and decided it was time for the annual get-rid-of-the-mildew-and-seal-them program.

For some reason, they aren’t looking as green as they were last year, so the job will be a snap.

It has been a long time since I discussed deck cleaning in this space, probably because these few steps are all I have taken since we sold the house with the deck 12 years ago.

But because the summer entertainment season is coming, it might be appropriate to run through deck-cleaning 101 before the arrival of hotter weather, when things dry too quickly or not at all.

If you don’t want to do the job yourself – especially if it has been a while since the last cleaning – there are companies that will do it for you. Go online or ask your friends and neighbors.

If your deck is in a spot where the sun always shines, it is highly unlikely that there is a lot of mildew coating the wood.

You might need to just spot-clean and add a coat or two of waterproofing that needs 24 to 48 hours to dry between coats.

At least three days of good drying weather should elapse between cleaning and coating the deck. A cloudy day is best for cleaning, because the deck needs to stay wet to thoroughly clean the surface.

If it is too sunny or windy, the cleaner doesn’t have a chance to soak into the wood to do its work.

If you haven’t cleaned the deck in a couple of years, you might want to rent a power washer, but check them out first and read the instructions when you get one.

Be very, very careful if you’ve never used a power washer before. You can do serious damage to the wood if the spray is too hard or you lose control of the machine.

What cleaner do you use?

I’ve had great success with vinegar and water, as well as with diluted household chlorine bleach and with chemical-based cleaners you can buy in the store. I’ve also had luck with oxygenated bleach.

From my experience in working in a Colonial-era burial ground, OxiClean and water easily removes mildew from centuries-old headstones.

I also use OxiClean to wash the cedar siding on the north side of our bungalow. If you have properly painted the wood within the last few years, OxiCleaning (is that a word?) can save you a paint job.

I find it less overwhelming than the odor of chlorine bleach or chemical cleaners. Vinegar just makes me hungry for salad.

I mix whatever I’m using – a quart of white vinegar to four quarts of water, a 3-to-1 solution of water to bleach, or whatever is called for in the powdered or liquid chemical cleaner – and then let it sit for 10 minutes or so to settle.

I choose an area about 4 feet square and apply the cleaner with a sprayer.

Then I wait five minutes. To clean the area, I use a short-bristle brush that doesn’t dig into the wood. Next, I rinse the spot thoroughly with water, to stop the cleaning action, and move on to the next 4-by-4 area.

If there are plants underneath or near the deck, either cover them with plastic or soak them with enough water to neutralize any cleaning solution, even if the manufacturer says the solution won’t harm plants.

If you use bleach, wear old clothes. When I had a deck, I owned several colorful shirts with bleach stains on the cuffs.

As a postscript, a recent e-mail from reader Sandy Allison says she’s had great success combating mildew with Wet and Forget, which is available at Ace Hardware.

Finally, my neighbors have spent a large sum of money proving that aluminum siding can be successfully repainted.

The painters used a Benjamin Moore acrylic paint that they sprayed on after a very good cleaning, much of it by hand.

Whether your outdoor space is large or small, gardening can be a family affair

Mon, 20 May 2013 07:02:30 -0400

There’s nothing like seeing a little kid clomping around the yard in muddy rain boots, watering the Shasta daisies or stooping down to scoop dirt into a pail.

Kids are born naturalists, a garden writer once said. If they see a rock, they want to pick it up and see what’s under it. They like to collect stones and squeeze snapdragons. They’re curious about worms. They like to see where a garden path takes them. They love to see things sprout.

All the more reason to get them gardening.

While many people garden alone at least some of the time, others enjoy sharing their passion with others – be it a child, grandchild, spouse or other family member or friend.

Many memories are created in a garden.

On the following pages you’ll read about ways to get kids involved in gardening, from potting up a tomato plant to creating a magical miniature fairy garden. We had some fun rounding up colorful children’s gear to feature, including Be Good to Bugs gardening gloves and a slingshot for flinging Throw & Grow Seedbombs.

You’ll also find stories on square-foot gardening, deck cleaning and preparing your possessions – and your mind – for moving in with someone.

This is just the start of a glorious season. Be sure to check out the Home & Style section every Friday in The Buffalo News for other ideas and inspiration. Your home and garden awaits.

email: smartin@buffnews.com

Backyard playsets reach a whole new level

Mon, 20 May 2013 07:01:46 -0400

DETROIT – It is the kind of tree house that a kid could spend all day and all night inside.

Patrick and Cindy Mifsud’s kids have in fact pulled all-nighters in the cedar and pine play set nestled in their backyard in Dearborn Heights, Mich.

The tree house sits a story above ground in an old-growth tree and is supported by beams. The tree was trimmed to accommodate and support the structure as well.

Custom made a decade ago by the Outdoor Fun Store in Canton, Mich., the 10-by-10 foot tree house has five paned windows, a shingled roof and a nine-foot ceiling. The inside, with a kid-sized bunk bed with waterproof mattresses, is made cozier by a television and a fan both mounted into the walls. A ladder leads up to a landing and stairs lead up to the second landing at the door.

A sliding board provides a swift and fun trip from the first landing to the ground.

“Maybe I wanted this kind of a tree house when I was a kid,” Patrick Mifsud said with a smile. With two older children who have outgrown the play set, it’s now the domain of his 13-year-old son. A custom play set of this intricacy could cost about $25,000, said Dan Wright, owner of the Outdoor Fun Store.

Backyard play equipment is not all slides and swings anymore. Sandboxes are going out of fashion, too, being replaced by spring-free trampolines, ziplines and rock-climbing walls. Modular and custom options are as vast as whatever you can dream up – from swing sets with crawl tunnels or billy goat bridges to clubhouses, “penthouses” or contraptions that could rival the local county park.

Dave Byrum, owner of Kids Gotta Play in New Hudson, Mich., formerly Rainbow Recreation of Michigan, boasts the largest factory in the nation for backyard playsets.

It offers 100 customizable modular sets – which the company refers to as play systems – made of naturally decay-resistant California redwood, western cedar and coast Douglas fir. They run from about $999 to as high as $45,000 or more. The modular equipment grows with the child – pieces for stronger, older kids, such as monkey bars and chain ladders, can be added over time, Byrum said. The typical Rainbow play system runs between $3,000 and $4,000 and costs about $400 to $600 to install. Sloped or uneven backyards are accommodated with supports and frames to keep the play system level, Byrum said.

Basics and safety

• Wooden playscapes, once typically made of sharp-edged lumber, have been retooled with rounded edges. Bargain hunters and do-it-yourselfers beware of pressure-treated wood because it contains arsenic. Choose cedar instead.

• Platforms, bridges and ramps need guardrails. Children should not play on wet equipment.

• A home play area should maintain a shock-absorbing surface, such as mulch or wood chips, at least 6 feet around and about 3 to 4 inches deep for rubber mulch and 6 to 8 inches deep for wood chips. Be sure to use landscaping fabric underneath any mulch to keep out the grass and weeds.

• Wood chips available at gardening stores will suffice. Some people opt for recycled rubber that looks like landscaping mulch. It’s offered in a variety of colors.

Square-foot gardens offer many advantages

Mon, 20 May 2013 07:01:32 -0400

PLATTSBURGH – With sunny spring weather here at last, many gardeners eagerly await the prime time to dig into the dirt.

For those with limited experience, space and time, a square-foot garden could be the perfect fit, according to Jolene Wallace, master gardener and horticulture program assistant for Cornell Cooperative Extension in Clinton County.

“It’s easy to take care of, and it produces really well,” Wallace said.

The gardens are similar to raised beds.

“They’re up off the ground, and a 4-foot by 4-foot garden can grow enough produce over the season to feed a small family,” she said. “If you have only a little space, it works really well.”

Wallace recommends rough-cut cedar for the garden’s 4-foot by 4-foot box frame because the wood lasts longer, but any type of untreated lumber can be used.

The garden boxes can be placed on a patio or in a yard – any place that they will receive full sun.

“Almost all vegetables require full sun, which would be six to eight hours a day,” Wallace said.

“Sometimes people think, ‘I get a lot of sun,’ but until they really start paying attention to how much sun they actually get, most of the time, they think they have more than they do.”

Blanket a grassy growing area with newspapers before placing the frame, Wallace advises.

“That newspaper will smother the grass so you’re not going to have the grass growing up through your garden … and when the plants grow, that newspaper will be decomposed enough that if you have something that has really deep roots, it’ll grow right through into the soil underneath it.”

Fill the frame in with a good potting mix.

“Potting mix has a whole different texture; it’s not heavy, and it drains really well,” she said.

Use string or a thin piece of wood to create a grid on top of the frame that divides the box into 16 1-foot by 1-foot squares.

Then the real fun begins: choosing which crops to grow.

“If you’re going to plant lettuce, we can tell you how much lettuce to plant in that size,” Wallace said, listing off a variety of produce options.

It’s important to keep in mind what each crop’s mature size is going to be to ensure it has room to grow.

“Squash would take up more than one square, unless you put it on a trellis, and then it’s going to climb up … and you will have all this room to plant something else,” she said.

“So, it’s just kind of a strategy.”

Five easy vegetables to cultivate are beans, squash, carrots, peas and tomatoes, she said.

“Tomatoes are probably the most popular thing that people grow because we all love our fresh tomatoes. A little fresh basil, a little mozzarella cheese, a little olive oil, you’ve got dinner,” Wallace laughed.

Temperature is another key gardening factor.

Because the gardens are off the ground, the soil warms faster, so seeds can be planted sooner than if they were going into the ground somewhere in the yard, Wallace said.

“One of the cool things about (square-foot gardens) is that if you were planting, say radishes and … lettuce and things like that, you could plant this whole thing in cool-weather crops,” Wallace said. “And by the time it’s warm enough for the warm-weather crops, you will have harvested all of this, and you use the exact same area.”

If the box frame is placed now, then the garden is ready when the weather says it is.

“There’s all kind of possibilities,” Wallace said.

“More and more people, we find, are really interested in growing their own. It’s a nice activity. They know what went into it … and they’re in control of what it is they’re eating, so to speak, and it’s fun to try things and see what works and what doesn’t.”

Grow memories in a family garden

Sun, 19 May 2013 23:56:55 -0400

Evelyn Mietlowski laughed as she recalled the January day when her 3-year-old grandson Oliver was visiting and asked her, “Can we plant tomatoes?”

“Ollie,” as he is sometimes called, has plenty of time to learn about seasonal planting. But one thing he already knows: Tomatoes grow on a vine, not in a bin at the supermarket.

He and his 5-year-old brother, Trever, are growing up gardening with their parents and both grandmothers.

When they are at her house, “we plant seeds, and they help me pull weeds in the flower beds. We plant tomatoes in pots so they can watch them grow. We are really big on this. We all work together,” said Mietlowski, a master gardener and member of the Amherst Garden Club.

Gardening can be a solitary activity, but it also can be a family affair. Whether it’s gardening with a child, spouse, partner, sibling, parent or grandparent, the lessons learned here can last a lifetime. So can the memories – muddy mishaps and all.

Some kids can experience gardening at school, as well as in local community gardens. The home garden presents another way to connect kids to nature by letting them dig, plant, explore, play, learn – and even eat better.

“Gardening is a wonderful hobby to do with your children. Not only does it provide some great physical exercise, but it also teaches them about where food comes from and inspires them to eat a more healthy and varied diet,” writes Simon Akeroyd in the new book, “Kitchen Gardening for Beginners: A Simple Guide to Growing Fruit and Vegetables” (DK, $19.95).

It also gets them away from the television or computer screen.Locally, families definitely are getting into vegetable gardening, said Kathie DePan, from Zittel’s Country Market, 4415 Southwestern Blvd., Hamburg.

“People are so doing their own vegetables now. We’re getting a lot of kids coming in with their parents and picking out the seeds. It just teaches the kids so much. I am seeing more of an effort from parents to do gardening with their children, as a family,” she said.

There’s also growing interest in organic gardening, DePan noted. In fact, families can learn about gardening together – whether it’s going organic, attracting butterflies or growing beans on a handmade teepee made from poles.

A vegetable garden would likely be included in any garden Jennifer Lee Fedeson helped a family plan.

“It would be about the vegetable garden and the education of how things grow because a lot of times that’s lost. You go to the grocery store, and it’s just there,” said Fedeson, principal designer at F&S Design Studio, which specializes in exterior design.

With a garden, kids can actually experience how things are produced and incorporated into the kitchen for cooking, healthy eating and wellness, she said.

Also part of a welcoming family garden: Open spaces so kids can run around and play kickball. A safe place for kids to climb. Seating areas for conversation, relaxing, reading. Perhaps a little hideaway.

While this can be a playhouse or tree house, it doesn’t have to be.

“It can be all natural vegetation – a space that is a little more secluded so they can have their little space back there,” Fedeson said.When planning a family garden, Akeroyd writes that kids like to see quick results so choose fast-growing crops such as “cut-and-come-again” salad greens, radishes and green onion.

“Also, get them involved with choosing food they will enjoy eating, such as strawberries, raspberries, carrots and potatoes,” he added.

Select plants that appeal to the senses. Among the flowers and vegetables kids find fun to grow: Big, bold sunflowers; pumpkins; fun-smelling herbs such as pineapple sage and lemon basil; heliotrope, which smells like vanilla; Shasta daisies; cosmos, which attracts butterflies; fuzzy lamb’s ear; ‘Bright Lights’ Swiss chard with colorful stems, and parsley, which attracts caterpillars.

“Snapdragons are fun because you can squeeze them, and they open and close. Kids are just so curious,” said Mietlowski, who works at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses in Williamsville.

Something else to check out: “The American Heart Association’s Teaching Gardens Starter Kit – by Burpee.” Each kit contains 12 Burpee vegetable seed packets and eight healthy gourmet recipes to enjoy from your bountiful family garden. It’s priced $9.95 per kit; you can learn more at www.burpee.com. As the website points out: “Kids who grow fruits and vegetables are more likely to eat them.”

A word on yard and garden safety: Make sure the yard is safe for children. Check for tripping hazards, including tools. Remove broken glass. Avoid sharp-ended stakes and other objects.Some other ideas:

• You don’t have to go big. Keep the garden a manageable size so your child – and you – don’t feel overwhelmed. Plant tomatoes in a pot on the deck. Or sunflowers on the sunny side of the house.

• Fairy gardens are another option. Pure delight. Local greenhouses and nurseries offer fairy figurines and related accessories for these miniature gardens.

“It’s a wonderful way to get children into gardening. Maybe it’s because it’s tiny and more their size, but they do get excited about it. It’s just so fun. It even teaches kids responsibility and how to take care of things,” said Louise Badding, of the Badding Bros. Farm Market, 10820 Transit Road, East Amherst.

“Typically with fairy gardening, people come in and want to buy the succulents. But there is no reason why you can’t plant vegetables or herbs in your fairy garden. Use rosemary as a tree or thyme as a low-growing ground cover,” said Badding, who plans to create one with her 3½-year-old granddaughter, Brianna, when she visits in late June from Virginia. After the girl goes to bed, Badding will add a little fairy bunny or piece of furniture “to make it look like the fairies are moving in.”

Get creative. You can even set up a fairy garden in an empty bird bath or, as seen at Badding Bros., in a discarded drawer or broken terra-cotta pot. In one fairy garden, the pot’s broken chips were used to create a “path” to the rest of the garden.

• Plant a theme garden. It can be a garden featuring your child’s favorite colors. A red, white and blue garden. Or even a garden devoted to her favorite food, such as a pizza garden planted with tomatoes, green peppers, basil, etc.

• Remember that most kids love to get messy. Let them. The “Kitchen Gardening for Beginners” suggests setting up a worm compost.

• Don’t aim at perfection: The Burpee website offers this advice: “Choose a corner of the garden and let your child plant what she wishes, how she wishes. She might plant broccoli right next to a sunflower, too close and all crooked. Lighten up. It’s gardening.”

email: smartin@buffnews.com

Garden notes

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:08:23 -0400

Smallwood Garden Club will hold a plant sale from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Evanstown Plaza, Evans Street near Sheridan Drive, Amherst. Annuals, perennials, geraniums, prepared planters, heirloom tomatoes, herbs and cookbooks will be available. The club also will meet at 7 p.m. Monday in the Forest Elementary School cafeteria, 250 N. Forest Road, Amherst. Rochelle Smith, professor of horticulture at Finger Lakes Community College, will present a program on growing clematis vines. Guests welcome.

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Countryside Garden Club of Elma will hold a plant sale from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the former town hall, 1910 Bowen Road at Rice Road. Proceeds will help beautify the Elma community.

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Garden Friends of Clarence will hold a perennial plant sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in the Clarence Town Park large pavilion, 10405 Main St., Clarence. Email: gardenfriendsofclarence@hotmail.com.

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Bud ’n Bloom Garden Club will hold a sale of perennials, annuals, vegetables and herbs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Deakin’s barn, Route 20, Portland, to benefit Literacy Volunteers of Chautauqua County. Event also features garden tours, planting demonstrations and raffles of bushes.

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Buffalo Area Daylily Society (BADS) will meet at 2 p.m. Sunday in the East Aurora Senior Center, 101 King St. A May Mecca Sale will feature daylilies from Rich Howard (www.ctdaylily.com). Guests and newcomers welcome. For more information, visit www.buffaloareadaylilysociety.com. Email: info@buffaloareadaylilysociety.com. Phone: 698-3454.

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Silver Creek Hanover Garden Club will host its annual “Garden Faire” on Saturday at the gazebo and park on Main Street and Central Avenue, Silver Creek. Guest speakers from Lockwood’s Greenhouses will discuss “Hydrangea,” “Impatiens Downy Mildew” and other topics. Annuals, perennials, shrubs, herbs, trees, herbal delights and more. Event raises funds for flowers for the park, veterans memorial and entrance signs to the village. For information, call 934-7608.

Hamburg House and Garden Club will hold its Village of Hamburg spring cleanup and planting at the Centennial Gardens, library and Memorial Park beginning at 4 p.m. Tuesday. Pizza and business meeting will follow. Marcia Becker will discuss horticulture specimens for judging. For club information, call Carolyn Sheehy, 337-3742.

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Amherst Garden Club members will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Clay Hands Pottery Studio, 10086 Main St., Clarence. Marie Sperrazza will teach a class on making clay garden markers. Reservations necessary. Cost to be determined. Guests and newcomers welcome. Call 836-5397 for further details.

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Buffalo in Bloom is looking for volunteer “scouts.” Orientation sessions will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at Harvest House, 1782 Seneca St.; registration begins at 6:30 p.m. A second session will take place at 9 a.m. June 1 at Unitarian Universalist Church, 695 Elmwood Ave. Sign up at www.buffaloinbloom.com or via email: volunteer@buffaloinbloom.com.

Old house in Williamsville opened new chapter in lives of New England couple

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:07:42 -0400

Ask Stephen L. and Pauline Dyson what first sold them on their Williamsville home, and they don’t hesitate: the bookcases. Once you tour the place, you know why.

Two home libraries are filled with books, including an entire wall in the upstairs study. Other books are found on bookcases in the living room. An accent pillow on a side chair near the front door quotes Thomas Jefferson: “I cannot live without books.”

And while being photographed by a News photographer earlier this week, Pauline Dyson took a timeout and said, “I should be holding a book. We’re always reading.”

So it is in the home of these former New Englanders. Steve Dyson is a historian, archaeologist of ancient Rome and Park professor of classics at the University at Buffalo. Pauline is a former public high school history and social studies teacher. Steve’s job offer from UB is what brought them to Western New York from Middlefield, Conn., where they raised three children and he taught for 28 years at Wesleyan University in nearby Middletown.

Not surprisingly, the Dysons delved into the history of their Williamsville home soon after buying it in 1999. They discovered it was built by a carpenter for his family in the 1840s in the late Federal period style. Beautifully maintained by previous homeowners, the house sits on a peaceful, deep narrow lot near Ellicott Creek. Most of the trees and perennials on the property were there when they moved in, including a tree peony. Gardening is something they both enjoy. To enhance his wife’s cooking, Steve plants herbs in pots and lines them up on a brick wall near the back porch.

The Dysons also learned that at one point a Victorian-style porch was added and later removed. Years later, an attached garage and a room above were added, a former master suite that Steve now uses as his study. A pullout sofa comes in handy when family members visit from out of town; the Dysons have three adult children and six grandchildren.

The couple enjoy eating lunch and dinner in the sun room, where on a recent day Pauline had floated pansies in a glass bowl centerpiece. An 8-by-12-foot screened-in porch at the back of the house is a favorite spot during the warm months.

“We’ll have breakfast out there in the morning, and I’ll read out there until I go to bed in the evening,” said Steve, whose vast book collection includes classic literature and Civil War books that belonged to his grandfather.

“He was a great reader all of his life,” Steve said.

This house has many interesting nooks, crannies and quirks. The light switch in the step-down bath on the second floor is on the sloped ceiling. A nifty flip-down counter in the kitchen is attached to the cellar door. Pauline uses it when she makes pasta, pie dough and bread. Close at hand are wooden long-handled spoons and other cooking implements crafted by her father.

Interesting artwork, accents and treasures can be found throughout, reflecting their interests, hobbies and travels. Among them: framed prints of ships, Tuscan scenes and ancient ruins; ship models made by Steve; paintings and prints of Maine, where they vacation with their family; Buffalo architectural posters; and framed maps of mid-19th century Williamsville and Middlefield, Conn.

The two maps, which hang in the dining room, were housewarming gifts from their children.

Blue-and-white plates that date back to the time the house was built are among the collectibles displayed in the dining room. Also found here: a tablecloth that was custom-made by artisanal housewives in Fornelli, Pauline’s ancestral village in the Apennine Mountains of central Italy – where her parents were born and raised.

“The women share the work. One makes the linen cloth; another does this very fancy lacework,” said Pauline, who still has relatives living in this isolated mountain village, which the Dysons have visited while traveling to Rome for Steve’s archaeological research.

In the bedroom, Pauline has framed her mother’s hand-crocheted and tatted pieces of table scarfs and handkerchiefs – which were part of Pauline’s wedding trousseau.

At about 3,000 square feet, the house is much larger than the modest ranch house they came from in Connecticut. The couple paid just over $200,000 for the house in 1999.

“We discovered that the real estate market in Western New York offers quality homes that are so much less expensive than equivalent homes in New England,” Pauline said.

The house’s location allows them to walk to village shops, restaurants, parks and the farmers’ market, and its layout suits their lifestyle.

The house “is large enough for ‘two old-timers’ as my husband describes us, to pursue our interest and hobbies, together or apart. While most folks our age were downsizing, we were upsizing,” Pauline said.
�
The blueprint
Former New Englanders Steve and Pauline Dyson found a new home in an old house in Williamsville nearly 14 years ago, embracing the village lifestyle and pursuing their many interests and hobbies – as is reflected in their decor.
Here’s an overview of their 1840s home:
The layout: Living room, dining room, bath, kitchen, library/computer room (hers), sun room and screened-in porch on first floor. Former master suite now used as study (his), quirky bathroom with planked walls and ceiling, and three other rooms on the second floor. One is now used as their master bedroom; another as a craft/reading room.
Colors: Blue-and-white wallpaper in hallway, above, and kitchen; sand-colored painted walls in sun room. Burgundy Ralph Lauren paisley wallpaper in master bedroom. Neutral walls elsewhere.
Floors: Wood floors with area rugs, including one oval rug in the sun room hand-braided by Pauline’s mother. Some carpeting.
Furniture: A mix including pieces brought along from Connecticut, wicker in sun room, Pier 1 finds, comfortable reading chairs and a dining room table big enough for large gatherings.
Window treatments. Mini-blinds, valances and sheers that allow light to come through windows.
Collections: Framed posters and prints; interesting accents and treasures; many, many books.
�– Susan Martin

email: smartin@buffnews.com

Laundry room makeover can make wash day more enjoyable

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:32:14 -0400

How is it that one of the most-used rooms in many homes is also one of the most neglected? This spring-cleaning season, take some time out to set up your laundry room so that washing and drying aren’t such a chore. Paint, decorate and organize, and it will become a room you’ll want to spend some time in. (And if you have a laundry room, you will spend time there: The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans wash 400 loads of laundry a year.)

And while you’re at it, re-educate yourself on stain-fighting and garment-cleaning essentials to make your work as enjoyable as your space.

“There is something to be said for the know-how of our grandmothers’ generations,” says Gwen Whiting, one of the co-founders of the Laundress, a New York laundry products company and washing service (she recommends Ellen Sandbeck’s “Organic Housekeeping” and the Laundress’ website, www.thelaundress.com).

“They really knew about the fabrics, steps and good elbow grease. The only difference today are machines and more sophisticated soap ingredients,” she says.

Of course, it’s those specialty detergents and cleaning tools that are clogging up laundry rooms in the first place, so we found a collection of hampers, bins, hooks and other supplies to wrangle everything in an orderly fashion.

“With the proper tools,” says Sabrina Soto, a designer and HGTV host, “your laundry room is bound to stay neat and clutter-free.”“Detergents and cleaning supplies can be emptied into matching jars or bottles for uniformity, making your space look fun and orderly,” Soto says. Clear glass canisters let you know when supplies are low ($5-$20, www.crateandbarrel.com).

As laundry products become more and more specialized, you might find that you have more and more products to organize. “Years ago, it was just a laundry product,” says Nancy Brock, senior vice president of education for the American Cleaning Institute.

“Today it’s a laundry product for someone that may have sensitive skin issues. … We’re looking for things that make our life easier, better, healthier,” she says.

Label jars of specialty soaps and detergents with chalkboard sticker labels. Soapstone chalk on self-adhesive vinyl labels will wipe clean with a wet cloth ($10, www.crateandbarrel.com).

Place products that are most frequently used at a reachable level. And, Soto suggests, use a bin or storage caddy, such as a Vinea storage basket, to avoid getting scum and residue on shelves and other surfaces ($12-$35, www.organize.com).

Among the essentials that the Laundress’ Lindsey Boyd lists for a well-organized laundry room are a hand-washing sink or tub, hampers, drying racks, hangers, mesh washing bags, a steamer, trash cans and “a nice, clean work table.” She has a bar-height Ikea table for her laundry. For something similar, try Ikea’s Utby stainless steel table ($199, www.ikea.com).Probably the most crucial part to getting your laundry organized is finding the right hamper for your needs. A four-bag commercial laundry sorter is good for separating laundry for a family of four or for separating out darks, lights, hand-washables and dry-clean-only clothes ($78, www.organizeit.com).

For another way to separate colors, try monogram canvas hampers by Portland, Ore.’s Beckel Canvas marked “dark” or “light.” Or give each family member a hamper with his or her own name (Mini, $32; Regular, $38, www.thelaundress.com).

Dealing with laundry-day backups? Steele’s rolling canvas laundry cart will keep piles of waiting dirty clothes off the floor. It’s part of Crate and Barrel’s new Clean Slate line ($135, www.crateandbarrel.com).

In smaller spaces, Soto says to consider multifunctional pieces, such as the double sorter with ironing board from Target’s new Threshold line, which gives you space to sort, treat and iron clothing ($60, www.target.com).

If you live in a townhouse with lots of stairs, you want hampers with handles. And to make schlepping those hampers up and down the stairs fun (or at least look like fun), use See Jane Work’s tall canvas bin with its chevron pattern in green, pink or gray. Reinforced handles make carrying easier ($90, www.seejanework.com).“Keep your floors clean by hanging items such as vacuums, brooms, dustpans and mops,” Soto says. The white Elfa utility laundry and cleaning center provides a shelf for products and plenty of hooks for hanging small and large items ($225, www.containerstore.com).

And whether your laundry room is closet-size or palatial, “take advantage of every corner,” Soto says. A retractable clothesline disappears when not in use and expands up to 94 inches when needed ($12, www.containerstore.com).

Yes, you’ll need hangers or clothespins for line drying, but we found clothespins with an unexpected purpose. The Good Home Co.’s scented clothespins in Lavender, Beach Days, Pure Grass, Line Dried or Cedar will freshen up a drawer of newly laundered clothes, a gym bag or even a box of winter clothes ($12, www.goodhomestore.com).It makes sense: If you want a happy laundry room, then decorate with “something that makes you happy,” Whiting says. A brightly colored ironing board cover might make the dreaded chore of ironing cheerier ($24, www.etsy.com).

Don’t underestimate the power of the color white to keep a space calm. Even white accessories such as the Container Store’s Superior white wood hangers bring serenity to usually chaotic utility rooms or cluttered closets ($10-12, www.containerstore.com).

Keep the family socks and your sanity in check with the lost socks rack. Nine clips will hold on to lonely socks until you find their mates and will bring the room a touch of whimsy ($65, www.atwestend.com).

Garden Notes / News of area clubs and events

Fri, 10 May 2013 06:22:18 -0400

Evans Garden Club will hold its annual plant sale and auction from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Evans Center Fire Hall, Route 5, Angola.

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Orchard Park Garden Club will hold its annual sale of annuals, perennials, herbs, vegetables, accent plants and hanging baskets from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Orchard Park Railroad Depot, behind the library. Proceeds to benefit the scholarship fund.

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In conjunction with the Holland Tulip Festival, the Federated Holland Garden Club will hold its annual Standard Flower Show tonight and Saturday at the Brink Memorial Community Center, Legion Drive, Holland. Times: 7 to 9 p.m. today; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. This year’s theme: “Bring Back Memories.” For more information, call 537-9710. The club will hold its installation luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Holland Willows, Savage Road, Holland. For information, call Karen Stephens-Mace, 537-2657.

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East Aurora Garden Club will meet at noon Monday in St. Matthias Episcopal Church, 374 Main St., East Aurora. Carol Harlos, a master gardener and member of the Herb Society and Garden Writers of America, will present the “Wonderful World of Herbs.” Guests welcome.

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Cheektowaga Garden Club will meet at 6:45 p.m. Monday in the Cleveland Hill High School faculty lunchroom, Mapleview Road. Nancy Kalieta, volunteer coordinator for the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens’ docent program, will present “The Victorian Language of Flowers.” New members, guests welcome.

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Kenmore Garden Club will meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the Kenmore United Methodist Church, 32 Landers Road, Kenmore. Members will exchange plants and discuss spring planting. Guests welcome.

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Eden Garden Club will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Eden Junior-Senior High School for a plant exchange and program. Mary Ann Jumper will present “This Glorious Earth.”

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Cinderella Isle Garden Club will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday in Trinity United Methodist Church, 2100 Whitehaven Road, Grand Island, for a plant exchange and white elephant auction. Guests welcome. For club information, call Mary Barabasz, 998-1186.

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Linwood Gardens will feature the Historic Collection of Tree Peonies in a Festival of Flowers Saturday and Sunday and also May 18-19 and May 25-26. Location: 1912 York Road, Pavilion. Open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day. Suggested contribution, $8. Guided tours, $12. Visit www.linwoodgardens.org.

If you have a submission for Garden Notes, please send it to Susan Martin, Garden Notes, Features Department, The Buffalo News, P.O. Box 100, Buffalo, NY 14240. Fax: 849-3445. email: smartin@buffnews.com. All items must be received in writing two weeks prior to publication.

A small laundry list of tips

Fri, 10 May 2013 06:22:06 -0400

Diana Augspurger knows a few things about Western New York laundry rooms – and the people who use them.

“There are some people who do laundry, and then there are some people who DO laundry. There are two very different rooms for those two very different people,” said Augspurger, owner of Creative Storage, 634 Linden Ave., and a member of the Interior Design Association of Western New York.

The first group basically washes and dries the laundry, puts it in a basket and carries it upstairs.

The second group “wants to invest a little energy into doing the laundry. For those people, this is an important space. The obvious accoutrements – ironing board, hanging bar, sorting baskets and folding space – are all critical items to their health and well-being,” says Augspurger, who sells a wide range of laundry room products at her store and also online at morestorage.com.

A few tips:

• Consider function. Some people require the laundry room to do double-duty as a utility room. Utilizing wall space and keeping cleaning products, ironing board and other household items out of sight creates a neater space.

• Consider layout. Do you really need an 8-foot-long folding table? High cabinets that are hard to reach? “If you’re going to use your laundry room as a sewing room, gift-wrap room and all those other things, then having a lot of counter space is great. But if you aren’t, then having more accessible shelves that are within your middle body height is more practical than a bunch of upper cabinets that you cannot reach,” Augspurger says.

• Plan drying spaces for hanging up (dress, shirts) and reshaping flat (sweaters). Many different drying racks are available, including those that fix and fold to the wall or attach and raise to the ceiling as well as indoor racks for small spaces and outside lines that mount to the side of a garage.

• How fancy? “There is an aesthetic that comes with doing laundry for a lot of people. There is something about it that speaks to their sense of cleanliness overall. For those people, the room certainly should be fresh and clean-feeling,” Augspurger says.

Put function first, then ask to what degree should it also be pretty? Pretty, after all, can get pricey.

– Susan Martin

Garden Notes / News of area clubs and events

Fri, 3 May 2013 08:32:35 -0400

The African Violet and Gesneriad Society of Western New York will present its 2013 judged show and sale, “Decorating with Violets and Gesneriads,” from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday in Walden Galleria, Cheektowaga. For information, call Judy Niemira, 636-0934, or email: judith.niemira@gmail.com.

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Lancaster and Bowmansville garden clubs will meet jointly at 7 p.m. Monday in Bowmansville Fire Hall, 36 Main St. Mike Shadrack will present a program on the Chelsea Flower Show.

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Hamburg Garden Club will meet at noon Wednesday in the Hamburg Community Center, 107 Prospect Ave. Docent Bob Snyder will present “Architectural History of Our Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens.”

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Amana Garden Club of West Seneca will meet at 11 a.m. Wednesday in the Burchfield Nature & Art Center, 2001 Union Road, West Seneca, for a coffee social, brief business meeting and spring auction of plants, containers and garden treasures. Members will each present a blooming spring branch. Bring brown bag lunch; desserts provided. All welcome. For information, call 875-5563.

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Western New York Herb Study Group will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave. Janet Pope Schumer will speak on ancient Roman herb and vegetable gardens.

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Alden Garden Club will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Alden Community Center, 13116 Main St. Francis Evans will discuss “Front Yard Gardening: Curb Appeal.” Guests welcome. The club’s annual plant auction will take place at the Community Center at 6 p.m. May 22. This event is open to the public; entrance fee is one item for the Alden Food Pantry. For more information, call 937-7055.

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Youngstown Garden Club will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday in First Presbyterian Church, 100 Church St., Youngstown. Demonstration workshops on making terrariums and sugar scrubs will be presented. All welcome. Check out the club’s Facebook page for further information.

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Williamsville Garden Club will meet at 10 a.m. Thursday in Emeritus at Bassett Manor, 245 Bassett Road, Amherst. Members will assist residents in making centerpieces for their dining room tables.

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Town & Country Garden Club will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday in Transit Middle School, 8730 Transit Road, East Amherst, for a presentation on creating a tipping pot display. Pound auction to follow. Guests welcome.

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South Town Gardeners will meet at 9:30 a.m. next Friday in the Burchfield Nature & Art Center, 2001 Union Road, West Seneca, for a presentation on composting. New members welcome; no gardening experience necessary. For information, call 668-0209.

If you have a submission for Garden Notes, please send it to Susan Martin, Garden Notes, Features Department, The Buffalo News, P.O. Box 100, Buffalo, NY 14240. Fax: 849-3445. email: smartin@buffnews.com. All items must be received in writing two weeks prior to publication.

Timeless topiary looks fresher than ever

Fri, 3 May 2013 07:50:04 -0400

When some people think topiary, they envision a small grouping of potted miniatures shaped like lollipops. Others picture a pair of boxwood spirals flanking a front door. For some, what comes to mind are the life-size character topiaries at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla.

Then, of course, there are trees and shrubs growing from the ground that are artistically fashioned into geometric, arched and other shapes.

Topiaries come in many forms, sizes and materials but have one thing in common: They get noticed.

These are “statement plants,” said Cathy McGovern, owner of the Trillium’s Courtyard in Snyder.

McGovern has several topiaries on display at the 2013 Decorators’ Show House – and she’s not alone. They are found throughout the 14,400-square-foot estate – from small grapevine topiary balls to large topiary trees that fill a corner. Decorators and florists have us thinking that the classic topiary might just be having a major moment – once again.

“I think they come and go, but they have been around forever, and there are various ways of creating and controlling them,” McGovern said. She placed a pair of Eugenia topiary – pruned into the shape of double balls – on either side of the exit door at this year’s Show House.

For a second look, Algerian ivy grows on a round wire form for a topiary placed on the stairs leading to the enclosed porch.

Elsewhere in the house, an elephant-shaped topiary greets visitors to the sitting room off the master bedroom, while other forms of topiary are displayed in pots on floors, tabletops and mantels.

John M. Hochadel, owner of Flowers etc. of Buffalo, noted that topiary looks right at home in a country estate setting, such as this year’s Show House, the Knox Summer Estate at Knox Farm State Park, 437 Buffalo Road, just outside the Village of East Aurora. (Decorators’ Show House, a major community fundraiser presented every other spring by the Junior League of Buffalo and The Buffalo News, continues through May 19. See www.jlbuffalo.org for details.)

Long a feature in formal gardens, topiaries also deliver a sense of elegance to other settings or events. Hochadel once created azalea topiaries as centerpieces at a wedding.

While many topiaries are living plants, they do not have to be. Faux topiary, such as artificial or “permanent botanical” spiral boxwoods at a front door, can work for many people.

“I recommend those to people who don’t want to have to take care of their plants,” McGovern said.

A few tips for topiary:

• Group them. Hochadel likes to see ivy topiaries in pairs on either side of a door or fireplace mantel. Groups of three in different heights work as well.

• Repeat shapes. Pick the same topiary shape and stagger the sizes. On its website, Southern Living shows a pair of ivy orbs – one smaller than the other – planted in cast-iron urns with pedestal bases. See them at www.southernliving.com. The editors also offer this tip: “To keep orbs and other shapes lush and free of bare spots, rotate the pots and trim plants to encourage equal growth on all sides.” You’ll also need to water properly.

• Mix and match shapes. Another idea from Southern Living: For a garden-theme tabletop display, mix spirals, globes, columns and lollipop shapes of varying heights but plant them all in terra cotta pots to unify the look.

• Go grapevine. In the master bathroom at the Show House, Melissa Pleace took a 10-inch grapevine topiary ball, placed it on an 18-inch-tall brushed-nickel candle holder on the rim of the tub and embellished it with her late grandmother’s antique beaded clip-on earrings.

Whether it’s a grapevine topiary ball or tree, “a lot of times people add beading, greenery, moss, flowers or feathers,” Pleace said.

• Learn proper care. Read labels, talk to a florist or plant expert at a garden center, research online.

• Get creative. Search “topiary” on the Martha Stewart website, for example, and you’ll find features on topiaries created from ivy, fresh rosemary, peppermint candy or yellow flowers – as well as tips for trimming and maintaining.

Looks like things are really shaping up for spring.

email: smartin@buffnews.com

Show time in the country

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 10:49:41 -0400

A life-size horse painted with flowers and a cupcake. Wire hangers reshaped into wall sculpture. Gutters repurposed as children’s book shelves.

Creativity flows from room to room at the 2013 Decorators’ Show House. Maybe it’s all that fresh air. This year’s Show House – the Knox Summer Estate at Knox Farm State Park – is located in a pastoral setting just outside the Village of East Aurora. It’s a place where park visitors cross-country ski during the winter and walk or run in the spring and where, in the property’s main house – which was in the Knox family for decades – people have been working tirelessly in preparation for this weekend’s Show House opening.

Decorators’ Show House, an event presented every other spring by the Junior League of Buffalo and The Buffalo News, has raised more than $3.4 million for local charitable projects since the first one opened in 1981. All but two have been located within Buffalo’s city limits.

Show House visitors will have plenty to see when the 17th Decorators’ Show House opens its doors to the public Saturday for its three-week run. More than 50 spaces – including rooms, hallways, closets and porches – have been transformed by local designers, painters, craftsmen, florists and other design pros and volunteers. Outdoors, the terraces and the Seymour H. Knox III Memorial Zen Sculpture Garden are not to be missed.

Many items will be for sale in the various rooms and there’s also the Paddock boutique to visit. As in other years, decorators buy, borrow and provide all the materials with many goods and services provided by community volunteers and businesses. Hundreds of volunteer hours go into this project. Everything is removed after Show House closes May 19.

One recurring theme: Shades of gray are found throughout – from paint colors to upholstery.

“It’s my favorite go-to color. I’ve been using it everywhere,” said designer Michael Poczkalski, while working on the modern, equestrian-themed great room.

“It’s the new neutral. It looks great with pinks, aquas and greens, and navy looks fantastic with it,” added Sandy Nelson, part of a design team that decorated the “Summer Sitting Room,” the former second-floor sleeping porch.

Not surprisingly, many decorators working their magic since March were inspired by the colors and views of Knox Farm State Park (New York State acquired the 633-acre park in 2000). The breakfast room with upholstered walls and even an upstairs bathroom flawlessly connect the indoors with the out, for example.

“I wanted to bring in the colors from outside – the blues and greens,” said Melissa Pleace, a first-time participant. She decorated the “Couple’s Sweet Retreat” master bathroom, which also features a wall mural of the property painted by local artist Victoria George.

Many decorators incorporated equestrian/polo themes in their spaces. “I think there’s a horse in every room,” laughed the Home Stylist’s Julie Dana, who decorated the playroom – a whimsical place in which gutters on walls form ledges for displaying children’s books, covers facing forward.

Each room will have a “before” picture to see, and each room also has a theme. Among them: “Country Idyll” a peaceful bedroom decorated by Murchison Interiors with birch trees painted by Kelly Mong on the walls flanking the fireplace. Another: “Reflections on a Dress,” decorated by the Dress Shop and inspired by the idea of a little girl entering the magical world of her mother’s walk-in closet.

Also found here: an office, sewing/fashion studio, tween bedroom, library, polo room, Sabres bedroom and more. Designers got particularly creative in small rooms. The Tile Shoppe at Homestone Gallery and Lisa DiCarlo of Urban Design LLC in East Aurora transformed a bathroom by using concrete and reclaimed materials.

Finally, while there are many details to digest in this Show House, there are some things visitors simply can’t miss. In addition to the 84-inch-tall, 87-inch-long horse in the great room, the nearby first-floor stone fireplace room holds another surprise for fans of the MacKenzie-Childs line of ceramics and home furnishings: a giant moose head in the Courtly Check pattern. The Cottage in East Aurora decorated the room.

Also large and memorable: The vibrantly patterned wallpaper in the second-floor laundry room. A painting of giant pansies by the daughter of designer Mary Terese Nasca in the butler’s pantry – a nod to the floral-patterned wallpaper that hung there when the late Symour H. Knox III and Jean Knox lived in the home.

And the oversized hand-painted “deconstructed” acanthus leaves on the walls and ceilings in the “Summer Sitting Room.”

“Super-sizing them brings them to life,” said designer Sandy Nelson.

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Decorators’ Show House information

Following tonight’s Garden Party, where tickets were purchased in advance, the 2013 Decorators’ Show House opens to the public Saturday. At 14,400 square feet, it is the largest show house yet. Here is what you need to know:

Location: This year’s show house – the Knox Summer Estate at Knox Farm State Park – is located just outside the Village of East Aurora at 437 Buffalo Road.

Dates: Saturday through May 19.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays; 10 a.m to 4:30 p.m. Sundays. Mondays are for private tours only.

Tickets: $20 at the door or online at www.jlbuffalo.org .

Parking: Visitors will be shuttled for free to the show house from various lots in the area. The Junior League’s website, www.jlbuffalo.org, has detailed information. Check the website before your visit. No parking will be permitted in the main parking lot of Knox Farm State Park. People will be dropped off at the foot of the main driveway to the house, a distance of about 400 feet. Benches will be provided outdoors for those who need to sit while waiting in long lines.

Restrictions: No infants or children younger than 10. Photography not allowed. The event is not wheelchair accessible.

For more show house information: Visit www.jlbuffalo.org or call 884-8865. For more information on the park and house, visit www.friendsofknoxpark.org.

email: smartin@buffnews.com

Knox Summer Estate, a before view of Decorators Show House 2013

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:08:28 -0400

Here’s a look at the Knox Summer Estate before decorators transformed it into Show House 2013.

To read the full story, please click here.

One and done? Not for these gardeners

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 15:09:45 -0400

Call it a shopping frenzy for patient people.

It wasn’t a long wait to get in the door – even the earliest shoppers were at the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens a mere three hours ahead of time Friday.

But the prizes they carried home from the Black Friday Spent Bulb Sale – tulip, crocus and daffodil bulbs, at the deep discount price of $7 per shopping bag – won’t see blossoms again until 2014, when their bright blooms of yellow, pink, red and purple lead the charge into another spring.

Mike and Debbie Bakos from Batavia might take a nap in the meantime. They got up at 3 a.m. to be first in line with Jennifer Reid of Eden, setting up folding chairs next to the old garage behind the gardens’ conservatory at 5 a.m. The sale started there at 8.

They weren’t looking for anything special beyond a great bargain on bulbs.

“I just grab what I can grab,” Debbie Bakos said.

Inside the garage, in the calm before the storm, rolling racks four shelves high were piled with thousands of wilting flowers as a handful of staffers and volunteers conferred on their positions for the event – which could be described as 20 to 30 minutes of quiet, dirty chaos.

“[The bulbs] come from our spring flower show,” said Erin Grajek, director of marketing for the Botanical Gardens. “It’s our biggest show of the year, always around Easter time – and all the bulbs that are in that show are what we sell.”

The plants are all “forced” to bloom, Grajek explained, and are considered “spent bulbs” rather than “seed bulbs.”

“That means, when you plant them, they might not come back,” she said. “That’s why we sell them at a reduced rate.”

Outside in the slowly growing line – there were about 80 people at 7:45 a.m. – veterans of other sales said they have had good success with previous bags of bulbs, and were glad to be back for more.

“The first year we got over 1,000 bulbs,” said Sue Kloc of Blasdell, who comes with three or four friends. Friday, she was on a quest. “This is my fourth year, and I’ve never gotten a blue hyacinth yet. That’s what I’m looking for.”

She wasn’t the only one hot for hyacinths. Even though they were at the very end of the rows of bulbs, once the door opened, the racks of pink, white and purple hyacinths (no blue for Sue) were picked clean by 8:10.

Julie Feldman of West Valley knew enough to wear a hooded sweatshirt this time, to keep dirt from flying in her hair.

Larry VanNote has about three acres around his Strykersville home and has been to the sale three or four times.

“I had so many bulbs last time, I wasn’t able to plant them all, so I’m kind of starting over,” he said. “This year I’m here for tulips.” Later, he walked out with three full bags of them.

Others, some of them serious gardeners, hope to find something a little different.

“They understand they are getting really cool varieties that they can’t get other places,” the gardens’ Grajek said. Considering that elsewhere even conventional bulbs can be 50 cents to $1 each, getting a bag of 50 or more new-variety bulbs for $7 is “the cheapest price in the universe,” one volunteer joked.

As the doors rolled up at precisely 8 o’clock, the first buyers walked quickly in and surveyed the racks. About 20 people are let in at a time, a few minutes apart. Zigzagging up the aisles from rack to rack, the earliest birds get the best view of the merchandise, because many blossoms are still intact.

“A lot of years the petals are gone,” Grajek said. “They can actually see what they are getting this year.”

Soon after most of the customers are inside, the jostling and shaking had knocked off most of the petals. Some shoppers were carefully working handfuls of bulbs into the sacks – each person could buy three bagfuls – while others carried them in armfuls to jam in the bags at the counter.

By 8:10, everyone who was in line early was inside.

By 8:12, many sections were almost empty, save for a rack of orange tulips that was, oddly, still more than half full.

By 8:20, most of the shoppers were headed to their cars, with a little more than a dozen sorting through the remaining selections. Unlike previous years, enough bulbs remained to fill a few bags for latecomers.

Pamela Dortch of Buffalo was among the last to leave. She bought her house on the West Side two years ago, she said, and was ready to start landscaping.

“I wanted hyacinths, and tulips – I love tulips,” she said.

Not all the bulbs are going from the public gardens to private yards. Gail Huber and Marilyn Gallivan, both of Buffalo, are volunteers at Concordia Cemetery at 438 Walden Ave.

They are working to beautify the historic site, which was established in 1859, Huber said.

Gardeners who didn’t make it Friday have one more chance, Grajek said.

All the flowers along the Botanical Gardens’ walkway and front entrance will be pulled out in a few weeks, just in time for the Great Plant Sale on May 18-19.

email: mmiller@buffnews.com

Waterfront renovation

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:29:56 -0400

Kathy Schlaich recalled the day a friend visited and remarked: “There are so many places to sit in this house. I could never decide!”

Among the inviting choices in this renovated waterfront Youngstown home: Wicker chairs in the sun room addition, overlooking the village street. A stool at the center island of the French country-style kitchen, with a view of the Niagara River. An oversized sofa and chair with cottage-style slipcovers in the living room, also overlooking the water.

But in warm weather, it’s the wrap-around porch that beckons. Why would anyone want to sit anywhere else?

Basically, they don’t, the couple said.

So it is at Kathy and Greg Schlaich’s home, a structure that possibly dates back to the 1840s and was once a school. A plaque above the front door reads “Youngstown Public School 1858.”

Many professional renovations and updates have been done here since the couple bought the home nine years ago, on every level from mechanical to functional to cosmetic. They worked with an architect to add a sun room and garage (there wasn’t one). They refinished floors, replaced windows, gutted the kitchen. They had the existing porch torn down, a new drainage system installed around the home’s perimeter to alleviate flooding in the basement and a new maintenance-free porch constructed.

And they furnished in a clutter-free way that makes the most of the space and the view while enabling Kathy to add feminine touches inspired by her affinity for cottage-style decorating.

“I like comfortable. I don’t want people to come in and ask if they should take off their shoes,” said Kathy, a former newspaper reporter in Ohio and Florida who now helps run an after-school program.

As for Greg? He stores an electronic drum set in the finished attic and a fine collection of wine in the basement. After the waterproofing was complete and a new basement floor poured, Greg and one of their sons built an 8-by-16 wine cellar. They bought 3-by-2-foot ceiling tiles from Buffalo ReUse and trimmed and painted them a copper color. They added light and music and a barrel bistro table purchased from the Wine Enthusiast catalog.

The result is a far cry from the original damp, dingy basement.

“We knew we did it right when Kathy would come down here,” said Greg, a longtime sales executive who now owns Minuteman Press on Delaware Avenue.

The transformation has been a near decade-long process. The couple bought the house nine years ago while still owning a larger home in northern Virginia, 25 miles outside Washington, D.C. The parents of twin sons Kyle and Evan, now 25, they first used the Youngstown house as a second residence while the renovation was ongoing, making the eight-hour drive up here for long weekends and vacations. They knew they wanted to eventually sell their home in Virginia and live here full time, which they did three years ago.

The Schlaichs bought the home for $309,000 and estimate that over the last nine years, they likely have put that much into it. They feel they could not financially touch a place like this in the higher-priced waterfront areas near their previous home.

But there was another draw to the area. Kathy, a Niagara Falls native, has two sisters and other relatives in Western New York.

“As you get older, you want that support system,” said Greg, an Ohio native. After living in their Virginia home for 20 years and raising their sons there, they sold it for a healthy profit, which helped them afford to fix up their current home.

Kathy also is a bargain shopper, scouring antique shops for second-hand pieces – both here and in Virginia – and shopping at reasonably priced stores such as Pier 1. They did the interior painting themselves, except for the ceilings, which needed special attention. And they took things slow, having just completed the upstairs bath redo in the fall.

Among the other renovations:

• A new kitchen with cream yellow walls, distressed cabinets, ceramic floor, quartz countertops and eating area with red accent wall.

• A new walkway and stoop in front.

• A new gas insert added to the refurbished fireplace.

• New exterior doors and windows, including leaded glass in the upstairs bath. The originals were falling apart, the couple said. Windows are a key component to the design of the house. Deep windowsills are found throughout so even the cat, Fiona, gets a good view of the picturesque surroundings.

Said Kathy: “We have vowed to never leave and have often told our two sons that we hope that they like it here because it will be theirs someday.”

email: smartin@buffnews.com.

So you want to do some painting ...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 06:41:04 -0400

You don’t need to know that next week is National Painting Week to feel the itch to add fresh color to your home. A splash of Rapture Blue in the laundry room, perhaps? A taste of Zesty Apple in the bath? A little Late Day Sun in the foyer?

Spring has a way of making us hungry for a new palette. As one design writer put it: “Spring = painting projects.” Even a small change can make a big difference.

And so can gathering a few pointers. Anyone who has fretted days, weeks, even months over paint chips knows there’s much more to the process than throwing down a drop cloth and cracking open a paint can.

Turn the page for six tips to get you started – before you pick up that brush:Whether you tape several large-size paint chips to the wall or spend a few dollars on a sample-size container of the actual paint, it’s best to first live with a block of the color you’re considering.

“You have to see how it looks on your wall because one color in someone’s home is a completely different color in someone else’s home,” said Sandy Nelson, a local interior designer who runs Designs of the Times.

Among the options: Schuele Paint Co. loans out 8-inch square samples of its Benjamin Moore paint colors, for example. At Lowe’s, 8-ounce color samples from Valspar’s spring palette collections are among those available. Priced at $2.98 each, these contain enough paint for a 4-by-4-foot sample board or section of wall.

However you do it, get the paint color on the wall in the room. Throwing a sample on the coffee table won’t work. Place it where and at the angle you intend to put it.

“Look at it over the course of a few days – in the morning, in the evening, with natural light, with sunlight, with gray skies – so you can really see how the paint changes with the available light,” Nelson said.

“This is especially true with neutrals. Any of the pale earth tones – your khakis, your warm tans – change so much. They can be a beautiful paper-bag brown in the daytime, and at night they can look a sickly green. They definitely take on different tones depending on the light,” she said.Whether you take advantage of online tools, watch HGTV or pick up pointers from a paint store or home-improvement center, it’s worth taking the time to learn. The website of your favorite paint brand is one place to start. Here you’ll find tips, advice, videos and more on picking colors/finishes, prepping rooms, applying paint and more. Also, keep an eye out for color-themed publications. The February issue of Better Homes and Gardens is devoted to color, with more ideas and inspiration on the website, www.bhg.com.

One tip from the magazine: “Choose colors based on the use of a room. Morning rooms can be brighter; rooms used at night can go dark,” said Beth Kushnick, a set decorator.Be creative and put some paint in different places. You can add fresh color to the insides of cabinets, the back walls of bookcases and, a popular look now, the risers on stairs.

“You can also hand-paint shapes like headboards on a wall,” Nelson said.Many people think white when they think about ceilings. But a painted ceiling adds depth to a room, said color consultant/painter Jason R. Kruszka of Kruszka Interiors.

He’s been painting more colored ceilings the last couple of years. He even recently painted a 10-foot-high ceiling black in a 6-by-10-foot entryway, with the walls a light gray and the trim cream.

“It’s stunning. When you walk in there, it has this dramatic impact. Sometimes, the statement isn’t always made on the walls. The ceiling can be the focal point. Painting a ceiling – especially a darker color – really puts a twist on the whole room,” he said.

Your eye is not used to seeing it that way, so when you throw a bold color up there it is really something quite new.Another tip from Kruszka: A lot of people rely on tape to do their edging. The most accurate way to get a straight line is freehand, not that everyone has the skill to do that. If you have to use tape for a nice straight edge, he recommends FrogTape.

As for brushes, his top choice is an angled sash.

“I’ve also learned through the years to pay the extra money for a better brush. It will hold its shape better and hold its point when you are cutting in. I can get a much crisper line with the brush I use, but my brushes are 20-some dollars a brush. Not everyone wants to spend that,” he said.Neutrals are nice, but bold hues – what Nelson calls “Lilly Pulitzer colors,” referring to the late designer’s exuberant hues – are really catching on.

“I’m not a pink girl; I’m not a girly-girl. I like black, silver, white and gray. But I’m really liking these hot fuchsias, turquoises and apple greens. You can use them anywhere,” Nelson said.

Try them in black and white bathrooms (picture one with apple green or turquoise walls); kids’ rooms; bedrooms; backs of bookcases.

“Say you have a gray room, which is a great neutral these days. Paint the back of your bookcases a deep fuchsia and throw some fuchsia pillows on your sofa, and it really brings that exciting spark to your room,” she said.

It’s going to be a colorful spring.

email: smartin@buffnews.com

Garden Notes: News of area clubs and events

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:32:06 -0400

Smallwood Garden Club will meet at 7 p.m. Monday in Forest Elementary School, 250 N. Forest Road, Amherst. Connie Oswald Stofko, publisher of Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com, will present “45 Gardening Tips in 45 Minutes.” Guests welcome. The club’s sale of annuals and perennials will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 18 at Evanstown Plaza, Evans Street near Sheridan Drive, Amherst.

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African Violet & Gesneriad Society of Western New York will meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Lancaster Village Ambulance Corps building, 40 Embry Place, Lancaster. Paul Kroll, Judy Niemira and Holly Pohl will present “Judging Plants for a Show.” A leaf exchange, show and tell, blossom display board and 50/50 split drawing will be available. Bring plants for assessment. All welcome. For information, call Judy Niemira, 636-0934.

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Federated Holland Garden Club will meet at 11 a.m. Wednesday in the Brink Memorial Community Center, Legion Drive, Holland. Following a business meeting and luncheon, Bev Walsh, an accredited master flower show judge and member of the Orchard Park Garden Club, will present an interpretation of Holland’s Flower Show schedule. For more information, call Barbara Brant, 537-2694. All welcome.

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Town and Country Garden Club will hold its installation dinner at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Windows on the Green, Westwood Country Club, 772 N. Forest Road, Amherst.

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Cinderella Isle Garden Club will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday in Trinity United Methodist Church, 2100 Whitehaven Road, Grand Island. Lyn Chimera, master gardener and owner of Lessons from Nature, will present information on container gardening. Guests welcome. For club information, contact Mary Barabasz, 998-1186.

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Forest Stream Garden Club will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday in Forest Elementary School, 250 N. Forest Road, Amherst. Linda Blyth, editor of Figure 8, will present “Planting for Season-Long Interest.” Guests welcome.

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Southtowns Rose & Garden Society will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at 4543 Camp Road, Unit 16-3, Hamburg, for a hands-on class on successful seed starting. Call 649-7118.

If you have a submission for Garden Notes, please send it to Susan Martin, Garden Notes, Features Department, The Buffalo News, P.O. Box 100, Buffalo, NY 14240. Fax: 849-3445. email: smartin@buffnews.com. All items must be received in writing two weeks prior to publication.

Garden Notes / News of area clubs and events

Fri, 5 Apr 2013 07:50:44 -0400

Master Gardeners of Erie County Cooperative Extension and Buffalo in Bloom will present a free basic gardening class from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the community room at the Broadway Market. For information, call 877-8989.

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East Park Garden Club will hold its installation dinner at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Holiday Inn, 100 Whitehaven Road, Grand Island.

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Eden Garden Club will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Eden Junior-Senior High School, 3150 Schoolview Road, Eden. Joe Manuel will present “Organic Gardening.”

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Evans Garden Club will install officers Tuesday in O’Brien’s Pub, 8557 N. Main St., Eden. Cocktails at 6 p.m.; dinner at 7 p.m. For information, call 947-4571 or 549-6385.

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Amana Garden Club will hold a coffee social at 11 a.m. Wednesday in Burchfield Nature & Art Center, 2001 Union Road, West Seneca. Each member will present a flowering spring bulb. During the afternoon workshop, members will create items for the spring festival May 5 at the nature center. All welcome. For information, call 875-5563.

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Hamburg Garden Club will meet at noon Wednesday in Brierwood Country Club, 5324 Rogers Road, Hamburg, for its 89th birthday and installation party. The themed event, “April Showers Bring May Flowers,” will focus on planting perennials for a cutting garden.

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Lancaster Garden Club will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday in St. John’s Lutheran Hall, 55 Pleasant Ave., Lancaster. Carol Ann Harlos, master gardener, will present “Powdery and Downy Mildew” and how it affects impatiens and other flowers.

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Garden Friends of Clarence will install officers at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Brookfield Country Club, 5120 Shimerville Road, Clarence. For information, email gardenfriendsofclarence@hotmail.com.

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Alden Garden Club will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Alden Community Center, 13116 Main St. Peter Diachun, master gardener, will present “Roses: Pruning, Pest Control and Soil.” Guests and new members welcome. For information, call 937-7055.

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The Black Rock & Riverside Tour of Gardens committee will host Lyn Chimera, author and master gardener, at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Northwest Buffalo Community Center, 155 Lawn Ave., off Military Road. She will discuss soil, choosing appropriate plants and basic planting techniques. All welcome. For information, call 877-2740.

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Western New York Herb Study Group will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave. Kathy Lourence Spider will speak on herbal remedies and beauty products.

South Town Garden Club will meet at 9:30 a.m. next Friday in the Burchfield Nature & Art Center, 2001 Union Road, West Seneca. New members welcome; no gardening experience necessary. For information, call 668-0209.

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Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses will present a free garden series from 6 to 7 p.m. on the following dates at the Eggertsville-Snyder Branch Library, 4622 Main St., Snyder: Fairy Gardens (Wednesday), Perennials (April 17) and Frost Tolerant Plants (April 24). Call 839-0700 or stop by the library to register.

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Arbordale Nurseries and Landscaping will present a free garden series from 7 to 8 p.m. on the following dates at the Amherst Main Library at Audubon, 350 John James Audubon Parkway, Amherst: Landscape Designing and Renovations (Tuesday), Spring Pond Care (April 23), Living with Deer in the Landscape (May 14) and Grow Your Own Vegetables and Herbs Anywhere! (May 21). Call 689-4922 or stop by the library to register.

If you have a submission for Garden Notes, please send it to Susan Martin, Garden Notes, Features Department, The Buffalo News, P.O. Box 100, Buffalo, NY 14240. Fax: 849-3445. email: smartin@buffnews.com. All items must be received in writing two weeks prior to publication.

How to redecorate your home – without overspending

Fri, 5 Apr 2013 07:50:12 -0400

NEW YORK – With the housing recovery gaining steam, Americans have more incentives to paint up, touch up and otherwise redecorate their homes. But there’s no need to spend willy-nilly.

From finding treasures on eBay.com to taking advantage of new offerings at department stores and discounters, there are plenty of ways to make your home more stylish on the cheap.

“There’s no excuse for an undecorated home on any budget,” said Candace Corlett, president of WSL Strategic Retail, a retail consultancy. “Home has as much retail selection as fashion. And you can get a lot of buys.”

Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, has expanded this year its assortment of window treatments like blinds and is also bolstering offerings on rugs, decorative pillows, bathroom accessories and patio furniture. Under the discounter’s Better Homes & Gardens brand, decorative pillows range from $11.97 to $13.97.

Meanwhile, Target, known for its cheap chic home designs, has launched a full line for the new store brand called Threshold, which offers a variety of goods from dinnerware sets to sheets and towels. And J.C Penney is counting on a newly revamped home area that opens today and houses new brands such as Jonathan Adler, Sir Terence Conran and Bodum. Michael Graves, who ended his 13-year partnership with Target last year and is known for his stylish tea kettles, is also joining Penney this spring.

Here are six tips for decorating your home:

• Do your homework: First, create a budget and search around to get inspiration. To get ideas, attend open houses to see how other people are decorating their homes. You can also find how-to videos and decorating blogs on such sites as HSN, HomeGoods, Lowe’s and Home Depot.

There are fewer home decor magazines than there used to be. But you can always flip through catalogs from stores such as Ballard Designs to get some tips.

Also, experts encourage you to do broad searches on the Web. EBay just launched a new technology called Feed that allows you to personalize your searches based on your style, like mod 1960s.

“It’s all about getting unexpected things,” said Chris Benz, an American fashion designer who is collaborating with eBay on various fashion collections. He said he has furnished his apartment and office with eclectic eBay finds like vintage Italian turquoise pottery pieces.

• Pick and choose: Study your space and figure out what pieces of furniture you’ll be using more. So if you spend a lot of time in your living room, you may want to spend more on a sofa and an entertainment center that would house your flat-screen TV and books.

It’s like investing in good shoes or a handbag, said Pallavi Naidu, vice president of merchandising and product development at Atlanta-based Ballard Designs. Spending more on items that get lots of use means they will last longer and give you more satisfaction.

• Improvise: You don’t need the real thing. If you don’t have money to spend on a granite backsplash for your kitchen, turn to peel-and-stick wall tiles. Not sure if you want to invest in a carpet? An area rug could cost less and accomplish the same thing.

• Repurpose pieces: Shop in flea markets and even your mother’s attic to find pieces that could be reinvented as useful home decor items. And think beyond the original purpose: WSL’s Corlett said that old sewing machines or leather-trimmed luggage can be used as tables.

• Check out financing deals: If you’re strapped and need to stagger payments, instead of charging all at once on your credit card, check out financing deals from various retailers.

Most furniture stores have some kind of interest-free financing deal going most of the time. Just remember to keep up with the monthly payments, or else you will wind up paying heavy-duty interest and sometimes extra fees.

• When in doubt, paint: Often, just a fresh coat of paint will make all the difference in a room.

“Painting is one of the affordable ways to change the decor,” Corlett said.