A guide to creating a garden

If you are short on space or time, the intense planting that occurs in a “pocket garden” yields very big rewards. Pocket gardens are not a new concept. Those of us who are addicted to plants have created them in our spaces for years by layering plant upon plant—whether vegetables or ornamentals—in the soil and on our porches or balconies.

Pocket gardens have recently resurfaced as trendy stars in the world of gardening—we even have a brand new “pocket park” in Downtown Lynchburg. (Learn more about that project on page 21.) The basic idea is to take the barren, empty spaces around your yard and turn them into intensely planted areas. Put your creativity to work and look for underutilized surfaces around your home, apartment, condo, business, your child’s school and “go green”—even up the walls! In fact, especially up the walls. Dream big with endless possibilities.

Before you get too deep into the details of what and how to plant, you need to decide
what purpose you want your garden to serve.

It can be designed to help you achieve any of the following things:

Create a barrier to block out ugly views or traffic

A retaining wall, a raised bed or just an elongated bed can provide the structure for the barrier. Fill it with screening trees like arborvitae and other plants to reduce noise pollution and block the views of the city streets.

Create a place for reflection, conversation, reading or al fresco dining

By placing a pocket garden in the more intimate areas of your yard or enclosing a small area for a special purpose, you can “carve” a cozy space out of your larger landscape.

Remember a few years back when “garden rooms” were all the rage? This is a similar, but simpler idea. A seldom-used patio seems much more important when you’ve given attention to making it a special retreat. Build a wall, layer plants, enclose the space with planted beds, cover it with a pergola and then plant on top of that for a green ceiling.

Imagine sitting by a fire pit in the fall or the bubbling of a fountain in the background during the summer—it doesn’t get much lovelier. >>

Create a welcoming arrival area for family and guests

Placed either along your front walk or parking area, you can create a sweep of lush vegetation that invites visitors and family. As they travel through it, they will enjoy the green space.

Create a purpose for wasted, dull space.

A lot of homes and apartments have wasted space between the parking pad and the door.

You may have a partly enclosed area by your garage or one wall of your house that is creating a dead zone. If it’s a sunny area, you could trellis a rose or two up the wall and underplant it with perennials such as catmint (nepeta), German thyme, or a low-growing carex variety. While you are planting, you can leave space to add bulbs like bearded iris, daffodils, or crocosmia. In addition, you could also choose to add a few flowering annuals that you can have blooming to brighten the space all summer.

Basically, you want to create a lush space that feels like a little oasis in what was once a dull and uninteresting area that you just passed through on your way to the front door.

Create a focal point in your landscaping

Do you have a yard with no real interesting features? Lay or plant a path that leads to your pocket garden and make that your focal point in the distance to draw people into the yard. Once you know what it is you want to achieve with your
design, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get busy. Here are a few considerations and precautions as you plan and plant your personal oasis:

Planning Considerations

• Any kind of plant, succulent, shrub, vine or tree has the
potential to be used as long as its growing requirements can be satisfied in the spot you are designing. You are only limited by your imagination.

• The point is to create an intensely planted space with multiple levels of vegetation in order to keep you engaged in the garden. This should not be an area where you have a lot of mulch between plants. If you are on a budget and can’t do it all at once—
no worries. Just keep your end game in mind and every season, add a detail that fits into your plan.

• The amount of color is up to you. You can choose either a calming or a stimulating palette of plants as long as it suits your style.
Also, be sure that you choose a plan that you can maintain.
For example, if you don’t have three hours on a weekend to water and deadhead annual flowers, then you may want to limit how many different blooming pots you use and incorporate more houseplant or shrub plants.

• You can add interest with different elements such as a few colorful seasonal pots or an architectural detail like a wrought iron remnant in either a functional or decorative capacity. Also, consider hanging a mirror on the wall to make the area appear larger.

• If the space is large enough, add in cozy seating (a café table for two) or a water feature to enhance the overall experience.

Planting Precautions

• If you want to use a tree in your pocket garden, consider smaller options like a ginkgo, crepe myrtle or Japanese maple.

• If you plant shrubs, use varieties that won’t sucker and/or spread (for example—forsythia, lilacs or Virginia sweetspire will spread) as they may crowd out your other desired features.

• Connected to the above, when selecting your plants make sure you allow room for them to reach their mature height and width without crowding out your walkways, paths or other areas that you want to remain clear and passable.

Structures for Privacy

• Bamboo fence rolls from a landscape store create instant walls and privacy. It may look flimsy but it is quite durable with proper maintenance.

• Grouping traditional trellises in a way that pleases you can provide additional places for hanging plants, candles or string lights.

• Deck railing used vertically instead of horizontally is also a fantastic “wall” material.

• Using recycled wooden pallets is economical and versatile. Pallets are very sturdy and the possibility for what you can hang on them is endless. Anything from grow bags to tin cans with holes for planting will work. (Find more ideas on Pinterest.)

Not only do pocket gardens encourage creativity, they can be maintained more easily. By arranging plants in this intensive way, there is less need for mulching and weeding. If your plants are not in pots, you will conserve water because the plants will shade the soil and keep the soil temperatures lower.

So, what are you waiting for? Go take a walk around your home. Look for that “boring” area and plan where you will create your own personal oasis to be enjoyed for years to come.

Limited (or Nonexistent) Yard?

Consider Creating A Green Wall

If you are out and about or pay attention on social media, you probably already know that green walls are everywhere these days—from shopping malls to restaurants to businesses.

One idea for those in apartments—hang a large piece of wide window-paned chicken wire and make a living wall out of succulents “stuffed” into the wire and filled with slightly damp moss. They’ll make it in our growing zone with just a few light waterings for an entire summer. (If it’s 3×3 you can attach the wire with a nail or a hook at the top and two on each side so the wind won’t blow it around.

If it’s larger then you may need to staple the chicken wire to a wood frame.)

Another idea is to attach screw-in-eye bolts to the ceiling every eight inches,
add string or wire and build a vertical wall across the front of your balcony.

Add potted plants below the hanging string that will entwine and climb the string
and you’ve created a green screen that will produce some shade as well.

Kaye Moomaw

Local Pros Share Their Best Advice

Home-sharing, if you aren’t familiar, is an ever-growing lodging option for travelers. Here in Lynchburg more than 400 homes, whether standalones or portions of personal homes, are available to rent through websites such as Airbnb. Some visitors stay for one night and some rent for weeks at a time.

Local hosts who offer their spaces have mastered the art of welcoming guests for any length of time. Whether you simply want to overhaul your guest room or want to start hosting guests yourself one day, we share some of their top tips to make sure your visitors feel comfortable and relaxed.

Set the Stage: Intentional Decor
You may not be starting with a blank slate in your guest room(s), but it never hurts to take a fresh eye to it. Does your space say, “Well-Worn Duvet Cover Paired with Mismatched Pillows” or does it have a cohesive, purposeful look? Moving towards a well-designed space doesn’t have to break the bank; it does require purging
the clutter and changing your perspective.

Try not to think of the guest room as a drop zone for everything you couldn’t find a place for elsewhere in the home—it should be purposefully designed with your guest’s needs in mind.

Part of that means intentionally leaving empty space. Host Emily Rymer has started managing and staging Airbnb spaces for other local hosts, and one of her priorities is “keeping the decor simple and having plenty of space for [guests] to utilize…[having] an open surface where the guests can place their bags,” she says. “No one wants to bend over to the floor every time they need something” from a suitcase, so a couple luggage racks would be helpful. Also keep a hamper accessible for collecting dirty laundry and linens, and place some hooks on the back of a door to accommodate coats, bags and bath towels.

Amy Corbett, who hosts three of her own rentals and manages Airbnb spaces for clients with her business Belong Here, says “less is more” when it comes to decor. She recommends that you “decorate with items that have both function and aesthetic appeal.”

A great example of this would be a classic letterboard that displays both the WiFi network and password; while informative, it’s also appealing.

Corbett adds that you don’t need to be afraid to “blend styles or mix old with the new” as long as things are clean and neatly done. Hiring a professional can help define a vision for your space if it needs a total overhaul.

Host Sarah Boettger says she wants her guests to “rest, relax and breathe” while they visit, so she uses “soothing wall colors” and eliminates visual clutter.

Host Hannah Richardson agrees, saying “clean and elegant” are her goals with decor, avoiding anything “wild or busy” in favor of neutral colors. Corbett says you can “create calm with a coordinated color scheme and by adding texture” in the finishes.

Our hosts agree that investing in a well-made mattress and highly-rated linens will go a long way in giving your visitors some quality shuteye. Hosts Missy and Jason Phelps keep a box fan and sound machine available as well to accommodate different sleep preferences. Extra blankets and pillows can be stowed in a nearby closet.

Several hosts incorporate local art and photography in their decor because “guests like to learn about the local area,” host Nina Davenport says. Likewise, she displays a large U.S. map for her visitors to mark with a pushpin where they’re from.

When in doubt, Corbett says, “There’s nothing more welcoming to me than a simple solid color wreath on a door!”

The Essentials: Keep It Easy and Functional
“When preparing to host,” Missy Phelps says, “We try to think of all the things we would appreciate if we were traveling.”

Be mindful that guests have to take care of daily tasks just as they would at home, so that includes everything from showering and makeup application to preparing
their clothes for the day. A good exercise to increase your awareness of a guest’s needs is to spend some time in your guest space imagining how well it functions. Host Ginger Christmas says she does this several times a year to ensure the space is well appointed and that everyday needs are taken care of.

Nothing is worse than running out of something and having to bother your host after everyone’s gone to bed (or, before they’ve woken up in the A.M.). So, many hosts say stocking the bathroom is essential, from the small items that make a big difference: cotton balls, Q-tips and tissues, to the large items you may overlook out of sheer habit: hair driers, trash cans, and, yes, even extra toilet paper. The goal, says Corbett, is that your guest never runs out of anything. To keep things easily accessible, she recommends using a label maker to organize the closets and bathroom cabinets. In addition to extra toiletries, consider including a small First-Aid kit with Band-Aids, antibacterial lotion and small bottles of ibuprofen and Tylenol (do be sure these are child-proof and out of reach from tiny hands!).

Phelps says she wants to provide what guests need to “look their best,” so that also includes a full-length mirror, an iron and ironing board, clothes hangers and hooks plus a well-lit bathroom space.

For linens and towels, hosts all said the same: clean, plush and in ready supply. Host Dominique Gendrin says it’s worthwhile to pamper your guests with plenty of “large size towels, fairly high end soaps and shampoos.”

Atmosphere, Hygge and More
“To me, welcoming spaces are well-designed and calming; after a long, stressful day of travel, I want a guest to arrive and feel as though everything they need is at their fingertips,” Corbett says.

Rymer loves including fresh flowers while Phelps agrees that any effort to “bring the outside in” will make your space feel more finished. “This is as simple as walking outside and clipping some beautiful branches off a tree,” she says.

To make a space more inviting, Davenport says she avoids overhead lights in favor of soft lighting such as lamps. “I want my guests to feel at home,” she says. That means she also outfits the space with “comfy throws and pillows.” Gendrin does this as well, bringing in lots of armchairs, rugs, large mirrors and lamps for ambience.

Phelps keeps the electric fireplace going, offers an oil diffuser and has soft music playing.

And don’t forget the easy snacks (think packaged nuts or granola bars) and bottled waters, which many hosts said they keep readily available. Danielle Bifulco, who has been hosting for five years, keeps a coffee bar with all the essentials stocked for her guests; a Keurig makes this a simple option. Christmas also includes tea with her coffee bar paired with some Scottish butter cookies and a personalized note. Several hosts recommended offering your favorite blend from a local coffee shop.

To help your guests acclimate, Boettger places local magazines (hello, Lynchburg Living!), maps of the area, and a list of local restaurant recommendations around the seating area. Richardson leaves out a fun game or puzzle for guests to try near a comfortable couch.

Most of all, remember that the friends and family who visit you are the reason behind it all; they are, as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, the true ornaments of a house.

By Kaye Moomaw
Photos by LaShonda Delivuk

In this age of screens and 24-hour-a-day availability, we all need ways to unhook from electronics. Going outside and participating in the natural world improves both your physical and mental health. The same is true for children.

Bedford Hills Elementary School in Lynchburg has been using their school garden since 2008 to help young students explore nature while learning at the same time. “The garden functions as an outdoor classroom for the school and we have great, creative teachers who use it in all different ways,” says Kris Lloyd, who founded the Roots and Shoots Garden when her children were students at the school.

As a member of the Hill City Master Gardeners, Hillside Garden Club and Blue Ridge Conservation Coalition, Lloyd is committed to enriching our local gardening community—starting with our youngest members. “The garden makes them so curious—even if we are simply weeding they look at the roots, worms and insects. They ask the best questions!” she says.

Now that temperatures are warmer and days are longer, you can turn your home garden into a classroom for your children or grandchildren. You don’t need any strict curriculum—just go outside and simply see what’s happening around you. Below are a few ideas to get you started:

Plant some flowers, herbs or vegetables together. Your garden doesn’t have to be big; one cherry tomato plant that a child tends to all by himself has huge rewards. Watching the vines grow, flower and then seeing baby fruit ripen to red is the beginning of a love of growing things. Even a child who has never liked tomatoes will usually try one, and most often exclaim it is the “best tomato ever” when they have grown it. Squash is satisfying for kids to grow.

It has big flowers, big leaves and makes a satisfying “pop” when you pick it! Watermelon and pumpkins will probably come to mind if you really get excited about growing as a family. They are a bit more complicated—however, your student may enjoy measuring the vine as it crawls across the yard.

Practice math skills by having your child count how many tomatoes, green beans or zinnias they pick. An older child can keep a running total and practice addition skills. They can estimate what they think their total yield off one plant will be. Then, see if their prediction was correct. All of these abstract math and science skills in books come to life when your young gardener is at work.

Use field guides, binoculars or a hand lens to encourage observation of plants and animal life.

Teach your children at a young age that not all bugs are “bad.” A few good tools can show you what eggs, pupae, caterpillar and moth of the same insect look like over the course of the garden season. These observations they make deepen a child’s understanding of the natural world and teach them about different life cycles. In the Roots and Shoots Garden, a former father of some students donated bird boxes. Today, the purple martins and bluebirds are enjoyed and observed by everyone. “Students have also loved tracking the bluebird trail boxes with the bluebirds and tree swallows. That activity leads to great discussion of habitat and what it is about our schoolyard habitat that birds like so much,” says Lloyd.

Encourage your child to keep a nature journal with a picture of a bird nest and/or bird. Record how many eggs are in the nest.

Look up and see how many days the mother bird has to take care of the babies until they are fledglings. Watch for the day they fly away. Did they all make it? There are great STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills at work here as well as spelling and composition.

Find ways to tell the history of your crops. You can check out some Native American history books from the library and teach your children about the three sisters—beans, corn and squash. Or, plant a garden that includes some of your family favorites and make recipes from your grandmother. I have some Norwegian heritage, and my grandmother was a mid-westerner. I could plant rhubarb and make her jelly and sweet rolls as a way to showcase my family heritage. If you are Irish you could talk about the Great Potato famine. The possibilities are endless to connect your garden, nature and the stories we share.

Use plants or produce for some “hands-on” activities. Make a special “living” fort out of sunflowers lashed together at the top. Or, construct a green bean teepee: using tomato sticks or dowels, plant runner beans so they will climb up the sticks entwining them until covered. They can rule over their own green kingdom that they help take care of. A personal garden spot made for a child invites relaxation and discovery.

Research how to plant according to the lunar cycles.

This is a great project for a junior high student. You can plant the various crops at just the right time for good seed germination and harvesting. This information is available in the Farmers’ Almanac. Now, you’re discussing astronomy and probably looking at constellations together.

With any of the above activities, try to let the child lead the conversation when something has made them curious. Ask questions that further the development of their use of the scientific method by letting them propose the answer. Then work together to research if they are correct. You will also have to work with younger children on how to “be gentle” when exploring nature, especially with a bird’s nest.

You don’t have to give your child a quiz at the end of the day, when your time in the garden is over. Know that by introducing your child to the world of gardening, you are making an impact on their life that will carry on into adulthood.

“If you grow lettuce and peas and radishes to make a salad as a second grader, or help feed the worms in the worm bin, or watch the caterpillar go through its life cycle in your classroom, you will be more engaged with the natural world as an adult,” says Lloyd.

“I think there is lots of joy in that for many adults.”

Enjoy every moment!

Herbal Expertise
A guide to growing your favorite flavorful plants

Herbs have been part of our kitchens and medicine chests since medieval times, when herbal wisdom was abundant in every community and home. Today the appreciation for herbs is rising again.

Herbs are wonderful additions to a landscape—rubbing your hand across rosemary or lavender as you walk by gives a momentary lift to your spirits. Adding herbs to a meal stimulates your digestive system and your appetite preparing you to eat. Herbs also provide a nutritional boost with the vitamins they contain.

Best of all—growing them requires very little effort.

Choosing the Right Spot

The first order of business is deciding where to plant your herbs. They need about five hours of sunlight a day to be their best. If they don’t get enough sun, they get long stalks and few leaves. This makes for an unattractive, unproductive plant.

Also, don’t plant your herbs in a windy environment. Planting near a brick or stone wall can provide both protection and a warm environment for your kitchen herbs. A spot between your driveway and sidewalk could be used for a wonderful raised kitchen garden. Alternatively, you could lay stone paths through the area and let herbs grow over them.

Helping Your Herbs Thrive

The next step to having a successful herb garden is making sure you’re using the right soil. If you don’t know what type of soil you have, you can do a simple test in a mason jar with a twist-on lid. Fill the jar halfway with soil then add water until the jar is full. Shake the jar well. If the water is distributed through the soil or leaves about a third of the water undistributed, it is acceptable. (You can see photos of the Mason Jar Soil Test online.) If needed, you can amend your soil with compost and/or sand to improve the texture.

Basil, chervil, coriander, dill, lovage and sage prefer rich, balanced soils. Sandier soils are preferred by lavender, thyme, tarragon and rosemary. Cultivation information can be found on seed packages, plant tags or from the nurserymen where you are purchasing. It is assumed that most herbs thrive in hot sun with well-draining soil. But some, like lemon balm, parsley and chamomile, need conditions to be a little bit cooler so they don’t wilt in the afternoon sun. The more you know about your plants’ growing conditions and habits, the more successful you’ll be.

Some herbs, such as mint and oregano, spread and get messy over time. You can contain them by planting these herbs in a grid pattern with pavers. Separating them like this also gives you a way to walk through for harvesting.

Herbs like to dry out between watering—none of them want to have wet feet constantly. To be sure it’s time to water again you can stick your index finger in the soil about an inch deep. If it’s dry, water. If it’s damp, wait.

Growing in Pots

One idea for those with limited space is to grow herbs in pots. This will allow you to give your herbs exactly what they need.

When choosing a pot, it is best if it drains into a saucer and is at least 6 inches in diameter. If you want to grow parsley or basil, your pot should be around 20 inches deep because they have long taproots. If your pots don’t have drainage holes, add a layer of stones or clay shards at least two inches deep in the bottom of the pot before planting. If you are buying your herbs from a nursery, make sure you buy, or have on hand, a pot that is twice as big as the pot you purchased them in. Re-pot your herbs quickly in the appropriate soil and give their roots plenty of room. It is better to have your pot too large rather than too small.

You can always combine herbs that require the same conditions in larger pots to simplify. Window boxes are also great choices for growing herbs. Watch for dry soil—potted plants need more water than those planted in the ground.

Herbs in the Off Season

Thyme, rosemary and lavender plants all do fairly well for me overwintering outside. If it’s mild, I sometimes will find mint and oregano still growing near the warm stone wall in my raised bed. What a treat to have fresh mint in hot tea on a cold day!

Other herbs such as parsley and basil will hang on by a thread until spring after I move them inside for the winter. Herbs should be ignored when brought in—give them only the minimum amount of water. For the best chance of survival, move these herbs out to your covered porch when temperatures are mild.

To overwinter your larger pots of herbs, pull them up close to your house and cover with mulch or wrap.

Harvesting and Storing Your Herbs

You can enjoy your herbs even after the growing season by planning ahead. Begin storing your herbs at their peak. And don’t rush. If done incorrectly, your herbs will quickly spoil. Here are a few harvesting tips:

• Their flavor is best when harvested on a dry day after the dew has evaporated and before the sun is hot. Also, keep your herbs from producing flowers, which ruins the taste, by pinching them back.

• Most herbs can be dried by hanging small bunches in a dry room out of the sun. Once they are brittle, you can run your fingers down the stem and store the leaves in a jar with a tight lid.

• Basil, dill and fennel can be frozen on the stalk when they are picked young, small and in perfect shape. Wash them and let them dry. Lay them on a towel on a cookie sheet, flash freeze and store in a freezer container. Fresh dill can be stored in a fridge for two weeks or more in a little water.

• Flowers like borage and calendula can be clipped off the plant leaving no stem and dried on a cookie cooling rack until they feel like tissue paper to the touch. These are also best stored in jars.

Place your herb jars out of direct sunlight to prolong freshness. Your herbs will store well for a year.

All of my favorite herbs are easily started from seeds so don’t be afraid of trying different herbs that can take you on a culinary journey! When you have grown your herbs yourself, you know they are fresh, pesticide-free and have optimal flavor.

My Favorite Performers
Check out a few of the herbs
I love to use in my kitchen.

• Lovage is a striking, perennial herb that tastes like celery. It can grow up to 6 feet tall!

• Rosemary is beautiful and hardy here when planted in a warm spot. It’s a very aromatic herb and it makes a great addition to poultry. It’s a food source for bees when flowering.
You can start new plants easily from cuttings or layering branches.

• Basils can add endless flavors to foods and vinegars because there are so many varieties to grow.

• Dill is beautiful, easy and like most herbs also draws beneficial insects. Keep the blooms “pinched back” to get the most production.

• Parsley adds a nice touch to salads. It will keep in a vase of water by your sink as you use it.

Caring for Cut Flowers
Before bringing those lovely blooms inside, learn the “dos and don’ts” of taking care of your bouquet

Surrounding ourselves with flowers can improve our physical and mental health. Flowers stimulate our dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin levels—the happy chemicals in our brain. They also remind us to slow down and enjoy them before they are gone. Because as we all know, cut flowers don’t last forever. While that’s part of their charm, there are a few things you should do (and not do) to make them last as long as possible.

Do give your flowers a “spa treatment” before arranging. This is commonly called “conditioning.” I use a Chrysalis floral conditioner during this step. Fill a bucket about a third of the way up with water, making sure every stem reaches the water. Put the bucket with flowers in a cool, dark room for about three hours and allow them to rest. This will lengthen vase life by maybe four days. Follow the directions on your flower food exactly.

Don’t use a dirty container. You should never reuse a vase without washing it first. A good rule is to add a few drops of bleach mixed in water to your vases after each use and let them soak before you wash and then put them away. If your glass vase gets “cloudy” over time you can clean it with vinegar, a dishwasher rinse aid, or a toilet bowl cleaner.

Do pay attention to the water temperature. The water in your vase should be tepid—something you would like to have your feet in! And a caution here to those using a water softener: the added salts in your water will sometimes kill the flowers. If your flowers always die quickly, this may be why.

Don’t obsess over floral “foods.” Using these for cut flowers is fine but not necessary. There are all kinds of tricks people use—a penny in the vase, a shot of gin or vodka, an aspirin, or floral food packs. The best food for your plants is simply keeping the water clean.

Do remove all the leaves that will be below the water line in your vase. Not only do they look ugly, they rot, smell and make your vase water look disgusting.

Don’t use dull clippers when cutting your stems. Stems that look “stringy” when cut show it’s time to sharpen your clippers. After this step do not get distracted by your kids, the phone or your dog. Move them into your prepared water quickly so the stems don’t close.

Do have some fun arranging your flowers. There is no right or wrong—place your flowers in the vase in a way that pleases you!

Don’t spray or mist your arranged flowers. This can cause fungal issues.

Do be prepared to troubleshoot problems. If you notice a flower either not opening or wilting, remove it from your vase. Re-cut the stem and place it in hot water from your tap. Leave it in the hot water until the water temperature has cooled. Also, place flowers out of the direct sun and/or away from heat ducts.

Don’t forget to do some maintenance. Every two to three days, re-cut your stems and change the water so your flowers stay hydrated.

Pro Tips on Some of Lynchburg’s Favorite Blooms:

• Hellebores are the first to bloom and we are anxious for flowers. Resist the urge to cut them too soon. Wait until a seed pod is formed in the center of the flower before you cut it.

• Harvest your peonies when they are soft like a marshmallow and not after they’ve blown open.

• Hydrangeas should feel like paper when you cut them. Strip all the leaves off the stem. Condition them up to their necks in water with a flower food. Cover their heads with damp paper towels and leave them to sit in your basement for a couple hours. Use care when arranging them as they drink water out of a vase much faster than you think.

• If those lilies or roses you bought just won’t open, trim the stems by about an inch and stick them in HOT water. Force the issue!

• Soft necked flowers, like a zinnia, that just won’t stand tall can be made to behave by sticking a toothpick deeply through the center of the flower into the stem. Stick it far enough in that the “trick” is invisible to others.

Home Made
When a local actor/artist can’t find the modern décor she craves, she creates it herself
By Jennifer Redmond

This is the declaration of a bona fide creative, Mary Catherine Garrison, who channels her artistic energies into a diverse mix of mediums, colors and shapes. Entering her home just off historic Rivermont Avenue is to step into an artistic statement—each element placed purposefully to continue a theme or elevate the senses.

Though she’s an experienced actor with plenty of Broadway and television credits to her name, Garrison says, “Art has always been my first love.” Today, two years into making a home in Lynchburg along with her husband Marshall and son James, Garrison says she’s “sort of obsessed with interior design; I love it.”

Her eye for design is more than evident; one would be hard-pressed to find a single item that doesn’t contribute to the overall atmosphere. If Garrison didn’t already own the “right item” for a certain spot, she simply made it herself. In fact, only a few minutes into our home tour, I quickly noticed a pattern. Nine times out of 10, when asked, “Oh! Where did you find ‘such and such item’?” Garrison’s response would be: “I made it.” The entryway of their 1922 Stanhope Johnson home prominently features one of her own original oil paintings—the subject a tribute to women and the bonds they share. The living room is flanked by shelves she and Marshall built together; a bench they built that she covered with a woven fabric design; and the chair opposite was reupholstered by Garrison. Like many of her projects, she taught herself how to recover the chair as she went. “Anything you want to learn is on YouTube,” she says. “You just have to start.”

Her own pillows grace the couch, custom linen curtains shade the dining room, and—perhaps the most remarkable for its finished effect—the side hutch in the dining room was also her creative vision. By cutting each geometric shape individually with a jigsaw, adding them in an asymmetrical design to simple Ikea base cabinets, sanding them down for a flush surface and staining them to match, she elevated the piece to a dramatic finished product.

Such creative ability is amazing considering the breadth of her endeavors. From macramé plant hangers and wall décor to oil and acrylic painting and from custom ceramic pieces to furniture upholstery (and even building the furniture itself), Garrison says the only medium she avoids is knitting, simply because she doesn’t like it. (One gets the impression she would soon be a master if she did care for it!) She even creates her own clothes and custom earrings—a collection of handcrafted and thrifted vintage finds that grew so large, she launched an Etsy shop.

Her creative vision has filled their 97-year-old house with a fusion of mid-century, vintage and even “80s’ Italian stuff” such as the solid marble table prominently centered in the home’s spacious dining room.

That table, coincidentally, is the result of an online auction that Garrison didn’t expect to win, but win she did. The result was a silent Marshall when she first told him about the table, explaining, “It’s so beautiful, you’re not going to believe it!” Of course, she also had to share the table’s substantial size and weight, which is close to 2,000 pounds. Three trips to New Jersey and a lot of sweat equity later, they successfully moved the table in. Garrison says Marshall “loves it now!” Plus, they have quite the story to tell about its origin.

Moving from their previous home in the Hudson Valley, where they lived in a modest 900 square feet, Garrison was thrilled to have 2,700 square feet to work with in their new home. Not only can she fit items like their dining table, she has space to expand her style too.

“I love the juxtaposition of new and old,” she says. “And I really wanted all of these details,” Garrison says, noting the wood floors and French doors in their home plus the character of details like wainscoting, decorative trim and transom windows. “I wanted to place that against all of the modern.”

The entry represents that well with a mix of personal art, family heirlooms—the secretary belonged to Marshall’s grandmother— and statement pieces—such as the sculptural side table gifted from local family friends.

“I justify my design by saying the house was built in the Art Deco period, which was super modern,” Garrison says.

She has also incorporated plenty of plants throughout; her preference is for succulents and sculptural plants in the rooms that receive less light because they still thrive and add “visual interest.” But in the rear breakfast nook—a light-filled space—plants of all kinds surround the smaller dining table, bringing nature indoors. She says plants add soul to a room and loves having a variety of them.

Garrison has plenty more home improvement plans up that vintage sleeve of hers—fresh colors for the dining room wall, recovering a chair with leather from Moore & Giles, even making the ceramic tiles to redo the fireplace surround. One thing is for sure, where Garrison is, there will be something wonderful to discover.

Customize It
How to Bring Made-to-Order Fabrics into Your Home
By Jennifer Redmond

As much as we can all appreciate scoring a great sale item or that “too hard to resist” trend of the moment à la “The Big Box Store” down the road, there comes a time when high-quality, custom features have their place in each home. Perhaps you’ve moved into a house that you truly want to settle into and are ready to put your own unique spin on. Maybe you spotted that “one-of-a-kind, fall in love at first sight” pattern and just have to find a way to work it into your décor. Or, like me, perhaps you’ve endured enough bargains that had to be discarded far too soon and are now willing to pay the ticket price for items of quality because they’re built to last.

For all of these reasons, choosing to include some custom fabric in your home can be a wise investment. First, there are plenty of ways to use it,
from a duvet cover to window treatments and from a reupholstered chair to throw pillows.

Local design shop Southern Provisions Company offers customized items that could accommodate any style or color scheme. Clients can select any kind of various fabrics, trims and designs such as French pleats or Roman shades for window treatments.

Rebekah Moody, CEO, says that creamy linen is trending locally, especially for drapes, but it’s also okay to “mix and match patterns and, yes, you want to mix up the scale of pattern,” she says. “Too much of the same thing never looks good.”

In terms of why you would want to pay for custom items, Moody says it will look and fit much better, yielding a high-end finish. So, an investment in custom drapery would be a great choice for a visible window or a room that has more prominence in the home. Store-bought, “standard drapes are too long,” Moody says, plus “the finish is cheap.” If you have a traditional eight-foot ceiling but purchase a 96-inch curtain panel, Moody explains that the result will be a puddle of fabric on the floor.

While linen is all the rage right now, Moody explains that pure linen actually “wrinkles and the folds never come out,” so she recommends a linen blend, which is “about 55% linen [and] 45% poly; it has the look of linen, and the drape of poly.” She says the ideal uses for a linen blend are drapes, bed skirts and pillows.

If you’re considering reupholstering some chairs, Katrina Morris, owner of The Morris Manor, recommends focusing on a side chair if you choose a more delicate fabric so it isn’t worn out too quickly. Moody agrees, saying linen will stretch like “a bad pair of jeans” if used for upholstery—unless it has a backing.

Morris also recommends that you consider functionality. She asks, “Do you have children? Then upgrade and get a nice washable velvet or a performance fabric that’s thicker—there’s no reason to get a thin linen if you have children.” If you like the look of linen (which most do!), consider a performance-based fabric that has the look but will last longer. These kinds of fabric are costly but the quality can be worth the investment.

She also recommends opting for a more timeless color scheme and pattern when choosing pricey fabrics; some can run $30 to $50 per yard. So Morris says her current favorite cheetah print is something “I would get tired of, so it’s not worth the cost for a long term investment. I would go for something more timeless that will last longer” such as a striped fabric.

For throw pillows, an easy and personalized option is a monogramed pillow cover, like the ones offered at Moody’s shop. Or, you can “mix patterns and colors for whatever your favorite look might be,” she says. “The trend is to keep large items neutral and make your ‘pops’ [the] items that are relatively inexpensive,” she explains. Taking this approach means less of a cost investment when you’re ready to switch the look, whether out of preference or to create some variety throughout the seasons of the year.

Make a Statement
Turn Heads with a Ceiling Made to Shine
By Jennifer Redmond | Photography by Tera Janelle Design

Coffered Ceilings

“Adding architectural elements is our favorite way to make that ‘fifth wall’ shine,” says Tera Janelle, owner of Tera Janelle Design. These elements include coffered ceilings, or recessed panels that can be trimmed in a variety of materials to create a grid-like pattern. According to ThisOldHouse.com, one popular style is “bold beams” set in a square or rectangular grid, which then adds “dimension and character to a plain room.”

The depth and size of coffers can affect price and work outlay, and though box beams (hollow wood beams) are larger and more involved to install, they have a more dramatic effect as well.
“To me [box beams] just announce quality, stating ‘this builder took the time and expense to add beautiful detailing’,” Janell Beals writes for Houzz.com. “The millwork adds timeless character and is seen most often in traditionally-styled homes, but [it] does occasionally show up in unexpected places with success.”

Once placed, you can paint the beams and coffers the same color, or, for a more dramatic statement, or especially high ceilings, paint the inside, recessed portions of the grid a darker, more striking hue. One of those “unexpected places” that Beals notes may be using the style in a home with a rustic or farmhouse style.

Katrina Morris, owner of a 100-year-old local farmhouse known as The Morris Manor, says she has been seeing much more bead board in coffered ceilings lately. “It doesn’t have to be wide and overstated,” she says. “It’s more understated…they add a nice element.” Benefits to this look is that it’s less work-intensive, “adds timeless character,” and is less expensive. For a small bedroom, Morris says you would need only 4’x8’ sheets of bead board (these run around $20), which are then trimmed with 1”x4” pieces of wood to create the grid pattern. After install, “painting it white gives it more of a cottage flair,” Morris says. “And, it can actually help the room feel bigger; you can do this on an 8’ ceiling; it doesn’t take up ceiling space and adds great visual interest.”

Colored Ceilings

“Paint and wallpaper are a great, cost-effective way to customize your ceiling,” Janelle says, recommending that you consider darker colors. “Two shades darker than your walls [will make] a cohesive but impactful statement.”

Morris agrees, countering the myth that dark ceilings would make a room feel smaller or closed in. “If you extend the wall color onto the ceiling, you don’t create a visual break,” she explains; this approach actually has an expansive effect. Morris also adds that a room with natural light can handle a darker color—even black or navy! “With great natural light, black makes a room feel cozy but not closed in.”

Janelle adds that using the trim color in a flat finish for the ceiling will “connect your home’s color palette;” in contrast, “traditional ‘ceiling paint’ can sometimes feel cold” and detached.

Wallpaper is also an option with more removable and highly artistic choices hitting the market all of the time from a wide variety of vendors. Price points range widely as does the quality and ease of placement. For a playroom or a kid’s bedroom, a colorful or bold pattern works well to draw attention up and create a fun atmosphere. In a bedroom or larger communal space, a subtle pattern or even textured paper can work quite well to add dimension and character to the room as a whole.

“Look Up!”

In choosing the best place to make your statement, Janelle favors bedrooms. “These are the rooms where we most often lay and stare at the ceilings, making bedrooms especially fun to embrace a ceiling change,” she says.

Powder baths are a great option as well, Morris says, especially for a darker ceiling or the bead board coffers. She’s also seen bead board on ceilings all throughout the main living areas of a home, especially if it has an open layout. Morris has also seen cedar beams used but those should be left unstained or unpainted. “This choice is more for the rustic or farmhouse look,” she explains.

Whatever you choose, remember the words of designer Albert Hadley: “Ceilings must always be considered. They are the most neglected surface in a room.”

Choosing the Perfect Patio Furniture
What to keep in mind before making a big purchase
By Chris Templeton, Owner, CLC Landscaping and Rustic View Home and Garden Center

Your outdoor space can serve as a second family room. Whether you have a porch, patio, or firepit, any outdoor furniture you choose can add comfort and function. You want it to be welcoming and comfortable with beautiful, durable and functional patio furniture of all styles, sizes, colors and materials.

We’ve had our share of cold and rain in Lynchburg this past year, so you are definitely going to want to get outside with family and friends and enjoy the outdoors this spring! The perfect living space can make all the difference, and hey—why not have it look great, too?

Planning

Before selecting your outdoor furniture, you want to be crystal clear about what it is you want. Are you simply looking to add some functional space to your outdoor area? Or do you want to provide a certain aesthetic appeal using your new furniture? Your lifestyle should play a big role in choosing patio furniture, so think about how you live and how you entertain.

Without this level of planning, your outdoor space could soon consist of mismatched pieces that don’t serve any real functional purpose. Done right, however, your yard can offer you the promise of relaxation, entertainment, and fun!

Sizing Issues

Each piece of furniture will occupy space, right? It seems obvious, I know. However, while most homeowners and designers understand this, they don’t always remember to take into consideration how much space they have. For example, a simple patio won’t be able to accommodate an entire backyard’s worth of furniture without looking very cluttered and taking away from its functional use. But a gigantic garden with a couple of benches won’t make use of all the available space you have.

Take detailed measurements of the outdoor spaces you intend to place your new furniture in. This will help with your initial design selections by choosing appropriately sized pieces for each of the areas. It will also help narrow down the available options, since each piece of outdoor furniture will measure differently. It’s good to have a thorough understanding of what’s available to you.

Consider Function

Once you have your plan in place, and you know what size furniture you can accommodate, you need to think about the visual appeal that your furniture can bring to your outdoor space. However, only considering the aesthetics is very short-sighted. Any furniture, especially outdoors, must serve a purpose.

Functionality is best determined by making sure any given piece of outdoor furniture or set will work in your specific outdoor area. Since you’ve already measured the areas, you know what space you need to fill and what’s available. Once you know what furniture may fit where, and what looks good, you want to test for practical function. What do you plan to do there? If you want to be able to eat meals at your outdoor table, make sure it’s stable and sturdy. Or if you plan on hosting parties, make sure your furniture will accommodate enough people!

Don’t forget to sit down and test it out yourself! There’s little point buying several pieces of outdoor furniture that are uncomfortable and unpleasant to use, especially if you plan on sharing your outdoor space with guests.

Consider Materials

The durability of outdoor furniture is often overlooked in favor of aesthetic appeal. Outdoor furniture will be put up against the elements on a regular basis. Make sure you’re getting solid, durable pieces of furniture that can handle our temperamental Lynchburg weather! Weather-resistant cushions should also be a staple purchase when choosing any piece of outdoor furniture.

Quality

Don’t select your outdoor furniture on price alone. While it can be tempting to save money, it will ultimately be costlier if corners are cut in the interest of saving money. Buy the best quality outdoor furniture you can afford. A low-priced set of patio furniture won’t end up saving you money if it falls apart in just a few years. Invest in quality—you will not regret it.

Finally, don’t rush the process of selecting your outdoor furniture. Try to avoid the impulse to buy the first patio set you see sitting out in front of hardware stores when the weather gets nice. Keep these tips in mind and select the right furniture for your outdoor living space. Whether it’s enjoying the sunshine and warm weather outdoors with friends, or gathering by the fire pit, getting the right furniture will make a world of difference!

A beginner’s guide to updating the heart of your home

So, you’re thinking of renovating your kitchen? Congratulations! Not only will you enjoy the benefits of a remodel, your home value will increase as well. And, in terms of home improvements, an updated kitchen offers one of the best “Return on Investments” according to most real estate agents (I should know since I’m married to one).

Starting the Process
Last fall, my own outdated and narrow galley-style kitchen was renovated, but it was quite the process to get to the finish line. I’m the first to admit that the gleaming, spacious—and oh, so spotless!—kitchens littering my Pinterest boards were far from practical or realistic. Not only were we limited by a fixed floor plan, we also had a set price point to follow.

Tracy Kearney, Certified Kitchen Designer®, owner and designer at Cornerstone Cabinets and Design, believes “an honest discussion about budget is the most important thing to start a project.” Doing so allows you to “narrow down the products and options that best fit,” she says.

Now, Pinterest, and similar sites like Houzz, do have their place. While you need to be realistic about the budget, MB Tile owner, Maurice Becerra, says, “Customers are definitely more educated today thanks to [these] websites,” which helps in clearly explaining your vision. He also says an experienced contractor can find a way to make your dream a reality while being mindful of your budget.

Finally, deciding what to change and the order of events “is crucial,” Kearney says. “Poor scheduling, lack of communication or poor relationships with subcontractors can add weeks to a renovation,” Kearney says. But, on the other hand, a well-managed process could be completed in less than two weeks if you solely focus on cabinets, countertops and backsplash.

Keep in mind that opting to change the footprint of your kitchen will significantly affect project cost and timeline. Sometimes that improvement is “critical to the function of the space and the entire project,” Kearney says, but for a standard home we’ll focus on the core elements in the order she recommends: cabinets first then countertops and finally backsplash and lighting.

Keep It All Together: The Cabinets
Cabinets present you with two primary choices: repaint or purchase new. The case for new is strong since repainting is so involved. Plus, it’s time consuming (for us it took about three weeks) and tedious (requiring the removal of all hardware and doors; stripping, sanding, repeat; priming, drying, repeat, etc.). However, our existing cabinets were custom built from very durable wood, so we opted to go the refresh route by painting.

For most homeowners, it will save more time and money to upgrade your cabinetry by purchasing new. Kearney suggests selecting cabinets “built in a manufacturing facility that uses the most durable paint and stain finishes.” A less expensive finish may have a lower upfront cost, Kearney says, but those cabinets tend to have shorter warranties and are less durable. To protect your cabinets from the oils on your hands, Kearney recommends “choosing a handle with at least one inch of space between the back of the handle and the cabinet.”

Another possible option would be to purchase new cabinet doors, hinges and hardware while keeping the base cabinetry the same; this approach can be more budget-conscious but still elevates the look in keeping with the countertops and other upgrades. Do keep in mind that low quality cabinet bases will not withstand the weight of a stone countertop over time, so be mindful of that before deciding.

Top It Off: The Counters
Of all of the kitchen decisions, lifestyle may play the largest role in this one. Page Hastings, owner of Spectrum Stone Designs LLC, says, “There are pros and cons with all [countertop] materials; it’s just a matter of understanding them and which will work best for your home.” Kearney says to consider “budget and lifestyle; how often do you cook, entertain? Do you have children?” These questions are critical because the care for marble, quartz and granite varies widely.

Hastings says it’s important to “understand the product you’re purchasing; marble is beautiful, but it may not be for everyone.” Indeed, as a mom to three kids, I learned our home was far from safe for the soft nature of marble, which Hastings says is more prone to be scratched, etched or stained. Quartz, on the other hand, is a stone that “replicates the marble look” but without the worry (so, if you guessed that we chose quartz, you would be right). Another popular and beautiful option is granite, which needs to be re-sealed every year or so.

Set It Off: The Backsplash
When looking at tile, Becerra recommends “tasteful pairings that enhance your countertop, not try to outdo it.” Once you’ve selected a countertop, you want your tile and grout to complement it. Becerra warns that choosing a “very trendy look will date the kitchen” and a low-quality or porous tile that stains easily “will age poorly and be a turnoff to potential buyers.”

One advantage of individual tiles over mesh mosaics is that they have fewer grout lines and typically show fewer stains, Becerra says. They also come with matching bullnose tiles, which create a nice ending “transition to a painted surface;” most mesh squares lack these.

In calculating cost, Becerra says the biggest factor “is the pattern, second is the materials, and lastly, the number of outlets, switches and windows in the kitchen.” The popular subway tile is generally a simple and easy installation, but laying those same tiles in a herringbone pattern would triple the time and double the waste, “thus greatly increasing the cost,” Becerra explains.

Brighten It Up: The Lights
Lifestyle also plays a role in choosing light fixtures. “Start with the layout of your room,” Lisa Moorefield, showroom consultant at Timberlake Lighting of Lynchburg, says. Evaluate your “ceiling heights, cabinet areas, work triangle, etc.” Consider how you use your kitchen, where shadows need to be eliminated and then, Moorefield says, where you want to find your statement piece—perhaps over the island or the dining table.

In my galley-style kitchen, the chandelier over the table and the pendant light over the undermount sink steal the show. But the recessed lights and under-cabinet lighting work with the white quartz to make the narrow space feel larger and brighter. Plenty of creative lighting options are on the market to enhance whatever design you have.

Finally, if you have to choose only one or two things to change, Moorefield says updating your lighting will make “the biggest impact with the least amount of money.”

Regardless of what direction you go with a kitchen remodel, Kearney has some simple advice: “For the purpose of resale or enjoyment, people are looking for more low-maintenance, simple and easy to use spaces.”

The image flashed before my eyes for only a split second. But once seen, it cannot be unseen. Despite years of trying, I cannot shake my horror at realizing I’d foolishly delivered a lovely little chickadee on a silver platter for my cat’s supper. It happened like this: My friend Joyce Coleman is a brilliant bird photographer. Awed by her masterful bird photos, I sought her advice on tricks of the trade. She shared that she placed her bird feeders outside the window by her office desk and kept her camera ready for when a flicker came into her peripheral vision. The birds, emboldened by her benign presence behind glass, didn’t flutter away when she took up her camera to snap shots.

Duly impressed and in haste to follow suit, I didn’t account for my desk being on the front of the house, the “high side” of our property (house placement that Hill City folks understand). Since these windows were our closest to the ground, a six-foot pole to hold the bird feeder put it at the right height for photos. And also perfectly situated for Shadow, our athletic young farm cat, to take advantage of another failure in my planning. The feeder pole was nestled in mature boxwoods, which gave Shadow excellent cover for easy hunting at the feeder.

As a farm-toughened old gal who’s witnessed firsthand how the food chain works, I’m not naïve about predator-prey relationships and don’t swoon when nature takes its course.

But when I saw Shadow’s fully extended claws clinging on each side of the feeder and his fangs sink into that unsuspecting little bird, my heart stopped. I knew this wasn’t just nature at work; the poor bird didn’t have a chance. I’d set him up for the kill. Joyce kindly comforted me with the reminder that this is what cats are wired to do, but still…

Placement of Feeders
So, lesson #1 about creating a wild bird sanctuary is to attract them with sensibly placed feeders. Needless to say, I immediately moved that front yard feeder to a more cat-proof location and placed it on a longer pole. I found an excellent pole system with extenders at Wild Birds Unlimited (wbu.com), and I moved the feeders around the yard several times before deciding on just the right spot.

Through trial and error, I ruled out under the large old oak tree with branches that hung over the deck and terrace. While feeders at the edge of the terrace provided fine viewing from both outdoor and indoor vantage points, the oak branches that hung high over the terrace to provide lovely summer shade also served as an appealing perch/staging area for birds queued up for the feeders. The problem? Bird droppings on our seating/eating area.

After other attempts with various shortfalls, I finally found the ideal home for our feeders to launch a successful wild bird sanctuary that co-existed peacefully and safely with our four cats—the one gymnast and three others considerably less aggressive and agile. The location was the back yard near sunroom windows for pleasurable viewing. This required considerable pole extension/bracing, which made the feeders safe from predators—cats and others—but it put them out of reach from the ground for the required twice-daily replenishment during the winter “busy season.”

Placing the poles and feeders close to windows was the answer.

With his long reach, Tim got the job of opening the windows, removing empty feeders from their poles, and carrying them about eight feet to the deck for refilling. And Shadow got the job of watching the now-safe birds through the sunroom windows.
We called it his “kitty TV.”

Squirrels were never a problem for our bird feeders because squirrels didn’t venture from the plentiful woods surrounding the cow pastures that encircled our farm house and yard. If you want a bird sanctuary but battle squirrels snatching the bird seed, squirrel-proof locations and feeders (such as those that close access to contents when the weight of squirrels lands on the base) are necessary.

Bears are another matter altogether, and conventional wisdom is to remove your bird feeders if bears are an issue in your neighborhood.

Shelter
As with all creatures, birds need shelter for resting and nesting, as well as for safe access to food. I attribute our success in creating a wild bird sanctuary largely to the great feeding location we finally established after my front-yard fiasco. Our eventual—and permanent—location of feeders was within a few feet of a mature native viburnum bush that provided an ideal perch for birds to queue up for access to the feeders. Cardinals, finches, red-winged blackbirds, tufted titmouses (or is it titmice?), juncos, blue jays, house wrens, sparrows, chickadees, towhees, red-headed woodpeckers, and many more all flocked to the upper thicket of viburnum twigs to wait their turn.

Dozens of birds of all varieties somehow worked out the order of the queue and rarely squabbled over their place in line. Well, occasionally a bossy blue jay or red-winged blackbird would flex his muscle and shoo smaller birds away, but it was a remarkably orderly procession of birds all day long, especially in extreme cold or snow. The viburnum filled with birds lined up for a feeding frenzy was a sure predictor of wintry weather! And is there anything more gorgeous than a vibrant male cardinal (or a flock of them) on a snowy day?

Years of bird watching confirmed that this native viburnum offered respite and release from fear of predators that were too heavy to ascend to the bird queue on the twiggy level. And being able to hide in a thicket of twigs kept bully birds from zooming in and intimidating smaller, less confrontational birds.

Our old-fashioned volunteer native red cedars along the backyard fence line, a sure sign of old farmland, provided a perfect nesting/breeding place for many of our wild birds. Other wild birds preferred our yard oaks, magnolias, and other trees, while bluebirds enjoyed nesting, laying eggs, and nurturing their young until they fledged in human-crafted bluebird boxes. Our bluebird boxes on six-foot poles were also challenged by our Shadow’s jumping skills, but we foiled his attempts at levitation to raid the nests with numerous tricks that mostly involved creating an unreceptive landing platform.

Food and Water
Your bird food and feeders will, of course, reflect your preferences for which birds you attract. We maintained five feeders: Two were general feeders primarily loaded with store-bought sunflower seeds (with black oil sunflower seeds most valuable in winter) or a general high-quality birdseed mixture (carefully staying away from less nutritious feeds with high “filler” content). We also added suet in blocks affixed to the ends of one of the feeders to fuel the birds during hard winter.

To truly invite birds into your yard, fill your gardens with native plants that offer birds their flower nectar, berries, and seeds, as well as host insects, for feeding them as designed in nature. Grow your own native sunflowers, asters, purple cornflowers, liatris, hyssops, and many more. One of my all-time favorites is winterberries, since we could enjoy our share for holiday decorating and leave the rest to the birds who’ll swoop in for a feast when the berries are past their toxic stage and perfectly ripe.

Our two finch feeders offered Niger seed that was well-appreciated by our finches when nothing in our garden was of greater appeal. If natural seeds are available, such as native rudbeckia (black-eyed Susans), finches will flock to them first and abandon the feeders for weeks, returning only after the garden supply is exhausted. After all, natural/local/native seeds were what they survived on before we “birders” started providing store-bought supplements. Native seeds continue to remain their preference, so it’s important to leave them when tidying up and putting the garden to bed for winter.

My fifth feeder was for hummingbirds. After buying a commercially prepared red sugar solution in my early birding years, I learned that the solution didn’t have to be red to attract them.

So we switched to creating our own sugar water, which worked just fine and, as we learned later, is safer. Again, as with finches and Niger seed, hummingbirds will enjoy your offering of sugar water, but they prefer nature’s own nectar when they can get it—and it’s better suited to meeting their nutritional needs.

Hummingbirds especially like garden plants with trumpet shaped flowers, such as penstemon, trumpet vine, beebalm, cardinal flower, red columbine, trumpet honeysuckle, and more. Most hummingbirds migrate south during our winters, but we can enjoy them during their times with us and be prepared to offer them a garden feast supplemented by sugar water while they grace us with their presence.

We all know water is essential to life for birds as well as humans, so if you want to sustain your bird habitat, a consistent source of fresh water is necessary. At our farm/bird sanctuary, we had a pond not too far from our yard and kept a pedestal birdbath filled with water in the backyard. Plus we had water bowls for our outdoor cats and dogs that were safely shared with birds whenever our feline and canine pets were napping, enjoying a sojourn indoors, or otherwise not lurking about in a threatening manner. Birds are very clever and quick at taking advantage of these opportunities for both garden foraging and water.

Everything in Its Season
I’m amazed at how easy it is to attract birds and create a thriving wild bird habitat if you just take the time to observe their behavior and create a habitat that consistently meets their needs. My years at the farm taught me how to slow down and detach from everyday cares to find peace, joy, exhilaration, and wisdom in nature and the fascinating world of birds.

One important lesson learned from our gardens and creating a bird sanctuary is that everything has its season, and every season inevitably gives way to the next. We know this in our heads from childhood, but it doesn’t truly sink into our hearts and souls until we’ve lived it ourselves. My 22-year season for intensive gardening and building a bird habitat closed in 2016 when Tim and I moved from our beloved farm into a condo in Lynchburg.

And now my four-year-plus season for writing garden stories and sharing photos with Lynchburg Living is closing with this 25th and final story. How fitting that I’m writing it on a beautiful snowy day since snow days were always my time at the farm to watch serenely the majestic parade of birds at our feeders and marvel at the spirited red cardinals against the hushed whiteness.

It has been a privilege and a pleasure to share my love of gardens, flowers, birds, conservation, nature, and of building community through gardening. I’m deeply grateful to Lynchburg Living for honoring me by publishing my garden stories in each of the past 25 issues. And I thank you, fellow garden-loving readers, for your encouragement and support, advice and photos. I hope you’ve taken away tidbits of knowledge and wisdom, a deeper understanding of our shared place in the natural world, and inspiration.

My next season will be devoting more time to caring for my beloved Tim and, when time permits, picking up my paint brushes—another love of my life from a previous season over 30 years ago.

Vintage Meets Modern in “The Christmas Elf’s” Colorful Home

By Charlotte A. F. Farley | photos by Heather Kidd

On a quiet street in a secluded Boonsboro neighborhood, a white center-hall Colonial with black shutters presents the perfect background for colorful Christmas decorations. Blue lights drape over tree branches and Kelly Green bows wrap the light pole and add the final touch to an evergreen wreath.

These fun escapes from traditional red and green have appeared throughout Carter Bendall’s home ever since she and her husband Richard purchased it nearly four years ago. “We have retouched every single surface,” she explains. The Bendalls have created a lively, traditional, and comfortable home for themselves and their daughter, Lawson, and Carter creates especially memorable scenery for the holidays.

Contemporary geometric wallpaper serves as the backdrop for treasured antiques in the front hallway. A hot pink Christmas tree bedecked in silver bells lives atop a small antique half-moon console, and an otherwise traditional swag cloaks the banister, filled with ornaments in shades of cobalt, fuchsia, red, and robin’s egg blue.

In this space, and throughout her home, Carter combines her passion for all things vintage with her love for color and pattern—and it works. Carter painted her living room a cheery shade of robin’s egg blue and hung sunny coral draperies on the window. “When my mother helped me with this room, she said that her mother—and this would have been in the 60s—did the same exact colors,” Carter admits.

Carter added some charm to the space through the purchase of her faux mantelpiece.

“Because this house was built in the 1990s, there wasn’t any architectural interest, so we went to an antique mall in Staunton and picked up this bad boy, and we have scraped [off] I cannot tell you how many layers of paint.”

A vivid garland of magenta and tangerine glass balls sprawls across the mantel—another juxtaposition of vintage meets modern. Three stockings hang from the fireplace: one for Carter, one for her husband Richard, and one for their daughter Lawson. A thin white tabletop tree provides the perfect perch for faux peacocks, canaries, and cardinals that add whimsy and color. In the corner, pink, teal, and red accessories enliven a full-sized white tree, and a few oversized ornaments dress up the window.

Across the hall from the living room, a dining room with saffron-colored walls transforms into what the Bendalls jokingly refer to as “the forest” thanks to Carter’s tasteful displays filled with her bottlebrush tree collection. She’s been gathering them for years. “Whenever I see them, I buy them. Half are vintage, and half are from what I find at Target.”

One vignette serves as a centerpiece; another dwells on the sideboard. The myriad bottlebrush trees range in hue from traditional green to gold, pink, and teal, and some are even snowy, frosted trees with miniature decorations. Two small Christmas trees top the china cabinet, which also receives the holiday treatment—Carter fills pieces of silver, porcelain, and crystal with small decorative baubles. Additional ornaments dangle from the chandelier and sconces.

Enter through the kitchen and you’ll notice a series of Virginia landscapes that Carter found at the annual Lynchburg Art Festival. Even this room finds itself dressed for the holidays as Carter places a few mini trees on the island.

Carter incorporates more traditional Christmas décor in the den. Presents sit under a tall, full green tree adorned in silver, gold, and pinecones. The theme carries over onto the mantel’s pinecone trees and lush garland. “We live in here, and this is where Santa comes,” Carter points out. A complete nutcracker army lines the top shelf of built-in bookcases, remnants from when Carter’s mother owned a flower shop. “She sold Christmas decorations, too,” Carter explains. “That’s one way I got into it—I would go with my mom to market in Atlanta and help her pick out ornaments.”

As she recalls, it all started with those ornaments. “I remember being dragged in and out of antique stores, and my mother found a way to get me excited about [those shopping trips] when she noticed that I seemed to like Christmas ornaments, so I started collecting them as a kid. From about third grade on, I did all of our Christmas decorations in our house—I’d decorate the tree, I’d do the mantel, and I just loved it.”

Carter truly has a lifetime of experience in holiday decorating, which is evident through her tasteful displays and careful consideration of placement, color, and overall design. Even though she has a huge bounty of decorations stored in the garage, the decor doesn’t feel like it’s too much—
it all reads vibrant and happy. In fact, she’s developed such an excellent reputation for holiday decorating that others have asked her for help.

As “The Christmas Elf,” Carter helps people decorate their homes for the holidays.

“I just love doing it. I do their trees, I do their mantel, I do their tables,” she explains.

She’s even been asked to shop for extra decorations, which she loves doing. From estate sales to Target and every place in between, Carter shops around. One of her favorite places to find treasures, however, is a locally-owned shop. “My buddy Troy Deacon owns High Cotton, and he’s always got cute things in there,” she says. Whether hanging greens or browsing for centerpiece items, Carter offers a complete service, including “un-decorating.” “I take it all down, put it up in the attic, and they’re done with it!”

In her own home, Carter begins decorating on Black Friday and finishes within a week—and she points out “that’s not full-time!”(Carter works part-time as a nurse.)
She admits that by the time Christmas comes, she’s “pretty much done with it,” so she begins disassembling the décor the day after Christmas, explaining that her grandmother was always superstitious about getting it down by the New Year. “That is always my target, to get it down by New Years,” she says.

It’s no easy task when you consider that she also has various themed trees throughout the house. The guest room contains a souvenir tree; another room showcases a UVA tree (Carter’s an alumna). A frog tree and a paper mâché angel tree make appearances, too.

Upstairs, even Lawson’s bathroom has a themed tree: Lilly Pulitzer ornaments float beside the theme du jour, which is whatever Lawson’s interests are at the time. “I’ve got a couple of themes I kind of rotate through but Lawson’s tree is always the same and has plush ornaments, and I just like to mix things up,” Carter says.

Following in her mother’s footsteps, Lawson decorates her room’s tree herself, choosing plush ornaments. “Lawson does her tree because all of the decorations are plush, so she can get in there, and she’ll do what she can reach!” Carter laughs. Even the nativity set in her room is plush. The room is absolutely charming, with two reupholstered twin beds (a find from a Langhorne Road estate sale) and a yellow floral rug reminiscent of Scandinavian folk patterns, which is another memento from her mother’s store. “I love to antique, I love to go to junk stores. I remember being dragged, and my poor daughter gets dragged now!” she says with a smile. Like her mother, Carter has found a way to engage her daughter’s interest while out on “hunting” trips. “Lawson loves snow globes,” she says, “She’s gotten into that. That’s kind of her contribution into things.”

Carter calls herself “The Christmas Elf,” and she couldn’t have chosen a more appropriate name. It takes an elf of sorts—or a figure with magical powers—to set such a scene for memory making, and Carter has done that very thing so well as she has embraced traditions, found ways to make them her own, and passed that love down along the way.