Visitors to Unique Concrete and Landscaping’s Sicily garden enter through a stone archway at right at The Great Big Home and Garden Show held at the I-X Center. The show runs through Feb. 16. Thomas Ondrey, The Plain Dealer
I learned how to make hydrangeas change from pink to blue, got tons of ideas for cool water features, toured a custom home and learned about home elevators – all in a few hours at the Great Big Home and Garden Show at the I-X Center.
I was there for opening day on Saturday, Feb. 8, when the flowers in the garden showcase were still fresh and the booth salesmen were still smiling . I wanted to see the The Idea Home, sponsored by Perrino Custom Builders, which shows off trends for building, remodeling and decorating; and the Garden Showcase featuring international-themed gardens created by some of the area’s top landscapers.
I stood in line to see the Dream Basement, a showcase of an audio visual theater designed by Xtend Technologies; it included heated theater chairs and a 65-inch television hooked up to $12,000 worth of speakers. The Celebrity Designer Rooms, custom-designed by a local interior designer, included a beach-themed dining room for WKYC Channel 3 meteorologist Hollie Strano, and a sleek, modern and mirrored space for WOIO Channel 19 anchor Denise Dufala.
The Great Big Home and Garden Show continues through Sunday, Feb. 16. Frank Fritz of the History Channel’s “American Pickers,” appears on Saturday, Feb. 15.
Here are a few of the things I learned during my day at the Great Big Home and Garden Show.
Think greenhouse: It’s a misconception that glass greenhouses are expensive to heat through the winter, said Paul Kenyon manager of Arcadia GlassHouse in Painesville. Plants grow in temperatures over 50 degrees, and sunlight will heat the interior of a glasshouse to close to that temperature on many days. “It’s not as inefficient as people think,” Kenyon said.
Another plus to growing flowers, fruits and vegetables in a greenhouse is that deer can’t munch your crops. Arcadia glasshouses have glass sides and roofs made of a polycarbonate material that is shatter-proof and is better insulation than glass, in an aluminum frame, he said.
Arcadia was offering a home show special price of $5,000 for a 10 by 16 glasshouse.
Bigger outdoor space: Think about how large mature plantings will be before you install landscaping, said Mike Mireiter, owner and principle designer of Unique Concrete and Landscaping. He designed a garden inspired by Sicily, complete with a 6-foot waterfall and suspended bridge over a creek, for the international-themed Garden Showcase.
Many of his clients also don’t realize that their outdoor kitchen or deck will need more space than they initially planned, Mireiter said. You’ll need space to create different outdoor rooms and conversation groupings.
Hydrangeas demystified: Big-leaf, panicle, oakleaf, climbing – all of these are species of hydrandreas, said Stacey Hirvela, shrub specialist for the plant brand Proven Winners, said during her talk. Her goal was to explain many of the misconceptions surrounding hydrangeas; for instance, mulching aluminum foil into your soil, or adding pennies or nails, will not make your hydrangeas change colors. It’s not soil pH that prompts the shrub to change bloom color, but aluminum in the soil.
Hydrangeas don’t need pruning; they will grow and flower with just headheading and removal of dead wood in the spring. “If in doubt, just don’t prune them,” Hirvela said.
All hydrangeas need moist but well-drained soil, at least four hours of sun each day and plenty of water reaching their shallow roots.
Inside out: When you’re planning an outdoor kitchen or living space, choose a site that will look pleasing when viewed from inside the house, said Rich Kanary of Green Impressions of Sheffield Village. Green Impressions created a sunken outdoor living space with a water feature and pergola, leading to an upper level with an outdoor kitchen and fire pit, for its contribution to the international-themed Garden Showcase.
“The key thing is from the inside looking out,” Kanary said, reminding us that we’ll be gazing longingly at our outdoor fireplace for at least six months of the year. He offered another tip: site the grill close to a door leading to the indoor kitchen to minimize the amount of to-and-fro walking you have to do in order to serve dinner outside.
Home trends: The Idea Home, built by Perrino Custom Builders, demonstrates several trends in custom homes, said vice president Pat Perrino. As home show visitors streamed through the home’s living room, kitchen and children’s bedrooms, Perrino pointed to the kitchen’s island that doubles as a table. “Instead of looking at the cabinets, look at each other,” he said.
The Idea Home has 12-foot ceilings for a feeling of openness, a flex room that can be used as a study or bedroom, and a covered patio with a fireplace. Many of the home’s unusual light fixtures, such as the one shaped like a hot-air balloon in the nursery, were custom built by hand, Perrino said.
Aging in place: If climbing stairs is becoming difficult for you or a loved one, consider installing a chair elevator. Gable Elevator in Twinsburg can install a chair elevator that glides on a set of rails for about $2,900, said estimator John Festa.
The chair elevator is battery operated in case of electric-grid power failures, the chair swivels to allow the rider to put his or her feet on the landing, and there’s a seat belt and a fail-safe that shuts off the chair if the rider takes his or her hand off the armrests.
“They’ve thought of everything,” Festa said. “It’s probably the best thing for the elderly.”
If You Go
The Great Big Home and Garden Show,
Home improvement inspiration with international-themed garden showcase, Idea Home, cooking stage, special guests and more.
Now through Sunday, Feb. 16 at the I-X Center
Show times:
11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday, Feb. 10-14
10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16.
Adult admission $14, seniors $10 (Monday-Thursday only) Children 5 and under free.
Contact: www.greatbighomeandgarden.com/
