LAUREN SHINER, CARROLLWOOD

Q: How long have you been gardening?

A: Thirty years — since I grew pothos ivy in a bottle in my dorm room.

Q: Who or what have you learned the most from as a gardener?

A: The Internet has been the best source of information regarding what should work in our area, especially the University of Florida IFAS site. But it is still necessary to trial test plants to make sure they work in this micro-climate. My design inspiration comes from Gertrude Jekyll, a famous English designer who specialized in lush color gardens, although I love the modern simplicity of designs I see in Architectural Digest on the rare occasions they focus on the landscaping.

Q: What are your go-to plants?

A: My go-to plants are white fountain grass, African iris, bush daisy, rosemary, thryallis, beach sunflower, confederate jasmine, old garden roses, caladiums, pentas, milkweed (for the butterflies) and loropetalum as a small tree.

Q: What was your biggest gardening mistake?

A: Gambling with tropicals, even though I knew a bad freeze will kill them. When the big freeze happened, I took the opportunity to replant with all food crops: vegetables, citrus, peach and apple trees. It’s nice to know that my work in the garden is also going to repay me later, and with the right layout, look good, too.

Q: What are some challenges you face in your garden?

A: Nematodes — two kinds. Because of them, I can’t grow carrots in the ground. I tried solarizing and only ended up killing all the worms, which turned my topsoil to dust. Also, when I heard about colony collapse disorder, I decided to keep bees (and they really help the yields in my veggie garden). The problem is how hard it is to find a pesticide that doesn’t kill the bees, too. All I’ve come up with is neem oil sprayed at night for the citrus, the bacteria bacillus thurengensis (BT) for the tomato/corn worms and boric acid for the ants. It’s not as perfect as the commercial pesticides, but I’m not hurting the threatened honeybees, at least. Learning to share my food with the worms, grasshoppers and other pests has been a big challenge.

Q: What is your best piece of advice for fellow gardeners?

A: Many people plant their garden and think, “OK, done.” Gardens change over time, and not always for the best. The key is to plant with a three- to five-year timeframe in mind. You want it to look better with age, not worse. Set up micro-irrigation for drought conditions because it doesn’t fall under the restrictions, and you won’t lose your investment. Sod is cheap to replace; ornamentals are not. Always plant hardy plants in the front of the house because that is what the public sees. If you plant all tropicals and you get a freeze, it’s a mess you have to live with until summer. You can always interplant herbaceous perennials, like pentas and porter weed, among the evergreens.

Calendar of events relating to homes and gardens.

Orchid Meeting: Virginia Orchid Society meets for a talk, “Orchids of Western Australia” by Thomas Mirenda, 2 p.m. today at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, 1800 Lakeside Ave. Free. (804) 746-4313.

Fine Arts Flowers: Exhibit of floral designs by more than 75 garden clubs paired with masterworks from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts collection opens with gala preview Wednesday, continues during museum hours through Oct. 28, and features lectures and other special events at the VMFA, 200 N. Boulevard. Free; fees for special programming and events. Visit www.vmfa.museum/FAF/ for detailed schedule and reservation info. (804) 340-1405.

Holly Society Meeting: Holly Society of America’s 65th annual meeting takes place Thursday-Saturday at Holiday Inn-West, 2000 Staples Mill Road. Speakers include Maymont’s Peggy Singlemann, Virginia Tech extension agent Sue Houck, the National Arboretum’s Mark Roh and others. Also scheduled are bus tours to Monticello, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Maymont and Sandy’s Plants. For schedule and reservation info, visit www.hollysocam.org.

Rain Gardens: Chesterfield County Office of Cooperative Extension offers a seminar on creating a rain garden, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturdayat Midlothian Library, 521 Coalfield Road. Free; to register, call (804) 751-4401.

Lewis Ginter Programs: Increase your gardening know-how with programs at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, 1800 Lakeside Ave.:

• Tuesday-Nov. 6: Wedding Floral Design, 6:30-8:30 p.m. on five Tuesdays, $225-$280.

• Saturday: Small Flowering Trees for Home Landscapes, 9 a.m.-noon, $30-$41.

• Saturday and Nov. 3: Basic Botany for Gardeners, 9 a.m.-noon on two Saturdays, $60-$82.

Registration required for all programs (unless noted). To register or for course information, visit www.lewisginter.org or call (804) 262-9887, ext. 322.

Herbal Wreath-Making Class: Construct a fresh wreath made with materials from Lavender Fields Herb Farm, 10:30 a.m.-noon Saturday, Nov. 3, Nov. 17, Nov. 23 or Nov. 24 at the farm, 11300 Winfrey Road, Glen Allen. $25 class, $20 lunch; advance registration and payment required. www.lavenderfieldsfarm.com or (804) 262-7167.

Rose Society Meeting: Consult with rosarians on rose care and culture at a meeting of the Richmond Rose Society, 2 p.m. Oct. 28 at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, 2924 Brook Road. www.richmondrosesociety.com.

Williamsburg Garden Tours: Guided, themed tours offer a glimpse into 18th- and 20th-century gardens in Colonial Williamsburg; included with admission; some require reservations. (800) HISTORY (447-8679).

• Mondays through Nov. 12: “Tall Treasures,” look at notable trees, 9:30 a.m.

• Wednesdays and Thursdays through Oct. 31: “Garden Tour at Bassett Hall,” tour of the 1930s-’40s era Rockefeller gardens, 2 p.m.

• Thursday: “Meet the Gardener,” garden QA with volunteers, 10:30 a.m.

Pat Row

Posted on October 21, 2012, Sunday

LOOKING at the development of garden design and landscaping in Sarawak over the last two decades, we have seen the industry grow by leaps and bounds.

AT PEACE: Chinese-style gardens are designed to enable meditation.

Last week we focussed on Japanese ideals in garden design and this week we turn to China and its long history of landscape art.

Feng shui

These two words are direct translations of wind and water in Mandarin. The purpose of using feng shui in the garden is to create harmony. Those under the influence of Taoism believe in a cosmic energy called chi – moving air or wind that is present everywhere.

According to this line of thought, it is of utmost importance to have chi flowing smoothly through the garden or house. This will apparently affect the inhabitants in terms of health, success, happiness and prosperity.

The art actually lies in influencing the flow of this cosmic energy to maximise the good fortune it imparts. Introducing some changes in the setting will allow for a smooth flow of chi. To an experienced feng shui practitioner, any space can be regarded as divided into eight sectors, following the earth’s magnetic or geological north and the rest southeast and west.

These techniques can be used in landscape design by controlling the colour, size, height, sound and shape of the plants, hardscape materials and the shape of the footpath or pool.

A friend named Dr Chang told me that having a pool of water in the east is less desirable for the younger generation, while in the west it is bad for the elders. This is because wind can create waves that will affect one’s health.

According to traditional beliefs, no garden can have good feng shui unless it contains water. Water attracts wildlife into the garden, from birds to beetles, which benefits the feng shui.

It is also a common belief that a house situated directly at the junction of a road is not ideal. Likewise, any main door that opens to the north directly is not good. This is probably because in China, the cold Siberian winter wind would blow south into the house.

Special features

My travels to various cities in China were enriching opportunities to learn garden design styles there. Chinese gardens are filled with cultural symbols and distinctive styles that reflect Chinese civilisation.

The earliest form of gardens were probably in the Shang (1600 to 1046 BC) and Zhou (1046 to 256 BC) dynasties. Animal farms were located around human dwellings, with natural landscapes of streams and hills. Such a place would have incorporated earth terraces, lakes or ponds with fish and lotus or water lilies.

Around 500 BC, man-made gardens would have been popular. The Suzhou Terrace of Gusu Hill is a beautiful example. This structure incorporated verandas and corridors.

ESSENTIAL ELEMENT: Bamboo is a must in Chinese-style gardens as it symbolises elegance and refinement.

By the Qin (221 to 206 BC) and Han (206 BC to 220 AD) dynasties , private residences began to build gardens. This saw the development of the art of landscaping with themes for garden layouts, designs, and scenes. In the early days, gardens were imitations of natural scenery, reproducing natural hills and streams.

During the Song dynasty (960 to 1279), landscaping began to section large gardens into various themes for different zones. The design style pursued the essence of nature with added spiritual and social functions. Gardens provided places for meditation and refinement. Aesthetic standards were perfected through large-scale garden designs and buildings with artwork, inscriptions and calligraphy.

By the Ming dynasty (1368 to 1644) and especially Qing dynasty (1644 to 1911), social life began to change. More refined garden developments occurred with styles for practical use, as gardens became a necessary daily living environment. It was then that many famous buildings and masterpieces were built leading to true perfection in landscape art.

Classical Chinese gardens advocate natural settings to reproduce nature for inner beauty. As such, many gardens paid close attention to the use of scenery for appropriate arrangement of physical features. By 17th century, Chinese gardens, although man-made, were the very essence of nature.

A pivotal guideline for Chinese landscape design is actually based on the famous Taoist concept of letting things take their own course. This line of landscaping was further enhanced by Laozi and Zhuangzi and continues even now.

Thematic ideas for gardens originated from Confucian teachings of balanced living. However, Taoist teachings with a belief in deities together with the once foreign teachings of Zen and Buddhism also left a remarkable influence in the development of Chinese garden art.

Essential plants

Bamboo symbolises elegance and refinement in Chinese culture. Poet Su Shi once said: “While one can live without meat, one can’t live without bamboo.”

Other meaningful plants include pine, plum, chrysanthemum, beech, ginkgo, lotus and day lily.

If you compare European and Chinese gardens, you’ll realise there are two extremes. Europeans preferred to pursue artistic perfection at the sacrifice of nature by removing hills and obstacles to create level fields for straight rows of plantings and built fountains. Chinese landscapers would imitate nature in an artistic way. The idea is to create places to find joy in nature and attain mental balance.

I hope this has given you an idea of the history of Chinese landscape development. We will examine these concepts more in future.

Happy gardening. Do send me an email if you have any questions or comments.

– Next Entry

Shortly after San Francisco’s Urban Prototyping Festival opened Saturday, the garden planter-slash-urinal wasn’t getting much business, but there was a sizable crowd watching the graffiti war unfold and kids were lining up to bounce on the LED-lit hopscotch.

“The kids are really intrigued by these games,” said Stephen Popper as he watched his son and daughter fight over who got to use the hopscotch next. Five-year-old Hannah was winning. Nearby, four graffiti artists were quietly spray-painting colorful designs on 6-foot-tall panels.

The family hadn’t stopped by to visit the urinal yet.

“My son likes anything involving planting. He really liked the fruit fence,” Popper said, referring to the sacks of fruit trees attached to a chain-link fence around the corner from the hopscotch mat. “He wants to do that on the fence at his school now.”

Perhaps only in San Francisco, and only at a street party with “urban prototyping” in the name, could hopscotch, graffiti, fruit fences and garden-style urinals share space. They were among the 23 projects spotlighted at the festival, which was part art installation and part urban experimentation.

The festival began this summer in Singapore, and Saturday’s event was the first stop in the United States, taking up three blocks near Fifth and Mission streets. The idea is to create a “living laboratory” of inventions that transform public spaces and make them useful, educational, interactive or just plain fun.

Turning problems around

Take the garden urinals, for example. The urinals are attached to planters, and the wastewater is filtered and used to water trees or flowers. The idea – which the designers call a “PPlanter” – is to take an urban problem like public urination and turn it into something beneficial.

Down the street was an audio installation that the inventors described as “data sonification,” which is basically using sound as a means of representing data. The inventors mounted 19 speakers to a chain-link fence, each speaker representing a neighborhood in the city. Each speaker issued a sound – like the tides from San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean, recorded throughout the day – unique to its neighborhood.

“Hopefully, it just makes you stop and listen to what’s going on in the city,” said Emily Shisko, a San Francisco musician who co-designed the installation. “This could be another means of getting information across, but in a way that’s totally enjoyable.”

Shisko’s project was meant to be both educational and entertaining, while others were more practical – like a spotlight to shine on people using crosswalks at night, or “urban parasols” made of renewable materials to provide shade and shelter.

Many ideas clearly were sprung from the first urban prototype hit: the parklet. These miniparks that transform parking spaces into green zones have blossomed all over San Francisco and, now, the rest of the country. At Saturday’s festival, garden- and park-themed installations were a common sight.

“There are so many opportunities to make the city more livable,” said Mona El Khafif, an urban design professor at California College of the Arts and one of the people behind a project called the “10-mile garden.”

Their proposal is to plant gardens in the streets in front of fire hydrants, which are currently wasted space, El Khafif said. If every fire hydrant in San Francisco had a garden in front of it, all of that space added together would be 10 miles of extra greenery in the city, she said.

Replanting if needed

And if there happens to be an emergency requiring use of a hydrant with a garden in front of it? “The trucks can just run over the garden,” she said. “We’ll replant if we have to.”

But not all urban inventions need take their cues from parklets, festival organizers said. “We don’t need more parklets, we need more parklet-like ideas,” said Alex Michel, director of the 5M Project, which hosted the festival.

“So many people have ideas for civic participation, but there’s nowhere for them to take their ideas,” Michel said, walking among the installations. “This is like a pinball machine. Ideas are bouncing all around here.”

Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: eallday@sfchronicle.com

Montgomery uses a grapevine wreath as the starting point for a fall decoration. The wreaths can be purchased at craft stores or made from grapevines when they are still supple.

This cornucopia includes fresh greenery, faded sunflowers, just-picked grapes and preserved leaves.

Never underestimate the festive potential of a shriveled sunflower or dried-up cornstalk. Garden leftovers can star in autumn decorations.

Floral designer Darlene Montgomery demonstrated how to make simple fall decorations with garden remnants, fall produce and a few craft-store accents at last week’s University of California/Shasta College Master Gardeners meeting in Redding. Shasta College horticulture instructor Leimone Waite gathered the materials for the demonstration. Montgomery didn’t know what she would be working with until she arrived.

“It’s like a surprise package,” she said of the sunflower heads, pomegranates, grape clusters, hydrangeas, cornstalks, seed heads and lotus pods spread across several tables.

The surprise element gave the evening an undercurrent of reality television. Montgomery works in the floral department at Safeway and teaches floral design classes for Redding Recreation. Relying on her many years of floral design experience and using a technique known as “winging it,” she dived right in.

“It’s not going to be perfect,” she said, adding, “Perfect is highly overrated.”

She started with an edible wreath for backyard birds. Montgomery glued panicles of milo onto a grapevine wreath base and added dried sunflowers heads filled with seeds. She dangled Petite Sirah grape clusters from the wreath and attached a few small pomegranates. Sliced fresh apples, which weren’t on the table, would be another good option for a bird wreath, Montgomery noted.

A bird wreath can be hung on a gate, fence or tree. “Birds love it,” she said.

People like autumn decorations too, of course. They make nice gifts, especially if they include the personal touch of homegrown items, Montgomery said.

To demonstrate how to make a decorative wreath, she again used sunflowers and pomegranates, but also added dried hydrangeas, lotus pods and dyed craft-store leaves. A few pheasant feathers were the finishing touch. Montgomery used a hot-glue gun, wooden picks and wire to secure items to the grapevine base.

With wreaths, the design at the base should be echoed at the top, she said. “Whatever you do at the bottom, tie it in little bit at the top.”

Montgomery also showed how to make cornucopias. She began with florist foam secured to the wicker baskets.

“Make a base of greenery,” Montgomery said, as she poked foliage stems into the foam. She layered lemon leaf, huckleberry and nandina for a mix of textures. Dried cornstalk sections and cattails were used to extend the design.

“The whole idea is to have it flowing out,” she said.

Cattails from craft stores won’t explode into a cloud of tiny seeds, but if you collect cattails in the wild, treat them with a fixative before adding them to an arrangement, Montgomery stressed.

Nothing says fall like miniature pumpkins. The festive orbs do rot, however. “Keep an eye on them in your floral designs so they don’t turn to mush,” Montgomery said.

That advice goes for other fresh items, such as grapes clusters. No worries about pomegranates, however. They turn dry and leathery and can be used for many years, Montgomery said.

To bring bling to decorations, she suggested wire-edged ribbon. It’s easy to weave into designs. “Wire ribbon is so great,” Montgomery said.

Have fun with projects. Try different materials. “Sometimes you don’t know what materials are going to do until you experiment with them,” Montgomery said.

If you prefer to avoid anything involving a glue gun, flowers from the garden can be displayed in a vase for a simple autumn accent. There are plenty of late bloomers to feature. Montgomery offers these tips for showcasing garden flowers in a vase:

— Use a clean vase and fresh water.

— Strip away any foliage that will be underwater.

— Snip off the ends of the stems.

— Use a packet of flower food (available at florists and craft stores). “It really does make a difference,” Montgomery said.

— Use filler materials (baby’s breath, yarrow, etc.) to balance the featured flowers.

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 18, 2012 — /PRNewswire/ — Luxury specialist Crystal Cruises is providing a uniquely verdant perspective on the Mediterranean with a new Garden Floral Design-themed voyage sailing from Barcelona to Venice on April 21.  Aptly named “La Dolce Vita,” the Crystal Serenity cruise offers more than 15 serenity-filled Crystal Adventures visiting some of the most renowned, romantic, and private gardens that epitomize the Catalan coast and French and Italian Rivieras.  On board, Britian’s celebrity floral designer, Paula Pryke, and Sybil Sylvester, founder of flower “creative think tank,” Wildflower Designs, will also offer hands-on workshops and presentations in floral design, arrangement, and other floral-related topics. 

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121018/LA96026)

“The scenery in these destinations is simply spectacular, and is only enhanced by the artistry and historical significance expressed in their gardens,” says Victoria Harris, Crystal’s manager of hotel services and design.  “Together, the ship and shore enrichment allow travelers to get to know the area, and its unparalleled landscape, in a really novel way, while also teaching green and black thumbs alike valuable ‘trip souvenir’ skills they can bring back home.”

Vacationers can “smell the roses” (and other flora and fauna blossoming next spring) in/near:

• Venice – Insider explorations of cozy Venetian squares and private courtyards include a garden created by Italian modernist architect Carlo Scapa, inside the 16^th-century Palazzo Querini Stampalia museum and library complex.
• Monte Carlo – From exotic gardens of succulents and sub-tropical microclimate species, to umbrella pines and rare fruit trees, Crystal takes guests throughout the Cote d’Azur to explore classic French, Spanish, and even English garden design, complete with stunning coastline views and even a lesson in cooking with flowers.
• Barcelona – Excursions go off the beaten-tourist-path, from the city’s newest garden hotspot – the conservation-focused Botanical Garden, showcasing the plants of five Mediterranean climate – to the city’s oldest garden, the neoclassical Cypress-filled maze of Labyrinth Park…as well as to the area’s popular Park Güell, one of Gaudí’s most famous works.
• Rome – Italy’s finest Renaissance garden includes cascading fountains and dripping grottoes dating back almost 450 years.

In between overnights on both ends, the Experiences of Discovery luxury cruise visits Trogir, Croatia and Florence, Sorrento, and Sicily, Italy.  Until October 31, all-inclusive, “Book Now” fares for the 11-day itinerary begin at $4,165 per person.

A second Garden Floral Design-themed voyage sails from LA to NYC on May 6, offering visits to lush private and public gardens in Charleston, Florida, Costa Rica, and the Caribbean. 

Crystal’s passion for taking care of guests in an inviting environment of extraordinary space, quality and choices has earned the company more “World’s Best” awards than any other cruise line, resort, or hotel in history. 

For more information and Crystal reservations, contact a travel agent, call 888-799-4625, or visit www.crystalcruises.com.

CONTACT:  Mimi Weisband or Susan Wichmann 310-203-4305, mediarelations@crystalcruises.com. VISIT:  Crystal’s Media Center

SOURCE Crystal Cruises

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When an avid gardener gets the opportunity to start from scratch in a new location, it’s always interesting to see what happens. Rose Romboski took that challenge when she started over on a half-acre lot in Cranberry five years ago. Her new creation worked out so well that she was selected as the large garden winner of the PG Great Gardens Contest, fall/year-round category.

Mrs. Romboski, who as a child lived above her parents’ funeral home in Coraopolis, became interested in flowers early on.

“I was always amazed by the beautiful floral arrangements in the funeral home. I’d ask my Dad after the funeral was over and the families would take the arrangements they wanted if I could ‘pick flowers to make bouquets.’ Of course he said yes because those flowers get thrown away. I would make my own arrangements going from basket to basket picking flowers, even taking them to school for my teachers.”

When she and her husband, Larry, purchased their first home in 1995, it was partially landscaped. But she saw potential for a shade garden in the back of the property. As that garden grew, she became more interested in gardening and eventually completed the Penn State Master Gardener program in 2000.

“That first garden was nice,” Mrs. Romboski says, “but what I really wanted was to design everything from scratch and have the house feel like it’s getting a ‘hug’ from the gardens around it. So when Larry and I decided to build our current home, we thought of all the details, from the beds that surround the entire house, meandering sidewalks that connect the front yard to the back, to the 51/2-foot stone wall that runs the entire length of the backyard. I literally drew out what I envisioned and worked with the contractors to incorporate the sidewalks, walls and garden beds with the construction of the house.”

Mrs. Romboski credits builder Wayne Henchar with having the same vision she did when he constructed the lovely stone walls that run along the back of the property.

All the plants are new, except for some hostas that she brought from her former home. Bob Yates of Pride Nursery was instrumental in helping her select some of the large trees and shrubs. Michele Morgan of Nature’s Reflection in Middlesex installed the pondless waterfall. True to its name, it holds water in a large underground reservoir.

The plantings include a diverse list: ‘Walker’s Low’ catmint, ‘Knockout’ roses, Shasta daisies, coreopsis, ‘Duchesse De Nemours’ white peonies, ‘Colette’ climbing rose, ‘Polish Spirit’ clematis and ‘Limelight’ and ‘Annabelle’ hydrangeas. Wooly thyme acts as an accent throughout, tumbling over the stone walls. Trees include Sweet bay magnolias, stewartia and three Japanese cherry trees given to the couple as a housewarming gift. There is also many conifers tucked throughout for winter interest.

On one wall of the home is an apple espalier she found at a box store. This year it is bearing fruit, although Mrs. Romboski says she has no idea what type of apple it is because the tag was not on it when she purchased it. Her husband helped her cable it to the home after he got over his initial horror at drilling holes in the brick for the eyebolts.

She says the garden is a joint effort. Her husband takes care of the mowing, and their Labrador retriever, Ashton, provides companionship. It is clearly a source of pride that she maintains the property without outside help and still has time to be active in the community. She is president of The Southern Butler County Garden Club, where she is happy “to be surrounded by a wonderful group that loves gardening as much as I do.”

Walking through her serene garden, one notices the attention to detail and obvious love that has been lavished on the landscape. Accents, such as a custom trellis made for the couple by Iron Eden, a bubbling fountain and small pieces of sculpture are thoughtfully chosen and placed.

Mrs. Romboski says she does not seek out unusual varieties of plants. Rather, she chooses plants that please her and that she can cut and turn into bouquets, so the landscape also serves as a large “cutting” garden.

“I guess my design aesthetic is to be surrounded by the beauty of gardening. No matter what window in the house you peek out of, you can see a garden and therefore something beautiful.”

When I drive through the suburbs of a city, I often think how much it looks like any other city. All the stores seem to be the same.

Landscapes used to be that way, too. No matter what part of the country you were in, all the yards looked like they had been cut with the same cookie cutter. Increasingly, though, garden designers talk about “a sense of place.” Draw your inspiration from the countryside right where you live, they say.

Claire Sawyers’ “The Authentic Garden: Five Principles for Cultivating a Sense of Place” (Timber Press, 2007, $34.95) had a profound influence on my thinking. It sounds so reasonable to imitate the native scenery around us rather than import plants to imitate fancy gardens we’ve seen in design books or on our travels. Such a landscape not only looks more natural, but is easier to maintain, too, since native plants are generally much easier to grow in the environment to which they’re accustomed.

Now that I have a brand new landscape to design this fall, my thoughts are increasingly turning to our native grasses. What could be more Midwestern than a landscape that imitates the prairie? With the front yard featuring native grasses, visitors would be reminded as soon as they pulled up that they were in the Midwest.

I’m still in the planning stages, but at this point I’m favoring some of the shorter grasses for our sunny curbside; I want to avoid tall grasses like Indian grass and big bluestem that could obscure our vision as we pull out of the driveway.

A better bet, I think, would be blue grama, which grows only about a foot tall. Or maybe I’ll decide on its close relative, side-oats grama, which is about twice as tall. Both are delicate-looking natives that are actually tough as nails and drought tolerant.

Then there’s prairie dropseed, a native grass that won my deep appreciation during a severe drought because it remained a fountain of emerald green when everything around it was dying. I love the soft, refined texture of this grass, which grows 2 to 3 feet tall.

And who could resist little bluestem’s crimson red in autumn? Against a snowy background, this 2- to 3-foot tall grass also provides welcome winter color.

Switchgrass, which grows 5 feet tall, is too tall for my curbside planting but perfect for screening our low deck. Of all the prairie grasses, it also has the best chance of surviving in the hard-packed clay left around the house by the excavation.

No place to plant a little prairie? Try creating your own “sense of place” by planting prairie grasses in containers. Switch grass in particular will look great all winter.

Crystal Cruises

Oct 18, 2012

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Luxury specialist Crystal Cruises is providing a uniquely verdant perspective on the Mediterranean with a new Garden Floral Design-themed voyage sailing from Barcelona to Venice on April 21. Aptly named “La Dolce Vita,” the Crystal Serenity cruise offers more than 15 serenity-filled Crystal Adventures visiting some of the most renowned, romantic, and private gardens that epitomize the Catalan coast and French and Italian Rivieras. On board, Britian’s celebrity floral designer, Paula Pryke, and Sybil Sylvester, founder of flower “creative think tank,” Wildflower Designs, will also offer hands-on workshops and presentations in floral design, arrangement, and other floral-related topics.

“The scenery in these destinations is simply spectacular, and is only enhanced by the artistry and historical significance expressed in their gardens,” says Victoria Harris, Crystal’s manager of hotel services and design. “Together, the ship and shore enrichment allow travelers to get to know the area, and its unparalleled landscape, in a really novel way, while also teaching green and black thumbs alike valuable ‘trip souvenir’ skills they can bring back home.”

Vacationers can “smell the roses” (and other flora and fauna blossoming next spring) in/near:

• Venice – Insider explorations of cozy Venetian squares and private courtyards include a garden created by Italian modernist architect Carlo Scapa, inside the 16th-century Palazzo Querini Stampalia museum and library complex.

• Monte Carlo – From exotic gardens of succulents and sub-tropical microclimate species, to umbrella pines and rare fruit trees, Crystal takes guests throughout the Cote d’Azur to explore classic French, Spanish, and even English garden design, complete with stunning coastline views and even a lesson in cooking with flowers.

• Barcelona – Excursions go off the beaten-tourist-path, from the city’s newest garden hotspot – the conservation-focused Botanical Garden, showcasing the plants of five Mediterranean climate – to the city’s oldest garden, the neoclassical Cypress-filled maze of Labyrinth Park…as well as to the area’s popular Park Güell, one of Gaudí’s most famous works.

• Rome – Italy’s finest Renaissance garden includes cascading fountains and dripping grottoes dating back almost 450 years.

In between overnights on both ends, the Experiences of Discovery luxury cruise visits Trogir, Croatia and Florence, Sorrento, and Sicily, Italy.

A second Garden Floral Design-themed voyage sails from LA to NYC on May 6, offering visits to lush private and public gardens in Charleston, Florida, Costa Rica, and the Caribbean.

Crystal’s passion for taking care of guests in an inviting environment of extraordinary space, quality and choices has earned the company more “World’s Best” awards than any other cruise line, resort, or hotel in history.

Click photo to enlarge

As long as I live, I will have more questions than answers. In fact, I’ve built this column on my endless design and home improvement quandaries. I run my problems by experts, then report my findings to you.

Occasionally, however, the tables turn, and I become the sought-out expert. A few weekends ago, for instance, I spoke at a home and garden show in Denver. To create some buzz, the home editor at the Denver Post asked if she could post a blog inviting readers to ask me about their design dilemmas.

“Sure,” I said, and the questions streamed in. Here I’m sharing some of the most universal problems in today’s column, along with my tips from the trenches:

Q We moved into our house six years ago. The previous owner’s dog, Mr. Butler, had had his way all over the almost white carpet. Now add two cats, a husband and two boys here part-time, and the carpet is a mess. My husband wants to put in a darker color carpet, which won’t show dirt. I would like hardwood floors, but he is afraid they will be too cold. Ideas?

A Wood! Wood! Wood! Wood floors are warm, durable, look great with any style decor, are easy to maintain, and you can layer them with rugs. You don’t mention price, but wood flooring will cost more. As a general rule, wood floors can last 100 years or more, while carpeting lasts about seven on average.

Q I downsized my home after my husband died, and now I have this “monster” furniture in my

living room. How do I decorate around it without making it look like the “little house that couldn’t”?

A It could work, but you need to break up the furniture, even if it’s a matched set. Try using only some — but not all — of the pieces. Put some in other rooms or in the garage temporarily. Don’t feel obliged to arrange the pieces just as they were before. And keep accessories to a minimum, so you don’t overcrowd.

Q We recently purchased a townhouse from an “experienced” general contractor. It looks 10 percent overages from his other projects to finish the bathrooms. One particularly hideous part is in the master bathroom, where patterned (mostly black) mosaic tiles frame the mirror. The rest of the bathroom is light stone. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

A This is one of those if-you-can’t-beat-them-join-them situations. Instead of ripping out the black mosaic tiles, which would be expensive and wasteful, add more dark-value colors to the space. Paint the walls something strong in value. That will help balance and downplay the dark tones in the mosaic. Add a great area rug with the dark tone in it as well.

Q I am newly divorced with a new (to me) house and new mortgage. I have furnished the essential rooms — living room, dining room and master bedroom. My sister is coming for a visit, and I would like to create a welcoming guest room in my empty 10-by-10-foot spare bedroom. Right now all that’s in the room are a dresser and rocking chair; neither has to stay. What’s the best way to furnish this room on a tight budget? What bed would you buy — a daybed, futon, hide-a-bed?

A I like the idea of a day bed or hide-a-bed; both can double as a sofa. If you add a trundle under the day bed, you can sleep two. In addition to a great sofa-by-day bed, also put in a small side table with a reading lamp and a clock, and window treatments that offer privacy and light control. Make room for your guest’s clothes in a cleaned-out closet or, if there’s room, keep the dresser. A chair is also welcome, and your rocker might rock.

Q We ripped out the second kitchen in our house to make an office, but now we have this big open space where the refrigerator used to be. I desperately need storage space for my work-related items that don’t fit in the desk. How can I make this space look good and be functional?

A You’re lucky to have this perfect storage niche already in place. Build in shelving with some doors, or find an armoire to slide right in.

Q What can a retired couple do to brighten up an outdated living room? We don’t want to redecorate completely, since we won’t get back the money we put into the house, but we don’t want to be stuck in the ’90s for the rest of the time we stay here.

A Paint! Nothing transforms and updates a room faster and less expensively than paint. Look online at Color Marketing Group’s 2012-13 color forecast to see the “in” colors. This year’s great shades include tones of cabernet, deep turquoise and burnt almond. If you need furniture, invest frugally in flexible pieces you can take with you. Add accessories that tie to the updated wall color — pillows, throws, an area rug.

Syndicated columnist Marni Jameson is the author of “House of Havoc” and “The House Always Wins” (Da Capo Press). Contact her through www.marnijameson.com.