I began seeing espaliered plants long before I knew the word “espalier,” and certainly before I knew how to pronounce it (either es-pal-YAY or es-pal-YER is correct). However you say it, the practice of training woody plants, such as fruit trees or ornamental shrubs, flat against a wall or support can be decorative and interesting, produce more and better flowers and fruit, and allow you to grow otherwise too-large plants in a limited space.
It’s still summer, but it’s time to plant winter (cool-season) vegetables.
If you get them in the ground while the days are still relatively long, you can harvest this winter. If you wait too long, peas will pause and broccoli will balk. Dormancy sets in when there are less than 10 hours of daylight. You need to give winter crops a head start before plant growth slows down or stops altogether.
Wallpaper on the ceiling? Why not?
“This is probably my favorite,” says homeowner Tracy Skinner, looking up at the black and white linen-like wallpaper above her head.
Because the first paper she chose was very dark, Skinner considered covering only one wall. But Sacramento interior designer Cheryl Holben dissuaded her. “Cheryl said, ‘That is totally trendy. You can’t do one wall.’”
Tucked away near Fair Oaks Boulevard, down a discreet lane of custom homes on lush green lots, is a singular dwelling filled with warmth, originality and old-world charm.
Step inside the extraordinary European-inspired residence of landscape architect David Gibson and artist William Ishmael.
Thirteen-foot ceilings are accented with exposed beams of California Douglas fir. Walls are cream-colored rough plaster. A striking floor of salvaged French oak is stained in seven shades of hardwood. Stacked limestone, typically seen on exteriors, wraps around a dining room wall.
In Sacramento gardens, I’ve observed that the roots of drought-tolerant plants, such as lavender, salvia and penstemon, will rot if they are kept constantly moist by a layer of woodchips.
I’ve also worried that covering up all bare soil with mulch, which UC Berkeley entomologist Dr. Gordon Frankie calls “mulch madness,” will make it hard for native bees to find places to nest.
When should we mulch? And when does mulching create more problems than it solves?
A friend sent me a photo of a dramatic flowering stem displayed proudly in a vase. It looked a bit like a floral firework, with a single triangular stalk topped by spiky leaves, centered with clusters of little white flowers. “What is this plant?” she asked. She had been told that it was papyrus, which it resembles, but she feared it was something bad. It was.
