Home and Garden

There are 8 posts filed in Home and Garden (this is page 1 of 1).

Biophilic Design

Biophilic design is a concept used within the building industry to increase occupant connectivity to the natural environment through the use of direct nature, indirect nature, and space and place conditions. Used at both the building and city-scale, it is argued that this idea has health, environmental, and economic benefits for building occupants and urban environments, with few drawbacks. Although its name was coined in recent history, indicators of biophilic design have been seen in architecture from as far back as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Famous Women Gardeners

Famous Women Gardeners
By Gay Klok

Introduction

GERTRUDE JEKYLL
V. SACKVILLE-WEST
EDNA WALLING
LESTER ROWNTREE
ELIZABETH VON ARNIM

You may have heard of the first two but not have heard of the last two ladies. During the next weeks we will learn how these five women had an enormous influence on our modern-day gardens and I hope to open to you, with discussions and suggested readings, their fascinating gardening world and interesting lives.

These women had many things in common, though they lived and gardened in different geographical areas. They were all passionate about gardening, they lived mostly in the same period of time and they designed and planted other people’s gardens, creating a soft and romantic style. Perhaps we could say they planted with a strongly feminine style.

When we examine their personalities, we might remark they presented a masculine presence – the way they dressed, the physical garden labour they undertook and their strong belief in equality of the sexes. Although there are these shared characteristics, we will discover they all led quite different private lives! Continue reading →

Google Image Result for http://www.panoramio.com/photos/original/9550478.jpg

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.panoramio.com/photos/original/9550478.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.panoramio.com/photo/9550478&usg=__PpW7s4VE-so8OnQO0QAQ2ScYJoU=&h=1920&w=2560&sz=1950&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=N7Ak5m4CtULJBM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=15

I had no idea there was a stinking version. This is the first of my favourite spring flowers to bloom. Won’t be so much longer now. I hope the new plantings I did last year all survived. Really looking forward to this more than a lot of other things. 🙂

Getting Organized and Spring Cleaning

It’s not quite Spring yet it seems every magazine I pick up is talking about clutter and getting organized. Just too early for Spring cleaning. Or do they think we are a bunch of slobs?

The best way to make yourself organize stuff is to have a major life change and move. Once you start packing it all into boxes and hauling it around you get to see just how much stuff you really have. Plus, a change in your life makes a lot of stuff you were keeping suddenly not as interesting or useful to keep. Think divorce. After a divorce there are all kinds of resorting of your priorities.

I’ve got the new bed set up but need to move the furniture around again. Decide where things will go now that I have the futon to be a sofa/ couch sort of creature. I’ve been wishing I had one. Nice to watch TV at night and not be sitting in front of the computer cause it’s either that or the kitchen table and chairs which aren’t comfortable for sitting very long either. You need a boneless place to sit, where you can sink down and get comfortable instead of sitting straight and not having anywhere cozy to put your feet.

I’m giving myself the deadline of this weekend, Sunday, to get all the organizing done. Good luck to me. Happy Spring!