Big, bold and beautiful.
Though we’re all familiar with the fabled lilies of the field, which neither toil nor spin, yet are arrayed more gloriously than Solomon, here we are concerned with something even more... dare it be said? ... gaudy. The extravagant color combinations of caladiums, as well as the once despised cannas are both showy and satisfying – the former for shade, the latter for sun. You can have the best of both possible garden worlds when you plant these two winners, for both dependable beauties deserve a place in every Lowcountry landscape.
They are here referred to as “the bulbs LIEoSf summer” because they do not come into their own until full summer – but then they go on and on into the fall.
The reader/gardener has been promised new beginnings, so let’s begin. But not randomly nor recklessly in the feverish enthusiasm engendered by consecutive days of balmy weather. Since it is generally accepted that March 15 is the last day of frost expectation in the Lowcountry, one should delay planting tender annuals before that date.
Turning a den or garage into a game room might be the perfect retreat for your home. Make it fun for the entire family by starting a weekly game night tradition! A game table set is for the person who loves card games, backgammon, roulette or even chess. These tables can covert into several different games and have plenty of storage for cards and chips. Game tables come in a variety of wood finishes to complement the décor of the room. Mahogany is a popular finish but a honey finish also looks elegant. A game room wouldn’t be complete without your favorite games, such as pinball machines, arcade games, foosball tables, dart boards and even board games.
Dirt, not love, makes the world go round. There is more to dirt than meets the eye, but the most important thing to know is how to distinguish good from bad dirt and then maximize the good. And although it is not brain surgery, there may be a bit of bio-chemistry involved. Before you let that scare you away, what follows is simplified (maybe over simplified), but should be easy to read and heed. Almost certainly, native soils encountered by the Lowcountry gardener will be sandy and acidic. Your decision to move to the coastal plain and plant a garden does not automatically guarantee perfect conditions for your aspirations. It doesn’t take long to learn this.
Looking out on the reeds and oyster beds poking out of the solid sheen of the May River in Fred Mix’s backyard, it’s easy to see why this Bluffton resident wanted to keep his new dock ‘green.’ After all, the May is one of a kind; a rare chemistry of salt water rushes up and down her banks with each tide in a delicate balance upon which so much rests.
Janus, the mythological Roman god whose profile faces left and right simultaneously, signifies endings and beginnings, including the year just past and the year to come.
In an age where everything seems to be mass produced, the design and craftsmanship of custom woodwork is a rare beauty – even a fine art – that few modern homeowners have the luxury of possessing. And the craftsmen at Hilton Head’s Marshland Millworks and Cabinetry, true masters of custom woodworking, take their art very seriously.
Green causes and high-tech advancements seem to go hand-in-hand these days. In the following pages, we look at some technological advancements designed to ensure that the home of tomorrow will exist on a clean planet.
In the garden and elsewhere, so goes the season.
Transplanted gardeners from colder climes are consistently frustrated in their attempts to translate their beloved northern gardens to the relatively inhospitable environment of the Lowcountry. But in spite of all evidence and advice to the contrary, they usually persevere in their efforts until experience convinces them that it is not to be. And it is understandable because northern plants are lovely and lush indeed, thriving in the temperate, (at least in spring, summer and early fall), climate of southwestern New York state, particularly Chautauqua, whence these garden thoughts float in late July.
