Stuff Our Editors Love

Chris Beytes, Ellen C. Wells, Jennifer Polanz and Jennifer Zurko

Growing My Own
While this may look like a CSA delivery, the box of produce is actually from my own small community garden plot in Boston—heirloom tomatoes, a second harvest of broccoli, the last of the spring lettuce, beets, zucchini, cukes, radishes, dill. I use it all. The dill and cucumbers combine for pickles. The zucchini was sliced thinly and added as a topping to homemade pizza. The rest fed me lunch for a few days. What’s snipped off or is otherwise inedible has a date with either the stockpot or the composter.

Why do I love this box of veggies? Because it represents my ability to plan and problem solve, from the how, where and when to plant to how to store, prep, eat and recycle. These are skills that seem to have skipped a generation or two, and it’s so nice to see boxes and boxes of produce leaving with so many families from the community garden. Now if only I can solve my flea beetle problem …

Ellen C. Wells | Editor-At-Large

Stylish Simplicity
Someone once pointed out that the Jeep is the only vehicle so cool that anybody, from rednecks to movie stars, wants one. The Adirondack chair is the Jeep of outdoor furniture. Stylish enough for a Long Island estate, simple enough to be crafted from old pallet boards, and easily painted to fit any season or décor, the Adirondack chair is the most comfortable place to watch a sunset.

Settle in, stretch your legs out, and notice how the horizontal arm rests (an essential feature of a properly designed Adirondack) keep your beverage from spilling. (These are the author’s, built from plans by This Old House’s Norm Abrams.)

Chris Beytes | Editor

Love at First Bloom
I’ll admit it—I’m not a great gardener. Many things die on my watch. But when I get shipments of plants from a variety of companies at the melting of each frost, hope springs anew. Maybe this year I’ll find a plant that I can love, and that will love me back, despite the torture I put it through. This year I found it in Suntory’s Lofos Lophospermum in Compact Rose and Compact White.

These beauties produced gorgeous vines with a bounty of trumpet-shaped flowers that made my baskets sing. In truth, they made me feel like a great gardener. Easy to care for and vigorous, they filled out baskets without taking over them. I can see how they would be great in hanging baskets, but they did just as well in full sun in my upright planters on my back patio.

I’m not Oprah, but if I were, I would give all of you one of these as part of my favorite things. Lofos for everyone!

Whether it's in the garden or inside the home, great design stops you in your tracks. Mod designs like this one from Live Trends Design Group are a breath of fresh air. They look stylish and encourage consumers to keep live plants indoors, which can be a gateway to more gardening. No one ever said you had to choose between
fashion and flora.

Jennifer Polanz | Managing Editor

When Floral and Fashion Collide
It seems so simple, but most people don’t realize how much flowers and plants influence fashion designers around the world. Jean Paul Gaultier was one of the first designers to use actual flowers and plants on the catwalk during his shows and many designers like Alexander McQueen (a Lady Gaga favorite) and Yves Saint Laurent have followed suit.

If you look at trends from London’s Fashion Week this past September, you see designs inspired by sportswear—like hooded jackets and clothes made of jersey—and stripes in every angle, color and width. But something else Vogue noticed was a focus on floral. Marchesa had floral patterns on their hippie peasant-inspired dresses, while Erdem’s models strutted through a faux forest scene (with actual fauna) wearing dresses, shirts and pants with foliage and flower patterns.

Now, I can’t afford designer clothes; however, these trends can even be seen at the stores we commonfolk shop. Most of the dresses and tops at Target featured vintage floral patterns this summer. That’s why I love when I see fashion and floral mix, on either side—like when I see flowers adorning a dress or a garden center using a red stiletto or handbag as a planter. GP

Jennifer Zurko | Senior Editor