A Bridge unites a Tablescape and Wall Decor

Posted on June 10, 2011 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

Bridging a Tablescape and Wall Decor

A Bridge in interior decorating is any element(s) that help tie things placed on one surface, with things hung up on another.

In my June 7, 2011 post titled “Arranging Your Decorative Accessories (Knickknacks and Collectables), I tell you how to make a tablescape. I cover the different heights elements should possess for an interesting display. Now that you know how to do that, I want to tell you about combining the tablescape, with an arrangement of wall decor hung up behind it, to make an even more visually interesting statement. Continue reading →

Posted in Hanging Pictures and Mirrors / Arranging Knickknacks and Collectables, Interior Decorating Principles | 6 Comments

Arranging Your Decorative Accessories (Knickknacks and Collectables)

Posted on June 7, 2011 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

Arranging Your Decorative Accessories.

Well, if you are reading this post, then you want to know the best ways to arrange your decorative accessories (knickknacks and collectables) to show them off in their most favorable light.

Many people have collections. They could have collections of ceramic dogs, plastic frogs, Chinese blue and white porcelain, the list could go on and on.

When putting together a tablescape there are two ways to assemble your display. Continue reading →

Posted in Hanging Pictures and Mirrors / Arranging Knickknacks and Collectables, Interior Decorating Principles | 4 Comments

Neatening up a Rhododendron after it Blooms.

Posted on June 3, 2011 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

Taking off the Spent flower heads of a Rhododendron after it is done blooming

One of the Spring rituals that I still do, started in the early 1970’s with my Mother. It is the neatening up of the Rhododendron bush after it blooms. My Mother and I would go outside on a late Spring evening, and take off hundreds of wilted rhododendron flowers. To me, the stamens (possible seed head) of the rhododendron looks like a Daddy Long Legs Spider.

The process of neatening up the Rhododendron is quite easy. Continue reading →

Posted in Bushes, Shrubs, Trees, planting a SHADE GARDEN, The Spring Garden, The Summer Garden | 2 Comments

Planting Annuals, A beginning Gardener’s Guide.

Posted on May 28, 2011 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

How to plant Annuals

ANNUALS are plants that grow for one season and die. In about a 7 month period, the annual goes from being seed, to forming into a plant that produces many flowers. The flowers mature on that plant, dry up, and turn into seeds. After the flower and seed producing period is over, the plant dies. Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Tomatoes / Raspberries, planting a SHADE GARDEN, The Spring Garden | Leave a comment

Plant Tomatoes DEEP in Full Sun!

Posted on May 23, 2011 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

Planting Tomatoes

The number ONE RULE, when it comes to planting tomatoes, is to plant them DEEP. When you buy tomato plants, buy kind of tall ones. Take off a few rows of leaves, starting at the bottom of the plant working upwards. The now de-leaved tomato should be planted to just below where the remaining leaves start. Continue reading →

Posted in Plant Tomatoes / Raspberries, The Spring Garden | 8 Comments

The Right height of a Table Lamp for your End Table.

Posted on May 19, 2011 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

Table Lamps, End Tables, and Floor Lamps

There is a similarity between the height of a floor lamp, and an end table with a lamp on it. Floor lamps, measured from bottom of base, to top of finial, if they have one, are usually 58 to 64 inches high. Continue reading →

Posted in Interior Decorating Principles, Lighting, San Francisco Chronicle / eHow references or resources | 74 Comments

My Peonies don’t / won’t bloom.

Posted on May 16, 2011 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

Peonies

My Peonies don’t/won’t bloom is a lament uttered by many gardeners. There are three possible reasons why a peony won’t bloom… Continue reading →

Posted in Roses, Peonies, Tulips, etc, The Autumn(Fall) Garden, The Spring Garden | 9 Comments

ROSES, Planting, Pruning and General Care.

Posted on May 11, 2011 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

All about Roses.

I think the Roseis the most loved of all the garden flowers. In Spring, you see them for sale everywhere, from garden centers, to your local supermarket. They are also available through mail order catalog companies.

Roses come packaged a few ways. If you buy one at a garden center, it will most likely be planted in soil, in a 2 or 3 gallon plastic pot. If you buy one at the supermarket, it might come in a kind of plastic bag, with a sphagnum peat moss/soil less mix surrounding the root system. If you order roses through a mail order catalog company, the rose will come bare root, just wrapped in plastic. Sending roses bare root keeps shipping costs down.

Whatever way you get your roses, is fine. The main thing is how you handle the plant after you get it home. Continue reading →

Posted in Bushes, Shrubs, Trees, Roses, Peonies, Tulips, etc, The Autumn(Fall) Garden, The Spring Garden, The Summer Garden | 2 Comments

The Right Way to hang Curtains and Drapes.

Posted on May 3, 2011 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

Hanging Curtains and Drapes…Stack Back

When a person goes to hang a pair of curtains or drapes, they will most likely attach a bracket to the outside edge of the molding that frames the window, attach the rod, hang the curtains or drapes, and call it a day. There has always been one problem with hanging window treatments that way… Continue reading →

Posted in Hanging Curtains and Drapes, Interior Decorating Principles, San Francisco Chronicle / eHow references or resources | 165 Comments

Applying Fertilizer / Weed Control on the Lawn.

Posted on April 27, 2011 by fredgonsowskigardenhome

Fertilizer first then Weed Control? or Weed Control first then Fertilizer?

I use a nationally known brand of lawn fertilizer on my grass. There are FOUR suggested applications per year. The first one is fertilizer with crabgrass control, the second is fertilizer with weed control, the third is fertilizer with bug control, and the fourth is fertilizer with a product that helps the grass through winter. The four different feedings are spaced out at two month intervals throughout the growing season. Continue reading →

Posted in LAWN Care | 4 Comments