Home & Garden

Zig zag tray by French Bull by Jackie Shapiro, $46
From The Ivy Cottage

Set of three napkins, by Tag, $17
From The Ivy Cottage

Glass pitcher, available in the Tailgate Set (also includes four glasses), $60
From Swagger Gifts
Personalize this set with custom monogramming!

Chatham Hill 2009 ROSÉ, $14
From Chatham Hill Winery
Handcrafted from grapes grown in Yadkin Valley. Try with crab cakes, prosciutto with melon or smoked salmon.

Orange hammered texture plastic tumbler, $1.99 each
From Home Goods

Picnic Screen by Del Sol, $3.99
From Home Goods

White melamine plates by Laurie Gates, $3.99 each
From Home Goods

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One sure thing about the heat of midsummer is that it can really take the life out of flowering annuals. Many plants in splendid bloom in the spring and early summer are now becoming but dried remnants of their former selves.

Fortunately, there are plantings that can rejuvenate the color in your landscape, and one plant in particular, the garden mum (or “chrysanthemum” for those of you who like a lot a syllables) can really add flash to the landscape in the summer and well into the fall.

The idea of using mums for outdoor color is not exactly new. In fact, these flowers were known to have been grown in China 2,500 years ago. Even Confucius mentioned these beauties in his writings.

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Who says you can’t have firecrackers in North Carolina? If you are looking for a plant to light up the landscape with cracklin’ hot colors during the summer months and into the early fall, look no further than the firecracker vine.
Botanically referred to as either Ipomoea lobata or Mina lobata, this Central American native is closely related to morning glories and ornamental sweet potatoes, of which this pretty vine shares a strong proclivity to creep, crawl and sprawl. The firecracker vine can reach to lengths of 10 to 15 feet or more.

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Editor’s Note: We have an office full of green thumbs. Many of us enjoy getting our hands dirty in the garden and have some perplexing plant and garden questions for our buddy and garden adventurer L.A. Jackson. Perhaps you face the same plant conundrums. Check out Jackson’s solutions to our pressing botanical questions.

Q. What would make the best houseplants for someone with a “brown thumb” (one for whom most houseplants die in a very short time)?
— Sheri Elderfield, Bookkeeper

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Beverly Hills meets Apex in this resort-style backyard sanctuary

There’s something soothing and magical about water and fire — basic elements that become naturally poetic when utilized as the cornerstones of a well-designed dream backyard.

That was the vision for an outdoor pool and landscape project by designer Eddie Rider when he worked with an Apex couple looking to “escape” in their own backyard. Six months of planning turned into a one-year project that was well worth the wait.

“Instead of traveling, they wanted to retreat to the backyard for the weekend,” Rider said.

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