Cove away from coveNautical themes offer a cooling air of elegance

By Kim CookASSOCIATED PRESS

Sand dollar lamp by Williams-Sonoma ($295)

Sea grass, sand dollar, sea urchin andstarfish wreath by Williams-Sonoma ($78)

Sail pillows printed with numbers by Wisteria ($89)

Resin sand dollars by Pottery Barn ($19)

Coral candlesby Pottery

Barn ($10 to$19)

Alphabet coneshells by Pot-

tery Barn ($19)

Nautical wall clock by Warm Biscuit ($92.50)

Rope knot doorstop by Warm

Biscuit ($46)

ith the summer upon us,many of us are thinking

about oceans, rivers andlakes, those calming bod-

ies of water that beckon us. How do you keep the vacation

alive after it has ended — or keep thedream of vacation alive before it hasbegun?

Nautical motifs in decorating. If that has you thinking kitsch,

think again.This year’s designs are all about

stylish accessories and contemporarygraphics far removed from the whim-sies of beach-side souvenir shops.Adding a few nautical touches toeven the most landlocked home canevoke a nice summery vibe.

With an emphasis on naturalelements and a quieter palette, thedecorative pieces tend to be tex-tural and more subdued.

You don’t have to live anywherenear sand to give the impressionthat you’ve enjoyed some excellentbeachcombing. Pottery Barnstocks resin sand dollars and strik-ing alphabet cone shells to dress amantel or fill a clear vase. Addsome sugary white sand, riverpebbles or beach gravel for ano-maintenance accent that willlast all season.

Take a look at what retailers areoffering.

Homeowners with sprawling back-yards often put at least a bit of effortinto decorating their outdoor enter-taining space. Maybe they splurge onsome high-end outdoor furniture andan elaborate grill, plus a few accesso-ries to give the space style.

But what about the rest of us? Whena home has more modest outdoorspace — perhaps a porch or patio, or abalcony off the master bedroom —these limited spaces are often ignored.

Genevieve Gorder often sees clientswho paid top dollar for a condomini-um with a small patio or balcony onlyto ignore the space because they don’tknow what to do with it. Gorder, hostof HGTV’s Battle on the Block and ajudge on HGTV Design Star, says thesesmall and mid-size spaces can seemtough to tackle.

“Any outdoor spaces can be kind ofintimidating,” agrees designer BrianPatrick Flynn, founder of decordemon.com. “When you design a room,you have four walls, and it’s easy toconceptualize what will fill it. Outside,the possibilities are endless, and youdon’t really have a sense of scale. Thesky goes on forever.”

But there are great design strategiesfor turning even the most unexceptionaldeck or patio into an inviting space foroutdoor entertaining this summer:

Feature the floor“The biggest impact for your buck is

to focus on the floor,” Flynn says.

With outdoor spaces, the sky is the limit

FILE PHOTO

Taking indoor comforts such as a fire-place, comfy chairs and an ottomanoutdoors makes for memorable times.

By Melissa RayworthASSOCIATED PRESS

HGTV

GenevieveGorder,host ofHGTV'sBattle onthe Block

See OUTDOORS Page H2

05-30-2010 PAGE H1

HHOME&GARDEN�

SUNDAYMAY 30, 2010

Artful figures to be on tour

Coming next Sunday

‘ALICE’ CHESS PIECESDispatch.com/multimedia

Online

THE FLOWERS OF MAYBait can stop slugs’ munching �H5

Protecting hostas

If pests and blight are wreckingyour plants, it might be time toturn your garden on its head.

Growing crops that dangleupside down from homemade orcommercially available planters isgrowing more popular, and itsadherents swear they’ll nevercome back down to earth.

“I’m totally converted,” saidMark McAlpine of Guelph, Ontar-io, who began growing tomatoesupside down two years ago be-cause cutworms were ravaging theones he planted in the ground.

He made six planters out of5-gallon plastic buckets. He cut a2-inch hole in the bottom of eachbucket and threaded a tomatoseedling down through the open-ing, packing strips of newspaperaround the root ball to keep it inplace.

He then filled the buckets withsoil mixed with compost and hungthem on sturdy steel hooks boltedto the railing of his backyard deck.

“Last summer was really hot, soit wasn’t the best crop, but I stillwas able to jar enough whole to-matoes, half tomatoes, salsa andtomato sauce to last me throughthe winter,” said McAlpine, whoplans an additional six upside-down planters this year.

Upside-down gardening, pri-marily of leggy crops such as to-matoes, cucumbers and peppers,is more common partly because ofthe ubiquity of Topsy Turvy plant-ers, available at retailers such asWalmart, Walgreens and Bed Bath& Beyond.

According to the company thatlicenses the planter, Allstar Prod-ucts Group in Hawthorne, N.Y.,sales this year are twice last year’s,with 20 million sold since thedevice was invented in 2005.

Not to be outdone, Gardener’sSupply and Plow & Hearth recentlybegan selling rival upside-downplanters.

“Upside-down gardening isdefinitely a phenomenon,” saidSteve Wagner, senior productmanager for Plow & Hearth.

The advantages of upside-downgardening are many: It saves

ERICH SCHLEGEL NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE

Growing crops such as these toma-toes upside down deters pests andweeds and saves space.

Upside downgains fans asway to growBy Kate MurphyNEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE

See UPSIDE DOWN Page H2

W

PubDate: 05-30-2010 Page: 1 H Edition: 1 Replate: User: dpoole Color:CMYK