Home&Garden

Wade and Melinda Kilpatrick knew when they bought the Wild River Ranch that they did not want just a beautiful home nestled along the high banks of the Guadalupe River. They were looking to build a sanctuary made from reclaimed wood and stone that would include contemporary touches while creating a vintage, rustic tone that connects their love of the past to their vision for the future.

The rich earth tones and elegant textures that define the home at 8619 Terra Dale create a buzz of excitement among the stream of visitors to the 2009 Parade of Homes.

“One woman said it was just sexy,” says Deborah Allen, a designer who works for Catrina Hoelke at Catrina’s at the Ranch in Boerne. “I think she was struck by the use of color and texture.”

The texas bunkhouse is as old as the state itself. Simple, functional structures, these buildings housed ranch hands in Spartan conditions.

Hip, early 60s bachelor décor. Telephone poles as faux exposed ceiling beams. A grand, carved “staircase to nowhere.” Not exactly the stuff a dream house—or even guesthouse—is made of, but Kathy Sosa fell in love with it.

For some, the phrase “community garden” has something of a newfangled ring to it. Truth is that Americans have cultivated such gardens for over a century.

When the San Antonio Time Dollar Community Connections’ tool shed was destroyed, and all of their equipment was stolen in 2007, the gardening and beautification efforts at El Jardin de La Esperanza Community Garden seemed in doubt.

Andy Phillips has never been one to shy away from a difficult undertaking. In partnership with builders Art Lenard and Dr. Sonny Cofer, Phillips is a co-owner of Integrity Homes, based in Kerrville. The company, which focuses primarily on upscale custom home building and remodeling work, is known for its expertise in tackling diverse and difficult projects. But without a doubt, the project closest to Phillips own heart has been the renovation and remodeling of his own home on Virginia Drive—a labor of love that he and his wife Maggie have taken on together.

When the expansive stone house with its red tile roof first comes into view, the first impression is Tuscany meets West by Southwest. When Marissa and Daniel Perez purchased 48 acres from longtime ranchers in the Boerne area, they wanted to keep the area as natural as possible and build their home at the top of the hill that overlooks miles and miles of Kendall and Bexar counties.

Life took us in a different direction,” says Elise Montgomery, co-owner, along with husband and chef, Brian Montgomery, of Texas Farm to Table Café (www.texasfarmtotable.com), referring to the serendipitous conversation they had with a friend in 2005. Aware of Brian’s love of cooking, the friend mentioned that the developers of the historic Pearl Brewery complex wanted to open “some sort of little, bitty, deli-type place,” as Elise remembers it. She and Brian seized the opportunity.

With growing awareness of the benefits of pesticide- and chemical-free produce and the superior taste of homegrown fruits and vegetables, heirloom tomatoes are suddenly back in favor—in the garden and in the kitchen.

I remember my mother saying they never went hungry during the Depression, because they always had food from the garden,” relates William D. Adams of Burton, TX, Southern Region Director of The Garden Writer’s Association and co-author of The Southern Kitchen Garden.

If you love the old stone and stucco villas that are spread throughout the sweeping landscapes of northern Italy, you’re not alone. But you don’t have to purchase your own piece of property beneath the Tuscan sun to have this look and feel for your next home. Just ask Cosmo and Jenny Palmieri. They created their very own expansive abode, exuding all the traditional charm of a Tuscan villa, and updated it with a few modern amenities and Texas accents as well.

Whether recreating the classic warmth of a sunny Italian villa or evoking the contemporary “cool” of a modern industrial loft, the artists at In Your Space, Inc. know how to give an otherwise average interior its own unique and timeless appeal.

Specializing in “creating custom wall finishes that leave a lasting impression,” In Your Space was incorporated in 2002 by artist Danny Phillips and co-owner, Mary Senders. With a background as an executive headhunter that belies her artistic soul, Senders recognized the potential in Phillips’ artistic ability and proposed they join forces.

Encountering a gorgeous orchid is like traveling to a foreign land where nobody knows you and anything is possible. One day, in the middle of a rather mundane tour of the countryside, you’re having lunch in this sidewalk café, when you spy someone across the patio. He’s dark, elegant, and intriguing. And you think, “Now there’s some adventure waiting to happen. ”Yes, an orchid is like that. It promises romance. With an accent. For all their exotic good looks, though, most orchids are really quite tame. Best of all, you don’t need a greenhouse or fancy conservatory to grow them; the average home is fine. However, there are a few critical things to bear in mind before you make your purchase. Note that these are only general instructions, but should suffice for most commonly available orchids. It’s always wise to research any orchid you purchase for any specific needs it may have.

There's no denying that home gardens are popular right now. Seed sales are up... make that waaay up right now... as spring meets the recession.

At the same time, there's rising interest in community gardens, especially in urban areas. San Antonio is no exception, and the San Antonio Food Bank created a new, five-acre garden last fall designed to both feed the poor and teach residents how to cultivate their own food. With the help of generous sponsors and donors, the food bank hopes to see the garden flourish.

Wanda and Neutron get to work.

March is a busy garden month. There are seedlings to transplant, seeds to sow, weeds to pull, fences to mend, and compost to spread. Of course, spreading that homemade compost is a lot more rewarding if you aren't attacked by fire ants crawling up the shovel handle. It's also best if your compost doesn't carry hundreds of seedling-eating pillbugs into your freshly made garden beds. To root out the insects that are inevitable in the compost bin but aren't so welcome in the veggie plot, I turn to my on-site specialists: Neutron and Wanda.

"No-dig garden." It's not a term familiar to most Americans. Yet, in places like Central Texas where the soil is often poor, the "no-dig" garden concept (also referred to as lasagna gardening or "composting in place") merits serious consideration this spring. Created by building generous, multiple layers of nutrient-rich material on top of existing soil,  no-dig beds allow gardeners to expand their growing space with minimal labor and expense. Note that the no-dig technique is as useful for ornamental gardens as edible ones, and far less physically demanding than digging a new bed. Thus, no-dig beds are ideal for older gardeners or others dealing with physical limitations.

One caveat: With no-dig gardening, you will need to water your bed carefully and regularly to prevent dehydration…or your work might blow away. Soaker hoses can be a great help, though if you use a well for your water supply, you may discover you have to replace the hoses frequently. 

This short video (9 minutes) from Send A Cow demonstrates how to construct a keyhole garden. Given our ongoing drought, the concept may have some applications here in Central Texas. 

My two hens, Wanda and Neutron, are popular gals--trendsetters, even. Whenever friends or neighbors find out we keep chickens for fresh eggs and enterntainment, they want to know if they can do it, too. My inner home educator recently realized we were getting to critical mass with the inquiries. So last Friday I held "Chicken School" in my backyard.

By Casey Kelly Barton

Freshly planted onion sets

I love gardening this time of year because onion sets arrive at area nurseries, and they're incredibly easy for kids (and adults) to plant. My boys helped put in a few rows yesterday with minimal oversight by me.

Works of art get named by the artist. When Austin architect Winn Wittman created a 6,000-square foot wonderment of glass, red iron, copper and shell stone, he dubbed the spectacular residence “Soaring Wings.” “I like doing houses as works of art, and that’s how I built this one,” says Wittman, principal of Winn Wittman Architecture.

Collectors of vintage and antique linens understand the emotions that can elevate a mere scrap of fabric into everyday ephemera.

At Pandora de Balthazar, a vintage and antique linens shop in Round Top, Texas, manager Leslie Marsh says it’s that step beyond the everyday that her customers want. “A lot of our business is repurposing heirloom linens for modern uses,” she says. “Just because something started out as a dress or tablecloth doesn’t mean it needs to stay that way.”

Marsh says much of her job is helping people see the options for using linens in different ways, all over the house, no matter what their décor.” Instead of a tablecloth, it might be a beautiful canopy over a bed,” says Marsh, who enjoys helping customers see the possibilities.

Violets are a labor of love that, well, doesn’t really require all that much labor.
Ken Froboese, retired banker and owner of Hill Country African Violets & Nursery in Boerne, Texas, started his love affair with African violets almost 40 years ago. It began as a project for his mother and ended up with Froboese hooked on the lovely exotics. While his nursery has a wide variety of garden plants, including beautiful orchids, the African violets remain near and dear to him.
“They are addictive,” he says. “We have people who travel across the United States and stop because they have seen in the African violet magazines that we have them.”
Froboese recently returned from the Texas State Violet Show and Convention where his plants took many blue ribbons and third best of show. His nursery has an diverse array of the beautiful and showy violets, and he says new varieties are developed all the time.

Ever since our editorial coordinator spotted the pretty little sachets on offer at Texas Lavender Hills’ market during last year’s Blanco Lavender Festival (www.blancolavenderfest.com), she’s been dreaming of stashing them in her linen closet. The trouble is she still can’t decide which is her favorite.

By Casey Kelly Barton

Looking for a virtually indestructible plant for your vegetable garden? Try Swiss chard. I'm in love with mine. I planted some "Orange Chiffon" seeds in early spring and harvested the baby greens for salads.

By Susan Tomlinson

It’s official. The grades are in at my day job and I now have three full weeks of R&R—sort of. It’s true that I’ll actually spend much of that time getting ready for the spring semester, but I still plan on doing something fun and rejuvenating when I’m not working—I need to in order to flush out the inevitable end-of-term mental flotsam and jetsam that accumulates. And for me, rejuvenating always means building something. This time around, I plan to make a potting bench from some recycled cedar. But you might say that potting plants is merely the “day job” for this bench, since I am designing it for more than one task. The other task has to do with birds.

By Pamela Price

One of the great joys that the Hill Country offers is the opportunity to garden year 'round. And that means that garden-themed gifts are not only suitable but down-right desirable for the holidays!

By Casey Kelly Barton

I can hear sleet hitting the windows as I write and I'm reminded of what I like about winter in Central Texas: It's usually mild and brings some needed rain. My half-acre suburban homestead is more than ready for the change in the weather. Wanda and Neutron, our laying hens, are snuggled in their insulated house. The rabbits, whose duties include eating weeds, producing organic fertilizer and delighting my children, are in for the night. Out in the vegetable garden, the Swiss chard can handle anything Mother Nature throws at it. Lettuce, collards and carrots don't mind a little cold, and while this might be the last hurrah for the cosmos and alyssum interplanted to draw beneficial insects, the pansies and dianthus will no doubt soldier on through the cooler months. 

By Susan Tomlinson

 It may be December, but the weather today seemed too good to pass up the chance to get out there and do a little work on the veggie plot. In fact I’ve wanted to get out there for a few weeks now to put the plot to bed for the winter, which I was planning to do by turning piles of compost and chicken manure into the soil. It was a chore that I was both dreading and looking forward to—the former because it involved a gardening task, digging, that never fails to aggravate my sciatica, and the latter because, well, it was gardening. And if ever I needed to be out in the garden, it was this week.

Laurie and Mark Haushill carefully chose the rich stones that built their San Antonio-area home for their earthy orange, brown and gray hues.

The couple’s interior designer, Stacy Blair of Blair Designs, recalls helping the couple select the Palomino stones that adorn the walls, fireplace and patio. “We drove up to New Braunfels, and the three of us made a day of it,” she says. “We walked the rock yard in our tennis shoes.”

Throughout the adventure of building their 4,500-square-foot home that sits on a bluff along U.S. Highway 281, the Haushills realized the importance of collaborating with the professionals involved. Once their architecture firm, A-Designs by Gustavo Arredondo Inc., neared the completion of the home’s drawings, the couple worked closely with Blair to choose the materials, décor and furnishings that would create a rustic oasis. “I remember telling Stacy from the beginning that we’re not formal people and that we wanted to create a casual elegance,” Laurie Haushill says. “We like to entertain, so we wanted a very open and welcoming home for our family and friends.”
 

Most homes shine during the winter holidays. But imagine the splendor if every room displayed a Christmas tree.

For their annual Yuletide shindig for more than 100 family and friends, Laurie and Mark Haushill celebrate with no fewer than eight decorated Christmas trees. Stacy Blair of Blair Designs begins assisting the Haushills with holiday décor in late October so that the home is decked in holiday style by Thanksgiving. Each room features an evergreen with a theme that brims with meaning to the family.
 

The only redeeming value of growing older is that some of us also grow smarter—or at least a little wiser. As the New Year begins, 10 resolutions can ensure better growing seasons for the year to come.

 

For their stylish shapes and wonderful aromas, we pick Circle E Candles  as our favorite holiday candle maker this year. With scents such as Chocolate Mint, Christmas Tree, Apple Strudel and Silver Bells, these square (yes, square!) candles are meant to be savored on a long winter's night.

Luminarias (“little lanterns”) are more than mere candles in white paper sacks. Very popular in the Southwest and attracting growing interest nationwide, luminarias are believed to help the Christ child find his way home on Christmas Eve.

Pack up the kids and head to the country for your fresh-cut tree this year!

Locally grown trees are more eco-friendly than those trucked in from miles away, and your purchase from a professional grower offers a boost to the regional economy. Plus, think of the memories that you'll create together in harvesting and trimming your own tree.

By Terra Hangen, Guest Blogger

Brilliant red, snowy white and rosy pink amaryllis blooms bring a festive air to your home. Since amaryllis bulbs are so easy to grow you might consider purchasing a Twinkle Twinkle, Candy Floss or another cheerfully named amaryllis variety now for your home or as a holiday gift--or both!

You need not have a green thumb to successfully grow amaryllis, and they are intriguing to look at from the moment you plant their bulbs. As the thick stalks rise up on the plant, visitors will stop in their tracks and say, “Wow, what is that?”

Yes, these are spectacular holiday plants, even before they bloom.

By Pamela Price 

A few weeks back, my son and I ventured into the big city. Our destination? The acclaimed San Antonio Botanical Garden (SABOT). Amazingly, though we'd driven around the adjacent neighborhood, we'd never actually ventured inside the garden. 

Our timing was perfect for a first trip--not only had the first monarch butterflies begun to arrive, but the Terrific Treehouses exhibit was still underway. The show, a collaborative endeavor between SABOT and AIA San Antonio, merges fantasy and reality on the garden's lush grounds. My toddler was especially enamored with the first structure we encountered, which was modeled on a space ship.

The Experts at Sherwin-Williams sit down and do a quick Question and Answer session on Deck maintenence. Take a look at some of their Expert Tips to keep your Deck good as new through the Hill Country Summer!