Having Babies....

Not me...but our Agave plants!

When I purchased plants for the our Ojai landscape, I included three varieties of Agave.

They are very drought tolerant and add so much interest to our garden beds. 

 I wanted these to be companion plants, to the many other softer,

 more willowy plants that complement the style of this garden

Sometimes they are called a Century Plant, 

because they bloom about every 15 to 20 years,

but what I have learned is that they will bloom sooner

 if you pamper them a bit...which it looks like I have done!

Most of the Agave that we planted were in 3 and 5 gallon containers...actually pretty small

I planted the T Webber's Blue, Americana 

and my favorite the Desmettiana Variegata

Almost all the Agave have become really large, 4 years later

 and most of the plants are surrounded by "pups" 

 We will try to dig up and divide these this winter or early spring 

to use in other areas of the garden.

Let me add that these pretty but pesky plants 

are really difficult to dig around...my husband and I have both gotten some pretty nasty "pokes' from the sharp ends 

and they leave bruised and tender lumps when you get jabbed!

 now for the 

"plant sic-fi"

 part of this post

  about a month ago two of them started to sprout this 

crazy weird asparagus stalk thingy...

what is that....?

oh no...

I don't think this is a good thing!

the stalks are about 4 feet high right now 

and seem to be growing about a foot each week...

it's like a Jack and the Beanstalk event

 I did some research and came across a great blog called  

Gardening Gone Wild

You must visit this site

 if you are even somewhat into gardening...trust me on this one.

 One of the blog writers happens to be a well known author and lecturer named Debra Lee Baldwin. 

 I realized when I read her bio, that I have one of her books, which I love:

Designing With Succulents.

I highly recommend her book 

if you have a desire to use succulents in containers 

or in your garden.  

It is full of info and inspiration!

 Agave are a type of plant called Monocarpic,

 which means the plant will die after if flowers.

  The mother plant grows this tall stalk, in order to reproduce more agave

and expends all of her energy as she does this. 

In the photo above you can see where the stalk is staring to produce 

the beginnings of lateral branches.

Here is a photo of what this stalk will eventually look like

 courtesy of Debra's web site

 The stalks will go from green to red 

and form these 20 foot tall "trees"

Each branch will have many groups of blossoms.  

When the stalk can no longer support the weight of the blossom clumps

 it falls over.

  The idea is 

that the small little Agave babies 

will start to grow where they land...how efficient is our Agave mom!?

This type of agave offers highly nutritious nectar for butterflies and hummingbirds too

It is also used as a sugar substitute 

which I think we have all seen in the super market  as 

Agave Nectar...

similar to honey but much sweeter

 The longer I garden in this climate 

the more I have come to love succulents 

and the beauty of these unique plants

 I will keep a good "gardeners journal" on this happy event

 because 

I may never see this happen again in our garden..or in my lifetime even!

  I have decided to buy a pair of really long leather gloves for dealing with these beauties...and maybe a pair of goggles...

and a helmet

and a...OK I'll just show you

happy gardening!

It's been way too long....make way for the chickens

 It 's been so long since I have posted... I almost forgot how to upload photos!

We have been super busy with design projects and yard work 

that sometimes blogging gets put at the bottom of the list

We are finally going to tackle the chicken coop and garden shed project.  I have been collecting photos for quite a while and I like so many different coops it's hard to pick a favorite.

People have gotten so creative with this urban chicken craze, that I'm glad I have waited to build a coop, because there are so many great designs out there

Most coops follow a pretty standard design formula...

the chickens need a coop to nest and lay eggs

they need a place to scratch and feed and a spot to hang out and perch

 they need fresh air and sunshine 

but need protection from critters that like to have 

chicken for dinner 

and they need to be warm in really cold weather

 We have decided to use cedar siding and redwood for the coop and some old windows and doors we have saved from our remodeling projects.  The roof will be galvanized metal which will be good because the coop will be located under some big oak trees.

Here is our chosen spot...across the creek

 What i like about this spot is it has filtered sunlight...

It is easily accessible from the vegetable garden 

and I will be adding another compost bin 

adjacent to the coop to toss in chicken poop

Next door to the coop will be a new garden shed 

for storing all of our 

"stuff" 

like mowers, fertilizers, clippers, hoses etc

This is a big open area between the two bridges 

which has a great view of the yard

We are going to build the coop first and get the design right 

so we can repeat some of the same elements in the shed

 Here are some great coops...

Heather Bullard built this one and I purchased the plans from her....It is so cute!

 this little gem I saw on Pinterest

what a great door and window

 I not sure who's coop this is but it is wonderful

I think using the up-cycled material really adds to the charm

 This one I found on backyardchickens.com

Another great coop with clearstory windows

I love the white trim

This is a modern looking coop which is really cool painted black

and has little candle lanterns...very nice don't you think ?

I like the idea of painting the trim a color maybe green or black or white...maybe even red!

 If you have a coop or a chicken story 

I'd love to hear your advice!

In the mean time I'm clucking along....and so happy fall is finally here

smiles

~Kelley~

Kitchens with Clutter...What Do We Really Want?

 I recently read a great article on Houzz 

regarding the trends 

or perhaps the endless confusion...

as to what really belongs in great kitchen design 

and when is 

too much, really way too much

 and 

what is that special "thing" we are all looking for right now?

Should kitchens be left bare, clean and spare,

to showcase appliances and gorgeous stone?

or

should  

the clutter be confined under an island 

or in a freestanding cabinet?

Do we like open shelving 

to display our dishes and glassware?

 or 

is this just going to become a big dust collector?

Are we loving the vintage inspired kitchen,

 with rough limed stone and raw wood

 or 

is modern, sleek and classic our choice overall?

or 

is it best to just tuck it all away and I mean everything...

behind doors and cabinets, 

just like we have been doing for decades?

  So here is the question....

is it 

clean clean clean

or 

interesting personal and unique

?

Here are a few kitchens that I happen to think are all pretty darn wonderful...

each quite different and all with their own style, personality 

and each show examples of 

  what should/can be placed on or not

 (as the case may be) 

on counter tops, in shelves, cabinets, furniture etc 

the list goes on....

 the uncluttered classic kitchen 

with an incredible island...via Pinterest

notice how the ceiling mimics the pickled wood of the counter

 A Karin Blake kitchen...with folk art!  

She was one of the first to incorporate furniture into kitchens in the 1980s 

and she is a master of this look

A Nancy Koepke kitchen...lots of vintage and collections and so much to look at!

Could you do this one? I so could for a vacation home

 Meg Ryan...modern yet very warm...perhaps like the owner!

 Sarah Richardson...

she does great kitchens

 and all of them seem to be a bit different

This was not one of my favorite of her designs 

but I like many of the elements she used

 this is a modern interpretation of a country inspired kitchen...amazing!

 This looks to be a European kitchen...all of the elements really belong in this room

 and it doesn't seem cluttered

 Open shelving, but tidy and pulled together with a bit of industrial

I think I'm over industrial at the moment...just me

 Very minimalistic, with just a few touches of wood 

This is a pretty simple kitchen

 and would be very easy to do as a remodel

 Another classic kitchen with Ina Garten inspired glass canisters 

on the counters

Do we like canisters?

I like them and think they always belong 

in a great looking kitchen space

 "country...ish"

 but not over done and everyone loves 

a great looking french bottle rack with mugs

 I like the shelving,

 but I think this room was styled with way too many objects 

that don't really work together...why the cake and the round shell ball?

It's got a Shaw's sink for pete's sake... keep the clutter away!

 I think this kitchen is by Molly Frey....perfectly balanced and all great elements

 The whole idea of furniture in the kitchen is really wonderful

and I totally love the idea...it is definitely on my list of "must haves"

 More unique furniture, used as an island. 

 I like the way they took the uppers and made cubby like spaces for the dishes

 Heather Bullard's kitchen...this girl know what she's doing!

 Martha...I think

It's the repetition of a single element

 that works so well

 Collections in the kitchen? 

 I think I like this collection of hotel silver

 but is it too much of the same element?

 What about the idea of open shelving in the lower cabinets?...

I like this kitchen a lot but I doubt this is such a great idea.  

I have a feeling my dog would be in there licking the batter bowls!

But the period details are wonderful

 What do you think of the brick floors
and the wood counters? 

Probably with all of the different textures and design elements going on in this kitchen

 it  would not be great kitchen

 for lots of display 

and might start to look too cluttered

 The kitchen above is wonderful and I would really hesitate

 putting much of anything on the counters... 

you really just want to enjoy the size and the design

 Martha Stewarts Turkey Hill kitchen above is beautiful 

but I find all of the copper distracting, 

not to mention the up keep...argh!

 Here is Martha's new gleaming gray kitchen,

so much more soothing and interesting

 Martha really knows how to conquer the clutter!

 Here is one of my old kitchens...looking at this now I still like it,

 but I think I would change things at this point in time

 You couldn't actually work at this counter with all of this stuff 

but it looks great as a styled photo and all of the element work so nicely with one another....

even the bread matches!

 another kitchen with old furniture

 The Belgian de-constructed kitchen is the new hot look 

in many magazines and on blogs.

I like the look of this 

but it seems like an impossible place to do dishes or to actually prepare a meal,

but maybe if I were living here I could work around that!

 The "It's Complicated" kitchen looks pretty darn real to me...this looks like the counter top of someone who uses that sink and actually cooks

I guess that's the point with great set design, right?

 Grey is definitely the new white in kitchen design...

just enough counter clutter to be interesting and again no uppers in this photo

 A Nancy Fischelson kitchen...

she really knows how to add interest with vintage items 

and notice that there are no upper cabinets here either

and of course the famous Sally Wheat kitchen

 via Joni at Cote de Texas...this kitchen has been copied over and over by blog readers

once again...conquering the clutter 

but adding just enough interesting, visible elements to make you want to see more

I think this is a Pam Pierce kitchen....

More furniture, which I love and open concept styling 

and

 another brick floor!  

Trend alert!

 Jane Moore's kitchen via Veranda

is this the one?

deconstructed...check

furniture...check

no upper cabinets...check

collections...check

vintage...check

Peri Wolfmans kitchen...again perfectly balanced 

with all of the things we seem to want right now

I think this photo is probably at least 10 years old 

but she just did this kitchen right!

and just to make sure you have not forgotten what a real life looser kitchen looks like...this is my kitchen in Ojai, when we first purchased this house.

 This is my idea of the worst clutter,
silly hanging pots, bad wine racks, gross tile and old cabinetry...

I like to think of my old kitchens like old boy friends
...we will never ever love each other ...ever again

don't call me...I'll call you...

xxoo

kelley