Furniture sets from large retailers are just so…blah. Although, when you need to fill a room in a pinch, buying the dining room display makes life a lot easier! With our recent move from Oregon to Salt Lake City (SLC), we vowed to take our time to find unique dining furniture and never buy a set from a catalog again.

Our table now is a set from World Market, and it’s served its purpose for many years, but the table is way too small in our 100 year-old bungalow dining room. Some of you may be able to hand-pick furniture from five different stores and throw a room together in a weekend, but it’s in my nature to over-think most home decorating purchases. What if I found something I liked even better a week later?!

Finding Unique Dining Room Ideas In Catalogs

I know I just stated we would never buy furniture sets from a catalog, and I meant it. What I’m talking about is selecting different pieces from various resources, like CB2, Joss & Main, and local second-hand stores to create a dining room design that looks like it had been collected over time.

After weeks of looking through catalogs (as a new homeowner, you can imagine all the “new resident” mailings we get?), Houzz.com, and Pinterest, I think we’ve landed on a unique dining room combination that’s modern yet traditional. The table is from West Elm, and we found the chairs at the Overstock.com warehouse for nearly half off the sales price. I’m thinking two tufted chairs for the head of the table and two charcoal-gray ghost chairs along each side.

The only downside here is that I’ve, once again, mulled over my decision for too long and the chairs are probably gone. At least now we know the look we’re going for, so we can steal a deal the next chance we get. What do you think, love it or leave it?

The post Can You Find Unique Dining Room Ideas from a Catalog? appeared first on Nest In Style | Garden Living with Modern Style.

Forget the garden shed, I’d hang this garden rake on a wall inside my house! I originally saw the rake on Facebook, shared by Leaf Magazine (if you haven’t checked out this free online garden design magazine, do it!), and was instantly drawn to the color combination. This is what I love about functional art; whether it’s a garden tool or bird house, the designer thinks not just about the look, feel, and function of something, but also the environment it will be used in.

For many gardeners, cost, function, and comfort is everything, and I agree to a certain extent. However, a well-designed tool or accessory not only looks good, but opens your mind to see nature in a different way. With an ordinary rake, leaves are just a chore to me, but with a tool like the Romantic Rake by Ahn Joong_geun, the setting becomes a color inspiration.

Color inspiration: think navy blue walls with yellow or gold accents.

The Romantic Rake is still just a prototype, and I can image it would be expensive. But you have to admit, ordinary leaves have never looked so cool!

The post One Stylish Garden Rake appeared first on Nest In Style | Garden Living with Modern Style.

Over 2,000 full-color photos.

The latest edition of The New Sunset Western Garden Book ($34.95) offers gardeners more than just pretty pictures. Although, with over 2,000 full-color photos, it’s hard not to flip through the book and admire all the beautiful landscape and planting ideas from water-wise gardens, to edible gardens, to do-it-yourself projects. For 80 years now, Sunset garden experts have provided Western gardeners with information about the latest design trends, smart planting choices for your climate, and practical gardening advice from start to finish.

I could list all the new features of the book, but wouldn’t you rather see them for yourself? Watch and listen as Sunset Garden Editor Kathy Brenzel highlights the new and improved sections of The New Sunset Western Garden Book.

Be sure to check out Kathy’s plant picks and tips below the video, then enter to win 1 of 5 Sunset Western Garden Books!

Plant Picks and Tips from Sunset Garden Editor Kathy Brenzel

(1) What tips can you offer homeowners for keeping their flowering perennials and annuals blooming all summer long? What varieties offer the longest bloom times with the lowest amount of maintenance?

Deadhead your perennials for summer-long blooms. (Source: Sunset.com)

Deadhead regularly. Clipping off spent blooms is the best way to keep flowers coming on all kinds of plants—from roses to coreopsis.

Good long season bloomers that don’t take lots of fussing include agastache, aster, catmint, penstemon, purple coneflower, salvias (many), and yarrow.

(2) Many communities throughout the country are experiencing longer drought conditions during hot summer months. In your opinion, what are the keys to achieving a beautiful, low-water landscape?

Choosing the right plants for your region is the best way to start. Select plants that tolerate drought once established.

Grow native. Native plants are good choices because they’re already adapted to natural conditions in your area. These include sword ferns in the Northwest, ceanothus in California, and some penstemons in southwest deserts and mountain areas.

Opt for unthirsty perennials such as echinacea, gloriosa daisy, Shasta daisy, yarrow. Water them well through the first couple of years to get them established.

Mulch. For established garden plants, save water by applying a 2 to 3- inch- thick layer of mulch (such as fine fir bark) around plants to conserve
water.

Use permeable paving. Gravel and decomposed granite allow water through it to plant roots.

Conserve water whenever possible. Buy a rain barrel and hook it up to your home’s downspouts to capture rainfall. You can use that water to irrigate container plants, or refresh plants that need it.

(3) If you could pick just three knock-out specimen plants to showcase in your front yard, what would they be and why?

I wouldn’t necessarily mix these in the same garden, since thei’re all striking on their own. But all three make fine front yard specimens.

Arbutus ‘Marina’. For its beautiful cinnamon-colored bark on trunk and branches, its shapely canopy, and the tiny pink flowers in fall. One of the prettiest plantings I’ve seen: A pair of these striking trees flanking a front entry walk.

Japanese maple. Tough but elegant, with delicate foliage. I especially love the low growers whose foliage turns vibrant hues in fall, such as ‘Orangeola’ (fiery orange fall leaves) and ‘Shaina’ (red fall leaves). Every garden could use a little glow in autumn.

Weeping atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca pendula’). A stunning sculptural tree with silvery blue needles and hanging branches. It’s drought tolerant once established, and even looks great in a large container.

(4) Summer may almost be over, but now is the time to start thinking about a fall garden. What are the five most versatile edibles for small space gardens, and what new varieties should we be looking for at our local nurseries?

Add color to your garden beds with Swiss chard. (Source: Sunset.com)

Arugula. I love the nutty zing these tender young leaves add to salads and sandwiches. Arugula is easy to grow from seed, even in a low bowl (about 12 inches diameter) filled with potting mix.

Bok choy (also called pak choi), this Asian green grows in tidy smallish rosettes that are as pretty in the garden as they are versatile in the kitchen. Use them as edgings, or in the veggie bed, or cluster several in a container. In the kitchen, its great in stir fries and soups.

Garlic. A kitchen essential, and it tastes better when you grow your own fresher and juicier than store-bought garlic. ‘Spanish Roja’ , a hardneck type, has purple blushed skin and large cloves that peel easily; Lettuce (Butterhead types). We love alternating bands of various- colored lettuces in a winter veggie bed. Among my current favorites: ‘Marveille des Quatre Saisons’, a French variety of red butterhead with loosely- cupped green leaves are tinged with shades of ruby rose pink and bronze; ‘Little Gem’, a smaller, fatter variety of romaine, with textured leaves–perfect for braising; ‘Speckles’, with green leaves spattered red; and ‘Red Sails’ with glossy, reddish-brown leaves.

Swiss chard. It’s pretty in containers and in garden beds. ‘Bright Lights’ is a stunner, with leaves ranging from green to burgundy, and stalks in yellow, orange, pink, purple and red.

(5) Frosty grass plumes and snow-topped seed heads are often the forgotten beauties of winter landscapes. What are your favorite perennial combos to plant and enjoy now, but will provide dramatic winter interest later?

Phormiums look fabulous in containers. (Source: Sunset.com)

Yes, leave those seedheads on your plantings of tall Eulalia grass (Miscanthus sinensis), Pennisetum orientale, and other ornamental grasses through winter to shimmer in daylight. Tuck some bronze New Zelaland flax between them to carry the show. A few flat-topped Sedums ‘Autumn Joy’ in foreground can complete the show.

Another great way to add winter interest to borders, which I spotted in gardens in Alaska: Weave low mounding conifers such as mugho pine throughout your perennial border. They’re beautiful when dusted with snow, and suggest a border’s shape even after their perennial companions have gone dormant and disappeared.

Enter the Sunset Giveaway!

Here’s your chance to win 1 of 5 copies of The New Sunset Western Book* and the timing couldn’t be better. The holidays are coming up and the cooler temperatures of fall make it a great time to install last-minute hardscaping, like paths and patios, and to plant cool-season crops, perennials, and trees.

Entering is simple. I’m even offering two ways to submit your name.

1. Answer the following question in the comments section below. {good for 1 entry}
2. Click on over to the Nest In Style Facebook page and share this blog post. {good for 1 entry}

GIVEAWAY QUESTION: What is the one area of gardening you wish you were better at (e.g., design, watering, not killing plants, etc)? If you’ve never gardened before, what’s stopping you?

That’s it! Giveaway ends midnight on Wednesday, August 22. Winners will be announced on Twitter and Facebook the following day. Good luck!

*Books will only be shipped to US addresses.

<em>Disclosure: I was not paid to write this post. I received five free copies of the book to giveaway to my readers courtesy of Sunset Magazine. My words and opinions are my own.</em>

The post Sunset Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Resource for Design-minded Gardeners appeared first on Nest In Style | Garden Living with Modern Style.

Patches, The Silver-laced Wyandotte, helps herself to the fresh patch of chicken forage blend.

Give your home fresh eggs a boost of Omega-3 by growing and feeding your backyard flock a Chicken Forage Blend that ;achieves ;the result right in the egg. Not only will you be fortifying your eggs with heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, but your chickens will love grazing on the fresh blend of alfalfa, clover, and flax in their chicken run.

If you plan to keep your chickens cooped up for a day or two, it’s a good idea to place something in their run to entertain themselves, because when they get bored, bad behaviors can surface. The Chicken Forage Blend is perfect for our little backyard flock, since we take our teardrop ;trailer (The Cozy Cruiser) ;on long weekend camping trips during the summer.

ENTER TO WIN: Theresa Loe, over at Living Homegrown, and I are giving away four 1-pound bags of Chicken Forage Blend from Peaceful Valley. Click to enter the giveaway

Congratulations Chicken Forage Giveaway Winners!

Sorry, this giveaway has ended. Congratulations to Jason and Ronda Perkins for winning a 1-pound bag of Peaceful Valley’s Chicken Forage Blend. I’m sure your chickens will love you for growing their own fresh foraging greens. Have fun! Don’t forget to check out Theresa’s website Living Homegrown to see if you’re a winner.

BONUS: You all posted so many great suggestions for keeping your chickens entertained that I’ve decided to create a special blog post listing all of your helpful answers. I also have two short videos to share with you! Stay in the loop by subscribing to Nest In Style (see form in the footer of this website).

Growing Your Own Forage Blend is Easy

You don’t have to be a Master Gardener to grow your own Chicken Forage Blend. All it takes is a little know-how and a short list of supplies. My instructions will only show you how to grow one 17 inch flat of the seed blend, but if you understand the concept of successive gardening, you can schedule multiple sowings two weeks apart for a continuous supply throughout the growing season.

Supply List

1. One bag of organic potting soil
2. One 1-pound bag of Omega-3 Chicken Forage Blend
3. One 17″ Square Seed Flat
4. One Soil Scoop
5. Fine mesh screen

Peaceful Valley sells the Chicken Forage Blend in one pound bags, perfect for making small batches. ;A 1-pound bag of Chicken Forage Blend sows about 20 of the 17 inch seed flats; or if your backyard allows for more space, you can buy the seed blend in bulk and plant an Omega-3 lawn for your chickens to graze on.

Good-to-know Tip #1: ;Use a sterile blend of organic potting soil when starting seeds in containers. The soil from your garden is too heavy for the little sprouts to break through the surface and most likely has bacteria that will keep your seeds from germinating.

Let’s Get Sowing!

STEP 1: ;Cut the fine mesh screen – same stuff used for sliding screen doors – the same size as the bottom of your container. This will keep the soil from spilling out the bottom when you water. I’ve used leftover landscape plastic before, but you’ll have to remember to poke holes for drainage.

STEP 2: Use your Soil Scoop to fill up the 17″ Seed Starting Tray with the organic potting soil – I like Gardner & Bloome’s Eden Valley Blend – leaving about a 1/4 inch from the top. Since good potting soil is light and airy, the soil will settle once you start watering.

STEP 3: Sow the seed thickly. How thick? I don’t have a “formula” or anything, but you can refer to the photo below.

Sow the Chicken Forage Blend Seed thickly.

Grow-to-know Tip #3: ;If you don’t know the proper planting depth for your seeds, plant the seed no deeper than 3 times the thickness of the seed.

STEP 4: Evenly sprinkle more organic potting soil on top of the seed about 1/4 inch thick and lightly tamp down the surface with your hand.

A top-dressing of potting soil will help to keep the seeds moist while they germinate.

Good-to-know Tip #4: ;All seeds need constant moisture to germinate, so plan on watering everyday until the seeds germinate. In other words, DO NOT wait until the soil is dry to water.

STEP 4: ;Place in a sunny part of your yard that get’s at least 4-6 hours of sun. All you need to do now is water and wait!

Find a safe place – away from pets – for your seed containers while the seeds germinate and grow.

From Seed to Chicken Run

You won’t have to wait long before the Chicken Forage Blend is ready to serve. The sprouts are usually ready in about 3 weeks. For small space gardeners, the tricky part is finding a sunny place high enough so your chickens don’t help themselves to an afternoon snack. Click thumbnails to see larger photos

Win a 1-Pound Bag of Chicken Forage Blend!

Our friends over at Peaceful Valley have generously offered four 1-pound bags of their Chicken Forage Blend for Theresa and I to give away to our readers. You have two chances to win. All you have to do is give your answer to one or both of the following questions in the comments section below, then click on over to Theresa Loe’s Living Homegrown website to give your answer to her question. Pretty simple, right?

Giveaway ends midnight on Wednesday, July 18. Good luck!

;

1. What are some ways you keep your flock from getting bored in their chicken run?
2. If you don’t have chickens yet, what made you decide to start raising backyard chickens?

Disclosure: I was not paid to write this post. I received free bags of seed from Peaceful Valley to giveaway to my readers, and a free bag of potting soil from Kellogg Garden Products. My words and opinions are my own.

The post Enrich Your Backyard Chicken’s Eggs with Omega-3 appeared first on Nest In Style | Garden Living with Modern Style.

The timing could not be more perfect. In less than one week, I’m picking up this urban homestead and starting over again in Salt Lake City! {And just because everyone asks me, NO, I’m not becoming a Mormon.} I’ve lived in Eugene, OR, for most of my life, so needless to say, this is a huge change for me culturally and environmentally. Why not blog about it, right?

What’s New with Nest In Style?

I am a serious do-it-herselfer, so I plan to take full advantage of building and creating stylish new spaces in and around our new 100-year-old bungalow in Salt Lake City. You should see the backyard, it’s practically a blank slate! Nest In Style will now be home to my adventures in learning a completely new gardening zone {from Sunset climate zone 6 to 3A – later I’ll explain why I prefer Sunset’s zone over the USDA’s}, designing new outdoor spaces, growing edibles fit to eat and drink, sharing various DIY projects, and raising urban chickens. I may even throw in a few camping and mountain biking expeditions as we travel through the beautiful state of Utah {home to five national parks!}.

Upcoming NIS Blog Posts

I’ve had a few blog topics saved up for a while, but this move to Salt Lake City has eaten up all my spare time. In the coming weeks, I plan to start posting about the following topics:

• Grow Your Own Chicken Forage Blend – Giveaway
• The Sunset Western Garden Book is a Must-have Companion – Giveaway
• A Look at My New Digs in Salt Lake City
• Begin with the End in Mind When Designing New Outdoor Spaces
• A guest post from someone cool in the garden world
• Gardening Almost Year-round in Salt Lake City - Giveaway

The post Out with The Old and In with The New appeared first on Nest In Style | Garden Living with Modern Style.