The sun is shinning and temperatures are dropping, I don’t know about you but I am getting an itch to work in my yard. This is the best time of year to plant trees and shrubs. The lower temperatures and shorter days allow time for the plant to acclimate to your soil chemistry and it keeps you from watering all the time.

Everyday I talk to customers about designing their gardens, what plant should go where, how do I care for it and so on. The big question right now is, is now a good time to plant? The answer is yes! Get out there and get dirty, have fun!

After all the storms blew threw this year, my neighbor and I share a fence with Ham and Eggs Lantana growing all along it. Well, needless to say it looked a mess so we has to cut it back, now I have an unsightly fence standing out like a sore thumb. I have found myself to be my own client, so I thought I would share my Gardening Made Simple project with you.

I have spent many an hour sitting on my porch coming up with creative and cost effective ways of changing my landscape. I really want to create an environment that is welcoming and safe. My husband and I moved into our flat almost three years ago; upon arrival I was put in charge of the landscape…big surprise. I have made some great changes here and there. I added Boxwood in the front and Eugenias on either side of the steps. The original owner had roses in the bed which I have saved in containers. Along the sides of the house I maintain the basics, weeding and feeding, but nothing special.

I am ready to move to the next step. I have my ideas and the drive to get something done, now it is time take pictures and measurements. The other important step is to create a to do list. This will help you establish your project goals and communicate them to anyone that may be helping you with your project.

Here is my list of goals:

1. Estabilish a low maintenance garden

2. Create areas of interest and color

3. Maintain the current traffic flow

4. Install irrigation (this is a BIG key in keeping it low maintenance)

5. Use existing plant material to keep with in my budget.

I am going to take pictures and post them so you can follow this project along with me. I hope that after seeing what one person can do with practical applications, that you will see how easy and rewarding landscaping can be.

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In our home we find all kind of things that we need to improve.   Its really funny that we just completely renovated our home from top to bottom and I still see a million things that we either need to change or improve.

Our boys bathroom really needs the finishing touches.  We wanted to have a custom vanity built but just can not seem to find the right builder.  We have put great thought and found that we could use a French Curved Dresser with modifications like a marble top and under mount basin.

Our kitchen turnout great after the second go around with typical contractor issues.  A friend of mine, Marc, used  the Tuscan Kitchen Island to add additional storage and a meeting point in the home.  After seeing it in his home, I am jealous that we didn’t do the   same thing.

Our bedroom is just yummy.  I have talked about it before and I will say that it gets better everyday.  Our Belle Notte Bridal White linens are so comfortable.  I am noticing that each time we wash our linens, they get softer and softer.

Our bathroom has been a long time coming.  Beth has waited for this bathroom for a long time, over 10 years.  Well, it has all the wonderful things a bathroom should have and more.  We have filled our bathroom with Savannah Bee Bath and Body Products.  I use the hand cream every night.  Beth use to complained about my dry hands and told me that even men need to use moisturizer.  So I started using a variety of different products that I found at the local drugstore and then decided to try Savannah Bee products that were at the shop.  I couldn’t believe the difference in how my hands felt in the morning.  Then I  started using it on my legs, elbows and knees to help with all problem areas.

Our family room has really taken shape.  We spend most of our time in this space as a family, I guess thats why its called the family room.  Beth picked out a great sofa with matching “swallow you alive”chairs by Four Seasons.  I thought she lost her mind when it showed up in “Charleston White” seeing that we have 2 growing boys but they are learning the rules around the sofa quickly.  I think Beth has them so scared that she will take a limb off if they get it dirty that they think before the sit.

Our landscape has really come together and looks really mature for such a young garden.  We held off on the landscaping because I want to raise the house to 11 feet so I can park under the house and keep it above any possible flood that could come our way but Beth just wanted it finished.     We have one of our signature French Anduze pots in the center of the front garden with a beautiful white flowering vine growing on an obelisk.  We also have a tremendous amount boxwoods, 3500 1 gallon plants, not thats a lot for such a small yard.  Our backyard is really simple and clean.  We planted boxwoods, holly trees and seasonal color.  Our pool house has 2 beautiful copper hayracks planted with “ of course white flowers” to tie in the copper gutters on the house.

The one distinct thing that you can always tell in our home when you walk in the door is we always having some wonderful smell lingering throughout the rooms.  Somedays its a Seda France candle or one of the  Sienna Arts candles delivering such an inviting warm sense.  Our boys, Aiden and Ashton  have become so accustom to the smells that they are often the one to light a candle first.

I think sometimes its because they like fire but others days I think its because they have come to appreciate the little things in life.  It only took me 38 years to figure it out.

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The Fall is a great time to consider planning renovations or additions to your garden.  Fall in New Orleans is the second spring in the Big Easy.  As the temperatures turn favorable for planting and the humidity starts to decline making our plants actually smile.   

Here are a handful for gardening ideas that can entire you into the hall of Gardening Fame in your neighborhood.  

1. Start by looking at all the plants and the condition have this summer and recent Gustav challenge.  If you notice broken limbs, damaged leaves, fungus or insect damage then consider replacing.  

2.Revisit your long term gardening plan.  Maybe its time to remove those old hedges by adding some new hedges.  There are new varieties of plants released every year with improvements as well as pest resistant. 

3.Make sure you are feeding our plants as this will provide a return on your investment 10 fold.  A solid feeding program throughout the year will make all your plants healthier as well as stronger.  Healthier plants need less care.  

4.Add colorful potted accent plants at entrance ways and focal points in the yard.  

5.Plan your garden thinking about all 4 seasons.  Fall-Winter-Spring-Summer with annual rotations for each season. Planning will give you something to look forward to in your yard and rather than be a follower..you will be the leader.  

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In the past years there had been a change in our wonderful New Orleans heritage; some call it the hurricanation, others call it evacucation; I call it stress. Our wonderfully lazy summer days are interrupted with a trip to a hotel room, sitting in traffic for hours and coming home to a house that is devoid of food, electricity and stinky. This event happens about once a year…the past few we have been lucky; which gave me the opportunity to really think about how I can make home away from home.

Scents play such an important part of our environments. I thought to myself, how can I make my hotel room and my car smell like home and how can I come home to a house that smells fresh and clean? In other words, how can reduce my stress and put a smile on my face during the fun of running away from weather.

My answer came to me…Seda France has this new fragrance Malaysian Bamboo. This candle comes in a nice pagoda box with a mint green and orange toile pattern making me feel rather decedent. The smell is fabulous; it is this fresh clean fragrance that fills the room with out being over powering. I keep a candle at my house and lit it the minute we got home and with in the hour I was feeling better about the terrible adventure I just had.

Sara's Favorite Scent

I thought to myself, that I need to get the room spray to use in the car and the hotel (that way I won’t have to worry about burning the building down….like we need any more challenges.) I think next time we take a evacucation I am going to be more prepared than ever.

I am not the only one with this brilliant idea. I got back to the shop and every customer that came in asked for the best smelling or the strongest fragrant candle we had. I immediately thought of my Seda France candle. Our most popular scents are the Japanese Quince and the French Tulip. The Japanese Quince comes in the same pagoda candle with a chocolate and blue toile pattern. It has the same fresh clean scent as the Malaysian Bamboo but it is much more powerful; great for larger rooms and parties.

The French Tulip, also in the pagoda box, has a blue and orange toile. Its fragrance is floral and fresh, nice and strong, it makes a statement.

There are so many more scents that Seda France makes. I have yet to find one I can not stand…and I am picky. I also like the fact that you can get them in these cute travel candle tins (perfect for trips) and the room sprays. I think the best part of these candles, is that you get what you pay for; gotta love Oprah for finding these. Once you light the candle you don’t have to leave it burning for long, let the wax liquefy on the top and blow it out, the scent will carry through a average size room well.

I guess life is always going to have storms and power outages, the best thing to do is find the small things that make you happy. Whether it is a yummy candle or a special treat don’t be afraid to indulge…being strong in tough times means you deserve it. I think I said it best in a letter to my Mom. “I admire the bugs in my garden, because whenever there is bad weather they protect themselves from harm and when the clouds clear and the sun come out, they go right back to their business. May we all learn to be bugs.”

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See my blushing bride

I know this sounds funny but there is nothing better than racing up the stairs in our house to see who is going to be the first to climb into our yummy bed.  Beth and I chase one another up the stairs screaming,”Hurry” see we used to have a dog named Ollie that if you said, ” Hurry” the dog would take off running.  Sometimes our two boys get in on the fun and get into the chase.  Beth usually starts off with the I’m gonna get your booty…trying to pinch the kids as the make the mad dash upstairs to bed.    This is a time of the day that I can not wait for because we have the most wonderful bedding by Belle Notte.  Our bed is dressed in the Bridal White.   Everyone loves to wooly down in their bed…Belle Notte makes it even better  Yeah….dont be skeptical….understand that you will be a Belle Notte fan once you try them.  Ok, they are expensive but you spend at least 30 % of your day sleeping in your bed and can you image wearing an uncomfortable pair of shoes? 

When you are looking for a great night sleep…it might not be your mattress that needs to be replaced, maybe it time to treat yourself to sleeping bliss with a bed fitted with Belle Notte.

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