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By Patti Robertson

Well now, Decorating and Design 101…Let’s get to it! Let’s take an in depth look at not only re-designing one room at a time but your entire home both inside and out. All the same rules, tips and tricks will apply.

Let’s begin our sessions with a list of “dos” for preparation in all case scenarios. In each and every design situation we need to make a decision as to what elements will be staying and what will no longer be used, this starts the defining process whereby colourations, stylings and themes can be selected for the finished area.

Filtering through our possessions, with budget in mind we need to decide if the floor covering, or wall covering or colouration stay or go. Are the window treatments or the furnishings a part of the final look? What is the room’s primary usage, how many people are you trying to accommodate and in what capacity? Will the room be multi-tasking? How serviceable do the furnishings, fixtures, and electronics need to be…are you gentle in your usage or more free-style and rough and tumble? All of this analysis allows you to get in touch with not only the size and scale of the space, but also gives one a very exact way of determining the outcome of the

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Once this step is completed with satisfaction, it is time to look at what is left; this allows you an up-close look at a possible colour scheme. Take a very close look. If you are left with, say, a plaid pattern or floral or abstract, you will, no doubt, have several colour options that you can start to develop a scheme around. If you have all plain objects and materials, you will need to recognize the predominant value of the colour. The process will now include adding textures and patterns to give the final area life and interest. Are you able to define your furniture stylings? Are they Contemporary, Traditional, Classic or Eclectic Sally Anne? The more complete our information, the more prepared we’ll be in getting “what’s right” in our final presentation.

Have you established a realistic budget and game plan? Will you need the services of tradespeople to complete your project goal? The answers to all these questions are of vital importance. A sure bet to get on target with your budget along with not only new but available trends and fashions is to take a leisurely tour through all local and reputable decorating shops and  furniture and accessories galleries. Make a list of questions and talk to the clerks, allowing you to become more knowledgeable and informed about the products and pieces you are interested in incorporating into your room. Look at price tags, sit on furnishings, try out electronics, and take fabric and paint samples home and look at them off and on over a 24-hour period in all types of lighting situations. Be very forward thinking as to how you want your theme to go, as you do not want to trap yourself in a “yesterday” decorating scenario through the purchase of old modes, and trends that are no longer chic.

Take your time…it is the greatest gift you can give yourself and your project. If you rush you will make costly mistakes and then end up living with the result year in and year out.

Two small asides here…it is at this time of year I get the largest amount of calls for  “walk-through” consultations. Most take one-and-one-half hours, and during this time the client and I are able to target and define exactly what will work for them within their home. I can give valuable advice as to the sourcing of your various needs, trades people who do great jobs, budgeting and focusing on where and what to tackle next within your home.

On a personal note, when yours truly plans a project, I start at least 365 days in advance. I line everything up including projecting the costs and then saving up for the project. It has worked marvelously for Ward and me within our home and businesses. In other words “get all your ducks in a row” and proceed.

Essentially any project requires a game plan. What is it you really desire? The factors of  who, what, where and when all need to play a part in achieving your set goal. Always be aware of the “3-Ps”: Planning; Preparation and Perseverance. They will see you through to creating the finished project. It’s a little like being pregnant and preparing for your expectations! Enjoy the process once you’ve decided to begin!

TIP: Clutter is negative energy force within our homes, mind and body. I’m going to repeat a tip from last year, not only because of its timeliness but also because it works fabulously. Once a day, everyday for one week all able bodied occupants of the home, arm themselves with three grocery bags and head for one room each. Into one bag goes refuse and unrecyclable material. Into the second goes the stuff to be mended, repaired and recycled, and into the third goes stuff to be donated to the “Sally Anne”. Within the one week a family of four will diminish and reorganize all clutter by 84 bags. Whew!◊

By Patti Robertson

Well now, Decorating and Design 101…Let’s get to it! Let’s take an in depth look at not only re-designing one room at a time but your entire home both inside and out. All the same rules, tips and tricks will apply.

By Rhea Hamilton-Seeger

Early March is a wonderful time to look after some pruning jobs around the garden.

I readily admit that I don’t jump at the chance to cut and slash at unwanted branches. My husband has probably initiated more pruning around our yard than I have. He hates getting hit in the face with low hanging branches so I have to keep an eye on him when he marches out with the loppers.

There are valuable reasons for pruning. It encourages new growth, increases fruit yield, and cutting out dead or diseased portions keeps your plants healthy. It is not as daunting a task as many believe. A good book for guidance, a sharp pair of secateurs, loppers for heavier branches and a pruning saw for even heavier branches will make the job easier.

There are three degrees of pruning. Hard pruning involves removing a large amount of new growth from all over a plant or cutting back hard on a few shoots. Existing growth is cut back by at least three-quarters or three or four buds from the base. Think roses or hydrangea. Moderate pruning involves about half the amount of the new growth being reduced by half of its length. You are pruning evenly over the entire plant. And then there is light pruning that cuts about one-quarter of any new growth by no more than a quarter of its new length. This may involve just the tips of new shoots.

If you are shaping shrubs keep in mind their natural growth habit. We had beautiful bridal veil shrubs at work. Their long graceful branches arched out and extended over a few feet of ground. They were a nuisance to anyone trying to cut the grass closer to the shrub, so someone armed with dull secateurs went out and cut the branches back to lollipop shapes. There was a lot of deadwood in the centre that should have been cleaned out at that time but this person did not have the proper tools. A year later someone with a lot more experience carefully trimmed out the dead wood and the shrubs have come back. They still need a bit of maintenance but I don’t think I want to raise the issue.

Pruning in early spring is an ideal time for shaping your favourite shrubs and young trees. One simple rule is prune summer and autumn flowering shrubs in the spring and spring blooming shrubs after they have bloomed or mid-summer. But what about evergreens and trees?

Evergreens do not often need pruning. Some near your home may need a bit of shaping or in the case of hedges a bit of thinning out of the underbranches. You want to tackle this job in late spring or wait until late summer. Box and yew shrubs/hedges can be carefully trimmed in late summer too.

The next challenge is trees. It does not matter if you get penny trees or spend a lot more bucks and get a larger version from a nursery. Trees are like children. You give them special attention, feed them only the best, take care of their injuries, guide them into adulthood. And like children, problems happen. You would think that once they hit a certain size they could  take care of themselves. Not so. There will be destructive storms, diseases, and once in a while a bit of shaping is needed. Winter is the best time for cutting back and trimming deciduous trees. We have an extremely old sour cherry tree on the west side of the house. It has been a great source of entertainment. We have watched as it has sheltered many nests of robins, supported voracious raccoons while they devoured cherries, and been tickled by not a few chipmunks. Our daughter would sit in her window-sill watching the robins, enjoying the blossoms and the cool summer breezes that slipped into her window. It has become a benchmark for true spring when it wreaths itself in white blossoms.

But age has crept up and some of its gnarly branches have crossed over and created problems and there are quite a few dead limbs that need trimming out. But a project this big is best left to a professional tree trimmer who can move among the branches without creating any more damage to the tree and effectively pare out the diseased or broken limbs.

Making the right cut is as important as the timing. Young wood heals faster than old wood. How true that is. Make a slanted cut above a bud. Make a straight cut if the buds are opposite each other on the stem. If you cut too far from the bud the stem will wither and become susceptible to disease. Cutting too close to the bud may damage the bud itself.

Always make sure your tools are sharp and clean so you do not tear at the bark. When working on trees look for a branch collar of thick tissue at the base of the branch. There are plant cells in this tissue that will help heal over the cut with callus. Cut cleanly and closely to the ring but leave it intact.

Make sure to collect up all your prunings especially diseased clippings and compost, burn or bag. After pruning give your plant a generous feeding of fertilizer or compost and set out a mulch to retain moisture. In the spring give a good watering. Summer-pruned plants require a good drink and fertilizer.

And remember – too little pruning is always better than too much.

By Rhea Hamilton-Seeger

Early March is a wonderful time to look after some pruning jobs around the garden.