10 Ways to Save Money on Your Energy Bill This Summer

“When the heat reaches it’s peak, it’s always good to have a few ideas of how to conserve energy, while still staying cool.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

It’s Summertime, and the living is easy. Until your see your energy bill. Save money on your electric and utility bills using these energy conservation methods.

Summer is supposed to be a relaxing, low-key time, but it’s hard to unwind when you’re worried about your home’s high energy costs. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to help minimize the energy your household uses during warm weather months. If you’d rather spend your budget on fun-in-the-sun activities than on utility bills, make note of these amazing energy conservation tips.

1. Use ceiling fans to help cool your room

Raise your thermostat a few degrees and use ceiling fans to cool rooms as much as possible. Ceiling fans use less electricity than air conditioners and are comfortable ways to keep air moving in your home. If you received a tax refund this year, you might want to consider using it to purchase ceiling fans for your living spaces and bedrooms to help minimize the energy that you need to keep your home a comfortable temperature during hotter months. Ceiling fans come in a wide variety of sizes, colors, and styles to match virtually any décor. Be sure to look for ceiling fans with the ENERGY STAR certification.

2. Use off peak energy on your appliances

Use off peak energy as much as possible for tasks like running the dishwasher and washing and drying clothes. Check with your local utility company to see if they offer discounted rates for off peak hours and when those rates apply.

via Real Simple

3. Plan no cook dinners for hot days

Plan to have no-cook dinners several times a week. In addition to saving the energy that your stove or oven will use, you’ll also avoid heating up the kitchen and making your air conditioner work harder. There are many easy, nutritional dinners that don’t require cooking. All of which are great choices:

• Green salads
• pasta salads
• sandwiches
• fruit plates

Even some chicken and meat dishes are good served cold. Who wants to eat a big, heavy meal when it’s hot outside anyway?

4. Use a thermostat-controlled attic fan

If you have an attic, consider installing a thermostat-controlled attic fan to help keep your entire house cooler. With sunlight beating down on the roof and heat rising from below, the temperature in attics can rise very quickly in the summer. An attic fan can help cool the space as well as the rooms below.

5. Maintain your air conditioning unit

For peak efficiency, it’s important to keep your exterior air conditioning unitwell maintained. Remove any leaves, twigs, or debris from around the unit, and clean the coils regularly. Change your air conditioning system filters per manufacturer’s instructions to keep energy use to a minimum.

6. Clean your freezer coils

If you have a freezer, remember that it has to work harder during warm weather months to maintain the correct temperature for frozen foods. Keep the coils clean to help it run efficiently, and check the gaskets to make sure the seal is maintained and the unit isn’t leaking cold air. Also, check to see if there is sufficient clearance room around the freezer for air to properly circulate.

7. Take energy conservation measurements before leaving the house

Before you leave on vacation, take some steps to conserve energy use while you are gone.

• Raise your thermostat, and unplug any appliances or electronics that won’t be in use while you’re away.
• Even small appliances and electronics like microwaves and television sets may continue to draw energy if they remain plugged in although they are turned off.
• Remember to set your water heater to “low” or to turn down the temperature while you are away as well.
• Put lamps and lights on timers instead of leaving them on the entire time.
• Close curtains and blinds to keep the warm sunlight out.

8. Use your bathrooms ventilating fan

When you take a shower or a bath in the summer, turn on the bathroom ventilating fan to remove heat and humidity and to help save on cooling costs.

9. Line dry your clothing

Take advantage of the warm weather to line dry clothes and linens instead of using energy to run the clothes dryer. In addition to saving electricity, you’ll save dryer wear and tear on the fabrics.

10. Learn alternative eco-friendly methods to reduce energy costs

Look into alternative ways to cool your home, such as geothermal cooling and evaporative cooling systems. Use your tax refund for window shadinghome improvements, such as installing patio covers, awnings, and solar window screens and films. Strategically placed landscaping can also help provide shade and minimize cooling costs.

You can also keep cool this summer with some old-fashioned methods that don’t require a lot of electricity or energy. Mix up a pitcher of ice-cold lemonade, or make some homemade ice cream using the hand-cranked method instead of an electric machine. Hang a hammock in the shade, and enjoy a good book. Invite the neighbors over for a cook-out instead of heating up your oven and stove. For dessert, enjoy the best summer treat of all that doesn’t even require any energy to prepare – slice open a ripe, red watermelon.

7 Ways to Rethink the Shrub

“If you have any type of yard to maintain, shrubs are a great option. But why not get a little creative for a change and do something interesting.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

Shrubs are ubiquitous throughout our landscapes, many times making up a significant bulk of greenery in the garden. Often used as low-maintenance and long-term plantings around a home’s foundation or as a low walkway edge, these woody plants can do so much more.

Whether you utilize their unusual characteristics, prune them into tight forms or design with them for wildlife, you can get creative with shrubs for a more interesting and unusual garden. Here are ideas for rethinking the basic shrub.

Westover Landscape Design, Inc.

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Variegated Ivory Halo dogwood grows in a garden in New York.

1. Use variegated cultivars. Variegation can make a ho-hum shrub more visually interesting because it adds a white or creamy yellow coloration to the leaves. Variegated leaves can be highly contrasting, and the whiteness brings splashes of light to a dark shade garden.

Example species: Variegated Tatarian dogwood (Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’, USDA zones 2 to 8; find your zone), Ivory Halo dogwood (C. a. ‘Bailhalo’, zones 3 to 7) andvariegated wayfaring tree (Viburnum lantana ‘Variegatum’, zones 4 to 8)

Paintbox Garden

Winterberry (Ilex verticillata, zones 3 to 9) sports bright red berries in winter.

2. Create bird habitat. Many bird species love shrubs because the birds can hunt for bugs and lizards in them while hiding from predators. Smaller birds will nest in woody shrubs, and many shrubs produce berries that are delectable to birds. (But not to other animals; be aware of plants that are toxic to kids or pets.)

The idea of using shrubs for bird habitat isn’t new, but you may want to ask yourself how you can specifically design with shrubs to create a robust habitat for birds. Look for ways to plant near water sources, and pair shrubs with other plants that support wildlife.

See 13 North American native birds and how to attract them to your yard

Charlotte Rowe Garden Design

3. Group together different sizes. Shown here is a grouping of the same species of small broadleaf evergreen shrubs planted at different sizes and pruned into spheres. Yes, this planting is higher-maintenance because it requires a regular pruning schedule. However, it makes for a fun and whimsical look in the garden, with textures and spheres set into a modern paving design with clean lines.

Example species: Littleleaf boxwood (Buxus microphylla, zones 5 to 9) and ‘Golden Gem’ Japanese holly (Ilex crenata ‘Golden Gem’, zones 5 to 8)

The Todd Group

4. Channel the French parterre. A parterre garden features flowers growing in patterns and often a low shaped hedge. The parterre is useful in garden design because it creates a formal, finished look while allowing for other more loosely planted flowering or edible plants to be included.

The traditional French potager garden often uses the idea of the parterre, but with edible plants. You can also use the parterre as a border for annuals that change seasonally.

Urban Angles

5. Create symmetry. Shrubs can be particularly useful for adding symmetrical elements to a rectilinear space. They can be minimalist, as in this example with low clipped boxwoods, or they can be looser.

Create symmetry with plantings that fit the space well by precisely planning out the spacing and pruning requirements. You can do this yourself with some simple measurements. It’s also helpful to place the shrubs while they are still in their containers. Move them around, making sure you have the spacing and alignment perfect.

Mary-Liz Campbell Landscape Design

6. Mix it up. On the other end of the pruning, shaping and symmetrical spectrum is a wilder-looking garden, with flowing perennials flanked by woody shrubs. Woody plants are an important element of the perennial and meadow garden because they provide structure and interest year-round. Additionally, there are many understory and woodland shrubs that can grow with a spreading form to create a naturalistic planting design.

Learn about the reasons for bringing shrubs into the flower garden

Proven Winners

7. Offer seasonal interest. Shrubs, like trees, can provide structure to the garden design — especially in winter. Shown here is the very popular redtwig dogwood (Cornus sericea, zones 2 to 7), with bright red twigs in stark contrast to the white snow. Some deciduous shrubs have a flaming red or bright yellow autumn color as well.

10 Small-Scale Agaves Just Right for Containers

“Small containers and only a little watering, what’s not to love about this idea?”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

There are more than 200 species of agave, ranging in size from 6 inches to more than 12 feet wide. Due to their modest size and compact root systems, smaller agave species make an excellent choice for growing in containers. They require only infrequent watering and do well in summer, even in the heat. Their spiky shapes add dramatic interest to many garden spaces, big or small, along with patios, poolsides and entryways and as outdoor table centerpieces.

Here are 10 agave species that are perfect for smaller areas, with varying cold tolerances, exposure requirements and sizes to ensure there is one right for you.

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

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1. ‘Compacta’ Queen Victoria Agave
(Agave victoria-reginae ‘Compacta’)
Native to Mexico

This smaller version of the slow-growing Queen Victoria agave barely reaches 12 inches wide. The dark green leaves with bright white margins make this species highly desirable. This miniature native of Mexico doesn’t produce offsets (volunteers) like many other species of agave do, and it looks great when planted in groups of three or five.

Where it will grow: Hardy to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 12 degrees Celsius (USDA Zone 8; find your zone)
Light requirement: Full sun is best, but it can handle filtered shade for a few hours a day
Mature size: Up to 8 inches to 1 foot tall and wide

Curtis Horticulture, Inc.

2. ‘Blue Glow’ Agave
(Agave ‘Blue Glow’)
Hybrid of Agave attenuata and Agave ocahui

Every few years there is a new plant arrival that takes the gardening world by storm. In the succulent world, ‘Blue Glow’ agave has done just that. While it doesn’t resemble its parents, the mixing of their genes created an agave that has dark blue-green leaves with yellow and red margins that seemingly glow when backlit by the sun.

Where it will grow: Hardy to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 6.7 degrees Celsius (Zone 9)
Light requirement: Full sun is best, but it can handle filtered shade for a few hours a day; filtered sun is best in low-desert zones
Mature size: 2 feet tall and wide

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Totem pole cactus (Pachycereus schottii var. monstrosus) adds height behind a globular golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) and a spiky rosette of black-spined agave

3. Black-Spined Agave
(Agave macroacantha)
Native to southern Mexico, including Oaxaca

Black-spined agave’s powder-blue leaves and maroon tips provide great color contrast in the garden. This agave produces numerous offsets, creating a clumping appearance. Its narrow leaves and open rosette growth habit add welcome texture in containers.

Where it will grow: Hardy to 25 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 3.9 degrees Celsius (Zone 9)
Light requirement: Full sun to filtered shade
Mature size: 10 to 16 inches tall and wide

BuenoLuna Landscape Design

4. Agave Schidigera
(Agave schidigera)
Native to Mexico, including Chihuahua and south through central Mexico

The curly white fibers that grace this small agave’s bright green leaf edges capture the attention of passersby. White markings on the leaves increase Agave schidigera’s visual appeal.

Where it will grow: Hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 9.4 degrees Celsius (Zone 8)
Light requirement: Full sun or light shade; filtered or afternoon shade is recommended in low-desert gardens
Mature size: 1 foot tall and 1 foot to 2 feet wide

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

5. King Ferdinand Agave
(Agave nickelsiae syn. Agave ferdinandi regis)
Native to Coahuila, Mexico

The resemblance of this agave to Queen Victoria agave is unmistakable, as both have dark green leaves, similar white margins and sharp terminal tips. At one point, it was thought that King Ferdinand agave was a naturally occurring hybrid ofAgave victoria-reginae; however, this is no longer considered to be true. Its unusual shape and open rosette form make it look great planted singly in containers.

Where it will grow: Hardy to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 12 degrees Celsius (Zone 8)
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 1 foot to 2 feet tall and wide

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Agave lophantha ‘Quadricolor’ growing alongside totem pole cactus (Pachycereus schottii var.monstrosus), ‘Blue Elf’ aloe (Aloe‘Blue Elf’) and golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii).

6. Agave Lophantha
(Agave lophantha)
Native to the Rio Grande area of Texas and adjoining Veracruz, Mexico

The leaves of this succulent are a lush green color, with curved maroon teeth along the edges. The center of the leaves often has a lighter stripe that runs the length. There are several varieties of Agave lophantha,including ‘Quadricolor’, which has yellow margins on bright green leaves. Plant it with other succulents for maximum effect.

Where it will grow: Hardy to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 12 degrees Celsius (Zone 8)
Light requirement: Full sun to light shade
Mature size: 1 foot to 2 feet tall and wide

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

7. Artichoke Agave
(Agave parryi var. truncata)
Native to central Mexico, including Durango

Wide blue-gray leaves with maroon spines bear a striking resemblance to artichoke leaves, hence this Mexican native’s common name. Prized by many for its beauty, artichoke agave is a popular choice for container gardening, whether used in rows of three in a long, narrow container or singly in a modern pot. It does produce a few offsets, which can be used elsewhere in the garden or given to friends.

Where it will grow: Hardy to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 12 degrees Celsius (Zone 8)
Light requirement: Full, reflected sun or filtered shade
Mature size: 3 feet tall and wide

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

8. Twin-Flowered Agave
(Agave geminiflora)
Native to Nayarit, Mexico

The finely textured leaves of this bright green agave set it apart from most other species. Twin-flowered agave tolerates a range of exposures, from full reflected sun all the way to full shade, which makes it an asset in most situations.

Where it will grow: Hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 9.4 degrees Celsius (Zone 8)
Light requirement: Full reflected sun to full shade
Mature size: 3 feet tall and wide

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

9. Mescal Ceniza
(Agave colorata)
Native to Sonora, Mexico

The decorative leaves of this midsize agave species are loaded with interesting features, including well-defined imprinted patterns and deeply toothed edges, which add a wavy texture to the landscape. Mescal ceniza’s blue-gray color adds a visually cooling element to hot outdoor spaces.

Where it will grow: Hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 9.4 degrees Celsius (Zone 8)
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 2 feet tall and wide

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

10. Queen Victoria Agave
(Agave victoria-reginae)
Native to the Chihuahuan Desert region of Mexico

Often described as the most beautiful agave, this one, named after Queen Victoria, lives up to its queenly name with dark green coloring and vibrant white markings. The tight rosette shape and smooth leaf edges that terminate into a single spike add to Queen Victoria’s visual appeal.

Where it will grow: Hardy to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 12 degrees Celsius (Zone 8)
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 18 inches tall and wide

See how to grow Queen Victoria agave

Agave growing tips:

First select a pot, with a drainage hole, that is a little larger than the root ball, as agaves do better when their roots are slightly crowded. No saucer is needed, and is in fact discouraged, as sitting water can lead to overly moist soil.
All agaves require well-drained soil, which can be created using one part compost, one part sand and one part perlite or pumice.
Water when the top two-thirds of the soil has dried out. Water deeply, until water runs out the bottom. Watering should be done weekly in summer when temperatures are above 100 degrees Fahrenheit and very little in winter.
Fertilize once a month during the growing season, which is typically late spring and summer.
Repot every three years or so once the roots have little soil left to grow in.

Originally published on HOUZZ by Noelle Johnson

The Polite House: How to Deal With Noisy Neighbors

“With so of us people living in closer proximity to our neighbors than ever before, unwanted noise can be a problem. Take some tips from here on how to keep your cool and best deal with the situation.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

First and foremost, when dealing with neighbors, safety is your priority. If your neighbor isn’t someone you feel comfortable confronting, then don’t. Use neighborhood associations, or even (if necessary) the police, to manage someone you feel unsafe around or unsure of.

But whether it’s a barking dog, a lawn mower, a crying baby, a kid with a basketball or a loud sound system, unwanted noise is one of the most frustrating aspects of living near others. We want things quiet when we want to sleep or concentrate or enjoy some peace, but we also don’t want to be challenged when we are the ones who may be making noise.

To help you decide whether you can feel good about lodging a complaint or whether you should shake it off and move on, here are some things to think about when it comes to noise in your neighborhood:

Try to determine if the noise is intentional and avoidable. Who is making the noise and how much control do they have over it? Before I let myself get bent out of shape or start thinking nasty thoughts about my inconsiderate neighbor — thoughts that will only amplify the whole situation in my head — I try to identify who is making the noise and if they have any control over it.

A crying baby in a neighboring apartment — sure it’s not fun to listen to, and the crying happens at very inconvenient hours, but there isn’t much that parents can do about it. Clearly they would rather have a happy baby too, so I know it’s not intentional; I know it’s temporary, and knowing this helps calm me down.

Zansitis Painting Inc

Think about duration and tolerance. How long does the noise last and how much does it disturb you? There is a kid who dribbles a basketball on his way to school each day, and his walk time is the last hour of my sleep time in the morning. In that sweet month or two when I don’t need my window air conditioner on and can sleep with the windows open (heaven in my book!), I realize I’m going to hear him and it’s going to last about three minutes. That’s enough time to wake me up and make me realize I’m awake, but I also recognize it’s short enough that I’m going to be able to get back to sleep. It’s something I can tolerate.

Can you tolerate an hour of trumpet practice? What about an afternoon of wood shop noises? Sometimes just knowing that the noise will end is enough to make it tolerable. You can always say, “Hi, Nancy. I was wondering if you could tell me how long Nate plans to practice his trumpet.”

One of the first steps toward finding a solution may just be finding out how much of a problem this noise is really going to be.

Lowe’s Home Improvement

Be understanding and ask about or offer solutions. If it’s my neighbor’s lawn mower at 6:30 a.m. or son’s trumpet practice at 10 p.m. that’s disturbing the peace, well that’s something that might lead me (depending on who the neighbor is and my relationship with that person) to go over and ask if it’s possible for lawn mowing or practicing to happen at a different hour. “Hi, Jim, I was just wondering if it would work with your schedule to mow the lawn later in the morning or even afternoon or evening?”

It never hurts to ask, or at least to let your neighbor know that the activity is affecting others. Jim might respond, “Oh, I like to get it out of the way so that my day is free.” You can reply, “I totally get that; it’s just that it’s waking me up each morning long before my alarm, and I was hoping there was a solution that might work for both of us.” This can at least get the conversation rolling.

This covers the basics of dealing with unwanted noise in your building or neighborhood. With most amicable neighbors, you should feel confident discussing this issue.

And remember that you can always proactively check in with your neighbor. “Hey, Mike, I just wanted to let you know I’m working on a new project, and the chipper shredder is going to be making a lot of noise. Let me know if you need a break from it. I know it can be intense sometimes.” I bet Mike will think you’re a very considerate neighbor, and it may inspire him to return the kindness in the future.

Originally Published on HOUZZ by Lizzie Post

10 Stress Management Secrets for Your Home

“With our lives so filled with things we think we need to do, it’s easy to become stressed. Take some time to relax and enjoy life sometimes with these tips”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

Relieve stress with our Home Matters experts 10 ways to combat stress. Reduce stress by exercising, being present & practicing serene stress management techniques.

It’s no secret that life can be stressful. However, many of the ways to combat stress do seem like secrets. A life filled with stress due to agitation and anxiety could be the root for an array of other problems circulating in your home. You deserve to lead a tranquil and stress-free lifestyle. And believe it or not, you can actually take the steps to beginning your journey to a stress-free life in the confines of your home with expert stress management techniques.

Below, we have uncovered 10 secret ways to cope with stress all within the comfort of your home.

1.Bring the Outside In

The great outdoors have long been hailed as man’s most rewarding escape from the demands of urban living. A long walk through a lively forest, tending a crackling fire under a starry sky, or enjoying a simple picnic atop a sea of rolling green hills are just a few ways in which we use Mother Nature’s welcoming embrace to detox from our everyday lives. So, it only makes sense that bringing a little bit of that natural remedy indoors will help add a sense of ease and beauty to our homes while reducing stress. If you find you’re combating stress on a regular basis, try adding some foliage to one or multiple rooms in your home. Here are a few peaceful plants to help get you started decorating:

• Aloe Plants
• Peace Lily
• Bamboo Palm

2.Put Down the Devices

That’s right. As difficult as it sounds, powering down will in fact help you calm down. Our mobile devices are great tools for achieving daily goals, entertainment, and connecting with others, but when it comes time for “you” time it’s best to disconnect. There are numerous studies that correlate increased use of digital devices with increased levels of anxiety and stress. As we become dependent on these devices, we begin to expect instantaneous results and confirmations, which in turn makes us more prone to dissatisfaction with minor events, like not receiving an email at the moment you expect it.

3.Tune Out

Now this one’s pretty obvious. If you’re feeling particularly stressed it’s always good to resort to your favorite tunes for solace and comfort. Scientific studies have found that listening to music slows heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and releases your body’s natural feel-good neurochemical, dopamine. So find your comfy spot, cue up your favorite song, sit back, relax and let the melodies soothe your soul.

4.Start Exercising for Greater Stress-Relief

Here’s one you can pair with listening to your favorite tunes: exercising.Yes, exercising can have a tremendous effect on your mood. Although exercising itself can at times be pretty challenging, the natural high you experience once you’ve finished a routine is well worth the strain. Plus, you can complete a full-body routine within minutes, all in the comfort of your own home. Here are a few quick exercise routines to help get you started:

• How to do power Pushups
• How to do bodyweight Squats
• How to do jumping jacks
• How to do crunches

5. Deep Clean Therapy

We all try our best to avoid it, but cleaning your home can actually be quite the stress reducer. Think about it, experiencing unwanted irregularities in our daily lives often causes stress. When our homes are dirty, full of clutter, and out of order, they’re not fulfilling their duty as a place to wind down from a long day. Instead, it’s just adding to the tension. So get out that mop, get out that dustpan, and get down to business.

6. Restock Your Kitchen with Healthy Food Choices

Stress comes in many shapes and sizes. And sometimes all of that stress adds to our shape and size. One great way to reduce stress is to drop the fast food and pick up a habit of paying close attention to what you put in your body. A great way to start is by thinning out your pantry and refrigerator. Get rid of any unhealthy choices and leave behind only that which is healthy for you. If you notice there’s not much left, then you might want to consider changing your grocery list.

7. Take a Relaxing Bubble Bath and Detox the Day

When was the last time you drew a bath? Most of us can’t remember the last time we stripped our troubles away and slipped into a warm, soothing bath. It’s such an easy in-home escape from stress that it’s a surprise so many baths go underutilized each and every day. But to really make it an experience light some scented candles, put on some ambient music, and add some detoxing minerals or other soothing organic material to the water. Here are some natural additives to consider for making it a true detoxing experience:

• Sea Salt
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Magnetic Clay
• Apple Cider Vinegar

8. Focus on Your Breathe by Breathing In and Out

Now this little trick you can do anywhere in your home. All you need is yourself and the air around you. Simply take a break from whatever it is you’re doing and take some long, deep breaths. You can stand, sit in a chair, or go full yogi on the ground (Hopefully you’ve finished a deep clean session before trying the latter). Taking deep breaths helps reduce your blood pressure, increase oxygen flow throughout the entire body and reduce your heartbeat.

9. Get Social. Invite Your Friends Over.

One way to quickly de-stress or at least curb your stress for the time being is to socialize with others. The presence of friends and family can naturally calm our unease by reminding us what’s most important in life. Try making it an event. The process of planning and preparing a social event at your home will help keep you busy and your mind off of whatever it may be that’s causing you to stress. Here are some ideas for a social event to host:

• Host a party for the next big game
• Invite people over for a backyard BBQ
• Throw a small cocktail party
• Get to know the neighbors with a friendly meet & greet

10. Laugh Off the Day

To cap it off, here’s a really out there approach to stress relief that can be done at home – laughter yoga. Yeah, you heard right. Laughter yoga is a type of yoga made popular by a doctor from India named Dr. Madan Kataria. This revolutionary technique spread across the world in the early 2000’s and is still making headlines today because of its’ effectiveness. You may be thinking, “okay, so you just stand around and laugh uncontrollably like a crazy person?” Well, not exactly, but that is a good place to start. It becomes a bit more of an involved process, and believe it or not, there are actually many different ways to laugh. You can begin practicing this great stress management strategy by learning ‘how to do laughter yoga’ at home while practicing it in your living room.

How Much Paint Do You Need?

“We are always involved in painting projects with our clients and these tips make perfect sense.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

My husband and I are avid DIYers, and whenever we start a new project we joke about the number of trips to the home-improvement store it’s going to take to complete the task. A “one-trip job” is considered a smashing success. The unfortunately more common “five-trip job” tends to feel slightly less triumphant.

Lisa Teague Design Studios

I would argue that running out of paint midproject is especially frustrating. Dashing out to the store is the last thing you want to have to do while deep in the throes of painting. But you also don’t want to overbuy either, because custom-tinted paint is not returnable.

Fortunately underbuying or overbuying is easily avoidable. It just requires a bit of measuring and some basic math before you head out to purchase the paint. Here’s how you can answer the question, “How much paint do I need?”

Min | Day Architects

Depending on the manufacturer, a gallon of paint will cover 300 to 400 square feet. Check with your paint vendor, or on the paint manufacturer’s website, to find the estimated coverage.

Once you know the coverage rate of your chosen paint, you need to calculate the square footage of the walls or ceilings to be painted. To get this figure, simply multiply the width by the height (for walls) or the length by the width (for ceilings). You then need to subtract the area of anything within the plane that is not being painted, such as windows and doors.

sophie loubaton / photographe

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For example, let’s say you want to paint an accent wall that measures 25 feet wide by 10 feet high, which has a door opening within it that measures 3 feet wide by 7 feet high.

1. Multiply the width and height of the wall:
25 x 10 = 250 square feet

2. Multiply the width and height of the door:
3 x 7 = 21 square feet

3. Subtract the door opening from the area of the wall:
250 square feet – 21 square feet = 229 square feet

4. Divide this figure by the estimated square footage coverage amount of your paint. In this example, let’s say the coverage is 350 square feet per gallon:
229 ÷ 350 = 0.65

5. Round up to the nearest whole number to get the number of gallons needed. In this example, you’d round up to 1 gallon, to apply one coat of paint.

Note: If you need to apply two coats, you simply double the square footage to be painted and then divide by the coverage:
458 ÷ 350 = 1.31
(Here, you’d round up to 2, so 2 gallons of paint would be needed to apply two coats.)

Alden Miller Interiors

Painting multiple walls in a room? Here are the steps to calculate the square footage of a sample room that measures 12 feet by 20 feet with 8-foot ceilings and door openings that measure 6 feet wide by 7 feet high:

1. Add together the width of each wall to be painted:
12 + 20 + 12 + 20 = 64 feet

2. Multiply this sum by the height of the walls:
64 x 8 = 512 square feet

3. Multiply the width and height of the door:
6 x 7 = 42 square feet

4. Subtract the door openings from the area of the wall:
512 square feet – 42 square feet = 470 square feet

5. Divide this figure by the estimated square footage coverage of our paint. Again, in this example, we are going with 350 square feet per gallon:
470 ÷ 350 = 1.34

6. Round up to the nearest whole number, in this case 2. You would need 2 gallons to paint one coat.

Note: Again, for two coats of paint, you double the square footage to be painted:
470 + 470 = 940

Then divide by the coverage per gallon:
940 ÷ 350 = 2.69
(Round up to 3. You would need 3 gallons of paint to apply two coats.)

Benjamin Moore

Math not your strong suit? No sweat. Most paint manufacturers offer a calculator on their website that does the math for you. You still need to measure your space and plug in the square footage, but the calculator does all the rest, based on the paint you plan to use.

Sherwin-Williams

Of course, there are a few other factors to take into consideration when calculating how much paint you need. Darker colors, especially red hues, require more coats than lighter hues. If you are going with a deeper, darker color, talk to your paint vendor about prepping with a tinted primer before applying paint.

PPG Pittsburgh Paints

Also, take into account the surface you are painting. Rougher surfaces as well as more absorbent surfaces will require more paint than smooth surfaces. And if you are painting a lighter color over an existing dark hue, you will likely need extra coats. A tinted primer might also be useful here, depending on the existing and new hues.

The quality of your paint will also affect the amount you need. Higher quality paint tends to offer better coverage, requiring fewer coats, whereas a lower-cost paint may be thinner and therefore require more coats for proper coverage.

LOOKA DECO

Finally, a few tips I’ve learned the hard way: There can be subtle differences in hue and sheen between two different cans of the same paint brand, finish and color. So try to stick to one single can of paint for the top coat of each wall or ceiling. You likely won’t notice a slight hue or sheen difference from wall to wall, but within the same plane it could be apparent.

Also, it’s a good idea to keep a record of the paint brand, colors and sheens you used, so if you need to touch anything up down the road you know exactly what you need.

Originally posted on HOUZZ.com by Jennifer Ott

5 Decorating Tips for Getting Scale Right

“Have you ever struggled to determine if something was too big, or too little to fit appropriately in a space? Well here are some tips on how to figure it all out.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

Having a firm grasp on scale is one of the most important aspects of designing a room that looks and feels right. Scale is the visual representation of size and how objects interact with one another in any given space. For example, the size of a chair relative to the lamp and table beside it can make or break the composition of the pieces. Knowing how to layer in items of varying widths, heights and weights is less about science and design rules, and more about instinct and an understanding of aesthetics. Here are five tips for getting a grip on scale and creating visual harmony in your home.

SoJo design

1. Remember that bigger is better with large or long walls. A common decorating dilemma is the large or long wall. A big blank expanse can fool you into thinking that you need a hundred pieces of art to make it work. Although creating a gallery wall may seem like an obvious solution, it isn’t always the best one. Depending on the style of the furnishings, the proportion of the room and the amount of visual space you want occupied, a single statement piece can solve a multitude of challenges.

2 Lovely Gays

When it comes to large art, consider the following:

Does it work with the space or overpower it? This can depend on the subject matter or colors and how they relate to the furnishings. The gold-and-white art pictured above the console fills the expanse perfectly, doesn’t compete with the room and doesn’t overwhelm the smaller objects in front.

Gentry Raines Interior Design

Does the art fit without seeming crowded? A large piece (or pieces) should hang on the wall while leaving plenty of negative, or empty, space around it. Height is just as important as width when it comes to scale. Higher ceilings call for taller pieces that anchor the space and the objects around it. A lower, longer wall can support a triptych or a single horizontal piece.

Niche Interiors

2. Select seating for the size of your space. Just because your space is small doesn’t mean your furniture has to be, with the exception of the sectional sofa. Determining the right sectional for your room depends on the room size as well as complementary pieces (lamps, side tables) you want to add and whether they’ll all fit comfortably together.

A sectional can be used in a diminutive space, but to scale it properly, you should ensure that it doesn’t take up the whole room, obscure the bottom half of windows, bump up against the fireplace or overflow into other spaces. Accompanying pieces should be more visually spare —think open legs, glass tops, thinner frames — to keep the space feeling more expansive.

Eleven Interiors

When choosing your seating, consider how you use your space. Most guests won’t mind sitting together on a sofa, but it’s always good to have chairs, a bench or a large ottoman as an alternative. When you have a sectional or large sofa, visually and physically pared-down accent chairs work well because the scale of the sofa makes it the most powerful piece in the room.

Found Design

If your sofa is more petite (say, love seat size), you can — and should if you have the room — up the scale of your accent seating by going for pieces with broader arms, taller backs or more width. In this kind of an arrangement, all pieces are on a level playing field and should stand up to one another visually.

Contemporary Living Room Contemporary Living Room

3. Think of your coffee table as a puzzle piece. Imagine how all the pieces are going to fit together in the room. This is especially helpful when choosing a coffee table. Visual scale is a key element in finding the one for your needs. If your seating takes up a great deal of space, look for coffee tables that are visually less weighty, such as ones that are glass, open underneath or in an unexpected shape like round, soft triangular or oval.

West Chin Architects & Interior Designers

Your coffee table should fulfill its function as a place to set a drink, stack books or display beautiful items. Ideally, it shouldn’t be more than an inch lower than the seats of your sofa and chairs to allow for ease of use. It should also cover enough floor space to allow for everyone sitting on the sofa to reach it. You’ll need drink tables for optional seating that’s located farther away.

Contemporary Bedroom Contemporary Bedroom

4. Choose a lamp sized to complement its surroundings.Picking the right-size lamp can be mystifying. There are many types, and each serves a different purpose: task lamps, table lamps, floor lamps, desk lamps. So first and foremost, look for the lamp best suited to your situation.

In an entry, you may want to add a little ambience, so a visually clean lamp with a small base, like the crystal lamp shown here, is the perfect scale. The powerful vignette created by the large art, little but luxurious lamp and wide console is a great example of varying the scale of different pieces for an attractive arrangement.

LAURA MILLER Interior Design

Lamps add height and balance to the overall look of your bed and night tables. They should provide the amount of light you need to either read in bed or gently illuminate the space. Ideally, you shouldn’t be able to see up under the shade when reclined in bed, and the base shouldn’t take up most of the tabletop. Although the corbel used as a nightstand in this photo has a small top, the bedside lamp is long and thin with a simple shade. It’s scaled perfectly for the classic and elegant style of the room.

Sylvia Martin

Also, you don’t need to have two identical lamps on either side of anything. You can have any sort of lamps you like as long as you scale them properly to work with the furnishings surrounding them. A smaller table lamp to add warmth paired with a tall floor lamp to add uplighting and overall brightness works when the shades are kept simple and similar in form. Having two tall floor lamps or two small table lamps isn’t wrong, but neither combo works as well against a rich accent wall like the one pictured.

Design House

5. Let the headboard help frame the bed. Think of a headboard as the finishing touch for your bed. Without one, the blank wall behind your pillows looks sort of, well, unfinished. Whether you go for upholstered, metal, wood or woven, it’s important to consider your ceiling height, your wall space and what look you are going for — dramatic, refined, feminine or modern.

Good to know: Add visual impact to even the most understated headboard by using special fabric and adding luxurious details like nailhead trim, tufting, borders or contrasting piping.

Dana Wolter

An oversize headboard installed in a room with a ceiling higher than the U.S. average (8 feet) adds balance by creating a feeling of grandeur. Putting a king-size bed in a room with tall ceilings would still make the bed seem smaller than it is. Adding an oversize headboard gives a bed presence.

Wick Design

Save Photo

You may not have a lot of wall space, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a headboard. To add the illusion of width to a wall, consider something long, low and upholstered, rather than something traditional. Add a piece of art, keep the bedside tables on the small side and pair them with wall-mounted sconces or unexpected pendant lights. You’ll have a beautifully dressed room you’ll never want to leave.

Originally appearing on HOUZZ, by Melisa LaBlancz-Bleasdale

How to Create a Cohesive Color Flow Throughout Your Home

“We work with clients all the time on paint colors and these tips are spot on.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

Color preferences vary as much as personalities, with some folks loving the bright and the bold, while others feeling most secure surrounded by neutrals. The good news is that when it comes to color, there really is no “correct” palette.

That said, we’ve all been inside homes where an explosion of color created a choppy feel between rooms — and sometimes, the urge to run. We asked five color, paint and design experts to share their best tips for creating a cohesive flow of color throughout your home. The strategies vary, but any of them can help you come up with a holistic decor scheme for your entire residence. So choose the ones that work best for you.

Dowalt Custom Homes Inc

Pick a Flow-Through Paint

One simple way to create a cohesive feel is to use a consistent paint color on the walls of connecting spaces. “Particularly in homes that have more of an open floor plan, it’s best to choose one color that is going to serve as your main color or your neutral,” saysKelly Porter, an interior designer based in Washington, D.C. “That doesn’t mean it has to be beige or white or gray. But the foyer, the hallways and that main connector room should all be the same color because you want that to have dominant color in your space.”

How to Choose the Paint Color You Really Want

Crisp Architects

Marc-Michaels Interior Design

Pay Attention to Sightlines

San Francisco interior designer and color expert Jennifer Ott frequently works with clients who want more variety in their wall colors. When that is the case, she suggests considering sightlines. When you’re standing in the living room, what other rooms will you see? If you have a view into the kitchen, the dining room and the foyer, then the colors for those spaces need to work well together. “It can start to look really wacky if you have a different color scheme in each room,” Ott says.

Andrew Mann Architecture

Contemporary Living Room Californian Bungalow

Choose Color Groups

One way to increase the likelihood that a color scheme flows from room to room is to limit yourself to colors in the same temperature family. “Some people will stick to a warm color palette — reds and oranges and yellows — or a cool scheme — grays and greens and blues,” Ott says.

John K. Anderson Design

Another option, Ott says, is to select one or two colors and then use variations of it. If the main color is blue, you might select a gray-blue, a pure blue and a navy paint as you move from room to room. The same concept can be used for decorative accessories.

For wall paint, you can ask the paint store to create a “tint” of a particular color, perhaps knocking down the main color by 50 percent, which the mixer will do by adding white. “They can create a lighter or darker version of it,” Ott says. “That’s a good way to unite without putting the same color everywhere.”

“I also tell people if they’re going to do their wall in this color, go two or three shades lighter for your ceiling so it doesn’t look like a sore thumb because you painted it white,” says Keith Wardlaw of Plus Modern Design in Kansas City, Missouri.

Paint decks can also be a good inspiration source for finding colors that work well together.

The Right Way to Test Paint Colors

Donna Dotan Photography

Restrict the Edgiest Colors to Enclosed Rooms

Rooms out of the sightline of other rooms are good places for going wild. Master bedrooms, powder rooms, kids rooms and any other room encapsulated by four walls are great places to indulge, says Carl Mattison, an Atlanta-based designer. “If you turn the corner and go into a little powder bathroom, which you don’t go in all the time, who cares? Paint it black!” It works, Mattison says, “because it’s its own little box.”

Diane Bergeron Interiors

Darci Goodman Design

Linda Holt Interiors

For Bold Colors, Use Accessories

Accessories are a less expensive way to introduce dramatic colors than purchasing a couch or rug in the same tone, and they’re also easier to swap out should you tire of a color. Limiting bold colors to accessories also helps you avoid the shocking effect that can happen when a dramatic shade is painted on all four walls. “The key is finding a way to inject the color that makes rooms interesting and exciting without feeling like you need to escape,” Ott says. Bright color is good when you want to highlight a piece worthy of notice.

+ Modern Design

Tie Rooms Together With Accents

Accents colors can change from room to room, but continuing one consistent color throughout the home can help create a sense of continuity. “Let’s say you have green and blue in your living room,” Porter says. “Perhaps for the dining room, you use one of those two colors, maybe just the blue. Or you could do blue and yellow. So the blue is what will tie those rooms together.” The two rooms pictured are from the same home and illustrate this principle.

Strategies to Create Color Flow Throughout a Home — a Case Study

+ Modern Design

Use the 60-30-10 Formula

Another way to create a cohesive flow from room to room is to think of the palette for your home as a math problem. “Use a base color that you really like as 60 to 70 percent of what you’re going to paint for your interior,” Wardlaw says. “Your next color needs to be 25 to 30 percent. Then you can do your accents of 5 to 10 percent.”

In this photo, which shows one of Wardlaw’s designs, gray is the 60 percent color, blue the 25 percent, orange about 10 percent and brown maybe another 5 percent. “I really try to make people only go with about three colors, four at the max — at least on the interior,” Wardlaw says. “Otherwise it just feels chaotic.”

To pull the colors throughout the home, you might use a variation on the scheme in an adjacent dining room. The walls might be painted blue, and perhaps gray could be used as an accent, with a few small orange accessories providing the 10 percent dose of color. “As long as you keep it cohesive throughout your entire home, it’s going to make more sense,” Wardlaw says.

Paul Anater

Consider Using Color-Planning Tools

Those who love delving deeper into design principles may want to read up a bit on color theory — or at least ask your interior designer about it. “One of the main things I explain to my client is the color wheel,” Wardlaw says. “To keep that cohesive feel throughout your home, one of the main things you can do is consult that.”

You can read up on the color wheel to understand how colors work with and against one another. But a basic rule of thumb is that using analogous (or adjacent) colors on the wheel will create less contrast and a more calm feel, while choosing complementary colors (across from one another on the wheel) will create greater contrast and a higher-energy room. Understanding the relationships between colors will help you see why certain combinations have certain effects on you.

You might also consider making a mood board for each of the rooms to get a sense of how they’ll flow together. You can print out photos of your furniture along with the paint and accessories you are considering, then lay them out on paper, room by room. You can sketch out a rough drawing with colored pencils. And you can preview furniture in your own spaces electronically with Houzz’s Sketch app.

Martha O’Hara Interiors

Studio SHK

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When Unsure, Hire an Expert

Designers have studied color and get paid to advise people on their choices. When you need guidance, they can help.

Porter, who does a lot of color consultations, says her clients tend to know what color they want to use in terms of color, but need validation that the shade they are considering will produce the desired effect. Recently, the designer did a long-distance consultation with a client who passionately loves orange. “The colors she was telling me about were very bright and childlike,” Porter says. The designer suggested a more adult rusty orange instead. “She tried it and loved it,” Porter says.

Originally Published on HOUZZ, by Erin Carlyle

Myth-Buster: The Right Way to Test Paint Colors

“It’s amazing how you can see the difference when paint is actually on multiple walls in a room to test out how light hits it and the impact of shadows.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

It’s a common image: Someone selecting a wall color paints several sheets of paper or sample boards and hangs them on the wall to compare colors. It looks artistic and even a bit hip, but it may not be the most accurate way to vet wall paint. We talked to five pros, including painters and designers. Here’s what they suggest instead.

INVIEW Interior Design

Paint Directly on the Wall

This is true for interiors as well as exteriors: You’ll get the best sense of how the color will really look if you paint it directly on the wall. Each of the five pros we spoke with agreed. “If they use a board, I feel like it just doesn’t saturate the same way,” says interior designer Keith Wardlawof Plus Modern Designs in Kansas City, Missouri.

Kelly Porter, an interior designer in the Washington, D.C., area, explains the problem with using boards: “The texture is really not representative. It’s not the same as what’s on your wall, and that can really affect the look,” she says.

In this image, the colors are not samples, but intentional horizontal stripes in a finished room. The paint colors are Benjamin Moore’s Arctic Blue, Palladian Blue and Blue Bonnet.

Alex Amend Photography

Tip: If you’re hiring a paint company, see if it will provide free sample cans of the colors you’re considering. Many companies do. Remember, once you’ve had the paint tinted (mixed), you can’t get your money back. Even if you have to pay for them yourself, sample cans (typically $3 to $8) are well worth the expense.

Jeanette Lunde

Paint Two Coats

That’s the amount of coverage you’ll typically need on any wall. The second coat usually makes a big difference in the way the paint reads. Also, paint large swaths — at least 1 foot by 1 foot, and even larger is better. The 2-inch swatches won’t give you a good sense.

Here, in a white room with white floorboards, the designer used a plain white base.

Color Guide: Myth-Buster: How to Test Paint Colors the Right Way

For Certain Rich Colors, Use a Primer

A small selection of deep paint colors can be created only in conjunction with specific primers. The paint deck will show which colors are in this category. (Pictured here are four by Sherwin-Williams, clockwise from top left: Lemon Twist, Hyper Blue, Daredevil, African Violet.)

For these specific colors, you probably won’t be able to get a sample size in the paint, though you may be able to in the primer, says J.T. Trainor, owner of Freshcoat Painting, a paint company in the Phoenix metro area.

Terracotta Design Build

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Paint Multiple Walls

The colors you’re testing will read differently depending on the amount of light that hits them. “We recommend you paint on a wall that doesn’t get direct sunlight and one that does,” Trainor says.

Екатерина Владимирова

In the above photo, notice how much darker the gray on the right side of the room is than on the left. In the photo of the orange room, the color appears much deeper at the back wall, where it is in shadow, and less intense on the left and right walls, where more light hits.

Also, landscaping outside a window can color the light streaming through it and change how a paint looks on the wall as well. In the above photo, where the green trees can be seen through the window, they’ve tinted the gray on the right side of the room a greener hue. See it, in the corner?

As you view the colors, make sure you consider what time of day you’ll most often be in the room. You want to like how the color looks at that time.

Leslie Saul & Associates

Place Lighting Before You Test

It’s simple, but true: It’s better to use the lighting that fits your needs than try to select your lighting to complement your paint colors. “You wouldn’t want to pick a lightbulb that looks good with your paint color, but you can’t read in the room,” saysJennifer Ott, a San Francisco-based color consultant and interior designer.

Here, the overhead lighting is casting a yellow glow throughout the room, warming the color of the off-white paint toward a pale shade of honey.

Make sure your lighting is in place as you’re considering colors. They may look quite different in bright bulbs that you prefer for nighttime use — or softer yellow-hued ones, if that’s what you’re going for — than they do during daylight hours. Having the right fixtures and bulbs in place can help you decide which shades will work for you.

If you’re not yet sure what lighting you prefer, you can use the time examining your samples to experiment. “Even changing out lightbulbs is a good thing to do,” says Carl Mattison, an interior designer in Atlanta. “Like any color in the world — just like your eyes or your hair or your skin tone — things will change in different light.”

Polhemus Savery DaSilva

Here, the yellow light from the chandelier and sconces warms up the cooler white of the walls.

Originally Published on HOUZZ by Erin Carlyle

10 Succulents That Make Pretty, Easy-Care Ground Covers

“Every year we try to do a least one new planting in the front yard for something a little different. Some of these might be worth a try and look interesting.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – Dc Metro Realty Team

Succulents, with their interesting shapes and colors, have become increasingly popular in the landscape. While larger succulents are often used singly as accent or container plants, smaller succulents are getting a second look for use as ground covers. As with other succulents, they are attractive, drought-tolerant and low-maintenance. Here are 10 low-growing succulents for you to try in your garden.

The Garden Route Company

It’s important to note that all plants profiled below require well-drained soil and, in many cases, some supplemental watering. The amount and frequency of watering depend on several variables, including exposure, temperature and soil. A good rule of thumb is to water 8 inches deep and then allow the soil to dry out before watering again. Succulents need more water in spring, when they are actively growing, and very little in winter.

1. Rock Purslane
(Calandrinia spectabilis)

Gray-green leaves form a dense mound that is transformed by the appearance of magenta flowers spring through fall. The flowers are about 2 inches wide and last one day, with new ones ready to take their place the following day.

For an eye-catching combination, pair rock purslane with pig’s ear (Cotyledon orbiculata),a succulent that produces orange flowers. Rock purslane does best in Mediterranean climates but is suitable as a container plant and can be treated as an annual in colder climates.

Origin: Chile
Where it will grow: Hardy to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 6.7 degrees Celsius (USDA Zone 9; find your zone)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun or filtered shade
Mature size: 1 foot tall and 3 feet wide; about 3 feet tall when in flower

Phillips Garden

2. Caucasian Stonecrop
(Sedum spurium)

Succulents aren’t just for warm climates. This creeping ground cover can grow in zones 3 to 8. The beauty of this species of stonecrop lies in its tightly whorled leaves, which are often tinged in red. In late spring and summer, star-shaped pink flowers blanket the leaves and attract butterflies.

S. spurium ‘Red Carpet’ grows in the foreground of this photo, with blue-gray S. reflexum ‘Blue Spruce’ in the background.

Origin: Caucasus region of Eastern Europe
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 40 degrees Celsius (zones 3 to 8)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 3 to 6 inches tall and 1 foot to 2 feet wide

ecocentrix landscape architecture

3. Blue Chalksticks
(Senecio serpens)

The lovely blue-gray and upright 1-inch leaves gradually spread to create an attractive ground cover in frost-free areas. The flowers range from white to chartreuse and appear in summer. Blue chalksticks is ideal for creating color contrast when used next to plants with bright green foliage, such as kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos spp.). It’s a good choice for areas with mild Mediterranean climates. In addition to making a great ground cover, this beauty is often used for erosion control, in containers and as a fire-wise plant.

Here, blue chalksticks grow between Furcraea macdougalii in the background and ‘Elijah Blue’ blue fescue (Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’) in the foreground.

Origin: South Africa
Where it will grow: Hardy to 20 Fahrenheit, or minus 6.7 degrees Celsius (Zone 9)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun or filtered shade
Mature size: 1 foot tall and 2 to 3 feet wide

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

4. Parry’s Agave
(Agave parryi)

Small- to medium-size agave species are unconventional ground cover choices that are becoming more popular. For example, Parry’s agave, with its very attractive rosette pattern, makes a wonderful water-wise ground cover. Use it next to boulders for great texture contrast. This plant and other smaller agave species work well in arid climates, including low-desert climates, since they can handle the full sun and intense summer heat that may cause succulents better suited for mild Mediterranean climates to struggle.

In this photo, A. parryi var. truncata grows among larger species of agave.

Origin: American Southwest and Mexico
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 23.3 to 6.7 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9, depending on variety)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun or filtered shade
Mature size: 1 foot to 3 feet tall and wide

See how to grow Parry’s agave

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

5. Upright Myrtle Spurge
(Euphorbia rigida)

Chartreuse flowers, which gradually turn green and then tan, provide welcome color to drought-tolerant landscapes from late winter into spring. The pointed blue-gray leaves are arranged in spirals, which offer decorative texture throughout the year. Upright myrtle spurge can handle temperatures from over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) all the way down to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 28.9 degrees Celsius). Plant in groups of three or five alongside boulders and flowering perennials like beardtongue (Penstemon spp.)

Origin: Mediterranean region
Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 28.9 degrees Celsius (Zone 5)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun or filtered shade
Mature size: 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

6. Resin Spurge
(Euphorbia resinifera)

Square light-green stems arranged in clumps give this African native the appearance of a cactus. The sides of the stems are covered in brown spines. Older specimens can grow quite large and look at home next to columnar cactuses. Smaller ones look great next to boulders and drought-tolerant perennials such as desert marigold (Baileya multiradiata) and blackfoot daisy (Melampodium leucanthum).

Here, resin spurge surrounds a Peruvian apple cactus (Cereus repandus), along with soap aloe (Aloe maculata) and its colorful flowers.

Caution: The milky sap is toxic.

Origin: Morocco
Where it will grow: Hardy to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 6.7 degrees Celsius (Zone 9)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun; can take afternoon shade in low desert
Mature size: 2 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

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7. Royal Dewflower
(Drosanthemum speciosum)

Vibrant flowers in shades of pink, purple and red, depending on the variety, create a colorful carpet in late spring into summer, almost completely covering the foliage. When not in flower, the narrow gray-green leaves add a visually cooling element to the garden. Royal dewflower roots when it comes into contact with bare soil, helping it to spread up to 3 feet wide. Although its low growth habit may lure you to walk on it, avoid the temptation since it doesn’t tolerate foot traffic.

Here, D. speciosum ‘Rosea’ covers a gentle slope.

Origin: South Africa
Where it will grow: Hardy to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 6.7 degrees Celsius (Zone 9)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun; part shade in the desert
Mature size: 6 to 12 inches tall and 3 feet wide

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

8. Candelilla
(Euphorbia antisyphilitica)

Narrow, waxy stems, with an upright growth habit, add another dimension to the landscape. Rather than spreading outward close to the ground, new stems are produced along the outer part of the plant, gradually increasing its width while still growing upright. Tiny pale pink flowers bloom along the upper half of the stems in spring. Small leaves may appear and are soon shed. Create a visually appealing design by planting candelillain staggered rows.

Origin: New Mexico, southwestern Texas and Mexico
Where it will grow: Hardy to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 12.2 degrees Celsius (Zone 8)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full, reflected sun
Mature size: 1 foot to 2 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide

See how to grow candelilla

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

9. ‘Blue Elf’ Aloe
(Aloe ‘Blue Elf’)

This small aloe species does what most aloes don’t: It thrives in full, reflected sun. Hummingbirds are attracted to the dark orange flowers that appear in late winter and last into early spring, providing needed color in the cool season. ‘Blue Elf’ aloe starts out small but gradually increases in width as it produces new growth. Plant it alongsidegolden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) for texture and color contrast.

Origin: Aloes are native to South Africa, but the parentage of this hybrid is unknown.
Where it will grow: Hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 9.4 degrees Celsius (Zone 8)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full, reflected sun to light shade
Mature size: 1½ feet tall and 2 feet wide

See how to grow ‘Blue Elf’ aloe

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

10. Elephant Bush
(Portulacaria afra)

The ease of growing this succulent ground cover makes it a popular addition to many gardens, as it thrives in full, reflected sun as well as shade. Bright green circular leaves and maroon stems, which resemble a small jade plant, root where they touch the ground and bring a visually cooling element to the garden. Elephant bush, also called elephant’s food, not only makes a wonderful ground cover, but it is also a good choice as a trailing plant for containers.

In this photo, elephant bush grows beneath an ironwood tree(Olneya tesota) and alongsideParry’s agave (Agave parryi).

Origin: South Africa
Where it will grow: Hardy to 25 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 3.9 degrees Celsius (Zone 9)
Origin: South Africa
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full, reflected sun to full shade
Mature size: 1 foot to 3 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide

Originally published on HOUZZ by Noelle Johnson

DC Metro Info – Events, Info & Real Estate Trends

Keeping You Informed About Where You Live

10 Ways to Save Money on Your Energy Bill This Summer

1. Use ceiling fans to help cool your room

2. Use off peak energy on your appliances

3. Plan no cook dinners for hot days

4. Use a thermostat-controlled attic fan

5. Maintain your air conditioning unit

6. Clean your freezer coils

7. Take energy conservation measurements before leaving the house

8. Use your bathrooms ventilating fan

9. Line dry your clothing

10. Learn alternative eco-friendly methods to reduce energy costs

7 Ways to Rethink the Shrub

10 Small-Scale Agaves Just Right for Containers

The Polite House: How to Deal With Noisy Neighbors

10 Stress Management Secrets for Your Home

“With our lives so filled with things we think we need to do, it’s easy to become stressed. Take some time to relax and enjoy life sometimes with these tips”

1.Bring the Outside In

2.Put Down the Devices

3.Tune Out

4.Start Exercising for Greater Stress-Relief

5. Deep Clean Therapy

6. Restock Your Kitchen with Healthy Food Choices

7. Take a Relaxing Bubble Bath and Detox the Day

8. Focus on Your Breathe by Breathing In and Out

9. Get Social. Invite Your Friends Over.

10. Laugh Off the Day

How Much Paint Do You Need?

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1. Use ceiling fans to help cool your room

2. Use off peak energy on your appliances

3. Plan no cook dinners for hot days

4. Use a thermostat-controlled attic fan

5. Maintain your air conditioning unit

6. Clean your freezer coils

7. Take energy conservation measurements before leaving the house

8. Use your bathrooms ventilating fan

9. Line dry your clothing

10. Learn alternative eco-friendly methods to reduce energy costs

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“With our lives so filled with things we think we need to do, it’s easy to become stressed. Take some time to relax and enjoy life sometimes with these tips”

1.Bring the Outside In

2.Put Down the Devices

3.Tune Out

4.Start Exercising for Greater Stress-Relief

5. Deep Clean Therapy

6. Restock Your Kitchen with Healthy Food Choices

7. Take a Relaxing Bubble Bath and Detox the Day

8. Focus on Your Breathe by Breathing In and Out

9. Get Social. Invite Your Friends Over.

10. Laugh Off the Day

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