A weed that can stay - for a while

The definition of a weed is any plant growing where you don't want it. And this blackberry bush, which is taking over the hydrangea, has definitely got to go. But maybe not quite yet. Maybe I'll wait until all the fruit has matured before I attack it.

Not that I have much hope of doing anything definitive. This will be about the fifth time I've tried to get rid of it. I cut it right back, dig out what I can of the roots - but when I come back after a year or two, there it is again. Does voodoo work on plants I wonder? Perhaps if I take a bit of the stem and stick pins in it ...

But for the next few weeks, while it goes on producing blackberries for tea, it can stay.

Blackberries grow wild in the woods and parks around here, and when I was a child late July and August was always blackberrying time. Walking through the park behind the garden today, which is in part left to grow wild as a nature reserve, I saw plenty of families carrying on the tradition. Quite a lot of people round here will have had blackberries for dessert tonight.

If you are worried about maggots incidentally, just pop the berries into some salty water for a while. The maggots will zoom out. If you're like me, you them rescue them, wash them off, and put them back on the plant - but I leave that up to you. Obviously you need to rinse the berries well before eating them - they're wonderful with cream.

So if you're wondering what to do with the kids these holidays, make a picnic, head for the woods - and enjoy.

Skywatch Friday : London Sunset

The day I arrived back in London, we had this stupendous sunset. The photos were taken from my back garden, all within about ten minutes.

If you're in Europe, Skywatch Friday actually starts on Thursday (yes, I know it's confusing, but just think about the time difference between here and the States). I posted just two minutes after the list opened today and there were already forty posts up. Of those, my favourite so far is a beautiful picture of cloud from PostcardsfromWildwood - a UK blog. But you can check them all out on the Skywatch site.

Blast from the Past Tuesday : On the Naming of Plants

Do you ever think back to all those posts you've written, especially those which were your favourites, and wonder how many people still read them? I do. And so for the next few weeks I'm going to be "reviving" an old post, from at least a year ago, every Tuesday. If you'd like to join in and do the same - and it doesn't have to be on Tuesday - just leave a comment below with a link to your blog so that everyone can find you.

This week's Blast from the Past post comes from January 2008.

If there's a plant which I find easy to grow, it's Epipremnum aureum, commonly known as Hunter's Robe. That's the plant in the photo.

If that last paragraph had you reaching for the comment button to tell me I got it wrong - hold on. How about Scindapsus aureus, Pothos aureus and Raphidophora aurea? Oh, and as a common name, Devil's Ivy, Taro Vine or Silver Vine. Or Golden Pothos. Or Ceylon Ivy. Or my favourite - Centipede Tongavine. Yep, all the same plant.

I don't have a problem with the common names - it's fairly obvious that each region will decide its own name for a plant and more than one may filter through to common use. But why four official botanical names?

Well, according to the Royal Horticultural Society they're not actually all official, only one is. The others are referred to as "synonyms". And the reason for the alternatives is much the same as the reason for the difference in common names - before the era of global communication, botanists working in different parts of the world would often give "official" names to plants, unaware the plant had already been classified and named by someone else. Occasionally two different people might even manage to give the same name to two different plants.

So someone has to decide which name to use. The rule used to be that whichever name was given earliest won. But that occasionally meant that a name which had become more generally used lost out. So common sense now sometimes prevails and a later, but more widely used name is given official status.

The other reason that alternative names may exist is that sometimes they've just got it wrong, classifying a species under the wrong genus, so that the name has later been changed. Forget Coleus, for instance. It's now Solenostemon.

Again, common sense will sometimes prevail and the taxonomists (the people responsible for classifying plants) will sometimes let us keep the more common name, even when a change of genus is concerned. We were saved from Freesia becoming Anomatheca, for instance. Phew!

And then there was the case of chrysanthemums. In 1989 it was decided that the genus name should be changed to --- umm, er, what was it again? Doesn't matter. It didn't catch on, and at a recent International Botanical Congress (which is where they decide these things), they gave in and changed it back again.

Now personally, it took me a couple of minutes to get my brain around Solenostemon. I typed solestemon, solestenum and a couple of other variants before I just gave up and copied it out letter by letter. I think I may just stick with Coleus ...

Bamboo House Photo Ideas

Bamboo House Photo Ideas

I've got compost!

When I was last here two years ago, I found the garden in much the same state as it is now - overrun with grass borage and nettles - and spent a month clearing it up then too. The weeds and the grass and the clippings from everything I cut back more than filled the Council's garden waste wheelie bin, so I revived the compost heap at the bottom of the garden. The borage and other weeds went into the wheelie, and anything which didn't have seeds or tap roots attached went into the compost heap - or the "dump" as we used to call it when we were kids.

Two years later and, despite it not having been looked after at all, I have the most gorgeous rich crumbly compost. There are still some woody bits that haven't broken down properly, but they're easy enough to sieve out and once that's done it looks almost edible. Pity I can't take some home with me - but I don't think it would fit into RyanAir's 15kg allowance-

I'm gradually digging it out and transferring it into bags at the moment. Gradually because I'm terrified of overdoing things and putting my back out - when you're gardening on a balcony you don't get much practice at digging. So I intersperse short bursts of heavy work with the more gentile aspects of gardening - deadheading the roses and spraying the black spot, you know the sort of thing - in the hope that I can con my muscles into staying the course.

Before I leave it will be dug into the garden, but there's a way to go before I get to that stage. However, I need the compost heap empty again for the new stuff, which is already piling up. Hence the transfer into bags.

This year though, the composting is going to be done a bit more scientifically. Last time things were just chucked on the heap in desperation. This time I'm planning first - I shall be chopping and shredding, layering my greens and browns, sprinkling old compost on each layer to introduce the microorganisms, and watering in.

I can almost hear the borage licking its lips in anticipation ...

Luxurious Coffee Table

The subtle yet decorative construction of the Louis Louis Square Cocktail Table makes it the perfect addition to your living room.



Beautiful and functional, the Long Cove Greenport Storage Cocktail Table in Midnight will be the perfect centerpiece for your living room



This beautiful plank table will fit perfectly in any modern decor. The natural, rustic look creates an age-old feel



Decorate with grandeur without having to search the world over with the Grand Salon Round Cocktail Table in Mocha Brown.



With sweeping dimensions, ambitious designs, and crafted from the finest materials, the occasional tables from the luxurious



Instead of traveling the world to find the finest materials and craftsmanship, just choose the Grand Salon Oval Storage Cocktail Table in Mocha Brown! This stunning cocktail table is classic and will fit in any room in your home



If you are into the modern style, this black contemporary cocktail table is perfect for you! Its straight lines and practical shelves are sure to match with your home's modern decor.

Modern dining room tables

Dining room tables

Modern dining room tables can add tremendous beauty to your home. Their clean, crisp lines allow you to dress them up or dress them down, depending on the occasion. During the holidays or other festival occasions, you can change the entire character of a dining room table with a special tablecloth or runner. For every day use, finely crafted modern dining room tables don't need much embellishment to look splendid in your home. The quality of the materials, originality of the designs and fine finishes will make your dining room table a focal point of your home.

for more via " Modern dining room tables "

Product Description

Did you know that the word 'Tavla' means table in Ancient Arawak' Archeologists discovered that this ancient tribe harvested thin strips of wood from the rare Veneer Tree (Veneerifus Treeus) and formed some of the first dining tables known to man. O.K., so we're making that up. But even a little white lie can't detract from the true beauty of our Tavla Dining Table. A crisp, clean veneer top is anchored by a nearly indestructible steel frame and leg support. The table will look equally good in your dining room or in the office. It is magnificently simple and simply magnificent.




Product Description

Sure, you could get one of those cavernous leafed tables with seating for 22, but what's the point? Better to tend to your sense of style and fashion than to keep a table around that's only used twice a year. This table fills the bill nicely. Big enough to seat a dinner party but small enough that two can hold hands across it during an intimate dinner, our glass-topped dining table is an exercise in simple elegance. With this dining table in your home, you'll look forward to every meal together, large or small.




Product Description

Seat six with plenty of space to spread out for a multi course extravaganza with this well crafted and superbly built table. The silky smooth dark top is almost like glass, creating a striking reflection that plays with the light from above and from the side. The sturdy stainless steel legs are small but strong, so you don't have to worry about your guests sacrificing comfort for an overly verbose, bulbous carved leg. Instead, they have plenty of room to spread out as they enjoy the spread before them. Rarely has a table been so functional yet so attractive.




Product Description

Dining room tables have always been problematic. For daily use, a small table fills the bill well for most families. But it is woefully inadequate when entertaining or having a holiday feast. One option is to lug in the painfully heavy leaves and jostle them into the table's mechanism. This table offers a much more salient approach. The leaf installs effortlessly, allowing you to quickly scale the table to match the occasion.




Product Description

Whether you're planning a holiday extravaganza, a sumptuous buffet or a sit down gourmet meal, space is always at a premium. Who hasn't created a multi course culinary masterpiece, only to find there isn't enough table space? This extendable table is here for you. Running out of room for food and/or guests? Simply pull out the extension and voila – all the space you need for both.

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy for http://homeinteriorandexteriordesign.blogspot.com/

If you require any more information or have any questions about our privacy policy, please feel free to contact us by email at kembank01@gmail.com.

At http://homeinteriorandexteriordesign.blogspot.com/, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us. This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by http://homeinteriorandexteriordesign.blogspot.com/ and how it is used.

Log Files
Like many other Web sites, http://homeinteriorandexteriordesign.blogspot.com/ makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol ( IP ) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.

Cookies and Web Beacons
http://homeinteriorandexteriordesign.blogspot.com/ does use cookies to store information about visitors preferences, record user-specific information on which pages the user access or visit, customize Web page content based on visitors browser type or other information that the visitor sends via their browser.

DoubleClick DART Cookie
.:: Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on http://homeinteriorandexteriordesign.blogspot.com/.
.:: Google's use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to users based on their visit to http://homeinteriorandexteriordesign.blogspot.com/ and other sites on the Internet.
.:: Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at the following URL - http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html

Some of our advertising partners may use cookies and web beacons on our site. Our advertising partners include ....
Google Adsense


These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on http://homeinteriorandexteriordesign.blogspot.com/ send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.

http://homeinteriorandexteriordesign.blogspot.com/ has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.

You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. http://homeinteriorandexteriordesign.blogspot.com/'s privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.

If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers' respective websites.

Cushions Of New Decor

Complementary citrus and green give a fresh look. Rattan and wooden Thomas Dare furniture and Crucial Trading sisal carpet create a summery feel, while voiles bleach out the windows and bathe the room in light. Shutters give extra privacy and control. The glass-topped table reflects light, enhancing the space. Spiky plants give architectural interest and echo the cushion print.



Patterned purple wallpaper teamed with an antique-style mirror creates a focal point out of the fireplace in this dramatic living room. The purple of the walls is mirrored in a rich aubergine rug and ottoman. An opulent combination of rich fig shades and glistening silver accessories creates a grown-up living space.



Green and red furniture and accessories provide colourful accents in this living room. The bold print shade ties into the scheme, repeating its colours and cushions. The dark grey walls and white flooring creates a soft and subtle backdrop



Bold red makes a statement against fresh green walls in this living room. Faux fur cushions and a textured rug keep the look cosy, while a glass coffee table creates a feeling of space, and its similarity to the dining table links the open-plan areas together.



A neutral colour palette of dusky pinks and greys creates an informal yet sophisticated look in this living room. A modular sofa is perfect for family to sit together, and upholstery in a darker colour like grey is ideal for hiding stains. Multifunctional furniture is key. For instance, the footstools can also be used as chairs or as storage boxes for magazines.



Give a traditional living room scheme a contemporary twist with super-sized and super-bright florals on the walls. Here, drops of patterned wallpaper are combined with drops of plain to create a bespoke effect. Neutral floors maintain a traditional look, while hits of punchy colour are added for a scheme that’s modern yet timeless.



Mustard florals and dark wood furniture, and matching flooring, create a Fifties-style look in this living room. The floral print on unlined curtains is emphasised by daylight shining through, in a scheme where different floral fabrics work together due to a common colour palette

Oriental Rugs

RugSale.com was founded by the largest importer of Oriental rugs in New England. We offer a large selection of area rugs with the finest collection of Persian rugs to fit into the decor in any area of your home. We pay for shipping to your door inside the continental US.

Professional designers choose an oriental rugs first to define the palette of colors for the room, even with bath rugs and kids rugs. The Oriental area rugs have to visually tie the other colors in the room together. Unlike shag rugs oriental rugs have elaborate patterns and multiple colors.

The best procedure when decorating a room is to pick rugs in the colors you like best and build the room décor around that.

RugSale.com has oriental rugs, whether they are hand knotted or hand tufted rug, for every area of your home with arrays of colors and styles to fit any taste.



A division of Kaoud Oriental Rugs, RugSale.com is the fastest growing online retailer of oriental area rugs in the North America. We buy from the best suppliers from around the world, which means our selection and prices are unbeatable. We have relationships with the best manufacturers like; Nourison, Oriental Weavers, Shaw rugs, Dalyn rug, Momeni rugs, Couristan rugs, Capel rugs, and Chandra Rugs. From the best synthetic carpet rugs to the highest quality wool rugs, you will find the oriental rugs that fit you décor perfectly at RugSale.com.


We have been taking care of the publics décor needs for over 50 years. With 3 generations experience in this industry, we can satisfy all of your oriental area rug needs. We offer a dizzying selection of styles at rock bottom prices. Every area rug has free shipping within the Continental United States. We have an extensive line of discount rugs l and we offer a 150% Low Price Guarantee and a 30-Day In Home Trial so you can be sure the rug you saw on the computer screen looks just as good in your home.

Whether you are looking to start from scratch with a new room or add new life to an existing rooms decor , oriental rugs are the perfect way to change the ambiance or character of a room.

In addition to decor and design changes, oriental area rugs can help absorb the noise level in a room with otherwise hard surface floors.
It can also add warmth to cold wood or ceramic flooring.

There's an endless array of area rug styles and designs to choose from like contemporary to traditional or European to far eastern designed Oriental rugs in stock and ready to ship.

Shag Rugs

Shag Rugs were very popular in the 1960s and 1970’s and not until very recently has there has been a resurgence in their appeal. There’s nothing quite like the feel of a nice-warm-fluffy shag rug under your feet. They are so much softer than a sisal rug. They are nice and soft and have a casual “shaggy” appearance. Though braided rugs feel soft they don’t have the same soft look. Shag rugs are different than most other rugs in that their fiber loops are left intact to create their pile, and that’s why they are so soft and have such “shagginess”. This is how a hand tufted rug looks before it is sheared.

In their early years, shag rugs were mainly found in oval shapes. They virtually always consisted of solid designs and weren’t as pleasing on the eye as they are now. Modern versions of these carpet rugs come in a greater assortment of shapes, sizes and some down right urbane contemporary rugs. Modern shag area rugs are made up of much higher quality materials than they were in their infancy so they last a lot longer. The higher quality, increased durability and fun styles and colors mean they make great kids rugs.


Most shag rugs are still made up of synthetic fibers however these days you can find some interesting variations. You will find them as cotton rugs, wool rugs, silk rugs, linen rugs and even leather rugs.

One great place to use shag rugs is in bedrooms. The hard/cold surfaces in bathrooms, like tile floors, toilet, sinks and tubs, can be offset with patches of soft and warm bath rugs. Shag rugs help absorb noise which is something to keep in mind when thinking about the areas where you may want to use them.

Generally you get what you pay for in life and shag rugs are no exception. The cheaper the discount rugs the sparser the tufts that make up the pile, which means less structure and lower overall quality. But we have great quality rugs from the biggest manufacturers of shag rugs including: Shaw Rugs, Dalyn Rug, Couristan Rugs, Chandra Rugs and Momeni Rugs.

What a lot of people like about shag rugs is their ability to change the look of a room. Though some people think of them as retro looking, most are attracted by their simplicity and feel. They are much simpler than oriental rugs or persian rugs. But we highly recommend Shag rugs. Take advantage of their warmth, comfort, bold design when decorating your house.

Kids Rugs

Kids Rugs don’t have to be just for kids. Think of them as Fun Rugs for the kid in all of us. We have an ever expanding selection of kids rugs with something for everyone from newborns to tweens to teens to just plain fun.

Kids rugs are the key to livening up a child’s room. As the foundation of any rooms’ décor, kids rugs bring in color and add excitement to any childs room. Some of the newest and most popular styles in kids shag rugs are the Mary-Kate and Ashley collection from Shaw Rugs. They are manufactured with high quality nylon in a state of the art facility to ensure superb durability, and resilience even in the tough environment of a child’s room. Mary Kate and Ashley rugs are extremely distinctive contemporary rugs with an eye toward the latest trends using unique combinations of colors and patterns.


RugSale long lasting relationships with the best suppliers from around the world like: Nourison, Oriental Weavers, Dalyn rug, Momeni Rugs, Couristan Rugs, Capel Rugs, and Chandra Rugs. These carefully cultivated relationships mean our selection and price points are the best. Kids rugs need to be made from soft materials unlike sisal rugs. From the best synthetic materials to the highest quality wool rugs, you will find area rugs that fits your child’s décor perfectly at RugSale.com.


If you are looking for unique kids rugs for a nursery, a children’s or even a teens room oriental rugs and persian rugs won’t fit the bill. A good kids rug need to be affordable also like discount rugs. We have kids carpet rugs or even braided rugs to create the an amazing room for your child. Interesting patterns and colors add a lively atmosphere to kids bedrooms and playroom. The energy they add is also a great alternative to expensive wallpapers and time consuming special paint jobs.


Most kids rugs use primary color pallets (red, blue, yellow), but with the right touches you can draw these colors through the rest of the room. If you add colors from the rug in the bedding or curtains you can give the room a cohesive quality and make the room very vibrant. This can also be done with bath rugs. This is the simplest and most inexpensive alternative to using themes and characters your child will outgrow which will mean you will have to redecorate it all over again.

New small house plan available today!

You have got to check out this new home design by Jo Nagasaka and Schemata Architecture. The "PACO house" offers complete self contained living in a 3 square meter cube.

The Paco House is available in four basic plans. Plan A features the kitchen, shower, bathroom, epoxy painted floor and ceiling lighting at a total price of 6,300,000 yen. Plan B boasts a kitchen, epoxy painted floor and ceiling lighting at a price of 5,250,000 yen. Plan C features the epoxy painted floor and ceiling lighting for 4,725,000 yen. Plan D is the home’s basic shell, which you can customize to your needs and interests, selling for 4,200 yen.

Clearly much time and money have been spent developing the prototype. Indeed this is one very well thought out box. But I have one question. Who is actually going to buy this thing?

more information:

Simple,Unique, Small, Creative and Green House Plans

as

A Postcard from London - Not the Chelsea Flower Show

Last week the tenants who'd been in my house in London for the last two years left, and the agency sent me a report describing the house as needing repairs and the garden as being "overgrown". So I came back to have a look.

This is the rose garden.

Here's the rockery.

This is the path down the side of the back garden.

And here's the vegetable garden.

Grass, borage and nettles as far as the eye can see. It's even worse than it was two years ago when the last tenants left. Excuse the rant, but why on earth do people who can't be bothered even to cut the grass rent a house with a garden? Go live in a flat.

So I now have a month to get it back into shape. Watch this space ...

New Cottage House Plan

Larson Brenner Architects (Stillwater, MN) is creating a new Cottage House Plan design for Kyle Hunt & Partners. The design is characterized by a dramatic steep front gable roof line and will feature a modern open floor plan.

Kyle Hunt & Partners is a builder that specializes in crafting Architect designed homes. They have created strategic partnerships with several Architects including Larson Brenner to provide services for their clients. This design will be featured at their Locust Hills neighborhood in Minnetonka, MN.

The two images below depict the design in two color studies.

Simple,Unique, Creative and Green House Plans

Skywatch Friday : UFO

On Tuesday I flew back to London. It was a sunny but windy day, and for the first part of the journey the clouds were stupendous ...

Banks of cloud in weird shapes, fluffy cumulus, and down below the mountains and the fields of Switzerland and the southern part of France.

As we got into the northern part of France though, the cloud changed to a uniform grey mass. And that was when I saw it ...

A little black blob flying parallel with us, just too much obscured by the cloud to decide what it was.

But it was an object, definitely flying, and definitely unidentifiable - by me anyway.

So I guess I can contribute a UFO to this week's Skywatch Friday - at least in the most literal sense of the term. But who knows - my last post was about intergalactic plant exchanges. Perhaps it wasn't quite as much a figment of my imagination as I thought ....

I don't know if anyone else from Skywatch is posting UFOs this week, but there are some great photos up. Don't miss the sunset photographed as it developed by Arija in Australia.