Photos by Sara Gettys

The Barany Home

Yakima abounds with wonderful secret cottage gardens, hiding behind privacy fences and tall arborvitae hedges throughout our many neighborhoods. If you’re lucky enough to be invited in, a magical world of plants, trees, fountains and art awaits.

We’ve asked three local master gardeners to open their special garden retreats to our readers, with the hope that their stories won’t intimidate, but rather encourage others to create their own versions of an outdoor sanctuary.

When Carol and John Barany bought their house above Franklin Park in 1982, they found it surrounded by an acre of lovely green lawn. About that time national style mavens Martha Stewart and Laura Ashley started publishing their phenomenally popular home and garden books, filled with floral motifs and quaint country cottages that started a trend.

“We all wanted to make our homes look like little England,” Carol explained. Coincidentally, Shirley Whiteside opened Yakima’s Loo Witt Gardens on Summitview Avenue at the same time, offering green thumbs a much wider range of perennials, English roses, shrubs and garden art to accomplish just that.

When Carol started planting her garden she admits she had no plan and remembers starting with a six-pack of marigolds.

“Over the years my garden has grown like an amoeba,” she joked, as she gazed out at a sea of roses, poppies and delphiniums, bursting with color in her backyard. “I just wanted more flowers, and I kept taking out more grass to make room for plants.”

Her husband has not been idle while his wife toiled in her flower beds. Over the years, John has focused on their side yard, terracing and constructing a brick wall to allow for a vegetable garden and building an impressive grape arbor that drips with vines during the summer months. He also sculpted free-form plaster likenesses of his children’s faces on the front pillars of the home’s entry. An accomplished artist, John’s turned wood pillars, with heads created by local artist Penn O. Shelton, add a whimsical touch to the overall look of the Baranys’ garden.

Joyce and Tony Sagare moved into their home near Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital in 1969, also finding a lot of lawn, junipers and a variety of trees.

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“While I was teaching, my gardening consisted of pulling weeds, planting some petunias for color and raking leaves in the fall,” Joyce said. “After retiring in 1993, I became interested in gardening, adding some perennials here and there with some new shrubs and roses. I took a class on attracting birds, so birdbaths and new plants were added.”

Today the Sagares’ backyard is an amazing and tranquil setting, totally hidden from the street side of the house. Their large deck gives a view to a terraced landscape and an ever-changing cottage garden that provides a variety of settings. “Throughout the backyard, garden rooms and sitting areas have evolved. Pathways have been added. I like to try new combinations of textures and colors in the beds,” Joyce said.

The couple installed a gazebo in 1998, and a primitive potting shed and bench in 2000.  Enjoying a more rustic look, they’ve collected orchard tree props and wooden ladders to use as trellises. A variety of birdhouses make the backyard a wonderful spot to observe the wide variety of feathered friends native to Eastern Washington.

Joyce lists Queen Elizabeth grandiflora roses, hostas, astilibes and hydrangeas as her floral favorites. Her favorite annuals include coleus and calibrochoa that, she says, feature great color, “and they thrive in our hot summers.” She feels her backyard sanctuary has microclimates of sun and shade, and has planted each area accordingly.

“My garden is constantly changing, moving, adding, dividing and sharing.” And the result is a year-round retreat that takes complete advantage of Yakima’s four seasons.

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A collector of all things Americana, Jane has decorated her outdoor space with objects that elicit family memories. A vintage bicycle given to Jane for a childhood birthday has been transformed into a planter. The old door from her fifth-grade classroom at Toppenish’s Lincoln Elementary School makes a rustic backdrop for a flowerbed bordered by a collection of antique china plates. Her grandfather’s old farm plow and wheelbarrow rest under a 60-year-old broadleaf tree. The home’s shady patio houses Jane’s collection of vintage white wicker furniture — a perfect spot for sipping cool lemonade and eating gingersnap cookies in the shade of the hot summer sun.

Jane’s clever eye for country garden design got the attention of others, too: her Americana Garden was featured in this year’s Yakima Area Arboretum Garden Tour.

If you’re planning on creating your own private outdoor retreat, our experts have a few tips: first, make a plan. Then consult the experts (plants, shrubs and trees are expensive); and finally, start small. All three of these cottage gardens have evolved over the years because of hard work, mistakes, fabulous successes and the most important ingredient … a passion for gardening.  Martha Stewart, eat your heart out!

The landscaping of the Hyatt home includes small ponds and waterfalls, river rock features and wildlife statues.

By Heather Caro

Photography by Sara Gettys

Driving through the picturesque Lower Valley – perhaps on a wine tour – visitors might catch a glimpse of the towering river-stone arches and weeping sequoia trees that mark the entrance to Leland and Lynda Hyatt’s rural Zillah estate on Bonair Road.

Built in 1997, the spacious, 5,000-square-foot house was designed by architect Greg McClure. The Hyatts admit, though, that the design was heavily influenced by their own inspiration and ideas gained from years of attending Yakima’s annual Tour of Homes.  “We still go,” says Lynda as she describes the many updates they’ve made to the property over the years.

The Hyatts’ recently remodeled kitchen features all the perks: two islands, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Attention to such details as a built-in oak butcher block near the stainless steel prep sink allows for a functional workspace without sacrificing style.

The open floor plan of the great room – ceilings reach 18 feet – is balanced by a rich color palette, hardwood flooring and overstuffed leather furnishings. And, blurring the lines between indoors and out, a river stone hearth crafted by local mason Bob Gosset is the commanding focal point of the room. The massive fireplace is embellished with a mantle fashioned from a rustic driftwood log.

A regal staircase sweeps up to the second floor, where the master bedroom suite takes center stage. The bedroom features a gas fireplace and cathedral ceiling with windows that frame lush apple orchards and the mountains beyond. The expansive master bath with whirlpool tub, a custom walk-in shower and granite countertops cradling dual cast iron sinks complete the sanctuary. In addition, the suite leads to a private deck where a hot tub awaits with relaxing views of acres of wine grapes adjacent to Hyatt Vineyards — which the couple has owned and operated since 1983 — and the distant Rattlesnake Hills.

Custom furniture built by McClure and decorative pot shelves (an architectural detail spotted by the couple during vacations in Sodona, Ariz.) add personality. Throughout the home, signs of weekends spent with grandchildren are sweetly evident — from framed photos to a den filled with games and comfy pillows.

The overall effect is an extraordinary home that is clearly comfortable in its own skin. It’s a place where entertaining and family are relished.

And yet the Hyatts’ living space does not end at their doorway.

[[Show as slideshow]]Adding their own slant to the growing trend of “outdoor living,” the grounds of the estate are an extension of the home – and where you can find the couple on most days.

Landscaping, including the addition of a bed of red roses – a favorite flower of Lynda’s – was done almost entirely by the couple. Details such as carefully placed boulders and gnarled timbers punctuate the terrain, each with a story easily recalled by the Hyatts.

“I guess we’ve always been collectors,” laughs Lynda. “When our kids were little we’d go out boating and drag driftwood home with us.”

Custom river-stone works, crafted by Gosset, can be found throughout the Hyatt’s 46-acre property, from the grand arches at the entrance of the estate to the home’s foyer, a garden bench, barbecue and the most recent addition: a river-stone roundabout.

Careful observers might notice the ubiquitous windmill design, a theme that’s echoed in each piece. Collecting the quixotic Hyatt trademark is a favorite hobby of Leland’s. The decorative windmills can be seen turning in the breeze at the Hyatt estates, the Hyatt Vineyard and within Gosset’s river-stone pieces.

Multiple water features are also present on the acreage, including six ponds with names inspired by the couple’s grandchildren, each stocked with bass and trout. But what truly sets the landscape apart are the many cabins and outbuildings built to help complete the Hyatt’s outdoor living space.

On the banks of “Tessa’s Pond,” the largest of the six (which doubles as irrigation for the surrounding orchard), a small fishing shack with an outdoor dining area is a popular family gathering place during warmer months. A typical summer meal may include steak and fresh corn grilled over apple wood – accompanied by a vintage from Hyatt Vineyards, of course.

“Carson’s Pond” features a covered patio with a shaded sitting area for long afternoons of fishing. And, inspired from a trip to Yellowstone National Park, the Hyatts added a small log cabin near “CaraLee’s Pond.” The one-room cabin is large enough for a queen-sized bed, bunk beds and a small dining area – just right for campouts with the grandkids.

With its updated living spaces and al fresco garden hideaways, the Hyatt home is the perfect marriage of a love for nature and an affinity for creature comforts.

July and August are months of lush abundance in the Yakima Valley, when gardens explode not only with extraordinary produce, but with extravagant flowers. For centuries and across many cultures, flowers have provided not only a feast for the eyes, but for the palate as well. Many flowers are edible and can make a beautiful and delicious addition to recipes.

But before you head into the garden and pick a bunch of blooms to add to tonight’s dinner menu, it’s important that you know precisely what you are eating.

Photos of food bedazzled by blooms entice readers from the pages of cookbooks and magazines, but just because that dish may be garnished with flowers does not mean that the garnishes are safe to eat. The widespread use of pesticides by commercial growers is a reality, making it essential that cooks obtain flowers from a dependable, food-safe source. Never eat flowers from a florist or gathered from the side of the road.

Better to use those flowers from your own garden, so you know they are completely safe. Roses, nasturtiums, pansies, violets and lavender are flowers that can be used easily and are good choices for the flower-as-food novice. Not only do they make gorgeous garnishes, but thyme, oregano, sage and chive flowers have a milder taste than their leaves and can safely be used as you would the herb.

Salad with Chive Blossom

If you are choosing homegrown flowers to eat, remember that many can potentially cause gastric distress and some are outright dangerous. Always consult a list of poisonous plants before you even consider eating a particular flower, and never use floral preservatives with edibles. Pick freshly opened and perfectly formed flowers from your garden in the morning or late afternoon, when the water content is high and flavors and essential oils are at their peak. Remove the pistils and stamens — the pollen-bearing parts of the plant. This step is especially important if you have asthma, hay fever or allergies.

If this is the case, you may want to avoid eating flowers altogether, or do so very cautiously in small quantities, to be absolutely sure you will not have a dangerous reaction. Continue your preparations by washing the flowers thoroughly in cool water, followed by a revitalizing 30- to 60-second plunge in an ice water bath. Drain on paper towels and then carefully remove the petals or other parts to be eaten. In some flowers, such as roses, you may decide to scissor away the whitish part of the petal where it connects to the stem, since it can add bitterness. You can store the flowers in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, but try to serve them just as fresh as possible.

Ten common plants that you shouldn’t eat:

(From livescience.com)

Narcissus

Rhododendron

Ficus

Oleander

Chrysanthemum

Anthurium

Lily-of-the-valley

Hydrangea

Foxglove

Wisteria

By Sara Perry

A beautiful and appealing landscape is part of what makes our homes lovely, comfortable and comforting places to be.

Purchasing plants can represent a significant investment, and mistakes can be frustrating and costly. Luckily gardeners are notorious share-alls and advice from an experienced gardener – especially one who gardens in the same area you do – can be very helpful.

I recently asked some of our most experienced WSU Master Gardeners to share their “best picks” for plants – ornamentals or vegetables – that thrive in their Yakima area gardens.

Tomatoes are at the top of many gardeners’ priority lists, and this is certainly true for Larray Prather. Larray and a team of dedicated Master Gardeners propagate thousands of plants each year at our greenhouses in anticipation of our annual spring plant sale. Tomatoes and peppers are his specialty. When the sale is over, Larray goes to work in his huge half-acre garden where he grows more than 200 tomato plants, peppers and other veggies. Here are his top picks:

* Super Fantastic – an indeterminate hybrid tomato with a smooth taste that cans, juices, sauces and slices;

* Kelloggs Breakfast – a yellow beefsteak that has won our annual taste-off more than once. Larray says, “You just have to get over having a red tomato.”

* Sun Sugar – an orange hybrid cherry – sweet and yummy;

* Burpee’s Supersteak – an indeterminate hybrid for those big hamburger-bun-sized slices;

* Nu Mex Big Jim – a medium hot pepper;

* Fat and Sassy – a sweet bell pepper that really performs;

* Armenian cucumbers (which are really melons!) – He likes them fresh and pickled.

Hosta is one of Kris Vestad’s favorite ornamentals. Propagated for its lush green, blue or multicolored leaves, it fills in beautifully under shrubs and trees. This low-maintenance, long-lived plant thrives with afternoon shade and even watering but will grow in sunnier spots as well.

Kris’ favorites:

* Big Daddy – true to its name with large, deep blue, heart-shaped leaves that grow to 3 feet;

* Albo-marginata – with deep green, white-edged leaves that grow to about 2 feet;

* June – with a variegated leaf that is a little smaller.

Carol Barany’s expertise is filling large spaces with free-flowering, long-blooming perennials, and the beautiful gardens surrounding her lovely old period home prove it.

* Of geranium Rozanne Carol says, “When I first found this “Perennial Plant of the Year” for 2008, it was love at first sight, and I haven’t changed my mind since. This plant is simply the best hardy geranium, and my favorite perennial.” Rozanne’s violet-blue blooms continue all summer.

*A Dahlia called Fascination, with striking blackish-purple stems and leaves, is the best of the dark foliage dahlias, according to Carol. A diminutive 24 inches tall, its pink blooms make great cut flowers.

* The Centranthus ruber called Alba is a warm-white version of the familiar red (or pink) Valerian. Carol says this tall flower with pretty silver-green foliage “never seems to be without flowers, and it responds well to deadheading. When it’s time for a haircut, I whack the bushy, upright plants back with hedge-clippers, then wait for the next flush of blooms. Hands down, when people tour my garden, this is the plant they ask me to share.  There’s no better recommendation than that!”

Diana Pieti grows a wildlife-friendly garden:

* Agastache rupestris, Licorice Mint, or Agastache cana, Bubble Gum Mint — for the hummingbirds and butterflies

* Amelanchier, Serviceberry — a North American native shrub with small white blooms in spring and edible, blueberry-like fruit for people and birds

* Cornus stolonifera, Red Twig Dogwood — with its beautiful red branches in winter for general wildlife habitat.

Zinnias are everywhere in Bill Gillespie’s yard. “We plant them in thick drifts in our largest beds. Miniature, short and giants go well together and provide a mass of color from ground level to 4 feet high.” Some favorite varieties include State Fair, Dreamland and Lilliput; all are available in mixed colors.

Mary Killingstad is hooked on garlic.  Plant certified, disease-free cloves in the fall, feed and water well and you will be rewarded in July with large heads of home-grown culinary heaven.  Mary likes two heirloom hardneck varieties called Chesnok Red and Persian Star.

“Hemerocallis” or Daylily, and “Gaillardia” or Blanket flower, are two of LaVonne Benner’s garden stalwarts.  Easy to grow and maintain, and available in lots of colors, they bloom all summer.  A hybrid flowering shrub called “Caryopteris clandonensis” or Dark Knight is also on her list of bests, with its attractive blue-purple flowers that bloom from July until late summer.

The Yakima Arboretum’s annual plant sale runs 3-7 p.m. Friday, May 7, and continues 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, May 8. This is a great way to find a new-to-the-market selection of trees, shrubs, perennials, grasses and vines for your yard.

WSU Extension Master Gardener Program is an organization of trained volunteers dedicated to horticulture and community service. Do you have questions about gardening or landscaping? Call the Master Gardener Clinic at 509-574-1600 or visit us at the WSU Extension office on 104 N. 1st Street in Yakima. New volunteers are welcome.

By Melissa Labberton

Photos by Sara Gettys

Leo Adams, Yakima’s foremost visual artist, spends almost as much time redecorating his unique home on the Ahtanum Ridge as he does capturing the beauty of the Yakima Valley in his paintings. In fact, it’s difficult separating the talented artist from his house, an amazing amalgam of recycled materials, found objects and a vast array of original art.

Adams grew up on the Yakama Indian Reservation. His late father, cattle rancher Harvey Adams, served as a tribal councilman for 30 years. Adams’ Native American roots have definitely influenced his paintings, especially his stunning landscapes that reflect the colors of Eastern Washington’s desert terrain. That same heritage resonates in the way he accessorizes with indigenous plants, flowers, dried weeds and Native American stone implements. He uses a natural color palette — soothing gray, brown and taupe — for his home’s décor too.[[Show as slideshow]]

“I’ve always been an artist since I was young,” Adams said. When asked if he ever dared redecorate his family’s home, he said no and quickly added, “When I finally got my own bedroom, I was always rearranging that. I put my own artwork up and recolored the walls.”

Adams credits his Wapato High School art teacher, Roger Berghoff, with teaching him drawing, painting and commercial art, and local artist Charles Smith, who also taught at Wapato High, with opening his mind to more modern, “free-thinking” art. He clearly remembers selling his first painting at age 18: a horse and hound hunting scene, for $150 to a family in the Lower Valley. This marked the beginning of his professional career.

After graduation, Adams studied illustration at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., and the Burnley School (now the Seattle Art Institute), where he focused on fashion illustration. In 1962, through the generosity of the Yakama

Nation, he traveled abroad and spent a year discovering the art and architecture of Europe’s great cities. This amazing trip opened his eyes to the possibilities of a career in visual art and also planted the seed for the kind of house he wanted to build someday.

After returning to the Seattle, Adams launched his painting career in earnest, but the call of Eastern Washington brought him home to Yakima.

In the early ’70s Adams purchased 40 acres along Ahtanum Creek on the northern border of the Yakama Reservation and moved his grandfather’s cabin to the property. He hired V.K. Powell Construction to frame the house and install the electrical wiring and plumbing. Adams was so taken by the size and scale of the great houses he’d seen in Europe that he insisted on high ceilings (10-18 feet), with plenty of room to display his large canvases and a living space that could comfortably accommodate entertaining family and friends. Finishing the interior of the house was up to him, and the process challenged his imagination while sharpening his carpentry skills.

Over the years, Adams’ unquenchable desire to create has spilled over to the ever-evolving interior of the home. Dubbed “The King of Discards” by a 2003 Seattle Times article, Adams just can’t seem to resist fashioning masterpieces from what most people would consider cast-offs only suitable for the landfill.

A perfect example is the exquisite, expensive-looking floral arrangement displayed on the kitchen table. Upon closer inspection it reveals sticks, dried weeds and silk flowers contained in a white enamel washbasin, shot up with bullet holes. Adams found the bowl in a field by his house. With economy and style in mind, he used old Army blankets for the wall coverings of his bedroom, mainly because he liked their subtle color and texture. The dramatic striped walls and elaborate window moldings of his living room mimic the stonework of an Italian villa. He created the effect on the cheap by pickling and staining pieces of plywood for the walls and cleverly arranging 2-by-4s and 2-by-6s to imitate Romanesque moldings.

Adams’ friendship with late Seattle designer Jean Jongeward influenced his love of Asian art, whose Oriental themes are evident in many of his paintings and accessories. His recent acquisition of some cyclone fencing led him to hang it from the ceiling of the living room in the shape of a kimono to make a unique room divider. The dining room’s faux crystal chandelier is nothing more than two 1920s hop baskets tied together and embellished with delicate scalloped circles of paper strung on pieces of string. Also Asian-inspired are the simple, handmade butcher paper lanterns that hang throughout the house.

While Adams continues to work on commissions and frequently shows his work in regional art exhibits, he’s currently focusing on getting his house ready for the Larson Gallery Guild’s Tour of Artists Homes & Studios on May 15. This annual event gives the public a wonderful opportunity to visit Adams’ remarkable house, view his latest paintings and experience his creative genius.

Photo by Brendan Beardsley

Photos by Chad Bremerman

Eclectic yet elegant, the airy Mighty Tieton lofts are a triumph in the art of “reconsidering space.”

Through the work of Seattle architect Philip Christofides, Mighty Tieton’s circa 1941 fruit warehouse was recently repurposed into functional living space. By 2008, the oversized cement box had been transformed into 14 urban-chic loft condominiums with energy-efficient updates — all planned around interior common spaces. The $200,000-$250,000 lofts sold quickly and only one is currently back on the market.

Each Mighty Tieton unit shares a nearly identical floor plan, with a lofted bedroom over the kitchen and living areas. The airy ceilings (14 feet upstairs, 11 feet downstairs) and exposed original wood beams create a far more spacious feel than the actual 1,440 square feet. Wood floors burnished from decades of labor were kept as is.

But what really sets the lofts apart are the finishing touches placed by the artists and professionals who call Mighty Tieton home.

“A lot of the design … is in taking what was already here — and playing it up,” says Marquand of the loft home he shares with his partner, Michael Longyear.[[Show as slideshow]]

“This area is not Italy. It is not France. It is Central Washington. We don’t pretend it is something it is not,” says Marquand. “But there are colors and an aesthetic beauty if used in the right way. We try to admire what is here and use it in imaginative ways.”

Marquand’s and Longyear’s loft, Unit 7, is furnished with objects reflecting Tieton’s agricultural background — though perhaps not immediately apparent. Sweeping black curtains appear dramatic and posh, but they once functioned as greenhouse shade cloth salvaged from Bauer’s Nursery. Whitewashed doors from the nursery are integrated into a partitioned wall downstairs and living room bookshelves are held up with iron greenhouse brackets.

Other whimsical elements punctuate Marquand’s loft, such as the electric “log fire” beneath a side table and carefully positioned vintage drinking-water barrels (stored in the warehouse as part of town emergency preparations during the 1960s). Marquand describes his décor as a mix of “IKEA, expensive Italian and junkstore finds.” The end result is a home at once refined and casual.

Christofides, along with his partner, interior designer Margot Arellano, also purchased a loft. And although they divide time between their Tieton and Seattle homes, Christofides says the couple favors the relaxed atmosphere of Mighty Tieton.[[Show as slideshow]]

“This is the place that I love more than any other place that I’ve lived,” says Christofides, who has lived in a variety of spaces in Seattle and California, including single-family homes, condominiums and townhouses. “The Tieton space beats all for quality, light and character.”

In Christofides’ and Arellano’s Unit 14 loft, a vintage French movie poster with splashes of orange and fuscia appears bold and contemporary alongside an otherwise neutral palette. Sleek, modern furniture, including a bright orange cylinder that was once a Gatorade container, are carefully placed. Some furniture — like the kitchen island — was made by the couple (the island’s metal legs were once a telecom tower). Other pieces were salvaged finds, like the emerald-colored stools recovered from the set of MTV’s “Real World Seattle” on Pier 70.

But perhaps the most striking features to the corner unit are the converted loading dock portals that were transformed into sleek, retractable picture windows, with custom screens built in for shade and privacy.

“The biggest challenge,” says Christofides of the Mighty Tieton project, “is that it’s such an unusual concept for a small rural town. It didn’t fit the standard profile.”

And yet, even among locals, the idea is catching on.[[Show as slideshow]]

Yakima residents Donald and Ann Orminski decided to purchase a Mighty Tieton loft as a get-away retreat — without the worry of upkeep.

Their Unit 1 loft is furnished with a rustic elegance also reminiscent of Tieton’s agricultural background. Cascading burlap curtains were once used to bundle hops from Grower’s Supply. And heavy metal twine used to bundle the hop bales was repurposed into stairway railing. A rustic wooden pulley dangles from the ceiling — and proved helpful when it was time to move heavy furniture to the second floor.

Ann, who is an administrator for Central Washington Podiatry Service, and Donald, a podiatrist in the practice, made several additions to the home, including new hardwood (the original flooring was damaged), a revamped kitchen and oiled ceiling timbers.  Artwork made by the Orminskis (including Ann’s sketches and paintings and Donald’s stunning dining room table, crafted using the inside of an upright piano), provide the finishing touches to their loft retreat.[[Show as slideshow]]

The common dining area, called the Loft Gallery down the hall from Unit 1, is a frequent gathering place for the “lofties” as well as friends, artists and other professionals from the community. Potluck dinners, a barbeque, or an impromptu cocktail hour are not uncommon during weekends or summer nights.

Kerry Quint, artist and project director for Mighty Tieton, constructed a special dining table for the space, which also serves as and informal gallery, with salvaged warehouse rafters. Built on casters, the entire table can easily be pushed out to the deck for outdoor dining. And though privacy in such close living quarters is respected, loft doors are often left ajar to encourage neighbors to drop in.

“It’s a great group,” says Marquand.  “We’ve developed a very nice informal community.”

By Jim McLain

Start Your Own “Salad” Garden…Easily

Over the last several years, vegetable gardens have been popping up like dandelions in backyards across America. One reason for the renaissance of vegetable gardening has been the recession.

But there is also another reason: a desire for fresh produce that has been grown without chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Not so long ago, organic farmers and gardeners were thought to be sort of, well, wacko. But organic gardening — gardening without chemicals  — has now gained mainstream acceptance.

If you are considering starting your first vegetable garden this year, whether you decide to jump on the organic gardening bandwagon or not, heed these two words of advice: start small.

Unfortunately, many first-time gardeners are overly enthusiastic and plant a garden that is far too large. By the time the heat of summer rolls around, many of these gardens have become jungles of abandoned weeds.

Ease into vegetable gardening by limiting your first to just one small 8-by-4-foot raised bed that will grow a surprising amount of produce.

Here’s how to start: purchase three 1-by-6 inch pieces of rot-resistant cedar lumber that are 8 feet in length. Cut one of them into two 4-footers. Nail them to the ends of the two remaining eight-foot boards. Voila! You now have the beginnings of a small 32-square-foot garden.

Select a site that receives at least six hours of sunlight a day. Dig out the turf if it is to be located where there is now lawn. Settle in your frame, then fill your raised bed with soil to within two inches of the top. You may be able to “borrow” soil from your flowerbeds, or you can buy garden or potting soil by the bag at garden centers. Add some garden compost or composted steer manure to enrich the soil.

For your first garden, consider limiting it to a “salad” garden — one that will provide ingredients for tossed salads throughout the gardening season. Begin your garden in the latter part of April or early May. Plant some of these cool season vegetables: radishes, lettuce, mesclun, chard, spinach and Walla Walla sweet onions. Two weeks later, plant carrots.

Run your rows across the width of the bed. Rows can be as close as four inches apart for your lettuce and other greens. They won’t need to be thinned because you will be harvesting them while they are still small.

Using the cut-and-come-again method, harvest just enough for one salad at a time. Use scissors to snip leaves about an inch above the ground. Your plants will then regrow and give you a second and possibly a third cutting before they begin to bolt and set seed.

When your cool season vegetables have passed their prime, replace them with warm season salad vegetables, including tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.

Buy tomato transplants of varieties that have “bush” in their name, such as “Bush Early Girl.” They will take up less space. Even so, you will need to use a tomato cage to support and confine them. Two plants will likely produce all the tomatoes you need. On the other hand, you should have room for at least three or four sweet pepper plants, which should also be bought as transplants.

For cucumbers, construct a simple, space-saving trellis at the end of your bed for them to climb. You will need to tie the vines to the trellis when they first begin to run, starting them on their upward journey. Seed your cucumbers in the garden or start transplants indoors.

Keep your garden producing by successive planting — replacing each crop that has finished producing with a new planting of the same or different kind of vegetable. This can be continued right into July or even later for some vegetables, including carrots.

Nothing succeeds like success. By keeping your first vegetable garden small, you will expend minimum time and effort, but you will reap the benefits of a successful first garden. In following years, you may decide to expand your gardening by adding an additional raised bed to include a variety of other vegetables you didn’t have room for this year.

WSU Extension Master Gardener Program is an organization of trained volunteers dedicated to horticulture and community service. Questions about gardening, landscaping, or this program can be directed toward the Master Gardener Clinic at 509-574-1600, or visit the WSU Extension office at 104 N. First St. in Yakima. New volunteers are welcome.

By Melissa S. Labberton

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Color can set the mood, evoke emotion and bring back memories. (In fact, House Beautiful devoted its entire March 2010 issue to the color blue.) That’s why Sue Fenich and her design consultant and friend, Judy Ausink, felt that choosing the perfect color palette for Sue’s 1907 mock Tudor home on West Yakima Avenue was so important to the overall interior design.

Sue, a 52-year-old community volunteer, and her husband, Randy, a 51-year-old managing partner of Moss Adams, acquired the property in 1980. They loved that they were only the fourth owner and that the home’s 5,100 square feet allowed room for a growing family. Located in one of Yakima’s oldest and most gracious neighborhoods, the property encompasses just under 1 acre of land. As an added bonus, the 4-bedroom, 3-bath home came with a delightful guesthouse in the backyard.

The couple made updating their two-story home a priority from the beginning, hoping to have it placed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, they never could have predicted the 1991 fire that started in an electrical panel, gutting the basement and causing extensive damage throughout the main floor. They lived with family for nine months until their home was made livable again by Frank Fitterer Construction.

But over the past several years, Fenich has remodeled and redecorated parts of the home, working by herself and with Auskink to refresh some of the original remodeling done almost 20 years ago. “Judy was very reassuring and supportive and helped me achieve my vision,” said Fenich.

The first step was choosing the home’s silver sage color scheme.

“A soothing color palette was chosen by Sue for her living room. That became a jumping-off point for the re-do of the kitchen, family room, hall and bath,” Ausink explained. “We were both in agreement that the same color scheme needed to be used throughout the home.”

Sue Fenich

For years, Fenich compiled an “idea book” full of decorating ideas that would work in her house. But it was a wrong turn on a trip to Bellevue that landed Fenich at Calico Corners, where she discovered the fabric that inspired her silver sage color palette. That fabric became her custom living room curtains, and coordinating fabrics cover furniture that she’s used throughout her home.

“Sue’s strengths include her ability to design gorgeous window treatments that are embellished with all the bells and whistles,” Ausink explained. Fenich chose an elegant Empire-style valence, patterned with tiny fleur-de-lis, for the large front window in the living room, which complements the plush sofa and contrasting wingbacks and Oriental rug. A pencil drawing of Fenich’s great-grandfather over the fireplace mantel makes a perfect focal point for a formal, but comfortable, room.

With two teenage children, creating a family room on the main floor became a priority, so the couple decided to remodel the first-floor master bedroom for that purpose. By opening up the old bedroom’s large walk-in closet, they created an office alcove adjacent to the warm and welcoming family room. Matching Calico Corner sofas from the same silver sage palette were coupled with side tables and accessories purchased from many local merchants such as Fiddlesticks and The Village Shop, and make the room a perfect place for casual entertaining with family and friends.

Although the kitchen went through a total renovation in 1991, Fenich felt it needed refreshing after so many years of wear and tear. “We wanted to bring new life to the worn out kitchen we spend most of our time in,” said Fenich. “Randy loves to cook, and I love to have friends and family over, so our kitchen had seen a lot of use and was just very tired.”

In 2008, the couple hired Kline Construction to take on the project. “The first priority in the kitchen was to update the space while using (the) existing cabinets and floor plan, without losing the flavor of an older home,” Ausink explained.

A second priority was to rebuild the existing island with new countertops and paint, making sure to allow for Randy’s new wine cooler. Keeping the same color palate in mind, new appliances, flooring, sink and hardware also contributed to the kitchen’s updated look. Painting and reglazing the existing kitchen cabinets — instead of replacing them — became one of the most cost-effective aspects of the project. Kline’s painters worked their magic on the original natural wood cabinets, transforming them with Navajo White paint and glaze. The result gives them an elegant, old-world charm.

A mantleless fireplace on the northeast wall of the kitchen proved the most complex piece of their remodeling puzzle. Fenich drew a sketch of what she wanted, and the contractor created a fireplace that looks almost exactly like her drawing. Now framed by an exquisite mantel and two bookshelves for her cookbook collection, the fireplace has a comfortable tiled hearth, which serves as a cozy place to sit and enjoy the warmth of the flames. They also added French doors that open onto a back porch and a stairway that leads to the manicured backyard and swimming pool, allowing for seamless summer entertaining.

Sue and Randy Fenich are far from done when it comes to updating their beautiful old home; in fact, Sue is already scouring decorating magazines in search of the perfect dining room.

The living room, with its matching Empire-style sofas, antique side tables and cozy fireplace was once a dance studio. Photo by Rod Woolcock

From Ballet Studio to Beautiful Family Home

By Melissa S. Labberton

Photos by Rod Woolcock

Many Yakima residents remember the large Craftsman-style house at 2215 Summitview Ave. as St. Clair’s Dance Studio. From 1950 to 1992, Vera and Stanley St. Clair taught hundreds of local children and adults how to dance in their first-floor studio. However, all the plies and pirouettes became a whisper within the house’s old walls when Vera St. Clair passed away 17 years ago.

Today, Dennis Richardson and Julie Picatti-Richardson own the beautiful, 4,810-square-foot home.  Together, they’ve worked hard to bring the 1919 farmhouse that W.H. Strausz built in the middle of his cherry orchard back to its former glory.  Finding the original blueprints drawn by H. Weatherwax, one of Yakima’s earliest architects, provided the couple with many helpful clues.

Summer Hahn, archivist for the Yakima Valley Museum, explained that around the turn of the 20th century, the Craftsman house design became very popular in the United States — families could actually order one from the Sears and Roebuck catalog.

“I consider the Strausz home a High Craftsman style, because you couldn’t buy it in a catalog,” he (cq) said.  Hahn explained that Richardson’s home is a larger version that was custom built and became popular with the upper class in the 1910s and 1920s.

It was the home’s custom woodwork, 10-foot ceilings, large rooms and simple elegance that first attracted Richardson when he bought it as a bachelor in 2002.  He became fascinated with the home’s history and loved discovering the original, turn-of-the-century features that still exist.  For instance, the house was built with the kitchen in the basement, but sometime before 1950, the family moved it to the main floor.

The antique mahogany dining table, with its six leaves, can seat 20 people. Photo by Rod Woolcock

Dennis said a servant’s buzzer still remains in the basement, designed to alert those upstairs that dinner was being delivered by the dumbwaiter, which is behind a door in the first floor stairwell.  For decades a second floor chute has sent dirty clothes to the basement laundry room, and a pre-refrigeration icebox awaited the arrival of an ice man in the hall by the back door.   A favorite spot for the couple is the original kitchen nook, featuring a flip-up table for easily sweeping out crumbs.  The couple converted a   hidden ironing board into a handy spice cabinet, and they converted the second floor maid’s quarters into a guest room with a bath.

Spreading out the 90-year-old blueprints on the dining room table, Dennis pointed out that several owners since 1992 have played a part in the remodeling of the old home.

“Bob Page restored the molding and took down a lot of wallpaper,” Dennis said. “He did a lot of renovation on the main floor.” Page and his wife, Carol, enlarged and modernized the kitchen, without losing its vintage feel. They pushed it out to make a seating area and installed a new stove and refrigerator that resemble 1920s appliances.

A push-out provides a sunny seating area for the vintage kitchen. Photo by Rod Woolcock

Dennis and Julie married three years ago, but even while dating she played an active role in the home’s restoration.  The couple also enlisted the help of Seattle interior designer Carrie Hayden, owner of the Great Jones Home Store in Belltown.  Hayden has helped them find furniture, wallpaper and custom shades that have enhanced the style of the house.  The couple love to entertain friends and family, and the large L-shaped dining and living area offers a perfect backdrop for cocktails in front of the fireplace and  dinner at their antique mahogany table with its cozy banquet sofas.  The simple sophistication they’ve achieved complements the understated elegance of the Craftsman design.

Modernizing without destroying the integrity of the house has been the couple’s prime concern. Besides restoring four upstairs bedrooms, they added a Southern-style sun porch and installed a delightful powder room on the main floor. The second story now boasts two new full baths and a remodeled original bathroom. The use of exquisite Italian limestone tiles and high-end fixtures has given all the bathrooms a luxurious old-world feel.

For Dennis and Julie, there are projects yet to be done, but their immediate focus is on preparing a nursery.   Even with twins on the way, their home is fit for the whole family.

Enjoy an Indoor Garden This Winter

By Marge Greenwood

When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other.  ~Chinese Proverb

Rich red roses in a flush of bloom; russet and yellow striped petals bursting amid lush green chrysanthemum leaves; pendulous succulents dripping with fat buds and blooms — winter hothouses bring us these out-of-season beauties to delight our eyes and brighten our homes during the holiday months of winter.

Lovely to give and receive, the charms of flowering plants can linger on after all the decorations are put away and the cut flowers are faded and gone.  Some can even be transitioned outside in spring.

Miniature roses and chrysanthemums are beautiful and easy to grow.  Both need bright light, but the flowers will last longer if they are not in direct sunlight while blooming.  Tolerant of some temperature variation, they prefer 60 to 70 degrees, a spot away from heat vents or cold air returns, evenly distributed moisture and good drainage.  Spray with water occasionally or set a saucer filled with gravel and water under the pot to provide humidity.  After blooms fade, don’t expect new growth right away – a resting period is normal after heavy bloom.  If your plant doesn’t appear to be maintaining health, it may need a larger pot.

When all danger of frost is past, roses and mums can be hardened off and planted outdoors in a sunny spot with well-drained, fertile soil.

Most poinsettias end up in the garbage or compost after the holidays.  Admittedly they are a little difficult to care for, and coaxing them to re-bloom takes dedication and vigilance.  But for those up to the challenge the results can be stunningly rewarding.

Ideally, poinsettias prefer 60 to 70 degrees with about six hours of indirect light a day.  Extremes and fluctuation in temperature will cause leaf drop, so when bringing your new poinsettia home, protect it from the cold and position it away from cold windows and warm or cold drafts.  Only water when the soil is dry and remove decorative foil for good drainage.  Never let it sit in standing water.

When leaves drop, usually by early spring, prune back to eight inches, repot and continue to water and fertilize.  After new growth appears and while nighttime temperatures are above 55 degrees, pots can be put outside.  Continue fertilizing and pruning to keep plants healthy and compact. Stop pruning in August.

Now comes the fun!  Beginning in October cover plants each night for fourteen hours of uninterrupted dark (black plastic works great) – then uncover and expose to bright light for six-to-eight hours a day, keeping temps between 60 and 70 degrees. Follow this regime for eight to ten weeks for brilliantly colored bracts by the holidays.  Tip: don’t fertilize your plant while in bloom.   With proper care, you will enjoy your poinsettia for years.

Christmas cactus is an interesting and different plant.   Its arching, dangling growth habit offers interesting visual lines punctuated by tropical-looking flowers.

Preferring cool but not freezing temps, these cacti dislike drafts such as those near a vent or an outside door.  Allow the top inch of soil to dry between thorough waterings.   Do not over water!  As with most tropical plants, however, they do like humidity and respond well to a gravel and water-filled saucer under the pot.  After blooming, place in a cool room and give limited water for a 30-day rest.  A few leaves may drop during this process.

To encourage blooms, cover plants for 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness each night starting in October.  Alternatively, cool temperatures of 50 to 55 degrees will also trigger budding.  This can sometimes be accomplished by setting the plant near a cold window pane.  As buds form on the side near the window, turn plant a quarter turn to expose another side.  The first buds will begin blooming and continue around the plant as you continue to turn it – thus extending bloom time.

Plants can be repotted in early spring – one tip though, they do seem to flower best when kept pot-bound.  This tropical specimen cannot be planted outside, although pots can be placed outside in sheltered areas during stable, warm weather.

The pleasures of flowering plants in winter are worthy of their maintenance, which itself is part of the sustaining gift for those of us with a gardener’s heart.