Southern Living May 2020

WHEN MY WIFE, Susan, and I were shopping for an apartment in Brooklyn many moons ago, one of our top priorities was outdoor space, which was about as rare as a good parking spot on a rainy night. We looked for months, poring over the New York Times real estate section on Sunday mornings and showing up for crowded open houses at places that always seemed much smaller than advertised. When our determined agent, Phyllis, got a lead on a little garden apartment in a nice neighborhood, I was out of town, but Susan called me minutes after seeing it. “This is the one,” she said. As we signed the contract and made a down payment a few days later, I remember thinking two things: 1. We will never ever…

WHEN LAUREN LIESS isn’t designing someone’s dream home; writing her blog, Pure Style Home; publishing interior design books (she’s written two so far); or raising five kids, three dogs, and the occasional gaggle of geese—yes, really—you’ll find her in the yard. “It’s cliché, but my garden is truly my happy place,” she says. Liess, who runs an interior design company with husband David in Great Falls, Virginia, likes an indoor-outdoor type of lifestyle and cites fresh flowers, good food, and music as a few of her favorite things—all of which are found at weekend brunches and afternoon gatherings hosted in her yard. In tandem with Liess’ trademark easy-living design style, the not-your-grandmother’s garden parties are made bespoke by using whatever’s ripe and in season at the moment. She primarily goes with the…

1. SUNFLOWERS For early-summer blooms, plant seeds in rich, moist soil following a good rain after the last spring frost. The stalks may require staking as they grow tall and top-heavy. Cut sunflowers for seasonal arrangements. 2. ZINNIAS Lollygagging gardeners can wait until late spring or even early summer to sow the seeds of heat-loving zinnias. Generously water and fertilize for bright color until fall. 3. SPIDER FLOWERS Spread quick-sprouting spider flower seeds in warm soil along the fence line of your garden because they self-sow rapidly and grow into large, showy shrubs. Snip a few blossoming stems for textural bouquets. 4. MARIGOLDS Deadhead spent flowers to make marigolds last from summer until fall’s first frost. Fill a vase with a cluster of these aromatic blooms. 5. NASTURTIUMS Plant easy-to-grow nasturtiums in hanging baskets with sandy, well-drained soil. Get…

“A PORCH SHOULD BE an extension of the garden,” says builder Frank Craige. “It should flow into the landscape when you look out.” Homeowners Brian Lyman and Leigh Ledbetter called on both Frank and his wife Rachel (the duo behind Oxford & Company) when it came time to give their 1930s cottage in Homewood, Alabama, a face-lift. “We wanted the renovation to capture the original character and simplicity of our home,” says Brian. A narrow lot can be tricky to work with (think privacy from next-door neighbors), but the Craiges got creative and collaborated with Our Town Plans to design a breezy screened porch that blends all the best of indoors and out. (It’s also part of a Southern Living House Plan: Edgewood Court, SL-2008.) Then Bethany and Jeremy Miller…

MARCHELLE AND PETER Falkner didn’t buy their first home for its looks. The dark and dated 1949 redbrick cottage was a fixer-upper at best, but the pair wanted to set down roots and raise their two sons in this Vestavia Hills, Alabama, neighborhood. “It was in really bad shape at first,” says Peter. “You’d turn the water on, and it’d come out of the walls.” A landscape designer and owner of Falkner Gardens, Peter knew he could bring the run-down home, located on a prime corner lot, back to life. He called on his friends—residential designer Doug Davis of Douglas C. Davis & Associates and contractor Chris Franks of Franks Building Company—to help turn the one-story house into a place for his family to grow. Here’s how the team gave…

Pick Versatile Containers Choose washable wooden bread bowls that Mom can reuse for dinner parties or decor. Line the insides with plastic or waterproof foil. Then add potting soil, flowers, and foliage. Mix Pretty and Practical Plants Fill each bowl with white scaevolas, blue plumbagos, ‘Lucita’ echeverias, and flapjack plants. Make Them Last Leave plants in bowls no longer than two weeks. Indoors, give them bright light and water sparingly. (To prevent overwatering, we use a turkey baster to target the roots directly.) After Mother’s Day, place plants outside to accent garden beds. Scaevolas spread as ground covers, plumbagos grow into blooming shrubs, and the sculptural succulents thrive in full sun. Water regularly. ROBBIE CAPONETTO; STYLING: BUFFY HARGETT MILLER…