Crystal Author
Not many things in my home stay the same for long periods of time, some things get changed regularly, others may take years to get an update. With the exceptions of sofas and two leather chairs, almost everything else is fair game for a makeover, especially if it can be painted. Years ago I had a vintage door in my office, leaning in a corner. It had a no purpose, I just love old doors. Since Mr B wasn’t on board with my whole, let’s-replace-all-our-perfectly-good-but-hollow-core-doors-with-something-old-and chippy-but-solid-and-with-character idea, I just left it until inspiration hit. And soon inspiration hit me. A table!! Let’s make a table! And when I say, ‘Let’s” I mean, “you, Mr B!” As long as he didn’t have to hang vintage doors as uh… um…….well, doors, he was happy to do it. I wanted the table to be built from the whole door, and I didn’t want a plywood bottom or sides, just the door, other than that, he had free rein.
I lovingly stripped most of the paint off the door before turning the project over to my hero. (That’s a big, fat lie. I hatefully and grudgingly stripped that paint off, I mean who loves stripping paint??) I did leave some of the original paint on one side, and after some thought, decided I wanted the stripped side to be used as the top and visible sides. Mr B is a marvel at looking, and thinking and planning before starting a project. Unlike me, I am the person who eyeballs for level, guesses at measurements, and jumps right in with a can of paint and a paintbrush before learning a new technique. I have no patience for owners’ manuals, instructions that come with those little baggies filled with a bazillion parts, or thinking about a project ahead of time. I have a vision and I go for it. Which is why many of my projects must be rescued by my rocket scientist (he really is one) husband.
He made the cutest door table ever. In the history of door tables. He even added casters so I could move it around my office whenever we needed to use the sofa bed for guests. I used it for years as my “coffee table” in front of that sofa bed. (“Coffee table” is in quotes because I don’t drink coffee, but calling it a “Barqs Root Beer table” sounds stupid.) Mr B cut pieces of plexiglass for the top and bottom. Plexi instead of glass so that we he could drill a hole in it for the door knob, which I HAD TO HAVE. I mean, what good is a door without a knob?? The piece on the bottom is so a basket of books or magazines could be moved easily. It provides a level surface while not obscuring the fact that it’s a door, so it’s functional as well as allowing a hole for the knob, which I HAD TO HAVE. Did I mention that already? Function is great, but let’s face it, form gets my vote every time.
And then I decided it would make a great side table for my chair. My chair is where I sit in the morning to drink juice and read the paper. It’s the chair I sit in to read books, or browse through magazines. Mr B sits in an identical chair close to me where he reads the paper and has his morning coffee. There’s an old sewing chest in between and another small table next to his chair, handy for coffee. But I needed a table to hold my books, magazines and of course, my root beer. So the door table came to live in the family room. It’s been there for years.
When I started to change my style to all neutral several years ago, the kitchen and family room stayed much the same. I wanted to change those rooms, but hadn’t made the leap into selling packing up my collection of antique and vintage blue graniteware. The thought actually filled me with dread. I’d been collecting it for years and some pieces were valuable. All that money spent. But if I truly wanted to make that change, it had to go. I never liked the blue with the oak cabinets and all the brown in the family room. Mr B and my bestie, even my son, made various comments; “Don’t do it” “What’s wrong with the blue?” “But I like the blue.” I tried to embrace the blue, I really did. I even added more blue things to the rooms hoping it would help. In my heart of hearts I hated those two rooms. They didn’t feel right. I wanted needed a change. So my graniteware collection got packed up and anything blue I could live without went to a yard sale, friends or was donated. I started painting some things white. Immediately the rooms felt better. More like the me I am today. I didn’t miss the graniteware. The little door table stayed the same. No need to change it, there wasn’t anything wrong with its natural finish. Until a couple of days ago. It needed an update. I had a plan.
If you read the post about the orphan table you are already wondering what went wrong. I am happy to say NOTHING went wrong. In fact, everything went exactly as I’d planned. I love when that happens. A couple coats of paint, some scraping and a bit of sanding and TA DA! (I really wanted a post where I could say Ta Da!) My little table looks great. You can see some bits of the original paint, it looks so good! I’m in love. It’s staged with a few of my favorite books but no one, including me, knows how long those things will stay. Nothing ever stays the same for long. I like to tweak and change things up. So what you see on that table today may not live to see tomorrow. But one thing is for sure. We’ll be sitting in our respective chairs tomorrow morning, starting our day with the paper, sharing conversation, sipping a glass of juice, and for one of us, a cup of coffee.
When creating your sanctuary don’t overlook or underestimate the power of paint. If something isn’t “you” anymore, if it doesn’t quite go, a coat or two of paint may mean the difference between reviving a piece and buying new. Create the home you see in your heart. Start with paint. What could go wrong???
In 1994 I located a small Goodwill store just outside my usual haunts. I wandered around a bit and had given up on finding anything I wanted when I spied an oak table top in a corner. Instantly I knew I wanted it. It didn’t have a base but that was OK, in fact it was fine. I had a treadle sewing machine base without the cabinet. The table top was about 48″ so I knew it would fit the treadle base. Visions of a perfect marriage danced through my head! It didn’t have a price so I grabbed the first Goodwill guy I could find and asked, how much? I bought it for the insane sum of $20.00. Over priced for 1994 but I’m pretty sure I gave away how badly I wanted it, what with the all the sighing and moaning I was doing. He loaded it up and I drove back to the house where I wrestled that thing out of the car. (That’s a lie. I had help.)
My soon-to-be husband looked at it and very wisely said, “It doesn’t have a base.” Uh, keen sense of the obvious, that man. I just smiled and said, “I have a plan. I’m going to bolt it to the treadle base.” He looked dubious. He looks like that a lot. Usually when I say, “I have a plan.” But this time I knew it was a GOOD plan, if not a great one. We I needed a bigger breakfast table. The current one sat two people. Not large enough when all the kids and their friends were home or guests stopped by. So we dragged the old treadle base out of the trash treasure pile in the back of the garage and got to work. Easiest project ever. (I didn’t do any part of it.) Mr B added two lengths of scrap pine to the bottom of the table round, did a dry fit, marked where the holes for the screws would go, removed the top, pre-drilled the holes, put the top back on and screwed it all together. We stood back and looked at it for a moment. It was a beautiful marriage. A match made in Goodwill.
That table has been in the breakfast nook in both our homes. It’s hosted many birthday parties, dinners, late night conversations, crafting projects and game nights. It’s a great table. A perfect size for our small nook. It does have a tiny big flaw. It’s a knee banger. You must sit very carefully or else run the risk of banging your knees on the ends of the treadle. MY side is perfect, I got the side where you’d sit if you were sewing. So plenty of room for both my knees. Ditto for anyone sitting across from me. Anyone sitting at the ends does so at their own risk. The odd band-aid on one or both knees is proof that the table does not discriminate. All knees are fair game. Sometimes one must pay a price for a really great table, right?
The color of that golden oak was fine. In the early years. I loved classic country then and wood was still king. I lovingly sanded it and used tung oil to protect it. A few years later I sanded it again and applied a fresh coat of tung oil to renew it. It’s been that way forever. I’ve not been a fan of the golden oak color since we had our floors installed about 12 years ago. Too matchy matchy. It’s outdated. My style has changed. But it was low on the priority list of things I wanted to do. Life was busy. It could wait. It’s a fine table. It’s sturdy. We can eat on it. But this past year, just before Christmas, a few days before guests were arriving I said to Mr B, while looking at the table, “I have a plan.” He didn’t really have the dubious look this time, it was more the, “are you nuts?” look. Whatever. He took it apart, carefully maneuvered it through the house, out to the garage and set up the workmate. Then he looked at me, “You sure?” “Yep.” I got my tools and supplies and went to work. Some sanding and a coat of stripper, a final sand and it was ready for paint.
I used one of my favorite shades of white, Valspar’s Hotel Churchill Vanilla. It’s a creamy white, almost ivory, and works well with the other shades of white and cream in the house. One coat and I started getting excited, the table looked happy. All was well. I left it to dry and started doing a happy dance. It was so pretty in white! Next day it got another coat of paint and then I let it dry again. Mr B reversed his maneuvers and put the table back together in the house. Success! And I loved it. Except I no longer loved the golden oak church pew that sits behind it. That’s my place and it didn’t look right anymore. But I have a plan. (Another post for another day.) Back to the table……I put my pot of winter greens in the center along with my mismatched salt and pepper shakers and basked in the glow of a job well done. Except it wasn’t.
Not well done at all as it turns out. The paint didn’t cure. Things stuck to it. When I picked up the salt shaker it made a slight sucking noise. Not good. No paint pulled up, but this wasn’t a good sign. OK, just let it dry for a few days and all will be well, I thought. But I had guests coming over!!! No worries. The party isn’t for a couple of days, I’ll just leave the table bare until shortly before they arrive. The party was a success and there was no apparent damage to the table. It held up well. But for the next few weeks we dealt with things sticking. Placemats, cups, the mismatched salt and pepper shakers. Anything and everything stuck to the table. But I had a plan.
I’ve painted furniture for years. Years! The only time I’ve had paint fail to cure is, A. When the paint was very old and thick. B. If I put paint on too thickly. C. If I didn’t wait for the coats to dry in between. None of these were true in this case. I’m confident I did everything right. Sigh. Back under the table went Mr B, unscrewed it and maneuvered it out to the garage. Again. To his credit, he said nothing. I got no “looks,” not even a comment under his breath. He just set it up and let me do my thing. Some sanding and a coat of stripper. A little lot more sanding. Soon I saw beautiful oak grain again, in its natural pale color. There were a few stubborn spots and streaks of white paint. At least those spots cured, they didn’t want to come off. I started to get my paint out and thought, WAIT. WHAT IF……..?? The table is back in the house, joined to its mate once more. I’ve decided to get a glass top for it. I’ve decided to lime wax it. I’ve decided to paint it again. I have a great no plan. But that church pew? Oh yeah, I have a plan.
This post is all about Peace Lily, or as it’s known to the horticultural types, Spathiphyllum. (Fair warning, this is a lengthy post.) Peace Lily is a great plant for beginners and experts alike. It does require a bit more attention than either Ponytail Palm or ZZ plant, but not substantially more. In spite of its name, it isn’t a true Lily, it’s a member of the Araceae family and is native to the forests of South America. It’s on NASA’s list of the top 10 best house plants due to its ability to clean air. Peace Lily is great at breaking down and neutralizing Benzene, Carbon Monoxide and Formaldehyde, making it a great choice for bedrooms and offices. It generally stays within the two to three foot size indoors, but in ideal growing conditions and repotting when it needs it, can grow up to 6 feet, making a striking focal point in a room.
Peace Lily’s needs are relatively simple. It needs indirect light and moist soil. Too much light will result in yellow leaves, some will show brown spots and streaks. Too little light and the plant will lose vigor and eventually die. It can survive quite well in an office under florescent lights, and in dim rooms for awhile. If you want to keep one in a room without much light, move it temporarily where it can receive several hours of light a couple of days a week. If this seems like too much work remember that it can live for years with proper care, and with it’s beauty and air cleaning abilities, moving it to get light now and then is worth the effort. The blooms aren’t especially showy but when the plant is in full bloom it’s quite beautiful. White bracts arise on slim stalks above the leaves. The name, Peace Lily, was given because some people believed the bracts resembled white flags of truce. Normal bloom times are spring and fall, but it can bloom anytime during the year with the right lighting. When the flowers are spent, trim the stem at the leaf joint. Remove dead leaves as they occur to keep it looking well groomed.
One of the great things about Peace Lily apart from its appearance, is it will actually let you know when it needs water. When the leaves begin drooping it’s time to give it a drink. If you come home from a busy weekend or trip and find your Peace Lily’s leaves completely wilted and hanging over the edge of the pot, don’t throw it out. Water well and mist its leaves, it should recover. Too many of these rescues, however, will cause the plant to lose vigor and eventually it will no longer thrive. Make sure to check your plant’s soil weekly, using the “old finger test” to see if the soil is moist. If you want to know what the old finger test is, refer to Parts 1 and 2 of the Goof Proof Plant series. (See how clever I am, getting you to read those other posts??) Peace Lily is sensitive to chlorine and will develop brown leaf tips in its presence. Before watering let the water stand overnight to let the chlorine neutralize. Or use filtered spring water. Or live with brown tips like I do.
Fertilizing isn’t a must for this plant. Some growers never fertilize it, but most plant people agree that fertilizing once a year (in spring) will help your plant live a long and healthy life. Commercial liquid fertilizers may have too much salt, again causing leaf tip browning, so use a very weak fertilizer solution (mix with water), or a slow release type. I add composted cow manure to the top of my pots once a year instead of fertilizer. You can find bagged compost at any garden center or big box store. (Don’t worry, your home will not smell like a cow barn, compost doesn’t stink, feel free to add it to your plants.)
Rot is the biggest enemy of Peace Lily. Most people kill their plants with kindness by over watering. Use a pot with a built in saucer to allow the excess water to drain away. I use plastic pots inside my decorative containers so that I don’t ruin my containers, I get the look I want and don’t have to look at cheesy plastic pots. Plastic pots should be banned from view, don’t you think? Where was I? Oh yes, watering. Water when needed, on the plant’s schedule. Test the soil. Periodically check your plants for signs of rot. Leaves will appear limp, and light green. Do the smell test. Rotting plants will smell…bad. The soil will smell bad. You won’t like it. Neither will your plant. Take the plant out of its pot, if you see or smell signs of rot, remove the plant and knock the wet soil off the rootball. Trim the rotted roots off, clean and sterilize your pot with a weak solution of bleach and water, rinse well and dry. Add new soil, plant and then water. Check every few days to see if it needs more water, if so, water thoroughly and then let it dry a bit until the leaves start drooping, then water. Don’t fertilize until your plant has fully recovered.
Dust leaves on a regular basis. Dust build up blocks the plant’s ability to use light. Commercial shine products aren’t recommended because they clog the pores of the leaves, a paper towel or sponge dampened with plain water is all that’s needed. Peace Lily is mostly pest free, but it does occasionally become a victim of Peace Lily Aphids, tiny green sucking insects that leave behind a sticky slime. Treat with insecticidal soap. (Be sure to read package directions.) Mealy bugs are infrequently a problem, they are small pinkish or yellowish bugs and can be treated by wiping with cotton balls dampened with alcohol, use an alcohol soaked Q tip to get into the joints of stems and leaves.
If your plant seems to need water every few days and you can see roots at the top of the pot, it’s time to move it to a bigger pot or divide it and end up with another…free plant. (yay! I love free!) Dividing is a simple process. Remove the plant from its container and gently pull the roots apart with your hands. You’ll be able to see “clumps” of the plant. If you want to divide it, just gently pull one of the clumps, holding it by the base of the leaves, until the clump separates from the mother plant. Repot the mother plant in its old container, adding new soil. Water. Plant your new division in a pot that is suitable for its size, 2-3 inches larger in diameter than the plant is wide. Use a good quality potting mix. Tamp the soil down in the pots to get rid of air pockets and don’t let the soil pile up around the base of the leaves. Water and move to its new location. If you are going to repot your original plant to a bigger pot, use a size larger than than the current one. (example; from a 1 gallon to a 2 gallon, or a 3 gallon if no 2 gallons are available, from a 3 gallon to a 5, etc.)
Peace Lily’s leaves are toxic to dogs and cats but not generally fatal. Cats are a bit more sensitive. One bite and most pets will spit out the leaf. There may be some pawing at the mouth and/or salivating because the oxylate in the leaves burns the sensitive tissues in the mouth, if swallowed, count on cleaning up vomit. So…. If you have small children and pets, take care not to let them eat the leaves. If in doubt, always call your Doctor or Veterinarian immediately. All things considered, Peace Lily is a beautiful addition to any style home and worth the bit of extra effort. Give one a try. I’m betting you’ll love this beautiful plant as much as I do.
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Part 2 of the (almost) goof proof plant series introduces the Ponytail Palm, “Beaucarnea Recurvata”. Not really a palm at all, Ponytails are members of the Lilacea (Lily) family and are also known as “Elephant Foot Palm” or sometimes “Bottle Palm”. True to its common name, the leaves of the ponytail sprout from the top of the plant and it looks much like the ponytail I sport on the top of my head while doing chores…. only prettier. The elephant foot reference is because its trunk ends in a textured, almost wrinkled looking bulb, similar to an elephant’s foot, where water is stored. It thrives in warm, dry soil locations and likes bright light. In its native Mexico it can grow to almost 20 feet outdoors but is easily kept to a mature size of about three feet indoors. Although it likes warmth, it can take lower temperatures in winter. (50 degrees is about the limit to keep it thriving.)
Ponytail Palm is one of my favorites for a few reasons; 1) It’s beautiful. The weeping growth that occurs as the plant gets older is lovely 2) it’s slow growing which means I don’t have to replace it frequently with a smaller plant as I do some that have fast growth rate. 3) It can be pruned to keep it small. And 4) It’s low maintenance and forgiving of benign neglect. Yay. I don’t have to nurture, baby or otherwise worry about it, I’m into benign neglect. I don’t like fussy and needy plants.
As usual, there are some growing tips:
Ponytails like being somewhat root bound. No need to re-pot unless the roots have broken through your plastic pot. Which happens, so use a clay or glazed pot. (I keep mine in the plastic nursery pot it came in for ease of watering, but I hide it with a pretty glazed pot.) If you decide to re-pot, use a pot that’s only an inch or so bigger around as well as deeper. Use a fast draining soil, cactus soil mixes are ideal.
Water only when the soil is dry and water deeply, then leave it alone for at least a week, sometimes longer. I water mine about once a month. I submerge the whole plant, plastic pot and all, in a bucket of water for less than a minute, a few seconds really. Then I let it drain and pop the whole thing back in its pretty glazed pot. This technique means I don’t have to guess or worry about over watering in the glazed pot. I can see the water draining out of the plastic nursery pot it came in and once drained it goes back in its glazed container, plastic pot as well. Always check the soil of any plant before watering! If you read Part 1 of the plant series on the blog, you’ll already know the technical term and tool to use to check the soil to see if it needs watered. Your finger. In the pot. As in, stick your finger in the soil to about an inch. If it’s dry, water, if it’s moist don’t. Truly I am a master of of all things technical. Mist your plant once a week or so to increase humidity if your house, like mine, is dry from air conditioning in the summer or heat during winter.
Bright light is a must. So put it somewhere where it will get several hours of sunlight everyday. Fertilize only twice a year during the growing season (in summer for most of us) with a 50/50 mix of liquid fertilizer and water.
TROUBLE SHOOTING:
PESTS. Although it’s usually pest free, the Ponytail does sometimes become a victim of either scale or spider mites. Scale look like waxy bumps on the leaves of the plant. Spider mites are tiny little red insects that will leave small telltale webs on the leaves. A light spray of insecticidal soap or application of neem oil will control both. Dead scale are easily removed by scraping them off the leaves with your fingernail. Use a damp cotton swab to remove the webs of spider mites.
YELLOW LEAVES. Too much water will result in yellow leaves and a soft trunk bulb and shaft. Check to see if your plant’s roots are rotting or if the soil smells bad. If so, remove it from the pot, let the plant completely dry out, clean your pot and sterilize with a weak solution of bleach and water, rinse it well, dry it, and use new soil. Replant and water once. Then begin again, monitoring your water use.
SHRIVELED BROWN LEAVES, or a desiccated (dried and shriveled) trunk means you aren’t watering enough. Soak the plant for a few minutes in room temperature water and let drain. Water more often, but check the soil to make sure you don’t over water.
BROWN LEAF TIPS. Severe browning of leaf tips or entire leaves is generally due to not enough water or lack of humidity or 2) Too much fertilizer, too often, or 3) water that is chlorinated or has excess minerals. If you have treated (city or county) water and brown leaf tips, switch to spring water and mist your leaves to increase humidity. 4) Brown tips can also occur as a matter of age. Trim the brown tips off, once brown they will never be green again. Use a dedicated pair of shearing/pruning shears. Clean your shears with alcohol after using. You can see that there are a few brown tips on the leaves in my pictures, and if you look closely you’ll see one or two small dead, brown leaves. This is normal. I haven’t trimmed the tips of my plants since last spring. Because I’m lazy. I might trim them in time for our annual Super Bowl party. So that everyone can admire how pretty it is and marvel at my plant parenting skills. Probably not, I’ll be tired from cleaning my baseboards so that everyone can marvel at my housekeeping skills instead. I mean, I have my priorities.
Give the Ponytail Palm a try, it’s a beautiful, graceful plant that you can enjoy for years. It adds life to any space and really isn’t fussy. It’s almost goof proof.
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I love adding plants as decor in my home. House plants add life, along with texture and color. An otherwise flat, dull room gains energy and comes to life with that addition of a bit of green. Today I’m going to write about one of my favorite forgiving house plants. One that almost anyone can grow, even you brown thumbers. You know who you are, so pay careful attention.
NUMBER ONE on my easy to grow plant list is the ZZ plant, Zamioculos Zamiifolia, a mouthful if there ever was one, hence ZZ. A native of the Southeast coast of Africa, in the Tanzania and Zanzibar areas, ZZ is one of those plants that looks good in any setting from contemporary to farmhouse. Plant it a silver cylinder pot and it becomes a modern art piece all its own, but pop one in a galvanized bucket and the look is dramatically changed to one that’s informal. Stems can grow up to about three feet and begin to arch as they grow making the plant look even bigger. ZZ likes bright indirect light (not directly in front of a window), but also does very well in dim light. Plant your ZZ in a pot that has built-in drainage, or one that has a saucer so that excess water drains away. Forget the adding gravel to the bottom concept. The pot will still hold water and the plant’s roots will still sit in it, just not in the soil. So use a light soil mix and a pot that drains. ZZ likes to be slightly root bound and will grow happily in the same pot for a couple of years. If you re-pot, use a pot that is only an inch or two larger. ZZ plant is poisonous if ingested, so be careful using this plant around pets that like to nibble or chew. Pay close attention to toddlers who might be attracted to its thick leaves.
Regular watering isn’t required, in fact ZZ is one of those plants that thrive on benign neglect. Water is stored in its leaves, which are thick, bright green and waxy, and in the thick stems. Water only about once a month. I check my plants weekly, watering needs can change during either the growing or dormant seasons for different plants. Checking means you will water when your plant needs it and not when you think it does. Water the ZZ again when you notice the soil is dry to below one inch. Use the technical, scientific method of determining soil moisture by sticking your finger in the soil, if it’s dry below an inch or so, water, if still damp, don’t water. (That’s as scientific as I get.)
Dust its leaves periodically with a soft, plain water dampened cloth (do this for all your plants) and check for pests. ZZ plants are hardy but occasionally get spider mites or scale. If you see tiny reddish bugs or a small web in between leaves, use a mild insecticidal soap (readily available at big box stores). Scale looks like waxy bumps usually on the underside of the leaves. You can also use the insecticidal soap mixture, but stubborn scale infestations may require applications of Neem Oil. Follow the package directions for both treatments. Scrape off dead scale with a finger nail, gently so that you don’t scar the leaves.
Curling leaves, yellow or leaning stems means the light is too bright and your ZZ is trying to move away from it. Change it’s location to one that’s a bit farther away from the light source or move it to a different location with dimmer light. If there are yellow or brown spots on the leaves it’s getting sunburned and needs to be moved immediately. ZZ will die, one stem at a time, from over watering, if you notice a withering stem, or one with limp leaves, take the whole plant out of the pot and check to make sure the roots aren’t wet and rotting. Remove the rotten stem root and all , clean the pot and replace the soil. Re-pot and water once. Let the plant soil dry as recommended before watering again.
Try a Zamioculos Zamiifolia even if you’ve murdered every other plant you’ve ever brought home. This one will surprise you. (I’m optimistic.) If you kill it, there is no hope for you so just get your plants from Ikea, you can’t kill the never-alive-to-begin-with.
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