What would you suggest growing in this courtyard?
Michael Houlihan
4 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (11)
Michael Houlihan
4 years agoRelated Discussions
How would you turn this patio into a garden courtyard?
Comments (26)Yes, I'm in Florida. But I was reflecting on my same behavior as when in Georgia. Hmmmm... "finest paint"...? The trouble with assessing such a thing personally is that no one can run "clinical" trials with controls in the home setting. And there a lot of variables. Back when I was doing some house renovation and needing a lot of paint, a Consumer Reports study led me to Valspar paint (sold at Lowe'es) as one of the higher performing brands. (I also use gloss which holds up better than other sheens.) Being a creature of habit, I stick with it. That was a few years back and things could have changed so I don't know how it would shake out now. Maybe someone subscribing to Consumer Reports can update...?...See MoreWhat would you suggest for these growing conditions?
Comments (3)I would suggest surfing the Santa Barbara Orchid Estate's website. They have many "temperature tolerant" choices, even a list of all of them. You can branch out from there....See MoreWhat would you grow / are growing need help
Comments (1)Hello neighbor :o) My but the list for edibles here in N.O. is nearly endless!!! Ha!! I see you are into fig and citris, both are great (I'm a fig fan too ;o). In truth you will be mostly limited by avaliable growing space. Most tropicals will do well here till we get that real cold snap which happens ever few years. There are low chill fruiting varieties of the more temperate plants like apples and peaches. One of the negatives about New Orleans is the alkaline soil so no blueberries (I love blueberries). Also some herbs won't work well for us mainly due to the high humidity creating mildew such as the monardas, bee balm. One other factor is the mild climate also grows bugs quite well ;o) Oh and forget the bunch grapes ... stick with muscadines. Hmmmm. Check out the LSU Ag site for all sorts of great ideas. If you have an particular questions feel free to write. I'm heavy into the permaculture ideal and frankly if its edible I want it ;o) HA!!! Of course I do love dem flowers too ;o) I do have a yard full of plants down here in N.O. (I've a house ... and small yard! .... in Arabi) but my focus has been on the place I'm building up in Ms. Oh and plug for Dan Gill's gardening show on WSMB 1350am. He is a LSU Ag professor in Hort. and knows his plants. His show airs Saturadys 9-11am. Later Mike Here is a link that might be useful: LSU Ag...See MoreWhat would you include in laundry? Would love suggestions...
Comments (10)We're just putting our laundry room together, after buying the cabinets a couple of years ago. It's about 70% done. We're using Ikea cabinets and had to make some modifications to their limited cabinet choice. DH is currently converting doors to 24" wide x 24" pullouts for the 2 opens spaces left of the washer, the upper cabinets need cover panels for the top, sides and bottom and we need a faucet for the sink to the right of the dryer. We will put a counter on top of the cabinet left of w&d and on top of the w&d for now. You can't really tell in the pictures but the w&d and the cabinet to the left of them are pulled out from the wall about 6" while we're still putting things together. We plan to replace the w&d in the next couple of years with models that don't shake the house as much (2nd floor laundry room in an old farmhouse.) They will either be on pedestals or on a shorter home made platform. Either way they will be taller than what we have now (and most likely won't need a counter above them.) North and South Walls: East and West walls: North wall: Center drawer has a fold-away ironing board for quick touch ups (which is about 99% of the ironing I do---and even that's not very often.) An outlet is nearby for the iron. The counter is the folding area. Cabinets underneath will hold separate laundry baskets for clean clothes. 4 baskets for family members, 1 basket for items to go downstairs (kitchen towels, etc.), 1 basket for miscellaneous. East Wall: Open white cabinet: has space for hanging and lots of open shelves that I think will be used for storing out-of-season items (hats, mittens, etc.) One long drawer will be used for wrapping paper and one smaller drawer for ribbon, etc. The north wall folding area will used for wrapping. Drying racks will be stored in front of the window/to right of north wall cabinets. Tall storage: one side will have pull outs (inner drawers)& space can be left at the bottom for a laundry hamper. The other side will house vacuum cleaner and full size ironing board. South wall: wall mounted drying rack. West Wall: cabinet for sorting dirty laundry into categories includes 2 deep drawers and 2 24"x24" pull outs (one may have 2 hanging bags from a frame and other may be left undivided space for bulky items.) Like ebear1271, I have quite a few dirty clothes catergories (lights--cold or warm, darks--cold or warm, dh has his own catergory--extra dirty, towels/sheets/washclothes--hot, socks & underwear--hot.) I can use space in a tall cabinet for another hamper and I could have a hamper on wheels in front of the east window. There is a laundry sink to the right of w&d. We plan store a steam generator in the sink cabinet for a shower we're building on the other side of the wall. We plan to store an air tub turbine in the dead corner space to the right of the sink cabinet (the north wall cabinet next to this space can be pulled out for access). I only use the dryer for towels & washclothes, sheets, socks, and underwear. All clothes and blankets get hung to dry. The space gets tight when we put up the drying racks (in winter) but I can also use the guest room that is through one of the doorways. We will scatter hooks throughout the room for hanging items to dry (I usually hang pants by a belt loop) and items can also dry on hangers. We may put hooks high on the wall at the north end of the room from which lines can be stretched when needed but this may be unnecessary. Concerns: flooding, since this is the second floor above the kitchen we recently renovated. We have the washer hooked up to a sensor that will turn off the water supply if any leaks are detected under the washer. We're thinking of putting the eventual new washer in a pan that will hopefully be deep enough to contain the water used in a fl. This is why we think we may build our own platform instead of using pedestals. Another thought is to put the washer in a shallow pan that drains into a deeper plastic box stored under the pedestal (with the leak sensor still in use for closing off the water supply.) We also plan to get as good a quality of hose as we can find. Right now I only wash when I'm home and I turn off the water supply after each load. We will mount a fire extinguisher near the entrance to the room and will put a smoke detector in the room. I plan to set up the sewing machine in the spare/guest room just through the east doorway. I hope this gives you some ideas. Good luck!...See Morefloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoMichael Houlihan thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UKMichael Houlihan
4 years agoYardvaark
4 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
4 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
Related Stories
PLANTING IDEAS9 Plant-Filled Courtyards, Light Wells and Indoor-Outdoor Nooks
See how creative planting solutions transform areas that have low light, high walls and other growing challenges
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSMy Houzz: A Dream Home Grows From an Empty Austin Lot
A spacious courtyard, a great art collection and a family-friendly layout mark a Texas family's expansive new home
Full StoryWORKING WITH PROSRemodeling Activity Booms and Project Wait Times Grow
The latest Houzz Renovation Barometer suggests you should reach out soon to design and remodeling pros to schedule work
Full StoryFALL GARDENING5 Fall Fruits You Can Grow in Containers
Brighten your porch or patio with a potted pomegranate, kumquat, blueberry bush or another great fall fruit
Full StoryGARDENING AND LANDSCAPING10 Great Design Moves for a Small Courtyard
These beautiful enclosed yards show how to get the most from a relatively small outdoor living area
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESA Beginner’s Guide to Growing Succulents
Their easy-care reputation is well-deserved, but a little TLC will turn succulents into star plants
Full StoryPATIOSPeek Inside 12 Romantic Courtyards and Walled Gardens
Lush plantings, weathered materials and privacy rule in these want-to-be-there outdoor rooms
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGNPatio of the Week: Contemporary Courtyard Extends Living Outside
Stylish plantings, a compact outdoor kitchen and room for lounging make the most of a shady patio in Dallas
Full StoryHOMES AROUND THE WORLDHouzz Tour: An Oval Courtyard for a House Too Hip to Be Square
A curved courtyard and streamlined rooms defy this Australian home’s traditional recycled-brick facade
Full StoryTREES10 Spectacular Trees for Courtyards and Tight Spaces
Here are some top small-scale trees for 4-season interest, easy care and little mess
Full Story
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK