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Friday, July 03, 2009

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:53:40 GMT

Beat the Heat
for the show airing 6-27 and 6-28-09

What do you do when it’s so hot? You certainly don’t abstain from going outside! And while the interview on this week’s show with local medical expert (nurse Anna Marie) indicates that one should abstain from alcoholic beverages to stay hydrated in these drought-like conditions, everyone with Your Livable Garden agrees that a few margaritas really make that heat way more tolerable.

Heck, even Anna Marie agrees that a good cold umbrella drink helps keep folks sane when it’s this hot...and only in June!

That’s right, it’s way too dry and way too scorching out there to even think of what August is going to bring. But as I said, Shawn and Blinda don’t let a little warm weather keep them from enjoying the garden. This week, they bring you tips from the Texas Agricultural Extension on working safely in this weather and a few testimonials from clients about how it’s really possible--and even enjoyable--to spend time outdoors this summer.

Like Janice, who took time out of her busy vacation to kindly share with us her secret to keeping her Mirror Lake back yard looking as awesome as it does: doing a little maintenance every day, early in the morning when it’s not so brutally hot.

As a result, the awesome space she has in her back yard looks really great. And her family is constantly using it. as she explains: the family, the kids, and friends are using it several nights a week...and Janice is using her “cell phone swing” pretty much every day.

But it’s not just Janice’s experience that we get to hear. Peggy, a dear friend and wonderful client of Mirror Lake, also shares her experience of having her back yard, driveway, and front yard designed and installed by Mirror Lake . Despite the heat, Peggy is outside and enjoying the yard daily. You can even hear how much she loves it here.

Shawn and Blinda also share some of the best plants to use in this kind of dry heat: crape myrtles, desert willows, Texas Persimmon, Texas Mountain Laurel (a personal favorite!), salvias, butterfly bush, plumbago, indigo, and katie ruellia.

And finally, Chef Chris of the Timmeron Culinary Retreat shares another great group of recipes for us. Seriously, these are the chic-est of menu items these days: Aguas Frescas and Plank Cooking.

Want to know more? Well, listen to the show! Saturdays from 6-8am KSEV 700AM.

Or email Shawn@mirrorlakedesigns.com and ask about what we do!

Friday, June 19, 2009

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:02:56 GMT

Father’s Day--for the show airing June 13th and 14th, 2009

There’s something special about dads and their yards. The lawn implements, the smells, the grill--they all remind us of Dad. Perhaps your memories of Dad In The Yard are like Blinda’s: structured, controlled chores orchestrated and presided over by a military patriarch. Or perhaps your memories are more like Shawn’s: waiting all day for his father to emerge from his hungover slumber, shuffle outside in his grown-up jammies, and throw a frozen lump of hamburger meat on the grill. Ah, the manly joy of providing for one’s offspring!

There must have been something defining about those half-frozen burgers, because Shawn subsequently grew up to dedicate his life to designing, implementing, and talking about really good, really fulfilling outdoor living. The kind of outdoor living that involves delicious burgers, cooked properly.

Now he’s the owner of a 5-time international award-winning landscape architecture design/build company in Spring, Texas--that’s Mirror Lake Landscapes, Pools, & Waterfalls. And a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture. And a Bachelor of Floriculture (both Texas A&M). And a former Rice University Lecturer of Landscape Design. And, most relevantly, the host of Your Livable Garden radio show.

So Shawn and Blinda spend most of their time at Mirror Lake-- But when they’re not creating award-winning designs for outdoor living, they’re tapping their experience and sharing what they know on Your Livable Garden. And this week is no different. You’ll hear stories from grown men about their experiences with their dads in the great outdoors, and you’ll also hear from both sides of that great manly debate: Which is Better, Grilling With Charcoal or Gas?

So don’t forget to tune in this Saturday from 6-8am on KSEV 700AM, and
Sunday from 10-noon on KNTH 1070AM!

Gardening by Color, Part 1: Blue

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:49:37 GMT

Gardening by Color, Part 1: Blue
(for the show airing 5-23-09)

It’s going to be a show saturated with that
all-star garden color--blue! It’s definitely not
the most common color out in the yard, and
that’s part of its appeal. Blinda especially loves blue flowers, and she’s going to share some of her favorites with us this weekend on the show.

We’re also going to hear about the gardening blues--situations in your garden that might get you down if you weren’t otherwise equipped with Shawn and Blinda’s suggestions.

Of course, my favorite part is the food (no surprise!) Blue nibbles for your outdoor garden party are on this week’s menu--from bleu cheese and black bean nachos (on blue corn chips) to that perfect blue agave margarita, this week’s show gives you everything you need to enjoy that your garden in shades of blue!

So listen in Saturday 6-8am KSEV 700AM, and
Sunday 10-noon KNTH 1070AM!

Saturday, May 02, 2009

Sat, 02 May 2009 10:21:21 GMT

Designing for Difficult Areas

For the show airing 4-25-09

When else in life do you get a prize for sharing your problems?

I’ve certainly never seen a therapist and then subsequently received a cookie or a gift certificate in exchange for telling her about my woes.

The priest has never handed me the keys to a new BMW on my way out of Confession.

So it might be hard to wrap your brain around this one: sharing your landscape design problems can win you a prize.

I know, it’s a new concept, but it’s true. Shawn and Blinda of Your Livable Garden radio show want to hear about your most difficult design area out in the yard. Tell them how you solved it. Tell them why you can’t solve it. But tell them (with shawn@mirrorlakedesigns.com ) and you could win a free design from Mirror Lake Landscapes, Pools & Waterfalls.

Nice equation, right? Spill your problem, get a design worth $1400…free. That’s a big exchange for a little email. And it’s happening because the hosts of our favorite show about outdoor living in Houston want to solve your design problems.

They should; they’re on the air 4 hours every weekend. That’s enough time to plow through a lot of difficult design areas in the yard. In fact, they cover a lot of typically tough places to design in this week’s show (which you can catch, as always, Saturday from 6-8am on KSEV 700 and Sunday from 10-noon on KNTH 1070.)

These are some of those places in the yard that make you just scratch your head. What do you do against the garage wall? In the side yard? Well, if you need ideas for designing these areas, you can get all the information you need from Your Livable Garden this weekend. These are those design areas Shawn and Blinda will be covering:

The drip line of the house
Mail box and sidewalk
The place against the garage wall
Between the house and driveway
Side loading garage area
Places around big tree roots
Your very oversized lot
Your existing pool

As always, Shawn and Blinda don’t fill up the entire 2 hours with their own wisdom—they bring in outside expertise through interviews with local, well, experts.

Jimmy Turner, Senior Director of Gardeners at the Dallas Arboretum (www.dallasarboretum.org) returns to the show to give us ideas for plant combinations. This time his combinations are for those places that are the most challenging to plant—in wet shade, dry shade, and among tree roots. You’ve had a hard time with these areas, too, so be sure to listen in to what he has to say. With a title like Senior Director of Gardeners, you can be sure that Mr. Turner has good ideas that work.

We also hear from Bob Borta of The Brass Baron company. Bob describes for us the detailed process of creating the stunning brass statues and fountains his company provides. Talk about difficult design! The process his company follows to create their products is a complicated, perfected set of steps. Check out their beautiful work at www.brassbaron.com .

And once again we hear from Sarah Pounders for more creative, interactive garden activities for parents and kids. This week she shares ideas for making bean tepees and sunflower houses. You know your kids loved her Field Journal project, and we couldn’t get enough of her ideas for natural Easter egg dyes, so don’t miss out on her newest activities! And you can check out www.kidsgardening.org for more.

Difficult design areas—solved. More great interviews. And a contest to win a free Mirror Lake design! It’s another show packed with information you’ll really be able to use.

And though Shawn and Blinda mention it on the show, don’t forget that they spend their weeks running that little award-winning company in Spring, Texas: Mirror Lake Landscapes, Pools, & Waterfalls.

Maybe you’ve recently had a design drawn up for a pool or a front yard planting or an outdoor kitchen. Have doubts? Not really sure if it’s what you want? Call Blinda at (281) 350-0515 and she’ll set up a time for Shawn to talk to you about your design. It’s free, it’s just 15 minutes, and he’ll review your design and talk to you about it. Why not try it? He’s got 23 years of award-winning experience under his belt…he’ll tell you how your design could work or how it might work better if changed.

And in the meantime, turn on your radio, and sit back to listen in to this week’s Your Livable Garden.

Saturday, May 02, 2009

Sat, 02 May 2009 10:20:32 GMT

Your Livable Garden Techniques

for the show airing 4-18-09

My best friend married a kind, sweet man. He’s a sensitive cowboy type who plays the guitar, wears boots, and likes Shiner. But soon after the wedding, Nichole admitted that Clay must not have ever washed dishes before.

“It’s like he’s aware that both soap and water are involved in the process. Clearly he’s seen someone else wash dishes before. But he doesn’t seem to know the actual process…there’s splashing and dishes and soapy water, but no real cleaning involved.”

It’s true that knowing the ingredients is not enough. Knowing the process is what it takes to get you from A to B. And technique makes all the difference.

Shawn and Blinda cover a plethora processes and techniques for the yard on this week’s “Your Livable Garden” radio show (catch this and every show Saturdays from 6-8am on KSEV 700AM and Sundays from 10-noon on KNTH 1070AM).

Not sure how to prep your beds for planting? They cover that. A bit apprehensive about tackling drainage issues in your yard? They cover that. Wonder just how to approach irrigation in this alternately wet/dry climate? They cover that.

Have no idea what/where/how to plant? They most definitely cover that.

I know you’re intrigued now. And you should be. You should want to know how to till your own soil, and what to add to it to make it nutritious for your plants. You should want to know the 3 different ways to drain water out of your yard. You should want to know whether Shawn and Blinda think you need a real irrigation system in your yard. And you should want to know how deep, how far apart, and how big to plant.

Luckily, they’re not keeping it secret. They’re telling you how to do all these things on this week’s show. You can have the skills, the techniques, the processes you need to do right by your yard.

And why stop there? Why just let the show hosts give out valuable information? Of course they should involve other local spokespersons and experts.

So they do. We hear from Tracy with the Houston International Festival, going on this and next weekend right here in Houston, Texas. It’s all about Ireland this year, but you’ll be able to find more than Celtic knots, Guinness, and Shepherd’s Pie at the fest. Check out their website for more information, www.ifest.org .

They also speak with Linda Guy of Novalis about their Plants That Work series. We hear about the Hedgehog Aloe, the Heirloom Amaryllis, Cornelius Agave, and Soft Caress Mahonia (yes, it’s a soft mahonia that you can pet without poking yourself!)

We also hear from that incredible Miracle Fruit Man himself, Curtis Mozie (http://www.miraclefruitman.com/ ). You’ll definitely want to hear this one—Curtis sells a fruit that does something amazing to your taste buds for a couple of hours. Tune in for this interview, folks, because you’ll be eating lemons and limes like candy!

Okay, well, I’ve given you enough tidbits to get you interested…so be sure to listen in!

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:18:08 GMT

Personality in the Garden

For the show airing 4-4-09

Students from all over the US study in Mexico. I met a large group of girls from Wisconsin when I there. I introduced myself as a Texan, and a couple of them nodded and said things to the effect of, “Yeah, that makes sense.”

I don’t have an accent, so I asked how they knew. Apparently my hair and makeup were big enough to give me away immediately. I took no offense; I put myself together before I go outside, and I am happy to chalk that up to Texanism.

I know that books are meant to be judged by at least the inside flap or a credible critic’s reviews, but there are things you can pick up on from the covers. And I have often thought, after meeting someone and then seeing his car, her shoes, his nails, her smile, “Yeah, that makes sense.”

Personality presents itself. We express through our speech, our style, and—you guessed it—our yards.

Shawn and Blinda really get into this topic on this week’s Your Livable Garden. They love how you can see into people lives and tendencies when driving down the street, looking at the front yards around the neighborhood. There are structured, neatly manicured lawns with trimmed dwarf yaupons and perfectly pruned roses.

There are yards full and bushy with tropicals—big leaves and huge flowers fill expansive beds. Or there are yards that are just full of color, or resplendent with just about every kind of yard art imaginable. Shawn and Blinda look at these yards and imagine the people who care for them—the perfectionist, the artist, the dreamer, caregiver.

A yard in our neighborhood growing up had a very special ornament—a goose. We all loved that thing. The family changed its clothes (yes, it was a modest goose). We all watched as the kids in the family were inducted into different sports as the goose donned football and soccer jerseys. We saw the kids gain acceptance into A&M as the goose marooned out. We even saw spring break as the goose slid into a bikini (okay, a semi-modest goose).

We saw pride for their children and a great sense of humor in that yard. And these are just some of the ways people can express themselves outdoors. Blinda and Shawn explore some of the other ways you can let your personality shine through in your outdoor design on this weekend’s show.

Kids in the Garden

Sarah Pounders shares some great ideas for involving kids in the garden. Well, the Easter garden. Well, Easter eggs, which only really have anything to do with the garden in this case because they are being dyed with natural dyes.

What a great way to change up your Easter tradition with the kids! She explains the different ways you can achieve the colors you’re used to concocting with those little tablets out of the box.

Use about 4 cups of chopped plant material per 2 quarts of water…or just wing it according to ho w it looks to you! Just take any of the following items and boil them in water for 20-30 minutes (longer time will give you a richer color). Oh, and strain the liquid after boiling if you don’t want chunky eggs after dying!

Reds—beets and cranberries

Red/orange—paprika

Pink—red onions or cranberry juice

Yellow—carrot tops…the green parts…just cut off top edge and a little bit of leaf

Green—cooked spinach

Blue—red cooked cabbage

Lavender—blueberries

You may even leave the eggs in the liquid over night for a truly rich, deep color. Then, for a creative way to display your eggs, try planting some natural grasses in a basket (perhaps even a hanging basket) for the eggs. Of course you could use little bunny grass, or purple fountain grass, or any that you might choose. It’s an Easter basket with just a little less plastic!

Easy Summer Color

Harry Smutzer once again gives a dazzling interview for all of us searching for plants that will bloom…and bloom, and bloom some more! And he even gives us bloomers that don’t take much from us to survive here in Houston!

Yes, this is the man in charge of color! He knows exactly what he’s talking about.

And he’s locally world-famous.

So, in case you don’t write it down fast enough as he goes through his list, here is that list for you. These are incredible plants that perform as it gets hotter, that can

tolerate low water and 20” rainfalls:

○ Ornamental peppers. They will get a little taller than 3 feet and look good planted in hedges, so mass-plant them. Here are the varieties he discusses:

o Black pearl. Foliage is a dark chocolate, peppers are round, start out red, and darken to purple. There will be both colors of peppers simultaneously. This is a very different and unique pepper. It will get to be 3 feet by 3 feet.

o Calico—has beautiful multi-colored foliage

o Flash—purple pepper with purple striated foliage

o Chilly chili—multi-colored peppers with green foliage. The peppers are held upright so they look like they’re growing toward you.

○ Euphorbia, diamond frost—very lacy foliage, flowers are white and they cover entire plant. They bloom from frost to frost, they’re easy to find in any local chain store, 12-15” by 15” plant. Great in a little rock planting!

○ Gaura, passionate blush—pinkish purple foliage, butterfly attractor, will get up to 3 feet, and it’s a perennial!

○ New lantanas! The Landmark series—they’re holding up well against insects in summer, and they’ll bloom for a long time. Here’s one variety:

§ Rose sunrise…pink flower with yellow and orange in the middle. I picked this one up at a nursery recently, and trust me—it’s gorgeous!

○ Mona lavender plectranthus—good shade flower, purple foliage, with color that will last through November

○ Santa Barbara Bush Sage—a compact of the Mexican bush sage. It gets to be only feet by 3 , a welcome perennial that gives us that much-needed compact color.

Well, speaking of garden personalities, mine is the barefoot-with-a-glass-of-wine-by-the-fish-pond personality. So I’m kicking off my sandals and heading outside. But be sure to check in on our show this weekend, and remember that you can catch it at both air times—once on KSEV 700AM Saturday from 6-8am, and again on KNTH 1070 Sunday from 10-noon. Tune in to hear the best of personality gardens!

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:17:07 GMT

Making the Garden Livable

For the show airing March 28, 2009

Shawn and Blinda feel pretty strongly about this topic. Which makes sense, since the whole thrust of their work at Mirror Lake is creating places for people. Making a livable space outdoors is the goal of every design created and installed by Mirror Lake.

They’re Passionate About This One

When Shawn talks about the importance of creating spaces versus just installing “things” like a few trees or a particular shrub, you can tell he means every word long before he grabs the megaphone and leaps up onto the nearest soap box.

And Blinda sees the potential for gathering spaces in just about any part of any yard. You can see her mentally planning the next family party for each customer as she walks them through their new design. Currently she is dead set on planning my own wedding and reception to be held in different places around the Mirror Lake outdoor courtyards. And I’m not even engaged.

So clearly they both want everyone else to be able to enjoy outdoor living spaces as much as they. For relaxation or for parties, for evening drinks or morning coffee, everyone can use their own yard as living space. Shawn and Blinda are such proponents of outdoor living that they really explore the concept for this weekend’s show.

And what better weekend than the one that debuts the show on a new station? Don’t worry, early risers, you can still hear Your Livable Garden every Saturday morning from 6-8 on KSEV 700AM.

But now, if you missed an important detail or just want to hear their voices again, you can catch Shawn and Blinda on Your Livable Garden again on Sunday from 10m-noon on KNTH 1070AM, too.

Living in the Pool, Around the Pool, By the Pool…

Now, this may come as some surprise to you, but there are a lot of ugly, useless pools out there. Seriously. Kidney-shaped, patio-less pools abound.

Shawn and Blinda explore the different ways that make a pool useful, even livable. The element a lot of pool builders seem to miss is having enough shallow space in the pool. Unless you’re really into diving, there’s not much need for a lot of deep water in your pool. Sure, treading water is great exercise, but how much space do you need for that? Relaxing in the pool is much easier when your feet touch the ground while you can still breathe above the surface.

It’s also easier to relax if there is enough shade and seating space around the pool. And there needs to be enough seating space in the pool, too. In fact, a large sun bench where you can sunbathe or play with small children in just a few inches of water is a great addition to a pool.

It’s also important to use the right materials for your pool. Some stones are so dark that they get too hot to touch in Houston’s summer. Some plasters are so dark that it’s impossible to get cool in the water under a full day of sun.

These and other elements are all crucial to making your pool something you’ll love and enjoy. Our hosts give you pointers during this week’s show on building a great pool, and then they help even more by helping us choose the right person to design and build.

Avoid the Big Mistakes

So you want some work done out in the yard. You pick up the phone to call…whom? A designer? A contractor? A design/build company?

Like when choosing between cake and glazed at Shipley’s, there are advantages and disadvantages to consider. Here are some of the qualities each possess, and Shawn and Blinda discuss on this week’s show.

A designer will have good ideas. You’ll tell her that you want a certain style and she can run with that. But she doesn’t have to implement those ideas. So she doesn’t have any idea that the pool she designed you will cost $20,000 more than you intend to spend, which will leave you with no money for a patio for entertaining, which may have been the thing you really wanted in the first place.

A contractor, on the other hand, knows how much it will cost to build that pool. You’ll be able to know how to properly use your budget. But the contractor typically doesn’t come with great ideas. This is often where you end up with a kidney-shaped pool or boring plants in your beds.

If you manage to find a design/build company, though, you are Goldilocks in the third chair, with the third bowl of porridge, the one that is just right. A design/build company will give you professional design skills and the experience to build your design with beauty and efficiency. The design/build company will help you create a usable, livable space.

So when you’re looking for someone to come out and create that space for you, start by asking the right questions. Have you done this kind of work before? Do you have any references? Will you create a design for me? As Blinda and Shawn joke on the show, make sure your design has a north arrow on it…it’s just a little indicator that your designer knows what he’s doing!

Speaking of Those Who Know What They’re Doing

Jody Spence of Advanced Water Gardens joins us once again this week to give us a splash of water gardening. He gives us the information we need to make our garden more livable…when it’s a water garden! Which lilies are the most fragrant, which types of ponds are going to give us the most interaction, and again how to start our own water gardens.

I have to admit that I’m a little obsessed with the water gardens now. Jody coached me (over the phone) in planting some marginal plants in a customer’s water garden last week. He explained what each plant was based just on my sad little descriptions (“Um, well, it’s got three leaves and it’s green…”) and helped me situated them in the right parts of the pond. Now I can’t stay away from these plants! I love seeing how fast they grow, how they interact with the pond’s environment, and how they look together. I’m especially obsessed with the lilies as they have begun to bloom.

Of course, it’s easy to be obsessed when you have the right gloves with which to plant. Blinda and Shawn talk with Beverly Schor of West County Gardener. Beverly is a designer of some pretty awesome garden gloves, as we hear in her interview and can see from her website, www.westcountygardener.com .

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:15:01 GMT

A Wild Landscape

For the show airing 3-21-09

Four expert interviews.

Three essential design tips.

Two perfect plants for kids.

And one great contest.

It might sound like some sort of out-of-season Christmas carol, but I’m actually just counting down the reasons you’ll need to tune in to KSEV 700AM from 6-8am this Saturday. Michael Shawn Kelly and Blinda Ann James take us through 2 wild hours of information, stories, and outdoor living advice on this week’s “Your Livable Garden” radio show.

Maybe you’ve been listening to the show every week for the past 15 years, so you’re incredulous; this show can’t possibly be wild compared to some of those shows from the past decade and a half. We’ve all heard some of the things Shawn has said on the air. Blinda tries to filter, but that little censor button she relied on so well broke long ago (due to overuse), so now she just sticks her fingers in her ears when he takes too much liberty with the mic.

Now I’ll bet you’re a little curious. What are these people saying that’s so wild? Good thing you have a radio signal—you can just listen in. You’ll hear why their show is so unique. You’ll get to experience for yourself how they manage to cram so much useful stuff in 2 hours…all while being pretty funny and down to earth.

I mean, really, what guy in the landscape industry knocks big-name fertilizers like Shawn does? How many people out there are telling you what really actually grows in Houston’s soil, or what you have to do to that soil to make things grow?

While you’re still trying to come up with a name that might come close to being a peer, I’m just going to give a few hints as to the great content of this week’s show. And I’m starting with the interviews, because frankly, they have me itching to buy flowers, fish, ergonomic garden tools, and some bottles to make empty.

Cuts of Color

Why flowers? Because Shawn and Blinda ran into Rita of Cuts of Color this weekend while perusing the goods of the Bayou City Farmer’s Market (http://www.urbanharvest.org/programs/market/index.html ). She offers all sorts of beautiful cut flowers—from Queen Anne’s Lace to Salvia to Zinnias.

If you’re looking for a beautiful arrangement to brighten up your entryway or to grace your dinner table, Rita can provide you with the perfect flowers. Grown in her facility in Weimar, her flowers can be found every Saturday morning at the Farmer’s Market.

See? You’re wanting to buy cut flowers for your house now, too. You’ll really want to once your hear her interview—be sure to listen in.

Don’t Be Koi With Me

But I’m already moving on to wanting to buy fish. Well, really, I want to get a fish, a big bucket, and an arrowhead. No, not the arrowhead that goes on an arrow. I’m talking about the marginal plant that you plant in your pond.

Because Jody Spence of Advanced Water Gardens give such a plethora of information in his interview about water gardens that I’m seeing marginal plants, lilies, and koi in my dreams.

I don’t want to give too much away, but I’ll just tell you that Jody assures us in this interview that your water garden can be low maintenance if you want. Really, a low maintenance water garden? Yes, really.

It can also be as big as you want. A big or a small water garden? Yes, really. You can have a choice!

And he gives us the details we need to know about the plants we need to have in that garden…do you know what kind of plant to start with when planting your water garden? And what flower is, though beautiful, illegal to grow in Texas water gardens? No? I thought not. So be sure to catch his interview this Saturday!

Mojitos Go With Hammocks, not Heavy Equipment

If you’re hunched over reading at your computer, you’ll really want to hear this next one. The interview with Dr. Danton Dungy of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons gives us important advice for keeping safe while working out in the garden.

Apparently injuries at the hands of garden implements run in the neighborhood of 100,000/year! That’s a lot of trowel tendonitis! And you may not know how a retaining wall and a Spider-Man costume can result in a broken leg, but the good doctor will surely fill us in!

He’ll also tell us whether or not it’s a good idea to do the following:

○ trim the hedge with a lawnmower

○ set the ladder on top of the drop cloth

○ drink a few mojitos before operating heavy machinery

You really shouldn’t miss this crucial information…but you can always reference www.orthoinfo.org for more details!

Food: The Vehicle With Which you Build Relationships

But maybe you’re more interested in doing your yard work with a spatula in one hand. I’m talking about the kind of work that you do at your grill…and that’s what author and chef Clive Berkman is talking about, too.

Clive is another delightful person Shawn and Blinda met while shopping at the farmer’s market. Chef—and now Author—Clive talks about his book, Creating Empty Bottle Moments.(check out our shop to purchase!). Part cookbook, part autobiography, this book is Clive’s recipe for motivating people to cook.

In his interview, he discusses some of his own background and gives insights into his attempt to make the book more of a collection of stories and “foundation recipes” on which people may build.

As a young chef, he began collecting empty bottles for his restaurant as commemorative items for different events—the closing of a business deal, a proposal, a birth, etc. This book is all about creating those moments in life, about letting the dining room table feed the relationships in your life.

In this interview, he also gives some of his own insights into grilling. He talks about using the different heating elements of the grill to your advantage, how much seasoning to use based on your cut of meat, and when to cut into the meat after your finish cooking. Trust me, after listening to him, you’ll want to have an empty bottle and an empty plate moment!

Now it Gets Really Wild

But it doesn’t stop there. No, there’s even more to this show than fish and grilling! Shawn and Blinda talk about what to do with your older shrubs that you’ve had for awhile out in the front yard, and they give some great ideas for plants in your kids’ garden.

They solve the design problem of the huge lot—what you do when you have an acre or more to landscape. They talk about the backyard as an art project and give examples of a very beautiful, unique design installed by Mirror Lake in a suburban backyard this past year.

And they offer another fabulous contest. Well, I guess a contest with a fabulous prize. They play a particular music clip several times during the show. You’ll notice it when you hear it…again and again!

If you can figure out the horticultural significance of that song, and if you’re the first to email the correct answer to shawn@mirrorlakedesigns.com , you’ll be the proud winner of a free landscape design by Mirror Lake! That’s a $1,400 value, just for knowing this little piece of trivia!

So be sure to listen in on Saturday…there’s just too much wild information for you to miss out!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:37:15 GMT

Fun Landscapes of Texas

For the show airing 3-7-09

There were only a few foreign kids in the class of mostly Chileans, but the professor still chose to ask us our origins in front of everyone. We foreigners introduced ourselves as a Mexican, a Norwegian, and a Columbian. Oh, and aTexan.

Yes, I am that Texan. I loved that no one, not ever, questioned my nationality as I gave it. Well, except for when other non-Texan Americans overheard me doing it. They cast me the occasional hairy eyeball for this, but I understand that jealousy can incite such behavior, and I forgive.

I guess we Texas are an odd bunch. We tend to be Texan before American. Well, when it’s so much fun to be Texan, it makes sense. We like the flag, the food, the music, and the specialness you get when you’re a Texan.

And we love the plants. The Texas landscape is something that can be a varied thing—it can be a Hill Country design, a Desert design, or even a little Cottage design. As Shawn and Blinda discuss on this week’s Your Livable Garden, having a Texas Landscape means you have plants and shapes that you’re pretty excited about.

They go into depth on some of those plants with Harry Smutzer himself. This man hails from Greenleaf Nursery in El Campo (http://www.greenleafnursery.com/ ), and he has quite a few plants to suggest for your own Texas landscape. He mentions Grandma’s Yellow Rose, Gold Star Esperanza, Mexican Bush Sage, Copper Canyon Daisy and Pride of Barbados. All are extremely drought tolerant and have great color, but I have to admit that Pride of Barbados is my favorite. I know that Mexican Sage smells delicious, that esperanza can be pretty when grown espaliered, and that, as a Texan, I should dream about yellow roses in my sleep.

But Pride of Barbados is such a delicate, elegant little tree. Even when it’s totally naked in the winter, it’s form is beautiful. And when it’s lacy leaves start to pop out, it takes on even more character. And then those bright orange and red flowers come out, and it’s just awesome. I love seeing them as I drive around neighborhoods, floating up from the plants around them like wispy splashes of warm color.

Of course, my love affair with the Barbados can’t compare with my adoration of the name of Mr. Smutzer’s favorite tree: the Bubba Desert Willow. Yes, Bubba is its first name. It grows to about 15’ and sports a lovely purple flower…and has just about the greatest name ever.

Obviously Shawn and Blinda are not your typical garden show hosts, and they’re not going to just review a few Texas plants for their show about Texas landscapes. They’re also going to touch on a plant group that touches our Texas hearts in a special way.

I’m talking about wildflowers. And that’s what they talk about in their interview with John Thomas, owner of Wildseed Farms in our own Fredricksburg, Texas (www.wildseedfarms.com ). I’d have to take up a whole other page if I listed the awards this place has won, so I advise you just check it out yourself on their website. John explains Wildseedfarms’ origins as a producer of wildflower seeds and also entices us to his business with descriptions of the Butterfly Haus, The Meadows, and The Market Center. Seriously, you need to check this place out!

And if you decide to take your little nuggets with you, try out the Field Journal project as described on the show by the National Gardening Association’s Sarah Pounders. Sarah gives us a great idea for getting kids interested in the garden by suggesting you create a field journal with them. You can see examples of them on the website www.kidsgardening.org . What better way to learn about wildflowers than to encourage your kids to record what they see about them and then reinforce that knowledge by looking up the flowers back home?

Our tall Texan hosts explore even more aspects of the great designs of gardens in the lone star state during this week’s show, so be sure to get up tomorrow to tune in to Houston’s KSEV 700AM from 6-8am. If you want to hear about the best way to make over your pool, if you want to hear about the most cost-effective ways to design your patio space, if you want to know the necessary information you should have before you begin your landscape design, be sure to listen in.

Oh, and if you want to hear about the mouth-watering ways you can marinate some truly tantalizing Texas grill fare, turn that radio in! You’re going to hear about this beef marinade—blend together KC Masterpiece, lite soy, 1 bulb of garlic, and red wine. There’s also a delicious tuna marinade…so don’t miss out!

Little Questions, Big Consequences

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:46:59 GMT

For the show airing 2-28-09

Missed out on this show? Click on the links below to catch the first and second hour of Your Livable Garden from February 28th!

Sometimes, a little question can have a big impact. “Will my tongue stick to that cold light pole if I lick it?” sounds innocuous enough. But I think we all know how that ends.

“Would you like another margarita?” also sounds very nice and friendly. But we all know it could lead to Very Unfortunate Karaoke.

“Would you like the upgrade, if it’s available?” really doesn’t sound big. But when you’re stretched out in First Class, enjoying some champagne and salmon, far from the rabble of coach, you realize the importance of that question.

And these little questions are the ones Shawn and Blinda explore on this week’s Your Livable Garden. The little questions with the big impact, in the garden. Those seemingly unimportant items that really make the difference when the landscape is all said and done.

What is the most important view in your landscape? This question doesn’t present itself as very important, and Shawn’s answer is hardly typical. The view from your breakfast room/kitchen window. That one that looks right over into the neighbor’s A/C unit, that unkempt stretch of grass along the vast expanse of brick that is the side of their house, that ugly view you have to look at every doggone day.

This is the place that you want to take care of first. I know, I know, it’s a shocking thought to even consider putting money into your neighbor’s property. But that’s only because everyone is twisted up into the belief that money spent on the house has to be an investment with a clear financial return. Never mind the thousands of dollars we spend on vehicles, clothes, toys that don’t return any sort of monetary value to us. We like having those things because they enhance our lives the way we want them to.

Well, the landscape is no different. And a view that you have to endure daily ought to be changed to something that you can enjoy every time you see it. So why not talk to your neighbor and plant that little area you stare at every morning? Why not fix it up so it is pleasant to look at? If it enhances your quality of life, why would you think twice?

Shawn and Blinda also explore these small, important questions when it comes to landscaping the backyard for entertaining. A lot of people come to Mirror Lake looking for an outdoor kitchen, and then are a little surprised when Shawn asks them how often they cook outdoors, and then when they are cooking. But these questions reveal whether a person will use all the equipment, whether they need space for major entertaining, or whether they just want a simple grill for the occasional, intimate outdoor meal.

Speaking of intimate meals, my taste buds are wandering over to the interview Shawn and Blinda conduct with our own local growers of delicious produce. Yes, that’s right, the Yunkers of Fir Forest Harvest (http://www.firforestharvest.com/ ) are sharing their insights with us again! Maxine and Tom have been on Your Livable Garden before, and this time, Maxine shares some truly important tips for starting this spring/summer’s veggie garden.

You have to actually hear this amazing woman on the air to understand her passion for what she does—which has everything to do with local, sustainable, naturally-grown produce. They sell fruits of their great labor at the Bayou City Farmer’s Market (http://www.urbanharvest.org/programs/market/index.html ) and the Woodlands Farmer’s Market (http://www.woodlandfarmersmarket.com/ ). Which is a great opportunity for us, considering (as Maxine tells us) most of our food at the grocery store arrives to us from over 1,500 miles away.

But enough about logistics. I want to get down to the nitty gritty of the garden, which for me is tomatoes. I adore them. And it sounds like Maxine does, too, because she has great tips for how to plant them right now. Want to know whether to buy seeds or transplants right now? Or how deep to plant? Or whether you can plant your peppers yet?

Well, I can’t give the farm away! Ha ha. No really, listen to Your Livable Garden this Saturday morning from 6-8am on KSEV 700AM right here in Houston. You’ll be able to take notes on all of Maxine’s helpful hints for the garden.

You’ll also hear everything you need to know about lawns. Yeah, I know all the men’s ears are perking up. The interview with San Jacinto Environmental Supply’s (http://www.sanjacorganic.com/ ) own Greg Cooper gives all the information we need to create a lawn that will be lush, green, and perfect. He even gives us a great suggestion for an organic fertilizer—MicroLife (www.microlifefertilizer.com )—which is what we use here at Mirror Lake.

Want to know when to fertilize your lawn? Want to know how short to cut it? You know what I’m going to tell you—listen to the show this Saturday! You’ll even hear great ideas for kids’ garden activities from the interview with Sarah Pounders of the National Gardening Association (see www.kidsgardening.org ).

Clearly this Saturday’s Your Livable Garden is packed with important information. You may want to hold back on the coffee, because the show content is going to wake you up enough itself!