With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching I’m thinking chocolate—ok, so I always think chocolate.  In this case, I’m thinking chocolate plants.

This year I’m trying a couple of new ones, but I also have some old favorites to share.

New:  Black Peony Breadseed Poppy   It is still in seed form from Chocolate Flower Farm and I will sow the seeds outside around April 15^th (two weeks before the average last killer frost).  According to Maria at the Chocolate Flower Farm, poppies don’t always transplant well, so if you decide to start them from seed inside be sure to start them in peat pots and plant them directly into the ground.

New:   Hollyhock ‘Nigra’ (Alcea rosea)  These seeds need to be planted in ground in early summer.  Maria writes that plants started in early spring or started indoors early tend to loose their perennial habit and are more susceptible to disease. Hollyhocks were a favorite of my dad, so I was thrilled to see this unusual dark chocolate colored flower.

Old Favorite:  Ajuga  We have it in our gardens and pots.  Easy to grow is‘Chocolate Chip’  Ajuga.  Leaves are about the size of your little finger and it makes a wonderful groundcover in an area your dog or children might play. For even larger, showier foliage choose Ajuga ‘Black Scallop’.  It has glossy, scalloped, dark burgundy to almost black foliage.  I’ve had great luck growing it in part sun. 

Old Favorite:  Huechera   common name Coral Bells   There are too many to list, but these are also readily available at local nurseries.  For chocolate varieties try‘Brownies’, ‘Chocolate Ruffles’, ‘Mocha’, and ‘Melting Fire’.  I like to mix them with one called ‘Caramel’ –it just sounds good.  ‘Caramel’ has copper, apricot and gold leaves with a rosy underside that blends well with the deep brown and burgundy of the chocolate varieties.

Old Favorite:  Hydrangea macrophylla  Now in its second year in our garden is“Lady in Red”.  Just like its name, it doesn’t disappoint!  The red stems and the foliage are just as wonderful as the lacecap flower.  You can control the flower color by adjusting the ph in your soil, but this one is really about the reddish-purple foliage in the fall!

 Grab that bag of M&M’s® and daydream of your own chocolate garden! Happy gardening ~ Judy Moskoff at agardenershome@gmail.com

This month, St. Louis Homes and Lifestyles is giving away Gardens Private & Personal: A Garden Club of America Book ($50 value). This colorful and inspiring book on the nation’s most beautiful gardens was featured in the Garden Gotta Have It department of our January/February issue. Click here to enter, or visit our Web site at www.stlouishomesmag.com.

Second Sitting Consignments invites you to a new monthly sale event that benefits the Habitat for Humanity ReStore of St. Louis. The ReStore, which provides financial support to Habitat for Humanity St. Louis, allows the general public to purchase new and used building materials at discounted prices.

Beginning January 30 (and continuing on the final Saturday of every month thereafter), Second Sitting Consignments will host a "store within a store," offering customers the opportunity to purchase quality furniture and home accessories at a significant discount. Even better, every dollar spent is donated directly to Habitat for Humanity and used in St. Louis to build adequate housing for those in need.

This event will take place in the basement of Second Sitting Consignments, 10410 Manchester Rd., and lasts from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, January 30. Representatives from the St. Louis Habitat for Humanity ReStore will be present to answer any questions about the organization and its programs. For more information, call 314-965-4949 or visit www.secondsitting.com.

In addition, Second Sitting Consignments is offering an additional 15% off storewide for the final weekend of their annual winter sale. Plus, save 20% on all purple-starred new items. Hurry! The sale ends Sunday, January 31.

Many gardeners, like myself, have started counting the days until we can expect the last killing frost. In the St. Louis gardening area (Zone 5), we can expect this to be around April 30.

This is important for several reasons.
1.    Most seeds are sown inside between 6-8 weeks before the last average day of frost.
2.    I need plenty of time to order the seeds.
3.    At some point, I have to put away the Christmas decorations.

Ignoring #3, I’ve already started #2. I have also justified the mugs of hot chocolate I drink while perusing the seed catalogs because I know we gardeners will work it off in spring.

Almost all of my plant material is purchased through local nurseries. I know my clients benefit from having plants that are proven for our area, but – being a risk taker – I do purchase over the Internet or through a catalog for our own garden.

Here are three companies that have not disappointed:

1. Chocolate Flower Farm
5040 Saratoga Road, Langley, WA 98260
Marie and Bill (and their dog Naughty Nellie) carry a wonderful variety of dark foliage plants, chocolate candles and chocolate soap.  They even have hens laying “chocolate” eggs. I have ordered from them for six years and have found that the service goes above and beyond. Sign up for their emails and newsletters.

Heuchera ‘Brownies’

2. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
2278 Baker Creek Road, Mansfield, MO 65704
If you are looking for heirloom plants, this is heaven. Their pumpkins and squashes are of special interest, and the best part of this company is the short drive to Southwest Missouri. (We are the Show Me State).

Our friend Randy grew these tomatoes. Striped Roman, Woodle
Orange & Golden Monarch.
 

3. Brent and Becky’s Bulbs
7900 Daffodil Lane, Gloucester, VA 23061
Plenty of bulbs can be planted in spring for late summer and fall bloom. The photo below shows some of their spring blooming selection in our front beds. I’ll be ordering more from this company!

Temple’s Favorite Tulip and Monal Jonquil

Enjoy the down time, and get ready for spring! Visit my blog at agardenershome.blogspot.com.

Happy gardening,
Judy Moskoff
agardenershome@gmail.com

The celebration was complete with a cake, which served as a three-dimensional vision of the expansion's design.
 

Fun for the Family
To celebrate this extraordinary new endeavor, the Saint Louis Art Museum will be hosting a "Do-it-Yourself Museum" event on Sunday, January 24 from 1-4 p.m. This free event allows parents and children to design and build a model of their own museum. Families can also explore architectural features of the "old" museum and the "new" expansion during two 30-minute tours, which will be held at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday.

We invite you to hear Ms. Barry's thoughts on creating spaces with simple elegance. Click here to read our January/February Designer Q+A and to see pieces from her newest collection, Barbara Barry Realized by Henredon.
 

Portrait photography by Colin Miller/Strauss Peyton

Bantam sofa in Sage with Coffee legs, 73 inches

Let the foundation for your next room design begin with a fresh idea in flooring. Celenio combines the traditional look of tile with the comfortable feel of wood, offering tiles in a variety of styles that mimic the looks of stone, slate and leather. These innovative wood tiles are available in three different installation systems: Classic (tiles are glued down and grouted), Lock Connect for glueless installation, and the all-new ComforTec – which combines two styles of installation.

The Celenio Atrium collection (pictured below) features cutting-edge design and is available in four colors. These tiles can be installed using the Lock Connect or ComforTec methods.

Celenio Atrium Anthrazit 

Celenio Atrium Platin

Celenio Atrium Sand  

Celenio Atrium Creme

Hamberger Flooring – the parent company of HAROÒ Quality flooring, which manufactures Celenio wood tile – is FSC & PEFC certified, ISO 9001 for quality and ISO 14001 for the environment, so you can trust that your purchase is eco-friendly.

Celenio wood tiles are available locally through Global Granite & Marble, 10330 Page Industrial Ct., 314-426-1466, www.globalgranite.com. Visit the showroom to see the Celenio line of products and much more firsthand.

It's simple! Just follow these small steps to style.

As you and your family kick off 2010, remember to include your home in your New Year’s resolutions. Whether you’re looking to install a new system of organization or rejuvenate outdated décor, updating your home can be a refreshing start to a new year.

Keep in mind that sometimes even the smallest of changes can make a large impact when it comes to home design and décor – such as enlivening a room with a new paint color or rearranging your existing furniture. If your neutral wall colors are looking tired, try using bolder colors, such as a high-energy yellow or an exotic raspberry – starting with an accent wall. The beauty of updating your rooms with new paint is that it’s relatively inexpensive and reversible.

Rearranging your existing furniture is another simple way to give your home a fresh new look. A few small shifts can make a big difference while still retaining the overall style of a room. More noticeable modifications, however, such as removing bulky pieces of furniture to change the flow of foot traffic, can have a dramatic effect and completely alter the aesthetics of a space. (Hint: Attach sliding pads to the bottom of larger pieces of furniture for quick and easy rearranging.)

Once you’ve painted walls and rearranged furniture, incorporating a few new design elements – such as a stunning bowl on a dining room table or a new duvet in a bedroom suite – will help enliven your living spaces. Best of all, these smaller changes will update your home without equaling the time commitment or cost of a full-scale renovation.

Karastan products are available at these local retailers:

Ambassador Floor Company – www.ambassadorfloor.com
Mid-West Floor Company – www.mid-westfloor.com
Rug Decor – www.rugdecor.com