Sometimes the hardest part of a home remodel, is letting go of the old. Soon, it will be out with the old, and in with the new. It really is not that cut and dry. We have carefully thought this through, and tipped the scale in favor of our new barn.

In the above photo, is our revered garage named  "Le Vin de Garage," where until recently we made and stored our Domaine de Manion vintages. My husband, John, cleverly tweaked a photo of our "Le Vin de Garage" for our first label. It placed "Fourth Place" in "wine label category" at the San Diego County Fair a few years ago.

John got the "garage idea," one night, when we were watching the movie, A Good Year (Full-Screen Edition), based in Provence, directed by Ridley Scott, and starring Russell Crowe in one of his only comedy roles. Based on the book, A Good Year, one of the many books written by Peter Mayle, the endearing plot revolves around a tasty mysterious boutique cult wine. These tasty cult wines called "garage wines" as mentioned in the movie, were from small vineyards, small productions, and often commanding super premium prices.

Our home was originally built in 1930, and we believe this stand alone garage was built a little later in the 1960's. It has to be close to 50 years old. A previous unknown owner took the time to enhance its character, with whales, waves, and crossed oars. If only our "Le Vin de Garage" could tell us some of its colorful stories of the past.

Alas, our garage has served us well over the last ten years, and it is sad to see it go. It does have termite damage from past neglect. When we have a heavy rain it does leak a bit. Now with our remodel plans, it is not in the best location.

Actually our "Le Vin de Garage," is not totally going away. We've decided to re-purpose its best materials in the form of a shed, close to our vineyard. In a way, it will live on, and continue to help us with our vineyard maintenance and vintages.

Our new barn is nearly finished. It has our new wine-making room on its ground floor, with a work counter for testing the wines, storage area for our equipment, and a harvest table. We really have come a long way, from the day we got the idea to plant a vineyard.

Please share if you make home-made wine? Please share how you got started making wine. Please comment on what kind of area or space you devote to making wine.

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I'm sure you have heard of a strawberry patch and a strawberry pot, but have you heard of a "crown of strawberries."  I have had this pair of cherub planters potted with bacopa and a few other trailing plants, but they really took on another look and life when I potted ornamental strawberry edibles in them. Imagine these planters placed on a table for a Sunday brunch.

There is something about using edibles in design, that transcends many styles such as cottage, country, eclectic, European, primitive, and even modern. It just works well. There is a bit of an element of surprise, that also pleases.

Decorative styling with edibles, is borrowing from the European potager kitchen garden concept, using flowers and vegetables intermingled, delivering function and beauty. Flowers and edibles are sensational together for floral designs, tabletop topiary, in the  garden, unusual containers, and where ever your imagination leads you.

Use live plants or  harvested fruit and vegetables to embrace this concept. Think of apples, asparagus, artichokes, green bananas, broccoli, cabbage, cranberries, gourds, lemons, kale, kumquats, oranges, pomegranates, strawberries, squash, and more.

First, your design starts with your container or location. What is it calling for. What form would look best. Is there a color combination that would be nice. Is there a plant combination that would surprise. Is there a function involved. What kind of creative ideas come to mind.

In the example of my two sweet cherub planters, I chose an ornamental strawberry plant, beautiful by itself. Deep green glossy leaves, bright pink flowers, emerging rouge-red ripening strawberries dangling like a crown, all add to its design drama and zeal. It has beauty. It is appealing.  It is growing edible fruit.

Please share if you design with edibles now. Please share some of your fun design combinations.

It might look like a cathedral but in reality, it is our new dining room and living room, seen from our new elevated kitchen vantage point. One of our goals in our remodel, was to integrate more of our home with our garden. Essentially we pushed out our old living room to the south, doubling the size. This great room is close to ground level, yet surprisingly has enough elevation to easily see into our  garden, vineyard, and the ocean horizon.

The single wood door on the left hand side, in the above photo is our front door. There are massive French doors on either side of this room for light and views. A stucco fireplace at the very end of the room serves as a focal point, and an exclamation point. The area near the fireplace will be our new living room.

On the west side of this great room will be a long low outside deck running the entire length of the room. Our house was designed to hug our massive and beautiful Italian Stone Pine tree, embracing its beauty. From our intended dining room spot in the foreground, we will be able to dine looking westward to the vineyard, and enjoy the gnarly impressive trunk of this great tree that oversees our property.

Our ceiling is custom tongue and groove crafted lumber, with massive support beams. It is stained a warm gray color, called Drift Gray by Behr. The floor will be  an 8' x 8' Spanish tile, made out of durable concrete by Arto Brick, Artillo style, in Spanish Coto. It is a lovely blend of warm honey terra cotta and slightly darker hues.

We are about half-way through our remodel now, five months into it. Our home and barn is in place, and the last five months will be the finish work. Our decisions we need to make now come fast and furious.

Our syrah vineyard is pruned, weeded, and chartreuse buds are bursting with new shoots. I feel like it is a race to harvest. Will our home be done in time. I think so.

Please share your remodel experience.  Did it happen within your anticipated time frame? As it emerged in reality, was it your same vision as on paper?

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My dear friend, Poultry Princess Kathy Lafleur, so aptly penned by panache garden writer Debra Prinzing, gave me three young hens a few months ago from her billowing flock. All three young hens, Kathy raised from day-old chicks, from a baker's dozen purchased from My Pet Chicken, five months earlier.  All of the chicks turned out to be hens, to My Pet Chicken's credit. It is not easy to sex day-old chicks. It is an art. With that said, Kathy's coop "runneth" over as the chicks matured into young pullets (hens) and I was happy to adopt three of her beauties.

Two of my new hens are Silver Spangled Hamburgs, gorgeous, elegant black and white hens, that I named Dolly and Dahlia. The third is Charley, a White-Crested Blue Polish hen, whom you might have seen in her debut appearance, Chickens Dig Dirt Baths.

I was a little reluctant to blend these beautiful young hens in with my existing flock, for fear of not knowing the outcome.  I must confess, all went well, and introducing these young hens proved to be easy, nary a peck or a drawing of blood ocurred. Thank goodness, my elder hens, were on their best behavior.

Silver Spangled Hamburgs are small, almost bantam size, and very lively. In fact, after three months, I'm still trying to capture them together in a photo-worthy moment to no avail. I have noticed that when Silver Spangled Hamburgs are excited, they tend to fan their tail feathers, somewhat resembling a peacock.

Silver Spangled Hamburgs are an old traditional breed, whose origins date back hundreds of years to England and Holland. These hens exude elegance with their striking white feathers against black polka dot markings. Other stand-out features include a beautiful red rose-shaped comb, white ear lobes, and bluish legs. They are very quick, somewhat flighty, and not your "cuddly-lap" chickens for children. This breed is known for laying abundant ivory-colored dainty eggs, and a nice choice for "show competition."

Thank you, Kathy, for your lovely young hens. They are a joy, and a wonderful addition to our "Coop de Manion" flock.

Please share what factors have determined your personal chicken breed choices? Please share your motive for having, or wanting backyard chickens?

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At the risk of going out on a limb, no pun intended, general trends today indicate that we have smaller spaces to garden in, converging with more desire to grow our own food. It is also the age- old adage, "less is more." Here are five space-saving fruit tree techniques to help you maximize growing your own desired fruit.

1) Espalier Fruit Trees on a two-dimensional plane in a pattern on a supporting wall, side of building, or fence. South and west facing direction are best for this. Espaliered fruit trees is one of my favorite styles as well as shapes for my fruit trees. You can either espalier them yourself, or buy them already pattern-established from a nursery or on online.

2) Multi-Variety Fruit Trees are available also from your favorite nursery.  Meaning these fruit trees are already grafted and established with different varieties on one tree. I have a pear tree that has  comice pear, d'anjou pear, and red bartlett pear harmoniously growing together in one tree. This winter, I got  a "4 in 1", which has two types of nectarines and two types of  peach. You  have one tree, but multiple varieties in one tree.

3) High-Density Planting of Fruit Trees. Planting of similar or dissimilar varieties of fruit trees closely together.  For instance, planting four fruit trees 18" to 24" apart in a square shape, in a 10' x 10' area. Requires summer pruning, but gives you the advantage of a possible long and varied fruit season, easy cross-pollination, natural restriction of fruit tree size, and a great appearance. With high-density planting you can create free-form shapes such as gazebos, circles, or as a hedge in a straight line.  Dave Wilson Nursery calls it Backyard Orchard Culture.

4) Limit Your Fruit Tree Size. After purchasing your bare root tree and planting it in your chosen location, cut the top 1/3 of your tree off at a 45 degree angle above a bud. Further trim any side branches or shoots to 6" to encourage new growth. Limiting your fruit tree size initially when planted, will keep your fruit tree small and manageable for maintenance and harvest size.

5) Plant Fruit Trees In Containers. Fruit trees in containers are beautiful, space-saving, and practical for small areas. Use on patios, entrances, and where ever you want to make a statement. Research what fruit trees do best in containers. Citrus trees are a good choice, if you have the climate.

Please share what is your favorite fruit tree in your yard or garden? Please comment if you think about space to harvest ratio in your yard and garden?

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If your plant palette colors are pinks and purples, the perennial Dwarf Sweet Pea Bush, Polygala fruticosa, is a nice evergreen shrub to have in your garden. Just like its name, its pink-purple flowers resemble blooming sweet peas with pleasing grey-green foliage. Dwarf Sweet Pea Bush like sun, and moderate water. I consider it a low maintenance shrub with a long bloom time of several months.

At maturity, the Dwarf Sweet Pea Bush is generally a mounding shape 2' tall x 2' wide. Not to be confused with the standard size Sweet Pea Bush, Polygala dalmaisiana, which is very similar in appearance to the Dwarf Sweet Pea Bush, except that it can be a little more leggy, reach 3' to 5' in size, and is bare at its base. I personally prefer Dwarf Sweet Pea Bush in my garden.

Originally from South Africa, and in its native habitat grows close to the coast. It tolerates temperatures to 15-20F degrees. Dwarf Sweet Pea Bush, also goes by the names, Petite Butterfly and Butterfly Pea Shrub.

The Dwarf Sweet Pea Bush can be used as a charming cutting flower, as well as a perennial pleaser in the garden. Dwarf Sweet Pea can be found most likely, at your favorite local nursery, and also on the Internet.

Please share if you grow Dwarf Sweet Pea Bush in your garden.

For those of you who are faithful readers of VintageGardenGal, I must pause and tell you that my precious J.Lo passed away last week. She had a very long life in chicken years, approaching 8 years old this May. There are many reasons why I want to share this with you, and you might be thinking I've gone off of the deep end. But, no it is simply a small loving tribute to our wonderful hen, J.Lo.

I want you to know that your chickens can live a long healthy life. I want you to know that your chickens can become part of your family, just like your dog or cat. I want you to know that you can have a friend in the garden, with feathers and wattles. I want you to know that chickens have personalities, spirit, and character. I want you to know that chickens can give back, in intangible joy.

J.Lo was a Silver-laced Wyndotte, one of five hen in our original "Hollywood Girls" flock. Initially she was a bit of a runt, at the bottom of the pecking order in the flock. She was a good egg-layer, laying beautiful cream-colored eggs. She was always a talker, peeping over this and that. Over time she rose to the top like cream in the pecking order, fueled by her independence and sense of adventure.

She loved to be out in the garden, and loved to be a part of our social activities. She was never afraid of new people, or the number of people in the garden. She just felt at home, and was very sociable. In fact, I think she rather enjoyed being the life of the party.

Last year I wrote about my "coffee cup" thoughts reflecting on our first ten years on our property. J.Lo, and our "Hollywood Girls" were a cornerstone of our journey, and a part of the catalyst for writing VintageGardenGal. Somehow I can't stop thinking, that J.Lo will always live on with us in the garden, and she will. Ode to you, J.Lo.

Please feel free to comment.

Ceanothus are California's wild lilac. A native evergreen shrub which is drought tolerant and spring time showy with lavender-blue 6" spikes. Belonging to the Rhamnaceae (Buckhorns) family, Ceanothus shrubs, in general are drought tolerant once established and are found frequently growing in California's native chaparral. There are many different varieties of Ceanothus in form and blooming lavender-blue colors. Ceanothus bloom winter to spring and are simply stunning. Three of my favorite Ceanothus are Ceanothus concha, Ceanothus dark star, and Ceanothus Ray Hartman.

Officially a shrub, Ceanothus Ray Harman variety has an upright tendency. It is one of the Ceanothus varieties that can be trained into a mature small tree, sometimes reaching up to 15' high and 10'-15" across. It does best in Zones 8-9.

In the above photo, my Ceanothus Ray Hartman is planted close to my soft-hued brown stucco wall for a pleasing backdrop. I planted four Ceanothus Ray Hartman in my garden a few years ago, and they grow quickly.

A few tips to share with you in creating a Ceanothus Ray Hartman tree in your garden. I purchased one-gallon size plants from the extraordinary California native nursery, Tree of Life Nursery. Tree of Life Nursery is located about 7 miles east of San Juan Capistrano on Ortega Highway. If you are serious about introducing more California natives in your yard and garden, Tree of Life Nursery is the place to go. Tree of Life Nursery offers over 20 varieties of ceanothus, as well as many other popular natives, and lesser known natives.

If your intention is to shape your Ceanothus Ray Hartman upright into a small tree, purchase Ceanothus Ray Hartman plants that have a nice single stem. Plant in a sunny spot with ample room. Water regularly to give it a good start, and then taper off once established. Prepare to support your Ceanothus Ray Hartman with stakes as it begins to grow and fill out.

Let your Ceanothus Ray Hartman grow and establish itself for a few years.  After the second year, begin to trim bottom branches off of its main trunk slowly, at three month intervals. Nip or prune 6' off of the tips of some of your top branches and start shaping your tree. Trim as necessary to shape your tree into a nice upright tree form. This type of pruning encourages your Ceanothus Ray Hartman to grow upward and fill out into a beautiful wild lilac tree.

Please share if you are familar with the beauty of the Ceanothus varieties. Please comment if you have started introducing native plants into your garden.

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San Diego Horticultural Society announces its Spring Garden Tour, Saturday March 13, 2010. Tickets are $15/members, $20/non-members. To purchase tickets and more detailed information, please go to www.SanDiegoHorticulturalSociety.org