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Palm-leaf mistflower attractis butterflies by the hundreds Country Lifehome What's hot in 2012? garden Bright and bold. Non- matching. Shabby chic. According to Theresa Umber and Verna Posey of Chico Interior Design, these are among 2012's hottest interior design trends. I recently sat down with the two women and got the scoop on where interior design is headed. ors MCT photo These Queen butterflies relish the nectar provid- ed by the Palm-leaf or Gregg's mistflower. This mistflower as a long blooming season and is an outstanding perennial in zones 7-10. By NORMAN WINTER McClatchy-Tribune The palm-leaf mistflower is bringing in so many butter- flies it is hard to get the visitors inside at the National But- terfly Center. The visitors get out of the car and then have a speechless look as they sit and stare at hundreds of butter- flies that seem perched or are swirling about every bloom- ing flower stalk. I have been hesitant writing about this plant because it takes some searching to find it. When I saw the Missouri Botanical Garden website bragging on it I decided it was time to tout the virtues of this incredible plant. Perhaps doing so will help get it distributed more widely throughout the trade. Bright and bold col- So, the economy has been in the dumper in recent years. But good news might be right around the corner. And that hope has translated into the trend of happier colors in the home. "The bright and bold colors can give you a much-needed psycho- logical boost," Umber said. "They're happier, brighter and cheerier." According to Umber & The palm-leaf mistflower is native to Texas, New Mexi- co and Arizona and is cold hardy through zone 7. Elsewhere treat it as an annual and perhaps even a re-seeding annual. It is amazing for the length of bloom time and its ability to attract butterflies. Known botanically as Conolinium greg- gii you'll find this plant among the easiest to grow perenni- als in the garden. You'll also notice that it brings that wel- come color of blue that everyone searches for, to use in the flower border. Palm-leaf mistflower sometimes known as Gregg's mist- flower has cool blue ageratum like flowers borne on two- foot tall plants. The leaves are deeply dissected giving it even more landscape appeal. Unbelievably it is in full bloom now at our garden and will keep up this frenzy until fall. In colder regions such as zone 7, it will bloom during the hot summer from late June through October. They not only attract Queen and Monarch butterflies but all kinds of Sulphurs, Skippers, Crescents and the Bordered Patch. The palm-leaf mistflower is one of those perennials and Posey, other popular bold colors in homes are purple, warm reds and pinks, and blue and white, "a very classic and very traditional color combination," Umber noted. Additionally (and not sur- prisingly), green is still very popular thanks to its connection to sustainable liv- ing. match' 'No matchy- known to do a little spreading by roots. You won't mind this a bit as it will give you more plants to spread around the gar- den. It has virtually no pests, and the welcome Rawlson's Metalmark butterfly uses it as a host plant. With the blue flowers ever-present you may want to con- sider planting in combination with the yellow-orange lan- tana, or one of the various rudbeckias. Pink flowered Salvia coccinea would also look great even though I am partial to the complementary color scheme using orange to yellow flowers. While we seem to be slowly scratch- ing our way out of a less-than- stellar econo- my, Americans aren't exactly rushing out to purchase a new Saturday, May 5, 2012 – Daily News 3B Sean Grandma's funky little chair or her funky little table, and figuring out a way they can incorpo- rate those things into their style, "Umber said. "Suddenly, they're not so funky any- more. "It's some- thing sustain- able, some- thing they can keep." Murphy Project Home Since it does spread some it has the ability to be used as a blooming groundcover. Here at the National Butterfly Center we've planted it in bold informal drifts. We are now combining it with the yellow Silky Gold version of the trop- ical milkweed Asclepias curassavica along with All Around Purple gomphrena and the hot pink Fireworks gomphrena. Once you get your plants, or seeds select a site with a lot of sun and prepare the soil by loosening with the addition of compost or other organic matter. This soil preparation pays dividends by letting the roots get established quickly and providing good drainage and aeration. Tough natives like the palm-leaf mistflower will make you wonder why it isn't for sale at every garden center. Home & garden news & notes BOOK EXPLORES 'SLOW FLOWER' MOVEMENT The slow food movement raised interest in locally pro- duced food. Now the same thing is happening with flowers. Debra Prinzing explores the phenomenon in her new book, "The 50 Mile Bouquet: Seasonal, Local and Sustain- able Flowers." The book tells the stories of people who are committed to the "slow flower" movement, from growers and floral designers to a bride who grew some of the flowers for her wedding and supplemented with others grown locally.?Prinzing includes resources and tips for do-it-your- selfers, along with some basic instructions on creating a flo- ral arrangement. The 50 Mile Bouquet is published by St. Lynn's Press and sells for $17.95 in hardcover. PAINT STRIPPER MAKES LEAD PAINT REMOVAL SAFE A paint stripper made from soybeans provides a safe way to remove and dispose of lead paint. Lead Out, from Franmar Chemical, is a gel stripper that encapsulates lead so lead dust can't get into the air. It also chemically alters the lead compounds to make them insolu- ble, so they won't leach out and don't have to be treated as hazardous waste. set of matching furni- ture. Quite the opposite, Americans are doing more with what they already have—even if that means putting things together that don't necessarily match. "No matchy-match furniture," said Umber. "That's totally out." This also translates into the continued rise in the popularity of the shabby chic and coastal themes. "It's a real mix, very eclectic and mix-and- match," Posey said. "The idea of using what you have." What comes around… Antiques are coming back, and young people are leading the charge. "They're looking at Remember that old furniture you used to scoff at in your grand- parents' home? Well, you might want to make room for that in your own abode. Kitchen and bathroom needs and wants for the kitchens and bathrooms aren't building or moving into larger homes as much these days, so the Americans have also changed. Here are a few noteworthy trends: • LED lighting is in, and CFLs are out, due to their inferior light quali- ty. • In are single-handle kitchen faucets with pullout spray spouts and out are pot fillers, since larger kitchens are also less popular. oak, walnut, birch and bamboo (sustainable!) are in. Out are cabinets made of cherry. Doing-it-yourself The women of Chico Interior Design feel Americans are moving away from hiring pro- fessionals to design their homes, and DIY-ing their interior design more. • Cabinetry made of Happy Home Improv- ing! "People are doing it by themselves because they don't have the dis- cretionary income and can't necessarily afford to hire someone to do it for them," Umber said. "So they're learning and doing it themselves." "And it's like the industry is acknowledg- ing that and saying, 'OK, this is a trend. We're not going to say you have to match everything,'" said Posey. Until next time, Sean Murphy is a copywriter for Build.com in Chico. Visit the company's website for more home improvement tips at www.build.com. The product is made from American-grown soybeans and is biodegradable and non-caustic. It comes in a kit that needs to be mixed before application. Lead Out can be ordered at www.franmar.com. A 1-gal- lon container costs $99.95 plus shipping. ASK MARY BETH: CLEANING MICROWAVES, DISPOSALS microwaves and garbage disposals? Answer: The best way I've found to clean a microwave Question: What's the best way to clean the interiors of oven is to steam it. Microwave a cup or bowl of water on high till it boils, and then let the water boil for a few more minutes. The steam will soften the food spatters so you can wipe them right off.