HOME IMPROVEMENT


Plant Life H


Brighten up your space (and your life) with foliage


ouseplants do not have to be boring. Really. You may


currently think of a houseplant as something that is dying, shriv- eled up and sitting on your table in a sad state, but perhaps that’s the problem. Houseplants don’t necessarily need to be sitting on a table. A number of planters bring new life to houseplants by show- casing them in unexpected ways: upside down, inside clear glass, against a wall. Forget about basic pots and instead look for interest- ingly designed modern plant- ers. With these, indoor plants have never looked better. We’ve rounded up some of the most interesting planters out there to make bringing plant life indoors a whole lot easier.


Boskke (boskke.com), a New Zealand-based design company, designs gardening tools and prod- ucts for people who live in densely populated urban environments. Rather than take up table space like a traditional planter, their cleverly named sky planter hangs from the ceiling or can be mount- ed on a wall with their wall mount. The sleek, modern-looking design resembles a traditional planter— only it hangs upside down. Boston ferns, orchids and English ivy all grow well in the sky planter. Or, you could put it in your kitchen and grow mint, parsley, fennel or even strawberries. They come in sizes extra-small, small and medium, so you can group them in variations. Or, you can just have one. Either way, they look fantastic. They’re available locally at Pigment (3047 30th St., North Park or shoppigment.com). Woolly Pockets can be hung


directly on a wall and allow you to build a vertical garden anywhere in your home. The planters, made of recycled materials, have a unique moisture barrier that conserves water and maintains


soil nutrition. A number of plants could do well in the pockets, everything from herbs to succulents. The pockets are made to be modular, so you can assemble them in grids and create large expanses of foliage-covered walls. They look terrific when planted with dense, leafy plants that eventu- ally grow out and over the pocket itself. When this happens, it looks like there are plants growing straight out of the wall. They’re available locally at Mission Hills Nursery (1525 Fort Stockton Dr., Mission Hills or missionhillsnursery.com). The Circle Planter from Potted (pottedstore.com), a specialty gar- den shop in Los Angeles, is a gor- geous way to incorporate plants indoors. The crescent moon- shaped ceramic planter can either hang from the ceiling or rest on a table. Depending on where it’s placed in your home, it could be filled with a variety of plants. For a relatively easy look, you could purchase tillandsia (commonly referred to as air plants), which require only a bit of water on their root structure two to three times a week, and just nestle them inside, no planting required. Mixture (2210 Kettner Blvd., Little Italy or mixturehome.com) carries two sizes of a gorgeous recycled bubble glass terrarium that hangs from a length of thick rope. Terrariums have seen a surge of popularity recently, and for good reason: the miniature landscapes look stunning in any room. For those skeptical of actu- ally planting inside the bubble, you could simply fill it with air plants instead. Some of the larger varieties, like Xerographica or Concolor, would fill up the space


FROM PAGE 2 AGENCIES


staunch vocal opponent of Brown’s plan, saying that if approved, it would “have a devastating effect on San Diegans at a time when nu- merous working families and small businesses are struggling to make ends meet." “Along with eliminating jobs


and tax revenue in San Diego, the governor’s plan would cut into the progress of most San Diego neigh- borhoods,” Faulconer said in a press release. “The city’s 19 rede- velopment areas reinvest tax dol- lars locally, stimulating job growth in our economy. Those tax dollars would be diverted to Sacramento’s black hole if the Governor’s bud- get is approved.” Statistics released by the Cen-


quite nicely


and add a vibrant burst of color. Make sure you ask plenty of questions at your local nursery about the kind of plant you’re going to use. One of the most common problems with house- plants is that they don’t receive proper light or hydration. While succulents are great because they require little water, they do require ample light, so make sure you place them by a window where they’ll get at least two to three hours of sunlight a day. Carissa Casares is a San Diego native and freelance journalist currently living in Mission Hills. She has five plants in her relatively small apartment.u


ter City Development Corpora- tion, which oversees development projects downtown, show that for every public dollar invested down- town $8.40 in private investment has been created. “Downtown generates $60 mil-


lion a year in hotel and sales tax be- cause of successful redevelopment efforts,” Faulconer said. “That money goes into the city’s General Fund and pays for services, includ- ing parks, police, fire and libraries,


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San Diego Uptown News | Feb. 18-Mar. 3, 2011


5


in every neighborhood across San Diego.” On Jan. 24 the City Council


voted 7-1 to adopt a resolution op- posing Brown’s plan. District 1 Councilmember Sherri Lightner cast the dissenting vote. “Solutions to California’s $25.4


billion budget gap are a zero sum game,” Lightner said. “If the state doesn’t cut redevelopment fund- ing, they’ll have to make greater cuts to other critical services, in- cluding education.” Gloria disagrees, saying that disbanding redevelopment agen- cies would be like killing the goose that lays the golden egg. San Di- ego, he said, should not be penal- ized for other cities’ mismanage- ment of redevelopment funds. “Without redevelopment finds,


projects to improve areas within North Park and City Heights, which are designed to increase the economic activity in the busi- ness districts in those communi- ties would come to an end,” he said. “Are there abuses of redevel- opment in the state of California? I believe there are. But that’s not the case in San Diego.”u


sduptownnews.com


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INVITED YOU’RE STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING


SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AIRPORT LAND USE COMPATIBILITY PLAN


The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority is in the process of updating the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (ALUCP) for San Diego International Airport (SDIA). SDIA is the primary commercial airport for the San Diego region and it is critical that it remain viable to serve our growing region and contribute to San Diego’s economy. The ALUCP for SDIA will play an important role in ensuring that new development in the vicinity of the airport is compatible and safe, and that SDIA can continue to meet the region’s aviation needs.


The Airport Authority is hosting the first in a series of Steering Committee meetings that will provide a forum for public input during the planning process. The Steering Committee meetings will allow interested members of the public to review technical information and provide input in the development of ALUCP policies. Each meeting will focus on a specific topic so participants can attend meetings of specific interest to them. Meetings are open to all who are interested in participating.


Date: Topic: Time:


Location:


Wednesday, February 23, 2011 SDIA Operations and Environs 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.


Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Airport/Liberty Station 2592 Laning Road San Diego, CA 92106


For more information, please visit www.san.org/alucp. For questions or comments, please contact (619) 400-2457 or alucpcomments@san.org.


Home improvement stores, such as Mixture in Little Italy and Pigment in North Park, both carry bubbled-glass terrariums, much like the ones shown here.


© 2011 San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. All rights reserved.


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