Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, November 21, 1956, Image 16

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Capital journal., November 21, 1956, Page 16, Image 16

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Newspaper Page TextSalem, Oregon, Wednesday. November 21, 1956 THE CAPITAL JOURNAL' Sub-Tropical Plants Bring Do It Yourself Home Unusual to Gardners of NW Page 8 Section 2 Flowers Adapt Themselves :: To Area By MARK M. TAYLOR Capital Journal Writer The gardener, wishing lo achieve the unusual in his garden, will delight in experimenting with the growing of the so-called sub tropical plants, The name sub-tropical, applied In a plant, means a plant that is indigenous to an area that borders on one of tropical climate. The Slants arc not entirely tropical but ave adapted themselves to an area with lower winter tempera tures and frosts of varying intcn aity than is found in the tropics. ' Logical Next Step ' While Florida and California and certain parts of the Gulf states are considered in the sub-tropical zones, the moderate temperatures predominating in the Pacific Northwest makes this region the logical next step for the sub-tropical plants in their northward trek. Not too many years ago the fol lowing shrubs and trees were not considered hardy enough for use in- the western part of the North west but arc found in many home gardens today, where they are thriving: Abolia, Azalea, Camellia, Nsnclina, Viburnum, A 1 b i i 1 1 a. Bamboo, Ilex, Jasminum, Lonicc ra and many others, ; While the truly sub-tropical areas in the United Slates arc con fined, largely, lo the warmer parts of Florida and California with por tions of the Gulf states, it is equal ly true that the western part of the Pacific Northwest, with Its abundant rainfall and moderate climate, constitutes another step or phase in the transition of pure ly tropical plants to the colder regions. Likewise, the Northwest becomes the first step in the con ditioning of cold climate plants for Use in warmer regions. Suir.vncr Greenery All Year Sub-tropical plants have the characteristic of full foliage and summer greenery the year around. We have but only to look at a few-home gardens locally, to find many of the so-called sub-lropicnl plants, listed above, growing nnd flourishing. It is equally enlightening to nolo In many home gnrdens, the uso of plants long considered possible of culture in the colder regions. The use of sub tropical plants in the home garden in this area is not only possible, in many cases, but adds a touch of the exotic un obtainable with any , other plant material. Among the plants now found in aome home gardens in the North west that have, heretofore, been considered of sub-tropicnl chnrnc ter but which have survived the rigors of our winter arc the Hibis cus. Five Petals on Hibiscus There arc many species of Hi biscus all with the characteristic hell-shaped flowers of five petals. Usually, though, the Hibiscus is thought of as the tropical shrub found In tropical Florida and In Hawaii. It has the botanical name of Hibiscus roso-slnensis. It will stand no frost. Hibiscus rosa sinensis has a northern counterpart in the shrub too often advertised simply as Hi biscus when it is, perhaps, better known as Althea or Rosc-of-Shor-on. Technically, it is a species of Hibiscus known as syriaens. The species of Hibiscus more nearly like the tropical species but which has proved hardy lo cally is Hibiscus moscheutos, sometimes called rose mallow. Its flowers are large, four lo sev en inches across in white, pink, yellow or red. It is a perennial plant that, in this writer's experi ence, has survived to ten degrees below zero without protection. Hibiscus grniuliflnrus is similar to mnschrutos except the flowers are larger and is hardy only in sub-lropiral regions. Breeding of the two species will, in all prob ability, develop hardiness in this species also. Silk Trre Another sub-tropicnl of local In terest is Alhizzin Julibrissin. com monly known as the Silk tree, a tree not over thirty feet tall with a spreading crown which has lislit pink flowers in compact heads in Spring. Tins tree Is olten incor rectly called mimosa. An excel lent example of this tree's heaulv Is the tree on the Slate Street side of the post office just Fast of the driveway In mid-block. While, usually, not considered hardy be low twenty degrees, this tree has Mood a temperature nt ten below lew without Appreciable damace. Looking at the more tender sub tropicals, wo find gardeners throughout the Norlhwest desirous of raising gardenias, which are, usually only raised in the green house in this area, yet. there are gardenia shrubs of good siie growing out of doors in home gar dens in Portland, which Indicates that it should be possible lo raise them here too. The one recom mended for local use is Gardenia florida, variety mystery. The cul ture of this beauty is the same as that for the Camellia or Rhodo dendron. Bougainvillaea, one of the hand inmost ornamental vines of sub tropical regions is not recommend ed for planting nut of doors in Ihii locality. Crape myrtle, another familiar ahowy shrub of sub -tropical areas, 'has survived the winlers of the Northwest. The colorful blooms from June to October make this shrub a welcome ad dition to any garden. It should be Ihitniighly under- . Planning for Utility Prime Kitchen Arrangement Goal Veg Hoard Help In Gelling Best Use By VIVIAN BROWN AP Newsfcalures Writer HOW TO GET the most out of your kitchen: That is the qucs lion. Big or little, kitchens have problems, because most limes they are planned by people who never work in them. The idea is to make good use of all space, even walls. A kitch en is not to live in. It should be planned for utility a place where food preparation, freezing, storing and cooking may be done in a minimum of time. If you can't have everything at your arm's reach, locale it nearby. Cabinets or shelves above the refrigerator may hold ice box containers, seldom-used kitchen ware; casserole dishes and pots may go above the stove or oven cabinet; canned foods and bread stuffs may be put in an out-of-the-way spot, perhaps above the washing machine. One wall or corner may get peg hoard treatment, to hold useful items that never seem to be avail able readily when needed. These include sharp knives for carving, dippers, spatulas (now in attrac tive sets), pipkins, molds, chick en shears, table tiles, trays. It's a good place to put your electric clock loo. Choose one of the new designs, snowflake pattern or what have you for special wall flattery. HOME OWNERSHIP UP Home ownership has increased five per cent during the past year, according to new surveys. About 60 per cent of Americans own their own homes today, compared to 55 per cent in-11155. Increase was grealesl in the north ccnlral slates and lowest in the northeast. BETTER HOME DESIGN A booklet on the principles of good home design has been prc- paren ny tnc unilca Slates Savings and Loan League, which repre sent 4.300 associations. The pur pose of the study is to promote more livable houses lo offset cut ting down on room sizes under rising costs. stood when planting one of these plants, ordinarily considered of subtropical nature, that there may bo failures, especially if un usual weather prevails. However, where a plant becomes permanent ly established by virtue of several years without unusually cold win ters, the plant has an excellent chance for survival when unusual I cold does strike. -'2.. '"'(:, 11 "JmF: v.i ; );. be0k00m i 1 " bedroom 3 -K ..... 12,. , ,,2. TT) 12, , 9,r : f , , DEN OR '. BEDROOM 2 f" -J BEDROOM 1 ,- .-l I ,l'10" 9'2" S H-'J" 9'2" .") DD mKHEW I5'tl I '2 mm J-- .f I2'8" H'2" " N, gC. .mm I UVIH6 ROOM JCJ I 50'J" l.1'u T 1CARAGC m! a LJ rA HS. J. Four bedrooms and a huill ln tarage designed to fit on a 40. fool lot make this plnn the answer to family need in centrally located neighborhood hrre land In an Item. With a floor area of only 1 ,250 square feet, this should he an economical home to build. Width Including garage is only SIS feet; depth M feel. Thin Is plan IMMI by l,eMw Cohen. Architects' Home Plan flu reaii, lo III, rtelWrhrm. Corn. For convenience frame a panel of peg board to hold acces sories like this which features an electric clock in snowflake pattern, he cord Is pulled through board. Capital A Journal GAIRDIINI PAGi On the By DAVID G. BARF.UTIIER AP Beat Estate Editor EXCESSIVE DAMPNESS can at tack nnd undermine the livability of virtually any type of house. whether it is built over a base ment, a ventilated crawl space or on a concrete slab. Only pro per vapor sealing can adequately protect a house against dry rot, mildew, wnrpagc and other pro blems. You'd think that a house built over a thoroughly ventilated crawl space Willi relatively dry eartli underneath could be free from moisture troubles. But this not always the case. Engineers have found that soil can act as a wick and evaporate more moisture than a surface of water. If you built house on stills out over the House edge of a river or lake, you'd ex pect some dampness. So with granules of soil multipying cvaport ion surfaces by the millions, you stand to get even more dampness. You must seal that soil surface. Highlighting the urgency of this problem Is a letter just received from Airs. C. II. P. of Monorc, Mich. "Believe me, she writes, "when we brought our home last April it looked beautiful. But damp ness has become so bad that it lias made our hardwood floors wavy. The house is built over a crawl space about 3G inches deep. inc ground is damp, but not soccv. Thi-rn n. fnr barrier. Heavy asphalt roofini s paper widely overlapped or nolv- ethylene plastic film can do this job effectively nnd apparently per manently. Smooth the ground as well as possible, stretch the vapor barrier carefully over the surlace allowing wide overlaps nnd scatter a mile dry sand on Ion of it to hold it down. Even houses with so called healed crawl spaces should be scaled against ground moisture. FOG AND FROST on cold win dow panes have insipired a lot of advice on controlling indoor moisture. Cooking, laundering and' bathing without adequate ventila- j lion an sain tn niUi frnm twn in four Kiiilons of water to the nir tn n house within one dav. People odd still more moisture from their HuiKS nnd skin surfaces as much as 11 to 12 pints daily for n faniilv of four. But one expert says this all amounts to a drop m a bucket compared with the moisture that conies into houses from the outside. He is G. A. Voorhces, technical secretary of the National Warm Air Heating and Air Conditioning Assn. In a formal report far architects and engineers, entitled "Moisture! Problems in Crawl Space Houses," j Voorhees Rives comprehensive j reasons for t ho wick action of the soil can contain from one pint ! to one quart of water, depending on the clay, silt or other "fines in the soil. I A small house with 850 square1 feet of crawl space is examined. II this house i.s built over bare earth of n high moisture content. Hi' 4 gallons of water may be evaporated under the house in 24 hours. I If the same bouse is built over 'water the evaporation at the same i temperature would amount to only iH.ll gallons. H Ihe earth surface is covered with .Vvpound roll roofing, less than one pint of evaporation will occur. "TOO OFTEN," says Voorhees. "we hear the statement 'Oh, 1 don't need any vapor barrier on the floor of this crawl space be cause the ground water level here is at least 12 to 15 feet below the surface.' "The findings of government engineers show that the moisture content of soil at the surface oi the earth in a crawl space re mains substantially the same re gardless of whether the ground water level h as little as 8 feet or as much as 2ft feet below thr level of the crawl space floor." Questions Answered By MARK M. TAYLOR How can you successfully trans plant Kinnickinnick? E. S. Where this plant Is native, along the Oregon coast, you can lake it up In sods rather than try lo move (he plants bare-root-ed. Where you plan lo plant this, excavate lo three or four inches, then scalier peatmoss over the area with a sprinkling pot of sand over that. Place the sod on this prepared base and fill in the spaces between the sods with sand. If collecting sod Is not prac tical, some nurseries offer pot grown plants which are set in place on a similarly prepared base, removing the entire soli ball when emptying Ihe pot. Heavenly bamboo has been rec ommended to me as a useful shrub, but 1 understand most bamboos are vigorous growers, sending out long roots that send up new shots in the most unlikely places. What is your opinion? Mrs. C. W. Actually, Heavenly bamboo is not a bamboo, nor has any' rela tion thereto. It Is, properly, Nandlna domestlco, a most useful and attractive shrub, evergreen, slow-growing, has creamy-white or light pink flowers followed by scarlet berries. It likes shelter and some shade, though 11 will do well in Ihe sun. Its erect, notched, cane-llkc branches make an effective pattern against a wall or In a corner planting, It II prefers an acid type soil such as predominates here and serves admirably for a thick, bushy, hedge purpose. Should lawns still be mowed If not too wet? M.H. Yes, the experts tell us that lawn grasses should not go Into winter with more than two inches of growth. Have a bed of Lily of the Valley lhat has been undisturbed for cars. How should it be renovated for best results? Mrs. S.B. Dig up the plants and re-set Ihi'.li one and one-half ins. deep. and about six Inches apart. Bone meal and well-rotted manure worked Into the soil first will get them oil lo a good start. Can Mock Orange be started from cuttings? When and how? Mrs. W.D. Yea, they root quite easily In Ihe Spring. Simply lake cuttings now and store for Ihe winter in damp sand in a cold frame or cool basement until Spring. How long does it take for paper white Narcissus lo come into bloom. I want them in bloom for Christmas. Mrs. J.M. Should be planted Immediately lo get bloom by Christmas as it lakes about 10 days, sometimes less If sufficient sunlight. Should Hollyhocks be planted ' ii incy DC started from . ,or ls 11 best lo P start ed plants? Mrs. A.T. Seeds are sown In July and August, the seedlings wintered over in a coldframe and the plants set out in the Spring. How ever, you ran sow seed In Feb ruary or March In a greenhouse or a window ledge and by the time plnntlng out season arrives they Mill he the proper slue. They Mill bloom the same year. Start ing Hollyhocks from seed is so simple there Is no need lo try to get started plants and, anyway. very seldom are Ihey offered 's necessary to prune roses whpn planting or transplanting? f.u. Yes, unless pin tiled from pots nnd arc still In active growth. There Is a certain amount of en- ergy loss any lime a plant Is disturbed, especially If the mov. Ing bares the roots. Alwayi prune o(l any broken, bruised sr dis eased cones as well as any bro ken or hrukpil rnnl Ihnn bark each cane about one-third P"intinR' bo,,,h '"Icrior and cxter lo compensate for transpiration, ,1" vn J'Ur" Him' Ma ran liil r ami Kli.,., l. planted to get bloom next season? R.A. Tulips may he planted any lime j this month or In December. Lilies may he planted as long as ihe ; ground Is workable, hut, don't de-, lay as Illy bulbs deteriorate when kepi out of Ihe ground loo long. I'an I start Sweet Peas now or is It too late? Mrs. H U M. swer! Pr may he sown In Ihe open even now, In deep Irrnrhes, or, may he sown In pots and kept over winter In a cold frame. For ense of handling, however, why not prepare Ihe (round for them now and avoid any exlrn effort lalrr? What could I plant in window boxes, now empty ot summer do wers, for winter color? Mrs. K.R. Small evergreens are suitable. ! Some of the evergreen Aralras or Dwarf Rhododendron would give winter greenery and spring bloom. Do you have a recipe for pot pourri? Mrs. E D. Yes. Tnke Iwo quarts of rose petals and hods, spread on paper In dry; sprinkle with table salt: nrirf Sweet Geranium or Lemon Verhena leaves; add any sweet smelling flower blos,oms or herbs, when thoroughly dried. When mlicd and dry, add one quarter ounce earh of powdered cloves, mare, cinnamon and all spire." Mfct Nils Ml shoMoahV with Ihe (owrn ust nutfli 4th a bit of brandy ayd a drop or ftto of allor of roses. Pnl In o awlLlj?!" One might call the home of home for much of the work on the house was done by the Ellises, themselves. Top Is the front of the Ellis home, which at the back has two levels. Below is a view of the Interior looking lulo the dining and kitchen area from the living room and onto the balcony, which Is separated (mm the dining area by sliding glass doors. Mrs. Ellis, holding Boots, their cat, Is seated In front of the brick wail separating the living room from the kitchen and into which the living room fireplace has been built. The Ellises built the wall and the fireplace. HOME OF THE WEEK Building 'Do -It - Yourself9 ResidenceProves Successful Gordon Ellis House on Hillside By MARGARET MAGEE Capital Journal Writer Building a home as a "do it your self" project is not advisable for all persons planning on having a new home, but (or the Gordon El lises nt 2811(1 Pioneer Dr., it was a most Micccssdil oroject. Alter drawing their own plnns and having blue prints made, the Ellises got the actual construction underway in February, 1955, with the digging of the basement. From then on the house claimed their i high balcony with sliding glass lime on week-ends and days off and doors the outer edge o( the bal during port o( Ellis' vacation last cony, which overlooks the city and summer. They moved into the new mountains to the cast, has a cor homc in September o( this year, rugatcd plastic roof and there is hut are still working on the finish- ing of parts of the house, Building of the framework, the brickwork, including fireplace and an interior wall, slinking the house, cabinets nnd built-ins and '-i"" Located on Hill Located on a hillside, the house. like so many modern homes, has two CVels with the lower level below ground on the front and at ground level in back. That part of the house not having brickwork is covered with shakes. Brickwork I used above Ihe cabinets here, as it extends across Ihe front from lheilv!s "sod above the brick wall in double caraee below the hieh win-'the dows of the bedrooms and the i hath to the front entrance and thenl is from the roof to the ground. !lvPe electric clock, which has its The front door of the house has j hands and bright chrome dots de an interesting treatment o( three the numerals placed right panels ot panes of Mela glass lit: on the natural birch finish, is a Belgian glass). Panes o( the' Green vinyl tile has been used on same glass have been used on the floor and Formica is used in cither side of the door for addi- the kitchen as covering for the tional natural light in the hallway, counters and drninboards. The 1 The living room has windows on counter beneath the open shclfwork three sides nnd on nice davs one at the end of the hrick wall has can see to the east and the north, been built for use as a breakfast A hrick wall inin whii h ihe llvins room fireplace has been built, sop-! Urates the living room from the crockery Jar, keeping II tightly elosed for several weeks, stirring occasionally. Pat in open bowls lo add scent to rooms. Wallpaper Sale V( Give i-K Green Stamps HUTCHEON PAINT STORE 1M N. Com'l. Phone S SfiJT Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Ellis at 2890 kitchen and the dining area. Interesting feature o( the Roman brick wall and the fireplace with its raised hearth arc the little what-not shelves built o( brick right into the wall. The Ellises had help in laying their all - over broadloom Wilton carpet in the hallway and living room, but the drapes were one o( Mrs. Ellis' projects. These hang at the side ot the windows and covering the rest o( the window in the living room arc dacron panel curtains. Walls o( the living room are in a light green. Wooden pieces of furniture are in hlonilc with most having been made by Ellis. Opens on Balcony The dining area opens onto a an iron rail along the porch and down to the steps going down the side to the lower level and patio. Separated from the kitchen by a bar into which the units of Ihe electric stove have been built, the dining room in coloringwalls arc painted a bright coral is part of the kitchen, but because of the large opening between it and the living room appears also to be part of the living room Natural birch has been used in; the kitchen cupboards and cabinets , .and all doors have touch latches i I on them. Indirect lighting has been , living room. Above one of the cabinets is an other project ot Ellis, a modern counter, and the built-in oven in stead of being near the stove is 'pn another wall near Ihe entrance into the hallway. The Ellis home has three bed- N0RGE TIME-UNE CONTROL 19S6 Floor Model AUTOMATIC DRYERS $0050 FROM 77 WHILE THF.Y LAST Easy Budget Terms Al I AIIC oRefrigeration ML IMUC 23.sn Slate . Phone 2 41!5 Pioneer Dr., do tt yourself" rooms, one still incomplete and to be used also as a den. This is done in yellow and will, when com pleted, have two walls of mahogany and a built-in bookcase. The sec ond guest room, which this winter is occupied by Mrs. Ellis' parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Messcr, vis iting here from Minnesota, is in yellow. The master bedroom, like the dining room opens onto the back balcony. A glass door with win dows on either side is used here. This room has been done in pink. The half bath connected to the master bedroom has pink fixtures and green plastic tile, laid by the Ellises, has been used in there, while the full bath with light green fixtures has wine tile. Your Garden Notebook DO YOU KNOW? The Lager-beer-plant Is, botanic ally, Aspidistra alatior? Begonia rex is sometimes called Beefsteak geranium? The Paulownia or Empress tree may be propogated by leaf cuttings as well as stem cuttings or from seeds? The Pawpaw tree of the central states is, botanically, Asimina triloba? Ncpcla lledernceae or Ground ivy is a close relative of enlnin wM'pcia caiarini Sagebrush is Ihe slate flnwnr nf Nevada? COMING EVENTS Nov. 12. 13. 14 Oregon Weed Control Conference. Bend. Dec. 5. S-Oregon Slate Horti cultural Society, Corvallis. GAS FURNACES Natural Gas Is Here CALL TODAY 3-8555 Eve. 4-8790 or 4-8821 Free Survey & Estimate Guaranteed Installations 36 Mo's lo Pay Salem Keating & fod Melal Co. 1085 Broadway Home Repairs Dos . . . Dont's AP Newsfeatures DO . , . caulk the seams around outside window frames to prevent the entry of moisture and rain that can cause expensive trouble on the inside of a house. DO . . . use regular caulking compound, which never gets com pletely hard and thus expands and contracts with the material next to it. DO . . . apply the compound with a putty knife or caulking tube (much better) or caiiking gun (best of all). DO ... in the case of large gaps between the window frame and the house, parck oakum into the opening, then apply the caulk ing compound. DO . . . get best results by doing the caulking on a warm, dry day. DON'T . . . apply the new caulk ing compound until all loose or battered old compound has been removed. DON'T . . . forget that, while most caulking material usually is white, it is available in many stores in various colors. DON'T . . . forget, too, that black caulking compound is extra resistant to the sun, but should not be painted over unless the directions say that it can be done; most black compounds contain asphallum, which often bleeds through paint. DON't . . . paint any caulking compound until it has dried for at least a day, an interval neces sary to permit it to get a thin outer coat over the flexible inside. Writing Board Answer Given If your child needs some sort of a writing board in his room for homework and to give vent to his artistic bent, a door paneled in glossy write Marlite prcdecor ated hardboard may be the answer. This docs away with chalk dust from the ordinary blackboard, for Junior can use a grease pencil or wax crayons and the marks are easily removed by using a damp cloth. The plaslic coated paneling can be fastened lo either a flush door or an old fashioned door with panels by using a special wall board adhesive. However if it is lo be used on the panel-type door, the depressions in the door should first be filled with insulation board to muffle the sound. The door can be given a finished appearance by applying matching edge molding. MORE HOMES FOR U.S. Half of the 2U4 million new homes built by the 13 principal na tions of the western world in the past 10 years were built in the United States, according to figures of the Bank (or International Set tlements. The American population is less than V) per cent of the 13 nation total. VSE MORE 'JUICE' Wider use of electrical appli ances in the home has boosted the use of electricty more then 400 per cent in the last ten years. M wort folk yw6!4"tptKhMKr tight wf At . ngnr wi . . when you see the new Z6cuxetdU Constant Comfrt On Htatar for Natural Cai GvoreAhm count ff)r foftitoip; confer M JA MnftfrftefiflS..,oAlS 94.95 M 00 Tridt -m for Your Old Oil Drum (limit J Drum Cmtomor) D. E. COOPER & Son 540 Bood St. phnne 3-3SA3 ...