Summer comes a bit later to the Pacific Northwest than the rest of the country — particularly this year. As such, my neighborhood’s annual garden tour was held just a few weeks ago (and it was kind of cold and very rainy even then). As much as I loved peeking into other people’s yards — especially those I would never get to see otherwise, like a house right on the water — it struck me that there are universal truths to every garden, no matter how big or small. And even though this season is winding down, these lessons can still be applied not only to gardens, but, I’m finding more and more, life.

Go with what works.
In the Midwest, I could throw seeds pretty much anywhere, and the hot sun and frequent thunderstorms would assure me a huge crop without much planning at all. That’s emphatically not the case in a clime where a day in the mid-60s is considered summery, and I’ve driven myself a little crazy trying to cultivate plants that need more loving care than I have time to give them. The gardeners on the tour were smart: lots of plants that thrive here with little effort, like lavender, Japanese maples, and rhododendrons. The big surprise? A good amount of common annuals like petunias and geraniums. Cheap to buy, simple to replace, and planted in profusion, quite gorgeous. So it really doesn’t require exotic hybrids to plant a beautiful garden.

Take your cue from your surroundings.
I was particularly delighted with a garden on the tour that had a storybook style that isn’t my instinct at all, including a small boxwood hedge sculpted into a fleur-de-lis. But the style worked perfectly with the Tudor home with its arched windows and stained glass. The beach home had very little “yard” at all, unless you count decking and sand. No matter; they filled the deck with potted plants in a variety of colors and textures, used espaliered trees to take advantage of a narrow corridor between houses, and chose a lot of grasses that stand up to sea spray.

Make room for sitting.
If you’re not careful, you might get to the end of a beautiful weekend and find that you spent the entire time cutting, mulching, weeding, watering — but not enjoying. If that’s the case, who exactly are you planting that garden for? Get a $20 plastic Adirondack chair, a $500 designer bench, or a salvaged rock, but set up a place to sit down (or even several places) and do it.

Try to see the potential in everything.
The beach garden mixed up spiky sculpture with spiky grasses growing like hair from a cement head. An eclectic garden (my favorite on the tour) used the springs from an old mattress as great-looking wall art and festooned fence beams with bottle caps left over from barbecues. What twee statues or broken furniture might you re-imagine into a clever addition to your own yard?

Don’t try to get it all done today. Or this year.
One garden that was heavy on trees and raised vegetable beds was very much still a work in progress, and yet they’d been working on it for ten years. Even if you hire someone to weed and mulch, it takes time for plants to reach maturity (just like people). Sometimes you have to give up on a plant that isn’t working (hmm…just like people). And even if you do it all yourself, gardens cost money. Unless you’re among the very wealthy, you likely won’t have a garden quite as glorious as you envision the very first year you work on it. And that’s okay.

You can encourage beauty anywhere.
A lot of houses in my neighborhood include a graceless set of cement steps that lead down to a basement door. I have been encouraging some jasmine to grow over a railing to help obscure ours, and was happy to see that other gardeners had the same idea. Even damp steps to the basement can look charming with a flowering vine or a few pots of flowers.

Keep your sense of humor.
Even the manicured Tudor garden had a yellow rubber ducky floating on a pristine bird bath. Listen to your instincts and have fun with your garden. I can guarantee you that you will sometimes step deep into mud (or worse if you have animals). You will walk into the occasional spiderweb. And you will accidentally turn on the hose when it’s aimed at your face. It’s always good to remind yourself to laugh.

Garden on. — Mary T.

I think it’s a universally-held truth that cooking in the summer is awful. Heating up the kitchen in an already-sweltering house, standing over a hot stove…even eating hot food is just more than I can take when the mercury starts to climb. But lately, I’ve been throwing together (’cobbling’, if you will) this salad for our summertime dinners, and it’s the perfect solution. I’m calling it a Summer Cobb, because it has the same hearty, meal-worthy feel of a Cobb, but it’s packed with bright, sweet summer flavors like fresh corn and peaches, and those heirloom tomatoes I can’t get enough of this time of year. Plus, it’s as good for you as it is good to eat (unlike a traditional Cobb). My husband actually said to me, “If it tasted this good to eat healthy, I’d do it more often.” How’s that for an endorsement?

Truly, this deliciousness is summer on a plate. And best of all? Virtually no cooking required.
click for the recipe, after the jump!

Ever since seeing it in an issue of Glamour, I’ve been intrigued by the notion of Engagement Chicken, the simple roast chicken recipe that’s credited with bringing forth the engagements of more than 60 women in addition to many Glamour staffers after they prepared the dish for the men they love. Though I haven’t dabbled in this exact breed of culinary witchcraft, it did get me thinking about the value of having a go-to, signature recipe. For me, right now that recipe is baked oatmeal. What about you, readers? Do you have a signature dish that a significant other or friend asks for by name? — Sarah C.

The back yard at my house has always been a bit of a problem. Well, a disaster, really. It’s cloaked in full shade, and I have two dogs, which means that when the rainy season hits, we’re dealing with a (probably) malaria-ridden swamp pit for most of the winter. It also means I spent much, much, much too much time with my Swiffer, cleaning up all those muddy paw prints.

Finally, I’d had enough – and this summer, we decided to pave over it. Except that paving over a yard is expensive, and tricky. So, we went cheap and opted to install landscaping gravel instead. I was actually really nervous about how this would turn out, but after spotting these photos in Sunset Magazine, I had to give it a try. I had visions of an awful urban jungle, devoid of color and personality, but the end result is so fantastic, I can’t believe we didn’t do it sooner. The whole project took one day, and was under $500 to complete (including labor!). The new yard is so incredibly liberating – no more mowing, seeding, digging around in piles of mud. And it’s much prettier than I imagined, even calming. The borders are edged with soil, so we can plant a few shade-friendly plants around the perimeter, and the rest is totally, 100% maintenance-free. I can hardly wait to throw an outdoor rug underneath my patio table (which can finally come out of storage), and have a little end-of-summer barbecue to celebrate! The only down side I can think of is that one of my dogs isn’t so crazy about walking on the gravel (you can see her scoping out the situation in that photo). But she’s coping, and my other dog loves being able to lay on the warm gravel in the sun…so I’m calling it a trade-off.

Have you ever considered eliminating the grass from your yard? –Becki S.

As I write this, the east coast is preparing for a lashing of epic proportions thanks to hurricane Irene. By the time this gets to you, I very well may be without power in my little corner of New York City, but I’m still intrigued. We’ve stocked up on candles and matches, flashlights and batteries, and I’ve even got my camping headlamp (laugh all you want, it comes in handy!) at the ready, so we’re (hopefully) in good shape to ride out the storm, but I’d love to know your game plan when it comes to power outages. Do you have any go to games or traditions you turn to when the lights go out? Any helpful logistical tips to share? Special meals you prepare in advance of big storms? Share in comments! — Sarah C.

Related:
Making a home emergency kit
Do you have a household emergency plan?

Someone bring us some of these right now, please: buttermilk milkshakes spiked with the French apertif Lillet, at 101 Cookbooks.

At Fresh Home Blog, find all the stylish school supplies you’ll need with this back to school Etsy roundup.

Take that old metal tray and transform it into a magnetic message tray! Brilliant — at CasaSugar .

Tour the posh digs of some powerful politicians at ShelterPop.

DIY knitted planter pockets! What a fun way to add some green to a wall — at Offbeat Home.

Over at Dirt and Martinis, you’ll find lots of salvaged inspiration for your own gardening exploits, like using recycled bottles to create planting beds.

Am I the only person who seems to have missed barbecue season entirely? I’m inclined to blame Portland’s extremely brief summer this year — we really only started seeing sun regularly a few weeks ago. Still, with Labor Day fast approaching, I feel like my charcoal grill is a ticking time bomb — if I don’t get out there now, I’ll have to wait an entire year for a batch of my husband’s legendary barbecue ribs.

To solve the problem, I’m thinking an “end-of-summer” barbecue party is in order – after all, if you invite other people, it’s that much harder to flake. Of course, inviting people means decorating…and I have my eye on a few last-minute additions to my yard that would make this one sweet reward. I spent some time daydreaming over at Horne yesterday, and came up with all the pieces I’d need to make this party extraordinary.

Who doesn’t want a fire pit in their yard? Especially now that I no longer have grass to compete with, I’m sorely tempted to install this pretty version, complete with a removable grill top, at Horne. It’s the perfect opportunity for S’mores, don’t you think?

I love the plush, rich feel an outdoor rug gives to any alfresco event. At $49, this Turkish-inspired version is cheap enough to spend time in my dog-friendly yard, but luxe enough to feel special.

I’ll need a tablecloth, of course, but rather than going for a traditional option, I love the idea of using a few vintage blankets, or even a Mexican serape (which you can snag for as little as $20, in all different sizes). It dresses up the table, adds color and style, and is just as easy to wash after the big event as your favorite tablecloth.

I’m not much for yard tchotchkies as a rule, but a modern set of wind chimes does a beautiful job of setting the scene when the weather’s right. This version from Pigeon Toe Ceramics has been on my wishlist for a year now.

And, speaking of the gorgeousness at Pigeon Toe, these ceramic replicas of classic Kerr mason jars would be amazing lined up on the table after dark, don’t you agree?

Do you have any end-of-summer barbecues planned? We’d love to know what’s on the menu! — Becki S.

I think my thing for wallpaper started early, my tiny fingers tracing the lines of my 1970’s, garishly-hued, ABC plastered wall while still in the crib. Our bathroom had the grooviest mirrored wallpaper printed with bamboo and pussywillows, too. Now as we try to decorate our own home, I can’t help but be drawn to wallpaper — especially with designs as gorgeous and unique as the ones produced by Brooklyn’s Grow House Grow. Their slogan is “a story for every storey” — and these hand-printed works of art each have their own tale to tell, with whimsy and beauty in spades.

Seen above, two selections from the most recent Naturalist Collection:Ms. Treat, with its pattern of carnivorous plants is in tribute to the 19th century American naturalist of the same name name, and Ms. Ward takes its muse from its namesake’s entomological drawings.

The ornate damask of Aleister Crowley evokes an opium-laced 1930’s seance, while Captain Smith, inspired by the first-and-only captain of the HMS Titanic, has me seasick with desire. For a cheerier print (perhaps in a kid’s room), Cottontail is a fun choice — the design originating from artist Katie Deedy’s childhood belief that rabbits were born in cotton fields.

Each print is available in 3 colorways (with custom colors available) and can be purchased by the roll, sheet, or even a small sample. I like so many, I may just get sheets and frame them. And stay tuned for the next collection, entitled “Timeline”, due to be released soon! — Megan B.

I’m a fan of collecting and using old silverware in unmatched patterns. The idea of it, anyway. Buying a curated place setting from Anthropologie, however, seems to defeat the purpose. For $36, you get a sight-unseen assortment of two forks, two spoons and a knife. Go to eBay, and you can find mixed lots of silverware for starting bids of $9.99 for 57 pieces. As an added bonus, what you see in the picture is what you get. Anyone have tips on finding antique flatware and creating a cohesive collection? — Sarah L.

During some internet browsing recently, I stumbled across some images from the listing before we bought our house. Being that we were crazy-excited to rip out that brown carpet and get to fixin’, we didn’t snap too many before photos — so I’m glad I found these images. I understand now why we almost didn’t even look at the house: that ugly carpet, the popcorn ceilings, the nondescript white walls and vertical blinds were masking the house’s mid-century bones. Once inside, though, the open floor plan, big windows and high ceilings made us see otherwise. And after peeking under the carpet and spotting original hardwood, we were stoked.

But once we ripped up the carpet, this is what we found. Wah Wah. Plaster and paint, big gaps, and tons of nails everywhere. We wanted hardwood, but maybe, for the sake of time, we’d have to just slap some black high-gloss deck paint on everything. We started by pulling out hundreds of nails and staples by hand on our hands and knees, and got ready to rent a huge floor sander. But I ended up calling a flooring guy on a recommendation from our own Mary T., and he came out and said he could fix the original floors — no problem — for less than we expected, and during a monstrous snowstorm that shut down the city for two weeks. Best money we could’ve spent.
click to see the after shots!