David Porras--One Potter’s Story

Thirty years of commitment to the craft of making ceramic ware has been fueled by a fascination with form and function that never gets old. As a functional potter, I have challenged myself to attain a level of quality in my work so that those who acquire the pieces are continually pleased with the form, function, and uniqueness of the glazes I have used.

My style of using brightly colored glaze over high fired porcelain clay has been influenced by the initial challenges of my first teachers, Robert Karlinsey at Loyola University and Neil Moss at El Camino College. My skills at the potter’s wheel were improved when I spent two years as a production potter. The style was further developed as a studio artist expanding my work into functional kitchenware. My next influence is from Tom Coleman and his use of form and glazes on porcelain.

I currently work out of my home studio in Yucaipa, California, using a high fire gas kiln. I display my work at VisionQuest’s Gallery and attend four or five art shows each year.

One of the most graceful plants that can enhance your outdoor garden is also one of the easiest houseplants to grow: the calla lily, which isn't really a lily, nor is it a calla, although it is related to the latter genus. In reality, the calla lily is the common name for the zantedeschia genus; just as our family trees can be at times daunting in their complexities, so too with our favorite flowers. The genus calla was originally named by the famous Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus, but when the German botanist Karl Koch realized that it had become apparent that the genus needed to be split up, he honored his fellow Italian botanist Giovanni Zantedeschi by naming the new genus after him. The Europeans quickly recognized the value of this new flower, and it became a popular favorite for both weddings (as it signifies magnificence and beauty) and funerals.

What a unique and lovely houseplant the calla lily is! It loves 70 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the temperature at which most households are kept. Add a sunny location, evenly moist soil, and a water soluble fertilizer applied according to package directions during periods of new growth, and you'll have a very happy member of your family! If you are starting from bulbs, plant them 2 to 3 inches deep, and space them 12 inches apart. You might want to employ several containers if you are enjoying them as houseplants.

As the blooms begin to wither, remove them, and gradually reduce watering until the foliage dies. Rest the tubers for 2 to 3 months without moisture, then repot and lightly water until the new plant is several inches above the soil line. If you prefer them indoors, no matter where you live, you will be able to enjoy near year-long blooms. Or, you can also enjoy them indoors, then move them outside during warm weather for garden enhancement.

We know that we can enjoy this fascinating flower indoors. Now we're going to talk about how to enjoy the calla outdoors. Perennial bulbs, or rhizomes, calla lilies can grow to a height of from 1.5 to 4 feet with long, rich green leaves. While white is normally associated with this flower, they actually come in a wide variety of colors, from white to pink, purple, yellow, orange, and even black! They are tolerant of most pests and diseases, and are suitable for cut flower gardens, or planting en masse in beds, low borders, patio pots or planters. As with most plants, they will appreciate a cover of mulch, which holds in the moisture and keeps weeds at bay.

While their normal blooming time is listed as late spring, this northern gardener finds that they thrive throughout the summer outdoors, until close to the first deep frost. If you live in USDA zones 8 through 10, they are perennials outdoors and will not require indoor storage. In colder climes, after the foliage has withered away, dig up the long-fingered tubers, storing them in a breathable bag in perlite, peat moss, or vermiculite. When frost danger has passed, you may then transplant them outside, fertilizing with a 5-10-10 or 5-10-5 mixture.

One caveat: as calla lilies contain a poisonous ingredient called oxalic acid, keep children and pets away from your plants. With this simple precaution, you'll have a perennial that you may enjoy indoors and then place outdoors after the ground has warmed.

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Pluck a sprig of mint and crush it between your fingers and you'll release a cool distinctive fragrance not matched by any other plant. But mint doesn't just smell good--it packs a mighty punch of flavor, too.

Mint can be very invasive, so it does need caution. Given good conditions, it will happily take over your garden. But who said you have to plant it in the ground? If you want something to take over your yard (perhaps a grass alternative), one of the creeping mints can be a good choice for a groundcover. But if you want to keep mint contained, the best way is to grow it in a container. It spreads rapidly by shallow rhizomes, so if the roots can get out of an area, it will pop up elsewhere. We recommend planting mint in containers and putting them on tables where the wonderful fragrance can be closer to your nose and you can easily pluck a sprig or three, without bending. They go nicely on a sunny kitchen windowsill during winter, too.

Since mint is a shallow-rooted plant, you can plant it in low, 12-18 inch wide bowls. When the plant gets too crowded, simply cut it in half and re-pot with fresh potting soil. Keep your plants moist and feed occasionally--that's it.

Mint leaves can be harvested regularly and enjoyed. Just pinch as needed. It is best when picked early in the morning. To dry mint, cut the stalks just above the first set of leaves, as soon as the flower buds appear. Hang upside down in a dark, well ventilated room for two weeks or more.

Don't limit yourself to one kind of mint. There are dozens of varieties available and each one has its own unique flavor. Mint can be used to flavor drinks and salads, it can be made into a jelly and vinegars to flavor meats, and some, like chocolate mint, will make you think you've just eaten dessert.

So go ahead and give your energy a boost, refresh your spirit and revitalize your senses. Plant some mint today!

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Can you grow grass in shade?

Answer:

That depends on how much shade you actually have. Fescue types of grass will tolerate shade better than most grasses. You can also use a shady blend grass seed, but even shade-tolerant grasses need a certain amount of sunshine to grow. Ultimately, the way you manage your shady lawn is more important than which seed type you select.

Five practices that will help your shade tolerant grass survive in the shade:

• First, mow your grass higher. Grass in the shade should be cut approximately 1/2 to 1 inch higher than the grass growing in full sunlight. This will allow more leaf area to intercept the limited amount of sunlight.
  
• Second, fertilize less often, at half the normal amount so the grass won't try to grow what it can't support.
  
• Third, water more (and deeply) in the hot summer months, so the grass is not stressed by heat.
  
• Fourth, selectively prune and thin limbs of heavy shade producing trees to allow more light to reach your lawn. Remove all limbs below ten feet. Rake and remove leaves or needles before they accumulate.
  
• Finally, try to minimize traffic and activities in the shaded grass areas during the summer months. This will reduce the wear stress on the turf. If the grass is in a path where traffic cannot be avoided, place stepping-stones or pine bark to create a trail.

If you combine these suggestions, you should notice a much healthier lawn. If none of this works, consider replacing your shaded area with shade-loving flowers, groundcover, or mulch.

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Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 am on Sunday, March 14, 2010 so be sure to set your clocks forward one hour! Your clocks should be set from 2:00 a.m. local standard time, to 3:00 a.m. local daylight time.

Incidentally, not all places in the United States observe Daylight Saving Time; Hawaii and most of Arizona do not use it, and Indiana waited until 2006 to adopt the usage.

The original concept is attributed to Benjamin Franklin in 1784. In a whimsical letter to a French journal, he said that Parisians could save thousands of francs a year by waking up earlier during the summer because it would prevent them from having to buy so many candles to light the evening hours.

We remember to change our clocks by the phrase "Spring forward, fall back." As spring begins on March 20, 2010, a mere 12 days after the onset of Daylight Saving Time, why not embrace this season of renewal, and replace the batteries in all of your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. This simple act will reassure the safety of your family; properly working detectors save thousands of lives each year.