New roses and more head to nurseries
Monrovia, a California-based plant supplier since 1926, announced its 2021 introductions this month. These are plants that will be in local nurseries this spring.
Among them are new begonia, hibiscus, false cypress and mophead hydrangea series, as well as a new groundcover rose collection.
Seaside serenade Newport hydrangea reblooms from early summer until autumn with flowers that range from deep plum in acidic soil to a vibrant pink in alkaline soil, and grows to 4 feet tall by 4 feet wide.
According to the company’s press release, they’re compact with thicker and waxier flowers that can last up to three months on the plant and “strong stems that do not flop in windy or rainy weather.”
The new nitty gritty groundcover rose collection includes five own-root roses that come in a sweet fragrance and five colors — red, yellow, peach, pink and white.
These plants are practically carefree, offer exceptional disease-resistance and grow to 3 feet tall by 4 feet wide, Monrovia says.
They can be planted in masses or in borders or containers, and their double flowers will appear in waves from late spring to autumn.
“The pictures don’t do the color of these nitty gritty roses justice,” says Kathleen Hennessy, Monrovia’s spokesperson. “They’re just gorgeous, with color-saturated double blooms.”
Furniture poverty
Interior designers rely on their eye and their training to create pleasing spaces and clever solutions, so when Carolyn Rebuffel Flannery, interior designer and principal of Workroom C (workroomc.com), saw both waste in the interior design industry and a need for furniture in the foster family community, she thought she could do better.
“As a practicing interior designer for the last decade, I see people reject items when the brass finish isn’t quite right or because of some small imperfection, and often the manufactur
ers will tell us to keep the product,” says Flannery, a San Rafael resident and foster family volunteer.
Her new program, Make it Home Bay Area, was created to bridge the worlds of those who have no further use for certain furnishings and home goods with those transitioning from crisis or homelessness who do.
It’s the newest member of the Furniture Bank Network and a partner of the Good Future Design Alliance, benefitting Grateful Gatherings.
“There are so many people living on the edge of poverty or in poverty that do not have any additional funds for furnishings,” Flannery says. “Furniture poverty is a real crisis, and even thrift store pieces can be out of reach. To not have a table to eat at or a desk to work at or a bed to sleep in or a dresser in which to store clothes can be debilitating in its own way.”
Donors, anyone from individuals to interior designers and their clients to design showrooms, must complete an online form and submit photographs before donations are accepted.
Once accepted, donations can be dropped off at a loading dock at the San Francisco Design Center and soon at the Northgate Mall in San Rafael, and donors can receive a tax credit.
Donors can also fund a specific need posted under the donate money tab on MIH’s website.
Donated items are then distributed, free of charge, to people who are referred by social workers and case managers working for social service agencies that are partnered with Grateful Gatherings.
“We can’t accept everything due to the size limitations of these small homes,” Flannery says. “We want furnishings that give pride of place to our clients. The items should be in good condition, gently used, without stains or broken parts.”
Additionally, donors should be aware of these parameters:
• Quality, gently used, good and new items accepted.
• Items must be safe, clean and functional
• Items must be in ready-to-use condition, with all parts assembled
• Items must be free of rust, food residue and not chipped
• Upholstered items must be free of stains, tears and pet hair or odors
• Items must be from a non-smoking and pet-free household
• Kitchen items must be clean and functional
“Furniture poverty is something that we are not fully aware of and our surroundings can elevate us or depress us, and having a nice home can enable you to expend energy on better things,” she says. “We are committed to using as many used items as possible, keeping as much out of the landfill as we can and giving these perfectly usable items a second home, where they can do some good.”
A complete list of what’s accepted is on its website.
To donate, call 415-5783205 or go to makeithomebayarea.org.
Show off
Since so many of the popular home and garden tours are off the calendar this year, consider this your invitation to share with fellow readers the images and description of your Marin garden or newly designed home.
Please send an email describing either one, what you love most about it and a photograph or two. I will post the best ones in upcoming columns. Your name will be published and you must be over 18 years old and a Marin resident.