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BULBS YOU CAN BANK ONThese plant picksare breeds of their own, Z7

If you’re dealing with a home long overdue for amakeover, remember this: The items you removemay be more important than the ones you bring in.

Yes, lately it seems the war against too much stuffand clutter is reaching new heights, thanks to themeteoric rise of Marie Kondo, a tidying guru andauthor of the New York Times bestseller, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art ofDecluttering and Organizing.

Kondo’s lessons include a how-to guide for creatingthe perfect sock drawer and dismissing, with grat-itude, any item that no longer sparks joy.

But while creating serene, functional spaces mayseem like a refined art of late, it’s certainly nothingnew.

Since 2005, Clare Kumar has been making personalspaces feel lighter and more manageable through herToronto-based professional organizing company,Streamlife. To achieve this, usually something’s gottagive.

In other words, the process likely involves haulingsome stuff out.

The first step, however, is deciding how a particularspace will be used.

“Is it music, television, is it game playing, is it read-ing?” asks Kumar.

“What are the three to five activities you hope toaccomplish in that space? Then, identify how youwant that space to feel and how many visual thingsyou have around you.”

Once those priorities are set, she says you can beginto “liberate” items that no longer have purpose.

“It’s much easier to let go if you’ve got your prioritiesclear in your mind,” she explains.

“Instead of the angst of letting go, I like to look at it assetting something free so maybe someone else canenjoy it. And maybe that also liberates your space toembrace those things you’ve chosen as priorities forthe life you’re living now, not the life you used to live.Is it really doing what it needs to do for you?”

> GET ORGANIZED

Something’s gotta give Getting rid of what no longer serves a purposein your life is a liberatingexperience, experts say

TANYA ENBERG SPECIAL TO THE STAR

DECLUTTERING continued on Z4 Use labelled bins to separate what you will donate, pass along to friends and keep, says professional organizer Clare Kumar.JONATHAN NICHOLLS FOR THE TORONTO STAR

Just as they ruled the runway last year, pale, blushtones are dominating home decor this spring. That’sbecause they’re both pretty and practical, says SharonGrech, colour and design spokeswoman for BenjaminMoore, which chose white as its colour of the year.

“It seemed like the right time,” says Grech. “We’vebeen lightening up over the past few years, with moreand more pastels. You can’t get more light thanwhite!”

The move toward lighter colours andwhites is partly a response to over-pro-grammed lives, she suggests.

“There is no shortage of talk about sim-plifying our lives and de-cluttering men-tally as well as physically,” says Grech.“There’s nothing like white to give theidea of a blank slate, of starting over.”

Not all whites are created equal, nor arethey interchangeable, says Grech. Theright white will depend on the directionthe room faces and what textiles, furni-ture and flooring it will have.

> HUES AND ACCENTSChair frames arepainted in AnneSloan’s ChalkPaint in Graphite.Seats can bemade usingdiluted paint inAubusson Blue,Chateau Grey,Primer Red andEnglish Yellow oncotton or linen.

CHRISTOPHER DRAKE

Choose between whites orbrights to liven up your homePainting a room or a tired piece of furniture is a quick, easy, affordable way to freshen up decor

VICKY SANDERSON SPECIAL TO THE STAR

PAINTS continued on Z4

Not everyone has a traditional yard withample space for perennial gardens and avegetable patch. Despite this, clevergreen thumbs are maximizing the spacethey do have to grow a variety of ediblecrops.

From small urban postage-stamp-sizedlots to balconies or rooftops, raised bedsprovide the perfect growing space forboth edibles and ornamentals. And youdon’t need carpentry skills to build oneyourself. There are plenty of options toeither buy or upcycle from items you mayalready have. Just a few square feet canproduce fresh produce you can enjoythroughout the growing season.

Here are a few tips that will give you ahead start on your garden:

Consider your space’s growing conditionsMost vegetables, especially the heat seek-ers — tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc.— require at least six to eight hours of

sunlight a day to bear flowers and thenfruit. Take a few days to assess where thesun moves in your space throughout theday to make sure you get enough light. Ifyour space is windy, consider using ashield to protect your plants.

One great thing about raised beds is theycan be placed anywhere, making themideal for a small, urban yard, where thesoil may be poor quality. Patio stones anddecks are also great space candidates. Ifall the sunlight happens to shine on yourdriveway, for example, consider a long,narrow raised bed that runs alongside, orsome other type of raised bed structurethat will still fit when the car is parked.

> GREEN BED

One great thing about raised beds isthey can be placed anywhere.

Have a smalloutdoor space?Consider a raised bedUrban gardeners are looking forways to maximize opportunity to grow edibles in compact areas

TARA NOLAN SPECIAL TO THE STAR

GREEN continued on Z6

ON ON1 THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016 TORONTO STAR⎮Z1

Z6⎮TORONTO STAR THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016 ON ON1

RESTYLE YOUR HOME

Grow up, up, up Vertical gardening isn’t a new buzz-word, but it’s one that continues togain traction as green thumbs getcreative with their growing struc-tures.

To grow vining veggies, install asmall trellis system to train plants togrow upwards towards the sky. Thisalso leaves more space in the actualgarden to grow other things.

You can also buy or build tieredstructures with “drawers” you canfill with soil and plant greens, such aslettuce or herbs, which thrive in ashallower space.

Upcycle a raised bed Antique markets, your parents’backyard, these are both placeswhere you may find items you canupcycle into a garden. Old woodenwashtubs, wine barrels, wooden suit-cases, you name it. Stock tanks areanother modern-looking option thatyou can buy new or used. And an oldtable can easily be transformed into amini salad garden.

Consider fabric pots Fabric pots come in all shapes andsizes and because they’re light-weight, they are perfect for balconiesand rooftops. (If you are gardeningon a balcony or roof, be sure to lookinto weight restrictions before intro-ducing a raised bed to the space.)

Many fabric raised beds are deepenough to plant root vegetables.

The best part is you can emptythem out and fold them up (be surethey’re dry first) for the wintermonths, pulling them out again nextspring. This also makes it easier tobring your “raised bed” with youwhen you move. Les Urbainculteursand Woolly Pocket have online shopsthat sell fabric raised beds.

Kit and caboodleKits may seem pricey, but consider

them a long-term investment. Localcompanies such as Freedom Grow-ing offer raised bed kits perfect for asmall area that gets a lot of sun, likethe corner of a patio or balcony.

And everything you need to putthem together will be delivered rightto your door. If you don’t have thetools, borrow them from a neighbouror a local tool-lending library.

Other companies, such as UrbanBufco, will deliver a raised bed kit,build it and bring along the soil re-

Raise the roof forraised beds: Plan agarden for any space GREEN from Z1

Fabric-raised beds are lightweight and can be placed in the sunny corner of a balcony, patio or even on a rooftop.JOSHUA WHITE FOR WOOLLY POCKET

Make a false bottomIf you are concerned about weight,or simply the price of filling acompact, but deep container, fillthe bottom with empty plasticpots or water bottles — or evenpacking peanuts — to take up a bitof space. Just be sure the waterhas a place to drain so it’s notsitting at the bottom all summerlong.

Accessorize with wheelsCasters are a very handy accesso-ry if you need to store your raisedbed in a different location over thewinter. You can simply roll it whereit needs to go.

Look for patio varietiesMany breeders are now offeringdwarf varieties of traditional vege-table garden favourites. From mini melons to tomatoes,these plants are not going to takeover your space and will do well insmaller containers.As with a large space, trial anderror will help you determine whatwill grow best in the small spacethat you have.

> A FEW TIPS TOCONSIDER ONCEYOU’VE RAISED YOUR BED

Raised bed kits, like this one from Freedom Growing, come with all thepieces you need to put a raised bed together.

DONNA GRIFFITH Vertical gardens allow homegardeners with limited space togrow upwards.

DONNA GRIFFITH

363 Supertest Rd. Toronto | 1212 Yonge St. Toronto | 1 800 232 2267

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