Holiday plants make for cheery Christmas gifts and beautiful additions to seasonal displays. Here, Chris Norwood from Tipton & Hurst helps us ensure these festive flora thrive
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Feels Like Fall
Designer Casey Roark sets the scene for all things autumn in a Fayetteville backyard
Twenty years ago Casey Roark started her Northwest Arkansas design business doing While You Were Out-style bedroom makeovers. That quickly led to full-scale renovations and new-construction builds via word of mouth. However, she still has a great appreciation for the small things—namely, live plants and seasonal décor. “Seasonal design allows me to get creative. It’s fun to step away from the day-to-day and use things that are fresh,” the designer says, noting her love of gardening at her own home….
In with the Zen
Designer Daniel Keeley brings cosmopolitan style to a south Arkansas outdoor space
Creating a refined place to unwind was the goal behind Dr. Jeffrey Reinhart’s backyard makeover. Having lived in his Monticello home for decades, he is no stranger to renovations. Most recently, he worked with Tom Chandler & Associates to refresh the home’s interiors, which prompted him to call on longtime friend and outdoor designer Daniel Keeley to create a similar aesthetic outside.
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3 Summer Plantings
As the owner of Botanica Gardens and Plantopia, Chris H. Olsen has no shortage of ideas for flowering plants that will thrive during an Arkansas summer. Here, he offers three ideas for wow-factor container gardens
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A Place For Play
AC Designs teams up with Spradlin Homes to create a family’s dream backyard
For years the children of these Little Rock homeowners had wished for a pool they could visit any time of day. “When the pandemic began, we thought, Who knows how long we are going to be here? Maybe this is the time,” one of the owners recalls. Throughout their 16 years in the house, they had spent time updating numerous other areas and were ready to transform their underdeveloped backyard into a destination….
Flower Power
Alchemy Atelier has the process of preserving florals down to a fine art
With a background spanning dance, photography, textiles, and floral design, Alecia Walls-Barton is the quintessential renaissance woman. Her recent passion is visual art made from dehydrated flowers, a creative outlet she explores under the name Alchemy Atelier. “Alchemy is a term that refers to early chemistry. I like that word because it has a scientific feel but also a magical, mystical quality,” she says, likening this work to her experience in the photography darkroom. “I’ve always been drawn to historical techniques, and I find myself happiest when working through that slow, methodical process.”…
Seasons of Change
Fall Containers: An expert shares quick updates to make summer containers last into autumn
While the start of school signals the changing season in many people’s minds, summer heat often lingers for several more months in the Natural State. Because of our slow fade to autumn, we turned to David Munsey, III, of Better Lawns & Gardens for advice on how to best transition current container plantings into fall. “For autumn, we lean toward colors like orange, maroon, burgundy, and some deeper greens,” David says. “If you have more tropical flowers in bright colors left over from summer pots, you can replace those with ornamental cabbages or pansies as they start to wilt.” Read on for David’s picks for transitional plantings along with tips for care and maintenance.…
From Garden to Grocer
Planting Roots: One couple’s urban farm offers seasonal flowers and access to fresh, local produce while supporting fellow farmers across the state
For many, 2020 will be remembered as a year that moved at a slower pace—but not for Kim Doughty-McCannon and Zack McCannon. About a month before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the Conway couple launched a fundraising campaign to open a locally owned and operated grocery on the same site as their garden, Bell Urban Farm. By mid-March, they were fully funded, and they spent the rest of the year getting the property rezoned and renovating a 1950s farmhouse, all while keeping up with the many goings-on of their farm. “Getting to this point was a long journey,” Kim says. “We had so much community support behind us, which helped a lot.”…
A Match Made Outdoors
Al Fresco Update: A team of central Arkansas professionals reimagine a couple’s backyard while adhering to the style of the existing home
When Dora Jane and Greg Flesher purchased this Little Rock home in 2019, they knew the backyard could become a dream space for both relaxation and entertaining. It just needed a bit of vision and work to get there. “It was kind of unlivable because it was one sheet of concrete, and it got so hot. We love to entertain but there was no shade,” Dora Jane explains. With seemingly endless options available in terms of both structures and landscaping, the couple turned to architect Ellen Yeary, builder Nathan Cooper, and landscape designer Sarah Burr to formulate a plan that would not only meet their needs but also complement the home’s existing exterior features….
Growing Over Time
Play & Stay: In Fayetteville, designer Casey Sarkin’s backyard escape offers spaces to enjoy inside, outside, and in-between
The backyard of Casey and Steffan Sarkin’s Fayetteville home has come a long way since they first laid eyes on it almost two decades ago. Then, the area behind the house—part of three acres the home sits on—was nothing more than overgrown brush and a chain-link fence. “When we moved in, we remodeled the interiors but didn’t really do much to the outside, just cleaned it all up,” Casey says. “There was no back porch, no pool, nothing.”…
