Your Home

Photo by Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier
The Winchester-Merriman House in Los Altos preserves a three-quarter acre lot and many of the Carpenter Gothic flourishes of the late 1800s. Now on the market, the 12-room house last sold in 2003.

The land is so beautiful under the enormous oak at the historical property on Edgewood Lane in Los Altos, it is not surprising there is evidence of a house here as early as 1840. The Ohlone lived here long before that. With the Coast Range as a backdrop and wildflowers blooming in the sunshine, it is an ideal location people long to call home.

The property was once a piece of the 4,440-acre Rancho San Antonio, granted to Juan Prado Mesa in 1839. Mesa, a soldier, died in 1845, badly in debt. His executor sold the land for

The Modern Architecture + Design Society returns to Silicon Valley for the 2018 Modern Home Tour 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 9, offering a curated selection of homes that embody the region’s unique modern architecture and design aesthetic.

The sixth annual event will give regional architects, designers and home builders the opportunity to showcase their work. In turn, the self-guided tour will enable local residents to engage the minds behind the designs and ask questions as they explore some of Silicon Valley’s modern homes up close, inside and out.

Courtesy of Melinda Myers LLC
White lilies are not only ideal for Easter, but they also can grace a garden. Colorful varieties of lilies will provide long-lasting blooms.

Easter is Sunday, so it’s time to display a vase of white lilies. However, lilies can last long beyond Easter if you plant them in your garden.

Lilies provide vertical interest and blend nicely with other perennials. Best of all, with very little care, you’ll be enjoying them for years to come.

Courtesy of Judy Johnson
While buyers aren’t looking for old furniture at estate sales, there is a market for a blonde wood mid-century dining room set, above.

Who wants their grandmother’s fine china? Nowadays, seemingly no one. Ditto the silverplated tea service and porcelain figurines. These are just a few examples of the new reality in the estate sale market.

Buyers, mostly younger adults with growing families, have different lifestyles and aren’t interested in old or used things.

Photos Courtesy of Tanya Kucak
It’s advisable to replace butterfly bush with ceanothus, above.

 

Sometimes a plant’s name is part of its appeal, but I can think of a few plants that need to be renamed.

“Butterfly bush,” for example, suggests that this might be a good choice if you want butterflies in your garden. In fact, it is one of the worst choices because it can be invasive and provides only nectar.

Kevin Raftery – owner of the Los Altos-based Kevin Raftery Horticultural Services – is scheduled to discuss “Planting for Privacy: Successful Plants to Use for Hedges, Screens, Espaliers and Vines” 9:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley St., Palo Alto.

The class will focus on the use of plants to create aesthetically pleasing private outdoor living spaces.