Your Home

Courtesy of Jen Yan
Lorilei Yan, Adelyn Segalla and Cora Yan, from left, raised money for The Nature Conservancy with their grandmother, Carolyn Segalla, by selling plants. The family sold approximately 100 small plants and donated $150.

Mountain View resident and grandmother Carolyn Segalla turned her love for her granddaughters and gardening into service by selling plants and clippings to raise money for The Nature Conservancy.

With the holidays here, it’s time to prepare your home for hosting friends and family.

Courtesy of Tanya Kucak
Bulbs can have a dramatic but ephemeral garden presence – whether one clusters them to fill a large area or gets a delightful surprise when forgotten bulbs suddenly re-emerge.

Growing up in New Jersey, I knew one diligent gardener: my Aunt Betty. Much of her acre or two had dappled shade from enormous beech and tulip trees, but in the spring, a carpet of flowers filled an area almost the size of a typical suburban California yard. Starting with a few bulbs, she had divided and spread them out until the entire area began to be “painted” with color as the snow melted.

Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier

A newly remodeled bathroom features two sinks, “floating” cabinets and a mosaic wall of tiles in the shower. The shower is wheelchair accessible because it’s curbless, and the clear glass makes the room feel bright and spacious.

When Caryn Wiseman steps into the master bath in the Mountain View home she shares with husband Ben, she said she feels like she’s in a “high-end hotel.”

This is thanks to the expertise of Los Altos interior designer Sherry Scott, Cassalto’s vice president of design, who’s responsible for the bathroom’s new look.

Courtesy of Cheng Design
The concrete and redwood home of Sudnya Shroff, an artist and fashion designer, and Nickhil Jakatdar, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, features roofs slanted so that rainwater will collect in cisterns.

Masterpiece: a work of outstanding artistry, skill or workmanship.

This definition perfectly describes the Los Altos Hills home built by Sudnya Shroff, an artist and fashion designer, and husband Nickhil Jakatdar, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur.

The Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden, a 2.5-acre property in Palo Alto featuring herb and rose gardens and a historical house, has scheduled two events for children.

• November Second Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 10. Activities will include a nature hunt for critters with Garden Director Richard Hayden and Garden Guides, a worm measuring contest, crafts and tours of the Gamble Garden House, built circa 1902. All ages are welcome, but the event is ideal for ages 3-10. Admission is free, but registration is required.