Gardening To Make Small Spaces Beautiful

Expert Shows How To Transform Look, Feel Of Decks Patios To Match Your Personality

(CBS)  Your deck, patio and garden are extensions of your home and should reflect your personality, no matter how small they are, according to gardening and design expert Tara Heibel.

On The Early Show Friday, she showed how to make a big impact on small spaces (video), taking similar small spaces and making one playful in look and feel, and giving the other a sense of tranquility.

Heibel owns "Sprout Home" in Chicago, a store that's full of modern accessories and tools for the home and garden. She's opening a branch in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, this summer.

Heibel was also just named a House & Garden magazine (www.houseandgarden.com) "Tastemaker" of 2007. Each year, the magazine's editors select a group of talented designers they believe are "defining the cultural landscape with care and original thinking."

On The Early Show, she went through the elements that add to the playful and serene environments, offered tips for working in small spaces, and pointed to many products that could help.

And, while both of the spaces Tara transformed were small, mimicking an urban deck or suburban condo patio, the idea of bringing personality to a space — choosing a theme and sticking with it in all of your design and planting decisions — can carry over to a space of any size.

The following are available at Sprout Home, at the store or its Web site
745 North Damen Ave
Chicago IL 60622-5518
[phone]
www.sprouthome.com

Ibride Flora & Fauna Plaques
Made in France. Preconsumer highly compressed wood. A process that has been used since the turn of the century, typically used in espresso trays. Heat laminated flora and fauna scenes that grace these plaques catch anyone's eye. Heat resistant. Not dishwasher recommended. Use dish soap for cleaning. 15 3/4"h x 10 1/4"w x 5/8"d. Available in 4 prints — Squirrel, Deer, Owl, and Hoppoe. $61.95.

Nouvelles Coordonnees Daisy 02 Noir Graphic
Les Louisettes are made with quality vinyl using a semi-permanent adhesive making them easy to remove. The vinyl is washable. Each package contains 1 set of motifs and French/English instructions. The surface to be decorated must be clean and smooth. Each package contains one 10" graphic, and two 5 1/4" graphics. $32. Fred & Friends Green Bird House: Perfect home for a feathered friend. 10"h x 6"w. Removable rooftop for easy cleaning. $26.95.

Achla Medium Aluminum Hanging Basket
Includes aluminum hangers. Hand-woven, no-rust aluminum. 13" dia x 12" h. $33.

Self-Watering Flowerpot
The Eva Solo flowerpot has been made to extend and improve the life of your house plants and indoor herbs. Just glance at the water level in the vase, and you will know immediately if the plant is thirsty. The vase reservoir can hold enough water for the plant to only need watering once a week, and possibly less frequently, depending on the circumstances. Available in white, terra cotta, and gray. Also available in two sizes: 4.5" and 5". $34.50 & $39.75

ASA XL Gloss White Planter
Ceramic square container with a glossy finish. 11" sq. $79. Large Gloss White Planter: Ceramic square container with a glossy finish. 9" sq. $53.40

Roost
Porcelain Dahlia Taper Holder: Pearly white porcelain candle holder. 2.5"h x 7"dia. $26.25

Blik
Fly Decals: 2 x 22" birds, 2 x 16" birds, 2 x 12" birds. 6 decals/pkg. Available in Grays, Greens, or White. $45.

Roost
Kikar Wood Vases: The sustainable Indian desert hardwood, kikar, is utilized for these turned wood vases. Horizontally laminated planks are used to create the exterior patchwork effect, while removable glass inserts provide the vases. -Small: 6 1/2"dia x 7"h. $46.25 -Medium: 8"dia x 10 1/2"h. $59. -Tall: 7 1/2"dia x 14"h. $79.

Chilewich Spun Vinyl Placemat
A new introduction of spun-vinyl placemats. 14" x 19" each and available in Grass, Slate and Java. Your guests will be quite intrigued and hardly no clean up. Washes with soap and water. $15.75.

The following planters are not available on the Sprout Home Web site, but can be found in the store and from other vendors

Lechuza Cubico Self-Watering Planters
Planter plus irrigation set and liner. -Cubico 30/56: 22"H x 11.5"Sq. Available in white, charcoal, & espresso. $110. -Cubico 40/75: 30"H x 15.5"Sq. Available in white, charcoal, & espresso. $198. -Cubico 50/95: 37"H x 19.5"Sq. Available in charcoal & espresso. $370.

Napa Black Terrazzolite Series

Napa Terrazzolite Square Planter -XL: 20.5x20.5x20.5 $169.75 -Large: 15.5x15.5x15.5 $99.75 -Med: 12x12x12 $55.75 -Small: 8x8x8 $33.

Napa Terrazzolite Bowls -Med: 7x16 $45. -Large: 8x20 $66.

Square Black Terrazzo Table: Frost resistant. Hard to chip. -30" x 32" x 32" Table Top & Base: $380. -18"h x 14" sq Terrazzo Stools: $115.

Fleetwood Tree stools, suggested retail price per stool $295. Not available at Sprout Home

FLOR: Green Acres outdoor flooring, retail price is $9.99 per tile Web site: www.flor.com

Chilewich: Plynyl floor mats in Bamboo Weave Camel 4 x 6, suggested retail price $300. Web site www.chilewich.com

Planter Resource: 44 x 14 x 14 Grey F47813 fiberglass planter $175. [phone] Web site: www.planterresource.com

Flowers from
Holiday Flowers &7 Plant, Inc. [phone]
Paradise Plant, Inc. [phone] 28th Street
Wholesale Flowers, Inc. [phone]
Chelsea Garden Center [phone]

[mennowoman]

Um, you describe all this stuff to buy, but no pictures and no discussion about the headline topic--how to make a small garden beautiful.

You aren't suggesting that small spaces are beautiful when they are junked up with a lot of bric-a-brac, are you?