Most popular home and garden articles of 2010
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The following list ranks the most-viewed home and garden articles for 2010, excluding weekly columns such as ‘Hot Property,’ ‘Man of the House’ and ‘The Dry Garden.’
No. 1 ‘The Realist Idealist’ column wrap-up: ‘It started with gray water, then escalated to chickens, composting toilets and rain barrels. I’m talking about the two years I’ve spent transforming my humble California bungalow into a test case for sustainable living.’
No. 2 The marijuana gardeners: ‘Some gardeners ... say they get the same soothing pleasure from tinkering with grow lights, temperature controls, fertilizers and additives as others get from nurturing prized rose bushes or carefully pruning bonsai trees.’ Illustration credit: Ellen Weinstein / For The Times
No. 3 ‘Lost L.A.’ -- Utopia in Hollywood: ‘Proving that faith can move mountains, or at least truck loads of dirt, the Krotona colony was up by 1919. It was a veritable Vegas CityCenter-style oasis for the faithful.’
No. 4 When is it OK to let kids be quitters? ‘When I signed up my 8-year-old son to play flag football recently, I encountered a startling statistic: 70% of kids quit youth sports by the time they are 14.’
No. 5 Christine DeHaven’s must-haves for new moms: ‘By far my favorite blankets. I have two packs. I love these. They are big, light, wash well and don’t overheat him.’ [DeHaven’s list was a sidebar to a ‘Parentology’ column on consumer phenomena and the motivations behind parents’ purchasing decisions for their children.]
No. 6 Updating Frank Gehry’s Schnabel House: ‘When [Jon] Platt, Tony Award-winning producer of ‘Angels in America’ and ‘God of Carnage’ and a current producer of ‘Wicked’ on Broadway, moved into the 5,700-square-foot residence in 2006, it became something else: passion project.’
No. 7 ‘It’s All Relative’ -- when to take away dad’s keys: ‘The belligerent, foul-mouthed man stood less than a foot away from me, jabbing his finger into the air to make his point. ‘That old man shouldn’t be on the road,’ he said. ‘He turned right into me.’ ‘ Photo illustration credit: Reuben Munoz / Los Angeles Times
No. 8 Venice’s green cube, the house with exterior walls covered in plants: ‘Paul Bricault likes the way the horticultural house gets people talking. ‘Everyone who comes here looks at it with this quixotic expression. We get all sorts of questions, including, ‘Do we have roots coming through the inside walls?’ ‘ ‘
No. 9 The war on weeds: ‘Mow them down. Rake them out. Yank. Dig up each one with a fork. Poison them. Which to use? The answer lies in situation, size and ethics.’ Illustration source: Victoria & Albert Museum
No.10 Caverhill house, whimsy set on a hillside: ‘At a time when so many people are looking for an escape from reality, the home of Don and Debbie Caverhill certainly provides one.’
— Compiled by Michael Robinson
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