Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/119920
form + function » talking trends BOWLED OVER Colanders are a historically functional kitchen item, and rarely alotted premium tabletop space. But Trudeau's brightly coloured set of stacking colanders is changing the attitude toward the typically bland accessory. Made from bamboo and melamine, the sturdy set of three ranges in size to wash anything from family-sized salads to single servings of berries. Don't transfer your produce to a bowl after washing – place a plain-white plate under the colander to catch drips, then let these funky functionals enjoy the spotlight on your table. $29.99; Trudeau – K. H. SWEET CERAMICS EASY, BREEZY If ultra-casual and super-easy is your style, plant up some wicker baskets with handfuls of bulbs and flowers. Here, grape hyacinths (Muscari armeniacum) hold their purple heads above sweet, small-faced pansies (Viola). Sun-loving silver mound artemisia (A. schmidtiana 'Nana') picks up the tones of the bleached deck wood. The trick to successful container gardening is to keep plants rotating for seasonal impact. A few changes to this spring combo will ensure summer colour. After blooming, the grape hyacinth bulbs can be relocated to an out-of-view pot or garden corner to hibernate through summer. The pansies will slow down once summer's heat arrives. Replace them with a heat-loving annual, such as Terra Cotta Million Bells (Calibrachoa), which look terrific and bloom until frost. To make your new baskets last for several years, paint them with clear, flat-finish polyurethane. Line them with black plastic or landscape fabric cut to 2 cm below the edge so it doesn't show above the soil line. Make drainage holes in the bottom and fill with good potting soil and all-purpose organic fertilizer. – Carolyn Jones When nature comes back to life in the spring, capture your favourite flowers in a vessel as beautiful as your blooming garden. Canadian artist Cathy Terepocki's handmade ceramics embody the cheerfulness of the season with drawings that range from birds and bikes to sailboats and cute Canadiana. Along with her pretty, petite vases, Terepocki creates pots, bowls and mugs that boast equal amounts of whimsy. All of the ceramics are made using a potter's wheel with porcelain or stoneware, and are then hand painted for a one-of-akind touch. From $34; Walrus ■ – K. H. See SOURCES on page 60 14 | BC HOME & GARDEN April 2013 p12-15_TalkingTrends.indd 14 13-03-14 9:55 AM Sandy's.in