Ask the Experts

A. Garden designer Kristen Sena Petry answers:

I suggest growing tomatoes, lettuce and herbs in pots. Decorative pots are always attractive, but the obvious benefit of a pot is you can move it around.

Grow more than one type of tomato, perhaps a plum, a cherry and a larger beefsteak. The reason to grow a selection is that the smaller ones will bear fruit much earlier. Plant tomatoes around Oct. 15. I've had more luck with plants, not seedlings. Tomatoes need full sun. The smaller varieties of tomato should be bearing fruit by January and the larger varieties by March or April.

Group the herbs in pots according to how much water they require. Put flat-leaf parsley in a pot by itself; it's a good grower. Oregano and lavender can grow in a pot together; they like it dry. The oregano covers the bottom of the pot and the lavender will grow upright. Thyme and sage also work well together. Basil and dill can be put in one pot; they'll grow big but they need more water. Rosemary can be very ornamental; in a pot by itself it can be trained as topiary. For the most part, herbs like sun. I have mine planted where they have sun for part of the day and shade for part of the day.

Lettuce is fabulous, and several suppliers around town have leaf lettuce already grown. Plant a few types of lettuce. I usually use one large pot. They like shade and water.

It's amazingly easy and inexpensive to grow all of these plants. Mix any slow release fertilizer with your potting soil and plant everything in the fall. Do not plant in the summer; it is too hot.

It's wonderful to have herbs for cooking and salads. Add a few leaves of delicious, fresh lettuce with a commercially grown lettuce so it will last longer. Basil is great for pesto sauce. Rosemary is good for cooking with meat. I add parsley and oregano to meatballs and tomato sauce and basil and dill on tomato and mozzarella salad. Snips of thyme, sage or dill can be mixed into biscuit dough. The lavender can be dried and added to sachets for fragrance in your closets.

Kristen Sena Petry can be reached at1323 11th Street North, Naples, or at 434-7585.

Q. Our floor-to-ceiling windows present us with wonderful waterfront views. Is there a way to keep the constant sunlight from damaging upholstery, draperies and artwork?

A. Frank Russo, co-owner of Beverly Hills Window Treatments & Tinting, answers:

Thanks to walls of windows, Florida homeowners have a great interest in window tint, which has changed a great deal over the years and is now almost clear. Lighter, high performance film does not change the color of the sky to gray or brown the way previous films did. It does eliminate glare, actually enhancing colors.

The sun fades your upholstery and draperies with heat from its infrared spectrum, the harshness of its visible light spectrum and UV energy. The more of these elements you keep out of your home, the more you will retard the fading effect (and you'll also put less strain on your air conditioning unit). Depending on the product you select, a good window film can provide solar energy rejection of up to 75 percent and block almost all UV rays. Glass manufactured with window film does not come anywhere near these results. After-market window film provides much more protection from the sun.

Beverly Hills Window Treatments & Tinting, located at 15495 Tamiami Trail North, Suite 118, Naples, may be reached at 592-5536.

Q. Our new home has high ceilings, especially in the living areas and master bedroom. How do we choose furniture and incorporate design solutions to bring everything into proportion?

A. Carol Schaefer, interior designer with Focal Point Interiors, answers:

The homes being built today have high ceilings, from 12 feet all the way up to 22 feet. Your eye will tell you that you cannot put small scale, condo-sized pieces into an estate-sized space. The look of dollhouse furniture being swallowed by a large room is not what anyone wants. There are many manufacturers making the large-scale pieces, the taller sofas with higher backs and more substance to the upholstery, the long, wide coffee tables and ottomans. Bedroom furniture is larger, with taller beds and headboards, chests instead of night tables, large armoires.

It's not just the soaring ceilings. Master bedrooms are usually large enough for a generous reading area. We have custom furniture makers who create unique pieces, such as the right chaise lounge, to fit into unusual nooks and alcoves.

Even in a great space, you want to create intimate settings so your guests are comfortable. This calls for more than large furniture. Pay attention to the traffic areas and know how the home is being or will be used. Even though a room is large, you don't want to add too much furniture. There are better things that can be done to add interest and warmth.

Bring down a soaring ceiling with detail such as a coffered ceiling. Other architectural details, such as crown molding, add depth. Built-in custom cabinetry adds dimension as well as the beauty of fine craftsmanship. Draperies and a wonderful tapestry on the wall add texture as well as color. A beautiful Oriental carpet can draw the eye to a focal area. In a large room, the draperies, wall hangings, carpeting and upholstery provide a necessary acoustical benefit.

When you incorporate these techniques, and bring your furniture together so you're not shouting across the room, you create a setting that's warm and inviting.

Focal Point Interiors is located at 8004 Vintage Parkway, Fort Myers, and may be reached at 278-0019.

Q. I want to be prepared for hurricane season with a practical storm shutter. Any advice?

A. Michael T. Condon, owner of All Season Shutters, answers:

I recommend talking to your insurance company before going out to look. The insurance industry is taking a greater interest in how you protect windows. I have a client who placed a $10,000 order for storm panels. Because of that purchase, the client's major insurance carrier will reduce the deductible on his million-dollar house from 15 percent to 2 percent, so it was a logical choice.

Products are changing, improving and becoming more aesthetically appealing. Roll shutters are usually best because they can be raised and lowered with controls from inside the home. Some homeowners don't like them because of a box that sits above the window, which can detract from the look of certain architectural styles, especially arched windows. Fortunately there are now many ways to disguise the box.

Roll shutters work well and are easy to operate, but they are the most expensive option. But they spare homeowners the unpleasant task of lugging storm panels around the outside of the house in the high heat before a storm.

Talk to professionals before making a decision. Other popular products, such as accordion shutters that glide along a track and stack up in a vertical roll when not in use, require more maintenance and do not provide the best protection. Choose a company that offers more than one solution. Many decide to install Bahama- or Colonial-style hurricane shutters for the front of the house and another product for the windows that cannot be seen from the curb.

All Season Shutters is located on 9140 Cypress Drive North Fort Myers, and may be reached at (239) 430-WIND.

If you'd like advice from an expert, send your question to Mary Lou Smart,

Gulfshore Life magazine, 9051 N. Tamiami Trail, Suite 202, Naples, FL 34108.