For the spring of 1955, when the birds fly north, they will find interesting birdhouses designed by Architect George Nelson.
Built of plastic, Nelson's nests have ventilating holes at the top and drains at the bottom. Each is composed of two halves which can be separated for cleaning. The heart-shaped and pear-shaped houses and the Yo-Yo-shaped houses with elliptical holes are for wrens. The flat-topped houses are for swallows and the barrel-shaped houses for bluebirds. The houses cost $5. At lower righ is an enameled aluminum birdbath which costs $10.
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images and info provided by the LIFE Magazine / LIFE Magazine International / LIFE Magazine Atlantic ARCHIVE from the Zetu Harrys Collection
By 1951, Ferry-Morse Seed Co. of Detroit was the world's largest grower and distributor of home garden seeds. The zillions of seeds come from 40.000 acres of fields scattered over 18 states. Ferry-Morse carries 1.159 varietis of flowers and vegetables. They also invented the Red Cored Chantenay carrot, the straight-8 cucumber and the Cuthbertson sweet pea.
The largest farm in California was at the Flint Ranch, near San Juan Bautista. Here field of stock is dusted by plane and thinned out by hand. Workers are "pulling the doubles" - uprooting all plants with double flowers, about 70% of the field. The double plants are sterile, produce no seed. But the seed from single flowers produces mostly double flowers, which is what home gardens want.
Checkerboard of bloom covers fields at Ferry-Morse's largets seed farm, the Flint Ranch near San Juan Bautista is central California. Dar green fields at left are onions. In foreground, varicolored beds of sweet peas are separated by four narrow vertical strips of bachelor buttons. In row of beds behind these are different varieties of stock. In background, behind more beds of onions are additional fields of sweett peas. The 906-acre Flint Ranch with its 53 buildings on the headquarters for Ferry-Morse's West Coast farming operations. The 200 to 300 acres planted in flowers there may produce up to 50 tons of seed a year.
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photos and documentation: LIFE Magazine (US) | Zetu Harrys collection
Well to be honest this is more about a terrace than a porch, but the ideea is perfect for the summer. Unpretentious living room arrangement of furniture at one end gives feeling of two outside rooms. Rough texture of the multicolored fieldstone chimney is an interesting contrast with redwood walls.
Well protected corner is ideal spot to relax, even on rainy days. The door you see in the background leads to small breakfast room.
The porch was designed when the house was built, but ideas you see here can be used anywhere.
Despite that the geodesic dome was showcased for the first time at the 1954 Triennale in Milan, the mister R. Buckminster Fuller's invention found its way into the everyday life. An example is this home made geodesic shaped garden pavilion.
Under this prefab structure there was enough space for 3 lounge chairs, a small picnic table with 2 benches and a bbq.
Shelter doesn't even require a level area; the six concrete piers compensate for irregularities, Roof is waterproofed with aluminium-tape flashing. White primer is included in the package, the owner then selects the desired finish colors.
Shelter is made of 19 lightweight wood triangles. Each one is covered with plastic-faced plywood. Structure is erected from the rim toward the center, a section at a time. Two-by-fours shore it up until it becomes self supporting. Dome is 23 feet in diameter, 12 feet high; it covers 365 sqft.
