Julie Burleigh with the fertilizer-producing bunnies.

It’s a typical story: An empty lot where a house has burned down lies deserted for decades. It becomes a gang hangout, a place to walk dogs.

That was the situation on Raymond Avenue in West Adams, and for years artist Julie Burleigh  wondered about turning the lot across from her house into a community garden. In the summer of 2007 she approached Al Renner, executive director of the L.A. Community Garden Council, for advice on how to convert the space, then waist high in cheese weed.

 
The garden, once a vacant lot.

He put her on the path, detailing the setup steps and mentioned the four types of committee garden government he had seen over the years: rule by committee, by tribal consensus, or by benevolent or non-benevolent dictatorship.

“I was a benevolent dictator,” she says, laughing, noting that community gardens can be little microcosms of bad government. “Six months ago I stepped back so it’s more collective. Now it's all just life lessons.”

A couple of summers back I wrote about the Los Angeles residence of fashion designer Johnson Hartig, a home filled with recent Damien Hirst paintings and a curious collection of antique ceramic figurines, including packs of Staffordshire dogs in almost every room. It seemed quaint and eccentric, even for the creator of the trendy Libertine clothing line. 

Named for the county of Staffordshire, where potteries produced these ceramic mantel piece canines, the dogs are Cavalier King Charles spaniels named for the British monarch, Charles II (1630-1685) who was said to give these royal hounds the run of the castle. In the early 18th century, the figurines were made from china and hand-painted in a labor intensive process of repeated kiln firings. They reached the height of their popularity in the late 1800s and were mass produced in the 20th century. 

It turns out that Hartig's collection was ahead of the curve. As designers look back to the 19th century for inspiration, these pups have emerged as iconic symbols of Victorian decor.

They are now so hip that in 2010, young British designer Donna Wilson sweetly reinterpreted them in signed and dated limited edition pairs, right. Wilson, who is known for handmade animal dolls and vividly patterned pillows and blankets, has the figures made in Staffordshire and hand-paints a Fair Isle sweater pattern on the neck and chest. They sell for $400 per pair in the U.S. exclusively through The Future Perfect. 

Original Staffordshire dogs are far more expensive, starting at about the $1,000 mark and rising in cost based on age, condition and rarity. One of the above pairs is an antique, the other a new reproduction by Carlton Varney for HSN that's just under $40.  

Keep reading to see which dogs have the pedigree and which are fresh from the puppy mill -- I mean ceramics factory.

"Life is all about how you handle Plan B," says Sherri Wolf, edging her wheelchair closer to snip at a hanging leaf on a rose bloom, her hands trembling slightly but her speech clear, her eyes steady. It’s one of the coffee mug homilies she lives by — that and “There's nothing better than putting a big pot of water on for dinner, going out into the garden and picking your corn.”

Working the soil and growing from seed is an integral part of Wolf’s Plan B, a way to deal with the Parkinson’s disease that has brought her from her Del Mar condo to living at the Village at Sherman Oaks, an upscale retirement community. At 69, she’s the youngest person there — there are a few over 100 — and despite her disability, she’s forcing all of her new neighbors to reevaluate their relationship to plants.

Her impact at the facility ranges from the fresh-cut flowers in the dining room to the rose-filled containers in the central patio, just off the main lobby. In the back are more roses, along with raised beds full of herbs and vegetables, and a greenhouse where she works — sometimes until midnight or later.

“It's funny. When I'm working on my plants, I forget I have Parkinson's disease,” says Wolf.

She came to the Village last February and quickly found a spot in the garden, working there every day, pruning, weeding, talking to her plants. “People say it's stupid talking to your plants, but to me that only means paying attention to them.”

Jonathan Adler's tangerine-colored Templeton Apartment sofa, shown above, is almost as cheerful as the designer (author of "My Prescription for Anti-Depressive Living") himself.

Even cheerier? The sofa is currently 20% off as part of Jonathan Adler's annual custom and in-stock upholstered furniture sale running through Feb. 28.

The 78-inch Templeton sofa, shown above, which regularly begins at $3,400, now starts at $2,700, depending on the fabric. The sale also includes dining room chairs, ottomans, benches and settees, sectionals and love seats. 

Call (800) 963-0891 for more details. 

-- Lisa Boone

Photo credit: Jonathan Adler

Every Monday, we post a new home whose design is presented in the designer's or the builder's own words. Although Pro Portfolio is dark this week, here are some links to earlier Pro Portfolios that you may have missed:

1960s house for greener times

Indoor-outdoor contemporary 

Modern makeover in Manhattan Beach  

Midcentury update in Encino 

Burbank tract house made modern

East meets West in Calabasas ranch house

Manhattan Beach contemporary

A steel box with the rugged patina of nature 

The goal is glamour in the Hollywood Hills

Calm and collected in Santa Monica

To submit a project for Pro Portfolio, please e-mail us at home@latimes.com.

-- Lisa Boone

Photo credits from top: Ken Hayden and Adrian Van Anz; Tim Street-Porter

The joy of cactus: They only need shoveling when you plant them. As the rain in Southern California gives way to sunshine, we thought we'd share our version of snowflakes with readers in colder climes.

Photographer and writer Debra Lee Baldwin, who specializes in cactuses and succulents, photographed the tops of columnar cactuses that collectively are known as ceroids. (That's Pachycereus weberi, pictured above.) The location: Desert Theater Nursery, Escondido, Calif.

Keep reading to see Baldwin's flurry of photos ...

We've listed select home and garden events below. Suggest your own via reader comments. Submissions must be fewer than 75 words and must be for one-time events with legitimate value to other readers. No store promotions and no frivolous links, please. L.A. at Home staff will determine which submissions will be made public, but we won't edit the text.

Through Sunday: Palm Springs Modernism Week includes a modernism expo, home tours, design lectures and films. Check website for schedule and prices. (760) 832-3202.

Thursday: The Thursday Garden Talks With Lili Singer series features Jim Henrich, curator of living collections at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden. He will discuss the history of the plant introduction program. 9:30 a.m. to noon. $20. 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. Registration required. (626) 821-4623.

Saturday: Elinor Nissley leads a class on relief printing using native plants to create images on paper and fabric. 10 a.m. to noon. $25 to $34, plus $15 materials fee. Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants, 10459 Tuxford St., Sun Valley. (818) 768-1802.

Saturday: Kimberly O'Cain, water conservation coordinator for the city of Santa Monica, discusses how drip irrigation can reduce water use by as much as 80%. Talk will cover design, installation and maintenance. 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. $20 to $30. Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants, 10459 Tuxford St., Sun Valley. (818) 768-1802.

Saturday: Descanso Gardens display horticulturist Mike Brown will teach methods of maintaining a healthy compost pile, including tips on the cylinder method of leaf composting. 11 a.m. Included in regular garden admission of $3 to $8. 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge. (818) 949 4200.

Saturday: Horticulturist CJ Forray leads a class on container gardening. 10 to 11:30 a.m. Jackalope Pottery, 10726 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood. Reservations required: (818) 761-4022.

Saturday and Sunday: Bonsai masters will explore the art form in exhibits, demonstrations, prize drawings and daily live auctions at the Bonsai-a-thon. Events run from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; bonsai workshops for adults and children will be offered Saturday (registration required). Included in regular admission of $6 to $20. Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. (626) 405-2128.   

Our latest home profile: Forget the HGTV talk of "splashing" those walls with "pops" of color. For fashion designer David Meister and talent manager Alan Siegel, pure bliss is nine shades of gray: five on the walls, two on the ceiling, two more on the trim. The ode to earthtones creates a serene escape and allows the emphasis to stay on views, art and the colorful personalities inside (and yes, that is the toiletries drawer in the bathroom, below). Check out the full article or the 18-image photo gallery.

And keep reading for their interior designer's advice for picking the right shade of gray ...

Color forecaster Pantone may have given its color-of-the-year honors to a bold pink called Honeysuckle, right, but scan paint companies' 2011 trend reports and you'll see a different part of the spectrum filling the crystal ball.

Blue in all of its hues — powder or midnight, teal or purplish — are playing big roles in 2011 paint palettes.

Sherwin-Williams' color forecast includes the dollops pictured at top: Bracing Blue, left, part of a palette that includes lilac and grays; Synergy, center, an intense turquoise that's part of a trend toward vivid colors seen in 3-D animation; and Something Blue, the kind of accessible medium clue that's popping up in TV interiors, among other places.

Why blue?

Dunn-Edwards color stylist Sara McLean said blue is the new green, representing growing environmental consciousness and evoking water and sky. Shades of blue that edge into the realm of purple also reflect an “otherworldly trend,” McLean said — the kind of mystic, mysterious environments that consumers have seen in “Avatar” and “Alice in Wonderland.”

Keep reading for more examples of blues in paint companies' 2011 color forecasts ...

Wertz Brothers Antique Mart gets a jump on the Presidents' Day sales with its annual winter event beginning Saturday.

The sprawling store will discount antiques and vintage decor from 10% to 50% through March 7. Store manager Robin Messick said the array of items will include industrial furnishings, Murano art glass, crystal chandeliers, rustic tables, medical cabinets, oil paintings, framed anatomical charts and mid-century lighting.

The sale is at the Wertz Brothers Antique Mart at 1607 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica (and not the location in West Los Angeles). (310) 452-1800

-- Lisa Boone

Photo credits: Wertz Brothers Antique Mart

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Since arriving at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden more than a year and a half ago, Chief Executive Richard Schulhof has been listening.

The region’s leading horticultural figures have been invited for brainstorming sessions about how to remake the Arcadia garden and its programs. A consultant has been called in to direct discussion. Recently the public was invited to complete an online questionnaire. The arboretum wants anyone with an Internet connection and 10 minutes to spare to suggest improvements for the 127 acres.

Anyone who cares about the future of Southern California should summon up their inner optimist and fill out the form, because the arboretum has the potential to be more than a pretty place where people can recreate. It could set the bar for our region's horticultural standards and the way Southern California gardens evolve. What we say now could improve our environment for years to come.

Emeco's 1006 Navy chair has been copied so often, the manufacturer has posted a comparison sheet on its website contrasting the original, left, to knockoffs from Target. 

Sure, the original costs more than the copycat. But the Emeco chair is made in America -- and guaranteed for life. It is also on sale at AllModern.com.

Regularly $440, the 1006 Navy chair is now $374 as part of the online retailer's 15% off sale. All  Emeco designs are discounted, including Frank Gehry's Superlight chair, above right, regularly $595, now $505.75. A Philippe Starck brushed aluminum bar stool, regularly $355, is now $301.75. Armchairs, stacking and swivel chairs, and tables are on sale too.

The reductions continue through Feb. 28. All prices include shipping.  

-- Lisa Boone

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The Look for Less: The Emeco Navy bar stool vs. Sundance and Crate & Barrel copycats