In collaboration with: Outdoor Living: The Chef-Designed Outdoor Kitchen, via DCS Outdoor Appliances - Gardenista Daily - 04/27/2021

Gardening 101 Firms Inspiration Shop Travel Our Story Remodelista In Today's Gardenista Daily Stay current with the latest posts from Gardenista each day – in their entirety. In collaboration with: Outdoor Living: The Chef-Designed Outdoor Kitchen, via DCS Outdoor Appliances by Remodelista Team Wisteria: How to Make It Flower by Michelle Slatalla This edition of the newsletter sponsored by: In collaboration with: Outdoor Living: The Chef-Designed Outdoor Kitchen, via DCS Outdoor Appliances by Remodelista Team We often look to chef's kitchens for small, smart details, borrowed from professional cookspaces, that make cooking seamless: think easy-reach utensil storage, warming areas, and multi-basin sinks for easy cleanup. But we've yet to see the same principles applied to outdoor kitchens—until now. In warm weather, and especially now, we love the idea of not only eating and gathering but cooking outdoors, too. Enter the outdoor kitchen components from DCS Outdoor Appliances, an outfit started in Southern California, dedicated to creating premium grills and outdoor cookspaces. Their new outdoor kitchen is a collaboration between DCS and their ambassador, the French-born, LA-based chef Ludo Lefebvre, along with his design team, helmed by Marie Flannigan. Every element—from the kitchen layout down to the height of the burners—is finely tuned for ease of cooking, all with the eye of a professional chef. Plus, the kitchen is versatile, ideal for grilling but also for cooking paella or crawfish boils atop the Power Burner, even baking in the close-top grill. Take a look at the ultimate outdoor kitchen, with chef-designed elements for a super-functional outdoor space: Above: The suite of individual outdoor appliances is laid out linearly in this poolside kitchen, part of Chef Lefebvre's vision for ease of movement from fridge to grill to griddle to burner. Above: The flat-top 30″ Griddle (left) is designed to add flexibility to any outdoor kitchen with separate temperature zones and precision thermostatic control, so you can cook different dishes at the same time. It can be built in or mounted on a freestanding cart and also has a slide-out drip tray for easy cleanup. At right is the 24″ Power Burner. Above: The 24″ Power Burner is designed for multiple sizes of pots and woks. The DCS team and Flannigan raised the burner slightly so that it sits flush with the other appliances for easy movement of pots and pans, another small but impactful detail driven by Chef Lefebvre. Above: A detail of the versatile Power Burner, with specially designed grates that accommodate all sizes and types of pots and woks—no need to stop mid-prep to make adjustments. Above: The 48″ Grill, Rotisserie and Charcoal is designed to be an all-in-one outdoor cooking appliance, with intuitive built-in lighting to illuminate your cookspace (perfect for after dark); an easy-lift hood that can be maneuvered with one hand; an extra cooking area above the main grill space that can accommodate a broiling pan for slow-roasting, making sauces, or keeping dishes warm; a built-in charcoal smoker tray; and an infrared rotisserie burner. (The rotisserie rod is cleverly stored under the drip pan handle.) Above: Just like indoor kitchens, outdoor cook spaces need good storage, too. Kit out your space with DCS' storage collection of stainless steel drawers, cabinets, mini pantries, even a Trash Bin, shown here, with two full-size removable bins that's sealed for protection from weather and pests. Above: A set of stainless steel 24″ Outdoor Refrigerator Drawers features two stacked drawers that can be used for food or beverages so you never have to venture inside for ingredients or a cold drink. The design features rapid cool-down technology, precise temperature stability, and ample interior space (5 cubic feet). Above: Keep your mise en place in the top drawer, chef style, with bowls of ingredients at the ready. The bottom drawer can act as a wine storage drawer to keep bottles cold for outdoor gatherings. For much more on the offerings, head to DCS Appliances. Forward to friend Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Wisteria: How to Make It Flower by Michelle Slatalla Why won't a reluctant wisteria bloom? There are lots of possible reasons. Bad attitude, for one. This is a vine that wants its way in the garden. Show it who's boss–and persuade it to flower–with proper care. And prune it hard. Despite its reputation as an invasive bully in the garden, wisteria can be finicky when it comes to performing. Buy a named variety from the nursery (rather than generic rootstock). The two most common types of Wisteria–sinensis (Chinese) and frutescens (native to American)–have varieties with blue, white, or purple flowers. Here's how to get your wisteria vine to flower: Photography by Britt Willoughby Dyer. Roll Out a Welcome Mat Above: Plant wisteria in a protected, warm spot in full sunlight (try to get this right the first time, because it does not like to be transplanted). Persistence Pays Off Above: Whether you want a tree or a vine, you should prune wisteria each year to encourage it to bloom. And be patient: it can take two or three years of pruning to prompt it to bloom. Survival Instincts Above: Wisteria wants to bloom when it feels increased warmth from direct sunlight and when there is nothing above to climb. Try to understand wisteria's mentality. "Wisteria evolved where success lay in grappling up through a shaded canopy, putting lots of energy into climbing but none into blooming until it reached full sun and 'knew' it was at the top. There, both physical and chemical cues tell the vine 'this is it,'" says wisteria expert Janet Macunovich of Garden A to Z. "Choose a point that is 'top', train the vine to lay horizontally there and repeatedly clip off side branches that try to continue up," says Macunovich. "This allows the top growth to develop in horizontal position and without shading foliage above." Mark Your Calendar Above: Prune wisteria twice a season: in early March before it blooms and again in late summer to remove what Macunovich refers to as "whippy new growth." Early spring before leaves appear is the time to hard-prune wisteria. On a new plant, choose a sturdy vertical-growing vine to be the leader and remove other vertical vines. You can train the leader against a trellis if you are growing a vine or stake it if you are growing a tree. The Mechanics Above: On the leader, encourage horizontal branching. Remove suckers (new growth that appears in the crotch of two branches. Encourage side branches spaced every 18 inches or so to grow horizontally from the leader. Hard-prune the vine in early spring and then cut off the season's tangly new growth in late summer. For more on wisteria, see: Wisteria: A Dangerous Beauty (Are You Tempted?) Paris in London: Neisha Crosland's Planting Scheme. Wisteria: A Field Guide. Garden Design 101: Vines & Climbers. Forward to friend Share on Twitter Share on Facebook This edition of the newsletter sponsored by: View email in your browser Forward to a friend Subscribe to a Remodelista or Gardenista Newsletter Update your email profile You have opted to receive this email, but you can always Unsubscribe. Remodelista, The Organized Home & Gardenista are part of Remodelista, LLC