Gardening 101: Perennial Gardening

Pin It


Memorial Day, the official launch of summer, brings hot days and lots of fun in the sun. What is the biggest highlight of summer for me? Gardening. Love it. No really, I L.O.V.E. it! Almost as much as I love to paint. Indoor projects are set aside for the summer and it's time for all things outdoors. 

I am a perennial gardener at heart and self taught at that. I have always loved digging and even at our first apartment I planted a little spot of flowers just for me. Could. not. help. myself. 

I really started when we purchased our first house simply but checking out what was already planted at the house. Moving things around. Adding plants and even killing plants. Along the way, I have learned a lot about perennial gardening.


1. Planting perennials:

• Whether planting perennials or annuals, always loosen the root ball. This frees the roots (especially if the plant is root bound) and allows the roots to establish themselves quicker.

• After digging your planting hole, add a little organic food and mulch and mix in with loose soil
• Place plant on top, fill hole with water and let sit for a few minutes until absorbed. 

• Place dirt back around plant and firmly push down around the base of the plant to remove any air bubbles. Then add a little loose soil around the top to help with drainage. This will actually leave a little 'basin' around the plant that enables water to drain into the plant.
• Water, water, water. Did I say water?

2. Knowing what to plant where.

• Almost like choosing a color for your walls, choosing the right plant for the right space can be tricky. But, not has hard as you think. Use the guidelines that come with the plant and know that plants are pretty forgiving. 
• Most plants will adopt to the space they are put in (within reason). I have many plants that are shade lovers but I grow them in part sun. I also have many sun loving plants that grow in mostly shade and do well.
• The key to knowing if your plant is unhappy in it's home? If after 2-3 years, it doesn't bloom. Unless it is a bi-annual bloomer!

• Perennials will take close to three years until they really bush out and fill in. Until then, they can sometimes look kind of skinny and sickly.
• Most perennials will not bloom the first year they are planted. Many will not bloom the first couple of years. But, if after three years you are not getting flowers? You can bet your perennial does not like it's home. Move it someplace different. Kind of like rearranging furniture.

 Q and A

• Best time to plant? Fall. Absolutely. 
• Best time to trim? Very early Spring (for most plants).
• When your plants mature, they will have 'babies'. Babies are great to transplant.
• So, I planted my plants and they look like they are dead!

Next in the gardening series, "Gardening 101: Landscaping on the Cheap"

Linking up this week to:

Show Me What Ya Got at Not Just a Housewife
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous

Gardening 101: Growing Luscious Annuals

Pin It


You know it's time to plant annuals when you've gone two weeks without a frost. For those of us in Michigan, that is about mid-May. Many people say that Mother's Day through Memorial Day is your best window to plant annuals. At least in states like Michigan for sure.


For me, I am a perennial gardener. What's a perennial you ask? Those are plants that return year after year. But I do love annuals for season-round color and I have spots here and there in my landscaping where I put them. Mostly, I have pots for the annuals.


Some tips for thick growing, lush annuals? 
1. Dig your hole and add a little organic plant food.

Dig your hold about 1" wider in diameter than the root base.

2. After removing the plant from the store-bought container, loosen up the roots so they are no longer root-bound.

With your hands, break art the base of the roots.

3. Insert the plant, place dirt back around the base of the plant and, using your fingers, apply pressure on the dirt around the base to push out any air bubbles.

Pushing down the dirt around the base of the plant.

4. Okay this is the hard part but you can do this and you will be so glad you did! Ready? Okay, here goes...break off the flowers and buds by dead-heading (or using garden scissors). Dead-heading would not be exactly correct in that, unlike true dead-heading, the flowers are not dead. But the process is the same. By now are you thinking I'm insane? Stand in line friend. Seriously what this will do for your plants? By snipping off any buds or flowers the roots will have a chance to grow and establish themselves. When a plant is creating a flower, it's almost like having a baby, all of it's energy and resources go into producing the flower but the foundation is not solid because the roots have not established themselves. You will not regret it!

 

Flower heads after dead-heading

5. Like vignettes in your home, annuals look best planted in odd numbers, such as groups of three.


6. So after you dead head, your plant will look like this for about 2-3 weeks.
 




After removing flower buds.

7. Make sure they get water every day for the first few weeks at least. Even after that, you will have to water every 2-3 days, more if during a really hot and dry season.


You will not regret this because within a month your flowers will look filled out, good root system, and beautiful! Sometimes, they will even grow back the next year, like in the picture above, even though they are not supposed to!



Linking up this week to:
Making the World Cuter
What's in the Gunny Sack?
Somewhat Simple



Call Me a Thief

Pin It

I hate to say it but...I steal. Yup, I do. I steal ideas and inspiration from other blogs, especially Pinterest. Why do I steal? Because I love collecting ideas. I have collected ideas for a bazillion years the old tried and true way. I cut out a picture from a magazine and glued into an spiral bound notebook. Gasp! For those of you who don't remember, this old fashioned method was the original Pinterest.

Final product. Inset pictures are of some of my garden statues.

Well this project is no different. It all started with a picture, from a blog, of which I don't remember where I saw it but I found it one day while surfing and the image stayed in my mind and spurred me to create my own version. Since I am in need of some wall art in a few spaces around my house and, I don't know about you, but I rarely find store-bought art that inspires me. Especially for the price tag that typically comes with said art! 

Scrap board from dining room project, purchase a piece of picture frame moulding to edges.

Painting a base coat with Timeless Ivory from Dutch Boy.
Color used on Board and Batten project in dining room.

Stencil purchase for dining room ceiling, didn't work on dining room ceiling,
used now in multiple other projects throughout house!

After stencil.

Not for the faint of heart!

Pin It


High School Graduation #101, Part 1


I don't know about you but I always have a ton of projects going on in my head. Of course, these projects are always easy peasy and just need a little paint, a little elbow grease, and walaa! NOT!

Shall we say that this project was not for the faint of heart?

Such was the porch lamp project. Actually for some time I have wanted to take down our outside light fixtures and spray paint them. A graduation open house is driving us to kick it up a notch and get some things done. Bring it on! So, Step one of High School Graduation #101...sprucing up the outside. Projects include, but are not limited to:

1. Remulching the front landscaping
2. Painting light fixtures--check
3. Power washing the house.
4. Washing the windows.
5. Trimming up the trees and bushes.
6. Installing my long desired fire pit area
7. Adding a flagstone path to the pool
8. Replacing the front privacy fence and gate
9. Replace rotted pool house doors
10. Fix back steps/deck area.


Okay I would say that I need to just stop here. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. 


Well, since we are in the throes of a senior graduating high school and going off to a major university, dare I say that some of these projects won't get fixed anytime soon. Do you have a clue what college is costing these days?

Painting in process!

I decided to focus on some small things that make a big difference and cost pennies to update. Mostly time. Painting the outside light fixtures was one of them. Piece of cake, huh? Seriously these fixtures are about 30 years old and I'm betting there were just many years of dead bugs, cobwebs, and other nasty stuff. But after tearing them all apart, washing each piece, spraying them down, and reassembling...

Restored to beauty again! Couldn't believe how much more light there is!

Hooking up this week to:

Tackle it Tuesday at 5 Minutes for Mom
Turning the Daunting into the Beautiful at The Project Queen
WOW Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Party with my Peeps at How to Nest for Less

Impossibilities become possible...a.k.a. "I did it!"

I don't know how many of you remember the "Imagine the Impossibilities" challenge from January? Well, I kept seeing this challenge crop up on many of the blogs I follow and it intrigued me. Never one to run from a challenge, I thought "what is it that has challenged me with remodeling my home." Gotta say it took a few days to think over and then I realized the challenge was right in front of my face.


I mean, I walked by this thorn in my side at the very least, 15-20 times a day! I have had an aversion to this for the 7 years we have been in this home. But I still didn't jump right into the challenge because I was afraid. First off, I was clueless what to do about this thorn. How do I turn this thorn into a thing of beauty? Before I realized what I was doing, I joined the challenge. I figured this, if nothing else, would motivate me to do something with my thorn!


So, I bet you are dying to know what has bothered me for so long?

My thorn! This picture is post-spindles which 
you can see in the picture below.
 (Please ignore the loads of groceries on the counter! 
A constant state of affairs in my home!.)

The original version with their 'jail-like' spindles.
Oh, and our goofy friends!

Bet you don't blame me now for hating these eyesores, huh? After weeks of searching Pinterest for ideas, I really came up without much. One day, I ran into this transformation!

Forgive me, I do not have proper credit for this idea.
Suffice it to say, it was a HUGE transformation!

This started my brain a thinking so I headed to the Habitat Restore and found some crown moulding, picked up picture frame trim from Menard's and used the spare board from our dining room Bored and Batty transformation. The outcome? Glad you asked!

This is how it looks at the moment.
Probably will stay that way for the summer
but I doubt that it is done transforming!

Beautiful thing!

Hooking up this week to:

primitive and proper

very merry vintage style:  share the love wednesday 

savvy southern style: wow us wednesday! 

diy by design
UFO DIY Challenge at Confessions of an ADD Housewife
fireflies and jellybeans: show off your stuff party

Pin It