Archives for March 2013

P. Allen Smith and Garden2Blog

 

I can’t wait! Spring is on its way and I’ve been invited to Garden2Blog 2013, hosted by award-winning garden designer and TV host P. Allen Smith.

I’m one of a couple of dozen lucky bloggers who’ll travel to Little Rock, Arkansas and visit the Moss Mountain Farm Garden. We’ll meet each other (really cool, since we’re coming from around the country and will have lots to share) and meet reps from the trade and garden industry.

G2B 2013 takes place on May 7 and 8. Start thinking about what you’d want me to find out about while I’m there, so I can tap into all the great gardening know-how!

 

Reach for the Sky: Grow a Vertical Garden

Out of room—always my problem.

In my closets, in my kitchen cabinets, and now in my garden. We have a small house, but I’m running out of space in the yard, too, which means I’ve got to get creative if I want to add more sun-loving flowers and veggies this year.  So I’m going to think UP, and grow up with a vertical garden trellis like the one we featured here, on the Home Depot Garden Club site.

This is super easy. You just use a section of garden trellis and some S-hooks. Lean the trellis in a corner or other spot that will keep it from falling over, and pot up your plants in lightweight plastic pots. Slip the hooks under the rims, and hang as desired. You could do petunias, lantanas, or any kind of colorful flowers, or plant herbs to keep near your grill or the kitchen door. I’m thinking of trying strawberries.

Is your garden “upward bound” this year?

Grow A Centerpiece

Easter comes early this year, and it has almost slipped up on me. I want to grow my own centerpiece, using an idea I saw once at Barnesly Gardens Resort in Adairsville, GA.  Talk about easy: this setting uses inexpensive burlap (some is left natural, and another length is dyed green) to hold an oval-shaped container sown with grass seeds.

Once the grass sprouted and grew a few inches tall, the table designer inserted handmade seed packets and a few small figures. You could make this more colorful by adding tiny Easter chicks, eggs, and bunnies, or by putting some pansy or daffodil blossoms into the scene.  On the left, you can see a short section of a log that’s been drilled to hold votive candles. I’d add some small garden hoes or trowels around the base of the arrangement for extra charm. If your grass gets too tall before the holiday, just mow it with scissors or garden shears.

You don’t have to spend a lot for a pretty Easter centerpiece–just start soon, so your miniature “lawn” will be ready to go!