All Bottled Up

Terrariums are beautiful mini container gardens and I've always admired the creative art in designing them and wanted to make one for years. I finally made one, as a gift, for a good friend and loved making it so much I know I will make more.

Beside purchasing the container, I also found the clock house, at the thrift store and added it for a touch of whimsy. I used pebbles from and old aquarium thinking it would make an interesting "walkway" to the front of the house.

When making any terrarium all that's needed is a container, plants, rocks (pebbles), soil and creativity. You can make it as simple or as elaborate as you want it to be.

Time: 30 minutes (assembly and clean up)
Level of difficulty: Easy

Pallet Project

Wow, I can't believe it's been three years since my last post. Time goes by so quickly, but I've been busy and in the next few post I'll share a few of the things I have done over my hiatus. For the past few months I set out to re-purpose a pallet that had been laying in the backyard for far too long. I've seen different versions and designs of decorated pallets and it wasn't until I saw this design in Good Housekeeping that gave me inspiration and motivation. This is what my pallet project turned out to look  like:

I bought two hooks from the hardware store and my sweetie screwed them in the back of the pallet. I painted the wood and sprayer a sealer on it to protect the finish. The four decorative pails were purchased at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore; I drilled a few holes for drainage and used S hooks to attach each of the pails to the pallets. I painted the other three containers (silver, brown and lime green -- the only color spray paints I had on had). I bought pots at Ikea which were typically used in the kitchen to hold utensils, with holes in the bottom of the containers; the silver holder came with the container.

Image from Good Housekeeping

Time: 3 hours (prep, painting, planting and assembling)
Level of difficulty: Easy

Green Garden

      One of my deepest regrets in the flower garden, besides not starting sooner in the season, has been neglecting the backyard garden for the past two summers. Not considering the cost of losing a few beautiful plants, I've seen more green in the backyard than I've seen an abundance of color. What led up to this unfortunate neglect was sheer rebellion against nature. Where I live, for the last couple of years has experienced extreme high temperatures, which averaged from the low to high 90's on consecutive days, without any rain for weeks at a time. My backyard garden fell victim to the circumstances and has not be able to put on a flower show, like in has in years past. Ivy and weeds have run rampant and have appeared to take over the yard. Only the tried and true plants have been able to fight through and display their beauty, such as the orange kissed Daylily, so tall and regal. Then there's the bold and beautiful Canna, not afraid to showoff their yellow blooms and tucked in a small pot are the vibrant hot pink Dianthus that add their own splash of color.

   
    I started out as an eager gardener, wanting to produce a fabulous "show" in just one season, but not knowing which act would work well with what scene, so I ultimately hit a stumbling block. The plants all have their own cues and instinctively know when it's their turn on stage to perform. This year, I slowed down production so that I could focus on one area at a time. I started with the front of the house, where more plants can been seen and instead of planting everything in the ground I've elevated and highlighted a few plants by planting them in nicely decorated pots. I also added natural stones, that I found in the backyard, to bring more definition to the space. The rain this year has still been sporadic, but with time comes wisdom and now I've learned use five gallon painter's buckets to catch the rainwater and have the water on reserve to water the plants when I need it.  Slowly but surely, I'll make my way back to the backyard garden where it's so green; but for now I need to learn more so that I can see a flourishing and colorful garden.
How does your garden grow?