Planting Time: Summer Bulbs!

{My mantle was adorned with glads the whole month of August last year. LOVE that!}

It's time to get all the summer bulbs in the ground--Dahlias, Gladiolus, etc. Pick some up the next time you're at Home Depot or Costco and plant them ASAP. My best tip? Plant a BUNCH so you can cut some for inside your home. You'll be so happy you did.

It's time for spring bulbs!

Every spring, when all my cheery daffodils, tulips, and hyacinth start popping out of the frosty ground, I am so grateful we made the effort to plant bulbs the first autumn we moved in to the blue house. Bulbs are the greatest ever, because you plant them, leave them alone,* and enjoy their beauty year after year after year.

(*If you live in a warm climate, you will need to dig them up and chill them in the fridge during the winter.)

Now is the time to start planning if you want daffs and tulips next spring. You can buy bulbs locally, but we've taken to ordering online, because of the incredible variety available. We've been happy with both Dutch Gardens and van Bourgondien. Order now(ish), then plant in October. Come March, you will be so happy you did!

--Anne

Cactus Garden

We love having living plants in our home and are kind of obsessed with this new little cactus garden in our living room.

Here's why:

*Most low budget greenery EVER. Each of these plants was around $2 at Home Depot, and you can get tiny terra cotta pots for a song.
*Super easy to water--just keep a spray bottle of water close and water when cacti look completely dry.
*We just got back from a week in Maui and they were as happy as can be. Love that low maintenance!
*We love the juxtaposition of the earthy pots and plants on the classic, dainty cake plates. (We also think they would look really great on a galvanized steel tray.)

I'm still waiting for my zinnias to produce enough that I can cut a few and bring them in. But, for now, I've got my desert flowers.

xo,

anne

Cute up your front porch--Part 2 (Flowers)

Once we had our comfy chairs done, we needed some color and texture. We got it with potted flowers and hanging flowers.

Potted flowers
I love giant pots, but didn't know what to plant in ours to really fill it out. Then I saw a whole article on the subject in my Better Homes and Gardens. According to BHG, there are three elements to a pot like this. You need a thriller, a filler, and a spiller. (Don't you love that?!) For my thriller, I chose these tall, coral geraniums. Aren't they gorgeous? (Next year, I think I'll choose an even taller thriller.) For my filler, I used purple and white petunias, and they are doing their duty! (Note: these are wave petunias, not cascading petunias.) And, can you see my spiller? It's the chartreuse sweet potato plant in the bottom right corner. Once they get going, they'll spill down the pot. Beautiful! (You can also get sweet potato plants in a deep purple color--also gorgeous.)


Hanging flowers
The main thing to know with hanging flowers, is that you need a flower that will cascade. You can buy something already potted, of course (like these charming purple geraniums I got for my birthday).
But often hanging plants are really spendy, so this year I made this hanging petunia pot on my own. Using a basket from last year's hanging plant, I filled it with cascading petunias (not wave petunias). They will continue to grow and cascade as the summer goes on, until you can hardly see the basket. So great!
Now, I have a sunny front porch, so I chose sun-loving flowers for these hanging pots. In truth, my absolute favorite hanging plant is fuchsia. If you have enough shade, get one!

So do you want to see the big reveal?

Remember, we started with this:
And now, we've got this:

Now I just need to hang up my American flags...

Planting time--Zinnias

Lindy wrote recently about her 10 favorite flowers. Wasn't that inspiring?! I love flowers. I love them in my yard, and I love having enough in my yard that I can cut some for my home each week.

Last week I planted my zinnias. I was grateful that my mother took the time to help me select and plant them last year, because I was a complete novice. For any of you out there who are interested in growing flowers, but don't quite know where to start, this is the post for you.

Zinnias are perfect to start with, and they are fool proof. You plant them in the dirt (now's the time--mid to late May), do a few basic things for maintenance (see below), and enjoy them all summer long and well into the fall.

As you can see above (and as you saw in Lindy's post), Zinnias come in all sorts of sizes and colors. My personal favorite are State Fair Zinnias--pictured at the very top of this post.

Here's what you need to know about maintaining Zinnias:

Pest protection:
My main nemeses are earwigs. I buy the Lilly Miller brand 'Go-West Meal,' and follow the instructions on the box (apply it right after planting!).

Sun/Watering:
Zinnias love full sun. They need to be watered daily, whether from your hose or a drip system.

Dead-heading:
Once a flower dies, cut it off. That way, the plant can spend its energy on a new flower, instead of sending nutrients to the old, dead one. If you dead-head regularly, your zinnias will continue to produce an amazing amount of flowers! If you're dealing with a small flower, you can just pinch off the flower. If it's a large flower on a long stem (like the State Fair Zinnias), dead-head by cutting the stem at the base of the plant.

And that's all you need to know.

Head down to your local nursery and get started. Enjoy!

-Anne

My Top 10 Favorite Flowers

We're so happy to have Lindy giving us a few tips on selecting and growing lovely flowers. I was lucky enough to witness her beautiful yard on Maple Lane in the flesh, so when Lindy talks about flowers, I listen!

I don't consider myself an expert gardener, but I did train at the feet of my mother who is a master. Most of the pictures below come from my home on Maple Lane in Provo, Utah, which I moved from about a year ago.

Lots of my neighbors would ask me, "Lindy, how do you get so much color in your yard?"

Occasionally, if I was feeling chatty, I'd give them the long answer which involves good soil, regular watering, and plenty of sunlight. But usually, I just gave them the short answer, which is: "Plant annuals and Miracle-Gro them religiously. Trust me."

And, it's true. That's really all it takes for your yard to stop traffic (foot or otherwise). Here are my top 10 favorite easy to grow flowers. These plants are all low maintenance and provide tons of eye-popping, sidewalk-stopping color throughout the growing season.

1. Petunias, Wave and Cascading

I know the humble petunia is often thought of as old-fashioned and overdone, but they're popular for a reason; they're tough and stand up well to the dead-heat of summer. The key with petunias is to avoid the purple-red-white plantings exactly one foot a part amidst a vast expanse of soil. All plants look better and more natural when they are planted close together in clumps of three or five. As you can see below, I planted pink and magenta wave petunias all along the sidewalk leading up to my front door. Here they are in May. Small, but still colorful.

By October, they've become monsters. Yep, these guys bloom for a good six months+ in Utah (and in Georgia, too).

2. Geraniums
My grandma always planted red geraniums in pots. Red is a classic, but I love a mix of pink hues, too, as seen here in my window boxes.

Geraniums also look great paired with cascading petunias.

3. Pansies

I've planted "winter" pansies in both Utah and Georgia with great results. Put your pansies in the ground in the fall before first frost. As soon as the ground warms up in spring your pansies will start popping up and you'll be so very happy to see them.

4. Zinnias, Giant and Profusion
I'm such a sucker for giant plants. These Belara Giants are amazing; they grow up to 4 feet tall--literally inches overnight.

Profusion Zinnias are another staple in my yard. As their name suggests, they bloom profusely and can fill in a large expanse quickly. I love combining orange, white, and pink varieties with purple salvia.

5. Daisies

You're probably already very familiar with the adorable daisy. The white petals surrounding a sunny yellow center make for such a happy combination. They also make great cut flowers, and if you get the right variety, they will "naturalize" (spread on their own). Oh, and did I mention these little darlings are perennials? That means you'll have many happy returns on your initial investment.

6. Coneflowers

Purple and white coneflowers (also called echinacea) are fabulous for areas that get hot, all-day sun.

7. Rocket Snapdragons
I pass this quaint little house (actually I think it might qualify as a mansion) every day. The white picket fence is a perfect backdrop (and lattice) for these rocket snaps which grow up to 3-4 feet tall.

8. Black-Eyed Susans
My son use to call these "bumblebee flowers." They spread like crazy and some even consider them invasive. But they are always welcome in any yard of mine.

9. Sunflowers
Is that Jack and the beanstalk? Nope. It's Lindy and her giant sunflower. I planted a few seeds in May and look at what I had by July. Magical, I tell you.

10. Dahlias
These lovely ladies come in every size and color you can imagine. I love the plate-size varieties because they are just so dramatic. The best thing about dahlias? The more you cut the flowers off, the more they bloom. That's why I have a whole bucketful here waiting to be brought inside and put into vases.

Happy Gardening, everyone!

Gorgeous! Thanks, Lindy.

Winter Flowers

Don't you just love the way you feel when you have fresh flowers in your home? My favorite thing about spring and summer is flowers. Flowers in my garden. Flowers on my kitchen table and mantle. Flowers in my hair. But then winter comes, and my yard turns into nothing much but dirt and a few limp pansies.

Of course, sometimes a husband plays the hero--like last week, when mine walked in at dinner time with a bouquet of pink roses that made me swoon. But who can afford do to that every week?

So.

Today I'm offering some ideas to keep flowers in your life all winter long.

1. Amaryllis. This last December my mother brought over three giant Amaryllis bulbs. It was fun to watch them shoot up over a couple of weeks, and then they surprised me by blooming for another two weeks or so. Amaryllis are stunning, to say the least. (Of course, we are past the time to get them now. But don't worry, I'll remind you next November. The nice thing is, if you care for them correctly, you can get the same bulbs to bloom each year.)

2. Poinsettias. Did you have Poinsettias this Christmas? Do you still have them? Mine just kept thriving through January, and I was thrilled that it was healthy, but bored looking at it in its green cellophane-covered pot. It seemed weird to keep it around so long after the holidays, but it was still lovely. So, I cut off the various sprigs and put them in vases of water. I much prefer the milk glass to the green cellophane!


3. Primroses. I just potted these on my front porch and they tickle me daily. They are so rich in color. Love them!


4. Camelias. These are so fun because they are evergreen and they bloom in winter. (See all those juicy buds getting ready to open?!)



Camelias are my favorite to wear in my hair.

Happy planting!
xo,
anne