by Melody on January 22, 2019

Hello again!

For this post I want to show you first a lovely succulent plant – a jade, or crassula ovata major – that has been trained into a lovely tree form. I absolutely love this plant and for many reasons; the bright green fleshy foliage, the low water and fertilizer requirements, its tendency to not be overly fussy about lighting, and also, because jade plants can live for a very long time – it can grow old with you!

Here is a picture of a beautiful jade (about 2 and a half years old) that is enjoying its location in my office.



And here is a close-up of the wonderful trunk on this jade.



Isn't that trunk just amazing? It is so beautifully colored and patterned with an almost "bamboo" kind of effect with the ridging.

I would like to give you some pointers on how to raise a jade into a specimen like this. Of course you can just let a jade grow naturally into a wonderful little shrub, but it also can be easily trained into a tree with a little work.

First off, while not "fussy" about light – a bright location will work best particularly while the jade is young and its architecture is being established. Also, a small pot (the smallest the roots can fit in) is also beneficial; this insures that the jade does not get overwatered and that watering (and light fertilizing) can be done more frequently as it will dry out faster.

Here is a picture of a jade purchased as a 4 inch pot – I selected this one because it had a nice strong trunk already and some equally nice branching.



So, step 1, (after purchasing a plant!) is to just stare at it for a very long time (kidding!) but you do need to just take a look at how the branches are going on their own natural path and get an idea of how you want your tree to develop.

For those who have never trained a plant before, just consider the "leaders" as the tips of the branches that are showing the direction the plant is taking. You may notice new growth forming in the leaf axils (the junction where a leaf meets the stem) and a new branch will arise there unless you trim it off.

Here, in this picture, I am trimming off any lower leaves that I do not want because I do not want growth to form in those axils that are lower.



If you want the branch to change directions you can leave that new growth at the axil and trim back the tip of the leader – the growth will change as the energy of that branch is basically transferred to the new growth.

In this next picture you will see that I have removed a lot of growth, but I have left the uppermost tips because I want this plant to gain some height (keep growing vertically) and then at a later point I'll trim some of those tips off and let some of the branches develop more horizontally.



One thing to keep in mind is that jade plants can get just massively large and very heavy – so as you shape your plant just remember to keep the plant in balance – as one branch grows off to the left it will need some growth to the right also to keep it from tipping over. Keeping the lower leaves trimmed off helps with balance as well. It is also a good idea to pot jades in a heavier clay or ceramic pot to balance out the weight of the plant itself.

There are many other wonderful succulents that can be trained into a tree or "bonsai" – portulacaria afra and its slower-growing variegated form are two such plants – there are many wonderful pictures of these plants available online for inspiration.

Well, all for now, but please ask any questions you may have! I know this would have been a better post with a video – working on accomplishing that!

My next post will be about succulents also; mainly just some great pictures of some mixed succulent pots. I am planning a very large succulent dish garden for this coming outdoor growing season. And speaking of next season (spring is almost upon us in Kansas) I will start discussing some new plants that are out this year and sharing with you what I am anxious to grow and excited to put in my garden.

Talk to you soon!

by Melody on December 16, 2019

Hello Again! I hope everyone is having a fantastic holiday season.

My fall season did not go as planned – some health issues kept me sidelined and occupied, but now all is well and I have finally started getting ready for Christmas – sure wish I had more than 9 days left! I haven't done any shopping yet but I did make some very festive holiday-greenery pots this past weekend. Let me show you how.

First I collected some greenery; greenery can be bought at many local garden centers and it can also be collected from your yard, your neighbor's yard (it's great when they are out of town – just kidding!) and from friends if needed. I am lucky that there is a vacant lot right next to me with a plentiful supply of cedar trees.

Greenery pots usually incorporate cedars, junipers, and pine branches, but there are many other plants that can be used; boxwood, holly, euonymus, and any other shrub that holds it leaves well into the winter season. Just cut a few branches here and there – never enough to completely denude the plant and you have the makings of a great decorative pot.



Cut cedar branches with their beautiful blue berries and a bucket of juniper, assorted arborvitae, boxwood, and euonymus "Chollipo" – with beautiful green and gold foliage – very bright! Here is a close-up of the boxwood and Chollipo.



Prepare your pot by filling with soil and watering in very heavily – these cut branches need moisture to maintain their color. Alternatively you can use big blocks of florist's foam which have been soaked thoroughly – I find that soil works well when the pot will be outside but I would use florists foam if I were going to place a pot inside my home for decoration.

I cut the branches and soaked the cut ends in water for 3 hours minimum and then re-cut them and stripped the leaves and small side branches off the lower portion of the stems.



After preparing the branches simply start shoving them into the wet soil in your pot – trailing items around the edges and bushy filler items into the middle to create bulk.





Then add the accents to the pot – in this case the Chollipo, boxwood, and a few branches of blue juniper:





I then watered the pots in again extremely well and added some holiday ribbon and bows to the two matching pots and I am done! Overall this project took me less than just a couple of hours to assemble! I expect that these pots should maintain their color for at least 6 weeks as long as I prevent them from drying out which should not happen given the cool temperatures.



I hope you get a chance to try making a pot for yourself – it would be a great project for older children to help with. One word of caution is to use gloves to work with evergreens, especially junipers, if you are at all sensitive to these types of plants.

Happy Holidays to all!

by Melody on September 2, 2019

I can't believe that this summer is winding so quickly – fall is almost upon us. We have had an incredibly intense string of hot days recently and although it has been an overall moderate summer, it has also been, unfortunately, rather dry. It seems that all I do is water.

There aren't a lot of new things going on in my garden but I do have a few pictures to share with you. The first one is of a plant that has been a real standout in a terracotta pot for me this year; Tecomeria "Bells of Fire" also called Tecoma. This 3x5 foot tall and wide plant is a true heat lover with non-stop vivid orange bloom which draws the hummingbirds.



Secondly, here is a picture of the clay pot I painted for my portulaca "Maraca" – one of my very favorite succulents. I think it looks okay – not really as nice as I'd hoped – but passable. I used basic acrylics, a bottom and top coat of clear acrylic sealer to keep the paint from peeling off when I water, and a very unsteady hand (stripes are not real even to say the least!).



I want to share a picture of a plant that I plan on growing next year just because I was so struck by the vivid color blooming in a greenhouse this July; Dianthus "Amazon Neon Duo". I hope I can find a nice sunny location for it. This loves cool weather but really seems to take the heat as well. It was blooming like mad in a very warm greenhouse. Look this one up if you appreciate the standout color as much as I do.



Finally, I have never been that fond of Echinacea – at least the old-fashioned purple and white blooming varieties – pretty, but well, kind of bland.....but I absolutely love some of the fantastic new varieties that have been showing up in the past several years. I realized just how badly I NEED to get some of these in my garden. Just look at this vase – I love vases of big bright blooms – and they lasted well as a cut flower.



Look up new echinacea hybrids and you're sure to find one you love – for inside as well as out – and look for the series Supreme, Secret, and Double Scoop, among many other amazing varieties.

Well, back to the garden! I will begin my winter preparations this coming week and will be preparing my Tecomeria, an angel-wing begonia, some hibiscus, jasmine, and a few other plants for houseplant conditions, so I will show (in my next post) how I start preparing plants to move inside for the winter: fertilizer, cutting back, and scouting for insects among other things.

by Melody on July 28, 2019

Our lovely rainy and cooler than normal weather has left... sigh... yesterday was over a hundred degrees and the rain has been nonexistent for almost two weeks now. This is after we broke three record lows in the last few weeks. One good thing about the nights staying cooler than normal is that cool nights really give plants in the garden a break; they can take the hot days as long as the night temperatures drop off into the 50s and 60s. The last few nights however have been really muggy and warm.

A few plants have really impressed me with their ability to just take whatever the weather throws at them – one of these plants is Begonia "Dragonwing Red" – a very well known and often-used plant, and deservedly so. Dragonwing thrives in sun or shade, is incredibly tolerant of heat and humidity, and requires moderate moisture (not a water-hog!) It is one of those plants that can dry out during the day while I am at work but perks right back up as soon as I water it. It is easy to tell when Dragonwing wants water – leaves will curl slightly in at edges and lose their shininess, becoming a bit "dull" or transparent.

This begonia is just one of those plants that deserves a spot somewhere in every garden; it rarely ever disappoints. This begonia is equally at home in hanging baskets or in landscape beds. Here are two large 18" urns on my porch with Dragonwing Red and trailing gold lysimachia.



Another plant I am in love with is Coprosma – this foliage plant is available in many different colors. Bright gold, nearly black, burgundy red hues, and the variety "Tequila Sunrise" which is a mix of green, gold, red, and orange. This plant can grow to 5' tall in climates where it does not freeze but can easily be pruned and maintained at shorter heights. It almost resembles boxwood with very shiny leaves; hence it's common name "mirror plant". The coprosma I planted in my garden this year is one that I have overwintered indoors in a sunny room for the last 2 years – it performed remarkably well as a houseplant.

The plant to the left of the screen in this picture is coprosma and the plant to the right is Cuphea "Vermillionaire" a new plant that will be available in spring 2015.



This picture does not do justice to the Vermillionaire – it is such a bright and floriferous plant. This Cuphea loves full sun, tolerates heat and drought, and is covered until frost with bright orange "cigar flowers" with a white to lime-green tip. It is an excellent accent in containers and gorgeous planted en masse in the landscape. I cannot promise it is a true hummingbird plant but I have noticed the "hummies" in my garden are always near this plant. I think it does attract them with its long tubular flower and bright scarlet-orange coloring.

Another plant that has been performing amazingly well for me is gerbera daisies. I myself am a little surprised by this. I always have thought of "gerbers" as finicky little plants that are touchy about heat – but no!! This is my second year trialing gerbers in beds and pots in full sun and partial sun and they have exceeded my expectations. They bloom much better in full sun (although a little afternoon shade would probably be perfect), and they appreciate a good watering followed by a good dry-down. They do not like to get too dry though.

One of the most impressive varieties I tried this year is "Cartwheel Strawberry Twist" -- it is a nice-sized vigorous Gerbera with semi-double blooms in shades of yellow, cream, and pinks. The blooms are never quite always the same and the color seems to change depending on temperature – the pink seems darker when the temps are lower. This seed variety exhibits a fascinating color range from plant to plant so if you try this on, get more than one plant, and mix them in a large pot or bed them out. It is incredibly colorful, and I wish that I had bought more than one!



There is not a lot going on in my garden right now – watering, mulching, and watering some more! But I do want to show you an updated photo of my main garden bed.



Everything is growing along nicely and I have had very few disappointments this year. I did have to pull my celosias out because the enormous amount of rain we received right after I planted them just drowned them out. In the background of my photo you might notice the colored bottles hanging from the fence – those are my solar lights. I came across some very colorful bottles (almost the size and shape of wine bottles) earlier this season and these bottles had wire bail stoppers for lids – I know, very convenient for hanging in the garden!

I removed the stopper from the bottles, leaving the wire hanger, and then hot-glued the tops of very inexpensive ($1.00 each) solar lights in the bottle openings. It was so easy – the ground stake portion of the solar lights pulled right off. I think regular wine bottles and a little bit of fine gauge wire would work out just as well if you can't find the same type bottles that I did – and it would be some fun and beautiful recycling!. They really do accent the garden well. Here is a close-up –



Next post I will have pictures of my painted terracotta pot (I honestly am not thrilled with it – I am a messy painter!) and I hope to have updates on my grafted tomato trial – they are finally turning color. I also want to do a post, sometime soon, on how to prepare plants for overwintering indoors as houseplants – this summer is flying by so quickly and it will be time to watch for frost before we know it!

by Melody on July 7, 2019

Oh my, what a busy couple of weeks! All the rain we have been getting is wonderful (I've barely had to water) but the weeds have growing just as quickly as the plants in my flowerbeds. I have been weeding like crazy and trying to mulch in my beds with leaves I've had piled up in my compost bin for the last several months.

The rain is starting to come in less frequently and the temperatures are starting to hit in the 90s – the mulch will really help with keeping those roots cool and holding the moisture in.

I did get one new project done though and it turned out way better than I thought it would – my little metal table is now a planter! Here is the before picture:



I cut a hole in the top with some sort of power tool that I borrowed – it had a blade and that's all I know about it! I painted the table, a metal trellis, and an empty watering can (with drainage holes drilled in the bottom) in a matching color – Rust-Oleum's 2X "Gloss Key Lime" – a paint and primer in one.



I then placed a 14" plastic terra cotta colored pot into the hole, added soil and the trellis, and finally the plants. I used one plant each of Thunbergia "Sunny Lemon Star" and "Sunny Orange Star" to climb up the trellis – these thunbergias bloom spring through fall in a sunny location and have rather large blooms with a beautiful black eye on a 5' tall plant. Around the edges of the pot I used Lantana "Lucky Sunrise Rose" – one of my favorite lantanas, it shows hot rose, gold, and tangerine all at once – changing colors as flowers open and then fade.

This planter is now right beside my front door and it is very eye-catching. The watering can beside it is planted with Angelonia "Archangel Purple" – and it is blooming beautifully. I will post another picture of this once the orange thunbergia has opened as only the yellow is blooming now.



I was originally going to use Begonia "Sparks Will Fly" in this project but decided against because I really wanted to put this table in full sun – Sparks Will Fly needs a bit of shade. I did however go ahead and get one – such an irresistible plant! It is now planted in a pretty teal pottery bowl and sitting on my covered porch. This plant can get to a height and width of 15-18" and really brightens up a shady location.



Well, I am off to mulch again – I do not mind because I have so much fun being outside with my plants – it is so peaceful and relaxing and I am always finding new ideas for things I would like to change or add.

Tonight I am going to try and paint that flower pot that is holding my Portulaca Maraca – I have never painted an unfinished clay pot before so we'll see how that turns out!

by Melody on June 15, 2019

So I thought I would do some updates today on all of the projects I have going.

First of all – my tomato trial: The plants are growing along nicely, they are enjoying the abundant moisture we have received here in the past couple of weeks (over 5" of rain I think) but we have not had a lot of sun. The plants are starting to bloom though and I am so looking forward to fresh tomatoes! The grafted plants (from your left looking at screen) are plants 1 and 3 – the grafted tomatoes are bigger with better foliage cover but as of right now the standard varieties have more blooms. I am going to count how many tomatoes I get off of each plant and will keep you posted. One thing I have noticed is that the grafted plants require more water so I do hope they produce a lot more fruit.



Now in the background of my tomato picture you might have noticed my begonia bed(s). Here is another picture.



Now, the left side of the bed is regular bedding plant begonias, then from right before the second shrub to the third shrub are "Big" begonias, and from that point on are "Whopper" begonias. I used all bronze-leaf varieties in this bed. The bedding plant (Bada-Boom) begonias are really starting to fill in but were planted 3 weeks earlier than the others. The Whoppers are looking small right now but they were much smaller plants to begin with – I bought and planted the Bigs from a 4" pot that were very nice-sized and the Whoppers were barely more than plugs (baby plants) when I got them. I will keep you updated with pictures on how these perform. I also have a second bed of green-leaf Whopper Red and Rose that should start filling in nicely soon. Bada Booms should be 8-10" high x 10-12" wide, Bigs get 1 to 1 ½' tall and wide, and Whoppers are listed at a "whopping" 34" high x 22" wide. I am excited to see which begonias are the most impressive color-wise.

Now on to the secret garden I planted for my grand-daughters. Well, it's still a secret (ha-ha) as they have not been by to find it yet, but I did get it planted. It also has flooded out 3 times in the past 2 weeks but it is still growing. I am trying to find scrap lumber to make them some kind of arbor or entry-way. Here are the pictures; a row of potted dwarf Alberta spruce with some dwarf mondo grass at the entrance, and a corner full of zinnia, celosia, strawflower, love-lies-bleeding, and passion vine at the end. I still need to get them a table and chairs and it wouldn't be a good grand-daughter's garden without a tea-set, but first of all I need some sunshine to get things growing and blooming!




I also wanted to show you a picture of this very simple, but very striking plant – a succulent, Portulaca "Maraca". This particular plant is about three years old now and it is so easy to care for and just so visually exciting – very architectural with the vertical stems and the nearly perfect horizontal presentation of leaves. I just bring it inside in the winter to a sunny window and put it back out in half-shade when it's over freezing. Succulents should never be watered when they are already wet but greatly appreciate being watered right after they dry down; they will survive extended periods of dryness but may lose foliage if they are dry too long.



I have been trying to find the perfect container for this plant, but I think I will just paint the pot it already lives in. I think a two-tone green horizontal stripe (or vertical – haven't decided) will really show this plant off.

Another project I am working on right now involves a little metal table that I have had for years. I love the table but the top is so wavy it is hard to set anything on it – so I am going to "pop" a hole in the top (I am probably imagining this is going to be much easier than it actually will be) and sink in a flower pot with some striking plant. It is going to be on my covered porch so I am thinking of using Begonia "Sparks Will Fly". I first saw this plant last year but did not have a good spot for him – dark bronze foliage with amazing orange blooms – I have wanted one ever since. I will have before and after pictures soon!

by Melody on May 28, 2019

Containers! Oh I love containers... and I make quite a lot of them. This post mainly concerns color of the container although there are a lot of other things to consider such as light exposure and how much you really can water them; containers require regular watering and feed and they can dry out really fast.

Standard terracotta pots are always nice but a nice tomatoey red, bright blue or yellow, pots with colorful designs, and even black pots can really accentuate what you place in them. I always think of container color (and the plants in them) just as anyone would think about color in the home or even in fashion – complementary colors create harmony, monochromatic schemes can be very elegant, colors that create a little "clash" can be very dramatic and visually exciting.

First example – Santa Cruz begonias in a red pot; I can't say enough good things about this plant – doesn't mind sun or shade, takes heat and humidity, and just like most all begonias, does not mind drying out a bit. Blooms are quite large and eye-catching.



A monochromatic planting – shades of red and orange – elegant, draws the eye to a solid matching color. Now the same plants in a bright lime green pot – the effect is still beautiful and just a little more vibrant. The green and reddish orange are harmonious and the brightness of both colors really are dramatic together.



I do not have a finished picture yet but I added Torenia Moon Magenta to this pot to create a little "clash" and a little more contrast and drama. It is hard to describe the color of this Torenia but it is a very vibrant reddish purple and Torenia is a "workhorse" plant for my area of the country – tolerates heat and humidity and way more direct sun than the labels (tags) might lead you to believe. I have seen Torenia blooming like mad in full sun in 95 degrees plus heat. I will add pictures as soon as the pots fill in a bit but here are three matching pots on my front porch as of May 26th.



Now on to bigger mixed "arrangements". This lovely pot has Iresine Blazing Rose, red cordyline, Coleus Beauty of Lyon, and Gaura Belleza Dark Pink as the main focal points and the colors are really set off by the slate blue container. I then placed this pot down into a plum colored container which really blends in with the deeper colors in the foliage. I like both pots – I think the plum colored container is more elegant while the blue really makes the blooms and foliage stand out.





Here is another blue pot – imagine this arrangement in a standard terracotta pot – it would not be as stunning because the blue really highlights the bright greens and yellows of the dianthus, coleus "Wasabi", lysimachia, coreopsis, and duranta.



Here is a very elegant pot – a cocoa brown container really accentuates the silver, brown, and light pink color scheme. This pot contains carex "Red Rooster", euphorbia "Breathless Blush", coleus "Velvet Mocha", gaura "Belleza Light Pink", geranium "Dynamo Light Pink", and calla lily "Samur", as well as dusty miller, trailing silver helichrysum and emerald green triple curly parsley. The foliage of both the gaura and the euphorbia has a lovely brownish-bronzey tint – I love using both of these plants in containers.





I always keep my eyes open for colorful, eye-catching, or simply "cool" containers that I can put plants in – end of season sales, garage sales, thrift stores, and even trash bins (yes I do that!!); You can always find the perfect plant for that idea you have and everything really depends on what mood you want to create – elegant, fun, show-stopping – I really do believe that plants in containers are fashion statements. I make lists of colors: orange (my favorite), yellows, blacks, pinks, silvers, etc. and all the plants that come in those hues and that is where I start shopping and choosing the plants I want to mix in a pot. I'll share more container pictures over the summer as I find or make new ones.  

With all that being said – on to a new project – I planted a bed of regular bedding plant begonias this year (Bada Boom series); well, to be honest, it was actually half a bed. Then I decided, before I finished planting, that I would love to trial the Big and the Whopper series of begonias – these begonias get huge and are supposed to be great in landscapes. So my half-bed is now a full-bed of lovely blooming begonias – the Bada Booms, then the Bigs (next size up), and then the Whoppers. I will watch these all season and see how they perform in the landscape and how they size up in the end.

Also – I finished my granddaughters' secret garden and will have pictures very soon. It is pretty simple, very bright, and I think they'll love finding it!

by Melody on May 22, 2019

Ahh, the wedding is over – I can relax now! I'm going to tell you about the wedding experience... but in a little while... disaster struck (sigh). Happy things first.

As soon as my daughter's wedding was over I could turn my focus more fully onto my own little projects and I found a couple of new ones that have been consuming all of my time. First off – I really hated how the back entrance to my house was making my flower garden look. I did a lot of work camouflaging the chain link fence and planting everything but I still had this horrible plywood mess in full and disturbing view.



Again – the house is not mine; so rather than rip the porch off – I had to come up with a different solution. First I put a big pot in front of it with a banana plant that would grow really big and hide it. But A.) I am really impatient (and the back porch was staring at me) and B.) I found an old wooden door leaning against the side of the garage, and I thought what if.......

So I painted the door to match my bamboo post fence, added a couple of shelf brackets to put a window-box on, and bolted the door onto the side of the porch that faces my flower garden. I planted the window-box with "Bounce" impatiens, which are said to be great in shade or sun and downy-mildew resistant, trailing Lophospermum "Compact Rose", and silver dichondra. So here is my back porch now – not perfect, but I think it is greatly improved.



Once the window-box fills in I will post some more pictures. I have not tried the Bounce series of impatiens before and I am anxious to see how they perform. The garden is starting to fill in and I am very happy with it so far. By the way – the colored glass bottles on the fence posts are part of my attempted solar lighting project.



Now for the second project: I wrote in an earlier post that I wanted to trial grafted tomatoes this year – and now I have them! I bought a grafted Brandywine and a grafted Pineapple tomato and I bought a "regular" un-grafted plant of both those varieties also. I will grow them side by side in containers this summer. Grafted tomatoes are not really designed for container growing as they have a very vigorous root system – but I planted them in very large 13 gallon containers (as I also did with the un-grafted) and after they are growing well I plan on placing those containers into "muck-buckets" without drainage holes to conserve the water.

The black 13 gallon containers should get the tomatoes off to a good start because they will soak up the heat. I also can move them around (with help) to find available sunlight – the lack of a good bright spot in my yard is what prompted my decision to go with a container vegetable garden. I will keep you posted on how well (and if!) this works out for me as well as how the grafted and un-grafted tomatoes perform and produce. Here is a picture of my young veggie garden.



While I was out in the yard scoping out what was growing and not growing I stumbled into a great new project: I am making a secret garden for my granddaughters! The little bit of yard to the side of the garage was totally ignored by me because it was filled with old tree limbs and at least two feet of leaves and debris – but I started poking around (found that old door!!) and then I thought that it is such an out of the way and unnoticed little bit of land – a person (or two very young ones) could easily hide-away back there.

So I cleaned it all out this evening and have a planting plan in the works. This area gets some pretty good afternoon sun in the very back corner so I am going to plant bright zinnias, celosias, lambs-ears (kids love to touch them) and curly parsley, as well as a tomato plant for the girls to take care of. A friend is going to give me a small table and chairs for the girls and I am going to give them a scavenger hunt to help them find their secret garden. Here are the before pictures of the area (after I cleaned it up!) and since I have a three day weekend coming up I am hoping to have some after pictures next week.





Now for the wedding – my daughter was beautiful! My two oldest granddaughters were absolutely perfect flower girls – but most of my flowers, the pallet and the pots, were damaged in transit. My mother, very graciously, came up the evening before and we loaded all the planters in her truck and covered them securely with a tarpaulin, but in the last few miles of the two hour trip her spare tire broke free of its strap, bounced up, and landed squarely in the middle of the tarpaulin; everything was crushed and broken. I was so disappointed and I felt so miserably bad.

We salvaged what we could and decorated the wedding as best we could, but it was a far cry from what I had planned and worked towards. The wedding bouquet, thankfully, was inside my car and survived the trip but everything else was damaged. I ended up giving it all away to my daughter and her husband and some of the guests. All the planters will "come back" and be beautiful; they just weren't for the wedding. I know that someday we will tell this story and laugh – just not yet.

Here is a picture of the bouquet my daughter carried. It turned out much lovelier than I ever expected; asparagus fern, sea holly, wood fern, Dianthus Green Ball, heuchera blooms, eucalyptus, astilbe blooms, ribbon grass, and calla lilies. I wrapped the stems with hosta leaves and tied it with twine right before she walked down the aisle.



Okay – that's it for now! I promised I'd write about container colors this post and I promise I will do that this weekend on my mini-vacation!!

by Melody on May 15, 2019

Time is flying by for me this month – only two days until the wedding and I am experiencing some BIG issues, mostly the abnormally cool weather, which is delaying the rooting in of the plants in the wedding pallet. There is actually a chance of frost tonight so I have all my blankets ready to go. The plants are blooming fantastically but I am a little leery that I will be able to stand the pallet up as a photograph background because of the rooting delay. Here is a picture of the pallet as it is now –



And here is a picture of the three large matching pots.



As you may be able to tell from the above picture I have finally planted most of my flower garden. I placed water-loving plants in the areas that tend to retain standing water, such as the beautiful yellow foliaged grass Acorus Ogon, some brightly blooming cannas, and Alocasia "Calidora"; a very large "elephant ear" plant with upright fan-shaped leaves.

The rest of the garden contains numerous heat and sun-loving annuals: chocolate cosmos, yellow lantana, Patio Blue salvia, Vanilla marigolds, pink hibiscus, and red and pink mandevilla, which I placed next to a climbing support – and the climbing support is...... a lovely old iron bedstead (painted to match my bamboo fence) that I have been storing for more years than I can remember.



I am really, really (fervently) hoping that tonight does not get too cold – everything is blanketed and I hope it all survives this cold snap so I can show you some great progress in the next couple of weeks. We are supposed to be back into the 80 degree range by early week. I also should have some pictures from the display at the wedding by then.

I am working on some of the projects that I have mentioned so far in my posts – my garden lighting is one, but the next post I write will have some good examples of some container projects and how pot color influences how plants look; there are so many beautiful plants that have amazing color variations (in foliage and blooms) that are just never noticed without an appropriately colored pot or companion plant that "brings out" that elusive color. Some plants just "shine" brighter when the pot offers contrast. I have some very fun plants/containers planned.

Finally, today I was in my kitchen this evening and noticed I needed to water a couple of my succulents.... and then I thought "why don't I post a picture of these?"

Here is a picture of what I did with a glass candleholder set and three Haworthia fasciata: this is a great houseplant – requires minimal water and indirect sunlight; mine have been growing in these candleholders (without drain holes) for over two years now and are happily surviving. I think they make a very cute display and I only water them about once a month.



Many succulents thrive as houseplants and are equally happy when they are moved outside for the summer. The key is to acclimate them to outdoor conditions slowly – basically, not subjecting them to extreme shifts in light or temperature too quickly.

Oh, and I now have an email address with Local Grown Plants...you can reach me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

More soon and wish me luck with the wedding!!

by Melody on May 5, 2019

Well, busy, busy, busy, week! I got so much done and I'm pretty happy with most of it.

First, my wedding-pallet is planted now. I packed in the soil and got the plants in place – a few cold nights last week though – so I had to cover everything. Petunias, calibricoa, and phlox can take the cool night temperatures fairly well, but the euphorbia and sweet potato had me worried. Everything made it through it seems. I cut plants back a little bit when I planted them, but should have a good "progress" picture soon – I am seriously hoping anyways – the wedding is less than two weeks away!



I really need to do a post about cutting plants back because many people ask me about the proper way to do this; it can be kind of scary to know when and how to just "whack" off parts of a plant.

I also planted some large pots with the same plant material I used in the pallet; two plum-purple pots and a camel/caramel colored pot. They are filling in very quickly and look like they will be ready in time. I'll have pictures of those soon, as well as some pictures of some other "rustic" planters I have prepared for the wedding.

Now on to my chain-link camouflage project; I bought several (32) five feet long bamboo stakes at a local garden center, painted them bright periwinkle-blue, and tied them with twine to my chain-link fence. I do like the results. The bright color of the bamboo stakes really stands out and draws the eye away from the original fencing.

So (again) a picture of before:



And – a picture of after:



I also could have bought wooden fence pickets and painted them. I very luckily found three dwarf Alberta spruces, a Nikko blue hydrangea, three pink-flowered hibiscus, and some other assorted plants (for very cheap!- yay!!) and planting began today. I should have some great pictures soon. I am also going to add some garden lighting as soon as I figure out how to take some cheap ($1.00) solar lighting stakes apart and put the parts in some colored glass bottles. Maybe it won't work – but I'm going to try.

My daughter asked me to "do" her bouquet also and she wants a lot of foliage in the bouquet rather than flowers. I am very excited about a fantastic plant I discovered that just incorporates foliage and flowers into one great package – Dianthus "Green Ball" – a very striking plant. The plant blooms, but the blooms never color – just an amazing presentation of bright emerald-green flower heads. Here are a couple of pictures of this plant in combination pots.



And again – look at the great height; a great cut-flower for bouquets



I bought a couple of these Dianthus this weekend and I am really excited to use the cut stems in my daughter's bouquets, along with foxtail fern, eucalyptus, and ivy – and then place the plants in my garden to complement the other plant material.

I am having a lot of fun with the wedding plans, but am also very ready for the madness to be over!! More pictures soon!!

by Melody on April 28,2014

Finally, I get to write again! Easter weekend was hectic but very enjoyable – hope yours was enjoyable also.

I got started on my pallet project for my daughter's wedding next month. There are many great pictures of pallet planting ideas on Pinterest, but if you look you will notice that a lot of those planters make "pockets" in the pallet – mine is a bit different. What I envision is a wall of color that, when stood up on end, will be a gorgeous backdrop for my daughter and her husband. I luckily found a "weird" sized pallet; long and narrow instead of the usual square. I actually had no plans to do a pallet planter until I saw this pallet and thought "Hmmm, what could I do with that?"

The first step towards my goal was painting the pallet. I only painted the areas that may be visible after planting; namely the sides and front. I chose a bright periwinkle blue to compliment the flowers I intend to use.



The second step was to cover the back with a barrier (I used a heavy duty weed cloth) to hold the soil in place. I stapled one side down first then pulled it as tight as I could and stapled the other side, and then finished off the ends – again pulling tight and stapling as I went. Tomorrow evening (when I buy more staples) I will reinforce all of the edges. Then the pallet will be ready for the next two steps. First I will pack the pallet very firmly with soil; the soil has been pre-moistened so it will pack in tight. Lastly I will add the plants.





I am going to put a lot of plants in this pallet for two reasons. First, I really want a solid mat of color and second, because I want there to be a lot of roots in there so that the soil will not slide, shift, or settle when the pallet is stood up vertically; roots will hold the soil in place. The pallet will lie on the ground for the initial couple of weeks while the plants get rooted in and then I will gradually start to move it upward so the foliage will drape gracefully down. After that point I will only have to lay it back down to water it – which may be super often given the amount of plant material I'm cramming in there!

I am hoping that after the wedding is over I will be able to use the pallet planter in my flowerbed. I will spade up the ground beneath its final destination, cut some slits in the weed cloth backing so the plants can send roots into the ground, and be able to enjoy that color for the rest of the summer.

I will post pictures of the third and fourth steps of my planter as I go and, very hopefully, I will be able to show you a beautiful finished project.

Upcoming this week (fingers crossed) I am going to start my chain-link fence camouflage project. I bought all my supplies and am ready to go. Several days of rain in store (which we need) but hopefully I'll be able to get one clear day for the painting portion of my project.


Before picture of my very horrible, future (beautiful) garden

I wanted to share a picture with you. There are so many great new petunias out on the market this year but one that really caught my eye is Flash Mob Bluerific – this petunia just glows! I think that in the early evening dusky part of the day this petunia would simply shine – so if you have a patio area that you enjoy in that time of the day this would be a plant worth considering.

by Melody on April 14, 2019

Well, I was so excited to get out in the yard this weekend and get spring finally going – Saturday was 81 degrees and beautiful – but, alas, Monday's forecast has dropped to 48 for a high and 23 for a low....maybe some snow. Sigh. Guess I'll leave my houseplants inside for another week or so.

I did get outside however. This is the perfect time to start pulling weeds (throwing them in the compost pile) and start inventorying what I have available for pots and planning where I can put them and in them. Since I am living in a new house for this growing season I am also trying to gauge where my sunny and shady spots are. This task isn't easily done until the trees leaf out and, of course, the earth's position changes a bit summer to winter; the sun is higher in the sky every day and the shady spots actually change.

This may sound horrible, but it appears that one tree (in my extremely tree-filled backyard) has died and I am pretty happy about it – I might now actually have one sunny spot to grow some tomatoes this summer. Grafted tomatoes have really hit the scene over the past couple of years and I am very anxious to try growing them. Grafted tomatoes take the wonderful flavor of heirloom varieties, such as Brandywine and Mortgage Lifter, and pretty much "marry" them to a different root-stock, which is more vigorous and more resistant to diseases – production of fruit is much higher and tomatoes do not succumb to the diseases that can afflict those heirloom varieties. I want to try growing a "standard" variety of a particular tomato side by side a grafted one of the same variety and see if I am as amazed as some of my gardening friends have been.


Grafted tomato plant, and Mortgage Lifter tomatoes, images courtesy of Burpee Home Gardens

This coming week I am hoping to post the before (well, honestly – the actual) pictures of my main project for the year – turning a 30 x 50 plot of incredibly bad and inhospitable soil into an entry garden. I am not joking about inhospitable; raking the foot of dead leaves off of it today revealed tree stumps, strangely placed concrete "lumps" and numerous, numerous rocks. There was also a rather large cable snaking across the ground so I guess I'd better call somebody before I dig!

Also, my little plot is backed by a chain-link fence. I don't know about you but I hate chain-link fences; so unattractive. I am going to show you how I turn this fence into something more attractive and something that more effectively compliments the plants that I use in my garden. If the fence were mine I'd tear it down, but being a renter means I have to do some camouflage.

Also, and I am so excited about this project, next week (pending the weather forecast) I am starting the floral arrangements for my daughter's wedding which is May 17th. I am making a pallet planter and several large pots – the plants are started, growing, and ready to transplant. I am using several newer varieties of plants, including euphorbia, ipomoea, calibrachoa, and petunias, intermixed with some tried and true plants, such as silver dichondra, dusty miller, and salvia. I have big plans and full liberty to do what I want (Yay!!!) because my daughter does not want one particular color scheme for her wedding.


I love this beautiful pallet planter by Fern at Life on the Balcony.

And, finally, speaking of color schemes – I want to share some pictures in the next few weeks of how the color of a particular container can influence how the plants you place in it present themselves; the color of the pot can drastically change how you view the color of the foliage or bloom.

For container and other garden inspiration while we wait for spring to come back, check out Local Grown Plants' Pinterest Boards. 

That is all for now, but I am so excited to share all my thoughts and ideas with you and I do welcome all of your thoughts and suggestions as well. As the weather warms up we can really get growing!