I’m enchanted with fireflies. Those little glowing bugs that flit around the garden at night. But I have never actually seen one in real life. I can only imagine what they would look like at dusk as you sit outside to enjoy the summer breeze. Over the years I have tried to bring that glow to my garden. Little bits of lights here and there to give the backyard someRead More →
Two years ago, a “freak” summer storm rumbled through our neighborhood. The winds were blowing hard, lightning was fast and furious and rain was pelting down. Then one of our incense cedars came crashing down. I was standing on our deck at the time and almost in slow motion I watched in horror as the tree toppled over. This massive 30 foot tree fell into our neighbor’s yard with anRead More →
Do you have a mason jar collection like I do? I love vintage blue canning jars but I’m not a purist. Modern-day clear jars are perfectly fine to use in my home and I even enjoy the new colored jars. Ball and Kerr are two of the most common jars available today. There are so many ways to use these lovely jars in your home and garden. Here are 10Read More →
This time of year we’re working hard in our gardens and imagining the wonderful show to come. But there is one show that’s already in bloom and I encourage you to take some time to enjoy it. Wherever you live you can find some spring wildflowers in bloom. Try these 6 tips for enjoying spring wildflowers. You might need to take a drive to get to an open area whereRead More →
With the change of seasons comes spring cleaning in our homes and gardens. You’ve been getting your yard and garden spruced up. But now it’s time to tackle the garden shed. Maybe your shed became a dumping ground during the winter months. In the late autumn, you stored all of the garden decor that needed protection during the winter. Then seasonal decorations and holiday gifts got stored in there andRead More →
If you’re a gardener, you know that there are always new things you need to buy for your garden. You need a new rake or a new pair of garden gloves (or 3 or 4). You need to purchase seeds, fertilizer, pots, plant stakes and more. The list seems never-ending as we go about getting our gardens ready in the spring. But we rarely buy the “fun” stuff. So todayRead More →
If you haven’t planted your garden containers yet, it’s time to get planting. Now that the weather has warmed up a bit, most gardeners are in full spring mode. Hopefully, your yard and garden are starting to take shape. You’ve cleaned up the winter debris and you’ve been preparing your flower and vegetable beds. But the quickest way to some spring color in the garden is planting flowers in pots.Read More →
Do you love the look of vintage watering cans and buckets as much as I do? Watering cans are especially attractive in your garden and shed. And buckets make great containers for your plants. But these vintage treasures for your garden are becoming harder and harder to find. So I want to show you how to age a new galvanized container to make it look like it’s been around forRead More →
Have you ever noticed how pretty ranunculus are? Not only do they come in many different colors, but their petals are so light and lacy. They remind me of one of my favorite spring flowers, peonies. They are also called the “rose of spring” because many people think they look like garden roses. This year, I decided to grow ranunculus in my flowerpots. And you can grow ranunculus in yourRead More →
Spring is finally here! For most of us, we can breathe a sigh of relief that this crazy winter is finally over. But winter has left a mess that we’ll need to take care of. As you finally emerge from your dark winter home to walk around your yard, here are a few things that you might notice… downed branches broken tree limbs matted leaves in the flower beds snowRead More →