Kickstart Your Spring Garden Now

Kickstart Your Spring Garden Now

Are you sick of winter yet and craving some color? Check out the links at the end of the post from the Garden Charmers on our group link up

10 Ways to Catch Spring Fever.

Here’s my way to kick-start your spring garden now while you wait for those bulbs to pop up.

I put away all the outdoor Christmas decor right after New Years, but I left the greens in the planter for some color and to protect the bulbs. After the Tomato Cage Christmas tree’s were removed though, it looked pretty bleak… so I’m happy to add some much needed color to this area.

The cleanup revealed that all the bulbs are coming up! So I thought I’d top up the planter with some compost. Yes, that’s a kitty litter bucket! They are perfect for use in the garden, they are strong, durable and have a handle. They’re way better than most garden buckets out there,

Re-Use – Re-cycle – Re-purpose

I just have to show you a close-up of my compost….look at how rich and fluffy that is! Amazing how this was just a pile of kitchen scraps and yard waste a few months ago.

I am the maker of dirt, hear me roar!

This planter is ready, now let’s get our fillers……

I went to Art’s Nursery here in Port Kells just down the road from me to grab up some primulas. I love this nursery, the staff is super, they have a cute gift shop and the overall layout is easy to navigate. They carry all the bulk landscape materials too…I can pop in and grab a truck load of garden soil or mulch when ever I need it.

Primrose have a lovely scent, even my best buddy Cooper couldn’t help hanging off the truck seat to breath in their heavy fragrance…. he couldn’t stop sniffing them all the way home as a matter of fact!

Here’s the deal, I try to make do with what I have on hand. I could have gone crazy buying viola’s, dusty miller, skimmia’s etc. But I have a bunch of bulbs in there and I’m just looking for a splash of color to last a couple of weeks. So…..

I re-used the curly willow branches from the winter display and spray painted them in bright green and pink. A couple of Dollar Store wicker balls make instant planter picks with a coat of paint then stuck onto bamboo stakes.

I decided that my hot pink tomato cage makes a perfect second tier in a planter when you drop a pot into it….so I covered the pot up with burlap and popped some primrose into it to add some vertical color.

My garden has little critters, mushrooms and oddities hiding in it….like this little yellow froggy who gets to hang out in this planter for spring.

Flowers, moss and terracotta….just a few of my favorite things! You don’t need to go crazy filling every pot you have to make a great display, just use a little soil and some fabulous green moss for instant color. I even left the stem of the now dead plant from last summer in one pot and added moss, it just looked like it belonged there.

Here is my moss rant….listen up!

Why o’ why must we kill it? I actually encourage it’s growth and harvest it all year long from my very own garden! I use it to line my hanging baskets, to retain moisture in my planters in summer, for making terrarium’s and for all my outdoor crafts.

My day job is a manager at a garden centre, I advise people all day long about what to plant, organic practices etc. Here in the Pacific Northwest we are blessed with this spongy green carpet and yet people often want to know how to destroy it.

I always say…. “So you’re looking to have a nice green yard, yes? Something that is low maintenance, blocks out weeds, easy to grow….hmm…..” Makes no sense to me to kill it when you can harvest and use it. None at all!

Moss rant is now over

keep calm and garden on

Here’s the first sign of spring sign I did for this vignette, it’s a cute addition and it’s completely handmade with simple or recycled materials. I hung it on the trellis I made a couple of years ago to add height to this display.

As you can see, I pretty much created this whole project from re-purposing and recycling items I had on hand. Look around your garden shed and think of ways to make something old new again!

I pulled apart the moss to loosely cover the planter as to not interfere with the emerging bulbs. They will soon become part of the display changing it’s appearance over the next couple weeks to make it look even more fabulous’er.

And because it’s a tad….just a tad…. bit early, I cover my pretty primulas with a burlap blankie every night. Often we get mild temps in February only to be reminded that it’s still winter in March. The fact that this display faces south and is under an eave will help protect it too.

Well, I hope that will help kick-start your spring garden. Now back to shopping for seeds and dreaming about warmer days to come.

**** Update ****

Turns out my curly willow branches had some life in them! As of July 15th, these stems decided to put on some leaves. The fresh green against the pink is amazing.

Not a new species… just a bonus

Be sure to check out everyone’s posts for spring inspirations!

10 Ways To Catch Spring Fever With The Garden Charmers

• 4. Jacki Finally; spring! There’s nothing like a garden after that first spring rain… | Drought Smart Plants
• 5. Melissa What’s your garden name? Come find out! | Empress of Dirt

Peace Love Garden

Original article and pictures take www.sowanddipity.com site