Are you sick of winter yet and craving some color? Here’s a great 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’s looked pretty bleak… so I’m happy to add some much needed color to this area.
The cleanup revealed all the bulbs coming up! So I thought I’d top up the planter with some compost. I use the kitty litter buckets for everything, they are strong, durable and have a handle. You?
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’s have a lovely scent, even my dog couldn’t help hanging off the truck seat to breath in their heavy fragrance….all the way home as a matter of fact!
Here’s the deal, I try to use as much as I can with what I got. 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 spray painted the curly willow branches from the winter display in green and pink. I did the same colors on a couple of Dollar Store wicker balls that I then stuck onto bamboo stakes and stuck all these into the soil careful not to stab any bulbs.
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’s 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.
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 round 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.
I advise people on gardening as a living. Here in the Pacific Northwest we are blessed with this spongy green carpet and yet people often seek my advice on how to destroy it. I always say…. “So your 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 a garden sign I made, will share how I did it Wednesday’s post, it’s a cute addition and it’s completely handmade with simple or recycled materials. I hung it on the trellis to add height. I made that trellis by the way, I should dig around and see if I still have the design and share that in a future post.
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 and take it a couple of weeks further into spring.
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 too.
Well, I hope that will help kick-start your spring garden….now back to shopping for seeds.
