Spring Cleaning: Your Garden

Start with this year’s latest trends.

Fun and funky pots. Surprisingly repurposed planters. And crazy color everywhere. Whatever you can dream up for this season’s garden goes – and grows.

Pots, pots and more pots
Hang pots full of color, like a living chandelier. Place tiny sedums in clusters around the room. Line up a row of pots filled with tree-like plants to create a natural room divider. Planted pots are the hottest accessories you can have this season!

Grow plants in unique containers

Think way past terra cotta and plant your favorite flowers in whatever you please. Try filling an old whiskey barrel with a simple ivy; plant tall, flowering plants in an old pipe; let ground cover grow out of a group of cinder blocks. The quirkier the planter, the better.

Eco gardening

When building a garden, you want plants that can generally fend for themselves. Always choose plants suited for the specific conditions of your garden. Opt for recyclable pots and give plants a boost with your own compost and chemical-free fertilizers.

Outdoor hideaways

 

Create a seating area (or two) outside by placing colorful garden furniture in a cozy arrangement around a table, chimenea or even a fire pit. Surround your retreat with a variety of textured, large-leaved plants for a feeling of privacy.

Crank up the color

Bold-print planters and large, colorful flowers are all the rage this year. The more color, and the more they clash, the better. Add textured, large-leaved plants and give your garden a new dimension.

Next, grow an inspired garden.

Now that you’ve got all these amazing ideas, it’s time to break out the gardening gloves. Here are a few all-natural ways to enjoy a healthy spring garden.
 

Time to weed

Let your garden run wild during winter? That’s ok, but now it’s time to get in there, pull those weeds and create room for new growth. Turn that space back into your gorgeous getaway!

Prep the soil

First, test your soil. Grab a fistful of garden dirt and squeeze. Does it break down into granules because there’s not enough moisture to allow it to clump? It’s ready! Time to mix in the organic matter and fertilizer.

Water plants – with cooking water

Give your plants a free nutrient boost. They’ll happily soak up the vitamins and minerals left behind in a pot of water used to boiled pasta, vegetables or potatoes.

Use chamomile tea to protect plants

Spraying your plants with chamomile tea a few times a week helps ward off the bacterial and fungal infections that come with springtime.

Put eggshells with your veggies

Grind up your eggshells and throw them in the same hole you plant your vegetables in. This helps plants avoid “blossom end rot” which is often caused by a calcium deficiency.

Garden by the moon

Planting at night can help your garden grow faster and stronger than planting during the day. It also maximizes water usage. And who wouldn’t enjoy some relaxing gardening at night?

With this year’s garden, let your imagination run wild and your hands get dirty. The time you invest now will be rewarded all season long.