Right now, the earth is quiet.  Winter is upon us and there isn’t much going on in our yard and garden areas.  Let’s talk about adding some décor to our stark and barren landscape planters.  If you think it takes a lot of decorative talent to create unusual and inexpensive garden containers then you would be wrong. 

Below we are going to show you examples of simple, easy, and cheap ways to “dress up” your garden pottery that are doable no matter if you have flower arranging skills or not.  So, let’s dive right in.

One great tip for most of these planters is the word “stuff”.  We recommend that this not be the time you skimp on materials.  When you are filling empty planters for winter, you need to fill them with as many decorative items as you can.  The more the merrier is really germane here.  So, stuff them up!

Berry Branches:  A natural yet simple terracotta garden pot is crammed with all kinds of assorted plant materials.  The main theme is dark green and red.  Fill the pot with branches of assorted conifers, graceful cedar, spiky holly, and juniper.  Drape limp branches over the sides and stand stiff sticks in the center to create height and flow.  Once finished with all the greens, place the berry branches with emphasis on different heights.  You don’t need a lot here just splats of color nestled among the branches.  Simple, natural and truly superb.

Feathers & Pods:  A small low-profile planter is filled with all kinds of fun objects with very little emphasis on greens.  The evergreens are almost an afterthought.  Place bundles of cinnamon sticks, pinecones, moss balls, quail feathers inside the garden bowl till it is filled.  Add bundles of dried pots and curly willow around the bundles.  Finish by adding a sprig or two of limp cedar and eucalyptus in and around the bundles.  Just push anything you can find laying in the yard or around the patio into and between the bigger items.  This is planter arrangement is perfect for a patio table or porch area.

Wire Sphere & Twinkle Lights:  This winter garden urn is for the person who wants elegance for little fuss.  Any empty planter works great for this look.  Purchase a wire sphere from any craft store.  String little twinkle lights around it and that is pretty much it.  Make sure the home and garden urns are placed near an electrical outlet or that one is located close by.  Plug it in and you have an imaginative, impressive and really inexpensive decorative vase.

Winter Window Box Planter:  Another really easy idea to copy.  Take green spruce or graceful cedar branches and start on the outside and front first.  Place the branches inside the planter with the ends sticking out the side and draping over the front of the window.  Then add the top and center, following the same thing.  Just keep sticking branches in until you get the look you want.  Once all branches are mixed together, they will create a woven pattern which helps to keep them all from moving.  Then top them off with a few branches of pussy willow. It adds softness and texture to the overall window box.

We hope these few ideas can help you to create artistic garden planters for your porch, patio, home or garden areas.  Just because it’s pretty sparse outside doesn’t mean you can’t dress it up a bit!  Share your thoughts below. We love to hear from you!

How to prep your garden containers for Fall

It’s much easier to turn a spent Summer garden container into a Fall planter than you think.  Just follow some easy tips provided below and create wonderful Fall planters.

Don’t leave your entryway garden containers empty this time of year.  Now is perfect for seasonal color and rust grasses.  Evergreen foliage will add life to any type or style of landscape container.  When you visit your local garden center you should see lots of Fall colored mums.  Bright yellow, orange and reds, deep burgundy, purple and gold.

Simply by adding a center mum and surrounding it with pumpkins, gourds and succulents you can create a wonderful Fall planter that will take you into winter and welcome your guest with warmth and beauty.  Plant rustic grass in the center of a terracotta planter then surround it with ornamental kale and cabbage with dark deep greens and purple leaves. 

Instead of just planting typical green houseplants in your entryway planters how about herbs like cilantro, thyme and oregano?  They can all handle the cooler weather.  Plant trailing ivy, gold mums and red flowers in your garden container of choice and then set pumpkins and gourds around the outside of the pot.  You don’t even have to plant anything.

Try mixing dark purple and deep green of kale and cabbage and fill around the outside of the pot with mini WHITE pumpkins and create a purple and white display of color. Stunning & elegant!

One tip that you can never fail at it to over stuff your pottery. Mix lots of plants, greens and ornamental items without space between them.  This creates a full and colorful display.  By using a neutral based color planter like terracotta or taupe you can mix tons of colors in the pot and they will all look grand.

You have seen more than enough articles and blog posts on how to grow herbs, veggies and succulents.  Now that the public is becoming more health aware they are potting up and growing their own food and edibles.  Here are some easy and fun tips for growing Wheat grass.

Wheat grass is a flavorful way to get more greens into your diet.  By planting a tray of it you will always have this healthy option close at hand.  Here’s how…

Start by selecting a shallow container.  Bonsai dishes, oval and square garden planters, garden bowls and wok planters all work with great success.  You don’t need a deep flowerpot or tray to grow wheat grass since the seeds are not buried but lay on top of the soil to grow.

Purchase seeds from your local garden center.  Fill the garden pot with soil mix about 1” deep.  Gently compress the soil mix in the planter.  Water soil till moist but not dripping wet.  Cover about half the planting area with seeds but try to make sure they don’t touch.  Lightly compress the seeds into the soil.  Cover the pot with a lid or upturned plant saucer.
 Check the potted seeds and moisture twice a day.  When seeds germinate, remove lid and place the flowerpot in a warm indoors area where there is sun.  Check daily for water moisture.  Harvest with scissors any wheat grass that is 6’ high.  The wheat grass will grow back a second time after harvesting.  

When spent, toss everything into the compost pile and start over with a cleaned out flowerpot.

Suggestions:  Juice the grass, blend the whole grass in a smoothie, add to a salad mix or to any soup dish.

Eggshells as pest control by GetBusyGardening.com

Saw this and thought it was a great tip for gardening.  Everyone knows how to use egg shells crushed up and mixed into potting mix as a natural fertilizer.  The nutrients in the shells act like a natural fertilizer for your garden pottery and planters.

Well if you have ever had issues with flea beetles eating your growth then here is a natural and simple way to stop them.  Diatomaceous earth is a known organic pesticide which is basically fossilized remains of creatures that are ground into a fine powder.  It gets under the shells of beetles and acts like bits of glass to cut them up and kill them.

Ground egg shells work the same way.  If you eat lots of eggs and most folks do, this should be an easy DIY garden project.  Prepare shells by cleaning them if they are dirty. If not dirty then don’t bother.  Make sure they are dry and don’t skip this step.  Just lay them out on a paper towel for a few days.

Once completely dry, ground them into a powder using a coffee grinder.  Once ground use the powder right away. Store the remaining eggshells or ground shells in a Tupperware container in the garage or a cool dark place.  Sprinkle the powder directly onto the leaves and pests.  The bugs may not die away but they will eventually so don’t worry if they fly away.

It is recommended that you don’t sprinkle all over your garden.  This avoids killing all the beetles even the good ones.  This is where potted plants come in.  You can also sprinkle on the tops of your garden planters surrounding the potted plants and keep the plant healthy without spreading the egg shells all over the garden.  Perfect!

With your life so busy, you may ask “Why would I want to grow my own Ginger?”  Well, by potting up your own you are sure there are no pesticides or other harmful ingredients added to the potting soil or water.  And, it saves money.  If you start using more ginger then you can save some real money by growing your own in flowerpots.

First thing is to select a garden container or planter to use for potting.  Since Ginger grows horizonally we suggest a wide pot.  Garden Bowls or wok styles are perfect.  Just make sure the planter is wider then deeper and has good drainage.  Use rich potting mix that allows good drainage. This is not the time for heavy soil that will cause root rot.

Next go to the store and find ginger pieces that have new growth buds on them if possible.  This little bud will grow between the large arms.  If there aren’t any then buy what the store offers anyway.  Once you get it home, soak in water for 24 hrs to remove growth inhibitor, and dirt.

If no buds on the ginger, place in a window until buds start sprouting.  Could take a couple of days.  Then place the piece of ginger in potting soil and cover with an inch of soil.  You don’t need to pack it all the way to the top of the planter.  Leave some room for watering.

Place the garden container in indirect sunlight indoors because it doesn’t like wind or direct sun.  Water regularly, making sure soil is damp but never soggy.  It takes months to grow so be patient.  It ranges from 3 to 8 months where you can start to pull of sections of the plant to use.  And if you want you can even transplant them into other garden planters and give as gifts, to neighbors or co-workers.

Ginger is so healthy.  Just google it and you will be amazed at the healing properties.  Use in smoothies, tea, oatmeal and on most food where it adds a delightful taste.  Ginger can be grated, sauteed, sliced, julienned and used on most all food groups.

If you don’t have a favorite basket that you no longer want indoors or if you need to purchase baskets to turn into garden planters, then look no further than a thrift store or garage sale.  Most folks have them already laying around because they make the most wonderful ways to organize all kinds of household items.

Like with any flowerpot start by thinking about what you want to pot.  Are you into houseplants or colorful flowers.  Do you need a small basket planter for a table-scape or will this stand alone holding a large tree or shrub?  Is the baskets pretty worn looking and could use a touch of color or is the beauty of the rattan lovely in it’s natural state?

Start by painting it or not. Then the most important step is to spray a couple of coats of a protectant clear sealer.  This will help the basket to last longer and is a very inexpensive step to follow.  If you don’t want to pot directly into the basket you will need to line it with a garbage bag that is cut to fit.  If the basket pot has a tight weave you can plant directly into it.  Make sure the bag doesn’t show at the top.  You want to poke a few drain holes in the bottom of the bag.

Next add some pea gravel, rocks or pot shards to the bottom.  This helps with the basket planter drainage and to hold the basket down if it gets windy outside.  Follow the rocks with potting mix but only fill about 2/3 full.  Because you will need room for the plants and don’t want them all the way to the top of the basket container. 

Lastly, once the plants are potted, you can add some more soil to cover the roots but don’t pack to hard and don’t fill the basket to full and you should be good to go.  Display this lovely basket planter on the porch next to the front door, on the patio on a table or anywhere you want some texture, color and beauty.