Easter Holiday Tablescape

Make your dining room table look spectacular this Easter Holiday Season.  All you have to do is plant a low container, bowl  or better yet an Easter basket with an assortment of different Easter spring flowers such as the Easter lily, spring bulbs, a soft maiden hair fern and a few colorful foliage plants such as the Rex begonia.  For fluff and filler add Easter basket straw that comes in an assortment of colors.  Then add your Easter eggs and even a chocolate bunny for fun. 

Happy Easter!

The Basics in Outdoor Winter Chores

Tis the season to get your winter chores done.  If you need to control the size of your crepe myrtles then this is the time to give them a pruning.  Remember not to murder your poor plants, but instead,  as we have done in the Weather Garden, give them a light cut here and there.  Pruning crepes does help produce larger clusters of flowers. 

This is also the time to give your ornamental grasses a hair cut.  Trim these guys back about 8 inches from the ground.  You can actually trim back any type of plant right now as long as it is not a spring bloomer.  So stay away from Purple Fringe shrubs and azaleas.  I would go ahead and prune back any evergreens that need a haircut as well.  I prune back my holly trees every 3 years so they say full and thick and thus less winter damage.

Lastly, remember to re-bark your beds for that final touch!  Come on into Botanica Gardens if you want my staff or I to give you any one on one pointers!

What's New and Fresh in Home and Garden Accessories

Let lifestyle  transform your front porch and patio into something magical without using plants.  I have searched high and low to find great accessories to enhance your home.  Sometimes the simplest things can change an outdoor space, for example, outdoor pillows or even welcome mats.  I have found some new soft and colorful pillows that can change a drab chair or bench into something fresh and inviting.  Make sure that whichever pillows you choose for outside are made to be outside! Outdoor pillows don't last forever so each year or two you will need to refresh.  Another important tip is to change out your pillows for the seasons to create a new look year round. 

Don't forget to put out a welcome mat.  Make sure the mat reflects your personality.  If you like cats then get a welcome mat with a cat theme!  Have fun with it and dare to be different.  You'll want colorful mats that will put a smile on your visitors face.  A word of caution, the natural fiber mats fade rather quickly and wear and tear will enhance the process.  I offer a new line that is made from rubber, you can find them at my store, Botanica Gardens.  They are durable, are great for indoor and outdoor use, non-skid, anti-microbial, and hypoallergenic.  And are they vibrant, colorful, and unique in design.  It can be that simple to transform your space.

Outdoor "Salad Bowl"

With spring just around the corner, the weather is warming up a bit and it's perfect for growing your own outdoor "salad"!  Just take any large shallow pot and fill with some good potting soil.  Now plant an assortment of different types of lettuce.  Always add color for impact by mixing in a few pansies and other spring flowers.  Add some salad utensils for the perfect outdoor display.  This potted container looks great displayed on a outdoor table in the sun to semi-shade.

Bon appetite.

From Winter Blues to Spring Fever

Yellow is a color that seems to take away the winter blues.  So, bring some "spring fever" to your home this Easter.  You can achieven with a indoor arrangement created from fresh daffodils and other spring flowers.  Simply take a large bowl (no drainage holes) and place in the center of the bowl, a potted daffodil plant.  The Tete Tete daffodil is a miniature variety and is PERFECT for the center of our floral arrangement.  You can find these potted bulbs at Botanica Gardens or other floral shops.  Then all around the potted daffodil, arrange an assortment of mixed cut daffodils and other flowers,  Gerber Daisies work great! You can gather them from your your yard or your neighbors or get them from your local florist or even your local grocery store!   Decorate with an assortment of Easter eggs and festive decorations around the bowl for that perfect Easter look.  ENJOY!

 

Easter Decorations

With Easter less then a month away and this is the time to collect all of your Easter goodies at the store before they are gone.  If you are visiting family or friends this Easter then I have the perfect Easter gift idea for you to bring.  For that matter, its a perfect gift for yourself.  All you need to do is take an Easter basket and line the basket with plastic.  Now fill the basket half way with light weight pine or orchid bark.  Then go and visit your local Pets Mart (remember, this is for you to keep outside) and buy live grass in pots .  They usually sell 4 inch pots (for cats to nibble on) at the cash register area.  Plant the basket with several 4 inch pots.  Now just tuck into the planted  grass a Terra-Cotta bunny or any kinda of bunny.  Then add a few artificial Easter eggs.

Now you have the perfect Easter decoration to enhance your home or someones home you care about.

Easter Greetings

Its always fun to greet your guest at your front door with the perfect Easter arrangement.  Take a large container or even a big basket, and fill with a medium soil.  Then take three halves of the plastic Mega Egg you can buy at any craft store.  Cut the edges of each halve to look like it has cracked open. Then plant each half with seasonal spring flowers.  Tuck these 3 halves into the soil in the container and then use green sheet moss to feel in the empty spaces around the Mega Egg halves.  What a way to say welcome to  your family and friends!