~ Summer Gardening and Succulents

It's been a race to get the flowers in the ground before the worst of the heat is here for the summer. Since today and tomorrow it is supposed to hit 96 to 97 degrees, I tried  to finish up with all those little pretties who convinced me to bring them home when I went to the nursery and garden center. 

Along with the flowers and annuals, I like to add some flowering succulents. The succulents lend the beauty of their green leaves, and are so little work, so they have become a staple of gardening. And the fact that you can find some that either have really pretty blooms or in the case of the lovely stonecrop, its fabulous bright green works so beautifully with the greens of coleus and sweet potato vine.

Have a wonderful weekend!

See Y'All Soon~

~ Happy Flowers & Gardening Weekend!

The heat is setting in  quickly here. Of course it usually does this time of year, but since we had a brief heat spell and then a slight cool down, the new round of heat seems a bit hotter and sooner arrived than usual. The dance of finding the right flowers in April and May was much the same again. When it is a tiny bit cooler, it is the perfect time to start planting but the flowers aren't in the nursery or big box stores yet. As soon as it hits 90*, sure enough, the plants are there and we are ready to wilt in the heat even before the plants get in the ground. None the less, it is a dance well worth working at and we just hope we get a bit better at it each year. 

The last month or so all my energy has been filling the kitchen side courtyard with flowers That often means a lot of annuals, which a swear I won't "waste" the money each year. Seasoned gardeners will always say to spend the money on perennials instead. Mostly I agree, but a pretty little lovey wearing an annual tag will reel me in every time if the color and shape is perfect for my mood that day. And so the dance will probably continue for many, many more years if I'm very lucky. 

This is a little look at what is in the raised berm in the courtyard this year. Many of the tried and true friends from past years. They sometimes have the same companions, and sometimes they get a new friend or whole group to try on the colors with. 

In the front it starts out with Lime Green Sweet Potato Vine and the Dark Purple, Blackie Sweet Potato as well. There are Fan Flowers growing between them which will show pretty purple flowers as soon as it catches up with the length of the vines.  To the right of the Blackie, is Stonecrop, and some Pink Zinnias.

Above the vines are planted  (from the left) Torenia, also called the Wishbone, Angelonia in white and lavender. The middle and back has White Pentas (the tall ones), Caladiums, and the beautiful deep purple Persian Shield, which is a tender perennial. 

Behind the caladiums and Mystic Spires Salvia. And there is a taller yellow blooming bush behind that. 

The work now is to keep it all watered and to accept that some of these annuals cannot make it through the whole summer with our extreme heat. I hope your gardening adventures are going well!

See Y'All Soon~

~ Milk Glass & Succulents and a Little Green for Spring

The Spring Equinox! It always brings out that longing for the green of Spring and Summer. The heat will be here soon enough, so I'm not trying to rush Summer. It does however make me want to bring more green inside for a little while.

Milk glass is one of those old fashioned goodies that I wish I had seen the beauty of years ago.  But in the past, there was so much of it at the thrift shops, it made it seem just to grandma-like for my taste. Whatever pieces I used to have were long ago given to the Goodwill. In the last few years however I have picked up some here and there if it had really nice lines. Today, you can think of so many ways to incorporate this simple and beautiful white glass into your style even if you haven't quite embraced the grandma style. The lines of the ruffled pieces are so beautiful.

I'm still experimenting with succulents inside the house. They are so extremely easy to grow outdoors, but are a bit more difficult to grow indoors. The ones on the chest right by the window are doing very well. This one  is sitting on the coffee table further away from direct window light. So we will see how it does with less light that the other plants get. For many years I always had house plants, and just got away from tending them because there was plenty of work to keeping the ones outside alive and well.  Now it's one of those things that I miss having so I'm looking for some easy to keep green lovelies this year. 

Also some green pillows are on the sofa at the moment. What is easier that changing out pillows with the seasons! Since pillow covers are so inexpensive and easy to make, just this simple change can keep your interiors looking fresh to you. 

Again after ignoring milk glass for a while, I fell in love these ruffled bowls. Instead of too old fashioned, they actually look quite modern to me.  They remind me of some of today's lovely blown glass art pieces.

I'll let you know how all these succulents do inside. They may need a bit more attention than I seem to give indoor plants. I also brought in some bromeliads from the gardens, after washing them very well, which are doing fabulous. They are air plants after all, so other than giving them too much attention, they should be very easy to keep inside.  So far all I did to them is stick them in a container, pretty them up with a bit of moss, and remember to water  the little "cup" in the center before it gets dry. Now anyone can do that!

See Y'All Soon~

~ Decorating with Succulents & Silver and How To Create a Succulent Dish Garden

It's a great time of the year to bring in a little touch of the garden. After the extreme winter

so many have seen this year, wouldn't a little touch of living green add some warmth?!

You can grow succulents in any number of containers, and silver is a

really pretty choice. Complemented with white, the silver

adds a bit of reflective light and show offs the rich green.

Sitting on a dark gray-brown honed marble top,  

the  simple Mercury glass candle holders are the perfect 

vessel for some small succulents. 

You could use vintage silver pieces as well. Just be aware that

moss, dirt and plants actually touching the silver can damage it.

Old silver pieces used to be so inexpensive and easy to find 

at Goodwill and thrift stores, but the  prices have certainly changed

since blogs have come along. Some days you can

still get lucky and find a few silver pieces at a decent price.

Succulents thrive where other plants would simply 

give up and turn brown. Put them near a sunny window, let them 

have some breathing room, and do not over water them! 

I planted them exactly the same as I showed in a previous post.

 You can click on the picture below or click 

HERE :: How To Create a Succulent Dish Garden. 

for the full instructions.  

The only difference for these was that I lined the containers with some plastic

wrap, then insert the succulents which I had planted in small peat pots. 

The plastic goes around the outside of the  peat pots, so when you water,

it will keep the moisture away from the silver.

Even if you can't keep the plants alive and well for years, you should be able

 to enjoy them for a few months. Or just before they begin to look a bit on the worn out side, 

 take them outside and bring in some of  new succulents that have been outside instead.

 Rotating the plants will help keep them all healthier.

See Y'All Soon~

~ Potting Bench ~ Garden Shed ~ Create & Recycle

A little revisit to the potting bench area:

I love updates to see how things are progressing in the garden. In this case, the lovely potting area has gone to pot! All puns intended. With the heat of summer, I haven't been out starting too many young plants and Sweet Hubby seems to have found the perfect place to kind of dump all the gardening stuff. Temporarily of course. So I'm looking at these pretty pictures just to enjoy and remind me I have another area of life to get organized! Absolutely NO updated pictures from this table until maybe.... who knows when! But that little succulent dish garden really stood the test of time.

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Outdoor furniture! That's what wood shelves and other building elements are when they become a space to pot your plants and other gardening activities. Whatever you would like to call it, a potting

CONTINUE READING

~ How to Create a Succulent Dish Garden ~ Tutorial

Making a succulent dish garden is one of the easiest garden projects you will ever do. And it is so rewarding for instant gratification, and months or years of enjoyment. The one above is a few months old. It sits in a semi-shade spot and I water it occasionally if it hasn't rained in a while.

1. Select a container at least 4 inches deep.

This terracotta dish is only about $5, and is really perfect for succulents. You want a shallow dish but one that is at least 4 inches deep. You can find these at Home Depot, Lowe's and garden -  nursery centers.

2. Purchase various succulents in small pots.

(Of course you could use cuttings, but this takes longer and more patience.) These vary in price from the smaller peat pots starting at about $2 and then up for the size and type of plant.

3. Cover the bottom with gravel

4.  Then add cactus potting soil.

5. Moisten the soil before adding the plants.

6. Plant each succulent to the same depth it was in its pot.
......
Do not water again until the soil is dry.

Because we have so many days above 90* in the summer,
I do give my succulents a sprinkle about once a week.


Just as with any gardening, look for colors and textures
so you will have a more beautiful combination.

A wonderful bonus is that some succulents have very pretty and vibrant flowers.

Not usually very large, but pretty none the less.

There is no need to water again when starting your dish garden if you began with moist soil. The garden can go without water much more easily than adapting to too much water or rain.


The cuttings should be allowed to sit and dry a bit before starting them in soil. Then they like a constant lightly moisten soil to root before they will be like the grown plants which need much less water.



The stonecrop succulent in the hanging basket is an example of a really pretty succulent that can take a bit more water and be use with other plants that require more water. It is the pretty spiky plant spilling over the edge.

If you go through a very rainy period, then move the dish gardens where they are able to stay dry or do as we do, cover them with a tarp.  In the winter, they do need to be brought inside or sheltered when the temps go below 45* or so. In warmer climates like ours, they can stay outside all year long.

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Growing succulents indoors can be a bit trickier.
* They need a lot of light and they also like a hot and dry environment.
Be sure to turn them so that the entire plant receives the same amount of light.
* A terracotta container works great since it breathes and can let the soil dry easier.
* They need special cactus soil. They don't do well in plain sand. I have cheated and mixed
some regular potting soil with nutrients with my cacti soil, and it has been fine though.
* Water thoroughly with lukewarm water, and then let them dry between water waterings.
* When you take them back outside, don't put them in full sun right away. They can get sunburn

Lots of good info for growing them inside and outside here at Desert Gardens.

For some stunning pictures and ideas
for growing succulents visit my
friends at Atelier de Campagne
and this post showing some beauties.
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See Y'All Soon~

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Click on the pictures below to visit The Decorated House Shop!

~ How To Create a Faux Cement Paint Finish ~ Urn & Succulents Gardening

Pretty succulents
growing in a covered area on the small porch landing by the back door,
in a "new" faux cement urn, made from an old plastic pot.

Update: June 2013
It's been  exactly a year, and the urn has been on a cover porch area
 and it looks exactly like it did when it was first done.
The only changes have been keeping the plants to a nice size.
The aloe grew very largeand has been cut back.
The other succulents have been
clipped as need, but all are doing well!
I have some other containers which were more open to the elements,
and they look great and have just "aged" more with the rain
and humidity.

Come Back Soon for more
Reader's Favorites.
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After going without rain for some time and spending so much time watering to keep all the pretties alive, we had a few days of non-stop rain. Another downpour early this morning, before the plants could dry out even a little from the last few days. Mother Nature teaches us patience or why it's good to buy plants where there is a one year guarantee.

Click on Link Below for the Instructions:

CONTINUE READING

~ Green Envy - The Lovely Kind

Looking around blogland it's sometimes easy  to be a bit envious isn't it?   It can get to me sometimes as well. But for me I am yearning for your flowers, plants and gardens. I'm always pushing the zones. Wanting to grow something

CONTINUE READING

~ Succulents in Summer Bloom

When it is summer time I'm really craving blooms outside. Although I have a reawakened love of some succulents it is one of the ones from the past that I long snubbed as too easy or boring or whatever I mistakenly thought that is really making a splash right now.  It's the simple portulaca. I have no idea why it hasn't been used more in our flower garden over the last few years. I think it was because not too many succulents of any kind were invited to our garden parties.  This year though, the lowly portulaca are the perfect complement to the other succulents. Not only do they bloom without too much maintenance all summer long, but their blossoms really enhanced the beauty of the smaller blooms of  the same color on the other succulent. No idea what the name of that one is since they are all kind of new to me in the last couple of years and they all get that succulent around here still. I think they are here to stay though. 

The pots above are newly planted this year. I had neglected the ones from last year a little too much, and had to redo them, but only a little. Just needed some restructuring of soil and plant sizes. 

For some tips on making your own succulent dish garden check out this post. 

I'm sewing right now while it's so hot outside. Although sewing is never on my list of fun things to do, hopefully the summer will see some projects done inside while those pretty flowers dance outside. And I hope all your flowers are having a great summer  as well.

See Y'all Soon~
Donna

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~ Blossoms of the Night

This is one of those totally fantastic things in nature that you feel lucky to see. And they do look like there are straight out of a fantasy landscape when you see them up close. About this time year,

CONTINUE READING

~ Succulent Dish Garden ~ How-To, Tutorial

We are still working outside right now, and one of the last things to do is to freshen up some of the succulent dish gardens, or make new ones. My love affair with many of these succulents continues. I guess I just never saw many of these in my early years of gardening or plants like mother-in-laws tongue didn't hold much interest for me.

So even though this is a repeat, you might enjoy it again, or for the first time.

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Making a succulent dish garden

CONTINUE READING

~ Update the Instant Garden ~ Fast Growing Summer Border ~

Click on link for an update on The Instant Garden.

(The last post didn't update in feedburner.)

The above picture is for semi-shade summer gardening,

with lots of watering.   

See Y'All Soon~

Donna

~ Instant Garden ~ Fast Growing Summer Border ~ Update

Here's an update for 2012:

This proved to be really a perfect little spot of flower garden. As had been the case previously, the Purple Coneflower did very will for about half the summer. As before, the combination of very dry to very wet with a short span of days, was too much for it. At least in this particular spot, though I have tried it in other places of the yard as well. So this year I probably opt for getting that same color with another flower and getting the look of the flower with an African Daisy.

Of course the Pentas, Purple Buddy,  Bush Daisy, Purple Fountain Grass, and Purple Heart did exactly as expected. They can take the heat with good watering, the bloom all summer long. The Mystic Spires Blue Salvia also lasted the the whole summer into fall. It is considered an annual but many slavias come back or re-seed. This area received not tender loving care over the winter, and the salvia did not come back. But it probably would have if it had been better care during the winter.

For 2012, I will definitely be using the same flowers that I mentioned above that did so well. That border was planted in the heat of May and somehow it happens to be May already! Time to get to it.

Here is the original post with before and after shots. The flowers have been in the ground a couple of weeks at the most in the pictures. The biggest difference was the green sweet potato vine took over everything, much to my delight. 

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 When we began redoing all of the backyard in the fall 2010, the best thing to do was concentrate on shrubs and the foundation things that would be there for a very long time. It was a good idea. The only problem was that the whole area had been flower beds with no grass before we made a very big change to the backyard. I really missed the punch of color and flowers.  As the warm weather came around we were shopping for  mulch and rocks and of course you guessed it .... those little lovely flowers kept jumping out and saying buy me, buy me. I missed the flower beds, but I was trying to fight the addiction for them. Not very well though.

So as not to get too carried away, I removed just three sections of landscaping in three different areas, two in sunny to very sunny and one in semi-sun environment to make way for 3 small flower areas. I had just found an article that I had saved from P. Allen Smith about a fast growing border. It was just too much encouragement to resist. Especially when I saw his background included one of my favorite plants of color, the Purple Fountain Grass. So off I went to look for a few good flowers

I haven't had great luck with the Purple Coneflower in the past. We can get days and days of rain, and I think it just doesn't like wet feet. Of course I bought it anyway, because I can't resist a pretty face.

The yellow Bush Daisy over on the right and in the middle of the bed, is a very easy one to grow. The tall Mystic Blue Spires Salvia has the most fabulous true blue. More blue than many of the salvias I've grown before.

That bright green Marguerite Sweet Potato Vine always does very well. It can take the heat and sun as long as it has plenty of water, which can mean daily if we have no rain that day. The Blackie Sweet Potato is in another area, although it is the perfect companion color with the lime great. Instead I stuck some Purple Heart in for more purple color.

Most of these were purchased in gallon size pots, expect for the Pentas and Purple Buddy. It's an instant garden for someone who can be a bit impatient this time of year of color. It also is fast growing and will be much more filled in within a short time.

Now to keep them all alive and watered through the long hot summer! None of these should need replacing though. They all should make it through this year and into next if they are tended to. Just more time out watering every morning.
(Read at the top for update.)

See Y'All Soon~
Donna

~ Summer Garden Colors

The warm temperatures came early this year, and came with the promise of much needed rain. The rain never came even with a prediction of 100% chance. And then temps made Florida cooler than Denver, but just for a couple of short days. You just have to roll with the schedule that Mother Nature gives you sometimes, and hope that your plants can hang on as well. 

The window boxes got planted along with a few of the large pots. I don't think I've changed colors much in several years. Whatever colors feed your soul just keep calling you back again.  The sweet potato vines in both the margaurite lime green, and the blackie deep purple, are so easy to grow and their colors and vine habits are so perfect for a window box as well as a ground cover.  They are also fool proof for propagation. Just stick any clippings you have in water and they will grown roots easily and be ready for the garden in no time.

The lighter purple to lavender flowering plant in the front is also a vine and is called scaevola. The back area has angelonia, which will get a bit taller, along with the white pentas.  All of these will take lots of sun as long as they are kept watered. This box should last through the rest of summer.

Mostly we have been reworking the front planting beds. Grass suffers drastically down here high temperatures and lack of rain. When we first sodded out there, it rained for 5 or 6 days with no break. Of course that caused a lot of it to die from fungus due to too much water. And that is the cycle we often have to grow with, too much heat - not enough water, then too much water. It can be tough to find plants that will do well with heat, drought and too much water! But we still try to coax the little lovelies to do their best and be a part of our garden.

See Y'All Soon~
Donna

~ June - White Flower Pots With Lots of Color

The urns have been dark and light, and now they are white antiqued with gray. I'm liking them very much in their latest incarnation. More of my favorite flower and plants combinations, blackie and marguerite sweet potato vines flowing over the edges with the same colors being repeated in the coleus and Persian shield. The dark pink pentas reflect the colors also found in the coleus, and those tiny blue and purple flowers are so wonderful with the larger purple plants.

These sit on wood columns in the front of the house. They are such a nice addition for a little curb appeal. All of the flowers will last through the whole summer and most will winter over as well. As long as I can keep them watered until some rain comes.

They were planted about 3 weeks ago. To speed them up a little bit, I purchased the green sweet potato vine at the nursery and pulled the black/purple from the backyard. The coleus were both small and a couple of gallon size. All of these lovelies grow quickly which makes them favorites of this impatient gardener. And they do well in part sun, if you have the time to keep them watered! And that is everyday for us if there is no rain.

See Y'All Soon~
Donna

~ Small Space Gardening ~ Kitchen Courtyard Before & After

It's done!

When you saw this picture last, the work on the new garden area was just getting under way. This was before, which doesn't seem so bad right here.

There were a few reasons for a complete makeover, but the one thing that started it all, one of the most important reasons, was the need to fence it in completely because Cody Pup was (is) such an escape artist and we live on a corner with traffic on one side. Since Cody thinks running as fast as he can without looking first is great fun, it was scary to think he might get out the door by accident, or by his planning.

Also the ground had become lower towards the house which is not a good thing. So all the planted area closest to the house had to be dug out, and the dirt moved and leveled better and draining towards the the gravel pathway.


The second big reason was just the simple fact of wanting it to be looking really good again. We took apart the landscape stone wall on the berm and rebuilt it. Roots and settling over the years had made it no longer level, and it just bugged me enough to fix it. Not a big change, lots of work, but I'm happy we did it.

We added a second archway to mimic the one that was towards the front of the house. Then added gates to each archway.

There also was a French drain under the gravel path and it needed to be redone after the several years it had been there. This was a big job, taking out the old one, moving most of the stones, and re-digging the trench and gravel pathway. So before we knew it, we were in the middle of really taking almost everything out and starting from scratch. Picking up all those pebble rocks used previously was as much work as digging up any plants. But Sweet Hubby just got to it, and never complained that I was undoing and redoing something .... again.

It's fenced in on all sides now with new gates at each end. Just perfect for when Cody wants to come out and help me garden. He's great at digging, fetching the plastic pots the plants come in, but not too good at planting anything yet.

See Y'all Soon~

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~ Garden Potting Bench

Is this just the best use of old junk you've seen in a long time? Kirk (kirkus in WA) posted this on Garden Web last year and it popped up when I searching for ways to incorporated architectural finds/junk in the new little potting bench - arbor Sweet Husband is building right now. I have to say this was absolutely my favorite potting bench I found. If you click on the picture it will take you to his post where he shows the bench before, and he talks about how he created it.

Kirk on GardenWeb shows how he built this fabulous Potting Bench!

Restoration Hardware had the one above for about $900. I think you could make something like this one fairly easily. I'm surprised I didn't find any pictures of people making their own knock-offs. One thing that was not easily noticeable on it was that it had no back. This is the gray wall behind it showing through the shelves.

My taste fluctuates greatly between a love for such clean lines of the RH and then the fun scroll delights of Kirk's.

This one is very functional. I love the pull out bin for potting soil. I looks like it has a container inside of it. Good idea.

A simple vinyl one. Of course this would look great with the pvc fencing, and would last a very long time as well.

The one "we" are building is much smaller than the previous garden potting shed. But it will still be functional and I hope half as cute as Kirk's. I'm off to see what old junk I have put away in the sheds, even though I don't remember having anything as pretty as those old scroll brackets.

~ Gardening ... I'm Done.... Really ....

Semi-shade. Morning sun only.

The heat is setting in and keeping everything watered enough is takes time. The mister irrigation is up and running in the front yard, but needs a good amount of tweaking. Rain was predicted, but seeing what has happened in the states hit by tornadoes certainly makes it silly to complain that the rain didn't come further south. My heart and prayers go out to those who are suffering from the after effects of such terrible weather.

I was thinking that I could resist making another trip to any place where plants and flowers know my name and call out to me with enticements of how well they promise to flower for me. With very little work on my part they always say. But I was being strong. Three days without buying a single flower!

Then I found this picture while looking at my past color combinations to refresh my mind of what I might like. I had already bought the purple Persian shield during the last trip, so I only needed just a few others to go with it. Actually I did very well, only about 6 one gallon size lovelies jumped in the truck. That's no bad at all. ;)

So done for today. And I'll try some will power the next time I have the urge for more flowers.

Happy Weekend

Donna

~ Walking Iris - No Leash Required! Neomarica Caerulea Regina

Isn't this beautiful!? The colors are amazing.

I planted these several months ago with only a little hope that they would do well here. So many conflicting sources of information. And unlike my usual times of falling in love with the flower and then worrying later about if the plant will even grow in my area, this time I just saw that it was an iris and grabbed it even without seeing it bloom, except for the tag picture.

It came in a good size pot and was about $16 so I started with just one to see how it would do. Other than African iris, other irises did not seem to like the heat. We divided it in two and put them in a semi shady area which gets strong indirect western afternoon sun. And I guess it likes its new home.

Since it may not be all that cold hardy, we covered it during the 2 or 3 hard freezes over the winter. The plants have more than doubled in size.

According to what I found online, they are called a "walking iris" because the flowers make the leaves so heavy that they descend to the ground and then sprout new little plants where the touch! Oh I hope so. We will see. Nothing is touching the ground yet.

There were a couple of pictures online of this iris in big pots and it makes a wonderful single specimen that way. Really stunning in bloom.

See Y'All Soon~
Donna