Here in the northern hemisphere it is finally spring! The birds are singing and all the plants are coming back to life. Which naturally means it’s time for my gardening interest to wake up as well. Last year I really threw myself into the effort, putting in a lot of work into trying to make our tiny front yard look really nice. I also did some gardening-related work in the backyard and the deck, though not as much there as I would have liked. This year I’m determined to garden as cheaply as possible.
Step one: start more plants from seeds rather than buying them as seedlings or mature plants. I’ve had lots of fun starting these seeds and while I don’t know if all of my tiny seedlings will survive, I’ve really enjoyed nurturing them into existence.
Step two: collect plastic containers for seed starting cells and for mature plant containers. In the seedling photo above the containers you see there are an egg carton, mochi plastic container, and various containers for baby food and yogurt. Once I started turning my eye to all the materials (and plastics especially) that we use in our house I was astounded. As you can imagine it didn’t take me very long before I had an incredibly large collection.
Step three: keep the scope small. I’m sure it’s probably not surprising but when I get excited about something I seriously launch myself into it with grandiose plans. Gardening is no exception. As I am incredibly busy I don’t have the time or energy required to fulfill all my gardening dreams this year so I’ll be sticking to the front yard and some deck plants. Next year I want to tackle our backyard.
My husband and I had been talking about putting a path in the front yard for a couple of years now, so we’re thinking this is the year to do it, especially since I want to expand the flower bed. Unfortunately, we need to get the approval of our Home Owners’ Association before we can go ahead with that. Currently we’re in the blueprint stages. We’ll need to submit a design for the proposed change including measurements. I’m hoping that we can take care of that soon so that we can complete the project this spring.
In the meantime, I’ve made lists of plants I want to plant in the front yard and since there is a limited time that these will be available at Lowe’s, I’ve started buying a few as well, including the clearance rescues pictured below. The white and pink flowers are English Daisies and the blue one is a Harmony Double Blue Anemone.
One other reason that I’ve been so absolutely pumped about gardening is that I bought Floret Farm’s A Year in Flowers which is a beyond gorgeous book. Floret Farm is, as the name suggests, a flower farm, but the woman that runs it is also a flower designer (not sure if that’s somehow distinct from a florist?). This particular book of hers is all about flower arranging and oh my goodness, the photographs of her flower farm and her arrangements are just breathtaking! They really make me feel in awe of nature and I’ve been finding the book very inspiring.
One other thing that I love so much about gardening is that as a person that has a hard time sustaining energy and passion for any one hobby or pursuit, the seasonal nature of gardening makes it particularly appealing.
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