Category: spring

Get to growing garden goodies grow a long way in the beautification process of the spring flower and vegetable garden.

We’re in for an “Easter snap” at the end of the week, but the temps will remain friendly to the tradition of Good Friday gardening.

The tradition of planting cool and warm season crops in the South is common practice with many farmers and gardeners who believe Good Friday to Easter represents a symbol of fertility and rebirth.

Get to growing garden goodies inspiration often comes from a flower or vegetable garden sight to behold.

House & Garden Magazine is a phenomenal source for lawn & garden inspiration, and it is my pleasure to share these enchanting examples.

English cottage gardens visually fascinate me.

Dave the Builder and I designed and planted a small one outside our bedroom at our last house, and although small in size, it commanded a large presence among the total landscape.

Osmanthus Tea Olive Shrub with White Fragrant Flowers

Planted in the garden right outside our bedroom window was a sweet olive tree.

Fragrant scents floated through the late afternoon into evening air, making spring into summer deck sitting times an aromatherapy session of sorts.

fragrant

adjective

having a pleasant scent or aroma; sweet-smelling; sweet-scented:
a fragrant rose.

delightful; pleasant:
fragrant memories.

In regards to planting your own English cottage garden, there’s no need for a large parcel of land or sprawling estate.

Better Homes & Gardens offers plans for creating the perfect cottage garden suited to your taste, zone, and design vision.

Here’s the link:  Garden Plans for Cottage Style 

Illustrations by Mavis Augustine Torke 

Aim to create a quaint garden space rich in color, fragrance, and charm.

Knee High Mix Sweet Pea Seeds

The design objective of the cottage garden is refined undesign.

“I am rooted, but I flow.”

— Virginia Woolf

Quote means something altogether different, but I thought it fit the occasion.

Hollyhock Indian Spring

Laying out the design of a cottage garden is similar to styling a coffee table.

High, medium and low is a working concept with considerations to factor in.

When I’m styling a coffee table I sit down on sofa, chair, etc…  and choose the primary sight line.

X marks the center spot- the prime location for a medium or low height object placement.

The outer areas balance the method with graduated heights to continue the flow, theme and visual engagement.

Border Charm Peony Roots

Color bursts runs intertwined in greenery grandeur.

Mix and mingle annuals with perennials, textures and patterns, the shabby with the chic.

Contrast produces an informal, romantic, distinctive and visually pleasing aesthetic.

Ruby Slippers Oakleaf Hydrangea White Flowering Shrub Bare Root

Weave unique planters, chippy garden statues, and accents of interest throughout.

When planting and placing, work with the design rule of odds.

Groupings of three or five fashion the essential casual yet elegant design concept of the cottage garden.

Fencing of wood, iron, or hedge complete the desired intention of creating an intimate space.

Montebello Wrought Iron Garden Edging

Knockout roses.

Climbing roses.

Garden roses.

“There is simply the rose; it is perfect
in every moment of its existence.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thankfully, the ice storm spared both the flowering quince and azaleas.

Did you know azaleas are classified as an evergreen shrub?

Harsh winter weather was cause for concern with so many of our plants and shrubs; however, these Southern Indica azaleas are rated for down to zero degrees fahrenheit.

Spring’s in full bloom gift graces the vases and tabletop places in the home.

Our Deep South planting soil to temperature zone indicates the essential need for particular plants to be planted in the ground and growing by Easter in order to be strong enough to survive the heat of this region.

Some planting zones, climates, and soils ready for spring gardening quicker than others.

My steadfast rule and suggestion to fellow gardenistas is to first consult a zone map to know the best time for planting vegetables and/or flowers in your part of the world.

Two gardening go-to sources I consult is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map and the Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide from the  LSU AgCenter.

In this area April is the time for planting eggplant, okra, squash, cucumbers, peppers, snap and lima beans.

Based on information gleaned from a host of gardeners in the know,  azaleas, jasmine, viburnum, camellias, and flowering quince are prime for pruning as soon as they finish flowering.

I shared this picture of the viburnum that did not fare so well during during and after the ice storm.

What, how, and when to cut back to promote new growth is the question I called the extension service with.

Our local extension service is a get it growing source of valuable lawn & garden information and get it growing tips.

Beauty and the bee is all the buzz, and you know I’m all about the theme.

Garden shoes for your ready, set, grow activities .

Bee Salad Plates

Marble Honeycomb Salad Servers

Pass the buttermilk dressing.

Super cute outdoor pillow set at an unbelievably great price.

Outdoor spaces decked (porch or patio) out in color, texture, and pattern invite the look of the season to sit in style for awhile.

House & Garden – Photo by Johannes Mueller

Crisp lettuce.

Leaf Lettuce “Tom Thumb” Seeds – Butterhead 

Home-grown tomatoes.

Beefsteak Heirloom Tomato Seeds

Fresh from the garden vegetables deliciously complement spring and summer grill it up favorites.

Edible Plants

Preparing spring fresh dishes and treats can be a messy undertaking.

Scrolling through the home offerings from Dillard’s resulted in this new pretty for spring purchase.

National Garden Clubs Inc. 

There’s a whole host of reasons for gardening.

Gardening is:

Therapeutic.

Relaxing.

Visually gratifying.

Expresses creativity.

Early spring is an excellent time to plan, plant and Easter parade your flower and vegetable gardens accented with get to growing garden goodies.