Front door - herb garden

I love this idea!  And I plan to do this at home by my front door.  I think it is so pretty, practical and I love welcoming guests with a fabulous fragrance as they come in to visit.



Use which ever herbs you like and are likely to use.  Seen here: sage, thyme, chives, rosemary, oregano, basil and parsley.  But keep in mind - if you want to plant mint just plant it all on it's own (in the top pot) because it grows very aggressively and will take over.  But it is so great in tea and mojitos!

Buying fresh potted herbs from a nursery is super inexpensive.  Plus they grow quickly and get really full and lush. 

To get started, you will need:

- potting soil
- herbs (assorted and any you like)
- 5 terra-cotta pots (large, medium and small, see below)

1.  Place the largest pot in the desired location.  Next centre one smaller pot inside the large one and put it up side down. Fill the empty ring with soil

2.  Repeat step 1 and follow the diagram


3.  Once all layers are fill of potting soil, start planting your herbs and enjoy!


* a neat idea to keep your herbs labeled, you can use chalk board paint on the pots and use chalk to label.

**don't like the colour of terra-cotta? No problem, purchase a paint (spray can is easiest) and paint over that colour.  You can get the look you want !

Winter drab to Spring fab!

It's now April! The sun is out and the snow is just about gone but ugh....the gardens and lawns could really use some serious sprucing up!

Here are some great tips to go from winter drab to spring fab in your yard in just one weekend!

1 - Clean up. Rake the lawn and the flower beds to remove dead leaves and perennial over growth.

2 - Maintenance. Look into some turf products to repair the salt damage, Turf Revolution has a great salt prevention product. Also many flowering bushes benefit from some early spring pruning to help them really flourish in the summer months. Also cut back your ornamental grasses to about 2-3 inches above the ground level.

3 - Mulch. Is a great way to retain moisture and to keep weeds down where they belong plus it has a great rustic finish. Be sure to keep mulching your perennial beds for once they have broken ground.

4- Plan. Lay out your plants on the ground before digging so you can know how it will look and if you have enough plants. Figure out which plants will work best and where - shade plants and sun plants need a different placement in your garden. Also plant for the season, in the early spring the weather can still be harsh, so look to plant hardier flowers such as pansies, tulips and daffodils in the early part of the garden season.

5 - Big and lush. when it comes to planting your flower pots or boxes - fill them up! You want them to look lush and beautiful. Always start planting from the middle and work outwards.

Some gardening trends to look for:

Colour blocking - just like in fashion, we are seeing gardens in one or two main colours with a splash of a third.

Height. In your boxes or pots, add height with pussy willows or dogwood.

Colour trends. We are seeing a lot of black pots and yellows, purple and white are the hot colours for this gardening season.

Small gardens. Condos and apartments can get in on the fun of gardening. There are tons of new products on the market that are suited for the urban gardener.

Veggies! People are trending towards growing and cooking with their own veggies. You'll be surprised as to what you can successful grow in your own yard!

So dig in and bring on Spring!!