It's almost that time!

Spring time is upon us!.. Get out your tank tops and flip flops!..  well mostly. Here in Tennessee, it's been quite warm the past several days and fairly warm the last couple weeks. It's been awesome. Don't be fooled just yet.. the cold isn't quite over with... We usually get at least another freeze (or really cold night).. or two before it's officially time the PLANT FLOWERS!! woohoo!! I'm so darned excited to get some color back around the house. It's been looking drab and sad the last few months. Dead everything. 
But signs of spring are showing themselves..

My Hosta's pushing thru the TN rock and clay!! I can't tell you how happy that makes me. I thought these guys were goners, but they survived! I actually have 6 of them coming out in different places. And this weekend I spent time in the front flowerbed, weeding out and cleaning only to find several other perennials showing themselves. 
I have plans to do the front flowerbed a little different from last year's arrangements. Of course, the plants that are coming back will stay where they are. Here's a reminder of the front before, then phase 1, and then after, at it's fullest blooming point..

Before anything was done

Phase 1

One side of it, mostly full bloom

Last season was my learning curve. I had never done any of this before.. so I killed off a few plants, and burned a few bucks.. to say the least. But all in all, it turned out great and I loved it.


My back yard was the biggest improvement. 
We started with a blank slate, some mucky-sticky TN clay and hard rock and an Arbor my dad built for me for my backyard wedding:

I decided I wanted a 'Garden Area' around the Arbor, but I didn't know what I was doing, so I started digging up grass, clay and made it into the starts of a garden.....

How very little I knew.. just about everything in there died. Apparently this is the water retention pond of the backyard and most of these plants apparently aren't soppy-root lovers. I was able to save a few of them..


So after balling my eyes out and calling my mom and dad for advice, my awesome dad built me flower boxes and drove all the way from Michigan to Louisville, KY to deliver them for me.. had my husband put them together and turned in to this:

Not too shabby, but it needed help still in a bad way...


So I mulched the heck out of it and 'ahhhh'.. 

Which became this for the wedding :)
I was one Happy Bride!

QUITE the transformation. LOTS!! of work.. we won't discuss the money part.. I chalk that up to an expensive learning experience that I will NEVER forget. But I learned SOOO much and have great ideas for the coming spring season.


My Garden Tips:


1. NO IMPATIENS!! 
Those water gobbling plants will not be seen in my garden this year. Love the look of them, but hate the constant need to water them in the middle of the atrocious summer heat. Lovely plant. Water gobbler!


2. Planting early! (not too early..)
I will not wait until JULY to plant, at the hottest month of the summer.. I was literally dying outside planting, watering, suffering. No way jose.


3. Coco Lined Baskets
Put plastic liners in the wire hanging baskets with coco liners.. this helps retain water for the plant.. Every time I watered my hanging baskets, all the water just came right back out the bottom.. waste! I ended up watering these every dang day. No thank you.
--Also.. learn to stick plants all thru different sides of the wire baskets for a fuller look!


4. Dead Heading
Learn what plants do well with dead-heading (most annuals). Petunias especially. I did some research on dead-heading petunias, and I wished I had done it earlier last year. My petunias started looking 'leggy'.. and I found the correct way to do it and make them look fuller. I will be putting this to practice in hopes for very full and gorgeous petunias.




I've also got some great ideas for hanging baskets and planter pots.
I want to do a hanging basket of Swedish Ivy. Really pretty. Google it. I can't post the picture for some reason. Of course I'll do petunia baskets.
and I want to try some Bougainvillea:

I've totally fallen in love with Sweet Potato Vine. Fast and easy grower and gorgeous in pots! I'm going to line both sides of my boxes with it so it will hang over the back onto the deck. Maybe in several other places for fun.. it won't come back, but I don't care. It's pretty while it lasts.


The hardest part right now is waiting. Really I should wait a few more weeks to be sure there are no threats of frost. But of course, every time I go outside, all I can think is that I want to run to the garden center!!
I'll use this time to make sure my plans are in place so I don't waste money on mistakes.


Happy Spring!