Spring rocks

I always thought Fall was my favorite season, but Spring is giving it a serious run for its money this year.  I think having a horrible winter and 3 kids that want OUT might have something to do with it.  The 10 minutes of silence we get while the girls are outside playing before they come running in to tattle-tale on each other are pure bliss - lol.

Yesterday truly was a perfect day.  We slowly got moving in the morning, started working in the yard, went to Red Robin for lunch, and then leisurely perused the flowers at Home Depot.  We came home with some geraniums, phlox, mandevilla, and a hosta (my first ever) and I got to work on planting them on the deck.  We also cut the grass, fertilized the lawn, edged a few beds, and weeded some before I swept the deck, put out the umbrella and arranged my pretty little pots.  I ran out to Kmart to look for some more cute Martha pots, but they didn't have much of a selection at our store yet.  I might have to try another store this weekend.

I'm seriously into the container gardening thing this year.  We've done it the past couple of years, but everything seems to die out by the time the summer heat comes.  We are really terrible at keeping things watered and I don't think we've ever "fed" a plant - which Martha says is crucial to keeping them alive.  I'm really going to work on them this year and hopefully add on to what we've started.  It makes me SO happy to see life out there.

I was going to finish up some other layouts I had started, but these new pics I took this morning in the rain (with a jacket over my head!) were too pretty for me to pass up.  I used one of my new Quick Fills (that comes with a paper template and sample layout idea that I followed here) plus some paper from my Easter Double Feature Kit and my White Out paper pack, as well as some ribbon from Gina's latest.

We also planted some rosemary and basil yesterday in some cute pots I won at Pokeno last year.  Tom used some with dinner last night - how fun.  We'd love to have a real garden someday.  Someday when we have kids that can really help us with it.  They were too busy playing to help me out yesterday and they still ended up covered in dirt and mud by the end of the day.  Ah, to be a kid.

Speaking of the little people, here they are in my office on Saturday morning, while I finished a couple of things for the site sale...

They're watching Disney channel on the TV that's up in the corner.  The life, I tell ya :)

Comments

[Carrie]

Ah what a lovely day! I'm tellin' ya... spring is the BEST! :)

[Bridget =)]

ROFL, we have a tv in our office and it is a LIFESAVER. =)

your flowers are so pretty!!!! i need to get some decorative pots, i think that would really spruce up my front porch!

[Emily]

Sounds like a great day. Love that picture of the kiddos.

[robin p.]

That picture is awesome! How cute. It reallys says a lot about being a kid. Your plants look good too. Happy Spring!

[Maegan]

I love the Disney channel. I can turn it on any morning and Zoë will sit down and watch it until I make her turn it off. That was a life saver when we were moving Kelly's grandma into assisted living. I will give them my money forever.

As for the container garden, I am right there with you. I love them and they look beautiful until the heat sets in then...dead. I did buy Low Water Miracle Grow last year. I think that is what it is called. It really did seem to help. My flowers were alive for a good month longer than they normally would have been. Ha!

[Monica]

I am with you...love to plant but then I totally neglect my plants. I ask my mom to feed them when she comes over. I was NOT born with a green thumb!

[Jill]

Heather - love your Spring page and your flowers. You are such an inspiration!

[lanne]

The answer is self watering pots.... ask about them at the nursery. I have some and they are PLANT SAVERS..LOL. You water the plant... the extra falls down into the area below.. and the plant can call on it when you are being a crappy plant water'er..LOL You can also fill the bottom section to keep them going. Which reminds me .. mine have been working hard for a few days and I should go and help them out! LOL
We are on water restrictions here and it find I use ALOT less water... (everything is done by hand.. no hoses).. Hope that helps.

[Karen]

Popping in to tell you that I love your blog!! Have you had a chance to use your new video camera yet? I'd like to get a new one for Mother's Day and would love your opinion on the one you got.

You may get hooked on those hosta. I had a "Hosta La Vista" party for my husband's 50th birthday party (his request!) and each person brought a variety of hosta from their garden for our. It was great fun!!

[Raven]

I love planting in containers. Nothing has ever worked in the ground for me! Miracle Gro soil is a must, and their foods are awesome. It makes a huuuge difference.

[Ali P.]

The flowers are beautiful - great job and what fun! I LOVE that page you did too.

[Missy]

I, too, love container gardening. I kill them constantly though. I either underwater or overwater the poor things. When I have the plants on the checkout counter to buy and bring home, he calls it death row!
Missy

[brandi]

Your LO rocks! Beautiful pics!

[Jodie]

Hi,
I started reading your blog recently and really enjoy it. I have been doing container gardening for around 5 years, and really enoy it. The hardest thing is keeping the plants watered. I have hooked up most of them to a drip line system off my sprinkler system. This helps a lot, but not all the plants are on this system. Therefore, I found these water storing polymer crystals in some stuff called Soil Moist at the Farm and Garden Store. The crystals swell up to 20 times there size and release water as they dehydrate. It really works.
One more thing. I'm setting up my office and was curious about what type of baskets you use in your expendit unit from IKEA.
Thanks in Advance,
Jodie

[Su]

Ahhhh, a day to hang out with your husband and garden. Sounds like pure bliss! You lucky lady. Your plants look lovely. I have a few container gardens, which I love. I have had trouble in the past with not watering them, but now that the kids are older, water is not an issue. LOL

I think hostas are gorgeous. They grow so nicely in the shade, but I have not been able to keep the bugs (or rather slugs) from eating the leaves. I'm not much of a chemical person and the organic tricks I've tried so far are much too high maintenance for me. Good luck. I hope yours stay beautiful!

Love you layout. What font did you use for the title?