Tips and Tricks for Potted Plants

After the disaster of trying to make a planter from stepping stones, I went back to looking for a planter for the yard that Lucky could pee on (instead of the yard plants, which were dying).

I found a cute lime green planter at Home Depot for about $20.  It's plastic, so it's lightweight and should hold up better to accidents (like being dropped).

One big problem is that it didn't have any drainage holes.

Not a problem for long!  I pulled out my drill and made a few holes in the bottom.  It seriously took all of two minutes.

The only thing with drainage holes like this, is that they sometimes get plugged up with sediment or soil.

Again, not a problem for long!  I just unfolded a coffee filter into the bottom.  If it can strain coffee out, I'm sure it can do the same for sediment and soil!  Plus it won't hurt the plants and will probably just become mulch eventually.  And, can we say CHEAP?

So, I drilled holes, added a coffee filter, then finished it off with good potting soil and plants.  I used orange begonias - they do well where I live, are very hardy, and make a nice pop of color.

{Y'all, when my parents see this post, they are going to say, "Begonias!  Bonnie HATES begonias!"  And they're right, sort of.  I really hated the look of begonias for a long time, and still don't really like them close up.  But from a distance, they're OK.  Plus all those other things I mentioned about about being hardy and colorful.}

Now we just have to train the dog to pee on it...

Bonnie Projects

Project Fail: Planters from Pavers

While the glue was still wet on this project, I started writing this post...

The garden suffered a casualty over the winter: an oak-leaf hydrangea just couldn't stand up to the daily pee barrage of Lucky dog.  Honestly, I don't think any plant could.

We discussed asking the city for a fire hydrant, but decided that a statue or a planter would probably be more practical.  I've been shopping around for a while, but everything I like is in the $100 range, which seems a little steep for a doggie pee-spot!

Then I saw it on Pinterest - a planter made from stepping stones!  It would be cheap, easy, and durable - just my kind of project.

I was up at the hardware store that same night to buy all my goodies.  I got five 16" concrete step stones, a tube of Liquid Nails, a bag of potting mix, and an orange begonia, for a total of about $30 (and I still have soil and glue leftover!).  

Assembling the planter went super fast - like under 10 minutes fast.  I balanced the step stones on their sides, ran a line of glue down the side, and smushed them together.  I overlapped each stone only once, so the sides would all be the same.  I wrapped it in a bungee cord for good measure, but I bet clamps would be better.

Then I put dots of glue on the top inner edge, and smushed the fifth stone on top.  You use dots of glue here so that water can drain through.

I let it dry for three days, mostly because I didn't get around to moving it sooner.

Then....

I talked Tommy into moving it for me...that sucker was HEAVY!  About two steps into the garden, it crumbled.  Thankfully Tommy jumped out of the way and wasn't hurt.

So...definite project fail here.  Planters made from stepping stones = NOT WORTH IT!

Bonnie Projects

Refinished Porch Light

Now that the yard is pretty and the front door is all spiffed up, the porch light is looking a little sad in comparison.

Nope, it's not dirty or faded, it's actually painted to look like this.

My first thought was to just replace it.  I collected up a number of pretty sconces on a pinterest board, but at $30 - $300, I wasn't chomping at the bit to just order one.

The current fixture happens to have this cool feature where it only comes on in the dark, so I can turn it on when I leave for work, and it'll welcome me home if I come home after dark 12 hours later, without wasting electricity all day.  Only the fancy models have this feature, so then we'd be in the $150 - $300 range.  Yikes.

I figured if we were going to replace it anyways, it might be OK to try refinishing it, with the potential of ruining it.

Tommy flipped the breaker and removed the fixture from the house.  I taped over all the electric parts, like the wires and the daylight sensor.

I bought this cool spray paint from the hardware store (Rustoleum Hammered Paint and Primer) - they do something fancy to it where it creates a hammered texture.  Not only does this forgive any dents or wear and tear on the item (that high gloss paint would highlight), but it looks pretty cool, too.  It was $8, so on the high end for spray paint, but cheap-o for a new light fixture.

I didn't have to, but I primed the fixture first.  (Before buying the spray paint - I didn't realize I wouldn't need it)

Then I sprayed three coats of the hammered finish spray paint, which ended up being the entire can.

 

I let it dry for a while, then discovered the underside needed a few extra spritzes.  I had to wait 48 hours from the first spray session, so this added days to the project.  (If you spray a second coat between 1 and 48 hours after the first coat, it can cause wrinkles in the paint)

It came out SO WELL!  The black makes the fixture contrast well with the brick on the house, and ties it in with the handrail.

 

 

 

Eight bucks for a brand new looking fixture sure beats $30 - $300!  Plus, the whole project took about 20 minutes of hands-on time.  Drying time added more hours, but that's OK with me.

Bonnie Projects

Lighting the Deck

We adore spending time on our deck.  Every time we have dinner outside, we remark how our ambiance beats any restaurant in town.  We watch the ducks in the pond, chat with our neighbors walking by, and listen to the birds.  Until it gets dark, and you can't see a darn thing.

We have one flood light for the deck, but it's blinding and unflattering.  We needed some better light!

I had bought cafe lights for the deck at our wedding reception.  I'm not sure why, but they never got used and came home still in the packaging.  I'm a use-what-you-got kind of gal, so we tried to come up with a way to put them to use.

We don't have any trees nearby we could hang the lights from, and nothing we could string them up with so make them shine from overhead.

Instead, we improvised, and stapled them directly to the handrail of the deck.  They're tucked underneath, so they don't get in the way of setting things on top, and they're enough under the edge to prevent stuff from bumping into them and breaking them.

Better yet, since they're hidden by the railing, nobody can complain that we have lights strung on our house year-round.

They create an awesome soft glow at night, and allow us to enjoy even more hours on the the deck!

I've heard these cafe lights can be really fragile.  We broke a few putting them up, so you do need to be pretty careful not to bang them into stuff.  That said, we haven't broken a single one since we installed them.  We had one strand leftover from the project, so we're saving it to harvest lightbulbs from, should any break in the future.

I think the lights were about $20 a strand originally, and we used three strands (plus another for extra bulbs), so doing this project would cost about $80.  Since we already had the lights, I see it more as $0, and another instance of reusing stuff from our wedding.  Regardless, an outdoor light fixture runs you $30 - $300, depending on how pretty you want it to be, so I think we came in OK.

It took Tommy a little over an hour to staple them all up.

We're glad to have tackled this project!  It's like the icing on the cake for our deck experience!

Bonnie Projects

Painted porch swing

I went for it!  Painted the porch swing!

We've really been enjoying the porch swing since we hung it last weekend.  But it was a little on the boring side.  It also needed a coat of paint or stain to protect it from the elements.

I initially decided on yellow, but the helpful folks at Sherwin Williams warned me that yellow pigments degrade in sunlight.  My second choice was turquoise, which apparently lasts longer, so I went with that!

They also warned me that even though exterior paints hold up well outdoors, they don't always hold up well to the wear and tear you'd get from sitting on it.  They suggested using a floor paint instead - since it holds up to being walked on, it should also hold up to being sat on.  I ended up using Sherwin Williams Porch and Floor Enamel in Slick Blue.

I started by giving the swing a good sanding, and used the leaf blower to get all the dust off.

I applied two coats of paint, being sure to cover every last crevice for the best durability.  That's it!  I love painting stuff because you get a lot of bang for your buck, and it's pretty hard to do wrong!

All in all, this project cost about $20 for the paint and about four total hours of time.  100% worth it!

The swing is so much more fun now and really jazzes up the bottom deck.  There's still more tweaking needed to get the deck prettied up, but this is a great start!

If you've been thinking about a painting project, this is the weekend to get started!  Sherwin Williams is offering 40% off paints and stains, and 30% off painting supplies.  The sale is April 19 - 22.

Bonnie Projects

Put a Swing on it

Our bottom deck has been looking sad ever since we moved in.  There's just not much to draw you down there - no pretty plants, nothing to do, just blah.

About a billion years ago I got a porch swing for a rental house I shared in college.  Once I moved out, the swing went into storage on our family farm.  I rediscovered it over Thanksgiving and stuffed in into the car on the drive home!

And then it sat on the deck through the winter.

Saturday we had the prettiest day I think we've had in five months, so we took advantage and did a few outdoor projects, including the swing!

What started as a simple project quickly took a turn to difficult.

The swing was a different width than the deck joists, so we couldn't just attached eye bolts and call it a day.  Instead, we cut 2x10's down to size and secured them three screws on each side as well as two metal plates.  The joists weren't plumb, so the cuts ended up being tricky.  We secured the new pieces to the deck with three screws on each side, as well as these metal thingos called strong-ties.  Let's just say that if something about this set-up collapses, this won't be it.

Next, the eye bolts were too fat for the chain or the carabiners we bought, so we ended up using two sizes of carabiners to attach everything.

We tried the swing at several heights, finally choosing one about 17" off the ground.  We also messed around with the tilt of the swing - you want it comfy but not so far back you feel like you'll fall out.

Finally, it was perfect!  Lucky jumped right up, and the whole family enjoyed the swing for an hour watching the sun set.  We're loving the bottom deck now, and the swing makes it more of a destination.  We just had to put a swing on it! 

Also, I'm thinking about painting it.  What do you think?  Yellow?  Turquoise?  Vintage green?  Or should I just stain it?  Here's some inspiration I found on pinterest:

via

via

via

Bonnie Projects

Project FAIL: Spring bulbs

Back in the fall I merrily grabbed a few bags of bulbs to add color to our yard at the first sign of spring.  Yellow daffodils and blue hyacinths would be so pretty...

I read the packaging and realized you plant them 5" deep.  Wowzers.  Out came the big shovel.

I dug a long trench in front of the azaleas, plopped in the bulbs, and covered them up.  Easy peasy.

Finally, they're up!  The daffodils are beautiful, healthy, and in full bloom!  The hyacinths aren't far behind.

But remember that trench I dug?  Looks like it was a tad close to those azaleas.  Whoopsies!

It's not a total loss - after they bloom and the foliage is on the way out, I'll dig everything up and move it somewhere not so ridiculous.  But this year?  Fail.

Bonnie Projects

Relandscaping the front yard

My parents like to say that they are "talent in search of a project."  When it comes to landscaping, that couldn't be more true!  My Mom is a Master Gardener with a keen eye for design, and my Dad has an affinity for getting his hands dirty, as well as innate knowledge of plants.  We lovingly call them "the botanists" even though they really have little formal training in botany.

{One time my husband and I had both sets of parents walking through Capitol Hill in DC.  My parents were remarking about the trees, and were especially impressed at how many Elm trees had survived the Dutch Elm Disease epidemic.  My in-laws were spotting luxury cars, and really loved the Range Rovers.  At least they all had fun!}

So anyways, my parents came to visit us at our new house with the goal of spending much of their time helping us tame the yard (kind of like Yard Crashers).  Our first step was a trip to the hardware store for a short-handled flat shovel.  This is my Dad's favorite tool.  As soon as we got home, he set to work sharpening it.  He told me the sharper the better, as this makes it easy to slice through roots.

We also dropped by the in-laws to borrow their pick-up truck and a larger assortment of shovels, rakes, tarps, and chainsaws.  If you aren't blessed by nearby in-laws, you really only need five tools to do most landscaping projects.  We did have a chainsaw, but we could have done all the work with just the tools mentioned in that recent post!

So here's what we were starting with.  We had some randomly placed bushes, a yew tree blocking the front window and placed too close to the house, a small patch of grass we're responsible for mowing, and some annual flowers that were nearing the end of their season.  Overall, the house looked unbalanced and a little plain.

 

We started by removing the rocks.  I posted them for free on Craigslist, and they were gone in a matter of hours!  Better already!

Next, we went after the tree.  I really like trees, and it hurt me to have to kill this one.  But it was too established to transplant.  And it was just too ugly, in the way, and close to the house to stay.  Unfortunately, it had to go!

Finally it seemed like the house could breathe a little!

We did some non-plant maintenance, like changing the hose out for a black one (in the hopes it would blend in better and disappear).  Our home inspector suggested having the gutter drain at least eight feet from the house, so we extended the gutter and buried it - this will protect our foundation.  It also looks a lot better!

Next up, the grass.  One of the primary reasons we wanted a townhouse instead of a single family home was the reduced maintenance we'd have to do.  After we moved in, we found out that landscaping maintenance isn't included in our HOA fees.  Taking care of 120 square feet of grass (or paying $10 every week to have it cut) just wasn't appealing.  I don't mind trimming bushes and watering, but I didn't want to cut grass all the time.

My Dad has been digging up grass as long as I can remember (mostly so he can expand his flower beds).  He's got the method down pat!

First up, he cuts the grass into squares that are the same size as the length of the shovel.

Then he digs it up, one row at a time.  He gets the shovel parallel with the ground, and separates the grass and roots from the soil by forcing the shovel between the grass and soil, about one inch under the surface.  I gave it a try, and it's really hard!!!  This project is best left to someone with strong arms.

We stacked up all the grass, with the intention of giving it away.  Unfortunately after three days, there were still no takers, and we ended up taking it to the dump.  On the bright side, our dump recycled all yard waste into mulch that they then give away for free!  So it's not a complete waste.  I was bummed it couldn't be put to better use though.

Then the guys dug up the remaining bushes, making sure to salvage the root ball so they could be transplanted to the back yard.

And then it was time for the fun part!  Selecting new plants and getting them in the ground!

We visited three different nurseries, two local and one big-box.  There is a huge difference in pricing and knowledge from nursery to nursery.  In the end, we got plants and advice from all three, and I think we ended up with a good mix.

It fits in the FIT!

My Mom designed the focal point of the yard to be a medium-sized tree with seasonal interest.  We narrowed the options to a cherry, dogwood, maple, or redbud.  These all offer their own seasonal perks, from bright flowers to fall color.  We chose the redbud for its large leaves, spring and fall color, smaller stature, and disease resistance.  The guys planted it slightly off-center to the front windows, and farther away from the house than the previous tree.

We followed up the tree planting with the foundation plantings.  Foundation plants show off the perimeter of the house.  We wanted evergreens, but interesting ones!  Boxwoods are super popular in our neighborhood, but they're pretty boring, staying a dark green year-round.  We ended up selecting a new breed of large-leaf Azalea called an Encore Azalea.  They bloom as many as three times throughout the summer and fall, instead of just once in early summer like typical Azaleas.  The medium-tone green will contrast nice with our bricks, and the pink blooms will jazz up the yard throughout the summer and fall.

They look kind of dinky right now, but they should reach a nice size in the next year or two.  For the price differential, we were willing to settle with smaller plants and wait a while for them to develop.

try out the placing before digging your holes

We also planted a tall evergreen to the left of the front door.  This will help balance out the house and differentiate our house from the neighbor.  The neighbors have a beautiful yard that blends into ours, so we left it as-is, but this new tree makes our yard look a little larger.  It's a little dinky this year, but it'll grow quite tall, perhaps to the roof of our house!

Then we added color to the yard.  Mums come back every year, and will add great color in the fall.  We chose Redskins colors for them to get the hubs excited about the yard.  The walkway will be flanked with annuals, so I can change them out often.  We put in multicolored pansies so they'll last through the winter. 

I also planted a peony stob.  It's just a root ball right now (so no photos), but it should produce a small bush in the spring.  These were my wedding flowers, and I'm looking forward to having a special plant I can dote on.

We finished everything off with a truckload of mulch (free from the dump!) and lots of water. 

Here are the after photos!

The real secret of gardening is patience.  One month later, and the yard is looking fabulous!

I added a hummingbird feeder so we can watch them from our kitchen

Let's finish up with some good side-by-side before and afters, shall we?

Now our yard is low-maintenance, colorful, better suited for the house, and healthier for the foundation.  We're loving it!!!  With our fabulous helpers the labor took one full work day.  All the new bushes, trees, flowers, hose, and gutter cost about $350.  Stay tuned for the backyard!

We finished up the weekend by treating ourselves to a trip to Great Falls.  Thanks Mom and Dad and Katrina!