Hi:)
I hope everyone is having a great summer so far. The weather in New England has been just gorgeous! I wanted to chat today about my love for plants, and the green thumb I recently discovered within myself this year. Let me begin by saying I have killed my share of plants by accident, lets face it I think we all have, BUT for the past two years I have noticed how much I enjoy watering the plants around are house and watching them bloom. SO I wanted to share with you all some of my tips and tricks on having success when gardening, and keeping plants around your house alive. With that being said I AM NOT some plat expert by any means, but I have learned a few things along the way.
Planting, and watering different types of plants, for me is relaxing yet satisfying. To be able to see something continue to stay green and then one day bloom is so rewarding!!
Luckily, because Andy is as you know so handy and great with carpentry he offered to build me a potting table which I have wanted for quite some time now. This can I tell YOU I WAS SO excited for! It came out stunning, and it is so useful and helpful when I need to re pot a plant or create a new plant arrangement. YOU GUYS he built this is 2 days! TWO! SO lucky! I can’t wait to plant with Sofia when she gets home:)
**Whenever we build anything around the house, we google carpentry plans online, and the great thing about the web today is everything is so easy to navigate through the plans they give are very descriptive and they show step by step how to create and build what you want in your own space:)**
{Planting is s all about consistency, and learning what type of plants flourish in your yard + home}
Pictured above our the window boxes I chatted about earlier this summer, that I stained red-they turned out great and I am so happy with the IVY it looks so good against our house.
Below are some of the tips I have lived by when it comes to keeping plants alive around our home:
WATER, WATER, WATER: The key to success in allowing any plant to live long is water. I usually water all my outdoor plants twice a day. Once in the morning, and once in the evening. I have read that watering your plants in the morning is very effective because they are saturated all day long. With that being said I think it is also important to figure out a schedule that works best for you and your family when it comes to watering plants.
TRIM: Any plant indoor or outdoor needs to be trimmed every once in a while. What do I mean by that? Lots of plants over time become overgrown, or the leaves can die, so all you have to do is clip them off with scissors, so a new leaf can grow in it’s place. You will know when a plant has a leaf that needs to be removed because it will no longer have a green pigment to it. If you do this every so often then the plants will live longer and will end up growing larger. It is a minor bit of maintenance, but nothing too crazy!
Plant Nutrients: This is very simple, and I know it may sound complicated BUT it really isn’t. Any Home Depot, or gardening depot near you should have potting soil that comes with plant food/fertilizer within. This takes a lot of the pressure off of you in terms of making sure all the plants you have are getting all of the nutrients they need. I know it sounds nuts BUT plants are living things too so they need all of the love and help they can get!
Figuring out what type of yard you have for planting + sunlight: Whenever you buy a plant at a gardening center or even a Home Depot they come with a small tag that identifies that type of light, when the plant blooms, as well as how much water the plant will need. I suggest you take a look at all of these type of details before buying plants for your space. That way you know what maintenance you are working with and whether or not they will survive in the direct sun ETC.
How to plant: This was one of the hardest parts of learning to plant believe it or not. When you are planting different plants or shrubs you need to make sure the depth of the hole you dig is large enough for the plant to fit inside. The label that each plant comes with will tell you the depth of how large the hole it needs to go into should be.
Some of my GO TO plants to have around our home are: Orchids, Christmas Cactus, ferns, and bamboo. I want a fig leaf tree and a lemon tree so bad! Both are on my list as plants I would love to have around the house.
I hope this post helps any of you who are hesitant to get into a little planting on your own, or helps answer any questions you have on what to do around your home with different types of plants! Have a great day!
xx
J
