DIY Fun
I really love hosting workshops. It is always wonderful to see the creativity within a group, whether a garden club, young mothers group or fundraising event. I have conducted wreath workshops, terrarium workshops, container garden workshops, even succulent topped pumpkin workshops.
I provide a few easy instructions, lots of great and unique material and step back. I empower participants to use their own sense of design and color to create something that is uniquely them.
I even offer in-home workshops for smaller groups. These are great for a Girls’ Night Out, bridal shower, or birthday parties.
Click through our workshop photo gallery.
A Dream Project
I was recently invited to create some new container gardens for Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. What a thrill and an honor!
The Calderwood Courtyard is beautiful and the new planters are perfect for the spot.
I was asked to work with a simple green and white palette since there are so many weddings that take place there. There are mature birch trees in the courtyard so we mimicked them with birch poles at the center of our plantings. This also provided needed height.
The courtyard is a bit shady so we used white hydrangea, asparagus fern, lamium, and white muscari. With a nod to future wedding receptions, we incorporated daffodil ‘Bridal Crown’ – one of my favorites. It smells absolutely delicious. We even managed to squeeze in some white columbine.
The weather on that late April day was gorgeous and with a great crew to help it was an amazing project.
The Chelsea Chop
Is it a new dance move? Is it the Clinton’s daughter’s new show on the Food Network? Is it a haircut?
It actually is a type of haircut.
One you give your plants.
The Chelsea Chop is a method of pruning that is typically done around the time of the Chelsea Flower Show at the end of May (hence its name) although any time in late spring or early summer is fine. This type of pruning can extend flowering, and decrease the floppiness of many herbaceous perennials.
There are two ways of doing “the chop”.
The first is to cut the entire perennial clump back by 1/3 to ½ using shears. This will delay blooming and keep the plant more compact. This is especially nice on plants that can get leggy like asters and phlox. With this method, you may have more flowers but they tend to be smaller since they formed on side branches after the top shoots were removed.
The second option and one that might feel less drastic is to cut only ½ of the stems back by 1/3 to ½. This will actually extend a bloom season as there are more stems in different stages of growth.
Good candidates for the Chelsea Chop include: upright sedum, Shasta daisy, goldenrod, yarrow, Joe Pye weed, bee balm, coneflower, and black-eyed Susans. Do not try the chop on woody sub-shrubs like Russian Sage or Lavender. It’s also important to make sure the plant is healthy and robust before the chop. If not it is less likely to recover.
Got Garlic Mustard?
Now I am not asking because I am making a sandwich.
The garlic mustard I am talking about is not some artisan condiment; rather it is a noxious weed. Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolate) is a biennial that grows a leafy rosette in its first year and flowers in its second. The leaves are alternate and somewhat heart-shaped.
Garlic mustard is so called because when its leaves are crushed they smell like…garlic. This helps identify this weed from look-alikes.
Garlic mustard grows in sun or shade. Its roots exude a chemical substance that inhibits the growth of nearby plants. And one plant can produce up to 5000 seeds that remain viable in the soil for up to 5 years. It’s easy to see why garlic mustard is such a problem to control. Large stands of garlic mustard can quickly take over a woodland, choking out natives and wildflowers.
The most effective way to control garlic mustard is by hand pulling as it is flowering – before it sets seed. It is important to grab from the base and remove the entire root; I find that weeding is best done after a rain as things are softer. What about large areas of the weed? Still, hand pulling seems like the right option. Although herbicides can also be used, just make sure that directions are followed. Herbicides will not kill garlic mustard seed which is why hand pulling even after an herbicide application is important. Any plants that are pulled should be bagged and put in the trash as they will continue to flower and set seed. Mowing will not work and can actually be counterproductive. Mowing between May-September can actually spread the ripening seed pods.
Last year I spoke with Ellen Zachos who is a forager and she turned me on to eating a good portion of my garden. You can do the same with garlic mustard. Here is a great link that shares many yummy options on “The Forager’s Feast”
The Best Thing To Plant in Your Containers Now
Would you laugh if I said “herbs”?
In my honest opinion, it is the best thing to plant in spring.
Add some beautiful curly parsley to your pansies and pussy willow. Add some purple sage or lemon thyme for pops of non-flowering color. Mint will do well in shadier locations. Rosemary is great in a drier situation. The beauty of these plants is their longevity. Like the Energizer Bunny they keep going and going and …. You may need to re-arrange them in your summer and fall containers but they will still be looking great. And at the end of the season (mid-September) perennial herbs can be planted in the garden. Talk about bang for the buck. Your $4.99 investment got you three seasons, plus an addition to the garden.
When using herbs in containers make sure their companions like the same growing conditions. And I do not mix basil with anything. I find it is happiest in its own pot; preferably terracotta since the roots do not like being wet.
Can you spot the herbs in these container gardens?
This year I encourage you to use herbs in your containers. Not only will you be rewarded with beautiful, long-lasting arrangements at the end you may even get to make some tabbouleh…or mojitos!
Follow Us!