Hello, warmer weather! I cannot tell you how much I have looked forward to Spring this year. I am not sure why, but I was ready for Spring so much earlier this year than usual. The fact that the flowers are blooming and the world is green again makes me so happy!
Last year, we landscaped our backyard – it was literally a whole bunch of dirt when we moved in a couple of years ago. We hired a landscaping company to do the big stuff in our yard like adding a sprinkler system, grass, rocks, and pavers to various parts of the backyard. Then, my husband and I, along with the help of awesome extended family members, added a playhouse and swing set for the kids. We also planted a family garden in the corner of our yard that we left as dirt (which we mixed with good garden soil and mushroom compost).
This year, I got this great, crazy idea that I would dig out sections of the rock areas our landscaper had laid out, remove the weed blocker, line the areas with pavers of my own, connect everything to the drip system, and plant flowers and other plants in freshly tilled soil. I envisioned all my favorite flowers and all of my favorite fruits growing beautifully! Let me just say, I underestimated how much work it would be (at least 12 hours of back-breaking work spread out over a few weekends in January and February), but I absolutely love the results.
So, I thought I would share a few of my tips for having a fun family experience in the garden or yard without breaking the bank and without adding tons of work for you. I am by no means a Master Gardener (my grandfather actually was and I would love to be too someday!), but these are simple and quick ways to make your own yard and garden a beautiful and fun retreat for the whole family.
Tip 1: Look for perennials and deals in the form of “mixtures” and “collections.”
I added bulbs and bare-root perennials, which are plants that will come back year after year. This may seem like an obvious thing, but it can be a little more money upfront and it may even be hard to find perennials you like in your growth zone. Some plants require a little extra work to be perennials rather than annuals, but this depends on the plant. If you do not want to plant only perennial flowers, you can always do a mix of both, knowing that you will need to replant anything that is an annual every year.
I have found that many places online offer deals for what they call “mixtures” and “collections,” which vary by retailer. I think these are perfect for someone who wants to plant flowers and plants that can be pricier due to demand and popularity, but who may not be super picky about the exact colors or kinds of the flowers. The “mixtures” are exactly that, a mix of colors and sometimes varieties chosen by the retailer for a certain type of plant or flower. They often do not seem to tell you what the exact mixture will be (and they didn’t even tell me all the details once I got the shipments either), but they guarantee different colors and types that go well together. The “collections” usually feature different types of the same flower or plant, or even completely different plants that grow well together. I bought some that were for peonies (some of my favorite flowers and some very expensive items to buy individually), as well as some with different types of flowers and fruit that go well together.
I got great deals online with Costco, Breck’s, and Gurney’s. (While you do need to have a membership with Costco, you do not need a membership to any online nurseries I list in this post.) I actually bought everything on pre-order, and have had tons of fun getting shipments in as they are ready based on my growing zone.
Tip 2: Look for bare-root plants.
Bare-root plants come just like they sound – literally a bundle of cut-off branches with a big exposed root ball. It’s a little scary to buy a plant that way (it looks dead!), but it is often more cost-effective than a something that already has leaves and/or flowers in a pot. You do need a little more patience with them as they take a little longer to begin growing, but they seem to do great when given the proper care! Everything I received came with fairly detailed instructions too. From what I have researched and seen in my own experience, it can take 4 to 6 weeks before new growth starts appearing.
I bought three fruit trees (from StarkBro’s and Gurney’s), a rose collection (from Gurney’s), and a fruit plant collection (from Costco) the bare-root way; and everything is doing very well with tons of new growth now. My bare-root roses have even started blooming… you would never know that they were so bare and stick-like just a few months ago.
Tip 3: Plant herbs in a planter box and be sure to label each section.
The only green thing we brought with us from our yard when we moved was my large planter with herbs (which was not an easy thing to transport across town, by the way!). We eventually placed the raised planter right over our sprinkler valves, which allows us to use space we couldn’t otherwise and it keeps someone from tripping over the slightly raised pipes.
Many herbs are invasive, so they will spread and send out runners all over if you plant them directly in the ground, so a planter is a great way to go. Mint is especially aggressive in the number of little shoots it sends out, in my experience. Many herbs are perennials, but some are annuals, so you will need to know which is which when you plant them. Basil, for example, needs to be replanted each year; but thyme or oregano grow back each year. I have a planter full of herbs, and I added a few smaller pots for mint and chamomile this year.
I found little white plastic labels are the dollar store, which have been very helpful. You simply write on them in permanent marker and stick the labels in the ground next to the seeds or plants. I later ordered more from Amazon because I got a little carried away with my labeling all over the yard and needed more! Labeling is nice because, as much as I would love to say I can remember everything I planted in my herb garden and in my regular garden, so much happens in mom and family life that I do not have the memory for things like that as I once did!
Tip 4: Make small gardens for kids (or even adults!) using large planters and pots.
Each of my children got a large pot from Sam’s Club and then I allowed each of them to pick out bulbs at the local store that they could plant in their own gardens. My daughter, D, picked Dutch iris and my son, C, picked ranunculus. I had a couple of extra dahlia tubers from a collection I had purchased, so they each got to choose one of them too. Their gardens are located right at the edge of our family garden, so they act as an “entrance” into that space now.
Each child waters their own gardens with mini watering cans, and they are responsible for watching over their own space for weeds, etc. Over the last month or so, I am so impressed with their attention and care in their spaces! The bulbs my children planted actually started to spring up over a week before mine did. They were thrilled! D and C have been so proud and excited about their own little plots of land.
Each day, we head out to the backyard and check on all our plants. We look for “new growth” and for any other interesting finds. We discuss each plant’s needs and how to care for plants correctly, and we look for bugs all around the yard too. I have been using this time to not only get the kids to have fun playing outdoors, but also to educate them on the world around them. We spend so much time outside… all the work to make everything the way we wanted it has been well worth it!
I would love to hear any tips you may have too and enjoy the warmer weather!
