Happy Friday! It’s the third Friday of the month which means I’m joining my blogging friends for another edition of Floral Friday!
You can find their links for their beautiful floral inspiration and flower therapy at the bottom of this post.
For this week’s Floral Friday edition, our common theme was a dish or container garden. This is the kind of gardening you can do no matter what the season to enjoy indoors and it makes a great gift for someone in the hospital, a birthday or for Mother’s Day.
I picked an assortment of small potted plants. . .fern, mini roses, ivy and kalanchoe. The mini roses were $2.99 each at The Fresh Market and the kalanchoe was $5.99 at the grocery store. I can always find affordable small fern and ivy plants at Lowe’s or Walmart in the indoor garden area.
To make a potted container or dish garden, I lined my container in plastic and used packing paper to elevate the pots in my ‘Flowers & Garden’ container. I found my container at HomeGoods last fall.
Water your plants thoroughly before you begin, allowing them to drain, and then place your pots inside your container to see how they will fit. I like to remove my plants from their plastic pots and place them in plastic bags, allowing more room in my container to work and fill with plants. Placing each plant in its own bag also allows for quick and easy removal if you need to replace a plant later.
After you have everything arranged, add Spanish or preserved sheet moss to cover and conceal your pots, filling in the gaps and to add the finishing touch to your dish/container garden.
I used a green preserved Spanish moss I had leftover from my Blooming Easter Basket.
I had a little space left in the center and decided the container could use another pop of color so I cut some hydrangeas, inserting them in floral tubes. Floral water tubes or picks can be found on the floral aisle of the craft store, in a package of 10 -12 for around $3.00.
An assortment of living potted plants can be enjoyed inside much longer than a traditional fresh cut flower arrangement, and you can replace the individual pots as needed. It’s so much more fun and affordable to make your own dish garden for a gift or for yourself, rather than ordering one from a florist! This is quick and easy project to assemble, ready to give or enjoy in under an hour.
I added a pair of bird finials I found at World Market several years ago as a container accent, tucking them in among the plants and moss. . .every garden needs a bird or two ;)
The kitchen towel is Michel Design Works, from Amazon several years ago.
Place your container or dish garden where it receives indirect light. Make sure your soil stays moist to the touch, taking care not to over water and remove any brown foliage or spent blooms.
Visit my talented blogging friends to see their floral inspiration this week:
Pam at Everyday Living
Shirley at Housepitality Designs
Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse
Happy Indoor Gardening!
Thank you for your visit!
Sharing with: Metamorphosis Monday,The Scoop
I love this Mary! So ‘do-able’ and I love your combination of plants. Thank your for the step by step photos too. Happy Weekend!
There you go again….creating a most beautiful array of plant and flower loveliness for us to enjoy and easily create for ourselves. Just love that you added the hydrangeas using the floral tubes. You seem to always pull out of your amazing stash the perfect compliment of pretties from the tablecloth to the adorable bird finials to enhance your creation. Love that tablecloth…perfection! So happy to be a part of Floral Friday with you…you ladies make my day!
Have a most fabulous weekend!!!!
Mary, your container garden is beautiful. I love the addition of hydrangeas and the bird finials are so sweet. Your step by step tutorial is excellent and informative as always. The container looks vintage and the kitchen towel was a perfect accompaniment to your garden. I love spending Floral Friday with you! ❤️
Lovin’ this Mary and your pretty kitchen towel too! Happy Friday ♥
Beautiful. You have that floral touch.
Very nice, and with great instruction! Love the tips on where to find things like the water picks. Thanks!
Such a great gift idea for someone in the hospital, a birthday or Mother’s Day. Pinning, thanks!
What a beautiful container garden! You have given me so many great ideas.
Beautifully done! I love the instant garden effect and the bird finials really added a nice touch!
Mary, your posts are always of interest and inspiration! Since the inception of Floral Fridays you’ve boosted my happiness factor again. Today’s easy peasy dish garden is another artistic, beautiful creation. Thanks for de-mystifying “how to do it!” I’m reminded of one of my all-time most favorite post of yours – a garden Easter basket from a quite a while back. You’re the best! Kudos and bravo!
All the dish gardens are so pretty, and I think I could manage this type of gardening! I really appreciate your tips and explanation of how you put yours together Mary, it’s just beautiful with lots of different colors and textures. Such a fantastic idea!
Jenna
Beautiful arrangement! Thanks for the inspiration and how to. Would make a lovely gift for someone sick or just because!
This is lovely, Mary. Your container is charming and the arrangement is fresh and inviting. I like to do similar things to use the many containers I’ve around here. Happy Friday!
I want this! Lol. SO pretty! What an awesome gift to give someone or yourself! Hehe. Thanks for the “how to” steps. I really enjoyed making the Easter basket with fresh veggies a couple of years ago, felt like I really accomplished something, so I know this would be fun as well. Thanks Mary, another great idea to pin, doing that now. Happy Friday!
Mary, your dish garden is delightful! I love the container, your plant choices, and the perfect dish towel to set it off. Thank you for your tips for assembling the container. I’ve done one where I lined the container with a thick garbage bag but I like your idea of placing each plant in its own sack. That is definitely easier to work with.
Adding the bird finial nestled among the hydrangea blossoms was the finishing touch. I can see this lasting a long time on your porch just changing out the flowers in the floral tubes from time to time or in the case of the hydrangeas they will dry right there and still look nice.
Hope you have a fantastic weekend.
Ever since the first Floral Friday I like to play along with the group as the fifth wheel! In my mind I visualize what supplies I would use to create my arrangement with your theme. This one took a little longer as I don’t usually do dish/container arrangements. Your arrangements are beautiful, thanks for the inspiration, Happy Floral Friday.
So beautiful Mary!
You started with a beautiful container, filled it with beautiful blooms and the birds to make a perfect garden. The dish towel was the crowing touch. Beautiful!
Gosh Mary, this brings back memories. I worked for silk Greenhouse as a designer in a huge store and when we had a store opening, we had to have 100 dish gardens made up. Probably the best practice for using texture and design I ever had. This i tutorial…is lovely and so simple, I hope everyone goes and makes a ‘DISH’ and enjoys it.
Thanks for my Friday get away…..so inspired thank fur all of the creatives you share with us .
That’s a very beautiful display. Do you have any tips for keeping ferns alive as houseplants? I’m having the hardest time.
blessings
~*~
All lovely
Plastic bag idea = genius
Beautiful container thank you for your tutorial on how to put it together!! have a nice weekend!
Mary, your dish or container garden is gorgeous! I love the idea of the hydrangeas in water picks, I love using those, they allow us to add fresh flowers right where they are needed! I often stick some in a silk flower wreath, just for fool-the-eye fun! It’s always a joy to be part of Floral Friday with you! xo
This project is the perfect example of why I enjoy your posts! You have presented a lovely arrangement and provided a simple step-by-step tutorial from product purchasing guide to assembly including tips. As always, you have created something beautiful with all of the components being affordable and available at well known stores. This arrangement is something that anyone would be happy to give, receive, or even keep for their own table.
Happy Friday, Mary!
Ravissante ! Cette bassine en zinc si joliment fleurie avec ces petits oiseaux de fonte !
Bonne soirée
I love learning new tips. I never would have thought of putting the plants in plastic bags so they live longer plus you can trade the plants out!! Pretty on its own, but the hydrangea pop really made it and of course love the bird finials!!!. Thank you!
Mary many thanks for walking us through this design. It is simply beautiful.. I have been fortunate to find plastic liners for several baskets at my garden center and love doing arrangements using living plants but never added cut flowers in picks. What a great suggestion. Thank you.
Is there anything you can’t do? Mary everything you touch and create is beautiful! That is the prettiest dish garden I’ve ever seen! The bird finials top it off perfectly! I wish I had a talent for decor etc. like you do. Even just a little! Lovely!
Your container garden is just darling, Mary, and the birdie finials are the perfect accent. Tucking the plants in plastic bags is a great idea, too, and I love the moss peeking out of the top. Happy Friday, Mary!
So pretty Mary and so inspirational. I picked up some of the floral tubes the other day so I will be using your ideas for a container garden. Luv it.
Bonjour Mary, votre composition est tout simplement ravissante et cela donne quelque chose de très frais !
Bravo et excellent week-end !
Very pretty Mary! Seems things are beginning to fade a little here, lots of heat, sporadic rain… Have a great weekend:@)
Beautiful! Just love everything about it!
Just lovely. Container gardens are such a favourite with me.
Very lovely! Always enjoy your “flower therapy” posts and designs! Thank You!
Hi, Mary,
Love your site and I am going to fill out info for you to send me , I just adore your babie’s and so sorry for your lost, I know how you feel and we will always hold them in our heart’s. I adore Lidy’s site and have enjoyed talking to her as well, beautiful thing’s and so many idea’s, just like you. All the decorations and setting’s and pots are lovely. Look forward to seeing more, have a great summer. I am here in Ca, hot here, Lidy is about 4-5 hour’s from me so she get’s a little cooler weather. I have this site in my keep box. Thank’s for sharing.
Bonjour, Jean Van, CA
Gardening is my passion and indoor gardening is one such amazing way to make use of space available in the vicinity of your house.
Oh Mary,
I’m reading this post on 7-30 (Monday) cuz we were busy haying over the weekend in Elma, Washington. Such a treat to read your blog! I share your posts with some of my friends that don’t have a computer. We are oohing and aaahing over this container garden and your details of how to recreate it. Plastic bags for pots, so ingenious! And, adding fresh blooms with water picks, who knew? Thank you from all of us!
From the types of houseplants you choose to the decorative elements that complete your display, this project is one that you can truly make your own.