Join me for a look back at a year of flower therapy, gardening inspiration, and seasonal creativity around the Potting Shed. From DIY seed tape and free hydrangeas to peonies, pumpkins, pollinators, and whimsical tabletop gardening, this year-in-review celebrates the joy of growing, creating, and finding beauty in every season.
Happy Thursday!
How about a little flower therapy on a chilly January morning?
I’m sharing a look back at how I puttered, played and planted around The Potting Shed this past year.
I always feel honored and humbled that you take the time to visit my little blog and my Potting Shed.
This past year was filled with garden experiments, seasonal vignettes, DIY projects, and flowers, all centered around my 10 x 16 shed, where I love to putter and play. 🏡
This past year marked a milestone—my Potting Shed turned 13 . . . she is officially a teenager. ;)
For those who are newer here, the Potting Shed is a blend of new construction and salvaged materials, finished with galvanized sheet-metal countertops and windows dressed in landscaping burlap for a touch of rustic charm.
You can find more background and photos here:
👉 The Potting Shed’s Journey: Inspiration and DIYs for Shed Lovers
Longtime readers know I don’t actually do any potting inside the shed, but it’s my happy place and where my creativity blooms.
Click the highlighted links below if you’d like to revisit the full posts or enjoy a little flower therapy.
Winter & Early Spring: Gentle Beginnings
👉 Love Around the Potting Shed for Valentine’s Day and Every Day
A tabletop vignette that serves as a reminder to surround yourself with things you love on Valentine’s Day, or more importantly, every day!
👉 Hello Spring: Garden Blooms and Flower Therapy
Hand-picked blooms and a dose of flower therapy to chase away the winter blues, including spring snowballs (the good kind!).
👉 Ready for Gardening Season: Easy Planting with DIY Seed Tape
Get a jump start on spring planting with DIY seed tape—an easy, affordable method for direct sowing that keeps lightweight seeds from blowing or floating away during planting and watering.
Spring in Full Bloom
👉 Hop This Way: Farm Fresh Carrot Patch in the Potting Shed
A whimsical garden table garden with bunny plates, floral garden tools, watering cans filled with flower and napkins tucked into gardening gloves. A burlap bunny banner hangs in welcome over the window, with a watering can sprinkling carrots.
👉 Bee Kind and Celebrate Earth Day with 6 Fun Pollinator Projects 🐝
Make every day Earth Day with simple projects that support pollinators while adding beauty and life to your garden or patio.
👉 Spring Flowers in Bloom Around the Potting Shed
The first flush of spring blooms—clematis, peonies, wisteria, and roses—always one of my favorite moments of the gardening year.
👉 Favorite Peonies and Ball Jar Bouquets in the Potting Shed
Peony-filled Ball jar bouquets paired with blue-and-white vintage transferware for a blooming window shelf display.
Summer Garden Joy
👉 Fresh Flower Market and Garden Bouquets in the Potting Shed
Johnson Brothers Garden Bouquets plates joined fresh-picked flowers and garden bouquets in mason jars and watering cans for some summertime tabletop fun.
👉 How to Get Free Hydrangeas: 6 Simple Steps to Multiply Beautiful Blooms
A step-by-step guide to propagating hydrangeas—and other perennials, shrubs, and even some trees—using a simple, reliable method.
👉 Summer Garden Blooms Around the Potting Shed: Hydrangeas, Daylilies and More
June brings peak daylily season in our zone 8a garden. With a little sun, daylilies reward you with waves of color summer after summer—no green thumb required!
👉 Petals for Pedals (aka Gardening on Wheels): DIY Blooming Bicycle Planter
Plant some vintage charm in your garden by upcycling an old bicycle to garden on wheels, with steps and tips to plant bicycle baskets with flowers.
👉 How to Make an Easy Hummingbird Feeder Umbrella + Dollar Tree Hack
A quick, budget-friendly DIY that protects hummingbird nectar from sun and rain—taking less than five minutes to make.
Fall Favorites & Spooky Fun
👉 Pumpkin Blossom Farms and Pumpkins on the Potting Bench
October means pumpkins everywhere, paired with soft pink blooms and the blush tones of Limelight hydrangeas—fall is my favorite season for a reason!
👉 Ready for the Spooky Season: Home Is Where You Hang Your Broom 🧹🎃
The cauldron bubbled nonstop in anticipation of the Black Hat Society’s annual meeting on October 31st.
All good witches were welcome! <|;>) 🧹🎃
A Grateful Pause
As I look back on the year, I’m reminded that the Potting Shed isn’t about perfection—it’s about joy, creativity, and taking the time to notice the beauty in each season. 🦋🌸🐝
Thank you for wandering through this little space with me, for clicking, commenting, and finding inspiration here. 🩷
Here’s to another year of blooms, ideas, and a little more flower therapy ahead! 🌸
“Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring.”
– Lilly Pulitzer
Thank you for buzzing by! 🐝
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Thank you for the beautiful dose of flower therapy this morning Mary! Just what I needed on cold winter morning! Love your shed, I can’t believe she’s a teenager. :)
Love love! Inspiring and joyful! All of it! Thank you! 💐🌺🌷🌻🌼
Thanks so much for the flower inspiration. The pictures all made me smile. It’s cold here in Virginia and I keep looking at my flower beds…. Plan to start seed planting in milk cartons this weekend that will help. Peace.
Oh Mary! What a joyful wander through the potting shed. I am inspired with every visit! Thank you for sharing this space with us. What a treasure!! 🩵🌸🩵🌸🩵
Mary, your flowers therapy post is just is what needed on a chilly winter day. Your potting shed is so adorable and makes a perfect canvas for your tablescapes. Your hydrangeas always amaze me with their beauty.
Oh my, I want it all! Your shed, your garden flowers, and your dishes make for all of life’s simple pleasures I enjoy! Your low today is our high temp but, luckily, the snow that’s flying hasn’t really stuck due to the high winds we had overnight when the rain turned to snow. I pinned the garden seed tape post. That’s such a good one, especially when you get into seeds that are like specs of pepper (poppies). I scattered some old poppy seeds I had the other, not really expecting anything, but still hoping even one or two may sprout. I repotted some house plants yesterday. Even though I don’t have a shed, there’s a small section of my garage that really works well for chores like that and cleanup, just not for staging fun tablescapes! This was great therapy today and nice break from year-end paper work, thanks.
Certainly started my morning with a smile…& I haven’t had my coffee yet!!! ❤️ your creativity, etc. TY. franki
Dear Mary…I want you to know that your Pottiing Shed is my favorite place on the internet to Visit. Always so thoughtfully curated and gorgeous. Saw your temps and I hope none of your plants are injured. Here in Chicagoland, the freeze thaw cycles are hard on Perrenials. Thanks for all your efforts, Sandi
Mary, your potting shed brings joy to many of us! I always enjoy seeing it styled for each season/holiday. Your landscaping is gorgeous throughout the year. Looking forward to seeing it in 2026! Clara❤️
I had to smile when you said you don’t actually DO any potting in the potting shed. Well, no, you certainly wouldn’t want to mess it up. :-) I am so envious of this. It is absolutely gorgeous, and I love how you change it for the season. When I see things like this, I miss my former home that had a shed similar to this one (although we used it for pool supplies) that I could’ve done something wonderful with. Well, what can you do?
Thank you Mary for your pretty photos. Yes, even in Florida we need a breath of Spring. Temps here are in the 50’s with talk of getting colder due to the cold front moving over SW Florida. I always enjoy a trip back in your timeline and a re-visit of your adorable potting shed. Stay warm…I’m making hot soup as we speak.
What a delightful way of lifting my spirits this afternoon, Mary. Scrolling through your year of my favorite potting shed brings a smile to my face. Thank you for sharing with us. 💐
As much as I love the inspiring pictures of your spring and summer flowers, the photo of your snow-covered lawn with the lake in the background took my breath away!
Mary, I am late in commenting. My days are a little different, but hopefully for a short time. I have always loved your potting shed! The tablescapes, floral arrangements, the DIY’s, everything you touch turns to magic. Thank you for sharing your talents with us!
Mary, those look like some pretty cold temps for your neck of the woods, but your flower therapy and potting shed tables, seasonal decor, and DIYs are like a ray of warm sunshine! The potting shed is a much loved favorite of mine but your gardens are just beautiful as well – those hydrangeas are magnificent. They don’t grow all that well here so I enjoy them vicariously through your posts. You are one very talented lady and thank you for sharing your tips, DIYs, and your glorious creativity. Happy Thursday and stay warm.
Mary, a friend stopped over for coffee this morning and she immediately started talking about your post today. I had shared your blog with her and suggested she follow along. She is very impressed as I knew she would be. Your inspiration is unlimited. I still find myself pinning images. How I wish I had my own little garden shed! Thanks for sharing. I’m dreaming of spring!!!
The One and Only Potting Shed that made me want my very own! I remember when you had it built. I have loved it from the start. ❤️
And now you share your creative inspiration inside and outside of your Potting Shed. I always enjoy the seasonal beauty with each and every post. 🌸
I am so happy I found you and your lovely blog. Thank you so very much, Mary!🩷
Such a variety of beauty in one post
Mary, I so enjoyed my journey through your potting shed! I would love to live there! So much fun, beautiful dishes, amazing flowers and the bunnies and bees! And my favorite Black Hat Society! Looking forward to this year in your potting shed. Thank you for sharing!
On this cold grey winter’s day I cannot thank you enough for this breath of fresh air filled with stunning florals, Mary. My spirit so needed this today as I sip my cuppa tea and sigh and dream and wish. Just lovely.