Happy Monday! Did you have a good weekend? My weekend was productive and with some glorious bird-chirping weather and Carolina blue skies to help me whistle while I worked. I’ve been itching to play in my Potting Shed and do some container gardening now that our threat of frost is over. I promised myself that would…
Happy Saturday to you! I’m slowly digging my way out of spring cleaning and shed-keeping projects. It’s been a messy couple of weeks but worthwhile with much-needed repair and painting for our ceilings, exterior trim and porches. While the painters were here, my Potting Shed got her trim freshened up and a coat of semi-transparent stain on her shakes…
Is Mother Nature sending warm spring weather your way? Our below freezing temperatures are finally behind us and we’re enjoying temperatures in the 60s and 70s this week! Our azaleas are blooming and we covered our Chinese Snowball Viburnum to protect her buds and blooms from frost this past weekend. The “snowballs” resemble large hydrangea blooms, which…
Are your palms itching to dig in the dirt and fill your containers and beds with spring and summer annuals? Our frost date in North Carolina is April 15th but we all know how unpredictable Mother Nature can be. I learned the hard way not be tempted by all the beautiful flowers arriving in the garden centers in March and early…
Happy Friday! For those of you in a deep freeze or still covered in snow, I sharing some spring flowers! Our March was warm and mild but with April’s arrival has been blustery and cold. Another freeze is in the forecast this weekend with temperatures dipping down in the 20s. Azaleas are in bloom. . . Dear Mother Nature:…
This layered salad is sure to be the hit of your next potluck or Easter celebration. It’s also make-ahead and customizable to your taste. This Layered Spring Salad is ideal to serve alongside your ham for your Easter menu or for your next family gathering or potluck! Seven-layer salads were popular in the South in the 70s and…
Do you have spring fever? We’ve had a couple of beautiful weeks of March weather. More recently it’s been cold and blustery, but I’m ready for some garden time, flowers, eggs and bunnies, with Easter on its way! I had little spring garden fun in the Potting Shed, repurposing and upcycling a drawer as a planter! I…
Happy first day of Spring! I’m chalking it up to welcome Spring on my Potting Shed door! We’ve had some beautiful spring weather here in North Carolina with temperatures 70s and 80s in the last couple of weeks, more typical of May than March. We’re chiller this morning, with temperatures in the 40s and 30s today and…
I have some flower therapy for the table, ideal for spring or summer, but especially welcome on a cold winter day, Mikasa Meadow Violets dinnerware! Meadow Violets, by Kim Parker for Mikasa, brings the vivid beauty of the garden indoors, with a bright palette of painted florals to the table. An embossed foliage design borders one side of the plates, providing…
For those of you buried under the snow from the blizzard that hit the East Coast over the weekend, I’m sending you some flower therapy to chase away the winter blues! Freshly picked from the 2015 archives, here’s a round-up of flowers and promise of spring and summer blooms to come! Click on the links…