My husband is a landscaper and I love to scrapbook. When it comes to our yard, he designed, planted and maintains it, but I embellish it! Embellishing your yard is a great way to add to your “curb appeal”. Curb appeal is what makes your home, business, or project stand out. It’s what gives it POP! and makes someone stop and look a little longer. Today, I will show you how to embellish your yard or garden by adding a fun splash of color.
This is a great time of year to add color to your yard and make it stand out. Planting annuals is one of the easiest ways to brighten your yard by adding color and personality. To know how to plant annuals the right way see our blog post entitled “April Showers Brings May Flowers”.
I love adding splashes of color by planting pots. There are so many different varieties of pots you can plant to give your yard beauty and color. I love finding ways to plant that show personality and variety. The idea of turning an old chair into a pot came from a friend of mine who’s yard is full of fun colorful planters that all add POP. What I love about this project is that no two chair planters will look alike. You will need to start by obtaining an old chair that you can remove the seat out of. The older the better! Old chairs have a lot of character. Look at second hand stores, garage sales or antique shops for your perfect chair. Maybe a parent or grandparent has an old chair that you love. If you have memories or emotions attached to the chair, even better!
Here’s a list of what you will need to get started:
- An old chair with the center of the seat removed.
- 2 packages of spagnum (peat) moss (you can find it at most garden or home improvement stores)
- Chicken wire
- Staple gun
- soil (any planting soil will work)
- Upright center plant (african daisy or geraniums work well)
- Trailing filling flowers (petunias, million, bells, sweet potatoes or vinca)
Simple assembly:
- Start by cutting your chicken wire big enough to make a bowl underneath your chair. You’ll want your bowl to be about 6 inches deep from the bottom of the chair. Use a staple gun to attach the chicken wire underneath the chair. You have now turned you once useless chair into the perfect pot for planting.
- Next, take your spagnum moss and line the chicken wire with it. Let it hang over the edge a bit, it will add color and texture. Trim it to the size you want. Now add your planting soil on top of the moss and you are ready to plant.
- Begin planting your center flower packing it firmly in the soil. Add your filler flowers around the center flower. I like to have two of each plant except for the upright center plant. Play with color and pattern and have fun! Now you have a darling flower pot that is sure to be a conversation piece.
Caring for your pot:
Simply water your flowers daily. Doing a finger test (sticking your finger in the soil to feel for moisture), will let you know if you’re watering enough. If it’s dry add water, if it’s wet, too much. If the nights get down below freezing, bring your chair inside for the night. You are generally safe to leave your pots outside full-time after Mother’s Day. I like to fertilize my pots once a week with a fertilizer you add to water like Miracle-Gro. The fertilizer will nourish your plants adding to their color and growth. Now sit back and enjoy your crafty creation this summer.
Check back for more pot planting ideas coming soon.