Scrap Gardening on Home Depot's Garden Club blog

Windowsill garden. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

A view of my windowsill garden ~ rootings of a Christmas cactus, green onions that I'm too frugal to part with, and the great avocado pit experiment. I've never tried to root an avocado pit before, but I've known plenty of folks who claim success with it. I certainly make enough guacamole to acquire sufficient pits to try.

This windowsill garden is the topic of my latest post for The Home Depot's Garden Club blog. Earlier in the month, they ran my story on repurposed rain boots planted with sprightly pansies. The pansies are just about the only thing blooming in the garden these days, and that's why my garden comes indoors and settles on my wide windowsill. Blue glass bottles and Mason jars, plus antique saucers are some of my favorite things, and they brighten up the view beyond the porch. In the post, I write about how to never run out of green onions and how root pineapples and avocados from kitchen scraps. I even throw in my famous guacamole recipe, because you've got to have a culinary excuse to root the pit.

Green onions. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books.

Do stop by the Home Depot Garden Club blog ~ it's packed with information for gardeners of all types and stripes, urban or suburban, plots measured in square feet, yards or miles. And if the mood strikes, a little social media love for my post would be so appreciated ~ pinning, sharing, stumbling, etc.  *thanks*

Happy 2014, everyone! Thanks for reading my little ol' blog!

Pansies and violas on the porch

Autumn containers on front porch steps. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

You may recognize these unique, hand-painted containers from a summer gardening project with the girls ~ buckets from The Home Depot, painted and personalized and filled with flowers. Near the end of September, the summer annuals were really past their prime, so I went to my favorite plant places and gathered up some wonderful cold-weather container plants like violas and pansies.

These purple pansies really caught my eye ~ I couldn't let these to go to another home ~

Purple pansies. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

I think violas are the happiest flowers in the garden. Here, they're mixed with variegated ivy, to spill over the edge of the bucket.

Violas and variegated ivy. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

While I shop for plants, I use my smartphone to take pictures of pleasing arrangements on display. When I get home, I have a visual guide to replicate the design. I liked this combination of baby bok choy and creeping golden jenny. I set if off with violas and some variegated ivy, following the formula "a thriller, a spiller and a filler." The thriller is the focal point, usually giving height, the spiller trails over the edges of the pots, and the filler adds color and texture to the bulk of the container.

Autumn container plants. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

"Arctic White" flowering cabbages pair well with the variegated creeping fig and purple pansies, adding a cooling element against my red house. The containers are displayed on my front porch steps, so they are viewed from above and head on. As I walk down the steps, they look like giant unfolding roses.

 

Autumn containers. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

 Text and images copyright 2013, Lucy Mercer.

Repurposed rain boots

Rain boots filled with violas. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

These boots have seen a lot of mud puddles in the 13 years or so they've been kicking around my house. I bought them on sale at Target eons ago for my eldest daughter, then passed them on to a friend. When my second daughter was born, the boots came back and were worn again through rain, sleet and snow. They held up admirably, but with the lining now disintegrated and the rubber brittle and cracked, it was time to repurpose them. And what better way than to plant them with sprightly and bright violas, the happiest flowers in the autumn garden?

Boots, new and old. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

This was a very simple project. First, I removed the remains of the lining inside of the boots, then my husband drilled four drainage holes in the bottom of each boot. I then placed a nail in the bottom of the boot, in order to anchor it in the garden bed. Genius, right?

Boot with nail. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

From that point on, it was very straightforward: boots anchored in the bed of creeping thyme, filled with potting soil and violas, then watered.

Rain boots. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

I expect the violas to last for a few months, then in the spring we'll try something new ~ petunias or impatiens or daisies, perhaps. I hope you give this project a try. Let me know your results!

Text and images copyright 2013, Lucy Mercer.

Create a bucket garden

Bucket garden. Laura Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

We caught the gardening bug late this year, but hit upon a great idea in the planning. Bucket gardens, decorated by my crafty girls and filled with bright annuals, ready to brighten up the porch or flower bed, depending on our whim (and the summer heat.)

Our starting point was with a video from The Home Depot ~ an informative five-minute presentation that outlined the materials required and how to put together the bucket. Instead of pails, we used the smallest garbage cans available, Behrens 6 gallon galvanized trash cans with a lid and handle. (I've learned the hard way with container plants that the bigger the pot, the more moisture they can hold, thus allowing the plants to survive any inconsistencies in watering.)

Wave petunias. Laura Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

The girls decorated the buckets using paint pens from Michaels. We like a little poetry and a little whimsy in our garden. And Emily Dickinson always inspires...

Paint markers make the artist's job easy. Laura Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Hope is the thing with feathers. Laura Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

I used a heavy duty hammer and screwdriver to drive drainage holes in the bottom of the bucket and the girls filled the buckets with garden soil. I showed them how to gently pull the plants from the containers ~ Little Bit loves the phrase from the Home Depot video ~ "tickle the roots!" A little gardening lesson that she'll always remember.

The finished garden, getting its first drink. Laura Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

The bucket gardens turned out beautifully and I'm looking forward to a summer full of color from the wave petunias, the lantana and daisies that we planted!

Check out the Home Depot for the bucket garden how-to and more ideas for easy gardening projects.

Summer flowers

A coral-colored red hot poker from my garden. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Lantana. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Pumpkin blossoms from my garden. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Pink zinnia. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Periwinkle. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Pinks. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Sunflowers. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Yellow rose. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Blue hydrangea. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Pink begonia. Laura Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Blanket flower. Tennessee. Laura Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Yellow begonia. Laura Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

From my garden and a few other gardens I've visited this summer. 

Images copyright Lucy Mercer, 2012.

Paperwhites about to bloom

Paperwhites, week 4. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

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In these dark days of winter, as mild as this winter has been, I long for the green stems and colorful blooms of spring. While the outdoors sorts out whether its truly winter or spring...

Daffodil blooming in January. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

 I'll watch my paperwhites reach to the sun by my kitchen window. Here's what they looked like just 4 weeks ago, when I made paperwhite and daffodil pots for teacher gifts:

Paperwhite bulbs in gravel. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

As I wait for spring, I remember what it was like last January, when our corner of Georgia was covered up in snow and ice. These are the views from my front porch in January 2011:

Sunset in the snow. Georgia. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Icicles on my front porch. January 2011. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

 Text and images copyright 2012, Lucy Mercer.

Paperwhites and daffodils for Christmas gifts

Paperwhite bulbs.Lucy mercer/A Cook and Her Books

When you run into the Lowe's or Home Depot or your favorite garden center this week, looking for an extra string of lights, or a discounted wreath, find the display of fall bulbs. I bet you'll find a few bags of beautiful tulip, daffodil and paperwhite bulbs, priced to sell. If you have a few extra minutes in the Christmas rush and crush, you may put some into the ground, or you can make lovely gifts for friends and family.

Paperwhite bulbs. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

First, paperwhites: these fragrant blooms take really well to indoor forcing. Pick up a bag of gravel while you're at the Depot and find a few shallow dishes around your house. I prefer sealed ceramic dishes for this - the saucer will need constant watering and unsealed terra cotta will ruin the surface underneath. Gently place gravel in container, nestle the paperwhite bulbs among the stones, and add water. Because of the moisture factor, I keep these in my sunny kitchen and bathroom, where I can monitor the water level daily. If you're giving these away, don't add water, and wrap with cellophane and a pretty bow and add instructions for water and light.

Paperwhites in gravel container. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

You can also take the smaller approach and gather a few jelly and canning jars for a collection of bulbs. Just place a few pieces of gravel in the bottom, fill with a bit of dirt, then add a bulb. I found this idea on Wenderly's site and she recommends not watering right away, but placing the jars with bulbs in a dark place for a few days to encourage root growth, then bringing out the jars, putting in a bit of water and watching the bulbs grow.

Paperwhite bulbs in jars.Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

I found daffodils marked down 75 percent at Lowe's (half off at Home Depot), and decided to use them for teacher gifts. Very simple here, and it's easy to set up assembly-line style. Clean pot, gravel in bottom, 5 or 6 bulbs place upright on gravel. Fill in with potting soil and pat down the soil.

Daffodil bulbs in pots. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Wrap with cellophane. Tie with a pretty gold ribbon (I buy gold and silver ribbon after the holidays and have a stash of lovely wired ribbon to use throughout the year.)

Daffodil pots. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

The daffodil pots were given to teachers and family this year. I have a few extras on hand, for last-minute and unexpected gifts.

Christmas is all about new beginnings - a baby, new life for those who believe. And a planter full of the promise of spring will make a wonderful Christmas gift.

Text and images copyright 2011, Lucy Mercer.

Morning at Lost Mountain Nursery

Bird feeders by Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

I spent a lovely morning last week with my Mom. We drove to our favorite plant place, Lost Mountain Nursery in Dallas, Georgia. I like Lost Mountain because they carry lots of perennials, native plants and shrubs, and shade-loving plants. They also carry beautiful ceramic pots and charming gardening knick-knacks. These are just a few things that caught my eye (and a few more that came home with me).


I love blue by Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books



"What happens on the porch...stays on the porch." by Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Yellow begonia by Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Red Begonia by Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Beware of Dog by Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Two bunnies by Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Camellia by Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Camellia by Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Ferns and fiddleheads. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books.



Fiddlehead. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books



Camellia blossoms on ground by Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

I picked up a few herbs and violas to take home:

Violas, mint and curly stuff by Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

This is the patch of veronica by my driveway - I bought more of this fabulously hardy and colorful groundcover at Lost Mountain. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

My porch table with potted veronica in center, violas and herbs and chartreuse stuff on left and right.
 Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books.

Violas, veronica and herbs on front porch table by Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books.

I'll be back soon to purchase herbs and tomato seedlings. What are your favorite plant nurseries? Any recommendations for the Atlanta area?