Spring Window Box

The weather has finally gotten to the point where I can work outside and even plant a few flowers! Flowers are my most favorite things in the world and I could not wait to get planting after this long winter!

Here in northern Indiana, the rule of thumb for planting flowers (or even a garden) is nothing goes in until Mother's Day weekend. It's just not safe to plant prior to the middle of May around here. If it frosts, your flowers will die. Some flowers, such as Pansies and Violas, are fairly cold hardy and are safe to plant sooner. 

I once read that Pansies are hardy to about twenty-six degrees and then they stop flowering. There have been a few close calls, with a couple more to come. But, so far, they are looking good and growing already! Pansies come in several different colors and I chose an awesome mix this year for my window box garden!

I also went the extra mile this year and got some Miracle Grow Potting Soil. I want to see if it really makes a difference. It promises blooms twice as big, so we shall see. I'm always looking for ways to improve my gardening game!

The orange Pansies were a must and that's what I built the rest of the colors around.

I love bright, bold colors, but I felt it needed to be a little grounded so I added just one maroon Pansy and put it right in the middle. I simply alternated the rest of the colors on either side. I didn't pack the window box completely full because I wanted to give the flowers room to grow and breathe!

This Pansy mix is so pretty, I may just leave it up all Summer! It would even look very nice all the way into Fall, but let's not get ahead of ourselves!

Don't forget, you can follow me on Instagram @ sweethome.indiana!

My Flower Garden Tour 2017, Part 2: Annuals

Last week I took you on a tour of the perennial flowers in my flower gardens. Today, I will be sharing the annuals!

In case you were wondering what the difference is, perennials come back every year (hopefully!) Annuals are only around for one season. I try to incorporate a good mix of both perennials and annuals in my flower gardens. The nice thing about annual flowers is that they can really change up the look of your garden from year to year if you plant different ones each year!

Next year, I am planning on really stepping up my annuals. The past few years I've focused mostly on perennials because they are cheaper in the long run and you don't have to keep replanting them! But, my annuals have really looked awesome this year, so I am going to do it up even more next Spring/Summer!

I really don't have that many gardens. Don't get the idea that I have acres upon acres of perfectly manicured gardens like Martha Stewart! Although, that is my goal one day! I have a few little areas around my house, garage, and creek that I've managed to put a border on and plant a few plants! They are always a work in progress and I still have plenty of space in all of them to plant more flowers next year, and even for years to come!

If all you have are a few containers on your apartment balcony or window ledge, that's a great start! In fact, that's how I got my start! And don't get discouraged if your plants didn't do so hot this Summer. There's always next year!

All the seeds that I planted this year. The Primrose and Phlox didn't happen this year.

Here is my back little garden area at the very beginning of Summer. It looks like weeds but about July or August it really starts to look like an actual garden.

Here it is today!

These are the Zinnias, which are one of my new favorite flowers.

An up close shot of one of the Zinnias. They are all so different, you never know what you're going to get!

A Sunflower just about to open.

These are Cockscomb that I originally got at the Johnny Appleseed Festival two years ago! I planted the seeds that fell from them and they have come back every year! They are technically Annuals but the seeds just replant them by themselves!

Twins! This year I am going to get another color to add to the garden! Maybe orange.

My creekside garden is so shady, so I planted Impatiens and they have really done well! I think they are going to be my go-to flower from now on since my yard is so shady.

I love ornamental or flowering cabbages!

Perfect for Fall!

A unique Begonia mix.

In the background is one of my fave plants, a Kong Coleus. The Asparagus Fern in the front I got on clearance for 50 cents and it has just grown like crazy! I love these Ferns!

Speaking of Coleus, the ones I planted from seed actually ended up blooming! It was touch and go for a couple months after a groundhog messed up this area. I will definitely be planting these again next year.

This is a Flowering Maple...it reminded me of a Hibiscus, so I had to get it!

And finally, my sweet peas! This was my first year growing them and clearly I have some things to learn! 1. Get the proper size! These are supposed to grow up to 7 foot tall! Way taller than my tomato cage trellis! It's still possible that these will bloom, so we will see!

This is my big old planter on my deck full of petunias, sunpatiens, verbena and a corkscrew plant.

Goodbye Summer! Til next year!

All Decked Out!

 Although Summer is rapidly coming to a close, today I am sharing my back deck in all it's Summer glory! Here in Northern Indiana we usually still have several weeks - if not even months - of beautiful weather left, so there is still plenty of time to enjoy deck time.

This year, I did just a few little things on my back deck to make it a little more summery, welcoming, and cozy. I didn't (couldn't) spend a lot of money or time, and it turned out wonderful. It's exactly what I was going for!

At the first sight of summer around here, up goes our green patio umbrella! We got our cute little patio dining set at Menards several years ago for less than $100! It has served us very well! It came with four nice chairs, a table, and the umbrella. It's living proof that you don't need to spend a lot of money to make your house a home!

I have been obsessed with colorful patio lights every since I was little and I have plenty! From pink flamingos and palm trees to multi-colored Chinese lanterns. But, this year, I decided to go clear. I'm really digging Edison Bulbs and all the plain, clear glass globe lights that are so popular right now. They cast such a gorgeous, warm glow and will carry over to Fall nicely. Just make sure to bring them in once the temps drop, otherwise they will break!

I would love a pergola to string my patio lights from, but I like my sunshine more! With nothing much to hang my lights from, I ended up hanging them from the gutters. I used very small 3M Command clips that I got on clearance and they worked like a charm!

This Summer I also decided that I needed a giant planter on my deck, chock full of flowers.  I ended up finding a cheap, large, faux terracotta planter. It was exactly what I had in mind. I filled it with hot pink petunias, white sunpatiens, purple trailing verbena, and a giant corkscrew plant stuck right in the middle! I followed the thriller, filler, and spiller method and it worked like a charm! I also added my tiny lawn flamingo I got in New Smyrna Beach, Florida last year for some extra tropical vibes!

 Although I am more than ready for pumpkins and other Fall decor, I am still not ready to give up Summer and warm, sunny days! I try to spend every minute I can out on my deck soaking up every last ray of sunshine!

 

 

My New Window Box Garden!

 
For our anniversary this year, my husband got me a window box! I had been wanting one for quite a while, so it was the perfect present!

 We decided to hang the window box outside of my kitchen window since that seems to be the one we gaze out of the most. That way, when we look out at the bird feeders, we can also see all of my gorgeous flowers! That area of the house just really needed a pop of color too!

Speaking of bird feeders, I found a small hummingbird feeder to put in the window box garden too! It just adds a little extra whimsy and hopefully my hummingbirds will find it soon!

Although I generally advocate the thriller, filler, and spiller philosophy in container gardening, I had a few different flowers on hand already and I just decided to use those in the window box. They looked great together and I didn't have to spend any more money! Win, win!

This window box gets full on sun most of the day, so it was necessary to use flowers that can take a lot of sun. I also make sure to water it at least once a day, sometimes twice on super hot days!

I used a mix of white sunpatiens, and pink and purple dianthus.

View from the top! They are really starting to fill in.

It's almost like having fresh flowers on hand at all times!

I love looking out the window and seeing the flowers peeking over the window sill! Now if only I could get my hummingbirds to start drinking out of this feeder too! They love feeding at the other one, and fight each other off constantly.

I feel the need to add one to every window on my house now!

Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest and Instagram @ sweethome.indiana for more ideas!