Gardening Archives | Page 7 of 13

Gardening

why Annabelle hydrangeas are my favorite

It was our first summer in our house in Minnesota and I noticed some potted white hydrangeas at the grocery store (of all places.) We had a lot of work to do on the garden beds before we were ready for planting (weeding, digging up unwanted plants, moving rock), so I wasn’t planning on buying bushes, but they were so pretty and they were on clearance for some crazy price like $15/each. I felt like I couldn’t resist. I come home from a quick grocery run with a trunk full of bushes! Thankfully, Jeff is used to my antics and, as long as it’s not a rickety chair that will collapse if he tries to sit on it, he’s pretty relaxed about me bringing surprises home. What I had purchased impulsively were Annabelle hydrangeas and they were a serendipitous find. This was the summer I planted them and they just

May 7, 2024 11 Comments

Favorite Things

beautiful tools | copper watering can & mister

As I have shared many times over the years, I believe in having the tools you use every day be beautiful from dish brushes and bars of soap to brooms and scissors to pencils and grocery bags. Functional items can, in most cases, also be lovely, aesthetically pleasing, and a delight to use. They don’t have to be made of brightly-colored plastic that you want to hide in your cabinets. Even the humblest of sponges or a pair of gardening clogs can be something you enjoy having in plain view. For years, I have been using a plastic water bottle or whatever else I could find on hand to water my houseplants. I finally decided to treat myself to a beautiful watering can that I wouldn’t mind sitting out on the counter or the shelf by the kitchen door. After looking around at my options and thinking about it, I

May 2, 2024 25 Comments

All Things Home

my gardening notebook

A couple of weeks ago, I stopped by a local nursery/garden center that is just a stone’s throw from my house. I’ve driven by it often and wanted to stop in, but I knew I wasn’t ready for planting until after the roof was replaced and the exterior painting was done. We finished priming and painting the front and “garage side” last fall, so I was ready to do some planting as soon as spring started to emerge. I knew I wouldn’t be able to tackle the landscape in the front of the house all at once, but I wanted to get a good start on the foundation bushes on the front of each “wing” of the house and get the beds in front of the porch prepped and tarped. I’ll explain the area in front of the porch more as I share about the work I’m doing, but that

April 30, 2024 14 Comments

a slice of life

what’s in my gardening books stack

I’m a book-stacker. When I am interesting in a subject, I’ll pull books on that topic and make a stack on my studio counter. If I feel like there are holes in my collection or some tempting new books are available, I’ll buy a few more to add to the stack. I’ll then grab books from that stack to read when I have some free time or when I’m headed to an appointment or another place where I might be waiting. The current stack on my studio counter follows a clear theme – gardening. It’s full of some of my favorite gardening books that I’ve had for years along with some that I just opened a few days ago. If you know me, you know I like big books. Helping me move isn’t fun because not only do I have lots of boxes of books, but I have lots of

April 29, 2024 14 Comments

1970 home renovation

progress on the garage-side garden

Last year, I focused most of my gardening on the backyard, specifically the area surrounding the pool. We were in the process of having the pool restored and I wanted the area to feel tidy at the very least. I didn’t want to be floating in our pool, trying to soak up the slower summer days only to be tormented by the view of garden beds filled with weeds. So, I worked a little bit most days to clean weeds out of the beds, dig out rock, mulch, and plant. I’ll share an update on those areas in another post. This year, I’m still working on the back (specifically the area along the back fence), but I’m focusing more attention on the front and garage side of the house. These are the two sides that are most visible from the street. I wanted to work on them more last year,

April 25, 2024 15 Comments

All Things Home

the war on bishop’s weed

So, last year I shared a post about lovely surprises I was finding in our yard as bulbs peeked up in the Spring, perennials woke up, and bushes leafed out and bloomed. I learned the dogwood trees in our front yard had white blooms, which was exactly what I was hoping. A large bush that is falling over under its own weight is a beautiful mock orange that just needs some serious pruning. What we thought was a dead dogwood tree is actually a lilac bush that has grown taller than the house! It gave me a better indication of what I wanted to heavily prune and save and what I wanted to remove. One of the plants I shared was a ground cover Google identified as Ground Elder or Snow-on-the-Mountain, which both sound lovely. I left it alone to bloom and thought the lacy white flowers were so pretty.

April 17, 2024 36 Comments

a slice of life

why you should have a pair of gardening overalls

I’ve been working in the yard and garden beds most days over the past two or three weeks. It’s that time of year when the longer days and not-too-hot spring weather draws me outside and I get excited about cleaning things up, weeding, and working on more landscaping projects. We bought a house that had beautiful landscaping done about 50 years ago. Fortunately, some of that landscaping is still in good condition, can be trimmed up, and provides a nice foundation to work around. Unfortunately, much of the yard and many of those mature bushes are overgrown and there is still a lot of work to be done. Last year, we made a big dent by having large bushes and some trees professionally removed and we’ve been slowly working on the rest on our own. At some point, I’ll share a recap of what we’ve done in the yard so

April 16, 2024 12 Comments

1970 home renovation

trellis inspiration

A little over a week ago, I shared some of our spring project plans and I thought I would flesh one of those ideas out a bit more. Specifically, let’s take a look at some trellis inspiration ideas I’m considering for the blank wall of siding on the front of the house. This year will likely involve prepping the beds and planting, but I’m not sure if building a trellis will get on the spring to-do list this year. I know I want some sort of vertical, wall-covering element so I would want to keep that in mind with any prepping and planting we start. Here is how the house looked in the early fall, shortly after we finished painting the front. We painted the shutters, siding, and trim and, prior to that, had a new roof installed. All of that work has boosted the curb appeal of the house,

March 19, 2024 22 Comments

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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Gardening

why Annabelle hydrangeas are my favorite

beautiful tools | copper watering can & mister

my gardening notebook

what’s in my gardening books stack

progress on the garage-side garden

the war on bishop’s weed

why you should have a pair of gardening overalls

trellis inspiration

next art sale

August 13th, 2026 at 1pm EST

Now Available for Preorder

Move Slow & Make Things

From the Studio

Artful pieces for your home and everyday life.

From the Studio and Home

Shop the Feed

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