Cluelessly Planting!

Ok, not only do I not have a green thumb, I have a black thumb (is that the opposite of green?)!!! Let's just say I have not had much experience with plants and the little experience I do have is not good (I had a hard time keeping them alive). The only plant that I have kept alive (and it actually flourished) was the one I had sitting in my cube. It did so well because I walked past it everyday and remembered to water it! We have a couple plants in the house that have survived ok (mainly because my husband waters them). I am challenging myself to pot some plants around the house and maintain them! These empty pots are screaming for some plants!!



I headed to Pike Nursery hoping they could educate me a bit on the basics. I especially wanted to know which plants are good for inside/outside, low-maintenance, and will last all year long or at least come back the next year. I talked with a woman who worked there who was very knowledgeable and helpful. She started off by telling me about outdoor plants that need a lot of sun (because the spots I wanted to put them get a lot of sun). She recommended perennials because they come back every year, need little attention, and get lots of sunlight. Sold! I told her I had one large pot that I needed to fill. She suggested doing perennials or a shrub in the middle and adding a few smaller plants around it. She said a lot of people do a shrub in the middle so they have something in bloom year-round. But the perennials are a good choice too because they come back each year. She showed me some ivy that would be good for planting around the shrub or perennial. I liked the idea of ivy, especially how it would drape over the sides of the pot.

I actually set out to get a fern because I thought it would fit all of my criteria, but I wasn't sure. I saw an autumn fern when I was looking before I talked to the woman and she later confirmed it would be a good choice and would last all year long. She said it would "thin-out" in the winter, but something would still be there. It sounded good to me!

The plants I bought came in some soil, but I bought a bag of potting soil to add to them. The woman also suggested buying "Sure Start". She said it would ensure the plants have a healthy start so they would do better. I don't know if I got suckered in, but I thought it couldn't hurt since I need all the help I can get!

Outdoor plants:


Here's what I came home with from left to right:

• Perennial - Mary Ann Lantana (I chose this particular one because she said hummingbirds like it)
  


• Autumn Fern
  


• Shrub - Boxwood Suffruticosa - Buxus Sempervirens
  


• Ivy - Variegated Large Leaf Periwinkle
  

I gathered all my supplies (plants, planters, soil, Sure Start, gloves, and a shovel), put the gloves on and went to town. My husband said to break the plants up at the bottom. I mixed a little Sure Start (I just eye-balled it, but it tells you how much on the box) and soil and added it around the plants. I mainly used it to fill in the spaces around the large perennial and ivy in the big pot. I made sure it was filled close to the top and packed in pretty well. I was going to do the shrub in the big pot to have something year-round, but the perennial was bigger so I put it in the big pot and the shrub in the smaller pot. The fern and shrub fit pretty well and didn't need any extra soil. My plan is to ultimately have a nice little collection of plants in the corner of our deck. Remember those lonely little pots? Check out this after shot...aren't the pots much happier and isn't the corner much brighter now?!

After:


P.S. I'm pretty sure I will eventually have to re-pot the shrub. It barely fits and those things get pretty big, right??

The Fern:

I took a picture of the fern a few days later because it is out front and I forgot. Let's just say it's not doing so well...



Poor thing. I did just read that it needs more shade so I'm going to move it to the front porch and hope that helps. It has been getting water because it's been raining. We'll see! P.S. I got this urn for under $5 at a garage sale!!!

Indoor plant project/spray painting before & after:

Check out my $1 find at a garage sale last weekend! I thought it would look good spray painted red to go in my stairwell (where I have red accents going on).



Next, I got to spray-painting. Here's some pics during the process. Oh and yes, my hubby snapped this embarrassing shot of me in my socks and flops. I picked up this little trick from Young House Love, but I added the flops;-)



I only used one coat and it did the trick! I kind of like how the gold shines through just a little bit. It turned out pretty bright though so if I ever want it a little darker I may ad another coat or two. Some spray painting tips: Quick, even strokes and several thin coats. And this may be common sense, but it is hard to spray paint something that is black to white. I've tried a few times and it takes several coats and the black still shows through a little bit. Maybe there is a spray paint primer out there? I will look into it!

Now for the reveal!!!

Before & After:


What do you think? I love how it turned out! I only bought one indoor plant and wanted something small. I told the woman at Pike it would get some sunlight sitting pretty close to one of our windows. She recommended some ivy. She said it was very easy to take care of and would only need to be watered a couple times a week or whenever the soil is dry. This ivy is called "California" Hendera Helix.

Here it is all planted and getting settled in it's new home on the stair landing (remember in my first post when I was looking for stuff for this shelf?):



I love how the color pops and it makes me happy when I walk by! So there you have it folks - a step in the right direction! Hopefully I will keep my plants alive! I will do a follow-up post to let you know how they're doing and to hopefully introduce you to some new ones I've added!