top ten spring plants

i love being outdoors in the spring. with the horrible winter we have just endured, i can hardly stand to be in my house when the sun is shining. that means i've been doing a ton of spring planting. my yard makes me happy and certain flowers make it that much more enjoyable. if you are just getting started with your gardening this year, there is still plenty of time to shop and plant for a yard that will make you happy for years to come. here are my top ten flowers for this spring and every spring to come.

1) mandevilla: this plant is amazing. it is an annual so if you live where it freezes, you will have to buy a new one each year. it is well worth the $15.00 you will spend on this beauty. it is a fast growing vine with the most beautiful red or pink flowers. i plant mine in a pot next to my deck rails and let it take over. plant it now and enjoy it's beautiful blooms all the way until the first winter frost.

2) butterfly bush (buddleia davidii) aka. summer lilac: i love butterflies. these amazing bushes attract them by the dozens. the plants start out small (note the picture of the one i just planted in the ground) but they will grow to be taller than i am. they grow well in containers or in the ground and their purple flowers are irresistible to butterflies. seriously, there will be dozens. plant this plant once and it will stay through some pretty harsh weather. you'll have butterflies and blooms for years to come.

photo credit: acornfarms.com

3) clematis: this plant always astounds me with it's beautiful purple flowers. we planted these five years ago and each spring, this is what we get...mounds of the most gorgeous and enormous purple blooms. it is a perennial and will come back year after year even more beautiful than the last. plant it with a trellis and watch it go.

4) chocolate vine (aka: akebia quinata): chocolate vines are another beautiful climber. we used ours next to our arbor and it has slowly but surely taken over to create the most beautiful canopy. it has deep purple blossoms in the spring (almost a chocolate color) and it will grow larger and larger each year. plant once and enjoy it for years.

5) hydrangeas: i love hydrangeas. their huge blooms just make me happy. they are fairly easy to grow and do not require a bunch of sunlight. they are perfect for some partially shady areas and will grow to cover a large area. plant them now and enjoy for years.

6) creeping jenny: i love, love, love this ground cover. they start as tiny little $2.00 plants. give them a season or two and this is what they do. they will grow wherever there is ground to fill. they require virtually no maintenance. they need little water, can tolerate sun or shade, and are hard to kill. they are a bright, cheery green and they keep the weeds at bay. did i mention i love them?

7) gerber daisies (aka: gerbera): they are the happiest flower i know. i have always loved them (i prefer a bouquet of them above almost anything else). the good news is they are easy to grow just about anywhere, from pots to any area in your yard. they like to be watered often and can survive sunlight. they are annuals and will need to be planted after your final frost and will last until the first frost of the fall. beautiful daisies all season long.

8) sweet basil: i love growing basil. it is great in pots and also in the ground. the best thing about basil in the ground is that, if you leave it, it will grow little basil babies. it is so easy to grow and it is fabulous in so many recipes. grow it now to make some amazing pesto in the fall to enjoy all winter long. it is also easy to grow from seed. give it a few weeks and you'll have happy basil plants.

9) carolina jasmine (aka: gelsemium sempervirens): this sunny yellow vine has the most spectacular blooms in the spring. it starts out small and then takes over a trellis, a fence and nearby trees. plant it in a location where there is plenty of room to grow and then trim back areas where it grows beyond it's limits. it's a perennial so plant it one year and enjoy forever.

yes...it took over the tree...

10) trailing petunia: did i mention i love butterflies? these trailing petunias come in a variety of amazing colors and they attract the most beautiful and fearless butterflies. they are annuals so you will need to replant each year after the final frost and they will survive until the first frost of the winter. get your camera ready to catch some beautiful butterfly action.

diy: hair bands with flowers

my daughter loses things all the time. she also loves to stuff things in her backpack and is then surprised when they come out of the backpack looking less than perfect. this is a huge pet peeve of mine. it's also especially annoying when i buy her a brand new hair bow or hair band and find it destroyed in the pile of things in her book bag. after spending tons of cash on her hair "pretties", i decided just to make my own for her. they take time and a little bit of money but they easy to make and are much cheaper than what you can buy. here's the quick "how to."

to start, you'll need:

• elastic decorative ribbon (i got mine at "hobby lobby" for $2.00 for the whole roll)
• a coordinating flower
• wire cutters
• matching thread
• a matching button or decorative flower center
• a hot glue gun and glue sticks
• a basic matching hair alligator clip

cut a section of the ribbon to fit snugly around your child's head. sew the two ends together, overlapping slightly.

cut the stem from the flower. peel back the underlying piece of the stem and take the center part of the flower completely off of the flower. be careful not to separate the flower petal pieces as you do this.

using the hot glue gun, glue the pieces of the flower petals together in the center to keep them in place and secure. this also will help keep the flower from flopping into your daughter's face as she wears the head band (much less drama).

sew the coordinating button into the center of the flower. this will not only secure the flower petals but will also make for a decorative touch.

glue the alligator clip to the back of the flower. this will ensure that the flower can be attached to the headband or can be worn separately as its own accessory. attach the flower to the headband and you're ready to go. simple and affordable...now if i could just get my daughter to keep these on her head!

way to fight, mama

by now you know that i like to plant things. i like to watch things grow and i love to see the beauty in it all. so when i walked outside a few weeks ago to discover a mommy bird had started to build a nest in one of the planters on my front porch, i was both excited to see what was going to happen and worried that my plants would die somehow in the process. i know, call me calloused. i really like my plants.

sure enough, eventually three little eggs appeared in the nest. i felt fine watering around them and we lived in happy harmony with each other. i was cautiously optimistic, watching the baby eggs sit happily there while watching my plants flower and bloom.

then the other day, the sweet baby birds hatched. i have to say, i've never seen baby birds so small and i couldn't help but cheer for them as they reached their little heads up, thinking i was their mommy coming to feed them. they were precious.


as i stared at them, though, i noticed my flowers needed some water...badly. so, i went in to get a glass of water, thinking i could just water carefully around the nest, saving the plants and preserving the birds all at once. just as i was about to pour the water into the planter, out came the mommy bird making a bee line right for my head. i shrieked, jumped and the water went flying, covering me completely.

so, i've decided to let my beautiful, flowering annual "go to the light." i tell myself that i'm doing it for the better good but really, i just value my eyeballs more than my plants. it is definitely time to prioritize. i have to take my hat off to the mommy bird. way to tackle a giant for your babies. i guess we're more alike than i originally believed. here's to you, and your babies.