Garden Therapy Handmade pillows are made from fabric designed with photographs from my garden.  Macro imagery of each flower has been carefully giclée-printed on a gorgeous a linen-cotton blend.  The fabric is sturdy and the print is washable making this truly art you can use. For more information, please visit the Garden Therapy Handmade Shop.

The festival runs April 1-30 of any given year and a quick look at the bloom map will tell you which of the fields are in full glory.  Bloom times are always subject to Mother Nature’s schedule, but you can usually find a couple fields of tulips in bloom in the middle of the month, but you best be quick because the blooms don’t last more than 2 weeks before they are cut, bulbs removed, and soil turned for another year.

I have many tulips blooming in my garden right now so I planned to write about them as the April Feature Plant for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day.  But as I took photos I remembered sensory delights from the Tulip Festival not far from here and decided that those are the photos I’ll share.  How could I not?  Wow. Look at those gorgeous flowers.

How to Grow Tulips

• Tulip bulbs are planted in the fall: in early October before the first frost. Never fear, if you missed planting last fall you can buy potted tulips that are blooming.  Enjoy them in the pot and transplant into the garden when the leaves begin to yellow.
• Most tulips grow best in full sun in loose, rich soil with good drainage.  Make sure to plant bulbs where you have room for them to grow (i.e.:  enough height and space between other plantings).
• Plant bulbs in groups of 5 to 9.  Odd-numbered plantings in groups (as opposed to lines) present a more pleasing and natural display.
• Plant bulbs approximately 6” deep, with the pointy end facing up and the roots down.  Mark the area where you have planted, and cover with a layer of mulch such as leaves, peat moss, or pine needles to protect over winter.

To see the tulips head to the Skagit Valley in Washington state, 60 miles north of Seattle and 70 miles south of Vancouver, BC, Canada. Print off this map of as the fields don’t have addresses.  The location changes every year so this map is your best tool.  If you happen to miss the tulip fields in full bloom, you can also check out the tulip demonstration gardens at Tulip Town.

I volunteered to make this one as part of a group gift and it was so much fun.  I filled the back with a bit of cactus soil, then planted in a pretty little sedum.

I covered that with some moss and some white river stones to set up a base for the Tillandsia stricta that I glued into a shell.  Won’t it be gorgeous when it blooms?!

To make your own, I’d suggest checking out the Terrarium Craft Review & Salad Bowl Terrarium Project.  

Give it a try as part of “You Can Grow That” day, the 4th day of each month.

Hellebore blooms come in variety of colours including green, white, yellow, red, black, and many variations of pink and purple.  Double blooms or single, spotted or freckle-free, the best way to show off the flowers is to float them in a bowl of water.

In the garden the flower heads hang upside-down where their true beauty cannot be completely appreciated.

To propagate, divide the clumps after flowering, in early spring or late summer.  Hellebores can be grown from seed and will self-seed but do not come true to type.  With so much variety out there it’s quite fun to grow your own seedlings be surprised at what will pop up.

More information on Hellebores can be found at Hellebores.org.

For 2012 I will be featuring a different plant of the 15th of each month for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day.  I have done more than a year of posting for #GBBD and as it’s not greatly different than in previous year’s at the same time it will allow me to show off some great blooms and favourite plants.

St. Patrick’s Day typically reminds folks of leprechauns, green beer, Ireland, and shamrocks: the symbol seen on green-felt fedoras.  But I’m a plant nerd so I think about the shamrock from a botanical point (and I try not to remember those nights drinking green beer).  The symbol of Ireland is the three-leaf old white clover, Trifolium repens, which is common in North America and Europe in grassy areas as well as a pasture crop.  I fondly remember summer days as a child searching for a lucky four-leaf clover lying in park grass.  While many launch a year long fight to get clover out of their lawns, I’m happy to leave it blooming for the bees and give the lawn a rich green colour.

There are a few other three-leaf herbaceous plants that share the Shamrock moniker my favourite being Oxalis.  Native to South America and Africa, this genus of over 500 species are often grown as ornamental plants in home gardens or as houseplants.

Oxalis in my garden in tucked in shady woodland areas where it generally hides from the camera.  To get a few better shots and really enjoy the beauty of the plant, I picked up a few from the garden centre to use in my spring arrangements.

Oxalis regnellii is typically grown in this zone (7-8) as a houseplant due to its vulnerability to frost.  Pale lavender to white flowers bloom regularly on healthy plants given plenty of light but away from direct sunlight.

With Oxalis regnellii ‘Atropurpurea’, the blooms are hardly worth considering when compared to the dark eggplant foliage, often with brighter purple centre leaf margins.

Inspired by the colour palette provided by the two false shamrocks, I created a St. Patty’s day floral arrangement using painted mason jars as planters and as a case for some deep purple tulips.

Painted Mason Jar Tutorial

Materials:

• Mason jar(s)
• Latex house paint
• Craft paint
• Foam paint brush
• Flowers / plants

Directions:

This is a simple project that I have seen done with spray paint.  I chose to tint some leftover latex trim paint as : a) I had some, b) I wasn’t keen on the fumes from the spray, and c) I wanted more control over the colour.

Simply mix up the colour that you want by added craft paint into the latex pain in a yogurt container. Mix really well then pour a little into your mason jar.  Use the brush to paint the inside evenly and leave to dry.  Apply a second coat if necessary.  One coat is shown here.

To make into a planter, fit a plastic nursery container containing your plant onto the top.  Ensure there is a little lip holding it on the edge so you can remove it when necessary.

To make a vase, insert a thin glass vase into the painted jar.

Choosing interesting shapes and patterned jars will add even more interest to the project.  I like the simplicity of them on my fireplace mantle where they contrast with the painting.

It has also been quite fun to watch the Oxalis “go to sleep” at night, or rather the leaves droop down  as a result of nyctinasty, a plant’s chemical response to the onset of darkness that causes the leaves to tuck in for the night.  It gives these guys a bit of personality which may leave you unconsciously whispering at night as to not disturb them.

Thanks for visiting this weekend’s project which will be added to these link ups.

The sweet, perfumey smell of the flowers in bloom wafts around my entrance way welcoming me everything I get the mail or greet a visitor.  It’s especially fun to watch the neighbours sniffing the air trying to sort out where the aroma is coming from.

Sarcococca confusa (sweet box) is easy shrub to grow in many light situations, particularly in shady areas under trees.  Growth is slow, reaching a mature height of 3′-6′ and width of 3′.

The plants have a tidy habit which makes them a good choice for background foliage to showcase other plants in summer and fall and really becoming a star in winter.  While Sarcococca confusa prefers a nice organically enriched soil, it will do well dry soil in the shade, and also in sunny spots if not allowed to dry out.  For a wonderfully comprehensive growing guide on Sarcococca confusa  check out this post at Rainy Side Gardeners.

It’s been a while since I posted for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day.  I did post regularly for more than a year and while my garden has changed somewhat, what’s blooming is generally the same.  Please check out those posts for close up photos of the garden.  This year I’ll write up a wee something  to feature my favorite plant that is blooming on the 15th.

Materials:

• 8-10 sheets of shredded paper
• 1 packet of seeds
• 1 heaping tbsp dried lavender or other dried flowers / leaves
• Old towels, strainer, blender
• Stencils or cookie cutters of woodland creatures
• Card stock
• Printer
• Scissor, glue, etc.

Directions:

1.  Shred or tear up a bunch of paper.  Scrap paper, old craft paper, anything without a glossy finish will work best.  To get coloured paper like the pink shown in this project, add one sheet of shredded red paper to the mix.  Place paper in a big bowl or the sink and soak in warm water for 45 minutes to an hour.  The paper should be soft and break apart easily at the end of the hour.

2.  Scoop paper into a blender, filled about halfway full and scoop a cup or so of the water it was soaking in into the blender.  Pulse a few times until you get a mushy pulp like that shown here.  Add more water as needed to get this consistency.

3.  Pour pulp through a strainer to remove some of the moisture.  Don’t squeeze it all out or your paper will not form together very well.

4.  Add the seeds and dried flowers and gently mix.  Shown here are lavender buds, bergamot petals, and dried mint leaves for flecks of interest in the paper.  Radicchio, Rhubarb chard, and Alta Globe radishes are the seeds I have chosen as each will produce an edible red plant and they can be planted at the same time (started inside now and they can be moved to the garden once they have true leaves).  Other good choices are flower mixes, like butterfly or bee blends that attract pollinators to the garden and produce a variety of flowers.

5. Set up a few towels on a flat surface where you can leave the paper for a day or more to dry.  Dump the pulp out onto the towel and spread out gently patting paper.  You can use a rolling pin to flatten the paper out a bit, but be gentle as to not crush the seeds or break the pulp.  Leave undisturbed to dry.

6.  Trace and cut out woodland creatures out of the dry seed paper.  Decorate cards with cute messages and with a few little glue dots, affix seed paper critter.  Include instructions on how to plant the seed paper by copy /pasting or writing the following on the card back:

The critter on this card is made of plantable seed paper containing radicchio, Rhubarb chard & Alta Globe radish seeds.

 Directions for Planting

Rip seed paper into many small pieces and spread throughout the garden or in a pot filled with good potting soil.  Cover with 1” of soil and water regularly until you get yummy veggies.

To celebrate the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival the VCBF is putting on a Cherry Blossom Umbrella Flash Mob Dance complete with pink umbrellas!  Part Bollywood and part Singing’ in the Rain, this upbeat flash mob is sure to be a blast for those who participate!   Sign up at: www.vcbf.ca .

Materials:

• Epsom salts
• 100% pure lavender essential oil (not fragrance)
• dried lavender
• vintage mason jars

For the garden, I can think of a whole bunch of really great blooms that I have been coveting (like the Hot Papaya Coneflower and the Geum magellanicum from Annies Annuals) and some that I have always been drawn to (tulip, gladiola, and crocosmia Lucifer all from my garden).

1. crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ 2. gladiolus 3. tulip ‘Ballerina’ 4. Alonsoa meridionalis ‘Red’  5. Geum magellanicum 6. Antirrhinum majus ‘Defiance’ 7. Echinacea purpurea ‘Hot Papaya’ 8. Superbena® Royale Peachy Keen Verbena

Are people really going to update their wardrobes, homes, and gardens just because Pantone has chosen a colour for the year?  Probably not, but I must say that in the past I have been strangely drawn to the colours they have chosen, and that’s before I knew there was a colour of the year.

Last year, I really couldn’t get enough honeysuckle.  That pinky-gold colour graced my wardrobe and my garden.  I didn’t bring it in the house though, it didn’t speak to me for home decor.  That is not case for Tangerine Tango however.  Apartment Therapy compiled some great images combining Tangerine Tango and Grey-Brown, which is exactly what I was going for with this set of Garden Therapy Handmade throw pillows which already grace my home (and look striking in my eucalyptus-colour bedroom).

So I suppose either Pantone is reading my mind or these trends are really based on something.  Pantone says that the color of the year selection is a very thoughtful process. To arrive at the selection, they quite literally combs the world looking for color influences. This can include the entertainment industry and films that are in production, traveling art collections, hot new artists, popular travel destinations and other socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from technology, availability of new textures and effects that impact color, and even upcoming sports events that capture worldwide attention.

So what do you think?  Do you like the colour?  Will it have any impact on your choices next year in the garden or otherwise?