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Articles in: gardening

Creative Succulent Arrangements – From OPC’s The Better Half

Posted by: on May 13th, 2013 | Make A Comment

We just couldn’t get enough of Jocie Hagan’s succulent garden ideas so she’s back with even more creative ways to bring your decor to life with three crafty succulent arrangements. Her blog-within-a-blog at One Project Closer (OPC) is all about thrifty and fabulous DIY decor and crafts. And there’s definitely a crafty element to her latest projects. Read on for the complete DIY tutorial. 

 

Creative Succulent Arrangements - with OPC's The Better Half, completed projects

 

I have admittedly gone succulent crazy! I am not a gardener and struggle to keep any plants alive, whether it’s indoors or outdoors. But I have found my gardening niche with succulents. They are fabulous plants because they are so hardy, low maintenance, and lend themselves to creative DIY projects! I first made a mason jar mini-succulent garden, but had a hard time stopping with just one garden. So, I kept going! Lol.

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Give a Gift Card This Mother’s Day

Posted by: on May 7th, 2013 | One Comment

Image of Home Depot gift card attached to a stake inside a planter

 

Here’s a clever Mother’s Day idea: Give her a Home Depot gift card on a plant stake.

Include one with a plant from your local Home Depot store. A living plant can symbolize the nurturing and care that a mother provides, so it makes a particularly apt gift for Mother’s Day. Choose a flowering plant that blooms in your mother’s favorite color to make a big impact.

And add the Home Depot gift card to make your Mother’s Day gift do double duty. The plant serves as a personal expression of your gratitude, and because it lets her choose a gift for herself, the gift card ensures that your mother will find something specific to her interests.

No matter if your mother loves gardening, home improvement, interior design or landscaping, she will find something to love at The Home Depot. The Home Depot Gift Card has no monthly fees and never expires, so Mom can take her time to find exactly the right piece for her project.

This Mother’s Day, give the mother in your life a gift you know she’ll not only appreciate, but also use.

 

Looking for a plant to hold up a gift card stake? Check out the Flowers, Plants & Trees at the Garden Center. For more great Mother’s Day gift ideas, take a look at our helpful guide at the Home Depot Gift Center.

Soil Testing for Healthier Plants

Posted by: on May 2nd, 2013 | Make A Comment

 

Healthy, fertile soil and lots of TLC are the keys to productive gardens and lush lawns. That’s why it’s important to test your soil every two to three years. Soil testing provides essential information about your soil’s pH (its acidity or alkalinity) as well as a measure of other nutrients essential for plant growth.

The soil tests will also indicate the type and amount of feeding or fertilization your soil may require. With this knowledge in hand, you’ll be able to add the proper soil amendment, in the right amount, to keep your plants and the environment healthy and thriving.

Many local extension services offer free or low-cost soil testing. But if you’re like many of us and don’t want to wait on the test results, you can do your own lab work with an inexpensive soil testing kit.

To show you how easy soil testing is, we asked Coach Dave from The Home Depot Community Forums to demonstrate how it’s done. All you need is the soil test, a little distilled water and some dirt from your lawn or garden. In probably less time than it will take you to watch this video, you will have your results.

Here’s a piece of advice Coach Dave left out: Take your soil sample from a depth of at least 4 inches for the best results.

So, before you go adding fertilizer and other amendments willy-nilly in preparation for the planting season, get to know your soil. Giving your soil the right kind and amount of nutrition will yield healthier plants – too much can lead to problems in your garden and for the environment.

 

We have a lot more DIY, home improvement and gardening videos for you. Check out the videos here on The Home Depot Blog and on The Home Depot’s YouTube channel.

Lawn Mower Maintenance Made Easy

Posted by: on April 30th, 2013 | Make A Comment

 

Even if you think of yourself as somewhat mechanically disinclined, basic lawn mower maintenance is something anyone can do and it will add years to the life of your mower.

To show you just how easy it is to keep your lawn mower operating at peak performance, Rick from The Home Depot has pulled together a lot of useful tips into one short video. He covers everything from routine lawn mower maintenance such as changing the oil and filter and replacing spark plugs to swapping out mower blades, cleaning your mower and prepping it for end-of-year storage.

A new lawn mower can be a significant investment. But whether yours is a recent purchase or it’s been in the family for a while, you’ll enjoy greater returns if it is properly maintained.

For even more tips on caring for your lawn mower, check out our online project guide on maintaining your lawn mower.

 

We have more DIY and home improvement videos here on the Home Depot blog and on The Home Depot’s YouTube channel.

Succulent Garden Ideas – Mason Jar Terrarium from OPC’s The Better Half

Posted by: on April 29th, 2013 | 20 Comments

We’re thrilled to have Jocie Hagan of  The Better Half, share her succulent garden ideas with us. Her blog-within-a-blog at One Project Closer (OPC) is all about thrifty and fabulous DIY decor and crafts. And there’s definitely a crafty element to this clever miniature succulent garden project– it’s a garden inside a mason jar. Read on for the complete DIY tutorial. 

 

Succulent Garden Ideas: A miniature succulent garden in a Mason jar

 

Confession time: I don’t garden. Ever. In fact, when The Home Depot asked me to participate in the Do-It-Herself Workshop series by sharing my succulent garden ideas, I had to look up what a succulent was. *shame* But once I figured out what a succulent was, I was super excited to make a garden with my own special twist.

Succulents are right up my gardening alley – they require little water or attention, are bright and hearty, and are easy to plant. They are hard to kill, and for this black thumb gardener, that is all that matters!

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Places: The Potting Shed

Posted by: on April 25th, 2013 | One Comment
Image of a Potting Shed With Botanical Decor

Image via House To Home

 

We like to think of the potting shed as the gardener’s studio, an inner sanctum from which to try and propagate never-seen-before works of natural beauty for the garden. And if that fails, you can always use it as a place to just putter about working on craft projects, or to simply get away from the din of daily life.

Whether you’re reading this at the beginning of the growing season, at the end of it, or somewhere in between, we’d like to plant a small seed in your mind about the wonders of the potting shed. If you’re an avid gardener, then we’re probably preaching to the choir. But pros and novices alike sometimes need some inspiration to help them create a space that allows them to do their best work. We hope there are a few ideas here that will inspire you all to great things.

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How To Plant a Mailbox Garden

Posted by: on April 18th, 2013 | One Comment

 

The beauty of a mailbox garden is not just that it boosts the curb appeal of your home. The sight of a charming little garden surrounding the mailbox may actually make the daily walk to retrieve the mail more enjoyable, even if there’s nothing waiting for you inside the mailbox but bills.

Best of all, mailbox gardens take no time to plant and require little more than a shovel, garden soil, mulch and a few of your favorite plants and flowers. In this short video, Ron from The Home Depot Community Forums will show you how to create your own mailbox garden.

When you’re done, that stroll to the mailbox may not seem like such a long walk after all.

If you’d like to see what your mailbox garden makeover could look like, check out ours here on the Apron.

 

For more project ideas and everything you’ll need for your mailbox garden, visit our huge Garden Center.

We have more DIY and home improvement videos here on the Home Depot blog and on The Home Depot’s YouTube channel.

Places: The Fairy Garden

Posted by: on April 17th, 2013 | 4 Comments
Image of what looks like a gnome in an old tree stump

Image by Barbara Stanley via Flea Market Gardening

 

We know what you’re thinking: fairy gardens? Seriously? Yes! Not only do they really do exist, fairy gardening has become an immensely popular home gardening trend.

It’s not hard to see why. Much like the fairy tales we grew up with as children, fairy gardens bring back the innocence of make-believe worlds we imagined for ourselves.

Fairies are known for bringing good luck as well as their fair share of mischief. Legend has it that planting a fairy garden will not only create an inviting space for these wee-folk to inhabit but also add a touch of magic to your home, too.

Don’t feel mystified if you have yet to stumble upon one of these enchanting gardens. Until quite recently, neither had we. What we’ve discovered, though, is like all the best tales, fairy gardens are a source of endless curiosity for both the young and young at heart.

If you are in search of a little fairy dust to spark your imagination, take some time to explore the rest of this post.

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Colorful and Easy Gardening Tips

Posted by: on April 16th, 2013 | 2 Comments

 

We suspect that one of the main reasons more people don’t garden is that they believe it’s too hard. Each year, many a lovely garden goes unplanted because of niggling questions such as: How do I garden? What do I plant? How do I mix the right colors? It’s a shame to see such potential beauty go to waste.

So, if you’re one of the folks who has allowed yourself to be garden-less for any of these reasons, we’d like to share some advice from Jimmy Turner. He’s the senior director of gardens at the Dallas Arboretum and a trusted gardening enthusiast. In this video, he’ll provide useful information on everything from garden design and how to get more bloom for your buck, to tips on soil preparation, composting, watering and more.

Jimmy believes that if you can dress yourself in the morning or put on makeup, then you can absolutely choose plants and flowers that will beautify the landscape of your home. We believe that, too. After watching this video, we think you’ll be convinced as well.

 

We have more DIY and home improvement videos here on the Home Depot blog and on The Home Depot’s YouTube channel.

Container Gardening Made Easy

Posted by: on April 9th, 2013 | Make A Comment

 

Undoubtedly you’ve heard a lot about container gardening over the last few years. Perhaps you have even considered starting one, but you’ve been hesitant because you feel like you don’t exactly have a green thumb.

Well, container gardening is not only easy and quite enjoyable, it is something you can do successfully on your porch, patio, balcony or terrace – anywhere you want to spruce up with a little greenery. And no matter what you want to plant – flowers, plants, trees or vegetables – there is likely a version of it that will flourish in a container.

To show you how easy it is to start a container garden, we asked Ingar, aka the GreenGiant, from The Home Depot Community to provide us with a short demonstration we could share with you.

Minutes after watching this video you will be ready to plant your own garden using little more than plants, flowers or veggies of your choice, organic potting mix, a small bag of landscape pebbles and a large planter pot.

Once you see how simple a container garden is to create, you’ll want to make more of them and use them to add visual interest, direct traffic or bring a touch of nature’s beauty to your outdoor living spaces.

 

We have more DIY, home improvement and gardening videos here on the Home Depot blog and on The Home Depot’s YouTube channel.