Gardening Inspiration

Now that spring is here, some of us are staring out the window wondering what the heck to do with the patio, balcony, deck or green space beyond. Perhaps you are like me and wailing “Noooooo!” with face and hands pressed against the window.  Back breaking hours spent weeding the garden, only to wake a few days later to a yellow yard full of dandelions.  (Where did you come from, perky little suckers?!)

Don’t get me wrong, I like to garden but have no clue what I’m doing.  I have learned it is not as easy as it looks and takes time and effort to get it right.  My kids are particularly keen on growing things and every year our small yard gets a little more picturesque and lush.  It is a work in progress.

I cannot remember how I discovered Wall Flower Studio blog but it is one of my favourite reads. Karen is the owner of Wall Flower Studio Etsy business providing organically grown heirloom seeds and gifts from the garden. She also hand crafts natural beauty products. When Karen is not running her business, crafting, cultivating or working on her garden she is busy painting.  She is a talented artist too.

Karen gave me permission to share a few of her fabulous creative gardening ideas and photos.  I mention these because they are kid-friendly and money saving too.

Forget spending money purchasing plastic seed trays. Why not re-use egg cartons to germinate seeds.  My friend is using this method in her classroom.  She wrote each child’s name on the lid of the carton for easy identification.

How about recycling old window blinds or clothes pins (in a pinch!) for seed tags.

This last idea is so cool. Karen makes seed balls and sells them on Etsy.  Seed balls are the easiest way to distribute seeds.  They are a mixture of clay, compost, recycled paper and loaded with lots of seeds.  Karen dries the seed balls and packages them in pretty reusable bags.  Simply throw and grow. 

I think these would make lovely party favours at a wedding/celebration or a nice hostess gift.  I also think this would be a fun craft to try with the kids.  We have extra Lavatera seeds harvested last fall that we will use.

If you want green inspiration, have a peek at Wall Flower Studio blog  Etsyor Facebook page. Great information combined with beautiful photos of plants, flowers and occasionally a photo of a mama bear with her cubs, a young moose or other beautiful wildlife that wanders through her garden.

Thanks Karen for allowing me to share some of your neat ideas.  Happy gardening!