Dear Friends,

I invite you to watch my gardening segment on the Hallmark Channel show, "Home & Family" airing on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013 at 10AM EST.

Have you ever wanted to make a "string garden" but didn't know how to do it?

I'll be demonstrating the basics on the show and writing a step by step blog post later this week for you to enjoy.

 

 

String gardens are "no-container" hanging plants and are also known as "kokedama" planting arragements.

These unique hanging plants are expensive when bought but very inexpensive to make!

 

Set your recorders for the "Home & Family" show, and if you like what you see, please post a comment on the Hallmark Channel discussion forum!

Check your local listings for broadcast time in your area.

 

 

The Home & Family show is a unique talk show centered on home and family topics!

Hosts, Cristina Ferrare and Mark Steines welcome experts from every facet of lifestyle including cooking, crafts, design, gardening, relationships, celebrities, fashion and more!

Let the producers know how much you appreciate seeing gardening segments on the show.

Look for Home & Family on Facebook too!

 

Thanks!

Shirley

 

 

You can make a vertical herb garden, a "living spice rack" that spins, using a repurposed tomato cage!

Vertical gardens are very popular these days because it allows you to free up your floor space without sacrificing space for gardening.

One of my favorite pasttimes is coming up with ideas to repurpose materials in the garden that most gardeners already have.

This is the case with my "Living Spice Rack" design.

 

Materials For Shirley Bovshow's Living Spice Rack

I imagined a lightweight, portable, and affordable vertical garden system to grow lots of herbs indoors, during the winter, or outdoors yearlong in mild climate areas.

 

1. Tomato Support Cages

I had to look no further than my metal tomato cage which was on it's way to the garden shed once tomato season was over.

 

The tomato cage with its gridlike design and sturdy composition is the perfect structure to hold a number of metal hanging baskets filled with herbs!

 

If you prefer wood, you can use an inexpensive wood vegetable support trellis like this one- cost $6

 

2. Casters and Plant Dollies

Casters and plant dollies, ($15 +) are the centerpiece of the living spice rack, enabling you to spin and move the rack as needed!

 

Buy some metal planting baskets and cocoa liner and fill them with your favorite herbs before attaching to the tomato cage with gardening tape.

The baskets should wedge into the tomato cage openings, mine are snug.

Make sure to select the right size metal planter by checking to see that it isn't too large or small for the opening.

That's it!

 

Watch Video: "Vertical Herb Garden That Spins and Functions Like a "Living Spice Rack!"

Watch the videos of the Living Spice Rack that I did for my "Way to Grow" show on Digs channel and take a look at the segment I did for the Home & Family Show on

the Hallmark channel recently!

 

Tips:

• If using indoors, make sure to place a saucer underneath the large, main planter to catch draining water.
• Water your living spice rack starting at the top so that the overflow water will drain onto the planters underneath it.
• Select a large container to hold the tomato cage. It should be wide so that the rack is not top heavy and topples.
• Spin your herb rack every few days for even sunlight exposure.
• Enjoy!

 

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Winter Herbs and Greens for Your Living Spice Rack

• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Chives
• Sage
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Arugula
• Radicchio
• Lettuce varieties
• Kale
• Swiss Chard
• Rosemary

Fairy gardening, as well as miniature gardening has opened up a new world of creativity for me as a landscape designer!

Although I've  created miniature container gardens for many years, I've never had so many people request them as they do now.

Fairy and miniature gardens are a huge TREND!

What a wonderful way to dive into the wonderful world of plants, especially small plants.

 

Shirley Bovshow presents "Fairy Gardening" on the Home & Family Show!

I shared some of my fairy garden designs on the Home & Family show, (Hallmark channel) today  I'm posting photos for a closer view.

 

Miniature and Fairy Gardens

My mini gardens are full landscapes scaled down to a container!

The best part of fairy and miniature gardens is that you can tell a "story" by mixing in props with your plants.

A mini garden can look like a "real" landscape with walkways, arches, statues, houses and stone walls.

The most memorable mini gardens are "themed" with interesting characters and settings that making them conversation starters.

 

 

I mixed accessories bought at a specialty store, such as Wholesale Fairy Gardens, and materials that I have at home.

Think outside the box for accessories- use your kid's toys, a ceramic cookie jar, anything that won't be damaged by water.

 

 

Shirley's Miniature and Fairy Gardens Before and After

Many of my miniature gardens feature materials destined for the trash that I upcycle into planters and accessories.

 

Before: Broken Clay Garden Finial

I never cry over broken garden accessories, including this adorable finial that split in two!

From it, I was able to create two new planters for miniature gardens.

 

AFTER: Miniature Garden with Succulent Cuttings

The top part of the finial is now a petite planter for succulent cuttings.

Everything about this garden is free, including the shell that props up the planter on one side!

Do you see it?

 

AFTER: Miniature Garden: "Fairy Sitting on Swing"

The large section of the broken finial is now a whimsical miniature garden planter with staked ceramic fairy swing and fairy from Wholesale Fairy Gardens.

The swing support is made from parts of a plastic plant hanger that were clipped at the top and adorned with a sign that reads, "Believe."

Do you "BELIEVE?"

 

After: Close up of Miniature Fairy Garden with Swing

Hanging a swing from a planter that offers nothing to hang from took some ingenuity.

I was able to create a "tepee" support system by cutting off parts of a plastic plant hanger and crossing them at the top.

 

Before- Wood Crate Turned Miniature Garden Planter

We received glassware as a  Christmas gift that was boxed in this rustic wood shipping crate.

I knew the moment I laid eyes on the wood crate that it was destined to be a wood planter!

 

Before- Broken Hanging Candle Lantern

Wait till you see what I did with this broken hanging lantern!

 

After- Rustic Painted Wood Planter and "Glass House" for Miniature Garden

This is one of the mini gardens I presented on the "Home and Family" show.

 

The theme of this garden is "Motherhood." 

"A cautious mother-bird keeps watch over her eggs as a cat, sitting on a chair, waits for an opportunity."

 

I'm not expecting this wood planter to last forever, water will slowly cause it to decompose.

I drilled holes at the bottom of the crate for drainage and then painted the wood in two colors, brown with sage green trim.

Perfection was not necessary.

 

There's another recycled material in this miniature garden.

Notice the "glass house" where the little bird is sitting with her eggs?

That used to be a hanging candle lantern.

It's filled with moss, ceramic eggs, a bird figure, and a succulent plant that spills from inside!

 

I Use Plant Cuttings To Save Money!

All the plants in this miniature garden are cuttings from containers.

I spent no money to make this.

I had all the materials at home!

The mini pond and chair were given to me.

You can do the same.

Start looking around!

 

Before- $4 Dollar Plastic Cement-Mixing Trough 

YUCK!

I would never use an ugly plastic container like this one, "as is!"

Plastic is challenging to paint, so I used a primer called "Bin" as a base coat so that the paint adheres to the plastic. 

I also drilled holes for drainage and then painted with acrylic paints in brown and sage green.

The large opening makes this an ideal "tabletop" size to create a larger miniature garden like the "Good Neighbor" themed garden I made with it.

 

Miniature Garden Houses- Two Sources

 

I had a pretty cookie jar that I bought at a garage sale for $1 dollar that matched the size of an "official" miniature garden house.

Putting them together was a natural.

 

The cookie jar read, "The Old Sweet Shop" so I made a sign for the other house that read "Ye Old Dentist."

The name of this miniature garden is "Good Neighbors!"

Take a look at the details including miniature hardscape and layout.

 

After- Large, Wide Planter for a Miniature Garden "Village!"

The paint is rustic but effective!

 

Infuse a little humor into your mini gardens.

"Good Neighbors" theme is funny when one house is a candy store and the other is the dentist office!

 

Fairy Garden Sphere- Where Fairies Live!

This is the fairy garden orb I made on the Home and Family Show.

A moss-clad, grapevine orb is an ideal "fairy hideout!"

Cascading wire vine softens the edges of the planter and artistic stepping stones lead to the hideout.

 

Succulent Roof, Edible Miniature Garden

Many of the plants in this garden are edible including the Swiss chard, chives, oregano and pansies!

The succulent on the roof are cuttings from my garden.

 

Fairy garden close up.

Fairy oversees the garden perched on a stone wall above the golden sedum lawn, stone walkway and succulent roof house!

 

The wheel barrel and small garden tools lets the onlooker know that this fairy is a gardener!

 

I hope you enjoyed some of my fairy and miniature garden  design designs.

If you want to see  step by step video instructions for making a fairy garden, watch my video from the "Way to Grow" series on Youtube.

"Make Your First Fairy Garden and Miniature Garden"

 

 

 

Can I answer any questions for you?

Shirley

Take a look at how adorable it is and it couldn't be easier to make!

 

Bunny figurine and seashell are great details for a butter dish terrarium!

 

The best part is if you are short on time and want to make a unique gift for someone, my butter dish terrarium will take you about 5 minutes to make and cost around ten dollars, including the butter dish!

 

Materials for Creating a Bunny Dish Terrarium

 

• Glass butter dish: Mine was on sale at Home Goods for $3.99!

• Horticultural charcoal: This is special activated charcoal for horticultural use, not BBQ!

• Pea gravel: Don't use large stones. Small gravel is better for drainage.

• Potting soil: Ordinary potting soil. You'll need a few tablespoons.

• Sphagnum moss: Buy at garden center or craft store

• Reindeer moss: Buy at garden center or craft store

• Baby's tear plant: Buy small 4"-inch pot. Remove half of the soil so that root area is less than one-inch tall.

• Seashell: Everybody has a seashell laying around, put it to work!

• Ceramic bunny figurine: This cute bunny was given to me by the Wholesale Fairy Gardens online store, check them out or use a figurine from the toy box!

 

      

Create proper drainage for terrariums with pea gravel and horticultural charcoal.

 

 

Steps for Creating Butter Dish Terrarium

1. Add a thin layer of 50% pea gravel and 50% horticultural charcoal to the bottom of the butter dish for proper drainage.

          Don't make it too thick as you still have to add the potting soil and plant and need to be able to cover it without squishing the plant!

 

      2. Add a few tablespoons of potting soil on top of pea gravel mix.

          Use only enough to cover the roots of the baby's tear plant.

 

      3. Remove half of the soil from the baby's tear plant so that it stands less than one-inch tall. 

          Don't worry, you won't kill your plant!

          Plant in soil and cover the roots.

 

 

Moss varieties and sea shells for decor.

     

       4. Use some sphagnum moss around the perimeter of the butter dish to keep the gravel, soil and plant in place.

           

       5. Mist the baby's tear plant and surrounding moss.

 

       6. Top dress with decorative reindeer moss so you don't see the soil or gravel mixture.

 

        7. Add seashell and bunny decor. Have fun!

 

A whimsical little world under glass!

       

     8. Cover the butter dish planter and place in a bright spot that does not receive direct sunlight.

         Terrarium plants are especially vulnerable to scorching so place in a safe spot.

 

 

Butter Dish Terrarium Maintenance

The good news about most terrarium plants is that you don't have to fertilize them!

Fertilizing encourages rampant growth and this is the opposite of what you want for your terrarium plants.

Small, short and slow growing plants like Baby's tears are ideal under glass. 

They behave!

 

Don't be alarmed if you see condensation drops on the glass, this is normal.

It means that the terrarium is moist.

 

Open the butter dish periodically and check the moisture level.

If the baby's tear plant feels dry, mist and water it again.

 

This particular design is very easy care and I water mine every 10 days.

 

Terrariums are back in style after a short hiatus from their hayday in the 1970's!

Don't feel that you have to spend a lot of money to create a beautiful display.

Some of the nicest terrariums showcase a single beautiful stone or piece of wood placed on sand.

 

Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

 

Paige Davis, Shirley and Mark Steines in front of Home and Family show house.

 

I'll be making regular appearances on the new "Home and Family Show," on the Hallmark Channel and presenting fun projects such as this one.

The hosts are  Paige Davis (Trading Spaces) and Mark Steines (E Entertainment).

 

The "Home and Family Show" is a unique, 2-hour LIVE show broadcasting Monday through Friday from 7AM to 9AM (EST) and 10AM to 12PM (PST).

I invite you to watch and subscribe to my Facebook page for updates of my next appearance on the show!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can make a lightweight container garden with less soil when you use one of my favorite gardening accessories- the Ups-a-Daisy planter insert.

 

 

Watch garden video: "Make a Lightweight Container Garden Using Less Soil"

 

When you see huge containers at the mall or in public spaces, you can bet that they aren't filled from top to bottom with potting soil!

Designers have many tricks for filling large containers with all kinds of material to avoid filling pots with soil!

 

This is mine.

 

Materials Needed for Lightweight Container Garden

             

Potting soil

 

 

 

Select a lightweight container such as this fiberglass faux ceramic pot.

 

This 15-gallon container cost me nine dollars at Ralphs Market! 

Look for blow out sales at market floral departments after any holiday.

Many of their "gift" plants are planted in pretty containers and since your goal is to purchase a pot, don't worry if the plant looks as though it's dying!

 

Read about my other gardening "steal"  for some more inspiration!

 

I find that the best values are for containers that are larger than  five gallon size. 

I'm usually not concerned about the weight of my smaller planters.

The larger ones are the challenge!

 

Generally, faux pots are less expensive than their "real" counterparts and are available in a variety of finishes including simulated stone, metal, wood and cement!

Many faux material containers are very convincing- I've been "fooled" a few times.
 

 

Instructions

Insert an Ups-a-Daisy planter insert into your container. 

The planter insert should fit about 3/4 of the way down the pot.

Notice that the insert has drain holes to keep water from ponding around roots.

 

 

 

The plastic  Ups -a-Daisy inserts are used instead of gravel or broken crockery for  drainage, so don't add any other material to your container.

 

Push insert down into planter until it wedges itself and can't be pushed any lower.

The insert should sit low in the pot, but afford enough depth for roots to grow and spread.

 

 

Fill the planter with a lightweight potting soil.

Never use "planting soil" which is heavier and made to mix with your garden soil in the garden!

Add your plants. 

 

 

I discovered these gorgeous, Golden Cypress  in a small 4"-inch size.

Golden Cypress sports a lime green color when indoors, but turns to a rich golden color when outdoors in the sun.

 

 

Done!

 

Now that your container garden is half-filled with soil, it will be easier to move around in your patio.

The Ups-A-Daisy planter insert makes an unexpected and very welcomed gift for the gardener in your life.

More gardeners should know about it!

 

What do you use to make your container lighter?

Comment below!

 

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Low priced gardening containers found in supermarkets?

Keep your eyes open and you will find super deals for gardening products in unlikely places such as your local grocery store.

This is one of my favorite stories of how I "stole" some garden pots from my grocery store!

 

To the left of the entrance doors of  my local Pavillions supermarket  is the floral department.

It's offerings are nothing special, just your typical mini roses, gift azaleas and "foliage plants."

Oh yeah, they have balloons there too.

 

On the day I "stole" the garden pots, there was a big box jutting into the entrance area.

I had to walk around it to enter the store.

A young, lanky clerk was busy moving the box and I could tell he was exerting himself.

Whatever was in that box was HEAVY!

 

The young mans forehead was dotted with sweat and he spoke in short sentences as he tried to conserve his energy for the laborious task before him.

"What's in the box?" I asked, typical of my nosey self.

 

"Ah, I don't know…some stuff for gardening," the teen answered with dispassion.

 

"What kind of stuff for the garden?" My curiosity was piqued.

Anytime I hear the word "garden," I'm all ears.

"Some garden pots..I'm not sure. It's a special shipment for a sale we are having." he continued.

 

 

"A sale on pots? Since when does Pavillions sell garden pots?

Can I see them?" I asked

 

"Would you mind waiting until I take them out of the box?

If you are shopping for stuff, why don't you come back in 20 minutes?"

The young clerk seemed to be running out of patience to continue the conversation with me.

There was no preciseness to his language, everything was just "stuff."

 

 

 

 

The pots that were on sale are a glazed terra cotta and large enough for my container-planted tomatoes!

 

The clerks impatience with me just made me more curious!

The words "pots" and "sale" in the same sentence had a lot to do with it.

 

"Here, let me help you. I have to leave soon and want to see what you have."

I started pushing the box out of the way before he could accept my offer.

 

The clerk froze in silence  as I had my way with the box of mysterious gardening "stuff." 

A cardboard sign that read, "$39.99"  sat on top of a stack of garden containers?

I picked it up to see what was underneath.

Bingo!

There were some huge glazed terra cotta pots that provoked a closer look.

 

I asked him to help me take a pot out of the box.

He agreed but was not happy about it.

 

As the container was lifted, I could see that it was a beauty and not a bad deal for $39.99!

I started sweating…not from the heavy lifting, but from excitement!

 

 

 

I spoke with bated breath.

 

"Wow, this is gorgeous!

Such a  deal for $40 dollars.

How many do you have?"

I was willing to take the whole box full.

 

 

"I have six of them but the price is wrong, I have to make a new sign."

 

"Oh, great," I thought to myself, the price did seem too good to be true.

 

The clerk continued, "They are supposed to be $9.99, not $39.99"

 

I couldn't believe my ears!

There was no way these pots could cost only $9.99.

I buy pots all the time at wholesale prices and I never paid $9.99 for pots of this size and quality!

It had to be a mistake.

 

I knew I had to move swiftly and with purpose before any of the other shoppers  saw them.

This was the steal of the century!

 

"Don't take them out of the box, I'll take them all!  

(There was no way I was going to pass up this opportunity).

 

"Let me get someone to help load these to your car.

Do you need to make a couple of trips for them?" He asked.

 

"No, I can take everything now. I have a truck.

"I can help you," I said with a smile.

 I'm used to heavy lifting, this is no big deal."

 

The young clerk thought I was weird.

He didn't say a word but his baffled expression revealed his feelings.

 

Maybe I had a deranged look on my face.

The kind of expression someone has before they are about to commit a crime….like "stealing" some garden pots from the supermarket!

 

Explore More!

Read my post on "How To Make A Thriving Container Garden With Less Soil" on SnapGuide.

Create a transitional,  "winter to spring" garden vignette using potted plants while you wait for the sun to shine.

I appeared on "Good Things Utah" recently to present some container garden ideas that are realistic for cold winter areas.

 

Container gardens are the answer to space-challenged yards and urban patios and balconies with tiny square footage.

Instead of just setting out a mishmash of potted plants, create a "garden vignette" or a grouped collection that tells a cohesive story.

 

 

 

Garden Vignette 101

A vignette should start with  a decorative focal point.

 

I employed a metal trellis as a background and covered it with spagnum moss decorated in a checkerboard pattern.

 

You will need a small tree to anchor your container garden.

I elevated a leafless Corylus 'Contorta' (Harry Lauder walking stick) tree to sculpture status!

 "Harry" is planted in a shiny, ochre colored ceramic pot and propped on top of a copper planter.

 

 

 

Two, topiary  Blue Star Junipers  flank the small tree and contribute more structure to the vignette.

Narcissus and Hyacinths round out the ensemble, bringing a welcomed jolt of color and fragrance to the winter patio.

 

Did You Know?

Junipers are the extreme survivors in nature and are able to withstand extreme heat, drought and cold temperatures!

 

There are hundreds of juniper varieties with growth habits that range from  prostate, mounding, twisting,spreading, spiraling and more.

You can also find Junipers in every hue of  gold, blue, green and silver!

 

Junipers are very common plants, consequentlly, they don't receive the adulation they  deserve.

 

Let's take a moment to contemplate their amazing characteristics!

 

Enjoy the video and get started on your winter garden vignette!

 

So what's thriving in your container garden right now?

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