SPRING RUSH on the OLE HOMESTEAD

Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels the rush of spring on my heels. It's as if all that energy for a new season of growing is pushing through the surface of the earth and seeping into the soles of my feet! There's so much to do!!!The best thing to do is to give in and dig in! I've started planting the dahlia tubers now that the weather is more steadily warm. I've purchased a few new dinner plate varieties to replace the tubers that didn't survive their stay in my basement over the winter... Many of them became moldy and simply dried up. I guess if you lived in a basement that would happen to you too!

Here's one that made it! See the little eyes? Those are new stems forming! I learned last year that even if you plant your tubers upside down ( stock facing down ) the new shoots will eventually find their way to the surface! It'll be about 8 weeks until we have dahlia blooms but it's worth the wait!

I ordered my seeds from Renee's Garden Seeds this year ( no GMO's ) because of the amazing variety. I'm going to attempt Sweet Peas this year. Love the vibrant shades of these red and purple blooms above.
Sweet Pea's are climbers so I've gussied up some bamboo tee pees with black spray paint to create a little drama in the garden this summer!

I'm going overboard with Zinnias

and morning glories too!

And, I uncovered some old shutters I picked at a yard sale several years back that I think will be a great addition on the little red hen house! What do you think? Yay or Nay?

Here's wishing you the best of SPRING RUSH on your ole homestead too!

What are you trying in your garden for the first time this year? What are your favorite tried and true flowers that you can't live without?

This obsessed flowergirl wants to know!

Sharing with my blog peeps!
 The Country Homemaker Hop  
Tilly's Nest Down Home Blog Hop  
NoMinimalistHere

Pick'n Good Garden Art

Blooming Bathtub

Happy Earth Day friends! What better way to celebrate this important day of awareness than looking for new ways to GO GREEN IN THE GARDEN? My pickin' friend Kelly, from " out west " is doing her part to GREEN up her Garden with no poisons, or nasty pesticides in sight! Her re-claimed bathtub is bubbling over with giant Geraniums and sweet alyssum. 

 

 Kelly hosted my cousin's baby shower at her house and I couldn't help but notice her farmgirl green touches in every corner of her yard ( and inside too ). Here she is perched next to her vintage Tea Pot Tree in her cactus garden. Turns out she's been collecting them for years.  Kelly ( and her talented hubby Billy ) have caught the Up -cycling fever and like many of us  they have rooms stuffed to the gills with " projects in waiting ". They're on the look out for the perfect location for their new shop in Reno or Sparks Nevada. 

Kelly and her Tea Pot Tree

Milk Cans

Everyone needs a corner sink in the garden, don' t cha think?

Old rusty bed frames and gates make the perfect trellis for climbing plants.

 

How about a vintage sewing machine propped in the garden as a reminder to sew seeds of kindness and creativity where ever you go?

  This not so snowy snowman made from misc parts is a reminder that temperatures can still drop bringing a chilling end to a sunny warm day.  

That's where this old wood stove comes in to play... Toss in a log, sit back and relax and let your creativity sprout in your GREEN garden yard too! 

 Aren't these some great GREEN ideas? 

Which one is your favorite? I know! It's hard to " pick "! 

What's the coolest UPCYCLED garden art you've seen or created, or would like to create? 

Linking to:

 KnickofTime Tuesday # 83!  

 Tilly's Nest Down Home blog Hop! 

PJH Designs