DIY SEASHELL GARDEN

What a perfect gift! A clever & crafty friend made this one for me.  It's also a fun craft project and a great way to share cuttings of larger succulents that are in need of a little haircut. All you need is a seashell (cleaned thoroughly, to rinse out any traces of salt water), a small amount of cactus planting mix, a handful of gravel or small rocks and a few small succulent plants or cuttings.

TRIM THE TIPS OFF AN ESTABLISHED SUCCULENT

Succulents, especially large hanging groupings, can start looking a little leggy and messy during the winter months. If you live in a frost free area or are growing indoors, now is a good time to trim back the tips. This will train the planting into a denser, bushier shape and provide cuttings you can share with friends!

Just use sharp, clean clippers and snip off a few tips. Try to allow for an inch or so of stem area at the base, to allow for planting. Let cuttings sit in open air (not in water) for a few days to "callous over" and avoid stem rot. Afterwards, gently arrange planting mix and cuttings in your seashell and top with a sprinkling of pebbles. The pebbles keep the planting mix in place and also conserves water. 

Speaking of water - a little goes a long way with a seashell garden! To avoid unhappy succulents, only water when the soil feels dry to the touch. In a drought year like this, succulents are easy plants to maintain, while still conserving water!

PLANT A PINEAPPLE!

GET OUT & GROW!

April 20 - 26, 2014

We're pleased to announce the 2014 dates for National Flowerpot Week!  April 20 - 26 is just around the corner, so watch for exciting announcements, ideas and activities to help celebrate container gardening and drive sales! 

Winter?

SURF'S UP IN SAN CLEMENTE!
Here in Southern California, winter has been sunny, warm and dry. TOO dry for container planting that would be happily soaking up rainfall in a wetter year. So while we're slathering on the sunscreen, we're also making sure our potted plants are getting an extra drink of water. Be especially generous with indoor plants, which may also be parched from the drying effects of running your heater or - yes - even your air conditioner. Let's count our fair-weather blessings and not forget to tip the watering can to our leafy friends!

Splash of Color

With summer heating up, there's nothing splashier than a colorful bougainvillea by the pool. This container plant-up project took all of ten minutes, giving us plenty of time to spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying a summer splash.

The bougainvillea was purchased as a hanging plant, perfectly sized and shaped to drop into a rustic Mexican flowerpot. There's a large saucer hidden inside the planter to keep watering down to a minimum and keep runoff out of the pool.

Placing the planter on a ledge puts the plant on visual display and out of the path of pool traffic.

Happy National Flowerpot Week!

Get Out & Grow!

The first ever NATIONAL FLOWERPOT WEEK is April 22 – 28!

For gardeners, it's a great excuse to head outside and spend a little quality time with your leafy buddies. Or in my case, gawk at how humongous the weeds have gotten since last weekend! Sigh.

For those of you in the garden biz, National Flowerpot Week is the perfect time to schedule gardening events and promotions at the height of the garden season. Here are some great low cost, high-return activities to drive sales and earn customer loyalty.

Garden Story Time: A family-friendly day of activities starts with PETER RABBIT read aloud in the garden. Have colorful flowerpots and live goods for sale, including herbs, vegetable plants and seed packets. Lucky you, we have a free printable pdf of PETER RABBIT for your downloading pleasure - complete with the original and utterly adorable illustrations.

Plant a Picnic Workshop: Hold a DIY demo for planting mini veggie and herb gardens in containers. Have pots, seed packets, soil, plants, tags and plant food available for purchase. Customers can purchase supplies as needed and take home their flowerpot creations.

We'll be offering more fun, free downloads over the next few weeks, as National Flowerpot Week draws closer!