Now that warmer days are here, my family and I love spending time outside in the evenings. I love that our home has two outdoor spaces to sit, relax and enjoy the view- a front porch and a back patio, both of which have things in common. Pretty nature views, ample seating, and flowers! I just love the look of a pretty container full of blooming flowers, so when I had the opportunity to review Nature Hills Instant Wall Planter, I said yes. Read on to discover this charming wall planter idea for porch or patio.
Showing posts with label
flowers
Yesterday was National Gardening Day, so I couldn’t miss that wonderful opportunity to share another wonderful gardening book review and giveaway with you today. You know I love growing flowers and herbs, but for the last few years, I’ve been wanting to grow more edibles and have Googled How to grow ornamental and edible plants together many times over the last year or so, so imagine my delight when I received the opportunity to review garden designer Linda Vater’s newest book that teaches us how to pull this gardening style off. Read on to learn more about the book and enter the giveaway.
Grow ornamental and edible plants together
Way back in February, before Nashville was hit with a devastating
tornado and before the ongoing pandemic flared up, my daughter and I
optimistically started a new monthly blog series called All My Favorite Things.
You can see the original post here.
We thought this would be a fun way for
us to share a few products, mainly beauty and accessories, that we were
enjoying that month. Then life happened and our normal routines were upended. Since
doing a monthly series seems out of reach right now, we decided instead to do a
seasonal post, so here is our All My Favorite Things Summer Edition.
Summer Favorites!
Happy New Year and happy Friday dear blog readers! I’m pretty stoked to be starting my tenth year of blogging this year! My blogoversary isn’t until September, but I’m counting this whole year as a victory! Which leads me to today’s post about a really cool book I received last month to share with you called The Pollinator Victory Garden Book by Kin Eierman. In the Pollinator Victory Garden Book, Kim will teach us how to win the war on pollinator decline with ecological gardening. Don’t worry if you have never gardened before, this book will take you by the hand walk you through the process and winter is the perfect time to plan for this year’s garden!
Wordless Wednesday: Midsummer Blooms
in flowers, Garden, gardening, southern, wordless wednesday, by Linda A Kinsman, Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Wordless Wednesday: February Flowers
in flowers, Garden, Red Roses, wordless wednesday, yellow Daffodils, by Linda A Kinsman, Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Wordless Wednesday: Fall Flowers
in Daisy, fall, flowers, Garden, Mums, wildflowers, wordless wednesday, by Linda A Kinsman, Wednesday, September 13, 2017
There is no mistaking the beauty and allure of a vibrant
Chrysanthemum this time of year. They can
be found everywhere from nurseries, to farms markets and even school
fundraisers have Mums for sale and I am a willing buyer. Mums are one of the
few flowers that can be both annuals and perennials depending on what variety
you buy. If I’m lucky enough to find “hardy Mums” the perennial variety, I’ll
plant them in my flower beds this month. If I find annuals, they will go in
containers. In order to have more variety in my garden this fall, I wanted to
grow beyond Mums and found three plants perfect for fall planting I’d like to
share with you today.
Sedum Blooms |
Color of the Month - April 2017 - Lilac
in Color of the Month - April 2017 - Lilac, flowers, Garden, by Linda A Kinsman, Tuesday, April 11, 2017
I adore lilacs of all colors and varieties, but there is just something so nostalgic and perfect about the classic light purple lilac. I'm singing its praises for my April color of the month once more.
3 Free gardening apps to try this spring
in bees, butterflies, flowers, Garden, gardening app, growing season, hummingbirds, spring, vegetables, by Linda A Kinsman, Friday, March 03, 2017
I am counting down the days until spring officially arrives
later this month. I know I’m not alone in this count- down to March 20th. My friends and I are watching for and taking
note of all the markers that spring is on its way. Here in the south, there is a riot of
beautiful Daffodils in yards everywhere, the Tulip trees are blooming and the
Bradford Pear trees are budding. Since
we gardeners are in a bit of a holding pattern for now, I thought I’d share 3
free (and fun!) gardening apps I’m going to try out this spring to help us pass
the time until we can really get out there and garden!
1. My first app choice will help all of us who have ever walked
through a park or lovely garden setting and thought what is that flower? Aptly
named- What’s that flower, this app
will help you identify flowers by color, habitat, and even number of petals.
Cool right?
source |
What’s that flower app will narrow down your options to a
couple dozen, and then you just scroll through that list until you find the
right flower. Once your flower is found,
you can read about it and see if it will work in your garden space/home. Android users can download app here. This app isn’t available on IOS yet, so I
suggest trying Garden Answers app. It looks like it has similar features. Download
here.
2. My second app just may add a
serious amount of phone time to my schedule because it covers so many topics I
find interesting. The DIY Gardening Tips app helps you find great gardening and
DIY tips that you can easily use. Plus
it has tons of useful information for vegetable gardens, something I want to
explore more this year. There’s tips on flowers and herbs and even garden
design! This app is available for
Android here and IOS here.
3. My third choice is Bee Smart App. In a time when our bee populations are
dwindling at an alarming rate, I know all gardeners share my concern and
passion to help aide the bee by planting flowers and shrubs they like. What
attracted me (pun intended) to this app was their mission statement: The
BeeSmart™ Pollinator Gardener is your comprehensive guide to selecting plants
for pollinators specific to your area. Never get caught wondering what plants
to buy again! I like the sound of that and it looks so easy to
use. Just plug in your zip code and hit enter! If you want to get bees, hummingbirds
and butterflies in your garden this spring, download Bee Smart here for Android
and here for IOS.
I hope you'll give at least one of 3 free gardening apps a try this spring. If you do, please come back here and let me know your thoughts in comments and be sure to share a gardening app you like in comments too!
Which app do you think you are mostly likely to try and why?
Please share in comments: What's blooming in your garden now? Or what are you potting in your containers?
We are in the midst of a
true spring fever here at our house. All the flowers have buds, the leaves on
our trees are that lovely new leaf green color and the sun is shining so
brightly today that I’ve had to take two breaks just to step outside and soak
it in. Living just south of Nashville, TN. has it’s perks and lots of green
space is one of them, that’s why my family and I will be helping locally on
Earth Day this year by attending the Nashville Earth Day event held at
Centennial Park.
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This is the sunken garden at Centennial Park with the Parthenon in the background. We love bringing our daughters to this park and have a lot of fun family memories here. It's the perfect place to hold our local Earth day event!
I’m
thankful for the ability to walk outside and enjoy fresh air. To get lost in bird
watching because our front yard is teaming with birds in our mature Maple and
Pin Oak trees. We’ve planted trees in past years to celebrate Earth Day because they are so important to our planet!
Sadly, there are some areas of Nashville that don’t have enough green space due
to our steady growth. Neighborhoods seem to pop up overnight and we are losing
one of our best and most natural resources- trees.
That’s why I was excited to learn about a Music City
initiative to preserve our trees called If Trees Could Sing. This cause has the
backing of the country music industry with Reba McEntire and Amy Grant leading
the way.
I’ll be looking for this booth when we’re at Centennial Park
on Saturday the 23rd celebrating earth day, Nashville style! You
can learn more about this project here if you aren’t in the Nashville
area.
Fun Ways we help
while attending our local Earth Day Event:
- We listen to local bands
- We shop local businesses and farmers
- We listen to and participate in educational booths so we can become better stewards of our resources
- We recycle all containers used in their proper containers
- We donate to local foundations
- We smile and applaud and laugh and talk to strangers and pet puppies and try samples which adds to Nashville’s friendly vibe
It’s
a fun filled day for the whole family, including dogs so if you live locally,
come on out and join us! And yes, attending really is helping because without attendees sponsorship to parks and rec centers would go away! You can learn more about Centennial Park and the Earth
Day Event HERE.
If you love being outdoors like we do, whether that's digging in your flowerbeds like me, planting a garden full of veggies, or just bird watching, then you are ready to celebrate earth day locally! If you’d like to learn more about Earth Day events in your
community, just head on over to EarthDay.org and look under events. You’ll find
a wealth of information and ways to plug in and help our earth stay green!
Please share in comments: Do you celebrate earth day and if
yes, how?
Happy Tuesday and happy spring, everyone! It’s a frosty 36°
here in middle Tennessee this morning, making me shiver and be glad none of my
flowers have started blooming yet. I may not be gardening today, but I can
still talk about flowers of the floral fragrance kind! Since yesterday was
National Fragrance Day and I’m an Avon lady, I thought it would be helpful to
share a quick tutorial on how to pick the best floral fragrance for you this
spring.
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Finding a new fragrance for you or to give to someone can be
challenging! You walk into the fragrance department at your favorite shopping
spot and your senses are assaulted. Overpowering scents fill your nose, shiny
bottles in an array of colors and sizes twinkle on glass shelves and the ever-present
associate is there to spritz you with the latest scent from the current pop
star fave of the moment. Hopefully my tutorial will have you shopping for
fragrances with confidence, whether you shop at the mall or with me and Avon!
Understanding the 6
types of floral fragrances:
1. Romantic Florals are soft, delicate and feminine. These
romantic florals are characterized by lush bouquets that have sweet and powdery
notes with hints of musk or warm amber. Sound like you? Try Forever, which has
hints of pink pepper, orange blossom and sensual musk.
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2. Oriental Florals have hints of spice mixed with amber and
woods, which give oriental florals an exotic allure. Sound like you? Try FarAway ‒ dreamy florals, softly spiced amber and inviting wood.
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3. Fruity Florals are bursting with the scent of delicious
fruits. These scents add an everyday sweetness to your fragrance wardrobe.
Sound like you? Try Luck, a fragrance with sparkling citrus and luscious
berries wrapped in creamy white florals, rose petals and sandalwood. (Luck was also a CEW Insiders Choice Beauty
Awards Finalist!)
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4. Fresh Florals are clean and crisp, reminiscent of a just-bloomed
spring garden. Sound like you? Try Haiku Kyoto Flower ‒ full of velvety violet
leaf and white peony with soft cotton musk.
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5. Woody Florals add depth and warmth. They are enriched with
earthy notes of sensual woods. Sound like you? Try Candid, with sparkling
bergamot, blooming tuberose and sensual patchouli.
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6. Flower Gourmand is a sweet treat. The dessert of scents,
floral gourmands have delectable notes like rich crème brûlée. Sound like you?
Try Outspoken Party by Fergie, a mix of pink peony with luscious raspberry.
Source |
Changing
your fragrances with the seasons is a fun way to add a layer of confidence to
your wardrobe. I hope that this tutorial will help you pick the best floral
fragrance for you this spring. Would you like a free sample of an Avon
fragrance? Join my customer mailing list here!
Which type of floral
fragrance would you try first and why?
Acorns, leaves, berries found on our nature walks are displayed on a depression glass pie plate and small vase- making inviting nature into our home a breeze.
This just because bouquet made my day! I adore Sunflowers, Daisy's and Mums!
Adding copper and Autumn toned leaves to this iron wall art makes a happy statement.
If I could wear this perfect fall flower palette- either in my makeup or clothing, I would.
I hope that you have been able to get outside and enjoy this beautiful season!
Please share in comments: How do you invite nature into your home this time of year?
Wordless Wednesday: summer flowers in bloom
in flowers, gardening, pots, summer, wordless wednesday, by Linda A Kinsman, Wednesday, July 29, 2015
The summer heat has taken its toll on some of my flowerbeds and containers, but these faithful plants bloom for me season after season.
Please share in comments: What's blooming in your garden this hot July?
Please share in comments: What's blooming in your garden this hot July?