Thinking Outside the House
Photo courtesy of Water's Edge
March is a time of year when the weather is even more of a wild card than usual. Warm, sunny days make me want to get my garden started, but freezing precipitation and bitter wind chills remind me that it’s too early to plant most things.
Nonetheless, I find myself daydreaming about my garden and how great it will be to enjoy the beauty and bounty come summer. And there are things I can work on right now that don’t involve endangering any baby plants.
Photo courtesy of Jacki Dee
Now is a perfect time to start planning my summer gardens, and naturally, the library is my go-to place for ideas and information. Browsing in the Lawn & Garden Neighborhood (always fun!) I have found a terrific selection of books about creating and decorating your outdoor living areas (some of us call these our yards and patios). Whether you want to create a decorative path, make garden ornaments, or plan your garden retreat - you can find loads of ideas and detailed instructions. And if there is anything I love more than getting my hands in the dirt it's getting my hands into some new crafty project!
I really enjoy creating mosaics because you can use all kinds of found objects in addition to glass and ceramic. You can use precisely-cut pieces to create an intricate design. Or you can break up tiles randomly and arrange them to make use of the shapes and sizes that naturally occurred. I've tried it both ways and found benefits either way.
Mosaic created using glass, stones, shells, and other found objects and a plain concrete birdbath as a base.
An extremely easy and fun first project is creating stepping stones. If you don’t want to buy a mold, you can just use a plastic plant saucer of the right size. We create a stepping stone each year with the grand-kids when they visit, usually including something to remind us of that visit, and always including their hand-prints. One year, we had made up games using buttons as markers, so we included buttons in our stepping stone. Another year, we set off fireworks so they created fireworks designs in the stone. Each year, it is great fun to look at the stones from previous years and remember what fun we had!
Stepping Stones created by our grand-kids.
Besides all the great books in our Lawn & Garden Neighborhood, the library has free programs to help you with your gardening endeavors. Check out these upcoming library programs with the Shawnee County Extension Master Gardeners:
3/19 - Spring Lawn Care, 7:00 – 8:00 PM
4/16 - What Should I Plant in Kansas?, 7:00 – 8:00 PM
4/23 - Growing Tomatoes, 7:00 – 8:00 PM
