No Cost Early Planters

Ahhh....Spring in Minnesota!
One day it is sunny and 75 degrees.
The next day it is cloudy with snow!
The garden store is calling....come buy plants.
BUT...it is at least three weeks before those tender little plants can be planted outdoors.

The pots in the front of the house were looking sooooo bare and empty.
What to do?

Here is a simple and FREE way to fill a planter before they can be planted with flowering annuals.


This is the time to get out in the perennial garden.  Those hardy little plants are poking up and looking beautiful.  If your garden is like mine....there are lots of plants that have overtaken their space.

Now is the time to move and remove plants.

Rather than discard the "extra" perennials.....why not plant them in planters to provide a touch of green for the next month?
I fill the planters with these "leftovers" .

The  planters in front flank the bench.  Filled with perennial "finds" they look "good enough for the next few weeks.

 Funny how taking a photo makes you want to do some updating....
Now...I want Mr. S to make a new bench that isn't quite so rustic!
AND...
I would really like to give these planters a cement look.
I would love to hear from anyone out there who has done this.  The rustoleum cement paint says it is only for indoor use....but I wonder if it would last a season?

 Here is a closer look at the planter.  You can see that I just planted in a leftover pot that is easily removed.  The plants are Stella Day Lillies, perennial salvia and a fun little blue bloomer called Brunnera.

 The ferns in the back garden are volunteering all over the place! These three got moved to the front.  I know they won't look nice when they get big....but hey....for now they look better than no green at all.

Because there is greenery in the pots...I am not as likely to jump the gun with planting annuals.

I know that if I wait until late May, the flowers I do buy will thrive.  I can even wait for the bargains at the garden store.

The Sweetwater garden also has more Hosta than anyone needs.
The Hosta are coming up but not opened yet.
When it warms up again, I plan to "harvest" some of them to use as filler plants for some of my pots.
I don't try to winter them over because we have so many.
Here are some inspirations that I found for using Hosta in planters.


Oh my....isn't this pretty?  How nice to plant Hosta up high so the deer don't even have to bend over when they dine!

Source

These pots are simple.....but effective....and this would be a great "free" look for us!

Annuals with Hosta....no need to buy so many!
I love both of these color combos.
I even have each of these Hostas somewhere out there!

So there you have it!
Free planters for the early days of the growing season!
I hope I inspired you to get out there and plant something!

Have A Wonderful Day!

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