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Spring Porch Pizzazz: a happy thing.

April 17, 2017 By Talya Tate Boerner 2 Comments

Porch Pizzazz

I’ve been working to add a little spring pizzazz to our porches. In Northwest Arkansas, the weather has warmed enough to mix annuals into containers. My empty containers have been patiently waiting for warm temperatures. Empty containers are sad, sad things.

Totally pizzazz-less.

Empty! Ready for Monrovia plants!

I planted a few of my favorites including salvia, petunia, calibrochoa, asparagus fern, and lobelia. The large containers look sparse now, but within only a few weeks, we’ll have a stunning display leading to our front porch. Plants need room to grow. I know this. Even so, I had to resist the urge to overfill. And if it’s left up to my husband, we’ll over-plant right off.Continue Reading

A Pop of Spring Color for the Butterflies!

April 5, 2017 By Talya Tate Boerner 14 Comments

A Pop of Spring Color - Monrovia Coreopsis

Raise your hand if you’re busy celebrating spring. (Both my hands are raised!) When I was asked to work with Monrovia again, I didn’t hesitate. The timing is perfect, too, because after traveling and promoting my book during March, my immediate plan was to spiff up our butterfly garden with a pop of spring color. Just in time for Easter.

Even though our established perennials are beginning to bloom, adding a few fresh, vibrant Monrovia plants into existing beds is the best way I know to give the world an immediate boost. I headed straight to the local nursery where I had no trouble filling my shopping cart with lots of spring color. Seriously, you can keep the plastic eggs and chocolate bunnies. The picture below represents my dream Easter basket!

A Basket of Color

So what’d I buy?

For the Butterflies~

Two years ago, I planted a butterfly garden in our backyard. Each spring, I add to it with butterfly attracting perennials. My husband and I live in Zone 6, so it’s a bit early to plant milkweed, but I was happy to find two of our tried and true Monrovia favorites—salvia and coreopsis. These winners are long-blooming and hardy, they complement each other in style and color, and they attract butterflies and bees.

As pollinators, butterflies and bees are critical to our environment. Flowers and flowering shrubs that attract them are high on my preferred list.

Continue Reading

Monrovia Plants fuel my gardening addiction. Even in winter.

March 4, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner 19 Comments

Note: Today’s post is sponsored by Monrovia, but my love for their plants is all my own.

Monrovia plants fuel my gardening addiction. Even in winter

I have a problem. Even though we are in the midst of winter and experiencing wave after wave of snow and ice, I’m still gardening. Spending time at Westwood Gardens on a cold winter day is a great way to stave off cabin fever. I walk through the warm, humid greenhouse, lusting after the lush Monrovia plants and dreaming of spring. Outside, fresh air is plentiful. So are shopping carts.

Winter Gardening Addiction - Monrovia plants add year-round color

I chat with (not really, yes really) plants covered in a layer ice. Here’s a tip for you…if a plant is thriving at the nursery while covered in ice, it will survive in your garden. Check out this Brakelights Red Yucca that now lives in my backyard:) Yucca plants are water-wise, self-sufficient and provide an interesting design element. This is not your average yucca. It’s named “brakelights” for a reason. Its bloom season is long and the prolific red flowers will make you stop and take notice. And bonus: hummingbirds love it!

Monrovia Brakelights Red Yucca - water wise, hearty with interesting foliage!

I’ve been buying proven Monrovia plants for years. In fact, it’s not a stretch to partially credit Monrovia with my gardening addiction. Years ago, as an inexperienced gardener with a hot, dry, square patch of Texas grass, Dallas nurseries lured me in with sidewalks filled with brilliant fuchsia azaleas. But the coral bark maples and red Chinese fringe flowers hooked me. Turns out, I’m more of a foliage kind of girl.

Since my husband and I recently moved from North Texas to Northwest Arkansas, we’ve been designing a new garden—a peaceful space that blends with the natural beauty of Northwest Arkansas. Our wish list includes not only places for gathering with friends, but quiet spots for reading and writing, and sunny corners for growing vegetables. When we step into our backyard, we want to be on vacation. We want the “ahhh” factor.

Our new yard is bigger than our last. More space means more possibilities, yet that can also be intimidating. One of the first things we did was develop a new design plan, working with The Grey Barn in Fayetteville. Monrovia plants are a key design component. Interesting foliage and bark patterns form the background for our new garden—the backdrop for what’s to come in spring and summer. During winter when perennials have died back and annuals have been tossed to the compost, foliage takes center stage providing year-round color. And no, a little winter weather doesn’t scare us. We began implementing our plan in January between snow storms.

Take a look at our design so far. This is the front yard.

https://ooh.li/4669c7a

Monrovia plants form the back drop of our design. We left plenty of open spaces for spring flowers.

 

Here’s a shot of the backyard including our fire pit and a few more soft touch hollies and laurels.

Monrovia plants soften landscape design

Here’s a more typical winter view. But see, if we didn’t have Monrovia evergreen scrubs poking through the snow, there’d be nothing to break up the blinding white…am I right?

Monrovia shrubs in winter

Through the years, we’ve learned a few things by trial and error, by reading gardening books, by visiting arboretums and making note of things we love. We have favorite plants. Much like choosing paint color and arranging furniture inside the house, there’s a thought process to peaceful design. Gardening is much more than digging a hole and planting a shrub. Designing a relaxing space involves creating garden “rooms” with beds, creating movement with texture and materials, adding fun elements with found objects and personality specific items.

And yes, specimen plants like our new yucca create interest. 

This morning sleet is falling (again) in Fayetteville and the ground is frozen solid. Our new yucca hasn’t been planted. I’m still considering the best location for him, a place where I can see him from the house. Possibly near the fire pit.

Monrovia Brakelights Red Yucca

No matter the weather, no matter the season, I always find a way to garden even if only by dreaming on a winter day and planning where my new Monrovia yucca will live once the spring thaw arrives. And yes, that counts.

So what about you? Are you dreaming of spring?

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

FYI everyone – Monrovia brand plants are available at local garden centers (Westwood Gardens in Fayetteville) and Lowe’s home centers across the country.

[tweetthis]Fueling my #gardening addiction. Even in winter! @MonroviaPlants #Monrovia #Plantlust https://ooh.li/d9d9725[/tweetthis]

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Hi! I'm Talya Tate Boerner. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (Now Available!)

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