spring gardening - grace grits and gardening

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

April 21, 2017 By Talya Tate Boerner

Where have all the flowers gone?

I can always find flowers at the historic Headquarters House in Fayetteville. The girls and I walk through the gardens almost daily. Only two blocks from our headquarters, we consider the grounds to be our personal secret garden. I’ve written about the period gardens and the house HERE, and I won’t repeat myself other than to say the place it holds in Fayetteville / Civil War / American history fascinates me. No matter what’s going on in the world (or in Arkansas), the Headquarters House is a peaceful place, a calm reminder of the vastness of life—the good and the ugly. It’s a spot that fills me with calm and restores balance.Continue Reading

Spring Porch Pizzazz: a happy thing.

April 17, 2017 By Talya Tate Boerner

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.

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

How to Grow a Clematis Vine (as big as a dinner plate)

April 12, 2017 By Talya Tate Boerner

I thought since my clematis flowers are as big as a dinner plate, this would be a good time to talk about growing clematis vines. For the beginner gardener, clematis is a great plant to start with because it’s a pretty undemanding vine. When it bursts into bloom you’ll feel encouraged and believe down deep where you live that your thumb has turned a brighter shade of green. That’s a nice thing to believe.

There’s no reason to make gardening difficult. Grow what works for your area and skip the fussy mussy plants. That’s my motto.