It’s spring-time and the perfect time to start a garden. Build this raised garden bed with or without a cucumber trellis and start gardening tomorrow!

Raised planter bed and cucumber trellisHow to Build a Raised Garden Bed with a Cucumber Trellis

Is there anything better than vegetables grown in your garden? They are hard to top! Cucumbers are very easy to grow, but do best if you give them a little extra care. When we decided to build a second raised vegetable garden, we decided to plan in advance to make it a strategic cucumber garden with a raised wooden trellis. We’re excited to show you how to build a DIY raised cucumber garden.

Hey y’all! We are Morgan & Sean McBride, and we blog at CharlestonCrafted.com where we are crafting our first home into our dream home and empowering you to try DIY. We share with our readers a variety of projects aimed at helping new homeowners make their homes their own. Some highlights include: our completely DIY coastal kitchen makeover; our tropical hammock oasis; and our budget laundry room refresh! Our most recent big project was our DIY concrete stone-look patio, which we are obsessed with. I’m likely to be found sharing behind the scenes and lots of laughs over on Instagram Stories, so pop over and say hey!

How to select a location for your cucumber garden:

The number one thing to remember when selecting a location for your cucumber garden is to make sure it receives plenty of light. At least five hours of morning sun is ideal, and afternoon sun on top of that is good too. You also need to be prepared to water your cucumber garden a lot because they need a lot of water, plus they are growing in the summer, when it is hard to keep these things hydrated.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Instructions:
Build your garden upside down. Start by cutting your 4″x4″ into four equal pieces one foot long each using a miter saw.

Cut your 8-foot-long 2″x8″ in half with a circular saw or miter saw.

Lay out your 10′ boards with your now-4′ boards on either end and place your 4″x4″ pieces in the corner. (It helps to lay a small piece of scrap wood in each corner to keep the 2″x8″s raised a half inch or so, but make sure the posts stay on the ground.)

Attach your four posts to the inside of each board keeping corners flush using the decking screws.

Dig four post holes in your garden location and install your flipped over, constructed raised bed by placing the long ends of the posts in the holes.

How to build a cucumber trellis:

Materials:

  • Three- 2″x2″x8′ boards
  • One- 2’x8′ lattice
  • Brad nailer
  • 1″ brad nails
  • Circular saw

Instructions:
A cucumber trellis is super easy to build. First, build the frame by cutting two 4-foot-long pieces out of one of the boards and three 3-foot-long boards out of the other two.

Use your nailer to attach the three foot boards to the inside of the four foot boards with two lining up on the outside edges and one exactly in the center.

Next, lay your lattice down on the frame and cut it along the edge with your circular saw. It should be 3 feet, 3 inches. Do that again with the excess to create a second piece for the other side.

Lay the two pieces of lattice down on the frame, marrying them next to each other in center. Use your nailer to go around and nail down the lattice to the frame.

Now, cut two 2-foot-long boards with a 45 degree angle from the remains of the 2″x2″ to serve as your legs.
Finally, position the two legs on the back of the frame and nail the frame down to the legs.

Add garden soil to fill your raised bed about 3/4 of the way full and then add the cucumber trellis on one side. You want to pick a spot that is accessible from the side so that you can easily reach under the trellis.

We are so excited to plant cucumbers in this garden this spring. The trellis will keep them off the ground and give the cucumber plants the support that they need to grow successfully. As a bonus, we also plan to plant lettuce under the shade of the cucumber trellis, where they should thrive out of the direct summer sun.

Thanks for having us and be sure to come visit us at CharlestonCrafted.com.

You can also connect with us on facebook, instagram, pinterest, youtube, twitter, and etsy.

A Note from Pretty Handy Girl:

I love this project that Morgan and Sean built, especially with spring right around the corner. It’s definitely time to start preparing your garden for the growing season.

You may have noticed that the lumber used for the raised planter bed and trellis is pressure-treated lumber. You should know that there is some debate over whether it is safe to use pressure treated lumber for an edible garden. Personally I like to use Cedar or other naturally rot-resistant materials to prevent the chemicals from leaching into your food. You can also choose to prime or line the inside of the bed. I’ll leave the decision up to you.

You may also like this tutorial for building a rot resistant raised planter bed:

How to Build a Rot-Resistant Raised Planter Bed | Pretty Handy Girl

 

It seems to me that we could all use a little distraction during this season of social distancing. I encourage you to step outside and try your hand at one (or two) of these DIY Projects to Get Your Garden Growing! Not only will you set yourself up for some fresh fruits, veggies, or flowers, but you can also soak in some sun yourself to improve your mood.

DIY Projects to Get Your Garden Growing

If you’re itching for some outside time, or need to start thinking about working on your green thumb, I have several gardening tutorials to inspire you! Let’s get growing!

How to Compost - Secret Gardening Formula | Pretty Handy Girl

Here’s the basics for how to compost and get top quality soil for your garden and landscaping for FREE!

 

Landscaping 101: Tools, Planting, and Adding Color to your Landscaping | Pretty Handy Girl

Choosing the best gardening tools for the job will make it so much easier!  Check out this comprehensive list of gardening tools and what they’re best used for.

 

It may be tempting to throw out a leaky garden hose, but did you know it’s fairly simple to fix? It is! I have the solution for you in this tutorial on How to Fix a Leaky Hose!

 

DIY Living wall

Not everyone has an expanse of land for a garden. You can easily plant herbs in this easy DIY Living Wall Planter Tutorial.

 

Raised Planter Bed with Cucumber trellis

Build this simple raised planter bed with cucumber trellis in no time and start growing cucumbers to eat (or for your DIY beauty routine.)

 

Quick and Easy DIY Fan Trellis

This easy spring trellis doesn’t require too much time, tools or money.  The best part is, you can make it exactly the size and shape that is right for a wall, by your mailbox, or your raised planter bed.

 

This fence trellis is easy to build, and will turn a dull fence into a living wall!

Is modern more your design style? Then you’ll want to check out this super simple DIY Modern Trellis.

 

How to Build a Rot-Resistant Raised Planter Bed | Pretty Handy Girl

Make this Rot-Resistant Planter Bed and never worry about the planter breaking down. This is my fifth year with these beds and they still look beautiful and rot free!

 

How to Build a Square Foot Gardening Grid that Won't Rot | Pretty Handy Girl

If you square foot garden, you have to see how to create a square foot garden grid that won’t break down and is super easy to lift up when you need to till your soil.

 

How to Build a Vegetable Trellis on a Budget | Pretty Handy Girl

Now that you have that planter ready to fill, you’ll need to know how to make a trellis (and save lots of money) by following this tutorial.

 

Love tomatoes? Great then you’ll love learning how to grow an incredible bumper crop of tomatoes this year.

 

Tips to Create Knock Out Container Gardens | Pretty Handy Girl

Maybe you don’t have much room for a garden. No worries, you can still display your green thumb with knockout container plantings!

 

How to Install Sprinkler System

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could water your own garden or landscaping automatically? Yes? Then learn how to install your own sprinkler system.

 

Get your shed or garage organized with this hanging garden tool organizer!

Once you’re done planting, you could get your organization game on with this simple storage solution for garden tools.

I hope you find several of these tutorials inspiring and hope your weather is cooperating enough to let you get outside and dig in the dirt. Take care!

An idea for making your own hummingbird feeder! Great kids craft and perfect for Spring.

Happy Spring Everyone! What a difference a few weeks can make. Like many of you, I am grappling with the uncertainty of this challenging time. My children are now home with me every day, for the foreseeable future. In Seattle, life has completely changed. Almost everything is shut down, even playgrounds are closed at the moment. And so, I’ve been focused on creating little projects that my kids and I can do while stuck at home. Let’s talk about DIY Hummingbird Feeder.

I came across these DIY hummingbird feeders with jelly jars and was instantly inspired! I’ve had a hummingbird feeder on my Amazon wishlist for quite some time. I’m not sure why I never considered making my own instead. This turned out to be a very kid-friendly project and they even learned a little bit about hummingbirds.

Make your own hummingbird feeder out of spice jars

The only issue was, I didn’t have jelly jars. So I improvised a bit and used these 1oz McCormick spice jars. I emptied out the contents and washed them out thoroughly. These little spice jars are the perfect size for those dainty hummingbirds.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

DIY Hummingbird feeder from little spice jars

Instructions:

Follow these steps to make your own hummingbird feeder.

Step 1: Prepare your spice jars

Wash your spice jars with hot soapy water - they are the perfect size for little hummingbirds!

Thoroughly wash your spice jars and lids with hot, soapy water. You don’t want any lingering spice odors or tastes that will turn off potential hummingbirds. I also removed the stickers from the jars with a little goo gone.

McCormick spice jars have a lid with holes in it, covered by a snap-top. All you need to do is rip off the snap-top section, we don’t need it. Hummingbirds will use their long beaks to drink the nectar from each hole.

Step 2: Make Hummingbird Nectar

Make Hummingbird nectar - recipe in post - then pour into your jars!

The recipe for making Hummingbird nectar couldn’t be easier. It’s just sugar water – but you need to know the correct ratio. Too much sugar can be harmful to hummingbirds and too little sugar doesn’t provide enough calories for them.

I followed the recipe from the Audubon website.  It’s ¼ cup of refined white sugar and 1 cup of boiling water. Mix until the sugar dissolves. Cool the mixture and then fill your spice jars to the top. Now, just replace the lid with holes in it.

Replace the spice lid on your jar - hummingbirds feed on the nectar through the holes.

Step 3: Attach Jute Twine for Hanging

Tie some string or jute twine to your jars for hanging on a tree!

I used some jute twine to create a little loop for hanging. Tie your knots tight and make sure the lid is secure.

Cut excess string from hummingbird feeder jars before hanging.

Now just hang it up somewhere outside and wait for those hummingbirds!

These spice jars make a great hummingbird feeder and it's the perfect activity for kids

Hang your feeder from a tree, where you see hummingbirds visit

We haven’t had a visitor yet that I could photograph, but I know those hummingbirds are on the way.

Hummingbirds love the nectar that you put in these jars

DIY Hummingbird Feeder from old spice jars!

Thanks so much for reading and being here today. Stay safe, stay healthy!

karen signature

~ See More of Karen’s Tutorials ~


karen from decor hintHello!  I’m Karen, the creator of the Home Decor and DIY Blog: Decor Hint. I’m a Native of the East Coast, but I currently live in beautiful Seattle with my hubby, our two wonderful children, and our spunky wheaten terrier.

You can usually find me with some sort of craft in one hand and a coffee in the other. And I’m always rearranging furniture or moving lamps from room to room. I have a passion (read: obsession) for decorating, DIY, and gardening. In short, I love making my house into a home.

Like many, I’m inspired by what I see in home decor magazines, but I’m not so inspired by the price tags.  Consequently, I love finding and creating beautiful budget-friendly home decor items. In a head to head competition, I bet you’d never know the difference between the designer items and my DIY creations!  Many of my DIY projects focus on sewing, crafting, upcycling and organizing. Some of my favorite projects have been making pretty wreaths, sewing my own tassel hand towels, and crafting these trendy wood bead garlands. I can’t wait to inspire you and spark your creativity through my DIY projects.

You can always connect with me on Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram.

 

Liked this project? Check out these DIY Hanging Beaded Vases for another upcycled craft!

 

Pathways around your home can be functional (protecting grass, your feet, or creating a smooth surface to walk on.) Paths can be whimsical, natural, utilitarian or decorative. Here are 9 Lasting Alternatives to Concrete Walkways.

Alternatives to Concrete Walkways

Spring is around the corner and that means more time spent outside. If you’re looking to improve your landscaped pathways, you’ll want to check out these lasting alternatives to concrete walkways. Many are DIY-friendly and can be accomplished in a weekend.

Concrete is the most commonly chosen material for a front sidewalk. It is quick and simple to install. Plus, cement can last for a long time barring any damage from frost heaving and improper installation. Paths to the front door are usually straight forward and easy to navigate. (Imagine if your movers had to navigate a bumpy or uneven path into your home.) But, concrete cement isn’t the only option available to homeowners. Feel free to do something a little different from the Joneses. Here are a few of the many options for creating lasting pathways in your landscaping (not just the front entryway.)

 

Exposed Aggregate

A slightly more decorative pathway than your traditional cement sidewalk. This path has smooth pebbles that are embedded in the concrete and exposed (after hosing off) on the top layer for a durable and texturally appealing walkway. Exposed aggregate should last as long as a concrete and sometimes longer if an epoxy resin method is used.

 

Concrete Pavers

The Europeans have many beautiful romantic cobblestone streets. But, walking on them could be a little like balancing on a tightrope. Modern advances have developed pavers that look like cobblestones but are a lot less likely to cause you to roll your ankle. Pavers are available in a wide variety of shapes, styles, and colors. There are even concrete pavers that look like bricks. Because they are manufactured, concrete pavers are uniform in size making them easy to install. Another advantage of using pavers is if damaged, a section can be removed and re-installed.

 

Brick

A long pathway of bricks harkens back to colonial times. Believe it or not, bricks are produced in a variety of colors and textures. If you like the old antique look, buy some tumbled bricks that have rounded corners. Even more fun than picking the style is picking a pattern. Brick patterns are almost infinite. Herringbone, running bond, basket weave, and jack on jack are just some of the patterns you can create with bricks. Similar to the concrete pavers, damage can be fixed fairly easily.

 

Natural Stone

Bluestone, Cantera, Flagstone, Granite, Limestone, Marble, Porphyry, Sandstone, Slate and Travertine are all stone slabs that can be used for stone pavers. These flat slabs of rock make them ideal for wider pathways and patios. The beauty of using stone is that no two are identical because they are all-natural from the earth.

 

Crushed Stone

Crushed stone, decomposed granite, and a hybrid of crushed stone and polymer are inexpensive alternatives to an expansive pathway. Typically found in bridal paths, this material is a good choice for controlling dust and mud.

 

Photo Source

Permeable Pavers

Honeycomb and grid-like pavers are often seen where water runoff is discouraged. Grass, moss, or small gravel can be inserted between the pavers for more color. The large holes in this path allow water to permeate back into the earth. They are very environmentally friendly and graphically pleasing to the eye.

 

Boardwalk Decking

This type of pathway is usually built over wet, soggy, or sandy expanses. Most often seen in coastal or modern architecture, this material can last for years if pressure-treated lumber or composite decking material is chosen. Real wood will require staining or sealing to keep the wood from rotting.

 

Stepping Stones

Bring yourself back to your childhood with a fun stepping stone path. This pathway is a fun and quirky trail to walk on. There are a multitude of materials that can be used for stepping stones. Any large stones and/or pavers can be set on the ground and then surrounded by pea gravel, mulch, grass or left natural. But don’t limit yourself to stones in this application. Hardwood tree stumps can also stand in for stepping stones. The tree stumps will deteriorate over time, but you can slow the process by sealing them with an exterior varnish and/or allow proper drainage around them.

 

Stamped or Stained Concrete

We’ve come full circle back to concrete. There are so many ways to jazz up a regular concrete path. Consider stamped and/or stained concrete to add some color and to fool the eye. Stamped patterns are numerous with styles that look like bricks, slate, cobblestone and even cracked earth!  For more personalized options, choose any color combination to stain your concrete.

As you can see, you can create a variety of looks for the paths in your yard. Many are DIY-friendly and some may require professional installation. What were your favorites? Do you have ideas for lasting alternatives to a concrete walkway?

Landscaping 101: Tools, Planting, and Adding Color to your Landscaping | Pretty Handy Girl

landscaping-101

Landscaping 101 – Tools & Planting

When we bought our first home 13 years ago, we were lured by the idea of having at least half an acre of land. Little did we know that it would involve LOTS and LOTS of yard work. Over the years we’ve learned several tips and tricks to creating beautiful landscaping that will last for decades. If you’re a new homeowner (or still trying to find your green thumb), here’s the Landscaping 101 course to help you hit the ground running. I’ll be sharing which yard tools are essential, how to pick the right plants, how to plant them, and how to add color to your landscaping. Pull up a stump and lets dig in!

Assess Landscaping Needs:

Do you have a variety of color in your landscaping? Unfortunately a soccer ball, flag and garden ornament don’t really count. Attractive landscaping will have a variety of colors, textures and tones to create variety and interest.

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

The great news is that you can remedy this situation in an afternoon (or less time depending on how much planting you need to do.)

Take a good hard look at your existing landscaping. What’s working for you and what is…ummm…dying. It’s okay to give up on shrubs and plants that are dying. If you just can’t stand the thought of killing them, transplant sickly plants in a less visible spot to give them a second chance. But, don’t leave them in your front beds where they aren’t adding any curb appeal.

As an alternative, if a sad looking plant previously thrived in that location but it took a hit from frost (or a well-played soccer ball). You can try to save it by trimming the plant back to green stalks or near the ground. That’s exactly what I did to this Confederate Jasmine. I pruned it back to see if it would come back.

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

I also planted a new one right next to the old one for instant color and fragrance. That way the old one can take its time growing back while no one notices its stubbiness.

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

Make a list of the holes you have in your landscape. Note the sun and soil conditions there. Take your list with you when you go plant shopping.

How to Choose Appropriate Plants for your Landscape:

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

Be sure to shop for your flowering plants at a local reputable plant nursery. Picking up plants at the grocery store or other big box store will result in less than the hardiest plants. Nurseries take care to stock plants that thrive well in your climate. They are also more healthy and disease-free. Finally, the staff at the nursery is more knowledgeable and can help you choose plants that will do well in your garden. The grocery store cashier probably can’t help you with that!

If possible, shop for flowering plants at the time that you want them to bloom in your yard! A successful flower bed will have staggered blooms throughout the Spring – Fall. If you fill your flower bed over time, you’ll be sure to have blooms that appear at different times as opposed to picking all your beautiful blooming plants in one shopping trip. But, if you’re more of the once and done type, ask the nursery staff for a variety of plants that will stagger their blooms.

Sun and Shade Requirements:

Choose plants that will thrive in the existing conditions in your yard. It’s a great idea to map your landscape area and note the sun and shade areas on an hourly basis. Select plants based on those shade/sun requirements.

  • Full sun = At least 6 hours of direct sun
  • Partial Sun = 3-6 hours of sun per day. The plant must receive direct light for at least 3 hours.
  • Partial Shade = 3-6 hours of sun per day. The plant must receive shade to help cool the plant later in the afternoon.
  • Shade = Less than 3 hours of sun per day. But, the plant should receive some additional dappled sun throughout the day. No sun equals no life.

Also pay attention to your soil and drainage. A well drained soil will dry several hours after watering. Damp soil will stay moist and wet for at least a day after watering.

*A good tip is to save your plant tags and receipts. Most reputable nurseries will have a warranty on the plants they sell. Ask them for more information.

How to Choose Yard Tools:

Landscaping 101: Tools, Planting, and Adding Color to your Landscaping | Pretty Handy Girl
Disclosure: True Temper sent me these landscaping tools to try out. I was not told what to say about their tools.

A good starter set of landscaping tools are:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

  • Round Point Shovel – used for digging and transferring plants
  • Bow Rake – used for leveling and loosening soil, spreading mulch, and ground cover
  • Garden Spade Shovel – used for digging trenches, transplanting and edging beds
  • Wheelbarrow  – your best friend when it comes to hauling yard material
  • Garden Trowel  – A small trowel for planting, transplanting, digging up bulbs, moving dirt, potting, and much more!
  • Cultivator  – used for loosening and breaking up tough soil, removing rocks, weeding and aerating
  • Warren Hoe  – used for creating and planting rows of seeds and harvesting underground vegetables
  • Leaf Rake  – if you have deciduous trees, you NEED a leaf rake to remove fallen leaves
  • Pruning Shears  – a sharp pair of pruning shears are used for pruning, cutting blooms and dead limbs from bushes and plants
  • Garden gloves – a good pair of garden gloves will protect your hands from thorns, scratches and dreaded poison ivy (or poison oak.)

If you’re new to landscaping, I’m going to give you some good advice about buying tools. As I recommend with power tools, don’t cheap out when buying landscaping tools. If you buy quality garden and landscape tools, they should last you a lifetime. If you go for the less expensive tools, you’ll likely spend more in the long run when you have to replace a broken or worn out tool.

For example, we have a True Temper shovel that has lasted us for over 10 years now. We’ve put that baby to good use digging in the rocky and clay filled NC soil. Some of the other tools we bought didn’t make it that long. Either the handles snapped or the tines on a rake bent over continued use. Buying two of the same tool means it would have been smarter and more economical to purchase quality from the start. (Live and learn.)

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

Good tools should be ergonomic, comfortable and made with quality materials that won’t break or bend over time. Look for strong defect-free handles. True Temper tools are high quality and Made in the USA. They’ve been making agricultural tools for over 200 years! My favorite feature of these True Temper tools are the 10″ cushion grip handles. They are easy to hold and are good shock absorbers.

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

How to Plant Shrubs and Flowers that will Thrive:

Assess the health of your plants. Remove any diseased or dying plants. You don’t want them infecting your new greenery. Use a round point shovel to dig a circle around the root ball.  Use your foot to step on the top of the shovel to get further depth and force to cut roots. When the plant is free, remove it and toss it or transplant it to a new location.

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

Dig a hole at least two times the size of the new plant’s root ball. And several inches deeper.

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

Break up rocky and hard soil with either a Warren hoe or cultivator (or both!) The cultivator works great at getting all the big rocks out of the way.

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

Fill the bottom of the hole with good organic compost. This stuff is black gold! A good compost pile will be full of worms working to turn your kitchen scraps into super nutrient rich soil for your plants. I’ll have to write a separate post on how I compost. If you don’t have access to organic compost, purchase a bag of good gardening soil to use. Mix the compost and dirt with the cultivator or hoe. The soil should have good drainage and no large chunks.

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

To free your plant from it’s pot, make a fist and pound around the outside of the pot. Gently tip the pot upside down while supporting your plant by its trunk. Gently lay the plant on its side.

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

Use the hand trowel to slice into the rootball. This is especially important if your plant is root bound. You need to encourage the plant to expand and grow new roots out into the earth.

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

Set the plant upright in the hole you dug.

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

Fill around the root ball and cover the top of the root ball slightly with more soil/compost mixture.

Step around the base of your plant to eliminate air holes. It’s important to get good soil contact with the roots of the plant.

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

Water your newly planted flowers and plants daily for two weeks or more. Then taper off the watering to help them extend their roots on their own.

Mulch:

Adding mulch around your plants in the beds adds more than an attractive look. It keeps moisture in the soil and controls weeds. To weigh your options on which type of mulch you want to use, you’ll probably find this Mulch Selection Guidelines List helpful.

Landscaping 101: Tools, Planting, and Adding Color to your Landscaping | Pretty Handy Girl

Save your back and energy by filling a wheelbarrow with mulch and bring it to your beds. Make sure the front wheel has plenty of air. Or learn how to replace a wheelbarrow tire that never goes flat!

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

Spread the mulch 2 – 3″ deep around your plants with a bow rake. Anything less than 2″ won’t  control weeds and retain moisture as well.

Container Gardening:

Potted plants help you “fake it until you make it!” A few potted plants with annual flowers in them is a great way to add pops of color exactly where you want them. They’ll draw attention to their color and blooms and detract from any landscape beds that are between blooms.

When they stop blooming you can pop in another container of flowers. Container gardening is the perfect activity for fickle gardeners because you can constantly change the look with new colors and plants. Learn all the basics for growing your own container gardens here.

Annuals are great for instant color, but once they are gone they won’t grow back next year. If you prefer to avoid yearly planting,  buy perennials to plant in your pots. They will re-bloom year after year.

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

For a more portable arrangements, fill small lightweight pots or containers on wheels. (I had fun turning this old Radio Flyer wagon into a portable planter. Now I can wheel the wagon anywhere I want to add more color.)

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

Added Color to the Landscape:

Remember that “artificial colored” landscaping before?

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

Within an afternoon it got a makeover worthy of an HGTV curb appeal segment.

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

Before the sad little gardenia was barely thriving.

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

Presto! Instant color and blooms from a newly planted pink hydrangea.

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

New rose bushes bring some fragrance and color to the previously color-lacking front bed. I had no idea that there were yellow knockout roses, but as soon as I saw them I grabbed them. If you don’t know about knock out roses, they are much hardier and disease resistant than their ancestors! Win!

Landscaping 101: Tools, Planting, and Adding Color to your Landscaping | Pretty Handy Girl

A few foxglove plants adds some height and visual interest to the flower bed.

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

Much better! In a week those irises around the flag and the big rose bush in the middle will be brimming with color.

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

Our front landscaping beds are my new happy place!

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

We get compliments from anyone who comes to our house (which is primarily the UPS and FedEx driver lately. Thanks guys!)

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

Easy Color in Your Landscaping Beds | Pretty Handy Girl

Do tell me, do you have any landscaping tips or secrets to share? Or maybe you have a favorite plant in your yard. Please tell me more!

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