Midwest Living

Over the next couple of months I’ll be sharing some tips and ideas with you that I use in my own flower garden(s). I can show you that with a little imagination and a few bucks your flower beds will look awesome. Who doesn’t love a fun DIY project? Especially when it involves being outside in the fresh air.

First up, hosta plants. I love hostas! The simple fact that they’re low maintenance is all I need to hear. Plus, when they outgrow their space you can just chop them in half (or fourths) and plant elsewhere.

I had this little area of grass in front of my garage. It was a nuisance to mow so it was given a new look. My neighbor was selling hostas at her garage sale for $1. Score! My parents decided to update their landscaping and no longer needed the lava rocks they were using. Another score!

I wait until the end of Winter (when all of the snow melts) before trimming the dead leaves off of the plants. And that’s it. Mother Nature takes care of the rest.

UPDATE: 5-30-15

As you can see in the image below the hostas are doing well. Exceptionally well! There are four plants total in this space, but one of them is hidden so I should relocate that one. Come Fall, the other three will be divided up and placed in other areas around the house.

On last week’s garden post, I shared a few tips and ideas that were used with this year’s garden. If you missed that post click here. I’m happy to report everything is doing awesome! Please excuse the color variation from photo to photo. They were captured with different cameras throughout the days of documenting the garden’s progress.

Patiently waiting for crops.

Once the plants started to grow, cages were placed around them. As you can see the tomato plant on the left has a stick in the center of it. It was growing way to big for a cage, but needed some additional support. Actually, it was an old broom stick I had in the garage that wasn’t being used. (recycling tip)

After the cages are in place keep an eye on the plants. You’ll want to make sure as it grows to keep the leaves on the outside of the cage.

The tomato plant continues to grow. As you can see in this photo the first support stick is invisible, so a second one was positioned according to what branches were the heaviest. Then I cut up a t-shirt (recycling tip) into strips to be used as a rope. You want to use a cotton t-shirt that way it’s soft against the stems. A robe may cause it to break.

Keep an eye on the straw in the garden. If the newspaper starts to show through, add another layer. The birds are having a blast stealing pieces to build their nests with. I don’t mind sharing with the condition that they stay away from the vegetables.

This has been the biggest tomato plant ever. Perhaps it’s because I opted not to place a cage around it. The photo shows another support stick, but at present time there are three sticks supporting its branches. Lots of tomatoes!

My favorite part of the garden is the recycled pallets. The leafy vegetables are doing well in them. Snipping off what I want and more comes in right away.

The collard greens have their own section in the garden. Adding the strip of straw down the center has proven successful. No weeds anywhere! And it makes a nice walkway in between the plants.

Have you ever harvested green peppers? It’s super easy. Click here for the details.

I captured this photo a couple of days ago and shared it on my Instagram account. They smell as good as they look.

So, I ask you. What’s in your garden?

DIY Landscaping Tips & Ideas: Hosta Plants

Gardening Tips & Ideas: Part 2 of 2