Garden Diva Attempts to "Work Smarter, Not Harder"...

Hello ladies- Welcome to the glorious color & flower filled month of May!

If you’re anything like me, you just can’t get outside quick enough to doll up your porch, patio or deck with fabulous color and ‘must feel’ textures for the summer. I’m talking about passionate color and hues that fill and overflow in my gardens and containers. And… if you’re anything like me you’re feeling busy, a little out of time and maybe even a tiny bit overwhelmed about where to start.  Well, I’ve got some great news for you!  Decorating your outdoor spaces is fun, fast & easy when you have a few tricks up your sleeve. Pssst… My secret to outdoor color decorating in a snap is simply called ‘Grab & Go Color!’

This smart way of shopping means that the experts have done the work for me.  I walk into my favorite garden nursery (wink, wink!) and have a terrific selection of plants in a variety of amazing color combos, sizes & styles. I envision my outdoor space and think about the ‘feel’ and look that I want for the season. After weighing my options, I put the planted containers on my cart and I head home.  Viola’ - that’s it!

Like every woman I know, I’m all about making my life easier when I can.  In fact, one of my mantras is to ‘work smarter and not harder.’ I know that I can do many things well, but not everything.  As much as I love and enjoy color, my backyard living space is rather expansive and fenced in for the dogs to run and play.  My veggie and herb garden is adjacent to our patio with the flowering plants we have in the area as ‘Grab & Go’ Color Containers.  I depend on these fantastic kaleidoscopes of colors to make our space come to life and it does!  A few containers strategically placed make all the difference in the world and sets the stage for entertaining, kicking back to read the paper or enjoy a glass of wine around the chat table.    

Tips for your color success:
•    Color has power!  Add vertical pops here and there with hanging baskets and incredible tropical plants that love our summer temps. Don’t settle for the same old same old.  Choose baskets with dynamic color and texture combinations that bring your space to the next level!
•    Check out how much light your space does (or doesn’t get!) Some varieties thrive in hot blazing sun, whereas other are magnificent in the shade.  Choose and feature plants that will work in your personal space. 
•    Food = Gorgeous Blooms!  Imagine your energy level without food.  Ugh – no thanks!  Fertilize and water regularly to keep the beauty coming!

Well ladies… here’s to celebrating you and the strong, beautiful women in your life this month.  Here’s to color and celebrating what it does to make us feel alive and fabulous!
... Frances Grossman