Spring!

Spring has arrived in Dallas...though they are predicting cold weather tomorrow...ick! It has been SO nice out this week...some good high 60s-mid 70s always puts you in a better state of mind. So today I took it upon myself to start the spring cleaning. I cleaned all the windows in our house...and made the discovery that our bedroom and office windows open! We thought they were painted shut...like the rest of the windows in our house. Definitely an excellent find. I love getting fresh air in the house. Unfortunately, there are no screens...so along with the fresh are comes the occasional bug. However, I think it's well worth the nature. Our bedroom is completely dusted and cleaned..I just have to do the floors..which is pretty easy.

Along with the spring cleaning, I'm REALLY wanting to create a potted plant garden on our back patio. Joshua would say this is a horrible idea...as I have been known to kill our plant. I am going to be successful this time around. I'm thinking some herbs would be nice...some basil and rosemary. Martha Stewart..surprise surprise...has some really good ideas for container gardens. I've put some of the visual ideas below, along with her descpriptions:

Bushel baskets from the garden center make charming and inexpensive containers for a mix of annuals, including Angelonia, Lantana, and Plectranthus. Their wooden slats provide built-in drainage, and they can be recycled after the plants have had their season in the sun. As autumn draws to an end, the entire basket can be composted once the wire handles are removed.

I actually saw this next idea in an issue of Martha Stewart Living. In the magazine they suggested this for an herb garden..but I like the idea for flowers too.

Introducing height and structure to your garden with tiered planters is easy. Begin by finding three pots of descending size with drainage holes. The pots can be uniform in style or mixed. This example uses terra-cotta pots; the one at the base is 2 feet in diameter. Choose a location carefully; the final construction will be very heavy. Fill the largest pot evenly with potting mix nearly to the rim. Center the medium-size pot on the larger one, then fill; follow with the smallest. Select plants of various colors to accentuate the tiered configuration; trailing foliage creates a hanging-garden effect.

In addition to Martha Stewart's website, I found Plants For Texas which provides information on the best plants to plant in Texas, and retailers that sell those plants! Score! Time to start planning out my pots.