We are in need of a landscaper for our home in the North Admiral District.   I’m calling around for bids right now… and I thought I should put a "shout out" to the neighbors. 

We just need the yard to be "groomed" and a low maintainence garden to be planted in front (this is not a huge space).     We would love your recommendations!   Send me an email or, better yet, share your testimonials with all BDB readers by adding a comment to this post.

We inherited two metal hanging baskets when we moved into our home from the previous owner.   They’re over sized and have been great fun for creating a moss hanging baskets.    I’m not an expert at this…I know we have several gardening experts that would be much better at providing plant guidance than I (hint hint).

Since I just took this project on…I thought I would share it with you.   It seems like the moss baskets last about a year or two and then you may need to start over from scratch.   Which is what I did last weekend.

Although there was some "life left" in the basket, it was in need of an overhaul.  I was able to keep the ivy, fuchsia and other plants that were still alive to reuse in the fresh basket.

Many wire baskets do not have the large spaces that ours have…so it’s tricky trying to keep everything from falling out, or as my husband says "having a blow out".    I use sheet moss, it literally looks like a small moss blanket or sheet.   There are also other options available.    I soak the moss, squeezing out the excess water and begin by lining the bottom of the basket with the moss.

I have all of my plants ready for assembling in a nearby handy location.  How many plants you use will depend on how big basket is and you don’t want to crowd them.    Once you have your moss lining the bottom third of the basket without any gaps showing, you can add your potting soil.   

Then you gently lay your plants creating the bottom layer of your plants.    Next you repeat the moss process again by adding another layer off moss and a little dirt.   Add more trailing plants (I like to stagger the layers).   Simple!   Save a nice plant for the top, like a geranium.

Moss baskets tend to need extra watering and fertilizer.     I’ll have to post an "after" picture this summer when the baskets are in full bloom.

My next garden project is going to be figuring out what to do with our flax pots at our porch.  We have two and I’ve managed to butcher them pretty well.   One poked me in my eye last year, and I’ve been a bit unforgiving.    Since then, I always try to wear my sunglasses when I’m gardening.

If you need plants this weekend, you can check out the West Seattle Garden Plant Sale taking place today and tomorrow until 3:00 pm at the Senior Center.

When I was driving down California Avenue, I noticed that West Seattle Nursery is having a Spring Open House this Saturday from 1:00 – 3:00.    I know I have a lot of dead plants thanks to Old Man Winter and my black thumb!    Just thought you might like to know…

Winter was so harsh on our garden!  With today’s nice weather…I had no choice but to "dig in" and plant some sunshine in our pots.

Before:   Pretty sad way to greet our guest at the front door.   I was able to save the fushia (at least there are some green starts on the plants) which the hummingbirds loved last year.   And I think the Dusty Miller is still alive (can you kill Dusty Miller?).

After:   Instant sunshine!    While at West Seattle Nursery, I noticed that they are having an Art and Garden Show beginning on March 31.   They are looking for artist…if you’re interested contact Marsha.

I love gardening and in our neighborhood, we have some beautiful yards.   In fact, this time last year, one of our own received recognition for their incredible paradise.  This past winter was especially harsh on my potted plants…and…well, anything living.   What I find so fascinating about this time of year is watching what comes back to life after a winter death.   I was just getting ready to rip out everything in the planters by our front door, when I noticed some green starts on whats left of the fuchsia!   The rosemary has been a real trouper as well.

I do have many pots I’m going to have to replace all the salt water and freezing weather this past winter.   

What plants have you found to thrive well in this environment?   Your comments or a post on this topic would be very timely.