Planting for Beauty

March 18, 2024

For me, gardening is not about perfection but it’s about bringing beauty to this wonderful place that my family and I call home. Gardening is about bringing a little bit of God’s creation right here to this place on earth that my family and I call our own.

I truly cannot convey what delight plants, especially flowers, bring to my heart and soul. If you have not experienced the love of gardening, maybe try your hand this spring!

Gardening is a process of layering. I didn’t go out and buy a bunch of plants and seeds and an instant cottage garden sprouted. No, creating a cottage garden has taken me years of trial and error (lots of error). Each year I build upon the accomplishments and plants from the previous year. I love to see plants intertwine themselves and develop an almost symbiotic relationship; that to me is the epitome of a cottage look.

I’ve never really gotten into bulbs but this year decided to give them a try. As you may have guessed, I am a frugal gardener, and anything that comes back year after year is a winner in my book.

I try to buy very few annuals (the pretty plants sitting right at the front of your local hardware store) just because they are rather expensive and don’t last long. I like to follow the less-trod path and get plants that will keep showing their lovely heads year after year.

Last fall, I stocked up on plant bulbs from Aldi (yes, they sell seasonal plants, seeds, and bulbs! Watch the “special” aisle) and Lowes. I bought tulips, hyacinth, daffodils, allium, and a few other plants I do not remember their names (oops…minimalist me throws the tags away).

One day my youngest, eager to start planting, asked me, “Mommy, when are we going to plant those light bulbs? I want to get my gloves on now and plant them!” We all got quite a few chuckles out of “planting light bulbs.”

I’ve acquired several metal tubs over the last few years. Hubby drilled holes in the bottom for drainage. I piled rocks in the bottom and then poured potting soil into the tubs. My children helped me plant the bulbs, and we simply followed the package directions for proper depth placement.

This year I am also trying a new-to-me plant: dahlias. Last summer a friend shared an exquisite bouquet from her garden, and I just could not get enough of the dahlia blooms! My friend explained that dahlias actually grow from tubers (think something like a mini sweet potato). Well, that’s a winner in my opinion if it will come back year after year! So this year, I am also giving dahlias a try.

What are you growing this year? Any suggestions for cottage perennials?

-Ashley

Personal Disclosure

As the author of Ashley Qurollo Blog, all opinions are my own. Any possible applications are universal in nature, not directed at any one individual or people group. My sincere desire is to help others by sharing what I am learning. Nothing stated on this blog is ever intended to hurt others. Ashley Qurollo, owner of Ashley Qurollo Blog and Website, is not held liable in any way for any application of the ideas and thoughts stated here.

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