When I attended the GardenComm (formerly GWA: Garden Writers of America) conference in Chicago last summer, I found myself captivated by the ideas of keynote speaker, Jacqueline van der Kloet. She has designed garden beds all over the world and has become known for her flower bulb combinations.
She spoke about her approach to designing with bulbs. She mixes a variety of bulbs in a wheel barrel and then tosses them into the desired area like confetti. The gardener then plant the bulbs where they land. She recommended having bulbs in different sizes and colors:
I was captivated with this idea and starting telling people I was going to plant my bulbs using the Van Der Kloet Method. My husband prepared the bed in the front of our house and then we mixed the bulbs (my assortment is shown above) and tossed them like confetti into the prepared area.
We did this in the October when we had a house guest and she thought it was a fun approach to bulb placement. I love having a Master Plan and in this case, I was planning for a happy combination of flowering bulbs in our front garden.
It looks darling! The bloom time has been staggered, so I will definitely add even more bulbs this fall to maximize the effect. Now that I know that it is effective, I want more confetti-like color and texture in my front bed. Only 3 tulips have shown themselves so far, so I'm a little nervous that they were eaten, but this bed develops more every day.
Thank you, Jacqueline van der Kloet for the inspiration.
#floweringbulbs #gardenlife #plantingbulbs #springhassprung #springflowers #finddelight #masterplan
I love everything about this photograph and the items in it. I have collected pieces of Spode: The Blue Room for years. When I found blue "Big Smile" Muscari bulbs in a pot at the grocery store ($3 pot had enough to plant 3 teacups), my mind sprung into action and I was giddy. I could replant these bulbs in teacups!
In my kitchen sink, I gently broke apart the potted bulbs, roots and dirt and divided them between 3 teacups. I placed dried moss over the dirt and gave each a little water. Aren't they darling?
This is the kind of easy DIY that makes sense to me. I love these teacups. I love the color blue. I love gardening & having flowers in the house. And at this price, I can recommend this easy project to everyone.
I know that most of the country doesn't have potted bulbs for sale at the grocery store or home improvement stores...yet. This post is to get you working on your Master Plan for spring fun.
#DIY #gardenindoors #springbulbs #teacupbouquet #teacup #collectingteacups #bloomingbulbs #springishere #miniarrangement #momentsofdelight #makersgonnamake #easyproject #seattleblogger
Tah-dah! I knew it would be cute, but it came out even better than I imagined.
I bought the 2 drawers at Michaels Craft. I lined them with plastic sheeting, cut and taped to fit, then I set a plastic tray that covered 2/3 of the drawer inside. I protected the last section with a gallon Ziploc freezer bag (with the sides folded down) and planted the bulbs inside. I arranged the other bulbs in the tray and put some bagged top soil in the sparse areas with a measuring scoop. I watered gently and then tucked pieces of dry green moss (bought as a dried sheet of real moss at the craft store) to cover the plastic and prop up the bulbs. Love love love.
You might remember that originally, I thought that artificial moss squares would work (cutting slits and poking the real growth up through the moss), but instead I used dry clumps of real moss to fit into the empty spaces as needed.
The secret to this project is finding a store that sells bulbs about to bloom. The grocery stores in Seattle sell growing bulbs out front! I took this photo outside of a QFC (Kroger) in Sammamish. I'm in heaven out here - truly.
I planted pink tulips (on their way to blooming now), narcissus, tiny lt blue grape hyacinth (that were so small I wasn't sure they would produce a stalk inside - they did!) and a few white/yellow fluffy daffodil variations. I plan on replacing the spent bulbs as they fade with new bulbs on the cusp. And yes, I will stick the spent bulbs in the front garden bed with hopes for next year.
The cute ceramic bunnies in my display were from Cost Plus World Market about 10 years ago. I am so glad I bought them. Remember my motto when you are thinking about buying something seasonal, cute is forever.
#easterdisplay #floweringbulbs #springinside #livingarrangement #easterdecorations #kitchendesign
What am I planning for January? Tiny blossoms in a vintage teacup! The man at the garden center told me that these Muscari "Valerie Finnis" bulbs need 6 weeks of cold sleep and then can be brought out into a warm room to grow. I have planted them in this vintage teacup (look at the unusual cup shape!) and it is now tucked away in the refrigerator. Just after New Years, I'll bring it out and let the warm sunshine in my family room work its magic. It is my own little Secret Garden.
