Are you looking for a little inspiration to kick start your gardening season?
May I suggest you look no further than some of the blogs and bloggers around the garden blogosphere for that inspiration? There are so many bloggers who inspire us to dream, to dig, to plant, and to overcome challenges. Here are a few I’ve found inspiring recently…
Meems at Hoe and Shovel is finally going to plant the vegetable garden she’s been dreaming about for years and years. Her beds are made and she’s ready to plant her first vegetables.
Do you have a garden you’ve been dreaming of planting for years? Why not make this the year you finally plant it?
Are you lusting after a water feature for your garden? Go see Annie in Austin at The Transplantable Rose and read about the process of buying and installing her new disappearing fountain. If you’ve ever wanted a water feature in your garden, and what gardener doesn’t, maybe you’ll be inspired to get one of your own after seeing the video of Annie’s fountain with the water flowing down and disappearing into the ground?
What’s holding you back from adding a water feature in your own garden?
Some days, do you just feel too tired and out of shape to get up off your couch and go out in the garden to do anything? Go visit Kylee at Our Little Acre who suffers from a chronic condition but has a positive attitude, and tends to hundreds of house plants and her gardens. And she has signed up to start training to run a half-marathon in September because she wants to improve her health.
Now who’s tired?
Do you sometimes think you just don’t know enough to garden or tell anyone else about your garden? Gina at My Skinny Garden is a new gardener and she’s not afraid to ask questions, try seeds, rip up her lawn and start some compost. Is she making some mistakes along the way? I’ll never tell, but I’m inspired when I read her blog because she’s enthusiastic and eager to learn to be a better gardener.
If you’ve been holding off on gardening or a new garden project because you think you just don’t know how, why not just get out there and learn by doing?
Are you just a little worried about brightly colored flowers in your garden or punching it up with some bright accents? Maybe you’re afraid you might overdo it with color so you are choosing pale, washed out flowers? Pam at Digging isn’t afraid of color! After seeing her garden, I was inspired to go out and paint my off white washed out bench a bright purple and it turned out to be a great back drop for pictures of my summer harvest.
What color do you need to add to your garden?
My own garden is better today partly due to the inspiration I get from other gardeners who share on their blogs about their triumphs and failures, the dreams and hopes they have for their own gardens.
Who is inspiring you these late winter, early spring days? What are you inspired to do in your garden this year?
What are you going to do in your garden today?!
Carol, I don’t know how you do it. You provide an interesting post everyday when I’m only able to come up with something two or three times a week.
I now get most of my inspiration from other garden bloggers. It’s like having my own specialized magazine suited to my own personal taste.~~Dee
All the garden bloggers I’ve so recently discovered are definitely inspiring me.
I went to a party last night with a number of my gardening friends. That was very inspirational. The hostess had spring flowers and forced bulbs blooming in every room, and of course there was a lot of conversation about the coming season.
I’m definitely off to go check out the inspiration at those blogs you listed — some are old blogging friends, some are new to me — great stuff!
This year, I’ve been inspired by Christa at Calendula and Concrete to plant some larkspur seeds I got from one of my Mom’s friends. I am going to try to plant them as soon as I can see…and work…the soil!
who inspires me? YOU DO! carol this is such a great post – im so glad that you make a point of telling people to look for inspiration at other garden blogs. i kid you not I feel like I have a whole team of landscape consultants just from the garden blogging community. i really feel lucky to have discovered you all. thanks for mentioning me! you made me feel special today, carol!
Nice post Carrol!! This year i plan on adding MUCH more to my garden—fruit trees,fruit bushes, fruit, fruit, fruit. Veggies too. AND I plan on growing a giant pumpkin this year jsut to see if I can for the fun of it. Beacuse I believe gardens should be FUN!
great round up of gardening bloggers , it has been interesting as I have checked out gardening blogs and Food and cooking blogs how much they have added to my life in ideas
Steve From
The Power Gardeners Guide
I so agree with you! I’ve gleaned great information and tips from so many blogs, and the ones that simply inspire me with their beautiful photos and prose are endless! Great post idea!
Even a Wiseacre gets inspired. There are so many good ideas out there that make me want to give up what I already planned to do.
Just today I ran across a “Moon Gate” at Blithewold
Kris was talking about Roses but I couldn’t get past the rock work.
Hi Carol, I have found much inspiration from fellow bloggers over this past year. Last Spring I finally started a perennial garden and am about to come up on one full year, can’t wait to see how the plants faired over winter.
This year I’m going to start a lot more seeds in order to expand what I started last year.
It’s nice to have a cheerleader such as yourself to keep pushing the rest of us to our limits.
Thank-you for your inspirations.
My favorite place to go for design inspiration is Gardening Gone Wild – the monthly lists of posts from many different blogs on design issues is a feast for the eyes & the mind.
I find inspiration in so many garden blogs, including this one, Carol. I tend to bookmark posts that remind me of a project I want to try or a plant I want to grow. It’s like my own reference library.
And as soon as I opened this post I was admiring your purple bench in the background of your veggie garden. Great choice of color!
You are right about blogs being an inspiration Carol. I am not a vegetable gardener per say but I get an itch to start a veggie garden when I read about all your and others exploits.
Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? You taught me, a seasoned gardener, that I should have an indoor one as well. It certainly has been a lot more cheerful this winter being surrounded by blooming plants.
Thanks, Carol, for being an inspiration to us all.
Carol, my pathetic gardening experience is the reason I enjoy your posts so much. I have a long way to go.
Today I pulled a few shopping bags of weeds around the pond. That’s all I had in me. Better days are ahead! I have good plans this year but I’m at the mercy rain Gods.
Carol, garden blogging has definitely been my inspiration to fulfill my long-time dream of a vegetable garden. Especially gardeners like you who post of the joys and wonders of this aspect of gardening. Reading other gardeners’ experiences stirs up new ideas and designs for me to try quite often.
Thanks for mentioning my ‘new veggie adventure’ in this post. Hubby and I were out of town for the weekend and my seeds arrived in the mail while I was gone. I was excited like a little kid when I saw them on our return and in the next moment a little skeptical of what to do next. 🙂
I am determined to forge ahead and see what happens. Thanks for YOUR inspiration and encouragment!
Meems @hoe & shovel
Carol, what a good time I had browsing the blogs you mentioned. I knew Kylee, but the others were wonderful. You are indeed a cheerleader for us! Great post! Thanks!
I find plenty of inspiration in the garden blogs, and have learned a great deal these past 2 years.
And the best thing is the friendly people who are so willing to help and teach each other.
It sure makes the world a smaller, friendlier place 🙂
Grest post … and with all those links. And yes I love the purple bench! I hope you are keeping it that color this year as well.
Carol
terranovadesign@blogspot.com
I having a great time before my nervous break down. I’ll be moving, starting new gardens,selling my current home, 2 new jobs, and turning 50. If I hadn’t found you all–I’d be drinking all night! No not really but I’d be doing something besides reading and learning.
Thanks for this one! I need a little inspiration from the bloggers and you delivered! You mentioned some of my favorites and it is so nice to visit spring in others’ gardens. I am anxious to get out there and garden but March 1st arrived with five inches of snow so here it was ‘In like a lion…’.
While I admire you for posting every day Carol, your ability to come up with ideas intimidates me rather than inspiring me ;-]
You do inspire me to buy good tools instead of cheap ones.
MSS of Zanthan Garden has been a big influence on me as has Tom Spencer’s Soul of the Garden, especially his use of geometry and decomposed granite.
Pam/Digging’s use of color in furnishings made me a little bolder, and now I want to add some personality to our garden shed.
I wanted a water feature for years but our garden is small. Pam/Digging and Mary’s View showed me that even a small pond or fountain can be important visually and can attract birds and foster wildlife.
Last spring many bloggers posted beautifully blooming bulbs and those photos made me plant a few hyacinths, daffodils, anemones and ranunculus. How glad I am this spring! Thanks to all of you!!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Carol, YOU inspire me! You are the garden blogging QUEEN! I think I enjoy writing as much as I do gardening! I sure never expected that!
I doubt I’ll enjoy running that much, but thank you for your encouragement! We had our first day of training today!
Great post! I think we do all encourage each other in so many ways! 🙂
It is such a joy to read all the garden blogs much more interesting than glossy magazines. Meems is one of my favorite glad to here that she will have her one vegetable garden….I personaly think they are the best! Great post