Carmen Johnston Gardens Carmen Johnston

We are always struggling with deer eating our plants and getting into our beds! I love deer, don’t get me wrong, I love watching them and they are so graceful, but they eat so many of the plants we care for! We struggle with keeping them away all year long! I wanted to share with you a few tips and tricks to keep the deer away. Keeping the deer away is a constant battle and it is not a one-solution fix, we are constantly working to keep them at bay.



For more information and links to purchase these products, click here: 

https://www.carmenjohnstongardens.com/garden/how-to-keep-deer-out-of-your-garden/

I am always on the hunt for really unique and interesting window boxes, container gardens, and containers! I came across this one that I wanted to share with you. Window boxes hold very special memories for me as I grew up having window boxes and I’ve always loved to be able to incorporate them in some way, shape, or form! The neat thing about this particular window box is that it is built to sit directly on a porch rail! It can fit two different size rails making it incredible versatile. It comes with pre-drilled drain holes and because the bottom of the box is cut out to sit on the rail, you don’t have to use as much soil to fill the box! Most important, the box is lightweight and easy to move around. I created this window box for areas that have a lot of shade so if you have a covered porch or balcony, this DIY will be perfect for you!

Ingredients have all been linked in my Amazon store here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/carmenjohnstongardens?listId=IBYQGOA9CHG2


A window box
Soil
Hydrangeas
Rosy maiden hair ferns
Ruffle ferns
Lemon button ferns
Variegated ivy

For full article click here: https://www.carmenjohnstongardens.com/diy/hydrangea-window-or-railing-box-diy/

Easter is one of my favorite holidays and I want to share with you a few of my favorite things I love to incorporate in our Easter table scape. Below are some must haves for your tables cape! Now of course you won’t have each of these exact pieces, but these are some inspiration for your creation!

For links to purchase my specific decorations, I’ve provided links in the DIY step-by-step instructions.


Tablecloth
Place setting, charger, dinner plate, and dessert plate
Cloth napkin
Napkin treatment, flower, napkin ring, etc.
Table accents
Flower vase and flowers

All of these beautiful products linked here https://www.carmenjohnstongardens.com/diy/easter-table-scape-decor/

We are so excited Spring is just around the corner and it is time to spice up our containers! For this project, I am using a number of plants from my local garden center and some forsythia branches from my yard! To accessorize I am using hanging hand painted eggs, tiny moss baskets, moss covered stones, ribbon, and moss. This project is so customizable to your space and personal style.

Ingredients


Large planter
Potting soil
Forsythia Branches
Hanging painted eggs
Moss covered stones
Moss
Easter accessories
Lenten Roses
Cyclamen
Blue Diamond Delphinium
Snow Cone Candytuft
Scissors
Clippers



For more info and links to purchase, click here: https://www.carmenjohnstongardens.com/diy/spring-planter-an-easy-easter-diy/

As you are getting your gardens ready for Spring and Summer you also need to prepare your lawn, trees, and shrubs for a season of growth. If your yard has seen a lot of severe weather over the winter, it will really need this pre-spring pick me up! I’ve narrowed down my yard to-do list to five main things to do to get your lawn, trees, and shrubs ready for spring and summer.

Lawn prep is essential to make sure you are able to enjoy a bright green and weed free yard for the rest of the year. A yard that is missing out on nutrients will not thrive during the warmer months. Here are three things to do to get your lawn spring and summer ready:


Get your soil tested. This will tell you how much lime and other nutrients to put down and what type of fertilizer you need to use. The best way to get your soil tested is to send a sample to Cooperative Extension Service (CSREES). CSREES is normally affiliated with a state university.

For more info, click here: https://www.carmenjohnstongardens.com/garden/get-your-lawn-trees-and-shrubs-ready-for-spring/

If you have been part of the Carmen Johnston family for even a short time, you know I adore what I like to call “personality driven containers”. These are garden containers that embody parts of your personality, whether it’s your taste in design, something special to your family, or an incredible find at your favorite antique place! I got to visit with Noell and Daniel Jett and family of Jett Set Farm House! @jettsetfarmhouse

Noell and her husband built their dream home and have shared their DIY’s along the way. She has such an eye for interior design, and it was such a great experience to spend time with her and her family!  I just adored her children!

While at her home in St. Augustine Florida, Noell shared with one of her own personality driven planters. “Two years ago, I was home in Missouri visiting my grandfather and he said, ‘Do you want to come pick my barn with me?’ And I said ‘Absolutely!’ So, we went outside, and he told me stories about everything in the barn and then just let me take whatever I wanted with me! So I overloaded my car and had stuff strapped to the top and drove it back to Florida with me and my four kids!” One of the things Noell brought home with her was an antique wooden tool box that we got to turn into a planter for Noell’s outdoor dining room table!

You can make this planter along with us with any type of container- just make sure to find the one that fits you and your home! All of the ingredients below can be easily/quickly purchase on my Amazon store here (yes, plants and rustic container included!) Here is what you’ll need:

Ingredients


Personality driven container
Large black trash bag
Orchids
4” and 2” tropicals
Ferns
Fittonia
Pink Allison Arrowhead
Palms
Ivy
Rubber plant
Moss

For more info, click here: https://www.carmenjohnstongardens.com/diy/repurposed-farmhouse-planter-diy/