What to Plant for Mesmerizing Spring Blooms

Hellebore: One of my favorites!

Hellebores are known commonly as The Lenten Rose because they bloom in the winter, generally between February and April, around the time of Lent. And although they are somewhat rose-like in appearance they belong to the buttercup family. Their colors range from white to dusty pink, pale yellow, muted green, burgundy, purple and I’ve even seen coral.

they must be shy

Interestingly the flower of the Hellebore faces down in the garden so I had to position my camera underneath to get these photos. I like to think they are just timid and shy but Hellebores face downwards to protect the internals of the flower and to allow successful pollination.

Easy to Grow

Hellebores are shade perennials that naturalize easily. I planted a few little baby springs about 3 years ago and my garden is now bursting. Hellebores spread rapidly thanks to their extensive root systems and self-seeding habits. I dedicated a side garden in the shade for them and I hope they eventually cover the whole thing. Some people regard them as invasive, but I don’t think I could ever get enough of them here at Windy Hill. They are among my favorites.

Pretty but Poisonous

As with many flowering plants, the Hellebores are poisonous if ingested, so be sure to keep them out of the mouths of young children and pets. But on a positive note, deer do not go near them!

Hellelore

The Hellebore flower has a dark and mysterious reputation in folklore. They are often associated with rituals of protection and banishment. In ancient times, the plant was believed to have the power to ward off evil spirits and protect against witchcraft. Click here if you want to read more about the legends and myths surrounding Hellebore.

Use as Sculpture

Last year I didn’t want my beautiful Hellebores to end, so I preserved a few stems in silica-drying crystals and displayed them with my dried Hydrangea. This arrangement lasted all year and still has some life. I love the sculptural aspect of it and the way it contrasts with the white pot.

If you fell in love with Hellebore long ago, or are just learning about them now, I hope you take the time to plant some this spring. By next Lent you should see some beautiful blooms. I’ve provided a few links below for your convenience.

3 Hellebore Starter Plants

Silica Drying Crystals

Hellebore Seeds

I may sometimes use affiliate links, which means I’ll make a small commission, but the price you pay will be the same whether you use the affiliate link or go directly to the vendor’s website. Thank you.

The Mighty Crocus - First to Bloom - What's Blooming at Studio Sprig

Finding the small, but mighty, crocus peeking out of brown grasses is one of the first signs that Spring has sprung. These photos were taken on March 11 at my farm, Windy Hill, and although Spring does not officially arrive until March 20th, we can fake it til we make it.

Masses of wild crocuses have been consistently popping up here every year since we moved in, 18 years ago. They brighten up the brittle, dry grasses and leaves and seem to scream “Wake up people, winter’s over”.

What Is A Crocus?

Believe it or not, crocuses belong to the Iris family and are native to the Mediterranean and parts of Asia. The history of crocus cultivation dates back to the Bronze Age, although the exact origin of crocus remains a mystery. They are small perennials, and they grow from corms, not bulbs. And if you don’t know what that means, take a look at this chart below. Source: brainly.in

Crocuses can poke out of the ground even when snow is present, but I have noticed they will only open if the weather is warm. Yesterday, all of my crocuses opened, but today the temps in Pennsylvania are dipping back into the 50’s, and the crocuses decided to stay closed.

Crocus Petals and Colors

Crocus flowers have six petals, three inner petals alternating with three outer petals and some believe they resemble a cup or chalice. The flowers are available in yellow, purple, white, pink, blue, orange, and even some striped varieties. They are low to the ground and only grow between 3 and 6 inches tall. The stamen are bright orange, the perfect color to attract bees.

Crocus Varieties

Carl Linnaeus originally included two species in his crocus findings in 1753. Today the estimated number of species of Crocus varies widely, anywhere between 80 and 160, with new species continuing to be identified all the time. Crocus Sativus, shown below, is a variety known for producing saffron, a spice, food coloring, and medicine that comes from the stamen of only the Crocus Sativus. Saffron has chemicals that might affect mood, kill cancer cells, decrease swelling, and act like antioxidants. It’s important to note that other types of crocus are known to be toxic, so if you’d like to harvest saffron, be sure you are growing Crocus Sativus. If you would like to try growing Crocus Sativus for a saffron harvest, keep in mind, that around 150 flowers produce only one gram of saffron.

The Meaning of the Crocus

The spiritual meaning of the crocus flower is centered around awakening, renewal, and transformation. In some cultures, the crocus flower is considered lucky. For example, in ancient Greece, it was believed that if you came across a crocus flower while walking, you would have good luck in the coming year. - source: foliagefriend.com

Pollination and Spreading

Bees pollinate crocuses. In early spring they provide a fantastic source of much-needed nutrition for bee colonies emerging from hibernation. When the crocus flowers bloom, they produce seeds that can be dispersed by wind or animals. However, it's important to note that crocus corms primarily reproduce through corm division rather than seed propagation. - source: shuncy.com

Preserving Crocus Blooms

Like any flower, there are three ways to preserve the crocus's beauty.

1. Submerge them in Silicone Drying Crystals (link below)

2. Lay flat on an air-circulating tray or surface (link below)

3. Press the flowers flat in a flower press (link below)

Helpful Links

If these little gems are not popping up in your yard already, why not try your hand at it? If you’d like to buy crocus corms, or items to help you dry, press, or display your perennial crocuses, use the convenient links below. If you want further instructions on flower drying, please read this blog.

Flower Drying Crystals

Herb and Flower Drying Rack

Crocus Variety Corms for Planting

Flower Press Kit

Saffron producing Crocus Sativus corms

Mini Crocus Vases

Historic Castles. What are they used for?

I just came across this contest: Enter to Win a Castle Getaway, so I wanted to send it to all of you, my cherished subscribers. I hope you find time to enter. It’s a cool opportunity to tour two of Doylestown’s unique castles and stay overnight at a nearby Inn.

If you’ve ever wondered what modern-day people do with historic castles, allow me to share how one of my design couples showcased Fonthill in Doylestown, PA.

First, a little history

Fonthill Castle was the home of archaeologist and tile maker Henry Chapman Mercer. It was built between 1908 and 1912, and it’s an early example of poured-in-place concrete and features 44 rooms, over 200 windows, 18 fireplaces, 10 bathrooms, and one powder room.

Henry was a proponent of the American Arts and Crafts movement and as part of his philanthropy, he built The Moravian Tile Works on his Fonthill estate. Moravian tiles are handmade ceramic tiles featuring intricate designs inspired by ancient and historical themes. Here is an example of one. If you tour Fonthill you will see that Henry used his Moravian tiles everywhere when building his home. They cover ceilings, floors, and just about every square inch of this castle inside and out.

Castles Today

Special events like fundraisers, beer festivals, and weddings love the modern-day Fonthill Castle in Doylestown, PA. It’s a popular venue choice among those seeking a unique, historical building with a specific artistic flair.

Here is how one engaged couple decided to celebrate this castle.

A castle-inspired wedding invitation

Stephanie & Clayton chose Fonthill for their wedding venue a few years ago and hired me to design their invitation suite. This was a unique opportunity to build a concept around an artistic castle known for its clay tiles and yes, the groom’s name was Clay so the project was lots of fun.

The concept & Design

We hired a watercolor artist to paint a Mercer Tile-like cover depicting Fonthill Castle nestled among the many places Stephanie and Clayton had traveled. I had the opportunity to write some interesting headlines while building the stationery suite. “The Art of Marriage” was the main headline and “Start with a Good Clay” kicked off their story. The mini-book invitation creatively told their love story and culminated by inviting guests to the affair.

Carry it all through

To carry the concept through the entire event, I commissioned time with local tile artist, Katia McGuirk to help us create the wedding favors. The three of us worked side-by-side with Katia and designed, pressed, glazed, and fired an assortment of clay pendants, each depicting one of Stephanie and Clayton’s previous vacations. The clay pendants were used as favors, and each table featured the story of a particular vacation. We created a rubber stamp of each vacation icon and they were used to mark the table cards as well as all the place cards at the entrance.

Italy Pendant and Table Card

Canada Pendant and Table Card

Programs

The wedding programs were also unusual. We designed large, round, double-sided cards, and attached dangling love notes. “The Marriage” side outlined the ceremony details while “The Art” outlined the participants. It was an unexpected design that mimicked the round favor tiles and intrigued guests.

Enter to win

So now you no longer need to wonder what people sometimes do in and around modern-day Castles. If you choose one for your next big event, I recommend going with the castle’s cool vibe and designing your event accordingly. I hope you win this Castle getaway, and if you do please drop me a line. Good Luck!

How to Design a Valentine Tree

Why I Designed a Tree FIlled with Love

As the Christmas season was coming to an end, I decided I wanted to enjoy our pretty tree a little longer. I knew I could get away with keeping our faux Balsam Hill Pine up through January dressed in its wintery guise, but what excuse did February have? That’s why, this year, I created a Valentine's Tree. Read on to see how I did it.

Transitioning a Christmas Tree

We created a pretty simple Christmas tree this year so the transition was easy. I first removed all of the Christmas balls but kept all the white lights and icicles. This step was very quick and with a semi-bare tree, I was able to then plan for February-appropriate decor.

Making a Valentine's Tree Topper

I considered keeping our glowing Moravian Star tree topper but decided that a Valentine's tree needed to better reflect Valentine’s Day. I considered a grapevine heart wreath covered in dried flowers but decided I’d like to just use found materials and make my own. This is how I did it.

Start with a basic shape

I took an old cardboard box and cut two identical free-form hearts. I then hot-glued a 10” doubled-up piece of floral wire about 4” deep inside the two panels and extended it out the bottom, so that I’d have something to wrap around the tree’s top branch. If I do it again, I will also extend the wire from each side so the heart has more stability when topping the tree.

Once the wire is secured, hot glue the hearts together. This step helps the topper to be more ridged and stable.

Designing the front of your heart topper

Start by designing one side of the heart with your dried flowers and moss. I used my professional-grade Ryobi glue gun, some reindeer moss, and the dried flowers I harvested this year. If you want to learn how to dry your own flowers, see my blog: Learn how to dry your own garden flowers. I didn’t have much of a design or plan, but I just kept filling in the cardboard as I went around the heart and eventually, one side of my heart was completely covered.

Designing side 2

When I finished side 1, I realized leaving the second side of the heart blank wouldn’t look very nice from the side view, so I cut up a coloring book, quickly glued it to the surface of the heart, and glued some leftover moss around the edges to finish it off. In retrospect, I would cover this side first with contact paper or something simple to make the job easier. You could also fill the back side with moss if you have it.

The Heart-Shaped Tree Topper

Here is the result. Not bad for a trial run. Later I’ll show you how it looks on the tree.

Hanging hearts on the Tree

Now the rest of the tree needed some LOVE-ly decor. I found these pretty heart ornaments in rose gold online. They are sold in sets of 45 so I only ordered one set. You can also get them in silver, pink, gold, red, and a pink, red & white combo.

Accenting with Vintage Valentine Cards

I also found some vintage Valentine ornaments to add some character to my tree. There are many types of interesting card ornaments to choose from on Amazon, so look around. Some are more childish which would be nice if you are creating this for your children or grandchildren.

The Unveiling

When all the little rose gold hearts and vintage Valentines were hung, I added a few large dried flowers and some colorful felt ball garlands that I had lying around.

I am very pleased with how this turned out and I’m happy I started a new tradition for our home. Don’t worry, if you’ve already removed your Christmas tree this year, you can plan for next February or grab some fallen branches from outside and place them in a garden pot to make a smaller Valentine’s Branch Tree. Anything is possible. Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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How to Create Oyster Shell Necklaces

Oyster Shells - All the Rage

Oyster shell art seems to be all the rage recently, and I’ve enjoyed learning how to create small jewelry dishes with these shells.

When friends of mine decided to design oyster dishes during our fall beach getaway, I thought why not try to make a few pendant necklaces instead? I couldn’t help but notice that several of the smaller oysters we had collected, already had natural holes, so it was the perfect opportunity to try.

Cleaning and Prepping the Oyster Shells

While on a weekend trip to St. Michaels, MD, I found a bucketful of oysters for sale. I rummaged until I found 10 perfect pendant-sized shells and brought them home to create some gifts. If you don’t have a beachy source to gather some oysters, you can always buy some online.

When home, I soaked the shells in a bucket of water with a bit of bleach for about an hour. I did this to remove any sand and contaminants that might still be lingering on the shells. The next step is to set the shells out to dry thoroughly so you can use a marker to indicate where you’d like to drill a hole, if there isn’t a natural one already.

Drilling the Hole

After you’ve marked the spot that you’d like a hole, decide on the size hole you like and match up the correct drill bit. I purchased 1.5mm round leather cord for my necklaces, but you can use an existing gold or silver chain too.

Set up your drilling station by placing the shell on a small piece of wood and keep a little dish of water nearby. You’ll want to wet the drill bit slightly and drop a few drops of water directly on the shell. This helps eliminate friction when drilling. If you do not have a drill, here is a good drill for small crafts.

Cover the Blemishes

After you’ve successfully drilled the holes and you know your shell did not split or break, you are ready to cover the dark blemishes on the inside surface. I have been doing this with white nail polish but a good opaque white paint works well too. You probably have one or the other lying around. You don’t want to skip this step because these dark blemishes will show up under your designs and ruin the overall look.

Adhere Paper Napkins

Now comes the fun part. Before you begin, you’ll want to acquire a variety of pretty paper napkins. These can coordinate with a holiday or season, a getway weekend, or maybe they are pulled from a collection of the prettiest paper napkins you’ve acquired or stolen from dinner parties all year long!!

Decide which design you’d like to use for your necklace or small dish. If your napkin is 2ply, be sure to carefully remove the underlayer so that only the printed layer remains. then cut the napkin with a scissor in the rough shape of the shell. Make sure your cut is larger than the shell itself. I try to make my cuts at least 3/4” larger on all sides.

Apply Mod Podge

Next, you’ll take your small paint brush and apply Mod Podge to the inside surface of the shell and let it set for about 30 seconds. Then, gently lay your napkin inside the shell cavity, face side up. It will crinkle a bit but lightly press it down with your fingers so that it sticks to the sides and bottom. Now, coat your brush with Mod Podge, and brush it over the napkin until every piece is glued down. You can choose matte or gloss Mod Podge depending on the look you prefer. Do your best to smooth out all the creases with your brush and when all of the inside surface is covered, allow your shell to dry for a few hours. The excess paper napkin will still be all around the edges and that’s okay, you will tear it away once it’s thoroughly dry.

Tear Edges

When your shell has completely dried it will not look that great, in fact it will look unfished. This is normal, the next step is what brings it to life.

Carefully hold your shell and start tearing off the excess paper napkin as gently as you can, all around the edges. If you tear too far and remove some from the inside, that’s okay, just patch the section with a tiny brush of Mod Podge if necessary to secure it to the shell and keep moving. You want to get it to where there are no loose edges of the paper at all around the perimeter. If you patch, be sure to let dry again.

Apply Gold Leaf Edge

Once every edge is torn and everything is dry, vigorously shake your gold leaf (or silver leaf) pen and begin drawing around the edges. You’ll want to shake the pen, and dab it a few times on a napkin to get the gold leaf flowing. Be sure to buy gold leaf and not just a gold marker because the ink is different and you won’t get the metallic leafing effect. Of course, if you are going for a different look and don’t want metallic, you can use a paint marker of any color. But again, be sure your paint marker is opaque and not just a typical marker because you want the outlining edge to cover over the edge of the napkin and define the shell. Have fun with this step by taking the pen into the design or highlighting edges on the back of the shell, as I often do.

Loop the Cord Through

The last step is to string the leather cord through the hole. You can tie it off with a simple slip knot if you’d like, or add beads to finish off the look.

Please attach photos of the necklaces you make after reading this blog. Have fun. There is a full supply list below.

Supplies for Oyster Necklaces

Oyster Shells

Scissors

Drill / Bits

White Nail Polish

Napkins

Matte Mod Podge

Gloss Mod Podge

Small Brush

Gold Leaf Pen

Silver Leaf Pen

Leather Roping

Preserve Flowers for Creative Projects

After designing and creating something special with flowers, I always hate to see them whither and eventually die. Recently I began preserving the flowers I love so that I can use them again in the future. This autumn I’ve been practicing a lot with the beloved Dahlia Flower and I’ve had fantastic results. I’ve even been known to disassemble a bouquet and create a small everlasting wreath with its components to help better commemorate the event.

Various Methods of Drying Flowers

Sometimes, when I have abundant, hearty stems like lavender, I dry traditionally by hanging small bunches upside down. Other times, with flowers like hydrangea and tiny spray roses, I find I can just place them in a vase without water and wait. Often they’ll even dry with a lovely sculpture-like essence, creating art without any effort at all.

Dried spray roses in simple vase.

Preserving Flowers with Silica crystals

Another method for preserving flowers is to cover them in Silica Crystals and allow the crystals to extract the moisture from the flowers.

I like to use my favorite Micro Pruning Snips to remove foliage and stems unless you want the stems for your project. I then sprinkle about 1” of Silica Gel Crystals into the bottom of a Rubbermaid container so that it evenly covers the whole surface. I then carefully place the flowers either face up or face down on that layer of Silica Crystals, spacing them tightly, being sure they are not touching. Once the flowers are laid out in the container go ahead and pour more Silica Crystals over them and completely cover every part of the flower. Next, cover the container tightly with the matching lid and place it in a cool, preferably dark, area for about a week. Some flowers take less than a week to dry, so feel free to experiment.

Delicate dried Dahlia Flowres.

Removing preserved flowers

For this, I recommend buying a small, slotted spatula similar to the one below so you can retrieve the smaller flowers one at a time. I gently scoop under each flower and lift allowing the Silica Crystals to fall back into the container. I lightly tap each flower on all sides to release any remaining crystals. I place all the newly preserved flowers onto a tray side by side and when I am sure there is no moisture, I store them in a container with air vents as a last measure to ensure they don’t get moldy.

Gently scooping dried Dahlia Flowers out of the Silica Gel Crystals.

Creating with Dried Flowers

Once you’ve preserved enough flowers have fun creating wreaths, flower branches, or even small pieces of wood (pictured below) and use them as table cards or gift toppers. Or do as I do and just place small dried groupings in a pretty vase and enjoy them for a long time. If you do want to create wreaths or toppers, I recommend buying a quality glue gun. I do a lot of designing so I purchased a professional-grade (cordless) Ryobi Glue Gun and I love it. It does get very hot so be careful when gluing, but honestly not having a cord to deal with is so nice. The battery and charger are included.

Mini spray roses glued to a tiny piece of wood.

I hope you enjoy preserving all the pretty flowers you encounter. Feel free to drop me a line and share your creations. -Kimberly

Your Supply list:

Hearty Fresh Flowers (without a lot of delicate & loose petals)
Micro-Tip Pruning Snips
Rubbermaid Storage Containers with Lids
Silica Gel Crystals
Mini Slotted Spatula
Professional-grade Glue Gun