DIY Gardening Ideas: A Guide to Creating a Spring Garden

‘Tis the season to dream about gardening! Whether you are starting fresh with new landscaping just waiting for you to bring it to life for the first time, or looking to refresh and add to your existing gardens, I’ve collected tips and tricks and ideas on plants, DIY decor, and of course some fairy garden whimsy. I hope you find some DIY gardening ideas here that you can use to improve your own space! Let’s get started. 

Flower Beds

I live close to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, which basically means it’s cold here a lot of the time. When I got serious about perennials I was very pleased to learn that just because my part of the world cannot be described as tropical by any stretch of the imagination, I can still have pretty things in my garden! In this section, I’ve collected some video tours, tips, and suggestions for Zone 3 gardening. I’ve even got some recommendations for gardening tools that I have found indispensable. But really, if you have a rake and trowel and a hose for watering, you will do just fine!  Happy browsing!

2016 Spring Flower & Fruit Garden Tour (+ My Zone 3 Perennial Faves)

Spring is in the air, and thoughts are turning to gardening in my little corner of the world! I am a big fan of front porch planter boxes, hanging planters, and vertical planters. However, there is something about getting your hands in the dirt to plant flowers directly in the earth. You don’t need a ladder to water them or worry about proper drainage either! Come for a tour of our front flower and fruit beds, and get some ideas of what sorts of perennials you can grow in a cold zone like mine (Zone 3). I’m sharing some of my favourite fruit trees and hardy perennial flowers in this video tour!

Spring Garden Preparation | Zone 3 Gardening

Spring has sprung, and that means it’s time to think about the garden! I live in Zone 3A where it gets very cold, so while we still have snow on the ground we start planning our garden and planting our seedlings (indoors!). Let me show you how we prepare and make the most of our Zone 3 garden season.

Our Low Maintenance Flower Bed: 3 Years Later!

I really enjoy gardening! I find it therapeutic and relaxing. If you’re like me and love the process but don’t have a ton of time to spend caring for your flower beds and want something beautiful but low maintenance and low weeds management, this post is the perfect solution for you! Come see how our front flower bed has changed since we created it, and get some ideas for how to plant and maintain your own gorgeous and low maintenance flower garden.

2016 Summer Garden Tour (Video)

I just love roses! I’m so excited to show you the roses that grow so beautifully in my Zone 3 flower bed. Check out our English garden-esque front yard in photos, and watch the video for a full tour of our entire summer garden! If you decide after watching this tour that you are REALLY into roses (I wouldn’t blame you), you can visit my post about how to grow hardy shrub roses too.

Create a Low Maintenance Flower Bed (+ Our Front Yard Progress)

Not everyone is blessed with a green thumb, and I’m certainly one of those unfortunate people. I was still determined to have a beautiful Zone 3 garden space with lovely plants and flowers. With some hard work and advice from gardening genius friends, I’ve done it! If you’re on the fence about trying to up your gardening game this year, let me encourage you that if I can do it, you can do it. I can even say that I have favourite easy-care perennials now, and can give tips on growing peonies too, like some kind of expert! Get the full details including some instructions (and hacks) for plant location planning and selection! Beginners and experts alike will find something in this post, I promise.

Make a Tiered Herb Planter with Dollar Store Buckets

As little DIY gardening ideas go, this one is as simple and pretty as it is practical! It is so nice to have a tiny herb garden right outside my back door, and I love that it only cost me about $15 to create. All you need to make this tiered herb planter is three metal dollar store buckets, potting soil, and your favourite herbs. You could use terra cotta pots too if you like that look better! This planter looks pretty on porches or patios, or as a little feature in a flower or vegetable garden. Plant your favourite herbs (I like rosemary, basil, chives, oregano and mint), and enjoy them all summer long!

DIY Fairy Garden Ideas

If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you know that my girls and I love creating beautiful fairy gardens, both indoor and out! Whether you want to make one in a flower pot or in a wide open outdoor space, I’ve got ideas here you will like. Check out this collection of fairy garden ideas with step by step instructions so you can make one too!

Make a Fairy Garden in a Thrifted Teacup

Spring is just around the corner, and I’m so excited to be ALMOST able to get out in my garden and start planting! While I wait, I thought it would be fun to make the tiniest, cutest fairy garden in a thrifted teacup. The plants in this little garden aren’t real,  though they still remind me that spring is coming. Let me share with you how to make this adorable fairy garden in a thrifted teacup. It would make a fantastic gift or decor item for spring. And of course, you could always wait and make this with REAL plants. It would look great on a rock in your flower garden, raised beds, by your pond, or on your deck as an interesting little feature. 

Make an Easy & Inexpensive Fairy Garden

I love doing outdoor gardening projects with my girls, and I’m not sure if they or I enjoyed making this easy, adorable fairy garden more! We made this gradually over a few days to keep it fun and light and breezy, made all our own props, and used small, inexpensive annual flowers. Such a great way to use old terra cotta plant pots! Come get all the details on how we made ours, and use our pics as inspiration for your own magical fairy garden!

Make an Outdoor Fairy Garden

My girls love anything to do with fairies! I decided to make a larger fairy garden in the woods that they could play with. You can use leftover bedding plants and herbs as well as any miniatures and fairyland props that feel properly whimsical. Find out here how we created ours! 

Garden Decor 

It wouldn’t be spring if my thoughts didn’t turn to garden DIYS and how to create a little more magic in my backyard for the season! See if any of these easy and inexpensive crafts (it doesn’t get any easier or cheaper than painting rocks!) get your creative brain thinking too! All of these decor ideas are great for small spaces, because you don’t need to have a lot of room to enjoy spring and time outside.

DIY Faux Enamelware Garden Light Feature

Do you love the magic of twinkle lights in your backyard on a summer evening? Are looking for something more unique than the standard lanterns filled with twinkle lights on your patio table? This outdoor easy DIY is for you! Learn how to make a faux enamelware watering can garden light feature. I needed only a dollar store watering can, a plant stand, paint, and fairy lights. What’s more, this would look beautiful on an apartment balcony!  Get step by step instructions on how to make this inexpensive and creative craft that will add a beautiful twinkle to your life this summer.

Birdhouse Garden Decor Idea on a Budget

Looking for garden decor ideas on a budget? This rustic DIY birdhouse feature is a cute addition to any garden! You can make it with dollar store items and branches salvaged from your backyard for an inexpensive craft this season. I really like how this trio of whimsical birdhouses on tree branches turned out. I’m excited to share my simple tutorial so you can make your own version of this adorable project!

Make Painted Rock Garden Markers

Some of my favourite DIY gardening ideas are the ones where I use salvaged or free materials from my crafty supply stash. Nature is also a great place to find items to create something new and beautiful. These DIY painted rock garden markers are a project just like this! We found these river rocks several years ago. I decided to repurpose them with a little bit of paint and Mod Podge to create pretty signs in our garden. Make them your own. I used them to mark rows in the raised garden beds (where DID I plant that lettuce?). You could also paint them as a bright little border along your garden path. The sky is the limit really! Get all the details here.

There you have it! Whether it was plants or decor or fairyland, I hope you found some DIY gardening ideas here that work for your budget and lifestyle! Happy spring, everyone!

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