Little Bits of Charm | No. 2

Thank you so much for your love and support for Little Bits of Charm. You all seem to like this series, and I do too, so it feels like a win-win. Today I’m back for the second edition, and I hope you enjoy this one just as much.

Last week, on our off week, I shared my other new series, Lately in the Studio. So if you missed that, you should probably go check it out and give it some love.

Now, without too much chatter, let’s get to today’s post. Just a heads up, the past two weeks have been pretty garden-heavy, so there are lots of updates on that front. I hope you don’t mind. I somewhat neglected my yard and gardens last year, so things required a lot more effort this spring to get up and running. Let’s get into it.

Dahlia Update 

I mentioned last time that I planted my dahlia tubers. I’m more than happy to report that 23 out of 26 have sprouted. Huge win.

I’m still hopeful for the final two. I give them little pep talks every day, so I’m certain they’ll pop up soon (well, mostly certain). And if they don’t, 23 is still pretty good! 

The problem I’m dealing with now is that something is eating some of the sprouts. I believe it’s slugs, but I’m not positive. I did some online research, and a few folks mentioned that squirrels may get them too. I know it’s not bunnies because a couple of the dahlias have cages around them. Either way, I added something to deter the slugs and sprinkled the plants with cayenne pepper to hopefully discourage my furry friends from snacking, so fingers crossed that it will do the trick.

Planting Zinnias

I also planted my zinnias. I plant these by seed, directly into the ground in my garden. I feel like I’m a little late this year, but our weather has been such a rollercoaster of hot and cold; I’m not sure they would have done any better if planted earlier. So here we are.

I’m no zinnia planting expert, but I have had luck in the past. (Other than last year, when I went on vacation shortly after planting, and something ate all of them while I was gone. That was fun!)

Honestly, I just do my best and hope for the best. I use this zinnia seed mix, and add in some of the Queen Lime variety because they are my favorite. I usually plant the seeds, and then have to go back a week or so later and plant some more. The first round just never quite does the trick. Again, no expert here. Just vibes and a seed packet.

Peonies on Display

Did you see my post on Tuesday? I had dozens of peonies blooming in the garden, so I put together this little display of peonies on my kitchen windowsill. It turned out so cute, and I took way too many pictures. But it was fun, so it’s all good.

I really love how it turned out. Plus, I even used a few of the photos as reference pictures for a couple of paintings, with likely more to come.

I counted, and I have 20-plus peony plants, which is very exciting. And I may have purchased one more. There are still a couple of varieties I would like to add to my collection, but I’m running out of room, so I may need to gift some of my repeats to friends and family.

Living Wreath for My Shed

I guess this technically isn’t a wreath, but you get what I mean. My mom went to this cute little nursery and sent me a picture of a shed there. I immediately zoomed in on the planter hanging on the shed door. Loved it. So I gathered up all the supplies and made my own.

I typically avoid things like this because it just becomes another thing I don’t want to water. Also, I don’t always have success with planters designed more for prettiness than function. But I made my own anyway.

So far, it’s working really well. I found the hanging planter here. Then I added a spider plant, wire vine, coleus, and a little flower I found in Lowe’s clearance plant section.

Side note: Always check the clearance plant section at Lowe’s. I’ve found so many perennials, flowers, shrubs, and more there for half the price.

I’ll give you an update later in the season on how it’s doing, but so far, I’m a fan.

Landscape Light Refresh

I refreshed all of my landscape lighting, and I just love how it looks. It’s entirely too many lights, but I’m obsessed, so I don’t care. Ha.

I’ve always had landscape lights. Because some of them break or die over the years, I wanted to clean everything up and make it feel a little more intentional again. The lights are all solar powered, which I love. Also, they have a warmer tint instead of that horrible blue color, which makes such a difference and gives the vibes I’m after.

I use a mix of lights. These are more affordable plastic lights, but they work really well. I prefer these metal and glass ones, and then use these for uplighting. I’m always amazing at how much light they can produce. I’m not going to tell you these lights are the best ones out there, as I haven’t tried them all, but they work for me, and I like them.

Extra Bits of Charm

• I started a new Spotify playlist. It’s called Michael’s Tree, based on a song on said playlist. It’s very chill and relaxed. You may like it, you may not. But feel free to check it out.
• I honestly haven’t been watching much TV lately, but there is a new season of Father Brown that I’ve been saving for a rainy day. It’s nice to have something to look forward to. (You may know that Father Brown and Sister Boniface are two of my favorites.) 
• I’ve also been making and enjoying this little snack lately. I think it’s called fluffy Jell-O? You basically make Jell-O, but instead of using cold water, you mix in Greek yogurt. I’ve been really enjoying it. It reminds me a little of old-school Knox Blox, but creamier. And I’m guessing you could use sugar-free Jell-O too if you wanted to lighten it up a bit. (After you mix the hot water and Jell-O mix let it cool a bit before adding the yogurt as to not kill all the good things in the yogurt.)
• These Spinach Dip Roll-Ups are SO GOOD! I love a roll-up (or pinwheel) as a quick and easy appetizer or snack recipe. You can bet I’ll be making these on repeat all summer long.

And that’s it for this round of Little Bits of Charm. Apparently, this edition is brought to you by dirt under my fingernails, plants that need watering, and the quiet hope that my dahlias survive whatever is trying to eat them.