August 12, 2021 Newsletter

View of my garden August 2021

As gardeners, we typically have a love-hate relationship with August. We love the heat, the sound of crickets, the fireflies. But when our alarms go off in the morning, we notice the days are getting shorter.

But there’s still lots of gardening in front of us. Let’s get out there and enjoy every moment of it. Some of us still have plants in containers that need to be planted.

Happy gardening!

How To Decorate Your Space Like Hilton Carter

If you never owned a lot of house plants, Hilton Carter might change your mind.  Hilton Carter is a plant and interior stylist that’s made quite a name for himself. He has a MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art and a MFA in Film from the Art Center College of Design. Talk about a killer combination.

Dubbed the “LeBron James of plant styling…” by “Good Morning America,” Hilton Carter now shows how you can make, style, decorate, and care for your own stunning plant-inspired interior with his 25 step-by-step DIY projects and plant hacks.


There’s no doubt Hilton Carter is an artist and lucky for us, he’s written books to share his passion for DIY projects to turn your home into a living work of art.  He even created a collection for Target.

How To Create a Chanticleer-Inspired Water Feature

Ceramic pot water feature on the patio at Chanticleer garden

Chanticleer garden is located 30 miles outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the USA. It’s a garden filled with hand crafted garden furniture, unique plant combinations, and inspiring color schemes.

The first time I visited, I was captivated by the ceramic pots filled with floating floral displays. These clever displays are a great way to show visitors what’s blooming in the garden.

This video shows how you can create a Chanticleer-inspired water feature for your patio. I hope you enjoy it.

Our Gardening Friend Claudia Needs Our Help

I was browsing through Instagram yesterday and saw a photo of my friend Claudia and her husband on the @impatientgardener’s Instragram stories.

I thought it was celebrating some happy occasion. My heart sank when I learned that Claudia’s husband was in a terrible car accident on August 10, 2021.  He required emergency surgery to stabilize his spinal cord and his road to recovery is expected to be long.

One of Claudia’s friends has started a GoFundMe page to help with medical bills.  I am attaching a link to the fund below if you would like to contribute. Please keep Claudia and her dear husband in your prayers. 

Claudia, know that all of your gardening friends are thinking about you and praying for you!

Gardening Resources

Grow Mums from Stem Cuttings – Tips on taking stem cuttings to propagate chrysanthemums.

Propagating Poinsettias for the Holidays – If you still have poinsettias from past holidays, this video shows you how to take stem cuttings to create new plants for the holidays.

Why Soil pH Matters – Soil pH influences the availability of nutrients in the soil. This MSU handout explains why understanding soil pH is important.

Thanks for joining me this week and have a great weekend!

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