Whether were talking simple window boxes, or an elegant homemade terrarium worthy of a home magazine, theres nothing better than finding a new and interesting way to introduce a little greenery to any landscape.
At the moment, the latest gardening look Im lusting after is as stylish as it is surprising: stump gardens.
These pretty little gardens are exactly what they sound like: theyre beds of flowers or foliage set in, on, and around discarded tree stumps, for an organic, magical effect that brightens up backyards and balconies alike.
Better, yet, theyre a dainty, chic DIY solution to your every gardening woe.
The beauty of this technique is that it makes such good use of materials you already have on hand that would otherwise be garbage talk about waste not, want not!
Read on below to learn more about this clever, crafty gardening solution.
Beautiful, organic stump gardens are a great way to keep the look of your garden very natural.
By using a stump as a planter, you create a seamless effect that lets your garden segue flawlessly into nature.
The all-natural benefits of using a stump as your planter of choice help to keep the planet green, and minimize the need for man-made materials in your garden.
If you plant directly into a stump, the decaying dead wood will naturally fertilize the new plants, and eventually they will merge together completely as nature takes its course.
When you cut down a tree in your yard, the stump left behind is often an eyesore that has to be dug up, chipped, and planted over.
Instead of going through all that hassle, simply hollowing out the center of the stump and planting it with fresh greenery is a much easier way of beautifying your garden.
Depending on your climate, you can create all sorts of garden environments in an outdoor stump.
In a dry environment, you might fill it with sandy soil and plant succulents.
In a humid environment, you can easily let the lush natural greenery take over.
For this look, try planting a bit of moss and ivy, along with wildflowers and other plants that thrive in all sorts of conditions.
This kind of garden looks lovely inside the house, too!
If you dont have a stump rooted in the ground, try hollowing out a small log, and using it as an organic planter for inside, whichcan eventually be planted outside if necessary.
These stump planters are relatively easy to make, even for DIY novices.
If the wood has already partially rotted, it might be as easy as scraping out the middle with a trowel.
If the wood is sturdy, you can use heavy-duty hand tools to help hollow out spaces in the wood for new plants to grow.
You can create either a large trough in the center, or a few smaller hollows, depending on the look youre going for in your project.
Depending on the kind of stump youre working with, you may be able to create a tiered, multilevel garden.
With this look, you can have a few perennials and low-light plants toward the bottom, and more sensitive flowering annuals to the top.
Naturally, as with any other planter, you can coordinate the look of your stump garden to the overall season and decorating theme of your garden and house.
Personally, were a little bit in love with this red, white, and blue design thats oh-so-perfect for summertime and the Fourth!
If you love this adorable, magical garden solution as much as we do, make sure to SHARE with green-thumbed friends on Facebook!
Read more: http://www.littlethings.com/tree-stump-garden/
