getting ready for the holidaze

start making your lists and checking them twice.

it's that time of the year to say thank you, happy holidays, happy new year- with a token that is fresh, green, modern, unique and pocketbook friendly!

the $50 container garden by Pots and Plants Miami.

call to order. free delivery in south beach and the design district.

$2 from the sale of each pot will be donated to Roots In the City- a non-profit focused on community development, creating jobs and beautifying Miami's inner city. the organization has established several community gardens and tree nurseries in Overtown.

sign up for sale updates on the website: www.potsplantsmiami.com

i heart manscapers....a personal anecdote

no no no! i'm not referring to male grooming. what i'm referring to are the amazing men who have an interest in nature, trees, gardens, plants and flowers. and especially, my horticulturalist husband and my super green-thumbed-dad.

it's not until you reach a 'mature' age (yes, maturity is relative) that you start realizing how life experiences have shaped your own passions and interests and even brought you to where you are now in your life. these reminders seem to creep up more and more as i grow older.

in the past few years, i realize how much my dad influenced my own interest in plants and gardening. growing up, our garden was beautiful and lush. my dad always spent hours trimming, planting, and tending to our bountiful hostas, gardenias, succulents, roses, forsythia trees, strawberry patch and vegetable garden.

stereotypical gender roles lead us to believe that women garden and cook, and men hang out in their man caves, drinking beer or barbecuing out back...or at least in my world growing up the 80's they still did. but in my home, my dad did everything. he cooked, drank beer, smoked cigarettes in his man cave, mastered the BBQ and gardened!! my dad is totally awesome. not a bad bone in his body...he's thoughtful, caring and supportive.

so in my books there is something to be said about men who take a true interest in plants and gardening...not only that they aren't afraid of their sexuality- but that they are genuinely good people.

when i first started dating M way back when, a friend who was anxious to meet him (no doubt to give his male judgement/approval)- finally did and told me this: "a man who has chosen a career that grows life/plants and trees- is a keeper..."

i also started to think about the saying, "girls always marry men who are very much like their fathers". and here was M, a horticulturalist of all things...and whether the green thumb is a result of being a great man, or if being a great man gives you a green thumb- is another discussion- but for my purpose of this discussion, green thumbs give me the green light!

so in that instant i decided that i would marry M and make lots of babies with him (just kidding, more like 2 years later i did). and though its only been six years with M- he inspires my love of plants everyday (with my very opinionated design aesthetics sprinkled in). i reminisce about being 10 in the garden with my dad planting snapdragons and hostas- and it's these memories and thoughts that inspire my entrepreneurial endeavor of 'pots and plants'.

the moral of my drawn out sap story is that manscapers are good, upstanding peeps. these men are a rare find so if you are single and you meet one- marry him! your love will 'bloom' and 'grow' day by day. tee hee...

pots and plants

we have an interesting mix of pots. from wooden bowls that have travelled through costa rica strapped to our packs (that probably were not intended to be planters per se), to large ceramic pots from indonesia and eco-friendly fiber-crete pots that have simple shapes that add simple, modern and clean beauty to any garden, terrace or stoop.

i love the rustic garden look just as much as i love a clean, modern architectural garden look. but most of all i love that all the pots that i own each comes with a story or a meaning. this makes me more passionate about holding onto them- even if they get a little neglected during the hot summer months. usually i add new plants to them at the end of summer at the end of hurricane season when rain is still quite regular.

note- this all still sounds strange to me, as i am still getting used to 'reverse' seasons. in canada, one usually plants during the spring and summer to make outdoor living spaces beautiful for the high season of summer. but here in florida, i now plant in the 'fall' to enjoy our outdoor space in the high season of winter. i love it.

today we woke up to a fantastic thunder storm. the skies were light and rain was refreshing. we were inspired to finally clean out our little backyard pot collection and put some life back into them.

i had picked up an aloe, a mini jade and some echeveria haageana succulents last week but of course, i was waiting for my personal gardener (aka husband) to make everything happen.

and so the drill came out and we started to drill holes into the bottom of our pots. proper drainage is important when container gardening. this way you keep the soil aerated and roots, happy.

put some rocks on the bottom of each pot, filled with potting soil, sprinkled on some osmocote for extra insurance and voila! instant love.

happy rainy labor day weekend...when it rains, get some pots and get high on planting! ;)