Garden Easter Baskets!

Window ledge basket!

Sedum metal basket hanging on the gate!

Herb wagon on the deck!

From Southern Living....Plant an Easter Basket! I don't often use material that is borrowed, but this was too wonderful to resists. Thank you Southern Living and Charlie Thigpen.

Hop into gardening by nestling small, plant-filled containers in strategic locations throughout the landscape. To create a fun seasonal look, we gave this display an Easter theme, mixing foliage, flowers, eggs, and a small rabbit statuary.

Classic Wicker
We lined our traditional Easter baskets with burlap and filled them with soil. Then we placed plants inside. To make the wicker last longer, you can leave plants in their plastic pots and arrange them in the basket. Fill in the voids between containers with moss or burlap. Take the pots out when watering, so the baskets won't stay wet.

Durable Metal
A metal basket makes an excellent, long-lasting planter. This one needed drainage holes, so we drilled a few in the bottom before planting golden club moss and hostas. Golden club moss grows flat and covers the soil like a shimmering chartreuse blanket underneath the leafy hostas. This shade-loving mix provides a medley of foliage from spring till summer.

New Life for an Old Basket
A rusted, wire-framed hanging basket makes a great planter. We removed the chains and let it rest on the ground. Then we added a coco-fiber liner and filled it with potting soil. When choosing plants, be creative and try a shrub. We put a small boxwood in the center and tucked petunias around it. Once the boxwood outgrows the space, plant it in the yard. We used variegated ivy along the outside edge of the container.

Tasty Treats
Two of the baskets contain edible greenery. One is filled with creeping thyme and topped with a large ornamental egg. The thyme's fine texture makes a nice green nest for the oversize egg. The larger basket contains chartreuse leaf lettuce mixed with chives, which have spiky, hollow foliage. Chives produce beautiful pink spring blooms. For a decorative touch, eggshells can act as pots. Crack open real eggs, wash the shells, and fill them with small sprigs of thyme.

This season, let baskets decorate your landscape. It's a great time of year to garden, and plants are plentiful. So what are you waiting for? Plant one for yourself, and give one to a friend for a memorable spring treat.