BC Living
Local Easter Offerings to Try This Spring
Delicatessens Across B.C.: More Than Just High-End Grocers
March Sushi – From Scratch
4 Tips on Balancing a Nutritious Diet with a Side of Indulgence
Choosing Connection: A BC Family Day Pledge to Prioritize Presence Over Plans
Embracing Plant-Based Living this Veganuary and Beyond
Inviting the Steller’s Jay to Your Garden
6 Budget-friendly Holiday Decor Pieces
Dream Home: $8 Million for a Modern Surprise
Plan Your BC Foodie Field Trip
Kamloops & Sun Peaks Resort: The Ultimate See & Ski Family Getaway
Local Getaway: Stay at an Elven Haven in Courtenay
B.C. Adventures: Our picks for April
Cooking Classes
Culinary Cinema
Culinary Fashion: What to wear on “Foodie Field Trips”
Freshen Up your Skincare this Spring with these 9 BC Based Skincare Products
Are you getting the most from your expertly cultivated and perfectly aged wine collection?
Create a versatile planter in four easy steps.
For season after season, I have enjoyed this versatile planter made from a wooden tool box. It’s easily moved around and its long, narrow shape makes it adaptable to many garden locations.
Old tool boxes can be found at antique stores, flea markets and garage sales – the more beat-up looking the better! Throw on a coat of paint if you like; historic blue milk paint pairs well with many colours found in nature. In the past this planter has been a home for a mix of scented geraniums, herbs, grasses and sedums.
This year it is perfectly planted with shade-loving annuals, including assorted coleus, fuchsia, white lobelia and impatiens. Tucked up under a north overhang, it brightens an otherwise dark corner.
What you’ll need • Wooden tool box • Drill • 1 bag planter-box mix • Organic fertilizer (granular) • Assorted plants
STEP 1: Drill holes in the bottom of the container. This is a must for drainage. STEP 2: Add planter-box soil and organic granular fertilizer at the recommended rate. STEP 3: Lay out your plants and nestle them in. STEP 4: Water well, and maintain as needed.
Hummingbird Heaven: Plant assorted fuchsias with trailing blue lobelia (sunny spot).
Copper Canyon: Combine brown grasses, coleus, purple hebes and grey creeping sedum (sunny spot).
Desert Memories: Sedums, echeverias, summer aloe and cacti (sunny spot).
Perennial shade inspiration: Hostas and hardy fuschia, sprinkled with annual lobelia (shady spot).