begonia-how-to
Begonias are wonderful plants for shaded areas and can give you a lush, full plant with huge blooms if grown correctly. Since they require a lot of warmth and some patience to get to this full state, many gardeners prefer to begin their begonia tubers indoors during the late winter months. Starting your begonias indoors is a fairly simple process and means fuller plants later in the summer season!

begonia-instructions1 Follow these simple steps:

Plant tubers in later winter, hollow side up, just below the soil level in a moist peat compost mixture. Use shallow seed trays or small pots with good drainage and place on a window sill or other location that receives indirect sunlight. Be sure the temperatures for this location does not fall below 60 degrees F. Cover tray or pot with paper or plastic wrap to promote sprouting. Watering sparingly until growth begins.

Once the tubers begin to sprout (approx. 4 to 6 weeks), development becomes more rapid. Remove the plastic wrap or covering and give them maximum light but still shaded from strong direct midday sun. Water regularly, never allowing the soil to dry out completely but being sure not to let them sit wet as this can cause rotting. An application of good liquid plant food will improve and quicken growth.

When the threat of frost has passed, move the plants outdoors. The tubers can be left to remain and grow in the pots or transferred to an outdoor garden bed. Begonias thrive in semi-shade and do not do well in hot mid-day sun. They dislike dry conditions so be sure to provide them with ample water, especially in periods of hot weather. Remove all the wilted leaves and flowers during the growing season to encourage flowering throughout the summer months.

Brilliantly-colored begonia blooms in a unique hanging basket or watering can will add a splash of color on the deck, under the overhang, or even on a shepherd’s hook in the backyard! Check out our Begonia Gardening Kits which include a planter (hanging basket or watering can), begonia tubers, and a soil disk!

Happy gardening and enjoy your begonias this summer!
team-signature

Lantern Fairy Garden

July 18, 2014

Gardening, Outdoor Decor, Weekend DIY

The Vintage Hanging Lantern is a staff favorite here at Willard&May. Its whimsical qualities add an extra dynamic to any fairy garden. Make your fairies fly when you hang this lantern!

For this example: we added river rocks for a foundation. To add a soft quality, we put some moss over the rocks. We then arranged some mushrooms and a friendly gnome.

The Classic Wood Lantern makes a great starting point for a portable fairy garden. It comes in three different sizes, so you can pick which one will work best for your project!

For this example: We started with a simple, shallow blue pot for the base. We added river rocks for a nice contrast. To top it off, we placed some fun fairy garden accessories in the center of the pot. Continue reading for some awesome suggestions on what plants you can get from your local garden center for your fairy garden!

Above are the different sizes the wood lantern comes in. You can create a simple garden with a fairy or two or add a classic look to your outdoor living space. These lanterns have doors to allow ease of use.

If you are looking for some greenery to add to your garden, below are a couple of suggestions from our resident horticulturist:

Nerve Plant (Fittonia)
Golden Clubmoss
Air Plant
Miniature Ferns
Baby Tears (Soleirolia)

Let your creativity flow with these fun DIY fairy garden lanterns!

The Sweetheart’s Guide

January 31, 2014

Gifts, Pin Inspiration, Store, Weekend DIY

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. That slightly annoying, yet awesome holiday! It lets you eat as much chocolate as you want, bake up something sweet and celebrate LOVE! That means it’s time to start thinking about what to get your sweetie (or you can always treat yourself)!

Thinking of what to get that special someone can be tough because of course it has to top last years gift! So to help you out, we’ve got some great ideas for that special someone in your life! If you’re single that doesn’t mean you and your friends can’t exchange gifts :)

Here are a few quick and easy gifts to treat your sweetie:

Breakfast in bed, is always a good start to Valentine’s Day! Who doesn’t love breakfast in bed? It’s a no brainer, that is simple, sweet, and tasty! Our serving trays are perfect for this!

(Source: La Vie En Mode)

Bake up something sweet and cook their favorite meal! One way to a man’s heart is with food, so why not bake up some goodies to go along with his favorite meal! Or even better make the meal together!

(Source:Martha Stewart)

(Source: Las Recetas de la Felicidad)

One of the most common gifts for Valentine’s Day are flowers. Why not change it up? Instead of getting a bouquet of flowers for your sweetie, treat them to one of our Amaryllis Flower Kits that can last a lot longer than a normal bouquet of flowers!

You can find these styles of flower kits and many others at willardandmay.com [1. Amaryllis Red Lion in Red Polka Dot Pot, 2. Amaryllis Red Lion in White Polka Dot Pot, 3. Red Sparkle Chilled Hyacinth Grow Kit, 4. White Sparkle Chilled Hyacinth Grow Kit, 5. Chilled Hyacinth Grow Kit, 6. Amaryllis in Woven Sea Grass Gift Kit, 7. Raspberry Amaryllis in Dark Sea Grass Planter.]

We hope you find our sweetheart’s guide full of Valentine’s Day ideas helpful! You can check out more great Valentine’s Day gifts at Willard & May. We’d love to hear what you think or what you’ve done to treat your sweetie or let us know your ideas to pamper your loved ones in the comments below!

team-signature1

Winter Rejuvenation

January 10, 2014

Gardening, Gifts, Store, Weekend DIY

Every year around this time is the time to start putting away all of those Christmas decorations you put up. So since it’s January and the month of new beginnings, we thought it would be fitting to share some tips to rejuvenate your house this winter:

CLEAN & ORGANIZE! After you take down your Christmas tree and pack away all of your Christmas decor, clean and let those windows sparkle! With a clean house it makes rejuvenating your home a breeze. Cleaning gives you a fresh slate to work with. While cleaning, get rid of anything you haven’t used in a year. If you haven’t used it in the last year, it’s very likely that you still won’t use it this year – make some more space for things you actually use!
Consider a new layout! Changing a room’s layout can make a huge difference + it’s free and simple. The new layout can also create a better traffic flow than before. Is everything that’s organized in the most beneficial location? If not, it’s time to make the move!
Instead of putting your usual decor back in its original spot, find a new place for it. Change it up — that’s what January is all about!
Make some updates! Now is the time to update an old piece of furniture whether it’s painting or reupholstering a chair. These little things can make a huge difference!
Mix it up. Take things from your bedroom and swap them with decor in the living room! Make things interesting and see your decor in a whole new light!
Tray Chic: Use trays to corral smaller items together. They are perfect in the living room, for instance, to group candles with a floral accent. Or perhaps you could place one in the bedroom to display your perfume. You can find trays at Willard & May that are perfect for any of these examples and more!
With winter reaching most states, it’s gloomy, snowy, and nothing really grows. Which makes Willard & May’s Faux Forever Terrariums great for rejuvenating your house and bringing in some greenery. Willard & May has a variety of different terrariums to choose from and you can even customize them yourself!

wm-refresh-color You can find these refreshing items and many others at willardandmay.com [Clockwise from top to left: Forever Terrarium-Grass | Forever Terrarium-Square | Forever Terrarium-Cylinder | Forever Terrarium-Bubble | Forever Terrarium-Large Bubble | 3 Elm Pots on Tray | Colorful Sleek Lanterns ]

With these tips, your house is sure to have a fresh and rejuvenated feel. Help get yourself out of that winter funk and ready for the spring! We’d love to hear what you think or what you’ve done to rejuvenate your living space — let us know your ideas to help with winter home rejuvenation in the comments below!

Winter’s Latest Holiday Trends!

November 20, 2013

Before & After, Gifts, Pin Inspiration, Store, Weekend DIY

This Holiday season make sure you’re up to date on the latest trends! You won’t want to miss these great ideas for your Holiday parties and celebrations! Spoiler Alert: You will definitely be seeing a lot of winter terrariums this season!

wm-holiday_trends2013 {Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 }

So if you want to be trendy during this Holiday season, follow our tips, decide which ones you like the most and incorporate them into your home! You’ll be sure to have the trendiest decor, that people will be talking about! Find some of these items at Willard & May!

We’d love to hear what you think, let us know your favorite trend this season and how you’re incorporating them into your Holiday festivities this season!

Fall to Winter Birding

October 22, 2013

Beautiful Outdoors, Birds, Store, Weekend DIY

Fall is a great time to start getting into birding and is very easy to attract autumn birds with our simple tips! A lot of people don’t realize how early fall migration actually starts. August through October are the peak months, although migration does continue into December for some species, especially the shorter-distance birds. There is a common misconception that feeding or attracting birds during the migratory season will interrupt their migration, which in fact will not. So don’t be concerned!

Use these great tips for the perfect fall birding season:

Offer nutritious fall foods such as: sunflower seeds, nuts, peanut butter and suet
Start winterizing your bird houses (see winter tips below)
Ignore your leaves and build a brush pile for an instant shelter

(Source: Willard & May, Photo Credit: Stephanie Osiecki)

Winter is just right around the corner and while you’re doing your fall clean up outside, keep those bird houses out there! Birds suffer when the temperatures turn colder, but with the help of your bird houses, they can survive even the coldest nights and storms!

Check out our tips for winter birding:

Position the bird houses and shelters towards the most sunlight to take in more heat
Provide insulating materials in houses and shelters, add more perches to accommodate more birds
Prune in the spring rather than the fall so that the birds can take advantage of extra insulating spaces that cover throughout the winter

By providing shelter for backyard birds you will attract a wide range of species that will visit year-round. We have some great options at Willard & May to choose from, to protect the birds in your neighborhood!

You can find these styles of bird houses and many others at willardandmay.com [1.Bird Villas, 2. Nesting Box A Frame, 3. Copper Roof Bird House, 4. Sea Grass Nesting Pocket, 5. Sparrow Apartment Building]

Also, be sure to check out this great weekend DIY project for the birds! (Source: Robin Beck)

We would love to hear from you, let us know what you use to help protect the birds in your neighborhood!

team-signature1

Amaryllis Autumn Decor

October 16, 2013

Gardening, Gifts, Pin Inspiration, Store, Weekend DIY

Amaryllis are truly a one of a kind flower. They are one of the easiest bulbs to bring bloom and can be grown indoors or outdoors for an extended period of time. Its botanical name is Hippeastrum, so don’t be fooled if you come across that name. Amaryllis come in a variety of shades of red, pink, salmon, orange and white. Some can be striped or multicolored. Amaryllis are the perfect way to brighten up any cold day.

Here at Willard & May we treat each pot as if it were a small garden or tiny yard. One amaryllis in a single pot can look a bit lonely, but when staged in groupings or massed in one pot, they are dramatic. To ensure flowering we like to stagger the plantings.

Here are a few quick tips on amaryllis:

Planting Period: October – end of April
Flowering Period: Late November – end of June
Flowering Time: 6-10 weeks
Larger bulbs produce more flowers
Always store un-planted bulbs in a cool place between 40-50 degrees F and out of sunlight to prevent them from pre-mature growth
Plant bulb up to its neck
Use a nutritious compost when planting

During the holidays amaryllis are a great accent in your home decor. Use some of our ideas for showcasing your amaryllis. Take a look at how we like to showcase the beautiful amaryllis in the fall!

Set a potted amaryllis inside a holiday wreath with accents of berries, beads, pumpkins or pine cones for an instant and easy centerpiece
Showcase your amaryllis in an entryway to create a warm holiday welcome to your guests as they enter your home
Add cut amaryllis blooms to a tall, clear vase filled with cranberries, pine cones, acorns, etc., in the base for a colorful bouquet, perfect for a centerpiece or a great accent to a mantle
Add greenery and candles around your vase or pot of amaryllis for a simple and easy centerpiece

(Source: Willard & May, Photo Credit: Stephanie Osiecki)

(Source: Hannas Sjarmerende Jul)

(Source: Party Resources)

The possibilities are endless, this colorful flower is sure to be a great part of your celebration. You can find these amaryllis bulbs at Willard & May + receive FREE shipping on amaryllis!

team-signature1

Freebie: Football Party Print Outs!

September 28, 2013

Gifts, Outdoor Party, Pin Inspiration, Weekend DIY

With football season in full swing we want to make sure you are all geared up for a great football party (even if your team doesn’t end up winning)! Of course if you’re serving cupcakes (which who wouldn’t?), it’s great to have something fun to finish them off! So we designed some football themed cupcake toppers & if you aren’t into cupcakes as much as we are, there are also labels and bunting flags to create the perfect football party!

If you would like to download these FREE killer print outs, please sign up for our email list and the print outs will be made available to you!

Check out more great items at Willard & May! We would love to see how you use our football print outs! Let us know and comment in the section below!

team-signature1

Before & After: A Renewed Deck

September 11, 2013

Before & After, Weekend DIY

About a year ago we shared a DIY lesson on how to power wash your deck and how to get it looking brand new! We also shared one of our team member’s deck that could have used some TLC and pressure washing magic. Here is the before to remind you and another view of the before once they had their own personal items added to the deck.

Now, we’re back a year later to share how the deck looks after getting power washed and then re-stained following the DIY instructions.

First, came the pressure washing using a borrowed pressure washer from one of their parents. View the behind the scenes instagram of how it went down with a before and after of the power washing step:

Next up was to brush on a a weatherproofing stain, here is the behind the scenes look on that (nevermind the cabinets, they were also renovating their kitchen at the time).

And now view the deck completely done and re-assembled! The process took quite a few weekends since both of them have full time jobs – shout out to all the weekend warriors out there! Three weekends were spent pressure washing and cleaning up the boards which included some sanding on the railings. Another, two weeks were spend staining the deck with a weatherproofing stain and making sure to get all the nooks and crannies. The best part of the project: the cost, because it isn’t that large considering the transformation. Just three gallons of weatherproofing stain were used.

One last tip: If you can borrow a pressure washer from someone you know, you’ll save more. View all of our Weekend DIY posts.

Lantern Centerpieces

July 19, 2013

Beautiful Outdoors, Lighting, Outdoor Decor, Outdoor Party, Pin Inspiration, Weekend DIY

Are you planning a wedding? Throwing a fun summer party? Need some centerpiece ideas without breaking the bank? Why not try using lanterns? There is nothing like a flickering candle in the night. They create the perfect ambiance to a wedding or party. These lanterns can be used not only as centerpieces but also to decorate the head table or guest book table or even to be hung in trees. It is such an elegant look and adds accent lighting! One of the many great things about using lanterns is that they can be used in any type of wedding or party — the possibilities are endless! Plus, they are cheaper than flower centerpieces and can be reused or sold after the wedding or party is over!

Check out what some brides have done with their lantern centerpieces.