Category Archives: Gardening

How to Raise Mealworms For Your Backyard Birds


Mealworm larva, pupae and adult

Life stages of the mealworm beetle in my hand – one larva, two pupae and one adult

Late winter and early spring are good seasons to attract desirable bird species to your yard. Birds are not brooding eggs yet because they need to wait until later in spring when there is enough insect food to feed their young. However, they are now engaged in, well, getting engaged! In other words many birds are scouting out nest sites and selecting mates if they haven’t done that already. Some of the most sought-after backyard bird species are heavy insect eaters. Raising live mealworms is so easy, I started by accident!

Read more on the Schnarr’s Hardware blog:
How to Raise Mealworms For Your Backyard Birds

How to Transplant Herbaceous Plants

Root ball of Mums
In the spring it’s fun to see how many of your herbaceous perennials from last year are coming back. Maybe you need to thin or divide some and trade your extras with friends and neighbors, or move some of them to a better spot, or buy some new plants. It’s likely transplanting will be part of your spring gardening activities. Here is how to successfully transplant herbaceous plants.

Read more – How to Transplant Herbaceous Plants.

Bulb Planting and Care Tips for Fall

Bulb Planting and Care Tips for FallMany popular bulb plants, such as Tulips, Daffodils and Hyacinths are best planted in the fall. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your bulb investment.

Read more on the Schnarr’s Hardware Blog:
Bulb Planting and Care Tips for Fall

How I Use My Garden for Self Care

mygardenLife can be stressful at times. If we don’t take time for self care our health can suffer. I recently saw an advertisement for a workshop about gardening and holistic self care. I was not able to attend and learn some new things, but I can think of a lot of ways in which my garden already helps me with my own self care.

Read more on the Schnarr’s Blog: How I Use My Garden for Self Care

Build a Mosaic Plant Stand

Finished mosaic plant stand

In this article I’ll show you how to make a stand to show off a special container plant. Raising a planter off of its surface can really enhance the appearance of a single specimen or help you create an attractive container plant grouping by providing elevation to some containers. Such a stand may also help protect the surface underneath by allowing air circulation under the pot so the surface can dry out between waterings. This stand is designed for both indoor and outdoor use. It is designed to let water from the plants run off, rather than catching it. This stand can also be used as a sturdy trivet indoors or outdoors.

Read more on the Schnarr’s Hardware blog – Build a Mosaic Plant Stand

Upcoming class: Mosaic Plant Stand

Mosaic Plant StandI hope you can join me on June 18, 2016 as we make a mosaic plant stand! Build an attractive and sturdy stand for plant pots or other decorative objects while learning the basics of building a wood frame to contain mosaic tiles. You’ll learn how to set, grout and seal the tiles so your stand will hold up to outdoor use. You will also learn how to attach wooden feet to your stand. This project is a good introduction for those who would later like to make larger projects such as tables and shelves.

Mosaic Plant Stand
Date: June 18, 2016
Time: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location: Studio:art, 7403 Manchester Road, Maplewood, MO
More information and registration: Class Signup

Classes are designed so that each participant will complete one project during the class. Each class attendee will recieve a printout with a written tutorial for that class so if you forget anything we learned you can refer back to it later. For details about what is included in each class and what if anything to bring, click the links below.

NEW! At each class, there will be at least one door prize randomly awarded to an attendee – probably a craft supply item of some type that relates to the theme of the class. Past prizes have included a necklace kit, a polymer clay frame kit and a craft stencil. That’s my way of saying thank you for coming!

Upcoming Class: Build a Pollinator House

Upcoming Class: Build a Pollinator House
Upcoming Class: Build a Pollinator House

Build an attractive garden home out of wood for native bees and other valuable pollinating insects. We will paint our homes to make them pretty and decorate some of the surfaces with stencils. All materials except the bamboo segments shown in the picture will be included. The wood will be cut ahead of time. The skills you will use in the class are: sanding, nailing, painting and stenciling. You will be instructed on what kinds of materials to fill the house with. The bamboo shown in the picture is one option you can use but there are others.

Class Title: Build a Pollinator House
When: June 04, 2016 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm
Where: Studio:art 7403 Manchester Rd., Maplewood, MO 63143 Map & Directions
Price: $40.00.

REGISTER NOW

Some of the stencil detail on the side of the pollinator house
Some of the stencil detail on the side of the pollinator house

Decorate a Terra Cotta Plant Pot with Acrylic Paint and Stencils

Terra cotta pots decorated with paint and stencils

Painting and stenciling terra-cotta pots is a fun and inexpensive way to enhance your patio or garden decor. Younger and older crafters alike can join in. Small decorated pots can be used as party favors. Medium-sized pots might provide the base for a table centerpiece. A large pot could function as a gift basket that you can fill with items for a loved one who likes gardening. Gardeners can always use extra small items such as gloves* (they tend to wear out with regularity), seeds*, bulbs*, bug repellent*, gardener’s soap, hand lotion*, sunscreen*, lip balm* and plant tags*. You can also throw in a gift card* so they can get exactly what they want!

To learn how, read my article on the Schnarr’s blog: Decorate a Terra Cotta Plant Pot with Acrylic Paint and Stencils

Free seeds at Studio:art in Maplewood

Free seeds at Studio:art in Maplewood, MO
Free seeds at Studio:art in Maplewood, MO

You are invited to stop by Studio:art in Maplewood and pick up some free seeds. The address is 7403 Manchester Rd, Maplewood, MO 63143. Pictured with the seeds are some handmade decorative seed packets I’ve made that are available for purchase. Seeds make a great gift for someone who likes gardening! You can give seeds on their own or incorporate them into a garden themed gift basket.

Here is a list of the seeds available at Studio:art:

Bird house gourd
Pumpkin
Milkweed
Sunflower
Cucumber
Oregano
Watermelon
Four O’Clock
Amsonia
Corn
Mustard Greens
Melon
Cleome
Squash
Chives
Turnip
Radish
Okra
Viola
Collards
Smoky Fennel
Celosia
Cantaloupe
Marigold
Zinnia
Chili pepper
Hollyhock
Moonflower
Dill
Peas
Purple Hyacinth Bean
Columbine
Cardinal Vine
Cress
Papaver Somniferum
Carrot
Hibiscus
Tomato
Beets
Purple Coneflower
Bush Bean
Yucca Filamentosa

Come and get them while supplies last!