Bring Spring Into Mahwah Homes

It is officially Spring -- on the calendar, that is -- let’s see what the rest of March brings to Mahwah.  The first flower to greet us is, of course, the crocus.   Hyacinth, tulip and daffodil foliage are also pushing up through the ground and that means it’s time to work on our outdoor spaces. 

If you haven’t already done so, please take down your Christmas wreath!  Empty your urns of the Christmas greens, or the kale you had in them for Fall and get them ready for Spring.  Turn over the existing soil in your urn, making sure all remaining roots of previous plantings are gone and add some fresh potting soil. 

Clean your Spring/Summer wreath if you didn’t do so before you stored it away.  There is a cleaner made especially for permanent flowers (any craft store will carry it) and no wiping is necessary.  Spray several times, preferably outside, and let dry between sprays.  The color of the flowers will return and the dirt should disappear.  If the greens in the wreath have faded or turned an unnatural blue, consider having your favorite floral designer refresh it for you for little cost!

Next, take a cue from the wreath on your front door in deciding what you will put in your urns.   Coordinating colors from the door to the urn provides instant curb appeal.  For instance, the picture of the wreath on the black door of a Mahwah home tells me to plant some purple and orange pansies, keeping like colors together.  Pansies hold up well in frost conditions. Once we are finished with frost concerns, I will add a  six to eight inch pot full of red tulips, some cheery yellow daffodils and cut off some forsythia branches from my yard for height. 

Important tip:  Never, ever buy a plant that is already in bloom, you will be replacing it in no time at all.  Always look for plants whose buds have not yet opened (the same applies to mums in the fall).  Nurseries will always stock the same color flower together, but if you’re unsure about the color, then ask! 

Once your spring urns have done their job, dig out those bulbs and plant them in the ground!  But remember not to remove the stem and leaves until they are completely yellow and withered, to do so too early harms the bulb and it may not bloom the following year.  Do the same with all of the Easter plants you receive and you’ll be surprised at how many additional flowers you’ll have in your landscape.

In the summer, a pot of climbing mandevilla, purple petunias, cosmos and potato leaf vine will coordinate with this wreath as well. 

This weekly Patch column, which looks at different homes in Mahwah for design inspiration, is written by Gina Avino, a Mahwah resident, interior designer and decorative painter, and Linda Wetterau, a Mahwah resident, floral designer and event planner, of Gina Avino Artistic Designs at 103 E. Main Street in Ramsey.

If you have a design question you'd like to see addressed in a future article, email the authors or visit their website.