Winter

From Page 7 and dried in perpetuity. You must watch Laura LeBoutillier, the internet star of “Garden Answer,” to not only see her stands of Truffula Pink gomphrena in the garden, but to watch her talents as she creates an incredible wreath with the flowers.

Truffula Pink needs full sun and fertile, well-drained soil to really perform to its capability. Letting these great plants sit in wet, soggy soil will be a crime. You will want to space your plants 12 to 18 inches apart and apply a good layer of mulch after planting. It is a great plant for mass planting. Expect your Truffula Pink to get about 2 feet tall and bloom until frost.

Paint

From Page 3 on sidewalks and in dumpsters as she does, the project is practically free.

“Last year, I found a dresser on the side of the road that was missing three drawers,” she recalls, “so I cut off [the parts for] the missing drawers, painted it black and turned it into a mid-century modern entryway bench.”

If it’s your first time working with furniture, McGaugh recommends starting small – and with something you already own. “Don’t overwhelm yourself,” she says. A beginner project could be as simple as spray painting a set of patio furniture, she adds, but always prep your piece first. “Sanding is the best way to ensure the paint will stick, regardless of the type. . . . Sealing also helps protect it.”

5. Paint your own canvas

Original artwork can immediately transform a space. Even if you don’t fancy yourself an

The Garden Guy has had them in containers as the thriller plant partnered with Whirlwind Blue scaevola, Superbells Double Blue calibrachoa and Goldilocks creeping Jenny. In the landscape I have had it in several combinations, some with Illusion Emerald Lace ornamental sweet potatoes, others with Luscious Royale Cosmo lantana and some with Sunstar pentas. It is one of the toughest, most carefree plants you will ever grow. This last season I used it with the new Meant to Bee Queen Nectarine and Royal Raspberry agastaches, or hummingbird mints, that are making their debut this year. In Mrs. Sylvette’s cottage garden in Old Town she grew dozens of Truffula Pink gomphrenas with Luscious Royale Cosmo lantanas and yellow Coreopsis verticillatas. The entire front yard was artist, creating your own unique piece is well within reach, says Jackson. All you need is a canvas, a brush and some acrylic paint from your local art supply store, or try sourcing materials from a thrift store, she says.

“Buy art at thrift stores and paint over it,” she explains. “It’s often the cheapest way to get a canvas, and if it comes in a funky frame, paint that, too. The more, the better.”

Financing the

lined with the flowers, to the delight of the throngs of us that line her street to see the flowers throughout the growing season. At The Garden Guy’s house, I am happy to report mine are returning this spring, even after the shocking December arctic blast. This has happened a couple of other years even though I am in zone 8a (9-11 are their recommended perennial zones). Truffula Pink has won 50 awards and most likely in your state if they have a plant trial program. But don’t forget that this annual, as National Plant of the Year, is worth every penny spent.

Norman Winter is a horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.”

When reusing a thrift-sourced canvas, Jackson recommends priming, then applying a base coat in your preferred color before adding your design. Don’t know what to paint? Browse Instagram or Pinterest for inspiration and practice emulating the styles you like. Or go the geometric route and use Jackson’s mural techniques for color-blocking sections of a canvas with a ruler and painter’s tape.

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