HGTVGardens: Everything a Girl's Gotta Know!

We briefly interrupt this CWTS week because it's now officially spring and I'm not sure if you know this, but it has been SNOWING the last 2 days here in PA. We thought maybe the snow was due to the fact that we haven't been posting about anything spring?? So, just to make sure spring isn't offended, and stops the snow business, we proudly present you with a spring post! (CWTS Tutorials will be back in full swing tomorrow, but you can check out the Round 2 projects and winners here and here.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You all know that HGTV has a special place in our hearts. We got our very first magazine feature in their November 2012 Thanksgiving issue (remember the fun leftovers station idea?) So, of course we were game when HGTVGardens asked us to give their new website a whirl!

We started off by becoming HGTVGardens community members (which was easy peasy), you can check our our profile here.

I added a few of my own outdoor posts to my photo album.

If you're a blogger, this is a great way to get some new local blog readers, because HGTVGardens suggests content based on your zip code. So people right in your hometown will see your posts. It's also really cool because those people live in the same gardening"zone," so I won't be shown a bunch of posts of plants that could never grow in PA!

Then, I took some time to explore the site! You know I don't have an especially green thumb, but I do love to make our yard look awesome in the summer and fall! I have my go-to annuals, but I really want to find more perennials that I like. With 4 acres of land, annuals get really pricey! I couldn't believe how simple HGTVGardens made searching for the right plants! Check this out… they already had my zone, so I just clicked Perennial, then Partial Sun and Boom!

I found this adorable flower!! I don't know about the name, seriously,"Sneezeweed??" but it looks awesome, will come back each year, and Bonus… it attracts butterflies! I really love the Plant Finder tool and see many more new and awesome flowers making their home with us this year!

Another thing I loved about the HGTVGardens site was that the articles were super relevant. It wasn't like Uncle Bob's Random flower that only grows in Texas or anything like that! I was super excited to stumble upon this article about Meadows. Two summers ago, I started trying to get a meadow going and each year I'm getting closer and closer!

Honestly, to start my meadow, I just went to American Meadows and picked the flowers I thought were pretty… this article would have been really helpful about two years ago! Ha! Now, I know which bags of seed I'll be ordering this year, and I'm pretty sure they'll do a lot better than the"Monica Random Picking Method."
I knew I was a big HGTV fan, but the HGTVGardens site really impressed me. I added it to my Bookmarks bar… people, that's a big deal in my world! Take some time to check it out and I'd love to know what new plants and ideas you find (they have a whole section for crafts and fun outdoor ideas too!)
And just because I love it a lot, here's my Go-To flower. It's perfect for the lazy gardener… loves sun, doesn't need water, comes in tons of colors, and makes me look like a much better gardener than I really am!