Easter Decorating Tips

By Megan

Easter is about the beginning of spring and the season of rebirth. In addition to getting hopeful about all our gardening dreams to come, it’s a time to freshen up the house. Flush away the last bits of a dark, cold, and gloomy winter with a bit of indoor life. Here are our favourite easy and kid-friendly ways to bring a little bit of spring inside:

Wheatgrass:

This is the easiest way to get some vibrant and freshness in your home! If you have kids, they’ll love to help with this one. Wheatgrass is a breath of life that is so green it can’t help but make you smile as you wait for spring to arrive.

All you will need is a container, some normal potting soil, and some wheatgrass seed. If you can’t find any wheatgrass, and don’t plan to eat your harvest, catgrass might be easier to find and grows the same. Here’s how to grow your own:

• Soak your seeds in water for 12-24 hours. You’ll want a generous amount of seeds to have lush grass. Soaking your seeds will soften them and speed up their growth.
• Add a few inches of soil to your container. If your container is deep, feel free to fill the bottom with rocks or almost anything to take up space.
• Moisten the soil and plant your seeds. You should layer the seeds thick enough that you can’t see any soil underneath. The more seeds, the fuller your grass will grow!
• Place your container by a window and enjoy your beautiful grass in just a few days!

Eggshell Succulents:

This craft takes advantage of the constant popularity of succulents and adapts it to an Easter theme. This spring, use succulents to take your Easter Eggs to the next level:

• Start with some eggs – we would recommend 6 to 12, so you can use the carton – and some succulents. You’ll be looking for tiny succulents, the 2” seedling plugs work very well, and Oakridge carries many varieties in that size. Pick whatever type of succulent catches your eye. Anything that will fit in your egg works perfectly.
• Use a dull knife to notch and cut the top off the pointy end of the egg. Try to take just enough off that you can pour out the egg (optional: pouring eggs on to a hot frying pan for breakfast is recommended).
• Wash out the egg and let it sit for a day to dry.
• Carefully take your chosen succulents out of their pots.
• Remove as much soil as you need and gently put it into the egg. Our recommendation is to use a cactus or succulent blend, but any well-draining potting mix will work. We also found that chopsticks were a great tool to carefully push soil into every air pocket.
• Water your eggshell succulents sparingly, only until the top of the soil is moistened. The end result is some adorably Easter-themed succulents!

Enjoy your calcium-munching, miniature plants for a breath of spring all year, with just a sprinkle of water occasionally.

Fresh Air:

Spring is the season when we can finally open the windows and sample the fresh air. You can bring freshness inside with some houseplants that clean your air by getting rid of stale water and toxins.

Houseplants have enjoyed a surge of popularity focused on their air cleaning abilities. All plants do a little to freshen the air, but some have been found to be toxin-screening powerhouses.

Try making a garden of these air cleaning specialists – even if it’s just a little garden of small plants – to bring the spring indoors. Here are our favourites:

• Spider plant
• Peace Lily
• Gerbera Daisy
• Ferns (we love Boston, Plumosa, and Maidenhair)
• Palms (especially Parlour palms)
• English Ivy
• Mum (pot mum is best)

This Easter, enjoy the freshness of spring with your family by freshening your indoor living space. All that new green inside will make the anticipation for the first glimpse of spring outdoors even better. We all love the bright, fresh green of spring, so why not have a little of that at home all year?