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PANTS | TOP | SHOES | BRACELET 

You probably all know by now that I have taken up gardening as a hobby over the past few years. One of my favorite things to do is create beautiful planters for our front porch and back patio. It can be quite a jungle out there, but it’s so much fun planting things and watching them grow and bloom. This summer I planted my first-ever vegetable garden! Having a self-sustained edible garden brought me so much joy and satisfaction. I couldn’t believe how many tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and peppers that it produced, and honestly, my salads had never tasted better. Now that it’s starting to feel like fall here in the Carolina’s, I’m excited to create fall planters and try my hand at growing fall vegetables.

A few weeks ago, the team at Cool Wave Pansies came to Charlotte, and I co-hosted a “Wave Potting Party” with them at Roundtree Plantation Garden Center. It was so nice to have some of the Charlotte blogging community and some of my gal pals together in one place sipping cocktails over good conversation. I met several women for the first time who I had been following on Instagram! Seeing both new and familiar faces made the evening all the more special.

Shortly after everyone had arrived, the Cool Wave Pansies team shared tips on how to create and care for containers. They shared that beautiful pots have dimension, texture and an unbalanced-balance. Seasoned gardeners have a recipe for this called, “thrillers, fillers, and spillers.” Thrillers are your tall plants that go in the center or back, fillers are medium-sized plants that fill out the middle (the meat of the arrangement) and spillers gracefully trail or cascade over and down the pot to soften its hard edge. Click here for more tips on how to create a beautiful planter.

After Cool Wave’s brief demonstration, each guest selected a planter and chose from a variety of flowers and plants. Plant varieties included: creeping jenny, creeping wire vine, lobelia, purple spikes, coral bell varieties and cabbage. Dressed in Cool Wave apron’s, we got to work.

A seasonal favorite are pansies. Overall, they’re an easy-maintenance, high-performance plant, perfect for beginner gardeners. Surprisingly hearty, they will survive a frost, even a hard freeze. Place in direct sun, keep the soil moist and enjoy them all season long!

In addition, Wave’s Pansy varieties come in the most beautiful colors. They’re perfect for adding a pop of color to your outdoor space. Justin and I used mostly evergreens and white flowering shrubs in the landscaping around our home, so the vibrant purple and yellow blooms provide a beautiful contract.

Here is a list of places in the Charlotte area carrying Cool Wave pansies this fall: Rountree Plantation Garden Center, Kings Greenhouse, McAllisters Greenhouses, Home Depot and Lowe’s Home Improvement.

The evening was, overall, so much fun. Connecting with gals in the blogging world is always a treat. Also, meeting ladies whom I’ve long-time followed on Instagram was also really special. A huge thank you to Wave Gardening for such a fun night! Hosting was a real treat!

xx, Taylor-Rae

This post is in partnership with Cool Wave Pansies however, all opinions are my own.