Spend the day with me ✨ grwm, home updates & I need your advice! 🍃 

The best part of gardening is that it's experimental! It won't always go perfectly but you learn from each "mistake" and grow your skills over time.

the coffee, crocs, and plant check in the morning is exactly how I start my day!

I love Vampire Diaries, Damon is the best. He gets so funny as time goes on. There's lines I'll play over and over, he's so funny and sarcastic.

My friend started her garden a few years back with one raised bed and now has the most gorgeous full garden of everything you could grow from vegetables to wildflowers. She sits out there every day with her cat. Do it! Also in the blue zones they attribute gardening to longevity. Win win!

Can we get more gardening vlogs? We want to see it all!! Please and thank you 🥹❤️

I’m not into gardening 😅, but I love your backyard landscape design. Would you please make a tour video?

There is a RU-vid that I follow that I love. Acre Homestead! She is in Vancouver, WA. She now has a big garden, but she started much smaller. She starts most of her garden from seeds. I really enjoy her, and think you might too. 🌷🌷

Hey! The plant with the white flower is called a Yucca :) As for starting a raised bed, I would just wait for the spring at this point. It’s just going to be sitting out there all winter with nothing in it anyways. However, starting with a compost bin is an excellent start and you can do that anytime! For beginners I recommend keeping it simple with growing veg. Buy ‘started’ plants in the spring and direct sow seeds outside when the weather is warm enough. Things like beans, carrots and sugar snap peas are all super easy and germinate quickly. Sorry for the long comment, but I work in horticulture and love talking about it :) hope this helps and hope you have a great day!

Allana i could not relate MORE to your TVD and Originals feels - it holds up!!! 😂❤

Seconding someone else's suggestion of the Epic Gardening channel! I also found the Canadian version of the Farmer's Almanac helpful for gardening, and their book on how to start a vegetable garden. Instead of starting directly from seed you can also find little starter plants at places like Home Depot which can be worth the time saved!

I love Garden Answer, Acre Homestead, Epic Gardening, Gardenary, Charles Dowding and Huw Richards. You will mostly learn by just going for it and by your successes and failures! Happy gardening!

Start with You Grow Girl! She has several books and i say start with container gardening first so you can undertsand drainage, sunlight, group growing etc experiment with that and then plan the plots. Love this era for you and Dan. I also suggest staying small for now and plotting your sunlight exposure map across the year before making bigger plans.

Recently, I like to spend a calm hour or two at home before heading to the gym. It's so nice to read my book for an hour, eat my breakfast slowly and just take in the morning vibes!

Urhhhggg ive watch TVD at least 10 times, and i swore off of it but now i wanna watch it again!!! That and gilmore girls, one tree hill and supernatural are my comfort shows

I’ve been rewatching the Vampire Diaries too!! I’m up to season 6! It’s taking me forever… not sure if I’ll completely finish, but HAH, nostalgia. Makes me miss the 2010’s. 💚

Epic Gardening is a great channel for beginners. I live in the desert so gardening is a struggle. I recently grew for the first time garlic planted from cloves and green onions from planting the ends. Nothing elaborate for my set up, only big pots. Good luck with your garden! It’s looking great except for the spiders, lol.

In the last year or two I’ve found my love of gardening and house plants. The joy it gives me, the excitement of seeing a plant grow. You can make plans for the raised beds but wait until spring to assemble and start planting.

I grew up on a farm and my mom’s garden was massive. Like two city lots size at least! I have become aware to a large degree the free education I received growing up on a farm when I listen to my city born friends talk. I’m so grateful for all I learned because I definitely still use so many farm girl skills. There are so many great homestead and farm channels on RU-vid to learn from. I’d suggest joining local garden groups. You’ll find the best tips from others and sometimes score trades of veggies and fruits!

I love Yucca! The ‘asparagus’ or falic looking stock is spot on, it takes so much patience for that thing to blossom into those gorgeous flowers!

God made us and literally put us in a garden 🥹 this just dawned on me…like no wonder it’s so so wonderful. And even watching you in yours brings peace to my heart!

I've been gardening fruits and veggies for the past 15 years.... I look forward to it every single year! There is Nothing better than grabbing produce from your own backyard 🥰

We have a 5 yr old son and 2 yr old son so we have started with 2 small raised beds. 1 has herbs in it - which hasn’t been very time consuming. The other we have been trying different vegetables to see what works and what we have time for. Sweet potato has been a winner for us. Planted it as seeds and then just let it be with regular watering. The leaves are very pleasing to the eye which is a nice feature

I’m so happy for you having your lovely back oasis to wake up to. I’ve been an early riser since my girls were little (they are in there 30’s now). I always feel like it’s a new world every morning! My husband is a fantastic gardener but we are in Texas so I don’t know if his input will be helpful. But I’ll ask. Enjoy your day and thank you for sharing your beautiful smile❤

Gardening is like having all these little babies you live so much! The saddest thing is thinning seedlings! I have been researching native plants and garden to support the wildlife in your area then choose things you can harvest for health make teas etc so fun! Seeing a hummingbird collect nectar from your plants makes it all worth it!

I loved outfit number 2!!! The black vest situation 😊

You can buy punnets of vegetables from your garden centre, nursery. You could start seedlings of those veggies inside near a sunny window, in seedling mix/soil you buy it by the bag. Use a spray mist bottle to give a drink or keep damp. The soil you use in your garden boxes is a mushroom mulch/soil. Many manures throw off weeds which take over. Place rice straw around small plants to keep soil damp, you could hook up your sprinkler system to water when your not home. Your flowering plants will attract bees that will pollinate your veggies & herbs that flower & add taste to salads & dishes ❤😊 Goodluck

I can't tell you how much I love your vlogs

You gotta watch The Originals. I’m in LOVE with Klaus!❤❤

I’ve been rewatching TVD’s too! I’m on S3 too! It came out when I moved out at 21, and I remember loving it. But I never finished it after Elena leaves. I just love it so much! Damon is so hilarious 😆. Going to watch the Originals too!!

Came to the comments to learn about gardening as ours is swiftly becoming a blank slate as we continue to tear out the decades of overgrown weeds that we didn’t know were weeds 😂 gardening is tough and really takes so much time!

Yay for the start of your gardening journey! I love it and came to it in my 30s - definitely still learning. My tip for beginner gardening is to take it slow, and get to know your garden. Take photos of your garden in all seasons and start a ‘garden task’ notebook to record what you do each month. Start by getting out there with some gloves on, just weeding and noticing (what’s thriving, what’s not, what pests pop up, where the sun hits differently during the day/seasons, dry patches, wet boggy patches etc) just getting to know your garden is a great place to start. Greenhouses are only really needed if you plan on growing annual seeds eg vegetables / some flower. Personally I prefer the lower maintenance route of planting perennials (shrubs, climbers, flowers, fruit and herbs). Enjoy!!

Love your videos and I get so excited every time you post!

Ahg, we are so lucky that you share your personality with us. I too did not finish vampire diaries but finished and started the originals at the release time.

I rewatched VD probably 2 years ago and loved it just as much. Also klaus is the ultimate daddy 🖤

Your backyard/garden is truly SO(!!!) beautiful😻

TVD! All the feels. Team Damon of course

Awwww Mewyl frolicking in the grass 💚

Gardening has been one of the activities I look forward to doing post winter. It is very therapeutic and rewarding. For vegetable gardening, I started with the easy ones, tomatoes, basil and peppers (they grow well together too). I add one or two each year depending on my mood 😊 My sister has fruit trees instead of veggies...we swap our harvests. Try it! There's nothing like fresh edibles from your own backyard.

I’ve discovered the beauty of Pilates when I’m feeling particularly zen but also want to get a good workout in 😌

The hand movement while holding a brush that has concealer on it WHILE WEARING A WHITE TOP WAS STRESSING ME OUT ALLANA hahaha

Just came to find this video to say that the Fitbit on the ankle hack while on the walking pad absolutely works! Thanks for the hack Allana, appreciate you 😘😘

ChatGPT! I started gardening as a pandemic project, even built my garden beds from scratch with no prior building experience. Now in my 5th year of gardening, I am still learning. I have asked ChatGPT so many questions along the way, along with numerous other RU-vid videos dedicated to gardening.

Loved all three outfits but I have to say I loved the first top on you!! Show off the hard work!!

currently fighting for my life on the stair master, thank you for your impeccable timing alan

We’re the same age and I’ve been gardening the last 3-4 years in zone 6a. The best advice is don’t become too attached 😅 Year one is very much learning what does/not like your garden space. Year 2 is fighting with the wildlife over who gets to eat the produce. 😆 Don’t get me wrong though I still end up with a pretty good harvest each year and it is so satisfying!!! I don’t have the time/space to indoor sow seeds but there are plenty that are easy direct sow and the rest I buy as starts from a local nursery.

I thought the actual dinner outfit was so good! It doesn’t matter if you’re not as matchy with friends. You still looked great.

My husband planted a garden for the first time this year. Most started as tiny plants but he did plant purple hull peas from seeds and they absolutely are massive now. We’ve got eggplant, green beans, 3 varieties of tomato, red onion, cucumbers, about a million pepper varieties, and a random watermelon plant lol. So many things require staking/supports as the veggies/fruits come in and become tall and heavy. We also have a full herb garden on our deck. When we planted the garden, he bought a truck bed full of dirt from a local place that sells dirt/mulch in bulk. It was only $23 USD lol for an entire full size truck bed filled to the brim. We live in the southeast US so it’s 90+ degrees every day so he has to water daily unless it happens to rain. A sprinkler helps make this easy. He is big on the veggies/herbs being organic so only fertilizes with a fish emulsion bought from a store about 2-3 a month. The weeds are an issue but neither me or him have taken the time to fully weed the garden, and the garden is doing great despite that. I’m more interested in plants and flowers so I’m learning how to care for those both indoor and outdoor. It’s a lot of work but worth it to eat food you’ve grown in your own backyard!

I want conversations about TVD in the next videos ! 😂😂😂

Those falic plants are called Yucca! I was scared as well, when I saw the pre-blooming proces, but they are truly amazing.

I love the "random" day vlogs. Thanks for reminding us (me) lol of the Clinique lip oil in black honey ✅️. It actually matched perfectly with your PT cream blush. Us gals always have those days where everything we put on doesn't feel right. I haven't worked out in a few days, and it for sure does make you feel like a big poop lol. So I meal prepped last night, and today, I'm back on the train! I love those mugs from the Montana gals trip.... so stinkin' cute! So gardening, I really wished I knew more about planting seeds, etc. My husband and I have talked about us doing this (growing or own veggies, fruit, cilantro, etc.). I'd love to have a chicken 🐔 coupe, too. We're still deciding whether or not we're building a huge addition on our current home or moving into a new home that already has everything we want & are looking for. I think we'll probably just buy our "forever home." As far as our landscaping goes, we have our people for that. But I do water them 😁. Thanks for another lovely vlog 😊 xoxoxo ✨️ 💕 🫶

In England there are garden centres (e.g. Royal Historical Society gardens) every now and then have masterclasses for gardeners (beginners too) and those classes are really useful.

Not sure if this would be your speed but a few years ago I got really into the gardener Monty Don, a delightful, gentle British man who had this show called something like Big Dreams Small Spaces or something. He’d go to people’s homes and help them design their dream garden. I learned a lot while being entertained! Happy gardening 🪴🌻🌱🌿🙂

Omg as if I just started VD again too! You HAVE to watch originals and VD in tandem. It’s a have to! Originals is sooooo much better as welll … you also have legacies spin off after 😜 many months of pure joy ahead xx

I remember watching Desi Perkins during the lock downs and I believe this is when she started gardening...it was so cool! Maybe that could help ❤

My top 3 shows are Breaking Bad, Dexter and The Vampire Diaries (in no particular order). I’ve watched The Vampire Diaries entire series a total of 4 times now - I can tell you it never gets old. I love it so much! Vampire stuff was never something I thought I’d be into, but I’m so happy I gave it a chance! For those of you on the fence about watching it… just watch it, you won’t regret it! #TeamDamon 😉😆

The black top and jeans were so cute!

*me watching this vlog as "vamps" is paused in the background* 😂 I too was in grade 10 when it came out, and it stands the test of time lololol

Hey Allana! It being mid July and living on Van area (or actually area that gets more snow in the winter and all), you're a bit limited as to what you can grow at this point.. But raised beds are great! You can also get the kind that are closer to the ground.. :) And you can absolutely still grow herbs, salads, beets, radishes - things like that - from the seeds and going into the fall! :)

I have perennials in my (pretty big) garden. I've won Garden of the Year last year. It took me about 3-5 yrs for the plants to settle and mature, but it's pretty much maintenance at this point! Denver is a tough spot being that its a desert , know your zones!

I’m at work and can’t wait to watch this one !!

My favourite gardening account is self-sufficient me! I have learned so much from him!

Hey Alana, not sure if you'll see this, but I loved the vlog, they're always like a ray of sunshine in video form 😄 I'd love to hear more about your reading. I always enjoy hearung about your favorites, and I'm also looking for vacation recs.

Contact your local garden centre or see if the local Activity Guide has any classes still going, Alanna. You may have to wait until Winter for that, but it might be worth trying. Aside from that, might I suggest a visit to your library and stocking-up on beginner gardening books and maybe just jumping in and giving it a go? I’ve learned the most through trial and error and remember that nothing starts out being perfect. From a 60 year old gardener who didn’t even look at soil until she was 40 👍🏻 P.S. don’t kill your spiders! They are great allies in the garden.

Pro Tip from my mum (who has been feeding us with zuccini from our garden for 30 years now) Buy raised plant beds so you don‘t have do be on your knees all the time and you can grow the seeds in little plastic containers during spring in your garage and one they have grown to mini plants transfer them into the raised plant beds. Zuccini, Pumpkin, Salad and Carrots always grown here in Switzerland and are super easy to handle this year she planted pak choy and red beet as well, and on the sunny places we have chili, tomato & lemons growing just make sure you have a watering system in place preferrably with a timer setting bc of you busy schedule

Your home is so beautiful and peaceful ❤ a fig plant would look so nice to add

Garden boxes are the best things in life!!! I use the app Planter. Tells you what is comparable beside eachother. How deep to plant. When to plans etc 🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼

Garden tour please! It is so beautiful!

Hahaha same with tvd. I’m watching it again and it doesn’t disappoint

Best garden RU-vid: Garden Answers

The laugh track addition was 👩‍🍳💋

With time you'll discover that gardening is "a meditation in movement"! Super peaceful and grounding. You can start small and add to you garden the following year if you enjoy it! I have raised bed and love them. It give veggies like carrots malleable soil to grow in. Don't put pressure on yourself, just try it for fun. You will learn as you go. If something doesn't work, there's always the supermarket! 😅RU-vid is great, there are lots of video. A book like the Canadian Gardener's Guide can be very helpful as well!

Hi allana! Would you try the Rhode blushes ?

I feel like gardening can get super complicated but also be pretty simple. My gardening consists of buying vegetable plants and putting them right in the ground with a little garden soil mixed in and just see what happens. Learn as you go.

OMG the donuts look soooo goood!

Vancouver is not only the no-fun city, but we are the most casual, boring dressers! It's so difficult to get dressed up in this city!

Growing cherry tomatoes is really fulfilling--it's easy and they taste amazing. Adding compost to your soil is needed when growing food...the extra minerals really makes a difference in flavor and sweetness. I like boxed gardens with 100% compost that I bought from a compost place, fertilizer, and glacial rock dust. If you grow tomatoes, the trick is to water normally until the green fruit appears, then stop watering as much (like a drought) so that the flavor is maximized--you don't want water-logged or cracked tomatoes. The green part of the plant will look wilted and crunchy, but the tomatoes will be bomb! Eventually the green stems will turn yellow, but you'll still see tomatoes on the vine ripening. One thing you have to get used to with food gardening is that the plants *will* die. So harvest them while you can, and don't be sad when the plant dies because the season has ended.

Garden advice: don't overthink it! Good soil is the most important thing. There are probably many local soil suppliers- make sure it has a good amount of compost- I do about 40% compost. Start seeds outdoors *after the last frost* directly in the garden bed as many plants don't like to be transplanted (tomatoes, kale, peppers I never start from seed but buy plants). Keep the soil moist and within a week + you will have sprouts! New sprouts need a lot of water so they don't dry up. After that smooth sailing. Play around, try new veggies, don't take it too seriously. Given enough light, water, and good soil, plants will do their thing!

omg i didnt think it possible but originals is 1000x better than tvd😫

That plant with the leaves and white flowers look like yucca. I have that in my garden.

Lavender is a good deterrent for spiders so you could consider planting some rows of lavender along the decking to try and prevent the spiders making webs?

Don't over think growing veg, nature wants to thrive!! It does most of the work for you, just start easy, plant some seeds of veg you'll eat, get some good compost on them and water them now again and let the sun at them and voila you will witness a little miracle 🌱❤

Not you spilling the first thing you drink on your hoodie 😂❤

If that spot was too sunny, maybe get some small tomatoe plants next spring (growimg from seeds is possible but obv more work) they love the sun! and deffo get some new cilantro and try diffrent spots in your garden!

Here are some random hints that I tell clients / have learned from 10 years of profesh gardening 1) I like to get seedlings off market place because the tedious work is done and the varieties are way more interesting than at a garden works or home depot. Also don't have to fuss around with dirt in the house or putting up a green house the first year. 2) A THICK layer of arborist chips (look around for a municipal chip pile where you can get them for free, or contact an Arborist company) underneath soil will help build up a mycelia network and keep the nutrients flowing, it also allows you to spend WAY less on soil because you don't need to fill the entire box up. 3) Start slow, choose your favourite veg and the companion plants (plants that keep pests away from each other) and see how you do. Zucchini , rhubarb, tomatoes, salad greens are all relatively fool proof. Three sisters is also a great growing method and a good place to start to understand the concept of companion planting / what plants provide and take what nutrients. 4) Don't water ON the leaves - when it gets hot this will create powdery mildew , it can also sunburn your plants and reduce their photosynthesizing capabilities. Instead let the hose run on the ground and move it around so water goes to roots and doesn't collect on the leaves. You can get in ground irrigation but i wouldn't bother your first year. 5) annual veggies are TOTAL divas, get a couple liquid fertilizers (i get mine at gardenworks, p sure they have them in vancouver too) and follow the directions 6) keep a little journal - what works, what doesn't, what temp it is at what time (you can get pre-made ones that have prompts) 7) Above all else, plants want to grow! Don't worry too much about the right way of doing something, it's all about learning what works for YOUR space - your sun, your area's insects, the soil amender you have access too- it's different for everyone. Trial and error are paramount!

I LOVED the outfit you ended up going out in :)

Omg I am also rewatching Vampire Diaries the hubs is also super invested! 😂 We are at the tail end of season 4!

um let’s get Lan to 1M, 901k GIRRRRRLLLLLL!!! 🎉

You just know your zone and you just start. Just keep it simple with each garden you will learn . Don’t kill the spoods they eat mosquitoes. They are your friends

Sunset magazine is a great resource to get started on the west coast. They have tips for each region and season. Plus it’s great inspo 😊

LOL! my first reaction to you having the gold/tan pants that you actually wore out was, "did she spill makeup all over those pants too?" I then took a close look and realized that they were dots on the fabric. You look great in every look that you were potentially going to wear and what you actually wore. My tip for wearing black and dark colors in summer is to keep the fabric and fit summer-like. (i.e. the black vest would have totally worked with the loose fitting dark denim pants) I am an avid gardner (I live in southern california, so great weather year round). My tip is to start slow, which is what you are doing with your herb garden. Maybe expand to more plant boxes or a vegetable garden (like squash, eggplant, pumpkin) in the corner of your yard for the fall. You can cut up and freeze your veggies for winter, since you get snow there. 🍆🎃Love you and your vids. They always brighten my day! Happy planting! 🪴

Grew up gardening with my mom and then started one of my own a few years ago. But the Book Square Foot Gardening method by Mel Bartholomew. He covers the soil compilations and the way to prepare your beds as well as getting the most out of your square footage. Great place to start. Also for organic gardening I would recommend Beneficial Nematodes lady bugs , neem oil and Spinosaid for pest control :)

Maybe, the powder side of the Patrick Ta blushes can be used as eyeshadow. I always use my products everywhere for a quick monochrome look. You'll never use it up, but at least it will get used.

Love love love your interior ❤

yucca plant with the white flowers... follow Garden Answer and Garden Answer Highlights... spider mites are a bit of a scourge in the garden, not sure if yours are the same...

Keep in mind that when you grow herbs, you want to trim/cut/use them while you can, because eventually they'll "bolt" (flower and seed) and die...until they regrow next year or you replant them. So I wonder if your cilantro truly died, or if it went to seed? It looked so gorgeous last video, but maybe the heat wave did something. Cilantro can grow in full sun, but it needs lots of water like other herbs (get a simple irrigation system).

Maybe put the cilantro where you sit under the shade right outside your door?! There are slits and it will still get some sun? And be the first thing you see which would be cute

Here for the gardening tips

EPIC GARDENING!

Hi do you mind telling us where did you buy your food mixer/blender where you cut your carrots please?! Thanks

Isn’t it anna edit husbands time to shine and start a gardening channel ?