How Does your Garden Grow?

Summer is almost here, which means gardening season is in full swing.  We planted ours a few weeks ago and everything is growing crazy down there!  Here’s a look:

We decided to run the rows the short way of the garden this time.  On the right side we have onions and corn.

Next is half runner green beans on my new bean wires.

In the middle is bell peppers, jalapenos, and tomatoes.

Then I planted tiny ornamental pumpkins on my other set of wires.  Can’t wait to see if they climb!

And on the end are more greens beans.  These are bush beans: Blue Lake 47, and Triomphe de Farcy which is a french style green bean.  I’m really looking forward to those!

The left side of the garden is still empty but we’re planning to put in a late crop of corn in the leftover space.

The rest of the yard down here is looking pretty good, too.  I have several things blooming right now. The purple speedwells all survived the year and are blooming again.

The yarrow that was tiny last year is beautiful and plentiful this year!

I also planted wildflower seed in the space behind our flower bed and everything is up.  Some things have already started blooming too! :)

We have a few petunias and some marigolds along the creekbank.  The coneflowers are about to bloom, too!

My purple butterfly bush is blooming!

Yellow primrose that was transplanted from a friend.  Thanks Lisa!

My annual phlox are pretty too!

The rock bed is sporting petunias and verbena.

The right bed is bordered by a “forest of pokeroot” which my mother massacred over the weekend.  I’ll get some updated pics of that for you.  It’s way more open now on that side.  I saw three deer this morning over there.  They must be in the neighborhood checking on my garden progress to see if the tomatoes are ready yet. ;)

Some of the lilies are blooming I noticed today, and the beans have started twining up the wires! Yay!  Go garden! 

The front yard is looking good, too.  The impatiens are in full swing.

Oak leaf hydrangeas. :)

Everything is so pretty and we’ve been getting lots of rain so I haven’t had to water the annuals too often.  But looks like it’s going to be a dry, hot week this week, so I guess I’ll be getting my chance!  :)  Happy Summer!

Spring Dining and Blooming Baskets!

Last week I showed your our lower deck with all the furniture and flowers.  I’m back to share our upper deck today.

We have a beautiful table and chairs that my Mama got for us several years ago.  We had the set powder-coated last year and now it has a durable finish that will last a long, long time!  So it was easy to spruce up for Spring this year, just spray it off with the pressure washer and decorate!

I found these beautiful turquoise and green watercolor plates at Walmart.  I just had to have them!  :)  So then I had to set the table for an alfresco dinner on the deck!

I paired them with aqua placemats, green dot napkins and my pink footed glassware.  For a centerpiece, I added a potted plant and my star votive cups.  :)

The table coordinates nicely with my herb pots in the corner.  I decided to buy another pot for the top basket this year and of course, it was a different color blue. :) 

I have rosemary, chives, thyme, and basil growing here.  The little plant markers were a gift from my friend.  Thanks, Andi!  They are quite cute!

Over by the door I have two planter baskets.  One is hosting my fairy garden again this year.  The other has a pink begonia and creeping jenny.

I also set up a hummingbird buffet.  Supposedly hummingbirds love fuchsia nectar, so here you go, little friends!  It’s all you can eat, please come!! :)

Aren’t these blooms exquisite?

My other blooming baskets are hanging on the fence at the end of the driveway.  I got these hanging art planters last fall on clearance from Gardener’s Supply.  I can’t find them on their site anymore, but I did find them on Amazon.  They are so pretty and really brighten up my shady garden!

I picked hot pink blooms for two and coral blooms for two.  They have colorful geraniums and impatiens and I filled in with blue lobelia and chartreuse sweet potato vine.

We’ll check back on these as summer progresses, hopefully they will keep blooming for months!

I’ll be back soon with a few more flowery spots to share!  Plus, we’ve been planting the big garden, so I’ll share progress on that when everything sprouts! :)

All Decked out for Spring

My sister came to visit today, so I took the opportunity to spruce up my lower deck furniture with all its pillows, lanterns and plants for us to enjoy this afternoon!

Luckily my handy Papa was here on Monday and helped me pressure wash the deck and furniture.  We didn’t do too good of a job on the deck boards because we are planning to tear down the deck this summer and rebuild it, whoo hoo!  Anyway, before we say sayonara to the old deck we want to give it one last hurrah!

My favorite spot is this corner chair with the butterfly pillow!

This beautiful planter is from Lowes, and I just had to have it for a Mother’s Day gift, it’s so PINK!  It’s brightening up the place until I deliver it this weekend.

I hung my new hanging planter from Ikea out here, too.  I love the colorful striped basket!

Last year, we moved the old sewing machine stand outside and I added a weathered wood top.  It makes a cool side table.

My flower basket is filled with pink new guinea impatiens and livingstone daisy, but it’s all still working up to blooming, yet. 

This new turquoise planter is from Lowes.  The giant lantana is from a local nursery.  The plant is several years old and has been overwintered in a greenhouse to get this size!  Isn’t it gorgeous?  I saw those beautiful pinks and oranges and just had to have it.  It’s so summery!  Don’t worry, I’m not going to leave it under the deck, this blooming beauty needs lots of sun!

Mama saved me some ferns from last year and I hung them out here again.

She also saved my geranium and livingstone daisy centerpiece from last year.  I just added some new impatiens to spruce it up. :)

Everything is ready for a fun spring gathering, I even got some new fun plates for my outdoor dining table.  I’ll be back to show you the upper deck soon, plus the rest of my hanging baskets and annuals!

Spring Blooms!

Have you all been enjoying this beautiful Spring weather?  I know I have!  We spend most evenings playing in our new yard with Riley and soaking up the sunshine. 

I’ve been keeping an eye on my plants, just waiting for their blooms to pop out.  Here’s what’s been blooming in the last few weeks…

Creeping phlox

Redbud tree

Azaleas

Rhododendron

Viburnum “Snowball bush”

Clematis

I planted my impatiens on the front walk and finished my hanging baskets last week, I’m just waiting for the perfect day to photograph them.  I’ll be sharing those and my deck containers, soon! 

Happy Spring!