Another Relaxing Outdoor Room

Last May I told you about how I transformed our lower deck into an outdoor oasis complete with couch and twinkle lights.  Well, I am back with another lower deck transformation this summer!

We formerly had a couch and a couple of plastic chairs out on the lower deck.

But a couple weeks ago my Mama mentioned that she had snagged a wicker patio set from a friend for $125.  Of course, once I saw it, I wanted it for my deck!  Since she didn’t really have a good spot for the whole set, we decided to trade—she would take my metal couch and I would get the wicker set. Good deal! :)  Isn’t my Mama sweet?

So, yesterday I finally got around to “styling” the deck for the blog. :)  I even made lemonade, haha!

Here it is all ready for an afternoon of reading and relaxing:

The set included a loveseat and chair with Sunbrella cushions.  The cushions are a nice neutral green with a subtle brown stripe.  And they are so comfy!  There was also a matching coffee table and side table to complete the set.  How splendid! :)  I promptly decorated the tables with my various lanterns and plants… and of course a refreshing pitcher of lemonade!

The furniture is all weather wicker so it should withstand the elements.  The cushions are foam and they absorb water like crazy so they’ll be stored inside unless we’re using the deck.  We are planning to rebuild the deck soon and our new design will include a ceiling over the lower deck so the cushions can stay out all the time and not get soaked!  We’ll also be adding a pretty rug at that point.  Can’t wait! :)

Since there was only one wicker chair, I added a couple of brown plastic Adirondack chairs to fill out the space.  They were hanging out in the new garden, but they look right at home with the wicker.  And in keeping with the brown, green and blue color scheme I stole some pillows and accessories from around the house. :)  Now it’s so cozy out here!

And of course, I put my twinkle lights back up in the ceiling.  That way we can enjoy the space in the evening, too!  Plus, it’s just pretty! ;) 

Alright friends, I’m ready for you!  Come on over and sit a while! :)

Happy First Day of Summer!

Mulching the New Garden

So after my family came to unload mulch into the new garden beds, my Mama spent the afternoon spreading it around all the plants and edging the beds.  While she worked on that, I planted some new shrubs, garden veggies, and built a small rock pathway. 

Here’s where we are now:

You can really see the outline of the beds now.  I wanted them to be curvy and interesting.  The little island we created around a sewer access pipe that we couldn’t get rid of.  The pipe is now hiding behind some bushes.

Here’s another access pipe that we still have to cut shorter.

Mama brought these rocks from her collection.  (Yes, she’s a rock hoarder! haha!)  I decided to just plop them down in the mulch so it would be a seamless bed from one side to the other.  Now it’s my favorite spot!  The gate leads into the woods and up a little hill into the English garden.  Eventually we are going to work on that area and put in some steps so you can get through a little easier.

We have a couple Adirondack chairs that go in this corner bed, but I removed them for mulching and they found their way to the deck, so we’ll see what happens with them! :)  We have some more seating plans in mind for the other beds, so we might not need the chairs down here.

In front of the fence we finished off our row of azlaleas in a zig zag pattern.

And that stick bush in the center is a crape myrtle.  Or it will be someday! :)

We now have a little bench in the corner.  It’s perfect for resting when the heat gets to be too much.  Or for family photos post workday. :)

I added three knockout roses in the large full sun bed, as well as two drift roses.  It still needs weeding behind and mulch all over, plus more plants! :)

We also got most of the bean supports up in the garden.  We used string to create a scaffold for the vines to climb.  That wonky row in front is zinnias and junior sunflowers.  I’m so excited to see them make their appearance later this summer!  Beyond that is more weeds… le sigh.

The corn is about ten inches high. :)

Tomatoes, peppers and cantaloupe are on the far left end of the garden.

Despite the heat, some of the plants we put in this month are actually blooming!  The coneflowers:

And some calla lilies that we just planted Saturday are blooming!  This bed has butterfly bushes, hostas and calla lilies right now.  Eventually I’m going to expand it and add some more plants, just not sure what yet! ;)  The other plants are looking rough.  But I’m sure they will perk back up and next year they will shine!

Another area we worked on last weekend was the middle of the hill bed.  It was full of stumps and roots (like most of the area!) but Mama kept on digging with her mattock until it was cleared.  She has an idea to put a little rock wall (more from the collection) around the tree and fill it in with soil before planting.  Sounds nice!

We are making progress, but we still need another load of mulch or two, more edging, plants and of course, some grass would be nice!  We’ll get to that! :)  There’s lots of work to be done… stay tuned!

Guthrie Family Workday!

Last weekend I “invited” my family to come help me unload a trailer full of mulch to the new garden.  My brother John used his trailer and filled it up with premium oak mulch.  Then he, Michael, Mama, Papa, my sister Hannah, her husband Josh and I spent the morning unloading it into trailers, wheelbarrows and carts.  Then we drove it down the hill into the new garden.  Whew!  It was a lot of work, and of course one trailer full was not enough, so we will be doing this again soon! :)

Even though it was a lot of work, I think we all had fun (though some people may not admit it!).  I had a chest cold (how convenient) so I didn’t do an awful lot of pushing wheelbarrows but I did unload a few loads, rake, direct other people and of course, take pictures, my specialty!  I didn’t want you to miss out on the fun!

Josh brought his four-wheeler and trailer so he could move a lot of mulch with little effort.  Smart man!

And he had our littlest helper riding alongside.

Eventually John pulled the trailer down the driveway so we didn’t have to walk so far…

After the mulch was unloaded, Papa and I started working on a “kissing bench” for the new garden.  Originally I planned to put it under a tree on the hill, but we decided it was better over in the corner by the woods.  He’s waiting on me to get the level… and the camera. :)

Josh and John used this time to cut off some dead limbs from nearby trees and also a bunch of stumps in the pathway and flower beds.

After we completed the bench, we left our drill behind and little Ruger decided to have a go. :)

If you have any mud drilling that needs to be done, he is your man!

Papa and I next turned our attention to a birdhouse post.

And someone sneakily got my picture filling the post hole! ;)

Before everyone took off for the day, I made them all pose on the new bench.  Maybe you’ve seen our fancy holiday family photos, but this is a REAL Guthrie photo!  Thanks for your help, my hardworking family! :)

I’ll be back with actual pictures of the flower beds and the growing garden, too!  Stay tuned!