VIEW FROM MY WINDOW: A DIFFERENT WAY TO SEE THE WORLD

 

 

In the last few months,  I've been "traveling"

all around the world.

 I've seen Africa and Aruba........

Moscow and Mississippi.......

Canada and Chicago.......

Brazil and Budapest.......

Qatar and Queens.

 

I've even seen Ukraine.

 

Although I haven't acquired any frequent flyer miles,

my virtual travel has given me something of far greater value......

 

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW? 10 CONTAINER GARDEN IDEAS

How does your garden grow, halfway through summer?

With silver bells and cockle shells?

Or quite contrary, with fading blooms, and leaves of brown?

 For the most part, my flowers are still thriving, looking lush and abundant.

Usually by this time of the summer, 
my plantings look more like the Garden of Weedin' than a paradise of posies. 

By late July, I grow weary of watering and dead-heading.

This year, however, I've been diligent about keeping them hydrated and well-groomed, 
pinching off spent blossoms, and pruning dead leaves.
My care has yielded bountiful begonias, a profusion of petunias,
a mass of marigolds and some very patient impatiens. 
The creeping jenny is practically galloping; the licorice plants are good and plentiful
(yes, that's my attempt at candy humor 😉).

Some of my plantings haven't survived, through no fault of my own.

Unfortunately, the deer and rabbits have had their way with them,

which really gets my goat (animal pun intended).

 I enjoy putting together combinations of flowers,
but I do admit it's nice sometimes to purchase something ready-made, 
 plop it into a container and call it a day.
Unless otherwise noted, the containers below are my own creations.

It's unlikely that at this point in the season, you need any ideas for container gardens,

 unless you live "down under" and summer is coming,

but I've chronicled some favorites for my own personal future reference.......

and perhaps, yours.

Pinning is free, after all. 

PART-SHADE CONTAINERS

1. Caladium, Impatiens, Begonias, Licorice Plant

2. Caladium, New Guinea Impatiens, English Ivy

I bought this one pre-assembled at Lowe's.

3. Begonias, Impatiens, Creeping Jenny

4. Impatiens, Coleus

This one has since been ravaged by deer or rabbits. 

PART-SUN CONTAINERS 

5. New Guinea Impatiens, Begonias, Creeping Jenny

I bought this arrangement from Lowe's.

6. Banana plant, Impatiens, Begonias, Marigolds, Gazania, Creeping Jenny

FULL SUN CONTAINERS

7. Banana Plant, Petunias, Begonias, Marigolds, Gazania, Licorice Plant

8. Petunias, Verbena, Lemon Slice Superbells

Mr. Goo Shoes bought me this one for Mother's Day.

9. Herb Garden: Lavender, Sage, Lemon Thyme, Rosemary, Mint, Basil

10. Flower Box: Petunias, Marigolds, Gazania, Licorice Plant

 
And now, for your pinning pleasure:

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Pretty Container Gardens: Easy As I-2-3

 

Summer Flower Pots

SUMMER DECK......A HAVEN FOR PEACE AND QUIET?

Are you enjoying the peace and quiet of outdoor living?

After one of the worst springs I can remember, (weather-wise, that is),
I finally got my deck set up for summer,
albeit several weeks later in the season than I usually do
(thank you, cool and rainy month of May 😖).

Junior Goo Shoes and his friends hauled the chair cushions up from the basement;
 the rug was carried out from the garage;
the shattered glass tabletop from the dining set was replaced 
with a sturdy (we-shall-see-when-a-heavy-wind-blows) piece of acrylic;
weak boards on the deck were swapped out for new strong ones
(they still haven't been painted!)
and summer flowers were finally planted. 

Even with all of that accomplished, the summer solstice has come and gone,
and we've barely spent any time on the deck.

There were few morning cups of coffee........

hardly any afternoons of magazine reading.........

no evening outdoor dining..........

and a scant amount of chats at dusk.

Part of the reason is that the weather has been uncooperative;
the other factor is that we've just been too darn busy. 

Thankfully, the weather these last few days has been glorious,
and the pace of life has slowed a bit.  
So today, on a perfect summer day, I look forward to sitting outside 
in my happy place to work on this blog post.
A tall iced latte makes for a nice companion,
and a chorus of chirping birds are pleasant background music.

 Now THIS is what I'm talkin' about. 

What the WHAT???
What is all that NOISE???

Of course today is the day that they come to re-surface our street!
Aaarrrggghhhh!
The machinery is so loud, I can't hear myself write.

Even Sadie is bothered by the noise.

So much for peace and quiet.

I'll try to block out the noise, and concentrate on showing you around the deck. 

There haven't been many changes.......
Same furniture........
Same cushions........
Same pillows.........
I added just a few new accessories.

One thing I've been wanting for awhile is an outdoor water fountain.
I've envisioned peaceful afternoons, spent reading on the deck, 
with the soothing sound of water serenading me in the background 
(forget about hearing it today, that's for sure).
Believe it or not, I found one at K-mart,
but it's also available here (affiliate link).
It was inexpensive, so who knows how long it will last.

Unfortunately, even on a day when they aren't paving the street,
it's hard to hear the water gurgling over the buzzing of the air conditioning compressor, 
and roaring of neighborhood lawn mowers.
But, in the evening, when things are quiet,
it is quite peaceful.
It has a little light feature, too, which adds a bit of ambiance. 
I'll admit - it's not as loud as I had hoped it would be. 

I don't have room for more doo-dads, 
but I couldn't resist this little square basket planter topped with faux moss.
It's filled with lavender. 

This pretty tea pot shape filled with flowers was a Mother's Day gift
from my sister, made by a friend of hers. 

I'm going wild and crazy with my vegetable garden this summer.
In addition to the usual cherry tomatoes, 
I'm experimenting with green and yellow peppers and cucumbers.
I didn't do any research on how to grow them, 
and have no idea if they are suited to containers,
but I figured what the heck?
I bought them on a whim, and the worst that can happen is that they won't grow.
 I did read after the fact, that cucumber plants should be planted in pairs, 
because they need male and female flowers to cross-pollinate.
I'm just hoping that my single cucumber plant is bi-sexual.
Love is love! 🌈 

A few days ago, I bought a new hummingbird feeder,
since I noticed that the one I got last year was all rusty inside.
Technically, this is not on the deck, 
but since I look at it from my deck, I say it qualifies to be included in this post.
You'll notice the old feeder in some of the photos that were taken before I replaced it.

The one thing that changes up the look of my deck each year are the container gardens.
I don't like to do the same arrangements year after year. 

I think of my deck as a basic black dress,
and each year I update the look with flower "accessories."
More about this year's container gardens in an upcoming post.

Aaaahhh.........finally.
The noise has stopped.
Peace and quiet, at last!

And there goes the neighbor's lawn mower.

Linking with:
Best of The Weekend
Wow Us Wednesdays

HELLO, SPRING BLOG TOUR: SPRING IS HERE...OR IS IT?

Does the weather feel anything like spring in your neck of the woods?

Here in NJ, the ground is still covered in snow,
 the temperatures are chilly enough to demand a down jacket and scarf,
and no tulips are in sight, 
other than my own two lips, chapped from cold weather.

This is no different from years past, I'm well-aware.
It's not unusual for March to go out like a lamb some time in April.

Every year, to hold me over until Mother Nature delivers the real deal,
 I bring a little bit of spring indoors.

Hyacinths add some life to the bedroom....

Daffodils brighten up the kitchen.....

The buffet gets some springy decor.

I have to be content with using faux forsythia......

 in the powder room......

 or in a faux flower rain boot vase....... 

until the real forsythia begins to bloom.

 

 
It will be a few weeks longer until........


April showers bring May flowers.......

the trees to begin to bloom......

 the red, red robins come bob-bob-bobbin' along..... 

It will take another month, at least, until it's warm enough.......

to plant some pansies.....

 
to sit on the deck.......

and see the spring bulbs dancing around the mailbox. 
 

Yes, Spring is here.....
I'm just waiting for it to arrive.

 Please check out the rest of these fabulous bloggers
participating in the Hello, Spring Blog Tour!
If you missed Monday's bloggers, you can still visit them
by clicking on the links below.
If you have clicked over to my post from Katie's,
you can head over to the next stop on the tour, 
at Art and Sand, right here.    
Thanks again, Katie, from Let's Add Sprinkles, 
for organizing this fantastic burst of spring inspiration!

Monday

Let's Add Sprinkles/ Common Ground/ The Essence of Home/Bluesky Kitchen

Tuesday 

Ms. Toody Goo Shoes/ Art and Sand/ Have A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

Wednesday 

Botanic Bleu/ My Heart Lives Here/ Cottage At The Crossroads/ Fern Creek Cottage/ Decor To Adore

Thursday 

The Dedicated House/ Ash Tree Cottage/ Hyacinths For The Soul/ Let's Add Sprinkles 

 LINKING WITH:
Best of the Weekend