Hi y'all! I was over on Pinterest and saw the cutest planter boxes and had to put my order in with Hubby to see if he would make me one. (Finished project is the above photo.) I showed him some photos of the ones I liked and it wasn't long before he was out in his shed slaving away. He even made extras so we could give them out as gifts to a few relatives at a cookout we were having soon. (Everyone loved them.) I thought they turned out so cute! And Hubby actually had a blast making them. I love that he helps out so much whenever I need him too. He's the best! This post is also about my attempt to create MY version of an English/country/hillbilly??/ cottage flower garden. I've always loved the look of an old English cottage flower garden , so I've been in the (very) slow process of gradually adding flowers to an area that's in our front yard. Of course I don't have any of the flowers one would usually find in an English garden so I'm trying to "make do" with what I already have. Even without the traditional "English Cottage" type flowers, I'll love it. So far I've added a rose bush. Can't have an English garden without roses...right? I added a LOT of Iris plants. As of now, I only have purple. A dark purple and another lighter shade of purple... so pretty! When Ma thins her Irises out this year, I'll add some of her yellow ones. I added 3 or 4 Hosta plants a few years ago and have always had good luck with them, except these! Talk about puny things!! Totally ashamed of 'em...see, they wouldn't even take a decent PHOTO. My biggest problem is, I want instant gratification. I want to look out my front door and see it already complete. I need to just stop and enjoy the journey as I try to create my "English garden." I've added the majority of it just this week. Moved it from HERE to put THERE. It's a mess and really looks awful. But when I envision it in my mind... I'm seeing a beautiful English garden, tucked away between 2 trees. I can just see 2 fine Victorian ladies out for a stroll, stopping by to sit and rest for a spell... Oh, it'll bebeautiful and be filled with Bluebells and Delphiniums and will boast an array of Foxgloves, Campanula and don't forget the Dianthus. The ladies will sit prettily on white benches, twirling their parasols as they admire the garden while the butler arrives to serve them 2 tall, cool glasses of sweet tea... wait... SWEET TEA??! I hate sweet tea! Sorry, I was dreaming again...I tend to do that a lot. :) Daffodils... The flower of Spring! Such a happy flower and of course THEY would be in an English garden too! But something tells me that the old wagon wheel and rusty cultivator that belonged to my mom and stepdad that I have sitting in the middle of all these flowers wouldn't normally be in an English garden...but you have to "make it your own"...right? :) I'll end up moving them. Someday. Maybe... (Note: 3 years later...they still haven't been moved!) We added these too. Hubby was walking in the woods one day and came back with 3 of these Yucca plants. When they bloom, they have the prettiest white, bell~type flowers on the stalk that grows from the center. And I also want to add some tall Lilies around the Yucca plants, to "soften" it up a bit. Another fave we added were Black~eyed Susans. They grow wild down our road and I nearly had a heart-attack last week when I looked up and saw Hubby happily driving down the side of our road on the mower. He mowed them all down. A few days later, after he found out I had planned to transfer those Black-eye Susans into the English garden area, he went out driving and dug up a BUNCH of them along side of the road for me. Yeah, I think I'm gonna have to keep him a while...he's definitely a keeper! :) This English garden, it's going to take a little time, actually a LOT of time, to get it to look like what I have envisioned. But as Ma always tells me, everything takes TIME.
So don't be surprised if 10 years from now, (Good Lord willing, of course) you see me out in the front yard, still adding flowers...killing time. Thanks for stopping by! Be good and be pretty and as always... ✻ღϠ₡ღ✻ God Bless ✻ღϠ₡ღ✻ Choosing the right containers for a flower garden is almost as fun as growing the flowers themselves. Choosing the containers is an interesting process indeed because they also reflect your personality and style. When choosing containers, keep in mind the height and weight of your plants/flowers. Containers need to have adequate room for the plants to grow and thrive. You'll also want to make sure the containers have adequate drainage holes. Consider any "extreme" weather elements in the area you live that may affect your containers, such as wind or freezing temps. I had a beautiful old wicker picnic basket with flowers planted in it but after every storm I'd have to go chase it down a few acres away...well, maybe not ACRES away but seemed like it. One of the severe storms finally ruined it. Choose carefully, don't use anything that you REALLY want to KEEP forever. Just have fun... be creative and PLANT! ღ My fave containers: Old iron tea kettle I use for my "hens and chickens" , also called succulents. An old milk can that's in desperate need of a paint job and soon! I have no clue what flower this is, there wasn't a label on the original pot to identify it. Hubby goes about once a month to Lowe's or Home Depot and checks out the clearance goodies in the gardening section. They look almost dead but with a little TLC, they come back to life again. These were just planted yesterday. An old black iron kettle filled with petunias. My step~dad used to cook burgoo in something like this (Ma has the one he used). He also had fish fries with it on "The 7 Acres" when we were kids. This one is cracked and can no longer be used, which is why it's a "flower pot" now. An old galvanized bucket that we used when we were kids to feed the animals with. Ma later painted it white years ago and I've been trying to decide if I want to paint it turquoise or leave it white. A small watering can that I am totally in love with! An old wheel barrow that has definitely seen better days. The wheel is broken off, so now it's leaning against our shed. I'm slowing adding Succulents and Creeping Jenny to it. Hopefully it'll be more "filled out" next year! An old work boot filled with, once again, succulents. I love 'em and can't get enough of them! Broken clay pots! Don't throw'em away...use them! :) I used some broken pots I had to "frame" some phlox and wild violets and loved it. Tin heart planter also filled with the unidentified flower Hubby brought home. Another tea kettle that my great~aunt gave me. I got up early the other morning and gave it a bit of color. :) So there you have it...some of my faves. What are some of your favorite gardening containers? Look me up on Facebook and send me your gardening pics! I need a few more ideas! Thanks for stopping by! Have fun with those containers and don't forget...send pics of some of YOUR faves! Be good and be pretty and as always... ✻ღϠ₡ღ✻ God Bless ✻ღϠ₡ღ✻ |
HI! My name is Lori and I am a self~ proclaimed agoraphobic and rarely leave my home. My blog is a place for me to come and embrace my Edith Bunker tendencies and to share a few of the things I love. Stories, recipes and crafts, all with a little humor thrown in along the way! ღღ
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