Claudia — Page 929

Lilacs – Before the Rain

May 4, 2017 at 9:23 am by Claudia

Since tomorrow is supposed to bring at least two inches of rain, I’m going to shower you with lilac photos. The blossoms may not be there after tomorrow.

I never cut lilacs to bring inside – I tend to be that way about all my garden flowers, wanting to enjoy them in their home in the gardens – but I may reconsider. I bring peonies inside when I know they’re going to be trampled by the rain, so I may do the same thing with some of the lilacs.

I finished planting/sowing my moonflower seeds yesterday. I brought the porch plants inside because of the frost advisory. Hopefully – fingers crossed – this will be the last time I have to do that. I’m more than ready to plant my porch pots and the barrels by the funky patio.

Another pass at the front lawn is on the docket for today – a day or two earlier than I would prefer, but it will get totally out of control if I leave it until after Friday and Saturday’s rain.

I’m happy with the new look of the porch – now the weather has to cooperate so I can enjoy it out there!

Happy Thursday.

Prettying Up the Porch

May 3, 2017 at 9:02 am by Claudia

Weather, weather! Cold, windy (very windy), more wind today, heavy rain due on Friday and Saturday. And, a frost advisory for tonight!

So, I’m holding off on buying plants for pots and urns and hanging pots until this passes.

I planted the morning glory and zinnia seeds yesterday, but forgot that moonflower seeds need to soak for 24 hours, so I’ll be planting those today.

And I put together the other Adirondack chair – this time, it only took about forty-five minutes. Since the bench cushion arrived yesterday via UPS, everything in that little sitting area is now ready for some photos.

Hello, pretty Adirondack chairs! Since our porch is covered in bluestone and also slopes downward a bit, finding a place to set up the other chair was a bit tricky. Then, later in the day, the wind was so strong that it actually collapsed (but not in a bad way) with a loud bang – now I know that they really do fold up for storage!

The chairs are from The Christmas Tree Shops. The cushions are from Home Goods. The little table was a last minute find from Marshall’s.

The funky, rusty glider with its new clothes…I really love this look.

The bench cushion was ordered from Plow & Hearth. Finally, a bench cushion that actually fills the entire seat! The cushions on either end are from Home Goods and the one in the middle is from Marshall’s.

Everything was inexpensive – including the chairs. It was time for some sprucing up. I started with a plan to find a bench cushion for the glider and some pillows to match. Then I saw the ad for the chairs, and so I had to buy more cushions and the little table.

It’s bright and colorful and I love that. The house color is muted, the bluestone is grayish. A lot of the other furniture is very weathered teak. We need some pops of color!

An impulse buy from Home Goods, but one I’m happy about:

This plant stand, which also folds up for storage. I’m looking forward to filling this up with some lovely plants.

I want to share another great find from The Christmas Tree Shops:

These great urns, made of fireclay. I had an itch to find some antique urns, but who knows how long that would take and/or how expensive they would be! Then, I saw these outside near the entrance to the store and I bought one and stuck it in the cart with the chairs.

Then I couldn’t stop thinking about them and I bought three more. They are only $16.99 and have a nice, hefty weight. I haven’t planted them yet because of the weather but soon.

The gray version, which picks up the gray in our shutters. One on the funky patio, one next to the kitchen door. Aren’t they great?

Once I plant some impatiens in the hanging pots and fill some other pots with flowers and plants, the porch will be ready to go!

Don has been following along via texts and he loves it, which makes me happy.

Happy Wednesday.

Flowers, Porch & Apple Trees

May 2, 2017 at 9:29 am by Claudia

Thank you for all the wonderful comments yesterday. Well, make that every day. And don’t worry about commenting, I was referring to the times when a frequent commenter suddenly disappears and I find myself worrying about them.

I love that you’re there, silent or not. Thank you for that.

This is a weed that is popping up all over the property. I don’t know its name, but it’s awfully pretty! Such a pretty dash of yellow. Between these and the dandelions, there’s quite a bit of yellow around these days.

Wild honeysuckle. If there’s a scent, it’s so faint that I’m missing it. This bush is right by the shed.

Just because they don’t last very long. So there will be lilacs here as long as I can still take pictures of them!

Yesterday, I drove north to visit another HomeGoods store (looking for more cushions for the porch) and I marveled at the seemingly endless variations of green everywhere. Truly astounding! I did find some more cushions and I’m awaiting the bench cushion I ordered for the glider to be delivered. Once I get that, and once I put the other Adirondack together, I’ll show you what I’ve been doing. It’s all about color and lots of it. I’ve been texting photos to Don and he’s very excited. Nothing earth shattering, by the way, but rather a sprucing up of the sitting area on the porch. It needed it.

We are known for apple orchards around here and everywhere you travel there are apple trees in bloom. It was gloomy yesterday as I took this photo, so I brightened it up a bit. This particular road has row after row of apple trees and it’s quite stunning. I’ll try to get more photos when and if the sun comes out again!

I’m going to sow my morning glory, moonflower and zinnia seeds today. Then to the nursery to buy some mulch and some impatiens.

Happy Tuesday.

Lilacs – Before the Rain

Prettying Up the Porch

Flowers, Porch & Apple Trees

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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