Home and Gardening With Liz: June 2015

June 29, 2015

A Wagon, an Arbor and what else- Flowers!

I went out early Sunday morning with a cup of coffee in hand and my camera to wait for the sun to come working it's way through the back yard.

My focus was on this little red wagon that I just added to my garden.

I did some research and it would appear that it's from the 1930's or 1940's.

I lined it heavily with pine straw to make a barrier between the planters and the base. These are made with zinc so I think they'll last a long time too. They're very modern but with the pine straw and the plants they won't be the focus.

I also moved my arbor that's been along the flagstone pathway that leads to the patio. It didn't work out to be at the end of the path like I had hoped. The angles were all wrong and so was the width.

Of course I didn't measure so that's my fault but since I had pulled it out of the ground I made a commitment to relocate it.

I potted these two planters with the same flowers that went in the wagon and some Wandering Jew which I've never done before. I hope it grows well outdoors!

I took random shots while sitting there. The sun was highlighting the cherub on the garden bench.

I noticed the Japanese Painted Ferns were popping through. I had thoughts of moving them this year but never got around to it. The Creeping Jenny plant has been prolific.

There is a variety of Begonias in here with some Lamium.

Here's a better shot showing the arbor in the evening. I am going to give it a try here and see if I can live with it. I never had that great of luck growing vines on it or my climbing rose because there wasn't enough sun.

The sun only hits this back area for about an hour.

The Creeping Jenny is flowering- I think it's a cute little flower!

Dan finally got the fountain going last weekend. He had to pull out the old pump and rewire a new one in.

Periodically I come out and sit on the garden bench and rock back and forth a while but after a while the mosquitoes discover me so I have to give up and leave.

As I walked back my "two girls" were checking out the ground by the bird feeders. They are regular visitors here.

I just noticed that the pollen is really caked on the gas grill cover. Another cleaning job in the wait!

These petunias finally started blooming like crazy!

This little pot is starting to take off nicely!

This picture is more true to the color

I'm in love with this Diascia Dangenpin (Genta Pink). The tag said it would give continuous blooms and once it started it sure has been blooming like crazy! There is a Geranium hiding in the center that I'm still waiting to see flower again and some sweet potato vine that's taking it's time growing. The white plant is Diamond Frost (Euphorbia graminea) - a great accent plant.

Well - that's enough for now!

Little Old Red Wagon

I really stepped out of my comfort zone and bought this little red wagon the other day.

Sorry about the quality, I used my cell phone to take pictures as I went along here.

I could tell by the look of the wheels it was an oldie! She's pretty rusty but still has good bones. I see bloggers doing cute things with old items like this and I started thinking of how I could use it. I figured I would add it to my backyard garden area.

It still pulls very nicely and given the heavy denting along the front edge where the handle lands I can tell it's had a lot of hours put on it. Perhaps some young boy pulled it around a neighborhood with newspapers in it and or raced it with his buddies!

In was determined to plant something in it and my head went spinning as to how I could do it. I didn't want to cause it to rust out too much faster so my first I thought was to line it with plastic to protect the bottom but that could also trap moisture. Then I got the idea of putting potted plants in there.

I made a trip to a favorite garden center and came across these zinc planters. They're very modern in design but their depth and overall size told me they were just what I wanted. I still have a big bale of pine mulch I stored in the garage so I decided to create a thick bed (which should help keep the bottom from staying too wet).

I added a little piece of landscape fabric over the drain holes which helps keep the dirt from seeping out the bottom.

I filled the planters up with some potting soil and then added some pelleted slow release fertilizer.

I picked up some I ivy, begonias and impatiens. Once they fill out the edges of the planters will disappear and I think the effect will be great!

I don't want to paint it because I felt it's authenticity is part of the character. I did some research and it would appear that it's from the 1930's or 1940's.

This morning I sat outside in the cool morning air sipping coffee and waiting to see the sun shine through.

The woods were echoing with birds singing. It's a special time and I love it!

I used my regular camera to get better color and detail.

I'm anxious to see the plants spread out and fill in!

I recently moved my arbor to this same back area that the wagon is now and I used my planters that I brought back from Pennsylvania a few years ago to hang there. I added wandering jew, and more of the begonias and impatiens. I hope the wandering jew spreads out quickly!

I took some more pictures in the evening while the sun is setting and shines briefly in the back. I thought I'd also leave the hoop handle watering can out there too. It adds a little more "gardening" character to the scene!

Stop by my garden blog and follow along with my garden as it progresses.

You can visit by clicking "here"!

Thank you!!

Joining:
Between Naps on the Porch
for
Metamorphosis Monday

Our Home Away From Home
for
Tuesday's at Our Home
Thank you for the feature Maria Elena for
last week's post "My Backyard Updated"

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
for

Share Your Cup Thursday

June 25, 2015

4th of July Dining Indoors

Since I've already done a little decorating for the 4th I had to do a tablescape too!

I assembled this arrangement using a large mason jar that I got at Michael's.

We're enjoying some very pleasant summer weather. The long range forecast shows a chance of rain on the 4th could so we may end up indoors eating. I'm all set either way!

On our trip to Portland I had a chance to visit the Sur La Table store. I fell in love with their linens and melamine dishes. These melamine dishes are hefty and so much nicer than the usual super lightweight ones. I love that they are a mix of patriotic and nautical!

The placemats were called "handkerchief placemats". I decided to fold the napkins like a handkerchief for a man's front pocket.

I mixed three different sets of flatware to create more red, white and blue! The little milky white salt and pepper shakers are also from Sur La Table. All of it's on sale in case you are interested.

The tablecloth is a lightweight washed denim. I put it through the washer and dryer and it came out very nicely.

I scrunched the ends of the tablecloth together with some ribbon.

It's a bit large 70" x 70" for this table. I really bought it for the outside table which I'll be doing another tablescape on.

I had a couple of photo bombers while taking pictures.

Mya is/was my daughter's cat. She's soon to be 14 and loves to sit here in the sun. You can see her tail in the picture above and another one further up. She has the most beautiful blue eyes but the sun was causing her to keep them closed down. She is a Birman- all 4 paws are white and soft as can be.