GARDEN TOUR: Irv and Louise Dingus

	"The kiss of the sun for pardon, The song of the birds for mirth, one is nearer God's heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth." - ~Dorothy Frances Gurney, Garden Thoughts This is a popular poem, but I think I never really understood it fully until I experienced Louise's garden. You see, Louise is my father's wife, of more than 20 years now, but as I got to know her
Gladiolus

during their courtship, I couldn't help but admire her taste and style, both indoors and out. But we'll save indoors for another day. Today is the day to explore the beautiful garden that she and my father, Irv have built together.

Dad and Louise began their marriage at Glenmere, a wonderful old 1920's bungalow in Kingsport, Tennessee, but as time passed, kids moved away, and grandchildren were born, they decided to relocate in order to share more fully in the lives of the little ones. As they contemplated the move, one of the things they
	Hydrangea in bud

most hated to leave behind was their garden; so, they brought as much of it with them as they could. These Hydrangea plants were one of the very first plantings in the new garden. In order to save her beloved Hydrangea, Louise dug small shoots from around the original plant in Tennessee and planted them at their new home in Alabama. I am amazed at how those tiny shoots grew and developed!
But, while several plants made their way to a new home, it was time to say "goodbye" to others and start afresh...just like these cheerful Daffodils that herald the beginning of Spring.
Other early blooming plants included were, Creeping Phlox, Azaleas, Pink Dogwood, and some beautiful Irises.

	Both the Bearded Irises (above) and the blue Siberian Irises (left) were artfully planted. As you can see in the background, the roses have now started to bloom.
Siberian Iris in Spring Garden

Yellow flowers are one of my dad's preferences, so these yellow roses were one of his garden picks.

The Stella d' Oro daylily is probably, however, my dad's favorite flower. He likes this variety so much that he named their adorable little
	Stella and the Daylilies

dog Stella after them. Dad and Stella share a May 5th birthday, so a couple of years ago, I gave Dad a Cinco de Mayo Rose. I felt that it was an appropriate choice to commemorate the special day.
	Cinco de Mayo Rose

Louise planted it in the perennial garden near the patio so that they could enjoy it often. Rosa Cinco de Mayo is a floribunda variety. It has performed very well in the perennial garden, and during first bloom, is nearly completely covered in small semi-double blooms. The colors are reminiscent of a Mexican fiesta; reds, yellows, and peachy oranges all combined in one lovely flower!
One of Louise's choices was the Cecile Brunner rose, a blush pink heirloom climber. This is one of my favorites!

	The flowers in the vase are another of the pink rose varieties in the summer garden. Other flowers grown for summer bloom include purple coneflowers and a large variety of daylilies, including of course, Stella d' Oro. You can see the plant bearing the roses in the vase near the bottom left corner of the photo below.
Pink Roses

Since Louise is an avid swimmer, one of the first things they did when they relocated was to install a swimming pool.

This is the view from the pool itself. I think I could spend all day here! Dad and Louise's yard is not only beautiful in the spring and summer, though; they have truly planted a garden for all seasons.

	In the fall, Black-eyed Susans, Chrysanthemums, and Sedum Autumn Joy begin making an appearance. I think the gold and rust tones
Autumn Garden

combine beautifully with the purples and blues that are still in bloom from the summer garden. I hope you've enjoyed the tour of my parents' garden, and that perhaps it has provided ideas and inspiration to you as it has to me.

Until next time,

Project: Easy Planters from Flea Market Finds

This is the time of year that most nurseries put their annuals on sale. Sometimes you can pick up some incredible bargains, but by now, most of your flower pots and planters may already be in use. Here are a couple of fun, easy, and inexpensive ideas for transforming some of your flea market finds into clever planters.

I found this pretty old silverplate chafing dish for $1.00 at a local flea market. While it would certainly serve its original purpose, I decided that it would be more fun and practical to repurpose it.

Silver Chafing Dish Planter

To begin the project, remove the bowl and turn it upside down on a towel. Using a large nail and a hammer, punch holes in the bottom of the bowl. You could also use a drill with a bit for metal to make the holes.

Once the holes are in place, return the bowl to its normal place above the water reservoir. This will serve as a "saucer" to hold water that drains from the plant.

Now for the fun part! Fill with potting soil and the flowers or plants of your choice.

And now for the lid! Just add a plate hanger. The lid will be a clever and unusual accent to any wall, indoors or out!
And here's another idea. This one's even easier. Just fill an old colander with potting soil and plants. The colander makes a great planter because it already has plenty of drainage holes! You'll want to place it in another container to catch excess water. I used yet another flea market find, and old enamelware bowl.

Once you get started, you'll see lots of potential planters all around. Just about anything that will hold soil and accomodate drainage holes will work. I'd love to see what you're doing. If you'd like to email some pictures (see my profile for email address), they just might wind up featured in a future blog entry. Happy creating!

Until next time,

My Front Porch

For my first blog post, I thought I'd share with you one of my very favorite places in the summertime....my front porch. Living here in Maine, spring and summer are always a welcome treat after the cold, gray of winter. Each year one of the things I most look forward to is decorating my porch, and every year, I try to do something a bit different. Feeling the budget crunch, I've tried to recycle, re-use, and "steal" from other parts of the house to come up with a new look. The photo at left shows some of last year's tag sale finds put to use: A wire header, a vintage cherub, and a pair of cherub wall hangings.

I always pull this iron table and pair of chairs onto the porch. This year, I decided to dress them in blue and white, and to carry the blue and white theme through out my porch and plantings. The tureen lid (right) and the wicker chair (below right) were borrowed from the house for this year's porch setting. The wild violets and pansies (below left) were a welcome return from last year.

This is the plant stand that sits on the left side of my porch.

The planter on the far left on the bottom shelf is one that I made last year from an old silver plated chafing dish.

Since this is the shady side of the porch, I planted some white impatiens along with one of my very favorite plants, dusty miller. I hope they do as well as last year's plantings did. The step stones in front of this flower bed are one of my favorite things....My father, his lovely wife, Louise, and I made them last year when they came up for a visit. In addition to being quite pretty (I think), they bring back some wonderful memories! Another of my favorite things is my pair of cherubs. I call them, 'my girls' and love to dress them up!

On the other end of the porch, I have one small window. I planted the window box with pretty white petunias and blue lobelia. I've also got some dusty miller planted at the back of the box, but so far, it's not tall enough to be seen. This table sits under the window. Aren't the pansies just beautiful?

This is an old child's chair that I picked up along side the road. I love how it is so naturally distressed! I planted a colader of petunias and used an old enamel-ware piece as a drip pan. I think this looks so cheerful! I love mixing refined and rustic elements together!

The last photo is of a friendly cat who stopped by to watch me work. I just love summertime!

Thanks for stopping by today. As this is my first post, I'm hoping my layouts will improve as I get used to using "Blogger". I hope you're having a wonderful summer, and I'd love to see what you're doing with your outdoor spaces. Until next time,