Secret garden

This part of Westbury Gardens in Vermont reminds me of a secret garden.  I've always wanted a little pathway that leads to a secret garden in my garden and in my mind, it looks very similar to this one . . . except mine would have more color and maybe a water feature along the side.

Very cool idea for a large property!

For more photos featured on the Fine Gardening website click here.

Click here to visit Westbury Gardens' website.

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Around the garden world in 365 days

Container gardens like the one in the photo is what we are striving to do in our garden that includes lots of concrete and container plantings.  Much easier maintenance than the wild look we currently have.  Love the tropical feel of this colorful garden vignette!

This photo was taken at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Day #32 in "Around The Garden World in 365 Days," Barbara's fabulous blog series that takes you on a trip to a different garden every time with lots of photos and inspiration for your garden.  Click here for Day #32 where you will find many more photos from the gorgeous and inspirational Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

Barbara Peake Wise describes herself as a plant nerd who works for Landscape Service, Inc.  You can also follow her on Twitter.  She is one of my favorite garden enthusiasts on the internet!

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Containers in the garden

Daniela Baloi's vegetable garden in Hudson, Ohio was recently featured on Fine Gardening's website.   All I can say is that I'm jealous and would love the fenced garden area in my own yard.

Although the garden is awesome and innovating, what caught my attention was this little sitting area with the awesome container planting.  What a great pairing of the container with the red handle and red flowers.  I love a garden with lots of different colorful and pretty spots to relax and enjoy nature happening in the garden.  Container plants are excellent for these areas!

I love those large coffee cup bowls for serving pasta or salad, but it is super cute in the garden!  I've seen them at closeout stores and they are very inexpensive.  Don't forget to drill holes or add lots of rocks to the bottom of the container for good drainage.

Click here to check out Daniela's newly fenced veggie garden.

Photo source is FineGardening.com

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What to do with a fallen tree?

When nature hands you lemons . . . thank God you and your family are safe and you still have a roof over your head.

I don't remember such a rainy summer with fierce lightening that travels with the thunderstorms.

These thunderstorms were too much for our huge oak tree that is dangerously close to the house.  One of the monsterously huge limbs must have gotten too heavy from all the rain and old age.  The trunk is as big around as a normal oak tree.  I always wanted to hang a swing from it, figuring it was sturdy and never going anywhere.  Wrong!  

The casualty is the back storage shed and outdoor patio.  The building itself and the patio roof looks crumpled like an accordion.  My heart is broken . . . I love that outdoor patio, not to mention we don't know what is going on inside, where so many of my treasures and memories live.  We are still dealing with the shock of that huge tree limb falling . . . the damage that has been done inside is already done, so I guess it has to be one shock at a time.  

I'm so grateful it did not fall on the house and we are safe.

Photos of the fallen tree and damage will be posted on the blog "My Florida Paradise" . . . this post is about solutions.  

We plan on using as much of the wood as we can on various projects and lots of material for the compost pile.  I went on an internet search expedition and found the most awesome path I have ever seen!  Along with lots of tables and benches, this will be one of the projects for sure.  I'll be listing more projects as I find them so we will have the instructions and ideas handy and hopefully help someone else who was handed lemons from nature.

Click here for the original blog post

Click here for an update a year later

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Outdoor shower

When it comes to the garden, there are many projects that are still dreams and ideas in my head . . . an outdoor shower is on the top of that list!

From Sunset Magazine . . .

This weekend project has three basic parts: two wing walls and a center pole with the plumbing attached. 

Time: One weekend (4 hours of labor, plus drying time for sealer)

Difficulty: 3 (on a scale of 1–10; requires modest woodworking skills)

Cost: About $170

Click here for the full article, including instructions and material list.

Awesome collection of backyard projects!  

Click here

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