Tag Archives: gardening

What’s Green and Growing Outta Control?

veggie garden

This girl’s vegetable bed!

vegetable bed

It’s been a month since the veggies went into the ground. And boy, have they exploded! There’s been nothing to harvest yet, but one lone green pepper is working it’s way to a “pick-able” status, and just in the last few days, a bunch of flowers have popped up on the tomatoes and cucumber.

cucumber blossom

I’m hopeful that Operation Homegrown Eats 2013 will soon find some fresh salad fixins on my plate.

Back Yard Tour

Now that you’ve seen the front yard, let’s go round to the back!

back yard deck

Ta-Da!

Now, close your eyes and imagine the umbrella is up. This scene is more picturesque when the umbrella is up.

Since these photos have been taken, something has eaten several of the plants seen in these containers. I suspect deer. And this means war. So, I’ve moved most of the pots onto the deck for safekeeping. I’m hoping that once the flowers have grown a bit more, I can move them back onto the patio.

window boxes

deck

This is the view from our back door and kitchen table. It’s lovely. And now features even more loveliness since I’ve had to move most of the other containers up here to save them from the d— deer. You may recognize my herb garden and made-over plant stand.

shade plants

We’ve also spruced up the space around our AC unit this year. The small bush is a Boxwood that wasn’t faring so well in our front yard. And the flowers are Torenia (shade lovers and deer resistant!).

That concludes our 2013 yard tour!

Oh wait, I think I forgot to show you the right side of our house… well… there’s not much to see here yet. I planted a few Foxgloves, but they’re not flowering, so just picture some greenery and you got it!

Thanks for touring with us 🙂

Front Yard Tour

In keeping with the recent “gardening” theme that’s been taking over my blog, I thought I’d give you the full tour of our yard. Let’s start with the front!

welcome planter

front porch welcome

I love these planters flanking the front door. I made them symmetrical, because I need to satisfy a bit of OCD. I used Spike Dracaena, bi-colored Petunias, Gomphrena, and some type of relative to the Hibiscus family. I forget the exact name. *Update: this last one is called a Flowering Maple

front yard garden

Our landscaping was put in last spring, and it has come back with force this year! Our porch is flanked by Boxwoods, Knockout Roses, and Japanese Yew (or at least some type of Yew). On the corner in the forefront, we’ve got additional Boxwoods and a Rose of Sharon tree.

front yard garden

The large planter on the porch is full of Asiatic Lilies. I think this may be the last year they’ll fit in this pot!

side yard

Rounding the corner, we’ve got a Snowberry Bush, Hydrangea, Peony (I don’t think it’s going to bloom this year… boooooo), and lastly, a Burning Bush. At the very end of the house, you can see our vegetable bed.

front house view

That concludes for our front yard tour! Thanks for joining us here at Two Purple Couches, and have a wonderful day!

DIY Plant Stand Makeover

diy plant stand makeover

I bought this small table a few years ago. It was meant to be used for drinks and such, but it’s just so small that it makes a much better plant stand. Well, I left it out on our patio over the winter, and this happened:

chipped tile table

Oops.

At first, I thought I’d chip out the tile and replace it with a more colorful sheet of the mosaic stuff you find at the hardware stores. Then I realized what a horrendous project that would be. So, I switched to how to cover the problem 😉

Then I remembered the scrap-paper covered coasters I made last year. Mod Podge is a miracle worker, right?

DSC00443

So, I dug out the same items I’d used in the coaster project, selected a piece of scrapbook paper, and got to work!

Like. New.

diy plant stand makeover

diy plant stand makeover