Wow has this week has flown by! How does that happen? And how is it that I just can’t seem to get back into my blogging rhythm? Ah well, I’ll blog when I can. It’s been busy here – Emma, my teenager, spent 2 weeks in Kansas, home for 2 days and then off to the Alive concert. All three of my girls are planning to go on a vacation to Holmes County with their Grandparents. I’ve been working on some custom projects along with trying to get some things ready for The Summer Market event I’m setting up at the end of July. I’ve hauled home some more fun finds, I’ve sewn some burlap and lace runners and burlap curtains. I’m working on some pennant banner orders and some gorgeous ruffled and lace shower curtains. I can’t wait to share it all with you.
Today I’m sharing our summertime yard. It’s not something you would see in a magazine but I’ve enjoyed the process (most of it) and slowly it is becoming a place that makes me smile. Now if I could just come up with somewhere to store my furniture projects besides the front porch…
My Hydrangea are the highlight of the place. Incrediball’s, created from the heirloom Anabelle’s, it has huge blooms and the stalks are much sturdier and hardier than the mother plant. This was the first bloom to turn white. 
The plants are now covered with pure white blooms with new ones coming on. These photos were shot a week ago.
My sheep still stands watch over everything. He needs a new ribbon but I just haven’t taken the time to get one on him.
This planter I bought at an auction a few weeks ago. The small boxwood is one that actually made it through our hard winter. I transplanted it here.
My front door is getting a makeover very soon! I received paint in the mail today and I’m so excited to get started!
Chocolate mint in an Italian clay pot.
This flower bed along the side of the porch and the ones on both sides of our front walk were full of small boxwood. I love boxwood and was so happy to put them in here. This past winter was rough on a lot of plants – including my boxwood. Not one of them in this bed made it 🙁 I was so sad. I’m glad we have them pulled out so I don’t have to look at the dried up brown leaves. Several of them did have a few bits of green on the very bottom. When we pulled them out my hubby cut all the dry dead stuff off and put them in the dirt in a back bed we haven’t gotten around to finishing yet. If they come back and grow there fine – but I didn’t want to look at the sad looking things every time I left or came home or sat on my front porch!
My rusty fence project from last year. I had high hopes for the ivy covering this ‘fence’. But the hard winter killed most of it too. I added the collection of clay pots for a place to store them some texture and interest.
In front of our little garage (that has never held a car in the 17 years we’ve owned the place) I placed my old John Deere planters. I’d like to have some urns here eventually but for now I like these. My brother-in-law gave them to me for Christmas a few years ago and I’ve planted flowers in them every year since. I like them 🙂
We mulched after pulling out the dead boxwood. Hopefully next spring we can tear the yard up and level it out and replant a nice flat yard, add new boxwood, and the other landscaping I have in mind.
My husband added these beds going from the urns to the walk so he wouldn’t have to mow there. I think it made things look really nice and neat. We planted some ground cover to hold the soil in and to look pretty.
Our cat likes to photobomb when I’m out shooting.
Even some of our boxwood that had been in for years were killed by the winter we had. I’ve done a bit of research and I think I will be spraying any boxwood we add with an anti-transpirant.
This is my herb garden. It is almost completely covered with volunteer cilantro! Good thing we like cilantro 😀 Honestly I don’t use the herbs as much as I just like to look at an herb garden. I forgot to buy basil this spring – I usually put in a few plants so I have fresh basil for making pesto or fresh mozzarella and basil pizza.
Our chocolate mint is another plant that was hard hit by the hard winter. We transplanted some that was growing the wrong direction and it’s coming back well but doesn’t have the stand it did last year.
The metal topiary things I put by our little barn are from a ‘dumpster find my hubby brought home to me last year. They were in plastic pots that were cracked and falling apart and covered with plastic ivy. I tore off the ivy and had Travis cut the pots off – the pots were filled with hardened foam. I quite like them as garden art!
This year I put succulents in this planter. I tend to forget to water this planter and decided something that didn’t need much water would be a good idea.
Our play set. The girls have turned it into their fort/playhouse. Larke has the lower side and Becca has the higher side. Sometime I’m going to go out and do a photo shoot of their set-ups. It’s quite cute and creative!
So that’s our Summertime Yard. Nothing overly special but we enjoy it!
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway – it ends tonight!
Jill
Follow along with me here:
Jill, I can’t wait to see what you have been sewing…I was thinking of making burlap curtains myself but not sure how they will turn out. Will you be posting pics? Also of the shower curtain.
Keep up the good work!
Cecelia
Yes, I will be posting pics! I just delivered the burlap today and took pics – so darling! And the shower curtains should be done this week and I will be doing a photoshoot of them!
Omigoodness! So much loveliness all in one spot! Love your rusty fence project and the urns by the sidewalk and your hydrangeas and your kitty and on and on! LOL. All if it is so pretty and inspiring!
Thanks Jennifer! We are really enjoying it a lot! Now we are giving our front door a makeover and I’m really excited about it!
Maybe you don’t think your yard is special, I think it’s gorgeous. Lots of work making it look so pretty. Love the boxwood too, all your plants, the urns. We had some boxwood among other plants in KY in our yard but there anything I just stuck in the ground grew. Guess there’s trade offs huh, humidity and green plants/grass or little humidity, high temps and have to water everything like crazy every day to keep it alive? lol.
Love all your gorgeous photos and those hydrangeas? Oh I love those so much. Since we haven’t been able to grow any I’m making some with paper from Lia Griffith’s site which is fantastic for paper crafting.
We’d been in house in Ky at least couple years when one day we decided to clean up hedges on one side to discover all kinds of Hosta plants and lilies.
One year at Christmas was decorating tree, went out to pull some vines off the hedges to put on tree, had birds and nests on tree also. It was a very natural tree, loved it. I’d made some felt birds to hang on it. Was one of my favorite trees ever. I was alone a lot, people not friendly at all out where we lived so I’d keep myself very busy while hubs gone.
We’re doing more this year to garden, hubs is pulling some weeds, planting some nice plants, he planted some things year or so after we moved in inflower beds,perimeter of front yard on one side and front. Then God very nicely blew elm tree seeds in front beds so we have 3 very nice elm trees in front. I mean exactly where they’d need to go. Where they landed can’t help but think God was helping us out. The trees have grown so much, makes some nice shade for Tommy to lie under besides the front porch. He has himself a little fort under there, digs holes all over to lie in to keep cool.
Lucky girls get to take vacation but not Mom and Dad this year? When was last time you took an actual vacation? Can’t remember last time we took one unless you count the days at state park lake, that I could honestly say is like vacation to me.
The girls special spot looks like so much fun for them, kids love their own special little forts to play in. One time in Tucson my boys dug a big hole, put things in it in lot next to my Mother’s house. Now it’s all houses and a business, hardly recognized it when I was there in 2008 for my 50th. high school reunion.
Can hardly wait to see what you got in your hunts recently. It just amazes me what people get rid of, one mans trash is another man’s treasure is so right huh?
This week has been quite pleasant, not so blasted hot with nice breezes, (more like hurricanes)lol, but not too bad today and yesterday. Don’t need to have cooler on, love when I can have windows, doors open to fresh air (and lots of dust blowing in)but have to take good with bad.
Hubs just spray painted a wicker lamp for me. I found a wicker shade at thrift store few months ago so will have him paint shade also. When cleaning out suburban found the lamp, I’d forgotten I had it so will go very nicely with shabbychic/beachy/cottage look in l/r. When in doubt spray paint it right? Love me some spray paint. Better shut and go do something even if its wrong. Happy summer days to you Jill and your family. You’ll get lots done when your kids are gone. Wish I could be at your July sale.
Thanks JaneEllen! Your Christmas tree sounds like it was lovely – love using bird nests 🙂 Glad you are having great weather!
It’s so gorgeous!!! Very inspiring!
Thanks! We are enjoying it!
Love it all!
Thanks Anita!
You have such a lovely garden……hope you have a chair somewhere to sit and enjoy it.
Thanks so much Elaine – and yes I sit on my porch a lot in the evenings or in a lounge chair in the back yard 🙂
Jill!!! It is beautiful, I couldn’t even choose a favorite, I LOVE all of your pretty touches everywhere! And, I think it’s absolutely magazine worthy!! Happy Summer, cute friend!
Thanks Pam! You are way to sweet! I do love our yard this year though even if it’s not what I hope to eventually create! It makes me happy.
I love all of your landscaping. It looks so pretty. Your grass looks nice and healthy too. Love the potted plants on the trellis and all of your urns and topiaries.
Thanks Kelly! Our grass is growing so fast we mow it twice a week. Lots and lots of rain this year.
Thank you for the tour. Very beautiful and great ideas as always. 🙂
Thanks Carla! I’m enjoying it!
I can’t believe the treasures you found in the trash. It’s amazing what some people throw away!! Your yard is beautiful! Mine, on the other hand, is full of chicken feathers and smashed flowers from the chickens.
Thanks Tonya, I’m enjoying our yard this year. We’ve had tons of rain so everything is green and lovely. Come August it usually gets a bit sun-dried and less green so I’m soaking it all in now!
Your yard looks lush and green and oh so pretty. I can’t wait to see what color you picked for your front door. I hope you picked something bold.
Thanks Amy! And I hate to disappoint you but I’m afraid you won’t think my choice of front door color is bold – I went with black – and I have a new mailbox that is going to be so cute! But not really bold I’m afraid! I’d have gone with a bright blue but they didn’t offer a color of blue I liked. So black it is!