Produce

Radio silence usually means lots going on, however because it is my summer vacation I have been very lazy. Usually I make a list of projects to tackle and go at them full steam ahead, but this summer has proven otherwise. I did make the list and it has about 8 items on it, but I have yet to fully complete one. Oh, well, I earned this time off right? At least our garden has been hard at work:

{Zucchini}

{Poblano}

{Better Boy Tomato}

{Roma}

Erik and I are trying to undo all of the cook-out gluttony that has occurred over the past couple weeks. We want to try and incorporate more vegetarian meals into our diet to lighten things up. I could live off pasta alone, but veggies need a more starring role. So I need help!

Do you have any go-to meals that you make with only veggies? Or can you recommend any cook books for veggie-friendly meals?

Much obliged.

How They've Grown...

It has been a year since I planted my Confederate Jasmine. My dream is to have my porch columns be completely covered in the fragrant beauties. Last year they were barely scraping the base of the columns...

But after 365 days of water and sun they have met in the middle and are going strong!

I hope Erik and I are in this house long enough to see them mature like these that I saw on a trip to Serenbe- a beautiful neighborhood in South GA.

Have anything good growing at home?

Rewarding

To grow your own home decor.

{My bright orange geraniums with my favorite owls.}

Surprise Dinner Party

Saturday was spent in the dirt. That has been a common occurrence in these parts lately. It is just too darn nice out to be inside, so if that means I have dirt under my nails than so be it. After I spent time tending to the weeds, planting some more herbs:

{ Rosemary }

{ Ours on the left, Graham's on the right }

and helping Erik build the structure for the veggie garden, the neighbors and I decided that a patio dinner was a must do. So I buzzed around the house cleaning and picking up to make sure all was tidy for our impromptu dinner guests.

I used some of my beautiful geraniums and snowball blooms to decorate the porch tables. We had delicious kabobs, asparagus, potatoes, and an amazing blueberry cobbler, a BYODinner courtesy of my awesome neighbors and lovely sister. We ended the night with a little Wii bowling, to which I can proudly announce, I RULE.

It was a great night.

The Hostas are coming!

I love perennials! It is so fun to see my spouts pop up after a long winter. The hostas are making their entrance this week. They shoot up in little tubes, beginning with a beautiful eggplant color and then turninig to their varigated green. I separated these last summer so I can't wait to see how they fill in this year.

Shouts to Homemade Grits for featuring another star of my front garden on her site today :)

Colors & Labels

There are some new faces 'round here:

{ Phlox }

{ Snowball bush }

{ Creeping Jenny }

{ Geranium }

{ My camilia busting out! }

Erik and I are going to be making our first herb and veggie/fruit gardens this year. I'm excited to be able to pick out our own growin's for our dinners. Our planter box is almost complete for the herb garden that is going to be placed on our back porch for easy access. I wanted a DIY way to label all of my herbs. I found lots of cute ideas and products on Etsy, but I knew I could make something myself. I found plain metal stakes at Pike's for a couple bucks, and thank my lucky stars our neighbors happened to have metal stamps.

So my hand-punched garden labels were born. I couldn't be happier with them. Once we establish which veggies/fruits we're going to grow, I'm going to get copper ones for those beds. I can't wait!

Are you growing anything good this summer?

Budget Blooms

{ Bulbs in Bulk, Walmart-style }

When I do my trips to Walmart to pick up random assortments of items I usually enter through the Garden center because the parking lot is less full and there is a shorter line. As I entered yesterday, I was greeted with an awesome site: $1 bulbs! Now these are not just plain bulbs that I have to wait months for a showing, they were already sprouting! Hyacinths, tulips, and daffodils in a variety of colors! I was so happy that someone did the work for me and I get to reap the rewards for a buck. No more planting in the winter, or forgetting to! I just planted my lovelies yesterday and will get to see them soon.

{ my selection }

{ the little ones snug in their new bed }

Thank you Walmart for making our lives easier, except when we have to try and survive the lines at Christmas, find a parking spot that is semi-close, and try to not let the fertilizer I bought touch the fruit snacks or the new casserole dish that I just picked up.

New Garden Addition

My hanging baskets were looking sad, so I find this little one to make them lively again. I'm not sure what it is but the progression from star shaped buds to vibrant purple petals is divine.

Any ideas as to what this is?

Garden Blooms

My endless summer hydrangea is popping out its last blooms of the summer. I went out and snipped off a few that had run their course from blue petals back to green.

These are my favorite. They look more natural and weathered. I hope for the day that my front yard is covered in pale green to white blooms. Until then these beauties are freshening up the living room.

Do you have any new garden treasures?

Hostas Galore!

2 things thrive in my yard: hostas and lamb's ear. I have lamb's eye growing out of every stitch of dirt imaginable, and hostas have popped up all over the yard as well. I was happy to receive several of these little sprouts of hostas from my mother-in-law in early spring this year and last so the collection is quickly growing. But so far this summer they are growing uneven, and due to my OCD, I must have symmetry. So last week I remedied the situation by transplanting ALL of my hostas.

It went something like this...

{ Dig up all hostas }

    { Separate plantings by size }

{ Layout new plantings }

     

{ All evenly spaced ! }

DIY Tips: Container Garden

{ via iseli-nursery.com }

If you are lacking in the lawn area, container gardens are the way to go. They are portable, easy to install, and can bring color and softness to any porch or patio. Garden Guides provides some wonderful tips when planning your own container garden.

• Avoid containers with narrow openings.
  
• Cheap plastic pots may deteriorate in UV sunlight and terracotta pots dry out rapidly. Glazed ceramic pots are excellent choices but require several drainage holes.
  
• Wooden containers are susceptible to rot. Redwood and cedar are relatively rot resistant and can be used without staining or painting. Avoid wood treated with creosote, penta or other toxic compounds since the vapors can damage the plants. One advantage of wooden containers is that they can be built to sizes and shapes that suit the location.

{ via gardenviews.com }

• Use containers between 15 and 120 quarts capacity. Small pots restrict the root area and dry out very quickly. The size and number of plants to be grown will determine the size of the container used. Deep rooted vegetables require deep pots.
  
• Make sure your pot has adequate drainage. Holes should be 1/2 inch across. Line the base of the pot with newspaper to prevent soil loss.
  
• In hot climates use light-colored containers to lessen heat absorption and discourage uneven root growth.
  
• Set containers on bricks or blocks to allow free drainage.
  
• Line hanging baskets with moss for water retention.

• Keep baskets away from afternoon sun.
  
• If you choose clay pots, remember that clay is porous and water is lost from the sides of the container. Plants in clay pots should be monitored closely for loss of moisture.

{ You can grow stuff just about anywhere! via sliceofawesome.com }


To get more tips on soil, sunlight, fertilizer and what to grow visit Garden Guides!