Yes, I am a big gardening person, once the nice weather comes that is where I am most of the time, my yard is high maintenance LOL In fact I spent most of the day outside yesterday, now I feel like I can hardly move!

I love doing tablesettings outside too, but only certain times of the year, the mosquitos and flys drive me nuts (I don't have a screened in area).

I also display my collection of blue and white porcelians outside, they are so inexpensive that I don't worry if some get broken by accident, but I love how the look outside, I got that idea from a photo spread from the decorator Mary McDonald based in California.

I shall have to check out the Suzy Bates book, thanks for posting this.

Kareen, This is a very good subject for a post. I love to garden and very soon will be spending most of every day outside. I also love to do tablescapes outdoors and hope everyone posts their pics when they do them.

I was outside this weekend swapping out my containers from pansies (getting too hot for them) to petunias. My hybrid tea roses are all starting to bud. The daisies ground cover is blooming. The orange tree is blossoming (what a scent!!!) and the lavender is blooming.

I love gardening.

Me too! I can't wait to get out there, but then I am exhausted all the time. I love to decorate my wrap around porch, I have wicker and of course that means washing and spraying every year. But I can't do that till all the pollen is down, I tried earlier one year and had ro rewash everything!
The last party we did outdoors was gs's 1st bday in Sept. I used all primary colors blue and red and pots of yellow mums and these great metal buckets , red with white polka dots for the chips etc. I got them very cheap after Cmas one year in the party store.
I can't wait to see everyone's out door decs.
Kareen, on one of the posts I took a pic of the tablecloths I bought for a luncheon I am planning for my friend who is moving. They are 120" long so they will go to the floor. Of course if it rains, Plan B will have to be ready!
I got them on ebay, florals. I couldn't make them for what I paid.

Kareen, when I first read the title of your post I thought oh oh, the battle going on over in that other forum in this site, was spreading. Thank goodness it isn't.
Yachter, I read your post over there. .it all goes back to the obvious, NO one makes any one post, so why should they get annoyed over someone's questions...just don't answer! It's all opinions anyway, what someone loves, someone else hates!

Brown thumb here. I work out because I have to. I don't like the gardening so much. It is probably a good thing since I would probably bankrupt myself if I had another vice:))

Now, don't get me wrong, I do the baskets and planters for around the pool. I did try a veggie garden the first year we lived in this house. It was lovely until I had DD, toddler at the time, in the garden with me weeding when I stepped on a snake. Now we go to the farmstand.LOL

Ha Ha! Kathleen, I am with you. I thought "Oh no, what has happened now?" I had the same fear you had. I love our friendly little group here, so am so relieved it wasn't anything wrong!

I love my plants and seeing every bloom or pretty new leaf--but I am not the greatest gardner. I fight the weeds, plant and replant, and while it usually looks pretty nice in pictures I take--I am never really satisfied with it. Part of my problem is that I just can't bear to throw away a living plant--so I coddle them and try to help them along, when I should just dig them out and start anew. LOL

I have a patio table on a front patio and on the smaller back patio, as well as one of those little ice cream tables with two chairs. Rest of the family will tolerate 4th of July cookout sometimes, but prefer to eat inside because of the flies and possible other insects. So now, my little GD and I have our own little parties out there--we just shoo the bugs away (or feed them too sometimes) and just enjoy ourselves. Last time was PB & Jelly sandwiches on her little picnic table--she just loves it.

I will look forward to seeing all of your "more sophisticated" outdoor table settings. ;o)

Judith, your blue and white items sound so nice for an outside display. Do you have them on a bakers rack or some special shelving?

I have a couple of bakers racks on my back patio. Just painted trays and flower pots on them. I usually put out holiday decorations on the front patio too, and always have signs and stakes that I've painted hanging on the gates, lamppost, side garage door, etc. I've also made several items I learned about from the gals over on the garden junk forum. Things like tipsy pots, glass totems, and decorated bowling balls. Here's a sample:

Luvs, you are too modest, you gardens and porches look lovely. And that sign you made it just beautiful. All my garden colors. I have a slate, store bought sign that has faded terribly. What kind of paint should I use to restore it??
And your tea parties with gd are the thing memories are made from..
I have to get my planting done while it is still cool, once it gets hot and humid I can't take it! And I find the older I get the harder it is to do it all. But I love looking at the flowers!
Labmomma, I wouldn't be there if the snakes were, yikes, I don't blame you! We only have little garter snakes, and even those are rare, thank goodness. snakes freak me out. I know there is a Freudian link there, but I don't care!!
And we go to the nearby farm too, as the deer eat all the veggies so it isn't worth it! I do put a few things in pots just so the gkids can pick the beans etc.
So we will have lots of garden decor pics to carry us through after Easter I hope. We don't get much blooming here till June ..the rhodies and azaleas will be first , May.

We don't usually have too much trouble with insects during the early Spring, but by the time summer is here they're everywhere. I usually grow leaf lettuces, parsley, edible flowers, chives, etc and when it's close to time to quit gardening for the day DS always picks our "salads", washes them, and has them ready to eat. DS and I like to cook polish sausages on a little fire pit and eat them outside after a hard day working out there. DH doesn't appreciate either one. LOL

Luvs, Your pics are so pretty. I made some tipsy towers also and love them. I've only made 1 glass totem and it's a butterfly bath. Your blue totems are very pretty. And I love your welcome sign. Did you paint it yourself? You did a wonderful job. I love everything you've made.

not me. I can grow a tomato in a pot and that's about it. You'd cry if you could see how huge my backyard is.

luvs, Your yard pictures are so nice as are your decorations. Love your sign, your glass totems, and your stacked pots, really, really pretty!

In answer to your question. I put the blue and white objects on a old glass "sofa table" and I also intersperce them thru the garden beds, a few are on the raised metal "thingys" that normally hold potted plants off the ground. I also have an arrangement on a glass end table and do an arrangement on the outside dining table.

I never took pictures of my outside stuff, but I will as soon as my garden gets full of growth.

Oh, yes do take pics, more inspiration!
My cousin was moving 2 yrs ago and gave me this beau wicker sofa and matching high backed chair and ottoman. She bought it at museum in town that has a sale every year, people donate items to help the museum raise money. It has springs in the cushions and an upholstered back. It weighs a ton! It has blue uph cushions and white wicker. What a wonderful gift! I love it. DH didn't want me to take it as we already had a wicker sofa and too many chairs in his opinion but I am so glad I did. He says the porch looks like a retirement home with all the chairs etc!!! Well, I am retired and it is my home HA!

Judith, your blue items sound so pretty in your yard. And what a great idea to have a "theme" throughout.

Sandi, yes, I paint lots of signs and things. The other side of the lamppost one is black with roses--wanted people to see something pretty coming and going! LOL Thank you for the nice compliments.

Kathleen, the patio paints are recommended for outside items, but having said that, I mostly use my regular acrylics since I already have so many of them, then put three coats of a spray on sealer that is for exterior items. I love to paint, and thank goodness my DH allows me to put my "dootsies" all over the place!

Your wicker sounds wonderful, I love wicker but don't have any. You'll have to share a pic of your porch with us.

I agree, do what you like and enjoy. This was meant to be my "retirement" home, so it's time to get to use what I like whether or not it's popular or in style. Besides, couldn't afford to replace it all even if I wanted to! LOL

Luvs

Thought you'd like to see what wasted garden space looks like lol
The stump is gone now and so also is all the green grass after our dry spell.

There haven't been any gardeners in our family and I don't think I'll be the first one. Wish I had it in me I'm envious of those lush gardens edible or not!!

Here is a link that might be useful:

Oh Minnie,
I see your picture and I see pathways and arbors and a water garden and a birdhouse on a pole and a patio for table with tablescape and a swing and seating and fruit trees and shrubs and .............
Luvs, thanks for the eyecandy, you have done a great job. I haven't been over on the garden junk site in a while
I am so glad to know that most of you are gardeners too so when you are missing here I will know where you are and visa versa.
Kathleen....trust me , I want NO part of that nonsense going on on the other site but I know you don't know me well enough yet to know that and my topic was misleading. Glad you can laugh about it now. Kareen

Tally, I'm sorry I missed your post earlier. I don't remember seeing you post before. If you have forgive me for not remembering and if you haven't, then welcome to the forum. Usually we can have pansies here through June, but I believe it's going to get too hot too quickly here this year. Isn't spring wonderful!

Kathleen, There is no way I could turn down a patio set either. It was a wonderful gift and I know you really enjoy using it.

Minnie, You do have a huge yard. My DH would like it if ours looked more like yours. I have flowers and ponds and building a larger pond. LOL

Kareen, I can "see" all of that in Minnie's backyard also. ;~)

Luvs, I don't worry about what's in style and what isn't. I can't afford to. Plus, when I find something I really love then I usually want to keep it forever.

I am ready to work out in the yard too. Last week it was pretty nice but then of course over the weekend we had mostly rain. My lawn is like a swamp back there, the groundwater level is so high from all the snow and recent melt off. But...my bulbs are starting to grow and I can see the tulips, daffodils, hyazinths, crocuses, iris and alliums peeking through the ground...
Over the weekend I was soooooo mad...because my crocuses were just getting ready to bloom and along came 'some-bunny' and ate them all...:(
I really like my decorating bunnies much better then the real on that frequents my backyard...at least they won't eat my flowers...lol
I am still a beginner when it comes to gardening...we moved into this house about 2 years ago...it had existing landscaping...a bit too formal for me...but it was nice...so the first year I didn't do much...last year was a major remodel year...inground pool was completly remodeled...addition was added...I created some more flowerbeds in the backyard and planted some grasses and mostly bulbs in the fall....this year will be the year to add the patio that connects the addition and the old patio...and planting perrenials and deciding on a new design for the landscaping in the front of the house...I will probably ask alot of questions during the planting season...I manage ok with creating potted arrangments but I am not sure how well I'll do creating gardens...LOL

Tam, you are not suggesting that my bad boy Stud has been in your area eating your flowers, you know he us not OUT yet so it couldn't be him! LOL
That's a lot of work you are talking about, I hope you have some help. I know you are a lot younger, but gardening can be back breaking work and I know your job requires many hours. So easy does it, a little each year!
A hint about bulbs. I have given up on tulips, the squirrels devour them. Daffodills on the other hand are usually ignored!

Luvs, thanks for showing us the pretty things you made. It is hard to pick a favorite, but I really do like your welcome sign.

Minnie, I had to laugh when I read your post. Unfortunately, the tomatoes I planted in pots one year were really sad little things. Seems my green thumb is black as coal. At one time I had some pretty roses and flowers, but not any more. I even took a little landscaping course years ago, but guess I didn't learn a thing.

Kathleen, that sounds like a beautiful wicker set. What a nice cousin you have. I would like to have a small wicker settee for my back porch. Poor DH, he thinks there is already too much junk on there. Unfortunately, he is right. I can't seem to keep it looking neat.

A couple of weeks ago I heard a thump on the porch. Scared me half to death; it was in the wee hours of the morning and I was at the kitchen table. I looked out and there was a raccoon looking back at me. I don't know which one of us was more startled! I was also mad -- it pulled the lattice off at one corner, broke a piece of it, and tore the screen to get in. He jumped back up and out after he saw me. Grrr. I nailed the lattice back, but will have to get some screen to patch where he tore it. At least with the lattice over it, I will be able to mend it where it won't show. (I hope.)

Tam, We all have different things we like to do. Some things come easy and some come hard. You sound like you're well on your way to creating a beautiful lawnscape.

Kathleen, I've always heard daffodils are the one thing that squirrels won't touch. I hope that's true as a friend gave me lots and lots this past fall and they have been up and some of them have been blooming for a few weeks now.

Hi2all, I would have been startled also. Especially in the middle of the night. LOL

Kathleen, I thought the same thing, was almost afraid to open this thread! So glad to see it was about gardening!!!

Whew!!!

I love this group & hope it stays just like it is!!!

Up til this year, we had two Koi ponds in the backyard, a water garden on back deck, one on side of house & one on front deck & a boat pond in the front yard, plus flower gardening.

It just all became too much, once it's warm we are at the boat all summer & found if we can't do them all justice & keep them up, not worth having, so I gave away two ponds full or Koi last fall. DH filled in the one pond yesterday & we will still have our boat pond in the front yard with water lillies & other water plants in it, but no fish anymore.

Have grandson staying overnite so will write more tomorrow, he wants my attention! LOL

Oh, I love to garden! Funny because I didn't used to like it....in fact, had a brown thumb or so I thought. Thanks to gardening forums I've been able to broaden my knowledge and I think that makes all the difference. That, and watching an area being transformed from an overgrown, nasty plot into a beautiful, blooming oasis really helps maintain your momentum. We've been working on our backyard for over a year now....we've added a cemented flagstone walkway along the eastern side of the house, flagstone and pebble walkways, an oval of grass for the pups and new planted berms along the pathway edges. Oh and DH built a flagstone fountain. All that's left to do are cosmetic things, like painting the cement block walls, the vintage table and chairs, etc. I love to entertain outside when the weather is nice....outdoor tablescaping is so much fun to me!

Lorinscott, when I was young I hated gardening. My mother would be outside working all the time, her roses, her azalea, her clematis! Like they were her children. We THOUGHT SHE WAS CRAZY! As I got older I found it therapeutic, and nurturing. I think those of us who like our houses to look nice enjoy a garden also. Of course, I wouldn't mind a gardener to help!!

Kathleen, me too! My DH will edge for me once in awhile, but isn't much interested in the rest. I have no real talent for gardening, but have found that roses are pretty hardy, and that my bushes and vines make a good backdrop for various annuals that add some extra color. I really love being able to go out in the yard and cut a bouquet for my table. My DIL is always amazed at how I can have fresh flower arrangements all the time from the yard. But, yes, a gardener's helper sure would be nice.

Lorinscott, your yard sounds wonderful, but I can see where that would be allot to keep up with. We just have to figure out what our prioities are, don't we?

Luvs