We are going to be talking about Olive's Fairy Garden & our gardens around the yard.
We have been working very hard on our yard for over a year now. We had very little landscaping and lots of areas of the yard that needed cleaning up. We are nowhere near done, but our yard is coming together nicely.
Olive's Fairy Garden:
We have the perfect, rooty tree in our backyard to build a fairy garden around. I found almost all of the supplies back in the Spring at The Dollar Tree. There are fairies, gnomes, homes, shells, flowers and more. It's the cutest little garden and the kids play with it almost every day. Fletcher loves the gnomes and Olive loves the fairies.
Garden Tour:
We are all invested in our gardens. We all water. We check on our flowers daily. The kids count them and care for them. Fletcher has been hard on some of the plants (stomping, picking and chopping) so we are slowly, but surely teaching him to love not attack the plants. 2 year old boys are WILD!!
I keep track of the plants and flowers we buy in my garden journal. It helps me to keep a record of what we've planted, when we planted, where it came from and how well it is doing in our yard. I love flipping through it. An added bonus of the journal is that I have been able to learn the names of lots of new plants. I keep the plant receipts in the back of the book in case something dies and needs to be returned or exchanged.
Let's get started:
Tip: If your yard needs a lot of plants, focus your attention on perennials first. That way they will come back year after year and you'll be building a great garden foundation for yourself. These plants are so happy in their spots and most of them doubled in size from year one to year two.
We added hastas in several spots. I think we have three or four different varieties. I love the color they add to the landscaping.
Our Meijer store has a great garden center. Tons of beautiful plants. Great sales and great deals through their app. We love their soil, mulch, gardening supplies and plants. See those light purple flowers?? They are called Blue Moon Phlox and they smell AMAZING. I'd never heard of them until this year. I walked by the display and did a double take when I caught a whiff of them. They smelled so wonderful that I had to buy them.
These Red Prince Weigela are so pretty!! They love full sun and are doing so well.
It's so rewarding to brighten up a spot with beautiful flowers :) I can't wait for these hydrangeas to grow and grow to fill up this spot.
Potted Plants:
I followed my mom's advice and did pinks in the backyard and reds out front in my pots. I love the colors. I have always wanted to add sweet potato vines to our pots, but couldn't find them last year. I searched everywhere. Meijer came through for me this year and we have 5 or 6 sweet potato vines this year. The vibrant green color is stunning!! Impatiens love our deck so I usually stick with those.
My little gardeners watering our pots. If you've got kids, buy them little watering cans. They'll be the best helpers keeping your plants hydrated all summer.
What are you growing at your house right now??
I love it! You have all done a great job. I love the variety. I have Petunias and Impatiens in my pots on the porch. They have started to take off with all of this rain we have gotten. We decided against landscaping since we will eventually move away someday. I have a trash can rain barrel set up so my flowers have a fresh water.
ReplyDeleteWhat great variety! I love that blue moon and sweet potato vines are my favorite! I have an herb garden that I am obsessed with! I grow parsley, basil, chives, rosemary, etc. I cook with the herbs all summer! :-)
ReplyDeleteLove all the color! What a great idea, to keep all the items in your journal! The fairy garden is too cute, my mom has one at her house that the kids get to put out every year and they LOVE it :). xoxo ERIN
ReplyDeleteBravo! Your garden is gorgeous! I definitely still feel like I’m learning what does best in Houston. For example, What would be a summer flower in the NW, like snapdragons, is a winter annual here (whoops). One of my new favorites, which is an absolute trooper in the heat is purslane. And this is also my firstborn year growing zinnias from seed. Some of them are over two feet tall. It’s crazy! I definitely need to do more in the perennial department though. Thank you for the garden inspiration this morning!
ReplyDeleteFirst, not firstborn, ha!
DeleteThe fairy garden is killing me! I absolutely LOVE it! How fun for the kids. I know Alyx would love to do something like this!
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't until a couple of years ago that I finally planted perennials. I don't know what I didn't do it sooner. I love your hosta's. I planted several one year and the deer ate them completely. I was so bummed.
I literally just found sweet potato vines the other day and I was stoked to find them! I planted them in a pot and now I need something bright to go with them. =)
Wow!! Your landscaping looks beautiful! I love the little fairy garden - that's such a fun idea. I would have loved something like that as a child for sure. Your gardens are the stuff of my dreams!!
ReplyDeleteWell, we're growing weeds, lol. Love all of the colors you picked out!
ReplyDelete