Weekend Outdoor Decorating Plans

Happy Friday! We’re kicking off a long weekend here, and I’m so looking forward to catching up on some yard work (if weather permits), as well as taking some time to recharge after a busy couple of weeks. It’s been raining on and off for the last 2 days, making our grass and trees really green up- yay! Our spring was late arriving, but it looks as though it was worth the wait. I was worried about the perennials I planted last fall in front of the porch surviving the winter, but I’m happy to report all is good!

 

Front Porch Perennials

 

The ornamental grasses and atomic lilac are supposed to get at least a few feet high, filling the front porch area in and softening the hard edges a bit. Now I just need to finish up the decorative details I didn’t get to last year before the cold weather hit. Perhaps a chair or bench, and definitely a rug and some potted plants. That’s on the top of my to-do list for this weekend.

A big thanks to all of you who joined our Plants & Flowers link party as part of the Outdoor Extravaganza. I’m definitely inspired to plant a raised bed garden next year! There’s still time to share a project of your own.

 

Raised Bed Gardening

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Outdoor Extravaganza Plants & Flowers Link Party

It’s time to officially kick off the Outdoor Extravaganza! Yesterday I shared my strawberry pot herb garden with you, which is a little different take on the way I usually grow these summer essential plants.

How to Plant a Strawberry Pot Herb Garden

 

The other hosts of this outdoor series, Tiffany, Carmel, Dawn, and Barbara, have also been busy playing in the dirt. Check out all their inspiring projects!

Now it’s your turn! Link up as many outdoor plants & flowers projects as you like- old and new. Your project will show up on all 5 blogs! Please include a backlink to this post, and be sure to take a look around and show some blog love. No items for sale please!

Plants & Flowers Projects


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Strawberry Pot Herb Garden

Every spring I like to plant herbs to use in fresh recipes all summer long. Nothing beats fresh basil in a salad or rosemary infused chicken. Last year I created a kitchen container potager in a burlap planter, which ended up yielding a good amount of produce. However, with all the heavy rain we had, moss started to grow on the outside of the burlap container, making it look pretty shabby by the end of the season. This time, I decided to create a strawberry pot herb garden, taking up less space per plant than a regular planter, and hopefully looking a little better over time as well.

How to Plant a Strawberry Pot Herb Garden

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Supplies

Large strawberry pot with numerous pockets and drainage hole

Herbs (as many varieties as pockets in strawberry pot, plus 2 or 3 more for planting in the top- chives, basil, marjoram, oregano, parsley, rosemary, lemon balm, etc.) Note: resist mint or other herbs that are too vigorous

Gravel or small rocks (to cover drainage hole, plus more for watering channel)

Good quality potting soil

Cardboard roll (from paper towel or wrapping paper)

Water

 

Supplies for Strawberry Pot Herb Garden

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Finally Kicking Off Outdoor Living

Happy Friday! Yesterday the sun was shining in full force and it looks like the weekend is going to be gorgeous too. We’ve had our patio furniture stored in the garage all winter long, and the plan is to finally pull it out tomorrow and start enjoying outdoor living. This summer I’m dreaming of an outdoor oasis where I can kick back and relax or have some friends over for an afternoon cocktail. Are you with me?

Outdoor Living Space

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Last fall my husband and I were out shopping for furniture for our newly finished basement when we came across a going-out-of-business sale on outdoor furniture. It’s always so unfortunate when businesses fail, but it was nice to be able to score two loungers made by Mountain House Furniture. We have wanted a pair since we completed the deck addition a couple years ago, but found they were either cheap looking or very expensive. I’m sure many of you know what I’m talking about. These ones are beautifully constructed in high quality virofiber with solid mechanisms, and heavy enough they won’t blow away in a voracious wind. They’re very similar to this black one, but in a multi-toned coffee color. (I’ll snap some photos this weekend once we pull them out).

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Outdoor Decorating Ideas {Lanterns}

Earlier this week I shared a round-up of some of my favorite outdoor lanterns I’ve come across so far this spring. With the outdoor entertaining season already starting for some, and in the near future for the rest of us (fingers crossed), it’s always nice to add something new to the mix. Lanterns are one of my top choices for outdoor decorating, as they’re not only functional and beautiful, but they’re also one of the most versatile garden decor pieces you can find.

One of my favorite ways to decorate with lanterns is grouping various sizes of the same style together on a front porch, landing, or patio.

 

Outdoor Decorating- Lanterns

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Front Steps With Lanterns

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Hanging lanterns from trees, pergolas, or arbors are an effective way to draw the eye up and bring a bit of romance to an outdoor space.

 

Blue Glass Hanging Lanterns

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Outdoor Lanterns {A Few of My Favorites}

Staying within last week’s outdoor theme, I want to share a few lantern options I came across while we were enjoying a Sunday afternoon out and about, in addition to a handful I’ve stumbled upon online. As mentioned, we have the foundational pieces in place for entertaining in our back yard, but we definitely need to add some new garden decor to ramp up the beauty and function. Although we installed lighting to our deck a couple years ago for safety reasons, as well as ambiance, I still find our yard feels too dark at night. Outdoor lanterns are probably the easiest and most cost effective solution.

Outdoor Lantern Options- Satori Design for Living

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Classic outdoor lanterns that are able to hold large pillar candles are probably my favorite. A good option is replacing a burning candle with a battery operated one that won’t drip or possibly overheat and shatter the glass (I’ve seen this happen).

 

Outdoor Lantern Options- Classic

Portland Lantern, Malta Lantern, Borrby Lantern

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Ways to Use Mirrors in an Outdoor Space

Although the weather isn’t looking the nicest over the next few days, it hasn’t stopped me from thinking about the changes I want to make to our outdoor space this spring and summer. As soon the temperatures start to rise and the sun shines a little longer in the day, I find any excuse I can to get outside. After completing our deck revamp a couple years ago, it created an outdoor room that we are able to use much more than we previously had been able to. Since then, I’ve been pondering what else I can do to make our back yard feel more livable. One thing that seems to keep grabbing my attention is the clever use of mirrors in an outdoor setting.

One of my favorite looks for outdoor mirrors is placing them next to a dining area. I love how they reflect the beauty of the tablescape and give the illusion of the space being much larger than it actually is.

Using Mirrors in an Outdoor Space- Dining Area

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Want to add ambiance in the evening? Mirrors can be used outside to effectively reflect candlelight from votives and lanterns.

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Welcoming Spring With Tulip Blooms

Happy Friday! I’ve enjoyed reading all the blog posts celebrating the arrival of spring, but we’re still getting snow storms making it still seem so far away. Inside our house is another story with the appearance of my first bloom from the forced tulip bulbs I started back in January. So fresh and pretty!

 

Forcing Tulip Bulbs Indoors- Spring Blooms

 

I originally planted four pots with tulip bulbs in mid-January. Two of them were left in my basement storage room until the first week of February, and the other two were brought up at the beginning of March. I planned it that way so I’d have blooms throughout the spring season rather than all at once. It’s amazing to think this is what I started with…

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