This time of the year, I get precious little done inside my home. The outdoors screams my name everyday so I find myself outside more than inside.
I'm a voracious nester both inside and out. I love the feeling I get whenever I step into my house or outside to my yard. Do I live in a mansion? No, not at all. I live in a comfortable house with a comfortable yard both of which are filled with personal items that I love, make me smile and bring back fond memories. To me, that's more important than any zip code or price point.
If you're like me, you are on a budget all the time...sigh....so how do you possibly liven up your outdoor spaces without breaking that budget? If you're a renter you certainly don't want to go to your local nursery and buy flowering trees and expensive perennials to plant in your yard because you can't take them with you when you go...well...not legally. Nearly anything can be grown in a pot if it's the right size for the job and you can take them with you when you move.
The thing I love most about pots versus in the ground flower beds is the fact that I can arrange them anyway I want, I can switch them around with relative ease when the mood strikes me and (most of all) I love the color, textures and height that planters bring to my yard.
Let's look at some examples!
I hate monochromatic interiors and I hate monochromatic exteriors. Where is it written that everything outside absolutely must be green or brown?? Break up that color scheme with some lively colors! This picture shows my absolute favorite trick of the garden....place a pot upside down and then place another one on top to give added height. Sometimes when one of my pots gets a crack in it that makes it unusable, but I love the pot, this is what I do with it. I just flip it over and put another pot on top.
I cannot stress enough the importance of staggered heights in your garden. If you place all of your planters on the same level and they are fairly all the same height...it begins to look more like an aisle in the garden section of your local big box store. Stagger the sizes and place some of the pots on top of bricks or other pots to make them tower over the others a bit.
I cannot tell you how many birdbaths I have discarded because they stopped holding water...I sure wish I could find them because now I know what to do with them! Succulents & ferns work best for this feature because their root systems are shallow meaning they don't require as much "down room" for them to thrive. Make sure to line the bottom with pebbles so to encourage proper drainage. I love it!
Look at this idea! An old shoe organizer turned into a fantastic hanging herb garden!! I've thrown a lot of these things away too!
I am a sucker for old windows and shutters! When I see them at the curb....I grab them. Hanging old windows in your garden or replacing the glass with mirrors is absolutely my favorite thing to do! I also love using old shutters as a type of privacy "fence". However, I had not considered making a planter out of shutters! These shutters break up the empty wall space really well.
Everyone knows how I feel about wooden pallets!!! The uses for these things are absolutely endless! Well...here's one more use for them!
Below is a completely finished and absolutely gorgeous patio area! The egg chair can be rather pricey but if you have an outdoor rocker, that would look stunning there too. The wicker chairs can often be picked up at thrift stores for little money. A couple of cans of outdoor spray paint later and you have stunning chairs that look like they cost hundreds of dollars! Notice the galvanized tub planters? Now you can buy the tubs that are specifically marketed for planters for anywhere from $50 to hundreds of dollars depending on where you go. OR you can go to your local hardware store and buy them for $15 to $30 and achieve the same look. Of course, my picture would include pallets in there somewhere....love the pallet "coffee" table. As for the rug, I recommend buying an outdoor rug with NO color on it. Just a plain sisal or weaved rug. That's because the less color it has already...the cheaper the price. Then tape off the stripes with painters tape and spray paint that rug in whatever color you like. Some of these already "painted" rugs can run upwards of $300 while a plain one can cost as little as $50 and the cost of spray paint. Yes, this picture has my two favorite things in the world....wooden pallets and spray paint.
End of the day, your outdoor space is a blank canvas just waiting for you to paint your perfect picture so make it a masterpiece!
As always, enjoy your space!
I'm a voracious nester both inside and out. I love the feeling I get whenever I step into my house or outside to my yard. Do I live in a mansion? No, not at all. I live in a comfortable house with a comfortable yard both of which are filled with personal items that I love, make me smile and bring back fond memories. To me, that's more important than any zip code or price point.
If you're like me, you are on a budget all the time...sigh....so how do you possibly liven up your outdoor spaces without breaking that budget? If you're a renter you certainly don't want to go to your local nursery and buy flowering trees and expensive perennials to plant in your yard because you can't take them with you when you go...well...not legally. Nearly anything can be grown in a pot if it's the right size for the job and you can take them with you when you move.
The thing I love most about pots versus in the ground flower beds is the fact that I can arrange them anyway I want, I can switch them around with relative ease when the mood strikes me and (most of all) I love the color, textures and height that planters bring to my yard.
Let's look at some examples!
I hate monochromatic interiors and I hate monochromatic exteriors. Where is it written that everything outside absolutely must be green or brown?? Break up that color scheme with some lively colors! This picture shows my absolute favorite trick of the garden....place a pot upside down and then place another one on top to give added height. Sometimes when one of my pots gets a crack in it that makes it unusable, but I love the pot, this is what I do with it. I just flip it over and put another pot on top.
While the example below is more formal than I like, I do love the whimsy of it. I love making little pathways in my garden that ultimately lead to a bench, seating area or maybe a beautiful fountain. This is especially a great idea if you have an area in your yard that has become overrun with weeds and you just can't get the grass to grow thick and beautiful. Instead of a muddy spot...make it a beautiful spot!
I cannot tell you how many birdbaths I have discarded because they stopped holding water...I sure wish I could find them because now I know what to do with them! Succulents & ferns work best for this feature because their root systems are shallow meaning they don't require as much "down room" for them to thrive. Make sure to line the bottom with pebbles so to encourage proper drainage. I love it!
Look at this idea! An old shoe organizer turned into a fantastic hanging herb garden!! I've thrown a lot of these things away too!
I am a sucker for old windows and shutters! When I see them at the curb....I grab them. Hanging old windows in your garden or replacing the glass with mirrors is absolutely my favorite thing to do! I also love using old shutters as a type of privacy "fence". However, I had not considered making a planter out of shutters! These shutters break up the empty wall space really well.
Everyone knows how I feel about wooden pallets!!! The uses for these things are absolutely endless! Well...here's one more use for them!
Below is a completely finished and absolutely gorgeous patio area! The egg chair can be rather pricey but if you have an outdoor rocker, that would look stunning there too. The wicker chairs can often be picked up at thrift stores for little money. A couple of cans of outdoor spray paint later and you have stunning chairs that look like they cost hundreds of dollars! Notice the galvanized tub planters? Now you can buy the tubs that are specifically marketed for planters for anywhere from $50 to hundreds of dollars depending on where you go. OR you can go to your local hardware store and buy them for $15 to $30 and achieve the same look. Of course, my picture would include pallets in there somewhere....love the pallet "coffee" table. As for the rug, I recommend buying an outdoor rug with NO color on it. Just a plain sisal or weaved rug. That's because the less color it has already...the cheaper the price. Then tape off the stripes with painters tape and spray paint that rug in whatever color you like. Some of these already "painted" rugs can run upwards of $300 while a plain one can cost as little as $50 and the cost of spray paint. Yes, this picture has my two favorite things in the world....wooden pallets and spray paint.
As always, enjoy your space!
