Backyard Beautification

Just because you live in a rental, doesn't mean you have to forgo having a nice backyard space for entertaining. With just a few touches, it can go from fugly to fabulous!

Our backyard in the rental house we live in is, well, rather boring and small. However, though it be tiny, we have managed to squeeze in quite a few dedicated spaces. We have a chicken coop, vegetable garden boxes, a deck with a full-length bench on one side, dining table, intimate seating area, grilling space, outdoor fireplace, and potted plants galore, along with those trendy outdoor string light things.

But there are still areas for improvement. For instance, we had this lone large pot of flowers along a fence that is practically in invisible from the deck even though it is only about eight feet from the edge. To add a little flare, I bought some cheap terra cotta pots, mixed acrylic paint until I got my desire color of aqua, then haphazardly painted them, purposely leaving some of the terra cotta exposed for a rustic touch. Thank you, Pinterest! I then filled them with flowers that will make the area stand out even further, so when you are seated on the deck and look out, your eye catches those pops of color and entices you to explore further. 

Also, the side of the deck that butts up to the house was just wasted space. We have a whiskey barrel pond on the opposite side to view from the kitchen, but nothing on the other side of the sliding glass door. Well, a recent trip to Target to look at what they had led to a "Buy all the things!" spree. I bought two bright orange metal chairs and aqua cushions and lots of throw pillows to spruce up the dining chairs and bench as well. I also got a side table just large enough to fit a pot of shade plants and drinks for when you sit there. 

Now, if only there was a way to spruce up the black tarps garden stapled into the ground that take up half the backyard?

Update on Porch Rail Box

It has been a couple months since I made the porch rail box and filled it with flowers. Who knew something so simple could make such a huge difference?

When I first thought about making a rail box for the front porch, I wasn’t sure if it would even work. There were logistical issues to figure out; how to actually attach said box or boxes; where to place the box or boxes; whether or not to work with or around the trellises attached to the porch rail, etc. Anyway, once I decided to simply make one large box, I didn’t know if you would be able to see the flowers very well from the street. To my surprise, even behind the trellises, the boxes overflowed with flowery abundance! It totally distracts the eye from all of the weeds in the front yard.

Mission accomplished.

The Story of Wood and Box

This is my wood.

This is my box.

This is the story about how my wood became my box.

Ever since we moved here, there has been a pile of wood on the side of the house. Okay, so that is not entirely accurate. Ever since we pulled apart and salvaged the deck we built from our old house before the bank took it back due to foreclosure, there has been a pile of wood on the side of the house we currently rent. Anyway, we decided that since this was still prime wood, we weren’t going to leave it for the bank to use to further profit from our loss, but didn’t really have a goal as to what would be done with the wood. Either way, the main purpose was to stick it to the man. Of course, a pile of wood is prime nesting places for mice, and I don’t like mice. That means it was time to finally do something with my wood, and the first thing I wanted to do was make a deck rail garden box or two.

Originally, I was planning on creating two boxes to go in between the three trellises on the front porch, but the weight of the wood overhanging the porch rail would, well, probably pull it right off. It was then that I decided to make one large box that would rest on the rail and be supported with legs on either side to keep it upright. Finally, a plan was created. Keeping the full length of the deck boards would also decrease the amount of cutting I’d have to do with the saw. So all I had to do was screw three pieces of wood together and slap on some sides and PRESTO! a finished porch rail box, right? Well, as easy as it was to build, not so easy was it to carry because, damn, deck boards are way heavier than they look!

Once I finally did get the box done, I drilled holes along the back length of it for drainage and lined the entire inside with garden fabric to keep the dirt in but let the water out. I used my handy dandy stapler with half inch staples to accomplish this task. Then, after wiping the outside of dirt and debris, I grabbed the container of white exterior paint we never used for the chicken coop we built five years ago and applied a thick coat and let it dry. I used Kilz one coat paint and primer, which worked out beautifully.

Now the most challenging part was getting the box to the porch and attaching the legs without killing myself or breaking a window. I was able to dry fit the whole thing myself, but after I screwed on the legs, I knew I’d need a second hand to help lift it back into place. My husband was able to do this minor task without much effort. Once in, I further secured it by screwing through two of the trellises into the box itself. This sucker ain’t going nowhere.

Time for planting the flowers! I partially filled the cavity with potting soil and then started planting the flowers I picked up on clearance at Home Depot because most of them were not in bloom at the time, but were quite healthy otherwise. I also used up the remaining Wave Petunias I used for the pots on the back deck. To my surprise, I almost had too many flowers in the box, which is a good surprise to have. This means it will fill in nicely and hopefully overhang a bit.

That is the story about how my wood became my box, got a little dirty, and turned into a simple yet great looking flower display. It also makes me want to open the blinds in the living room more often than never.

Gardening

Yesterday I did some gardening. Today I am sunburned.

Nobody needs to stress the importance of sunscreen here as I am so rarely outside long enough to require it, but apparently I didn’t realize just how long I was potting flowers and planting my at long last located Brandywine tomato, my favorite heirloom. I also put hanging baskets on the chicken coop to dress it up a bit as well. While a majority was container gardening, we did get a few plants to put around the pond in the front yard to help spruce it up a bit. After doing so, I think we should get a couple more pots and plant some more stuff as it looks a little, well, naked. It never fails to surprise me just how ugly everything looks right after you pot it, but I know that in a week it will all look amazing.

Yard Work

Our yard is in desperate need of some attention. That doesn’t necessarily mean I want to give it any.

One of my least favorite things is yard work. I love planting flowers and tending flower beds and vegetable gardens. But the actual work itself? Not so much. I don’t care for mowing, and the only weed I like, the dandelion, is the only weed we actually have in our lease agreement that there are to be none of in the yard. Well, the yellow ones anyway. I can do without the white fluffy ones.

Fortunately our front yard is one giant rock garden. Unfortunately our neighbor overseeded her lawn last year and now we have grass, albeit dead grass thanks to a generous spray of Round-Up, covering the crushed rocks. The only thing worse than mowing is trying to pull up dead grass from compressed rocks. Is it sad that I am hoping for rain to wash out our plans to do yard work today?

Spring... Finally

The sun is shining; the birds are singing; the flowers and vegetables are beginning to sprout. It finally must be spring!

With the dahlias we got last year and planted in a couple of our large terra cotta pots making another appearance this year, it is indeed proof that spring is upon us. Of course, soon after will be summer when a majority of our flowers will be in bloom and vegetables will be in full production mode here in the Pacific Northwest. While the lilac is beginning to show signs it will soon fade its fragrant and beautiful purple blossoms for more luscious greenery, the butterfly bush is just now getting ready to put on its much longer and just as showy display.

However, there might be a snag. We have no idea how long we will be living at this particular house, and with that uncertainty comes the reality I probably shouldn’t plant anything we wouldn’t be able to take with us. So for the immediate future anyway, it looks as though whatever we’ve got in the ground will probably be it. My hope is that we will be able to stay here until October or November, but with everything depending on our landlord’s mother’s health, that might not be an option.

I will try to focus on the positives instead of the negatives. For now, we have full vegetable garden boxes and some perennials getting ready to bloom for the remainder of the year until the first frost. For now we have happy hens giddily pecking at the ground for weeds and bugs. For now we have a deck and a yard to enjoy the outdoors. For now. Hey, I said I would try, I didn’t say I’d be any good at it.

Spring is Springing

Spring has definitely arrived. My allergies are in full attack mode.

A couple weeks ago I noticed that out of nowhere my throat was itchy, eyes were watery and there was an excess of phlegm that had obviously been dripping down my sinus cavities overnight. Joy. It must be crocus season. However, it passed rather quickly so I thought I would only have a mild reaction to the rest of spring’s arrival. Wrong. It’s back with a vengeance and not even generic Claritan can alleviate all the symptoms. Oh, it quiets them down like lowering the volume on the radio, but you can still hear the chatter of snot bubbles and throat clearing.

Allergies be damned! It won’t stop me from planting flowers (only the lack of money will do that!) or mowing the lawn (okay, I usually don’t do that) or enjoying the outdoors when everything is in bloom, but it will remind me that I need to take some precautionary measures to enjoy it all, like take a pill every day. Curses. Perhaps infecting myself with hookworms to cure my allergies wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all. Then again, the idea of being horribly sick for weeks afterwards doesn’t sound so pleasant either. Alas, for now, I’ll stick with a pill.

Irises

A few weeks ago we went to the old house and pulled up some irises. Methinks it’s time to divide and replant them now.

Irises are funny things. They are a hardy rhizome, or at least I’ve always had hardy ones that seem to grow no matter what. I mean, as long as they have a little sunshine and something to sink their roots into they’ve grown for me, whether or not they were even planted in the ground or simply sitting on top of the soil. However, for best results, I have learned a few things over the years.

First is that you should divide them every few years in mid to late summer so they have time to redevelop the root system for the following year. You will know when, because undivided irises will have diminished blooms due to overcrowding. Fear not, as dividing means you’ll have plenty to give away to friends and family. Think of them like the Amish Friendship Bread of the flower world. After dividing, plant them every eighteen inches with the top of the rhizome as close to the soil line or slightly above and the roots below. Water well.

Secondly, you should trim the blades before autumn to about six inches from the top of the rhizome. Like with most bulbs and rhizomes, waiting until they have been able to absorb as much moisture and nutrients as possible before cutting them will ensure a fabulous display for next year. Irises actually have a much longer blade life than most bulbs, and tucked into and between other blooms they provide a nice foliage backdrop for annuals such as alyssum, lobelia and petunias, but also work well in a perennial garden. Think of them as fillers once the blooms have faded by simply cutting off the stem, which, in some varieties, will also stimulate reblooming.

Lastly, it is important to get rid of any rotting or diseased looking rhizomes. Typically this is caused by planting in clay or nearly impenetrable soil in which water sits on the ground for too long and causes the iris to rot. While it is possible to grow irises in clay soil, it is best if it is broken up and some form of soil amendment is added to keep it from forming a solid mass again. Old leaves, compost, even potting soil will help.

And so today after breakfast, I plan on taking those irises we gathered from the old house, which was only a small fraction as there are hundreds of them, and finding new homes for them both here in the yard and giving a few away to friends and family. I wish I would’ve taken more, but at the same time with as fast as they grow and so few places to put them here, I’ll have a replenished stock in no time.

Autumn Flowers

When we think of fall, many of us instantly think that it signals the end of the flower season. However, there are many varieties of flowers that will bloom right into winter (and some even throughout.)

The obvious flower choices that come to mind for autumnal planting are mums, sunflowers and alliums (otherwise known as onions and garlic.) This blend of yellows, oranges, reds and purples sets off a fiery display to showcase what the trees around them are doing. And all of these choices are certainly welcome to replace some of the spring plantings that may have gone the wayside during the summer, but they are not your only alternatives. Many of the summer blooming flowers planted, or in our case that reseeded from the previous year or years, will continue producing blooms well into the fall, and some even after a few frosts. Cosmos, roses and daisies come to mind, but even petunias, lobelia and alyssum will still be in bloom as long as they aren’t allowed to go to seed. Now is also a good time to be on the lookout for winter pansies at your local nursery.

While we think of autumn as a time of plants dying off for the winter, many plants will continue to thrive if given the chance. By chance, I mean water. A common mistake many gardeners make is not watering their flowers in the winter. While it is true, there are a few varieties that don’t require much water, a lot of them still do. The cold air dries out the leaves of fall and winter flowers about as fast as a hot day in summer causes them to wilt, so keeping your plants well watered will ensure a profusion of blooms. A little fertilizer and/or compost every now and then won’t hurt either.