Spring Fling in the Garden

This is the second time this garden has been included on the Lakes & Hills Garden Club tour, and there's a good reason for it - it's a feast for the eyes with all of its colorful annuals and whimsical, repurposed decor. It was originally on the tour in the fall of 2013 (you can view that post here) and was decorated for autumn. This time (2018) it's spring time and once again the gardeners did not disappoint with their colorful spring decor.

One thing I especially like about this garden is that the only grass is a circle in the front yard. This gardener is NOT wasting space on boring turf that needs constant water and chemicals. Instead they've chosen to create a Florida-Friendly yard.

Here's a view from the home looking out to the road. That's all the turf grass there is. Another wise choice these gardeners made is to utilize the planting area beneath the large Live oak by planting a variety of bromeliads with a few ferns sprinkled in. The bromeliads spread quickly, love the shade and require virtually no water to survive, as they are air plants. They're a great choice for this area and they require very little care.

As you approach their front door, the garden takes on a cottage feel. Tucked in next to the front door is a very private patio where the homeowners can sit and enjoy a cup of coffee or a meal while they watch all of the bird activity in their Live Oak.

Now let's head around to the side of the house where there is a welcoming entrance into their 

little piece of paradise.

There's plenty of shady places to sit and relax.

In this side garden that runs alongside a very long driveway, they've created a visually appealing garden in, mostly, pots.

On the far side of the driveway they've managed to create privacy with a variety of green foliage plants and small trees, which also provide a very nice background for their potted plants.

Here's a continuing view of the garden alongside the driveway. They've got a nice mix of pottery and old items, along with more seating areas.

Their pottery is filled with a nice mix of spring blooming plants. They've added boxwood as a frame and backdrop for their collection of pots, and I think it works quite well together.

As we turn our heads to the other side of the pathway we discover a very colorful mix of plants adorning the patio attached to their home. 

Just the right touches everywhere you look.

A lion fountain on the wall is softened with a tall shrub.

And, as we continue walking past the patio area toward the back of the house we see another colorful and eclectic mix of plants, pottery and fun garden items...all in that cottage style.

One final look back at this side and it's pretty enough to be in a garden magazine!!

Here's the expanded view looking back towards the patio.

This eclectic, cottage-style garden is always very pretty and interesting...no matter what the season.

An English Cottage Garden

The first garden we visited on The Lakes & Hills 2016 Garden Tour was a quaint English-style cottage garden. At first glance, everything was so cute and inviting about this garden.

Including this adorable little girl and pair of birds surrounded by the Whirling Butterfly bush.

This was a unique find - miniature periwinkles. I have lived in Florida my entire life, and I have never seen 'miniature' periwinkles. 

The gardener, whom we spoke to, was a very pleasant lady who willingly answered our questions  about this display of hanging baskets. What a unique idea!

Here's a close up view of the wire baskets that she purchased at a local big box store.

So, come with us as we enter the English-style garden and have a look around. 

It's divided into multiple garden beds encircled with boxwood hedges and walkways.

A lot of loving attention goes into maintaining these little hedges.

As with any English garden - statuary abounds.

Both flowers and colorful foliage intermingle.

Here's a view from the backside of the formal garden.

And, a close-up view as you enter the garden from the rear.

 There are pretty vignettes everywhere you look. 

Whimsical ones, too!

Places to sit and enjoy the garden from are scattered throughout it.

 These two photos (top and bottom) are a great idea. She took 2 metal baskets, connected them together, placed soil between a fiber liner and planted a variety of plants and succulents. Then hung them from a tree branch.

 An adorable white iron table and chairs was in the center of the garden beneath a large Live Oak tree. 

Another pretty birdbath adorned with birds and a statue of a little girl in the garden.

Pretty vignettes are scattered throughout the garden.

Pretty ceramic pots filled with orchids grabbed our eye.

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One last look as we, reluctantly, leave and move on to the next garden. 

The Repurposed Cottage Garden

Located off of 1st Avenue, down a quiet, shaded, dead-end street is a wonderfully orchestrated cottage-style garden.  This is not your usual cottage garden ~ even though it contains many roses and blooming flowers ~ it also has numerous interesting items, all re-purposed to provide beauty or a new function.

You can already catch a glimpse as you approach the front door, that this is going to be an interesting garden.

As you step out of the house into the backyard the first thing that catches the eye is the sunken patio. When her children were young they had an above ground pool that was partially buried. When they removed the pool they tried to figure out what to do with this area, and this is the very clever result.

How unique to have a sunken patio area. It's a very inviting space!

To my left is another smaller patio area with chairs and a fire pit. Another very inviting space in which to sit and enjoy the many birds in her yard.

 Old pottery, a couple of rabbits and an old wheelbarrow up against a tree along with a pretty pink geranium are a welcoming touch.

Throughout Diana's garden you will find many birdcages, all purchased from local thrift stores.

 Some are on the ground - this one with a piece of resurrection fern inside of it,

while others hang from small trees.

Many vignettes, like this one, can be found throughout the garden.

An old bird bath now sees new life as a container for pretty flowers.

In the back of the garden ~ what once was a swing set for her kids, now functions as an arbor for vines, along with a swinging bench for adults to enjoy and a space for a collection of brightly colored bottles.

The morning sun was in the perfect position to showcase the blue bottles. How cheerful would it be to look out your back window and see these bottles all aglow every morning!

Here's a closer look at the other collectibles that sit atop the old swing set. All found objects that she likes.

And beneath the old swing set, tucked in amidst the ivy are a couple of old children's red wagons. A Perfect addition to the old play area for her kids!

Even the large Oaks are decorated in this garden with colorful lizards, bromeliads in wire baskets, and

old metal candle holders.

Rust is a favored patina in Diana's garden. She loves the age-worn look of items that she lovingly tucks into just the right positions throughout her cottage garden.

She's always on the look out for items in local thrift shops, and often times people offer her items because they know her talent for making them look great once again.

She often says that, "All my stuff is either chipped, broken or nobody wanted it." There's no doubt that she has a knack for taking chipped, broken or old stuff and giving it new life. This old bike looks great leaning against a tree outside her garden shed.

Old benches give a touch of age and rustic charm to her garden. An old mattress spring is a great place to display some chipped pieces of china as art. She sees a use for everything, and has an eye for putting stuff together into a creative vignette.

An old pair of shutters add interest to a blank wall. Tuck in a few iron cottage-style chairs, an old water pump and you've got an inviting space to sit for a spell and enjoy the water garden.

Buried in front of the pond is Casper, a beloved and faithful furry member of her family.

Hanging baskets of soft pink cottage flowers are a pretty addition.

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Touches of pink to go along with the soft teal aged-shutters add the pretty cottage touch to this area.

This is one of my favorites vignettes in her garden. She found this very pretty wicker chair along the side of the road. It had definitely seen better days - the seat was completely missing. To her it was still beautiful and she found the PERFECT use for it. Branches of this vintage rose now cover the missing seat and the combination of the two is a perfect marriage!

Got an old rusted out wheelbarrow? Don't throw it away! Remove the bucket, add a piece of flat tin to the top of it, and, voila' you've got the perfect spot for a country vignette.

Here's a close up of this simple but pretty garden decoration.

More vintage and chipped plates, along with a mirror provide decoration for a fence. And, of course, every Southern garden needs to have at least one bottle tree.

Diana spun her magic to create this decor with a  nice use of blue in her garden

Her attention to detail is what creates the wonderful country, cottage feel.

Touches of soft foliage and pretty pink flowers!

To me this area looks like it's right out of a magazine and is a nostalgic reminder of 'Old Florida' on a hot summer day. A rustic seating area in a shady spot with an old bicycle propped up against a tree trunk. All that's missing is a pitcher of sweet tea and two glasses.

More of that rusty patina on an old chair, from past years, that works as a place to display some pretty pink flowers and a metal piece of art. Simplicity!

Outside her back door is a colorful display of flowers in elegant pottery. Tucked in among all this beauty is another beauty - the gardener herself making sure that she takes the time to stop and smell the roses!

In this photo you can see a pet door in the bottom left corner. Her current dog is very tiny and only goes outside with her, so she found a way to make the old door pretty by putting a piece of ornate metal in front of it. I'm telling you this girl NEVER lacks for ideas!

I think you'll have to agree with me that Diana is the 'ultimate repurposer!" She definitely knows what to do with "chipped, cracked and old stuff" that nobody wants, and make it beautiful and useful again.

Hope you enjoyed the tour of her garden, and if by chance, you have something "chipped, cracked or old you don't want," send me an email and I'll pass the information on to her.