Garden & Porch Updates
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Today, I’m showing you some garden and porch updates, which include the water fountain below.
This is my first summer living in this house. The porch is one of my favorite places to sit and watch the world go by. I’ve never had a front porch this large before.
I have the water fountain set up. It’s wonderful to sit out here and listen to the water flowing. It is so peaceful. I plan to keep some of my houseplants outdoors around the fountain during the summer months. The humidity will help them grow lush and full.
The Green & Blue Rugs:
The rugs you see were my mother’s present for Mother’s Day. First, I chose the blue rugs online at Home Depot, as the colors matched the house’s exterior.
But when the rugs arrived, I saw they were of little substance. So Kasi ordered the fern leaf rugs, identical to the area rug on my living room floor.
When the green fern rugs arrived, I put them on top of the blue ones. The colors match my plant pots on the porch and in the flower beds below. If I keep the blue rugs underneath, I’ll have to adhere them to the porch because they could be tripped over.
This side of the porch is less cluttered. My trash can and recycling cans are just beyond this end, between the porch and my car.
I planted lemon balm in two 12-inch green pots, one across from the other, but they haven’t germinated yet. I’m not sure if they will, but I read that lemon balm seeds can take 10-14 days to germinate.
The zinnia and alyssum seeds I planted that are in the pots in the beds below have already emerged from the soil.
Lightning Bugs:
When I was a child, we had a front porch. It was where people gathered after the sun set. We listened to the night sounds and watched lightning bugs blinking in the dark.
I never see lightning bugs anymore. But then I’m rarely outside after dark. Do you ever see them?
They were like little beacons at night, flashing a path through the front and back yard. Each species has its own unique flashing pattern, almost like a secret code. The light itself is cold, meaning it produces virtually no heat, and it ranges in color from yellow to green to faint orange, depending on the type of firefly.
Also known as fireflies, these insects are small, soft-bodied beetles famous for their enchanting glow. On warm summer evenings, they flicker across fields, yards, and forests, creating a magical, twinkling light show.
Their glow is produced through a natural chemical reaction called bioluminescence. This glow is used to attract mates or to communicate with others.
During the day, lightning bugs look unassuming. They are dark brown or black with soft wings and a slightly elongated body. But at night, they transform the landscape with the rhythm of their light signals.
Potting Soil & Gardening Supplies:
The porch is cluttered with potting soil and other gardening supplies, but I don’t have anywhere else to put them. I don’t want to walk out to the backyard shed, store them, and drag them back and forth.
Then there’s my little rolling cart, which I’ve used for years and sit on while doing garden tasks. I need it to be easily accessible, so it needs to be on the porch.
The porch is on the north side of the house, so it doesn’t get much sun. I love to sit out there and listen to the birds. This is a cul-de-sac, so there isn’t much traffic. I see people walking their dogs and women pushing strollers.
Most pots below the porch are growing fast and filling up. We still haven’t added new mulch, and Kendra hasn’t had time to pick it up. She is about to go on a much-needed vacation with her boyfriend. They’re driving to New Orleans.
They had planned to fly somewhere and go hiking, but she said she wouldn’t set foot on an airplane right now. There have been too many near misses and accidents in the past months. But first, she has to deal with a tree that fell at one of her rental houses last night during a storm.
A Sea of Color & Habits of Squirrels:
The container garden is a sea of bright colors: pink, yellow, and purple flowers mixed with various shades of green leaves.
Squirrels are spreading nuts that have grown into little trees here and there. I pluck them out when I notice them.
In autumn, when the air turns crisp and the trees are heavy with acorns, hickory nuts, and walnuts, squirrels instinctively begin their frantic work. With their cheeks puffed full, they scamper across yards, burying their treasures in the soil.
Each nut is tucked away with surprising care. The squirrels dig into the ground, gently press their nut into place, and cover it again with dirt and leaves. The squirrel may never return for their buried treasure, either because it forgets the spot or doesn’t need them.
Those forgotten nuts often sprout in spring, pushing tender green shoots toward the light, eventually growing into new trees. And when they come up in my garden space, I dig them out of the dirt.
In this way, squirrels act as accidental gardeners. They are small, busy planters who ensure that woodlands renew themselves year after year. What looks like a simple act of hoarding is actually one of nature’s most practical reforestation efforts.
Chives:
The green spires of chives grow amid the flowers in the pot below. I have the pot with chives on the porch, where I can easily reach the pot to snip chives for soup, salad, or a baked potato. Chives really give a nice flavor to food, I think.
I look forward to spending my first summer months here in the house I call Mamie. I’m getting to know all the neighbors and wave at them when they walk by. From what I can tell, it’s mainly old folks like me living in this neighborhood.
Around the corner, there are rooming houses and duplexes for college students attending nearby Tulsa University. The traffic gets a little heavy with all the cars. But so far, it’s been quiet.
Your porch is so pretty — the fountain, the rugs, the seating, and your flowers all make for such a pleasant place to watch your little slice of the world. I really do like the layered look of the rugs — hopefully the rug tape will do the trick!
Hope you feel better soon.
I just love to sit on the porch. Haven’t had an actual porch in some time and I sure enjoy it.
I have just made the big move from the Northeast to the Midwest due to the cost of housing. It has been so much work and overwhelming. I draw a lot of motivation and inspiration from the way you have set up your lovely home. The porch looks great! I hope you enjoy it this summer.
Housing costs are a real problem for many. Hope you enjoy your new home.
You might check out those under-carpet mats that keep rugs from sliding g or sticking up. Hope you feel better soon!
Thank you!
I had surgery for a prolapsed bladder and also a hysterectomy in July 2022. By October my bladder was prolapsed again. My urogynecologist told me that there is a fine line as to how far up he attaches the bladder. If he attaches it too high when a person sits down it pulls and is painful. So I am still bothered by the prolapse.
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that. Hope I don’t have to have surgery.
Sorry to hear that you aren’t feeling well. Hope for a quick resolution. Your house looks so happy and contented and has truly found its person. Happy house, happy cats!
I think they are happy cats. I sure love them.
Your porch is so beautiful! I didn’t realize your rugs were one on top of the other. I just thought it had a blue border. After I read that and looked closer, then I could see that. Can you get a bench to keep on the pitch with your soil and other supplies in? Then you could use it as extra seating. You can put some pottery cushions on top of it. I love seeing your sun hanging on the wall. I remember when you moved, you gave it to Kendra and I was sad that you didn’t have it anymore. It’s so pretty! I’m sorry you aren’t feeling well. I’m glad you were able to get your porch all fixed up so you can enjoy it, before you started feeling bad. You have made such a lovely home, Brenda!
Porch not pitch
Pretty not pottery
Sorry… autocorrect 🤯
Brenda, I love your porch rugs BUT please becareful not to trip on the corners. One corner is slightly curled up and is really scary! I hope you are feeling better soon. enjoy your beautiful porch, sunshine, flowers and b fresh air.
Susan Wynn
Am ordering tape for it. If that doesn’t hold it down, the blue rugs will be coming up.
Your porch is beautiful and peaceful. I would love to sit out there, too.
I was diagnosed with a prolapsed bladder by my PCP and then a urologist about 4 years ago. It felt like there was a golf ball in my vagina. I had all the classic pre-cursors: post-menopausal (no estrogen!), two vaginal births, and a hysterectomy.
I was referred to a pelvic floor physical therapist. She was a miracle worker. It took many sessions of seeing her and being consistent with all the exercises, but it worked. Four years later, and I’m still symptom-free. I still to this day, do the pelvic floor exercises a few times a week.
The urologist tried fitting me with a pessary, but it was awful. (Not everyone has this experience, so don’t be afraid to try it if it’s suggested.) The pelvic floor PT told me to ask the urologist about using vaginal estrogen creme. That was also a life saver. Why my PCP didn’t suggest it many years ago is beyond me.
I have such problems with my bladder I don’t think I want to try a pessary.
You stopped writing too soon so I was left wanting to read more. Your plants are the prettiest you have ever grown and photographed. Porches are wonderful places to sit and visit. Did you consider painting your porch ceiling blue? That is a strange custom.
Well, thanks for the compliment! I thought about the custom of painting the porch ceiling blue. But I already paid to paint the exterior, so I will probably not paint anything outside for a while.
Your porch area is lovely and inviting. I have a small fountain on my front patio area and both the birds and myself enjoy it very much. I love the soft sound and they love taking a mini bath ( we have mesh screening on top of the fountain so they can stand on it and have the fountain water flow over them). We live in Arizona where it’s unbearably hot in the summer and their antics in the water are a joy to watch.
Hope the doctor is able to find out the problem and you can get some relief and feel much better soon.
I am SO ready for some relief! Nothing I try seems to work.
You are able to make a welcoming, cozy place from any challenge you’re given! It must feel so good to finish gardening for the day – made easier with supplies so close by – and then sit down to enjoy the evening pass by!
Do the cats watch you out the windows while you work? If that were my situation their little faces would be lined up, eyes popped open wide, following my every move!
Yes, they watch me out the windows. One of the cat towers is now directly in front of the guest room window so they can see me on the porch or below it.
Love those fern leaf rugs. Where did you get them??
Amazon.
Happy Tuesday Brenda,
I’m sorry to hear you’re still feeling under the weather so they say. I hope the Dr can get you sorted out.
The weather here in TN has been very stormy for a while. We have severe storms coming in later today. I do believe I’m tired of this thing. However it’s so green and lush here at the present and I too love sitting on my large porch and enjoying the birds and flowers.
I also keepy rolling seat on my back deck so it’s close fore to do any gardening. With a replaced knee I can’t ever just get down on my knees again. Lordy, even if I could I’d probably never get back up!
Your porch looks really nice! For the rugs I’d just put that sticky carpet tape on the corners. It works great! You don’t want to trip and fall!
I hope your day goes well and you start feeling better quickly. I do so enjoy your posts!
I’m going to order more rug tape to tape the rugs down. I needed more anyway in the dining room. I was supposed to see an orthopedist about my knees tomorrow, but I canceled it. I don’t feel like doing much of anything.