Sunday Morning and Porch Progress

Hello Friends! I just wanted to update you on what I got done yesterday - which wasn't much - and share a few pictures with you. First, a couple of my favorite bloomers that are so pretty right now - bearded iris! The first one is peach, and so pretty! It was laying on the ground, so the stem grew crooked, and although I staked it up, it still looks kind of weird, but the bloom is still gorgeous!

See those water droplets all over it - we had some serious rain yesterday afternoon and last night. And in the next picture, take a look at the little tiny pool of water in it's throat - a perfect teardrop shape!

And this iris is probably one of my favorites - I don't know it's name, but I call it 'The Royal One' because of the burgundy bottom and golden top. The colors didn't come out that great here, but it's still just beautiful!

Here's a peek at my favorite spot in our house right now! I moved the white wicker rockers from the back porch to the front, washed the cushion covers (they are real feather pillows, covered with quilted covers that I got a couple of years ago at Homegoods), and decorated the little table.

I didn't get a bit of housework done yesterday when it was raining, because that wicker chair just kept calling my name! I spent quite a bit of time there reading and watching the birds and squirrels going about their business throughout the afternoon.

The table is just an old wooden TV tray, covered with a much older chicken feed sack that I've used for years as a picnic tablecloth. As you can see I have several of my favorite things! My binoculars and 'Birds of Georgia' book, and a pottery pitcher and small sugar bowl. The pitcher will hold cut flowers periodically, but right now it holds matches for the conveniently placed citronella candle, and the sugar bowl catches the burned matches. There's also a cute birdhouse and one of my latest treasures . . . . . . . . don't you just love the old post box??? I bought it at an antique store's yard sale for $10 a few weeks ago. I've put balled up papers in the bottom, and rolled up a few magazines for front porch reading material. The original label is still on the post box, and it was originally from Sweden. Someone apparently added the french horn decal later. It makes a great magazine holder!

I got several pots filled with flowers for the front porch yesterday before the rains started, but if you'll notice the blue pot inside the white basket, I was filling the basket with moss when the downpour started! I'm going to finish that today, and hopefully get a few more things potted before the rains start again tonight.

We've had the pineapple fountain for a few years now, but it was always on the back porch, and I didn't even start it last year. When I cleaned it before placing it on the front porch yesterday I had to get the dirt dauber's nest out of the center of the pineapple! It was kind of noisy at first, but once I got that cleaned out and fresh water inside, it is running like new, and the only sound is the trickling water - blissful!

I've got a few more pots to fill, and it seems I'll have to go get some more annuals to fill them with as I only have a few more left. The plants in those pots you see are pink and white geraniums, pale apple blossom pink and deeper pink double impatiens, asparagus fern, bacopa and caladiums. Can you see a theme there? I really lean to pinks, blues, purples and whites, but there are splashes of yellow, orange and red throughout the garden.

For the flower bucket, I placed a small flower pot upside down in the bottom, surrounded it with pea gravel, then topped it with a 1 gallon pot with the double impatiens. I'm trying to create a cascade of flowers and greenery around the fountain. It's not finished, but I'm definitely making progress!

Well, I guess I'd best get outside and do something, because we're supposed to have more rain and severe storms this evening. Tomorrow we have two doctors appointments for my dad, so it will probably be Tuesday before I get back with you. Have a great week! Becky