Garden Dreams

One of my gardens, June 2011

It seems that spring has officially sprung, as they say. For a little while, I was not sure if we really were here yet; our winter in the Northeast was so mild that I kept thinking that we were going to get an Easter snow or something. But we didn't. And it seems that the good weather will be staying now.

Every year, at that first glimpse of spring, my thoughts turn to the yard and gardens and outdoors. I always have grand plans, most of which are not executed due to two obstacles: Time and money. But nevertheless, a girl can dream. Pinterest has been a great source of dreaming about gardening, among other things, so I've been pinning and pinning and dreaming and dreaming. I know some plant purchases will be in my future, particularly for the edges of my front yard, for some much needed privacy for the neighbors. And I will like do some "house cleaning" of the garden, moving a few things, tidying things up, etc.

I've started the tidying while doing the dreaming, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite things for the Peapod Garden Plan 2012, as I will call it.

Of course, decorating is leading my plans. First, I need to make this:

My Flower Pot Person will be much cuter than this one. I swear.

Source: the-artistic-garden.com via Kellie on Pinterest

I have been coveting a Flower Pot Person in my yard ever since I spotted one at the Cherry Hill Cottage. Her flower pot lady is so adorable! (You MUST click on the link to see Toots. I will be making her twin, apron and all.) I have yet to get out and buy all the pots needed to make it, but this year might be the year. I just have to figure out where they will be sitting in my yard permanently, since once you make one, it's pretty difficult to move it.

And how fun is this:

Sittin' pretty!

Source: re-nest.com via Kellie on Pinterest

I used to have a similar thing in my front yard garden. The chair was painted red, but it rotted from being rained on so much. I love the colors in this, and I think I need to find another old chair to put in my garden again. And I need to figure out how to keep it from falling apart.

I need to spruce up some shady areas of my backyard, so I've been pinning shade ideas a lot. I need low maintenance, because I don't want to be trimming and clipping and weeding any more than I already have to do. Hostas clearly fit that bill, and I'm thinking planting different varieties in an area for interest might be nice. And don't they cover up a wide area pretty sufficiently?

Hostas, hostas, everywhere: Get a few, keep dividing for many!

Source: americanhostasociety.org via Kellie on Pinterest

Here's another pretty shade shot. I love the little accent wall. Did I mention I love stone walls? I do.

Source: flickr.com via Kellie on Pinterest

I also have this disgusting ugly hill in my backyard that is not landscaped. When we moved here when we were married, the woods came practically right up to our house, right where this hill now starts. My husband cleared back the woods considerably, mostly so we could have room to do stuff in our backyard, like put in a swing set for the kids, have a garden, etc. The result is we are left with an ugly hill with weeds growing on it. I want to landscape it, somehow, but the budget is too tight to spend thousands on the retaining walls and bushes of my dreams, not to mention that it would be a huge job that I cannot undertake with two toddlers. I'm forever thinking of ways to create a low-maintenance and attractive solution to this problem. I recently pinned this photo:

A pretty landscape for a hill

Source: houzz.com via Kellie on Pinterest

I love the rocks at the very bottom -- we have a lot of large rocks at the bottom of our hill, and this might be a way to incorporate them into a plan without moving them too much! I love the different colored shrubs on the hill too. I'd like to get started on our hill re-do sometime in the near future because, honestly, when I am in my backyard with the kids looking at that hill, I want to cringe. I hate looking at it. There are a lot of things I would like to change about my house/yard, but most I can live with and "prettify" on my own. This? Ugh. Despise! Disgusted! I need to fix it somehow without breaking the bank so I can be proud of my backyard.

And speaking of rocks and stones:

Rocks and curves and textures add interest!

Source: tradgardsflow.blogspot.com via Kellie on Pinterest

Rocks rock! This pic made me realize I need more stone, more rocks, in my garden. Little stones, big rocks, rows of edging rocks... It just makes it all look so interesting. I'm planning on digging in my rock pile this spring and putting them to good use. Plus rocks, when found in the yard, are very friendly to my garden budget. They are free! But that said, I'll probably purchase a few bags of rocks too to put in little spots here and there. (Mental note: I must pin more pics of rocks!)

Of course, since I am in the dreaming mode, I have to include MY DREAM SHED. A photo of this shed has been on the front of my fridge for years. Years. When the Family Handyman issue arrived with this on it several years ago, this became my dream shed and I never looked back. Nothing has ever topped it for me. Someday my wonderful husband will find it in his heart to build this for our backyard. I've saved the plans. I guess I just need to save the money.

The Schoolhouse Shed, which fulfills all my Laura Ingalls Wilder Dreams.

Source: familyhandyman.com via Kellie on Pinterest

I have a million other pins to tell you all about, but I think I'll save them for many other posts as I get ready for my garden season. I can cover veggie gardening, fairy gardens, a pet memorial garden. I'll get to them all. And I'll likely report on all my garden experiments throughout the year. Stay tuned, and look for another garden post later this week.

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