Makeup/life tip: if you’re into faux freckles but don’t want to spend the time painstakingly drawing them on your face, may I suggest gardening on your deck on a windy afternoon?
After I posted this pic on Instagram stories I got several nice compliments on my amazing freckles.
Homegirls…THAT’S DIRT.
LOL!
The Lady Sanctuary (also known as the deck garden off my upstairs bedroom) is back in business!
I went with things I’ve planted before because I know they should do well on my deck — snapdragons, salvia, cosmos, fuchsia, daisies, and these gigantic marigolds that are as big as my face.
Tabs isn’t allowed on this particular deck. He hangs out on the deck off the living room downstairs because that’s where his Tabby Command Center and the household catnip forest are, but since he also spends a lot of time sleeping on ze bed, I thought that a couple of plants up there would attract hummingbirds.
They seem to love the salvia and fuchsia.
This way Tabs has something ? to look at while he’s relaxing.
I’m thinking of grabbing a few more planters, though. I saw some cute ones at Marshalls and HomeGoods that I might get this weekend… Oh, and you know what? I think I’m also gonna get some outdoor rugs (I saw some cute ones at Target) so I can take Connor out there with me and not have to worry about our feet getting splinters.
Gardeners, talk to me! What are you planting this year? Have you started yet?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Really pretty flowers. It’s already too late for snapdragons in Texas – they can’t stand the unrelenting heat we get by mid-May. Believe it or not, snapdragons are a late winter/early spring plant around here. I grew some really spectacular snapdragons from seed many years ago. It was a variety called “Wedding Bells,” and I haven’t been able to find that kind in recent years. I guess the industry moved on to other varieties. Cosmos are pretty easy to grow from seed, as are marigolds. I started some cardinal climber seeds a few weeks ago, and they were doing great, until apparently rabbits ate them. I’m going to buy some fox urine crystals to repel the rabbits. Rabbits never used to be a problem around here, but humans destroyed their shrubbery home about 1.5 miles up the road, so they moved here.
Hi CL,
I usually get the potted plants at HomeDepot, but growing snapdragons from seeds sounds like fun!
How beautiful! I forgot how well everything grows in California. Here in Georgia, if I put any plants on my deck, the brutal summer sun kills them instantly, so I have given up. Love the colors you chose. Good luck with the hummingbirds!
Hi Daphne,
Ahh, I know what you mean! Maybe choose a full-sun plant? Those do better in places like decks with lots of light. Just don’t forget to water them!
Beautiful flowers! In Greece, we call the snapdragons, puppies (vernacular), because if you bend the flower from the sides they look like a barking dog mouth. I love Impatiens and blue Campanula for summer. They perform well in semi-shade. The garden is around the house who is designed on piloti and has not full sunlight throughout the entire day.
Hi Amalia,
LOL, I can see that in the snapdragons!
I just looked up both Impatiens and blue Campanula and found out they’re both cat safe, so it looks like I’m going to grab those next. Thank you! 🙂
Your little space looks so pretty! I love all the flowers. It’s just now starting to warm up in Ohio so we are a little ways away from planting anything. We put out a hummingbird feeder in the yard and I love seeing those little birdies in action. I need to figure out how to do something like this for myself. Your space looks so peaceful!
Hi Ruchita,
Oh, I bet the kitties love seeing the hummingbirds, too! I’ll have to send you a pic of this house in our neighborhood, which is an indoor kitty’s dream. The windows have like 6 (maybe 8?) bird feeders, so there’s ALWAYS birds hanging out.
You’ve done such a beautiful job! It’s so colorful and cheerful!!! We won’t plant here until after Memorial Day but the perennials are starting to show some signs of life. I have a red trumpet honeysuckle vine that winds around a garden obelisk outside our living room window. That thing is hummingbird central. It’s very fast-growing, bright and pretty and almost always has a hummingbird in it. 🙂 I highly recommend!
Oh, that sounds beautiful! I love the smell of honeysuckle but have had little success with climbing plants. I dunno if I’m cursed, LOL!
Do you guys get lots of butterflies, too? We do.
I think this would work for you. I am the laziest gardener alive and the honeysuckle vine has been thriving for years. I wish we had more butterflies. The only time I ever really see them is on the golf course. We always have some monarchs that seem to follow us around. They’re not lucky, by any means, but they are lovely. 🙂
Another bonus for planting honeysuckle is that it has the same affect as catnip for some cats! Maybe Tabs will be a honeysuckle cat?!
Oh, I didn’t know that! Funny story: my mother always likes to give my cats treats so, while we were on vacation, my father talked her into getting a pack of 3 from Sam’s Club. She didn’t read the labels – just got her usual brand. She said she came the next day and the cats were out of control. At the door before she even came in and bouncing around like crazy. She had given them the catnip treats. HAHA! She promptly switched to another flavor.
I didn’t, either until I looked up if Honeysuckle is cat safe. 🙂 I’m going to buy him Honeysuckle treat to see if it does anything for him!
And LOL about the cat treats! I bet the kitties thought that life had suddenly gotten a major upgrade.
Here in CT we had such a frigid March & April that my tulips are just sending. We have a butterfly bush (budleja) which apparently is an invasive species. But its purple flowers are fragrant & beautiful & we do get many butterflies, bees & birds.
Hi Deedee212,
I’ve never heard of that bush and just looked it up. It’s SO beautiful!
What a beautiful and colorful Lady Sanctuary! After seeing these pics, I’m now itching to head over to the plant nursery. That coral snapdragon is calling my name! 🙂
Hi Mitzi,
I’m all about the coral, as you know! 🙂 Do you do a lot of gardening in the spring/summer?
Girl, you make dirt look good!
Honestly next time I get the urge to do faux freckles I’m just going to do this. LOL!
Gorgeous!! Now I’m thinking about adding Snapdragons to my porch…
My garden is in full swing, despite the unusually cool weather late in the Spring. My chili pepper, basil, and tomato plants have really taken off the last few days, as have my petunias. I’m still babying my yellow squash along and my sweet peas look healthy, but haven’t bloomed yet. And then yesterday I discovered my first cucumber, followed by three more this morning!! Hoo-ray!!! Refrigerator pickles, here we come.
Hi Suzanne,
Oh, you’re so lucky to have successful peas and cucumber plants. I’ve tried to grow climbing plants but they just don’t take on my deck.
How big is your garden? Do you have a lot of space?
I have a container garden, since it’s much easier on my back. Right now, there’s one container of yellow squash, one with chili peppers, two with massive cucumber plants, and three with tomatoes and basil. I have two more containers of tomatoes to plant this weekend. (Preferably in the morning, since we’re already over 90 degrees in the afternoon!!)
I am at awe that you’re able to grow cucumbers in a container! Is there a secret?!
It’s a fairly large container and I have a tomato cage in it, along with two bamboo stakes. Those keep it supported. Also, I mixed a little Tomato Tone plant food in the potting mix before I planted- good stuff!!! But the main thing is that I trim it weekly, so it doesn’t get too big for it’s space. And water, water, water.
Hmm. If I ever get the guts to try it again, I’ll try your tips. I don’t know what I did but I just can’t get those climbers to take. Thank you, Suzanne!
P.S. Do the kids get a kick out of picking food out of the garden?
I love your space. Where I live (Central NY), the deer eat anything that I plant, so I gave up on planting things. They even come up on our porch and deck to eat flowers.
Hi Jan,
We have deer here too! They walk right into our front yard and will chomp on anything, so we’ve had to fence off a couple of our orange trees.
Have you considered deer-resistant pants? You could plant salvia or lantana. Both are very pretty!
I’ll have to check those out. We’ve planted prickly evergreens that are supposed to be deer resistant and the deer eat them up. The only thing I’ve found that the won’t eat are Cosmos (the plant, not the drink!).
There’s also white and purple African daisies. I see those all over too, although I have lived in places with them in the past and they do like to spread if left unchecked.
We have rosemary in our front yard and for the most part the deer also leave those alone too.
So pretty. Be careful that none of the plants are toxic for Tabs to chew on 🙂
Nevermind, I just now read that he doesn’t have access 🙂
The flowers look gorgeous Karen!! I especially like the the ones that have the purple, pink, and coral. So pretty!! Enjoy your Lady Sanctuary!!
Thanks, Sherry! The coral ones are my faves, too. 🙂 Hope you had a wonderful Thursday!
I know you say he’s not allowed out there, but couldn’t Tabs relax on the new outdoor rugs and supervise you and Connor while you’re out there?
How about a couple of trailing Nasturtium seedlings in with those Marigolds, to trail gracefully over the edge of the basket? I know how you feel, having to take cats into consideration when planting. We have a walled in back yard (in UK that means a SMALL space, not like in U.S.) I try to make it like a cross between Sleeping Beauty’s bower and a lush Thai jungle, because Siamese are bred for heat, humidity, jungle etc. I live in the north of UK so sometimes it’s a bit of a task but Sleeping Beauty’s bower aspect is coming on well!
I was thinking the marigolds looked a little lonely. Great idea to add some Nasturtium! They’ll do great in the full sun.