Garden Art and the Summer Garden

Hey, Everyone!  I am on vacation right now.  To be honest, summer is kind of one big vacation for me anyway but, I am on actual vacation this week :).  While I am taking the week off, I thought it would be fun to share some of my garden from home with its funky garden art with you.   My garden has been doing pretty well with the beneficial rains we have been experiencing this summer, although these photos were taken right before the flooding rains of last week.  Boy, did we get pummeled with rain!

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I have been especially pleased with the great display of the daisies this year.  They seem to love my yard and are easy to grow and propagate.

Even the view out to the driveway is pretty!  And the blanket flower has been going crazy, as well--- giving the whole garden a wildflower kind of look.

This beebalm plant is especially lovely, too.  Beebalm attracts hummingbirds, which is always

fun :).

The views to the side yard have been nice also.  As I said, the rain has really helped my perennials flourish this summer.  That is a big change from the drought we experienced last year.

The side yard is a great sitting spot in the yard.  Just the other day my daughter came for a visit with her 6-month-old puppy and we watched Lucy, the puppy, as she ran around the yard investigating every nook and cranny. 

I am especially happy with the way these planters have filled in this season.  The colors are fun and the plants seem to have thrived in this location.  I am trying mandevilla plants on homemade "teepees" of bamboo stakes for a change.  It's a fun new look for me.

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As well as plants and flowers, I like to add what I call art in the garden.  Art to me is something interesting and different that stands out from the greenery in the yard.  This year I was all about adding a bottle tree to my garden for some reason.  I had never really paid  attention to them before but, there was a certain spot in my garden that I thought could really use one.

I couldn't find any bottle tree stands at any of the local nurseries near me but, I did find one in a garden catalog.  However, it was pretty pricey with shipping and all.  So...

...I checked to see what I had in the way of garden stakes and such in the garage...purchased some colored bottles from the Dollar Store...and made a "tree" of my own.

One of the old stakes I had was missing the globe that came with it.  To make it more visibly appealing, I took colored floral wire, also from the Dollar Store, and created a different kind of globe.  I thought it was a nice unexpected touch :).  I also used the floral wire to attach the bottles to the stakes.  (No need for a tutorial.  It was very easy to make.)

 Sorry about all the bottle tree pics.  I just think it is so cute!

The bottle tree is now one of my favorite things in the whole garden and it was very inexpensive to make.

This old rusty wallhanging is another piece of "art" in my garden.  It adds a touch of simplistic beauty I think.

I haven't done much since the spring with my front entry.  Mostly because I haven't had time but, somehow the pansies are still doing fairly well so, they will be able to stay a little while longer...at least until I return from vacation :).

I did change up this entry planter for the summer, however.  I have found over the years that simple plants not flowers do best in this planter.  With the amount of sun the front porch gets, these normally considered houseplants do well in that location.  The planter is another "art piece" in the garden with its geometric look.

I know I have already shared my raised bed herb garden but I have added the flower box since I shared it with you a few weeks ago.

I really love this flower box because I put it together very quickly with flowers I found at the end of the local planting season when plant offerings were getting scarce.  Somehow, even under those limited conditions, I found some really interesting flowers...like this one.  It has a cactus look with fuzzy red "flowers".  I thought it was really cool.  I'm sorry I forgot to look at the information tag before leaving on vacation so, I don't know the name of it :/.

As you can see, I did find some interesting looking flowers to make up this flower box.

Very importantly this year, the view from inside the house to the outdoors is a pretty one.  We have had many rainy days this summer so, it is nice to have something lovely to look at when you look out the window :).

I should be back next week with "bells on" as they say.  I truly hope you are having a wonderful summer.  Enjoy!!

~See You Next Week~

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