Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Welcome to my front porch!

Someone in blogland hosted a Front Porch Party last week (although I've already forgotten who...do you know who it was?). Well, I showed up too late to even go to the party or participate! Total social faux-paux. However, I liked the idea so much I figured I'd participate anyway (please tell me it's not lame to have a party all by yourself?!) I thought I could at least invite each of you to visit my front porch. Sit down and have a sip of lemonade with me. Or if you're a fellow Oregonian I'll give you some hot tea - and we can at least pretend it's sunny and warm. Because that's the closest we're going to get to summer at the moment, apparently. In our dreams.


Anyway - my recently planted annuals on my front porch. I LOVE sweet potato vine! I'm usually pretty thrifty when it comes to buying annual flowers, but I'll pay a little extra for this beauty. It's large, chartreuse leaves are just so dramatic.


Have a seat - well, only if you're pint-sized. This little set is the perfect size for my three-year-old. Looks and feels just like the real thing (it's painted metal) but is tiny. Too cute. :-)


I'll let you sit here - these chairs are grown-up size. Bought them at a garage sale a few years back for $5 each. They were already painted this fabulous blue color. They've weathered quite a bit (it's funny - leaving them in the rain for like two years will do that!) and I think they're just perfect now. My little plant stand/table was a recent purchase from TJ Maxx for $12.



It's hard to tell, but this is actually a huge terra cotta planter in my front yard, with a baby hydrangea in it. Which goes to show how absolutely enormous those irises are in the background. They weren't blooming yet when I took this photo, but I think one or two are finally starting to open up now. It's a shady area so they have to s-t-r-e-t-c-h for sunlight, which apparently makes them huge.

And the Englishy-cottagey jumble that is part of my perennial garden. This is blooming a little more now (I took these pics last week) but you get the idea. See the huge plant with the little pale pink/lavendar blossoms? It's a perennial geranium and is on a secret mission to take over the world. I have no doubts it will be successful very soon, too. It is SO prolific and keeps sending volunteers all over the place.

I took these photos during a random sunbreak one afternoon last week. Who knew it would be the LAST sunbreak for quite some time? I am really living vicariously through all my blog friends who live in warmer parts of the country. Baby steps to summer, baby steps to summer... :-)

6 comments:

  1. Your garden is so pretty! In my dreams I have a wild English cottage type garden. For now I'll have to settle for a few straggly annuals blistering in the Georgia sun. I'm actually killing my vinca. My mother pulls that stuff up by the handful and it grows where she throws it. Makes me so mad! lol *Ü*

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  2. Just beautifulo. Your garden is so pretty. I love the English cottage garden style. I have a bed like that in my backyard. It wasn't intentional but I just kept adding plants that I love and now it's so full and perfectly messy. All the better to hide the weeds!

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  3. The porch party was hosted by Rhondi's Rose Colored Glasses. I know because I spent half the afternoon visiting all of the blogs who were participating. It was so much fun.

    I say better late coming to a party than never! Hope you get summer soon, too. Wish I could ship some of ours to you--we've got plenty of heat to go around. -Julia :-)

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  4. Looks like a wonderful area to spend the morning or afternoon, or really any time of the day!

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  5. Ah, boy oh boy, I need this little rest on your front porch! How lovely it is, Courtney! Thanks for sharing it. Hope you are doing well...

    Happy day,
    melissa

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  6. Sweet potato vine is gorgeous. The greenhouse ran out of the chartreuse so I had to settle for red this year *sigh* in my all-green scheme. Rats. Next year: buy early, pay full price.

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thank you for commenting, dahling! I can't wait to hear what you have to say. :-)