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Thursday, June 16, 2016

Summer Garden Tour

Welcome.  I am so happy that you stopped by.  My garden gate is always open for you to come in and sit and relax for a few minutes.  Today you are invited to an early summer garden tour of my small space garden located on the side of our house.  It is long and narrow and divided into small rooms and based on the small walled gardens located in the South of France that I fell in love with on a trip to France.

 We were so fortunate to have some rain early in the year and even though it was not enough to officially end our four year drought - it was enough to help our flowers and trees.  We lost  two of our large  trees and all of our hydrangeas during the height of the drought.

Bentley. my Garden Assistant, is waiting to take you on a little tour.




This corner of the garden was devastated by the drought as we lost a large tree and large blue Hydrangea bushes. The first room is all gravel in the English/French cottage style.  I moved the high back bench to the corner to give some height until the newly planted tree fills in.

We dug up most of the grass in the side garden when the drought started several years ago and love how easy it is to take care of.

I like to change the pillows around  in this corner to add even more color to make up for the loss of our large Hydrangea bushes.



Geraniums have been the mainstay flower during our drought as they are colorful and do well with limited water.  Ours are the Martha Washington variety that do well under drought conditions and like to trail when planted.









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The brick walkway leads to the front door.






Off the front door is the little sitting room that is divided from the gravel area by a little white pick fence. Flags and colorful  red and white check  pillows come out on Memorial day and stay in the garden until early Fall. The Newport Bay and Pacific ocean are just a few short miles away and the garden takes on a coastal cottage feel during the Summer months.








As an artist and flower painter I am happiest with lots of color in the garden and love creating little spots of it in the garden with  real flowers or flowers on fabric.

Joy is one of my favorite words that describes how I feel in the garden.



The "faux" stepping stones lead to the little area which is a lovely place to sit and have a cup of tea.

The mirror reflects the garden and gives the illusion of more depth.


Vintage table cloths add color and whimsy to the tea table.


"Blossom" our vintage dress form keeps watch over the garden - she is very fickle and likes to change outfits on a whim!




The Nasturtiums have taken over and  are now acting as decorations for her skirt.

She likes to wave her flag for the Fourth of July which is right around the corner!




Ladders are a great way to add height and interest in a small space garden.


Vintage galvanized rabbits add a touch of whimsy.


The Secret Garden gate leads to the kitchen garden behind the house  where herbs and flowers  are growing and winds around to the little patio off the kitchen.



Bentley loves to hang out in the kitchen garden as it is a nice sunny spot for him to nap and he also enjoys nibbling on the herbs and Nasturtium flowers.


I just replaced the old white wicker chairs with a newer Adirondack chair as the seats were getting too loose to safely sit on - they are now in a friend's garden where she used them as planters! 




The neighbors Nasturtium plant grew under our fence and up the little bird house trellis. The picket fence planter on the right was made to plant herbs in that are used for cooking.
Nasturtiums  make pretty little bouquets when mixed with other cut flowers.
They seem to grow wherever  planted - even in an old rusty funnel!



Their gardener recently  tore out the Nasturtium plants and the one growing up my trellis died. I planted one on my side of the fence and am waiting for it to start climbing. In the meantime I hung little galvanized pots with yellow flowers on the  bird house  trellis to add some color.  Just like "Blossom"  I am constantly changing around the outdoor pillows and moving furniture and pots of flowers around.


French doors in the kitchen lead out to the little kitchen garden. It is very sunny and the perfect place to sit and have a cup of morning tea. I collect vintage table cloths and enjoy using them in the garden to add color.





Thank you for stopping by.  I am in the process of changing domain carriers and my blog has been down during the past week. Hopefully it is back up now and you will be able to continue to receive my blog posts.
I sincerely appreciate your visits, e-mails, comments and those who follow my blog.

Have a lovely week.   Blessings,  Erin

                      "In wisdom you have made them all: the earth is full of your creatures."  Psalm  104:24


23 comments:

http://deezie-sunshinedeezines.blogspot.com/ said...

Good Morning
I enjoy your blog posts so much*** Your garden is just beautiful, all the flowers are fabulous. I love the gravel instead of grass. We have been doing that slowly but weeds just poke through all that gravel anyway :) oh well. Yours looks amazing.
enjoy your day
deezie

Anonymous said...

I love your blog. Your pictures are always inspiring and delightful. Your posts are so cheerful. I definitely recognize you have an artist's eye.
Thank you, Betsy

Art and Sand said...

Everything is perfect!

I am co-hosting a monthly Garden Tour party and I am going to email you on June 26 to remind you to please link your beautiful garden to our party. Everyone needs to see your fabulous garden.

And now, I need to get busy trying to make my garden as cute as yours.

Sue Kosec said...

Just beautiful, Erin. Just beautiful. The bike, the boots, the watering cans and the flags make it all perfect.

Enjoy it!
xo
SuZeQ

Junkchiccottage said...

Oh Erin so beautiful. I am swooning over each picture. Bentley is a good tour guide. Have a great day.
Kris

Merlesworld said...

A wonderful bright and colourful garden.
Merle....

Terra said...

Your garden is very joyful, or I will say your garden rooms, with all their colors and flowers and cute touches like cushions and birdhouses.

Jean Tuthill said...

I love all the color you have in your garden. It is so bright and cheerful. It is so beautiful. Have a wonderful weekend!

Marlynne said...

Your Garden is way beyond precious!! Your red door has inspired Me! I have a can of red paint!!

FrenchGardenHouse said...

Oh Erin, your garden always delights, but this summer you and Bentley have outdone yourselves! What a gorgeous garden! So beautiful, you have inspired me to perhaps make a tour of our own garden. Thank you for all the beauty you add to our life, with your garden, and your beautiful artwork. Xo Lidy

Patty Marker said...

I always enjoy visiting your colorful garden and come away inspired to start potting up some color. I am a fellow Southern California girl and have had my fair share of lost plants in the last couple of years. I am so ready for the drought to officially be over.

AnnMarie aka Vintage Junkie aka NaNa said...

I love how well the red, white and blue color scheme works throughout your garden! I am intrigued by the Nasturtiums....I must find a place in my garden to plant them. Everything is just lovely and inviting!

Stacey said...

Erin, every square inch of this is stunning! I just love all the colors and textures. You create such a happy beautiful place. Thank you for joining the garden party. :)

Jemma@athomewithjemma said...

Blooming beauty in every single corner, thank you very much for sharing this with us today at the garden party.
This was an absolute treat!
Jemma

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson said...

Erin, your garden is truly a delight! Always one of my favorites. Every year I think I want to plant Nasturtiums and forget. Seeing your beauties really makes me sad I didn't. Next year for sure!! :) I too love color in the garden. I usually go with red, yellow, and purple. This year I changed everything to coordinate with my grandsons aqua and coral wedding. Took some getting use to, but it's growing one me. Thanks for sharing with the garden party.
hugs,
Jann

quakerhillfarm said...

I simply love all of the beautiful bright colors! My kind of gal! I can't live without color, especially red! Thanks for sharing

Art and Sand said...

I am so glad you garden is "at the party".

Pam Richardson said...

Erin, what a beautiful garden!!! May I come and stay in those beautiful vignettes for a while?? Seriously, I am smitten! Pam @ Everyday Living

bj said...

I've never seen such a delightful garden..so full of color and personality...I wonder how it all looks during the cold winter.? Do you have a green house..?

Decor To Adore said...

What an enchanting garden! I adore your color palette. Your post was truly like a lovely rose.Thank you for linking up to the garden party.

belinda said...

You have a beautiful garden. Love it.

Lady Jane said...

I always love to see what you have done with your garden rooms. Hugs, lJ

Christine @ Rustic-Refined said...

I am loving your garden tour! So many wonderful little rooms or vignettes.