Garden Door

This mahogany door used to be our front door for many years. It had been sitting in our garage for the last 3 or 4 years taking up much needed space. We tried selling it and even tried giving it away, but had no takers. I was looking at Pinterest one night and saw some pictures of old doors that people had used in their gardens. I had seen garden gates, but never a garden door. I asked my hubby, Terry if he thought our old door would fit in the opening of our garden arbor. If anyone could make this happen, I knew he could. A couple of weeks later, here is the finished project. Terry built the frame, I painted it and we both hung the door, which was a pain in the butt. Recently we added some solar lights to either side of the door. Thank you to Terry for making my garden door idea a reality. This is the view looking toward our garden.

A view of the door from inside our garden. This is the side of the door that was facing inside our house, so it isn't as weathered as the other side of the door.

Pretty neat, eh?

Garden Oddities

Siamese twin squash. It's weird how they grow fused together sometimes!

Garden 2014!

This past weekend we finally got our garden planted. We finished up on Easter Sunday. Thank the Lord for the beautiful weather that we had. Our backs and knees were sore, but it's going it is always worth it.

 I got this cute garden sign at Hobby Lobby with what was left on my Christmas gift card from sister Kay. (Thanks sis!)

We planted tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cantaloupe, squash, peppers, pole beans, lima beans, cucumbers, okra and lots of sunflowers.

We got these beautiful hanging baskets at Chuck Johnson's Nursery in Cookeville.

I redid my iris garden this year. This past fall I separated all the iris bulbs and replanted them. I didn't think they would bloom this year, but lo and behold they are.

We also added a new jackmanii clematis vine and climbing flower vines to our Iris garden. We ripped out all the plastic lattice last year and Terry built this awesome new fence on either side of our garden entrance.

Tomato plants.

Got these colorful sun catching wind chimes at Hobby Lobby as well. They are really pretty when the sun is setting.

"In my garden there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful." ~ Abram L. Urban

"Gardening is a matter of your enthusiasm holding up until your back gets used to it." ~ Author Unknown

"Gardening requires lots of water — most of it in the form of perspiration." ~ Lou Erickson

Garden Project 2013

Every weekend for the past three weeks, we have been working on our garden project. We had a garden fence built, a garden path built and a new stamped concrete pad poured in our fire pit area. Yesterday, Trey, our concrete guy finished sealing the pad. We worked hard and have sore muscles, but it was worth it.

Love, love, love our garden path and new planters. Terry did a great job coming up with the idea. We used the decorative rock from our fire pit area for the path. We had just the right amount of rock.

The stamped concrete pad looks like an old cobblestone street. That's the look we were going for and Trey did a fabulous job!

All those little stalks are what is left of our okra plants. I cut them down close to the ground, then pull the stumps up after we have a good frost. I can't wait for spring 2014!

Terry worked all weekend on building these planter beds on the inside part of our garden fence. Between the planters and the raised beds we plan on having a path.

Garden Fence

My brilliant hubby came up with the plan for this garden fence. We've been talking about building one for a long time and finally decided to do it. The builders came out this morning and had it finished in 4 hours. We were glad the rains held off until they could get it built. Next year we will have more places to grow sunflowers, beans and who knows what.

Next up, we plan on building a path between the planters and the fence. Take all the decorative gravel out of the fire pit area and pour some concrete. We'll use the decorative gravel on the path with stepping stones.

I'm pretty excited about the first cherry tomatoes from our garden! I can't wait for the big ones to start coming in. I can taste that tomato sandwich now :0)

Baby Squash

One of the best sights in the garden, the first squash. Actually this isn't the first squash. We picked two yesterday and I'm sure this one will be ready tomorrow.

Garden Macro

Curly cucumber vine.

Squash flower.

Garden 2013 is well underway. This is our first cucumber flower of the season. We're hoping for a better garden this year than we had last year. So far, so good!

Sunflower Macros

Macro photography, also known as macrophotography, refers to taking pictures of small things at close range. Although macro photography traditionally referred to taking pictures with a sensor that is larger than the subject, it currently includes taking pictures in which the image appears at least as large as it does in reality.

 

Majestic!

This is the tallest sunflower in our garden. I bet it's over 7 feet tall.

Sadly, this is what a lot of our tomatoes have looked like this year. We've had some good ones, but there have been too many to count that I've had to throw away.

I got a new wide angle lens this past Saturday. Terry took this shot on Sunday morning using the lens. I'm really enjoying my new toy so far!

Took this shot with my wide angle lens. I know it has nothing to do with nature, but I thought it was pretty cool :0)

Okra flower macro. It's an entirely different little world in the center of that flower!

I didn't realize there was a bee hovering in front of this sunflower until I uploaded the picture to my computer :0)

"Bee to the blossom, moth to the flame; Each to his passion; what's in a name?" ~ Helen Hunt Jackson

Butterfly Macro

Swallowtail butterfly

Sunflower Lunch

Notice the pollen on the bee's legs.

Sunflowers make me smile!

Flowers have an expression of countenance as much as men and animals. Some seem to smile; some have a sad expression; some are pensive and diffident; others again are plain, honest and upright, like the broad-faced sunflower and the hollyhock. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Sunflower opening.

Timing Is Everything!

I love having a lot of flowers in the garden because they attract bees. In turn the bees reward us by pollinating our garden veggies. It's a win win situation :0) Thought I would update everyone on the baby sparrow that was in a nest in one of our hanging flower baskets. Timing is everything. I happened to be watering our hanging baskets when I noticed our cat, Libby, stalking something in the yard. I immediately knew what she was after. Turns out the baby sparrow had left the nest and was hopping on the ground. I dropped the hose and ran to Libby. I grabbed her up and locked her up in the garage until I could get the baby bird to a safe place. I just hope the mamma sparrow finds him or her. I knew it was a matter of time before the baby left the nest. He or she was way too big for the nest.