I am a Victorian Soul, who lives in a small townhouse that was built in the mid 1970's, not a huge Mega Mansion!! I just recently lost my Hubby Joe, who was a Retired Letter Carrier. I worked night shift as an RN on a Hospital based Rehabilitation( Physical Medicine) Unit for 37 years before I had Knee Replacement Surgery and officially Retired in 2019 after 41 years working in Direct Patient Care ... I am so glad that we retired at 62 years of age and got to spend that time together before he passed....I still do love Retirement!!!!

I DABBLE IN A BIT OF THIS AND THAT!!!!

" IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN"
George Eliot
George Eliot was actually a pen name for a woman named Mary Anne Evans......

BLOGGING FOR FUN AND FRIENDSHIP!!!!!!

Friday, July 7, 2023

Back Yard Cottage Garden, Part 1, Bed and Breakfast Series, 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Welcome to Debbie-Dabble Blog!!

 
I am so happy you decided to stop by!!
 
 
ANNOUNCEMENT!!
 
It seems like I have quite a bit that I want to share so for the next few weeks, I will be now posting
 3 TIMES A WEEK !!!
 
 I will be posting on MONDAY, WEDNESDAY and FRIDAYS
starting this week!!
 
 As always, click on each picture if you would like to enlarge it....
 
 
Today, I will finally be sharing part of my Back Yard Cottage Garden....

 
In my last post, I shared  my simple July 4th Tablescape along with a few Patriotic tablescapes that I have done in the past......

 

 

 

 

 

 

  And I also shared the gifts that I received from my friend Anne Marie when she visited this past Sunday!!

 

Click HERE if you missed that post!!
 
 
Thanks Bev, over at Eclectic Red Barn, for choosing my post, Red and Blue Transferware with a Bit of Americana, as one of her features from last week's Thursday Favorite Things Link Party!!!


Thanks so much, Bev!

Please stop by and link up to this charming party!!
 
 
And now for a few Personal Notes...
 
 

I recently checked off a huge project from my 4-5 year Retirement To Do List...

It was originally a 2-3 Year To Do List but as I am now in the 4th year ( WOW! Time sure does fly when you are having fun!) of my Retirement, I realize that I still have not accomplished a lot of things that are on that list...

Last week, I did a Refresh of my upstairs Bathroom and laid a new floor all by myself after repairing a crack between the tub and floor and replacing all the rubber molding by the tub and floors!!



I will be sharing this Bathroom Refresh in a future post!!
 

I also switched over from my Patriotic decor, that has been on the front porch since Memorial Day, back to my red, yellow and orange Summer themed decor....

With the addition of 2 new rugs!!


I will be doing a post about this change over soon too!


And I also changed a few things in the Kitchen using a few Strawberry and Bee items...

 
 
 
Count on a post about those changes too...

So you can see I have a lot of new posts coming up...

Truth be told, I have been taking pictures, editing them and downloading them onto Blog Posts to work on because our Grand Pups will be with us for a week as my son Jim and DIL Danielle will be on  vacation with her family in Disneyland, California for the next week...

I will be working on all those posts while the pups are here, most likely with them laying on each side of me...

 
 My Bed and Breakfast Series
 
I always say that in my 40's, when all my multiple Medical issues started to rear their ugly heads, I knew that my days of traveling for any distance were over....

So I decided that since I loved the Victorian Era so much that I would turn my 1970's built townhouse into the Victorian Bed and Breakfast that I would love to stay at if I was able to continue to travel....
 
This concept worked so well that now that I am retired, I seldom want to leave my own little Victorian Bed and Breakfast that I created for myself.... 

Because I feel I am now on vacation every single day!!
 
Last Year, I started a Series of posts that I called My Bed and Breakfast Series...
 
 
Today, I am continuing this Series....

And now, I finally want to share my little Back Yard Cottage Garden.....


 After all, most Victorian Bed and Breakfasts usually have a beautiful garden for their guests to admire and spend time in during their stay....

 
As many of you know, we live in a row of 10 townhouses and we have, what I always called, back yards the size of a Postage Stamp!

About 40 years ago, my FIL and Joe's Uncle built us a lattice patio in the back yard that took up half of our tiny yard....


The picture above was taken when it was first built....

We later stained it a redwood color....

We held many Cook Outs and Parties here in this patio with family and friends and neighbors....



I was the one who dug out the grass and laid the pavers for the patio to be built upon....

I also dug out the remaining grass, put the brick walkway in to the gate in the back ( which we never use) and planted perennials in the flower beds that I created to replace the grass....

We had to replace the lattice ( wood) ceiling of the patio twice after Winters where we had very heavy snowfalls...
 
With a County wide Reassessment for Taxes looming on the horizon, where we would be taxed on it as an outside structure, along with the fact that we needed to replace the lattice ceiling for a 3rd time, we opted to dismantle it...

I then pulled up some of the pavers, enlarging the flower beds and we ordered a custom made awning to be installed over the concrete block that my Dad had put in off the back of our house....

For the last few years, I have been extended that block with pavers and now, I am finally done with our Patio...
 
Pictures taken in the Spring...



Honestly, I promise I am done extending the Patio!!

And this is the yard that I am now left with.....
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Again, like the Patio, I stayed with a Bright, Colorful and Whimsical theme for the Back Yard...
 
 We will start here on the left side of the yard for this post....
 
 
 
 I did share this area on the Patio before in a previous post....
 
 What is new since that post is that I bought 3 brightly colored pots in Dollar Tree
 
 
 
 A purple one....
 

 
 A pink one....
 
 
 
 And an aqua one.....
 
 

I will be sharing the plant I put in it in my next post....

I have planted some seeds in pots, transplanted zinnias that have grown from seeds and also transplanted a few perennials....

This is where I keep them...

Against the fence on the left side of the yard....

Missouri Primrose are growing on the each side of the arbor....

I love the bright yellow blooms...

In front of the Missouri Primrose are Asters...

They will bloom in the Fall with deep purple flowers....



My Fur Baby Memory Garden....


I need to thin out the Sedum....


On each side of the arbor is a Loosestrife.....


This will be the first year that this one has blooms on it....


There are 2 branches that we cut off the Lilac Tree in the Spring on each side of the bird bath....
 
I planted impatiens in the flower bags and a begonia in the top pocket....

 
I have had these for many years and plant them myself but they have seen their last year and are ripping...

 
I will be ordering new ones from Amazon at the end of the Summer for next year...
 
Begonias are planted inside the bird cage in the center of the bird bath...


Impatiens and 3 Marigolds are planted around the bird cage in the bird bath....


I planted Zinnias in the watering cans on each side of the arbor...

In the Spring....


And now....


I have been spraying them with a mixture of dish washing liquid and water and a pesticide as something is eating the leaves...


I also cut off the diseased leaves  so I hope this all will save them....
 
I have read that Neem Oil Spray works so if this fails then that will be my next plan of attack...
 
I planted Marigold seeds in this vintage galvanized flower box...


I have been taking them out of here and planting them in other pots...


The rock belonged to my late neighbor Elly....

" Old Gardeners Never Die They Just Spade Away"

Another Loosestrife planted on this side......

 
 

 
And more Missouri Primrose... 
 
More Zinnias in this vintage watering can.....

I recently transplanted this Sedum and Spurge from the front yard here...

And also this Lamb's Ear....



In the back of the yard....




I transplanted this "Snow in Summer" from my neighbor Ed's front yard here...



2 Marigolds including one I grew from seed and 2 Coleus are planted in this vintage coal bucket....



Impatiens in the wheel barrow.....


I recently bought this Blue Balloon Flower at Lowe's....


I planted it in this vintage galvanized bucket....



On the steps by the back gate that we never use, are 2 flower boxes that I planted some seeds in but the birds apparently ate them!!


I did plant a Rose of Sharon Tree in each one that I dug out of Ed's yard, some Zinnias and Marigolds that I grew from seed....


I am also trying to root 2 cuttings of Coleus....

I will let you know if it works....

I do need to give this Golden Euonymus a good trimming....
 


I bought this Coreopsis in Lowe's recently....


I planted it in this vintage galvanized bucket....


I had transplanted part of a hosta that I thinned out in this pot, placing it in this bright yellow plastic milk crate....


I am also trying to root some Loosestrife in this pot....






The left side of the center flower bed...




 
This year, I moved this bird bath from the front yard into the back yard....



I planted begonias in this vintage watering can....


A few Hostas are planted to the left of the bird bath under the tree....



Missouri Primrose and a large Columbine.....


" An Hour in the Garden Puts Life's Problems in Perspective "



 
A Lily and a Columbine that reseeded here....


I love the color of this Lily....



I planted this Loosestrife here a few years ago.....


 
I am hoping that the ones I planted on each side of the arbor will fill out and grow like this one!!
 
I will cut it back in a week or so once the top blooms start to die off as I did not have the heart to do so now...


And this is where I will leave off for today.....

In my next post on MONDAY, I will be sharing a few new Buys...

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And this side of my Back Yard Cottage Garden....

So I hope you will stop by to visit again on MONDAY!!!   
 
 
 Stay safe, healthy and most of all, HAPPY!!

Thanks to those who took the time out of their busy day to spend a little bit of time with me!!

If you do not have a blog, PLEASE  give me some way to reply to your comment, maybe by including your email in your comment.  If I can not find a way to reach you, I will reply on the post where you commented so please check back......


I am linking up to these parties:
 
 
 
  THURSDAY
 
 Please take some time to visit these terrific hosts and all those joining in on the fun!
 

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11 comments:

  1. Miss MerryJuly 7, 2023 at 9:55 PM

    Your cottage garden is so pretty, just perfect for your Bed & Breakfast Inn. I love the bright and cheerful colors and all your colorful decor. And I can't wait to see your upcoming posts - especially the bathroom refresh! Enjoy your time with the granddogs.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AmyJuly 8, 2023 at 8:40 AM

    Hey Debbie! Love the B & B at home idea. Medical issues are a bummer for sure, but what a lemon from lemonade moment. I am trying to redo my old one room schoolhouse home as a mini retreat. It has been a challenge for sure, but a little bit at a time will get us there. Have a lovely weekend ❤️

    ReplyDelete
  3. LindaJuly 8, 2023 at 10:11 AM

    Fantastic job on your new bathroom floor. Your gardens are looking wonderful, as always. Have a wonderful weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  4. JeanieJuly 8, 2023 at 10:26 PM

    I think you must keep your local nursery in business, Debbie! So many beautiful plants and such fun touches in your back yard. And I really love your bathroom floor!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nancy BarberJuly 9, 2023 at 9:41 AM

    A yellow milk crate! First I've seen. So cute. Enjoy your week.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble ChristmasJuly 9, 2023 at 12:56 PM

    Nancy,
    I have had this plastic yellow milk crate since the mid 1980's...I used it for toys when my sons were young!! I thought the bright color would look well out in the garden! Thanks again for visiting!!
    Hugs,
    Deb

    ReplyDelete
  7. Life Of 2 SnowbirdsJuly 9, 2023 at 9:47 PM

    You really do have a green thumb! You garden is beautiful and so much fun to visit!

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnnaJuly 13, 2023 at 8:38 AM

    HI Debbie- Wow! Your backyard has seen quite the transformation over the years. I love the bright colorful flowers you added. Everything looks so cheerful and inviting. Thank you for sharing this post on the Home Imagined Link Party.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Vintage Style GalJuly 15, 2023 at 10:31 AM

    Oh my goodness, those his and her's towels in the bath are too cute! As we have been cleaning out my grandmother's house, I have come across so many items with that on it. She had pillowcases, and then the cutest pot holders, one a bikini, and the other board shorts that were his and her's! I love vintage items like that. Your garden looks lovely, as always. Isn't it sad that taxes have become so high we have to make decisions about our properties? Our property taxes are out of control here. We were thinking about creating a mudroom between the garage and house, but we are thinking no thanks. Hope you have a wonderful weekend Debbie!

    ReplyDelete
  10. LynnJuly 16, 2023 at 10:34 AM

    Absolutely loving your gorgeous gardening photos! I recently retired myself and we have moved from Atlanta to Dallas, TX to be near our son. We downsized and have the cutest fenced in backyard that I am turning into our own oasis. Every morning I spend time out there really early before it gets too warm. I have flower beds full of four o’clocks, morning glories and zinnias, all planted from seeds. And hanging baskets in our crepe myrtle trees too. Gardening is my passion. And of course, I am adding some cute yard art to the mix! My blog is www.thefleamarketlady.com. Hope you can stop by.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Life as a LEO WifeJuly 19, 2023 at 11:05 PM

    Your garden is absolutely gorgeous Debbie! You did an amazing job with it. Thanks for sharing on Crafty Creators!
    Niki | Life as a LEO Wife

    ReplyDelete

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