Pages

Monday, July 24, 2023

Mid Summer Back Yard Cottage Garden Update and Lighting....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Welcome to Debbie-Dabble Blog!!

 
I am so happy you decided to stop by!!
 
 

 I now post 3 TIMES A WEEK on MONDAY, WEDNESDAY and FRIDAYS!!!!
 
 
As always, click on each picture if you would like to enlarge it....
 
 
 A NOTE ABOUT COMMENTS
 
I enjoy reading your comments and will return the favor by visiting and commenting on your blog or reply to you directly here if you do not have a blog but I do have my comment section set to Moderation due to spammers and hackers so your comment will not appear immediately...
 
 
 Today, I will be sharing my back yard Cottage Garden Mid Summer Update and some new lighting in the Garden....
 
 
In my last post, I shared some recent New Buys!!


 

 

 Click HERE if you missed that post!!


 
And now for a few Personal Notes...
 
 

I haven't shared any pictures of myself lately as I hit a plateau in my weight loss journey but I finally seem to be moving on ......

I lost 3 more pounds so hopefully, things are starting back up....

I guess I should be saying down instead....

I wore this very old outfit shopping on Saturday....

Yes, both the top, which I have had for over 10 years if not 15, and the capri's are a bit loose.....

I am still holding off in buying new clothes until I see if I can lose more weight....

This is what I wore to Sunday Mass yesterday.....

 
Again, I bought this top and 2 others styled like it but with different prints on them, at Gabes about 10+ years ago for a mere $6 a piece!!!


I will have to buy new jeans and slacks for the Fall because I have none of those that are not big on me ....

I will put it off as long as I can in the hope of losing some more weight by that time.....



Last week, I decided it was time to attack the back yard even though we had high humidity and heat......

First I cut back all the Missouri Primrose or Sun Drops, as I recently heard them called....

I then did a bit of weeding and trimming.....

Next was rearranging things a bit.....

Since I cut back a large area of the Missouri Primrose by the fence in the yard here, I was now able to move one of the wrought iron chairs out into the yard......

 
This freed up a bit more room in this area.....

You can see the chair in actually out in the mulch off the pavers now.....

I took some of the plants that I was growing in smaller pots and transplanted them in other places which cleared up this table....

I did go and buy another set of those Firefly Lights that I bought for the front yard and talked about in my last post.....

I originally put this set here in this pot.....

The new guinea impatien is doing so well......

 

I moved that set of Firefly lights here.....


I grew these zinnias from seeds in these 2 pots and transplanted some marigolds, also grown from seeds, and a petunia that apparently reseeded it self from last year ...

That big clump of plants are asters which will bloom in the Fall with deep purple blooms.....

I thinned out the sedum growing here in my Fur Baby Memory Garden and planted some in the front yard....

I cut back all the Missouri Primrose that grew along this side of the yard against the fence....

The Loosestrife on the sides of the arbor are blooming and growing quite well...

The flower bags and the impatiens and begonias in the bird bath and bird cage are doing quite well.....


 
I am really quite happy with how this area is looking this year!!!


The Loosestrife on this side of the arbor......
 
 

I have been slowly taking the marigolds that grew from seeds in this long galvanized flower box and transplanting them in other pots around the yard.....

 
 

 
 I moved the vintage watering cans planted with zinnias here to the back of the yard....

As I noticed that the mini flag has zinnias on it!!!!

The zinnias seem to be doing a bit better with new blooms on them after I used both a pesticide and dish washing liquid with water, spraying them to try to kill whatever was eating them......

I did transplant a columbine here in the yard and also one in a pot too!!

I also dug up some asters and potted them to give to my friend Anne Maire,,,,


I moved all these pots and planters and swept up a bit here....

I transplanted marigolds and zinnias from seeds, along with Rose of Sharon tree sprouts and coleus that I actually successfully rooted here in these long flower boxes........

I gave this Golden Euonymus a trimming....

I also cut back the Missouri Primrose in the center flower bed....


And raked up the mulch to freshen it up a bit.......


 The other type of aster I potted for Anne Marie and a sedum that I transplanted from over in the Fur Baby Memory Garden...
 

 
I cut the spent blooms off this huge Columbine....


A bit neater looking....

I transplanted 4 marigolds that I grew from seed in this pot with a Rose of Sharon Tree and they are now starting to bloom.....

 

 The other side of the center flower bed....

I trimmed the huge loosestrife here....

 

And freshened up the mulch in the Gnome Garden and rearranged things since some of the plants are growing........

The Autumn Joy Sedum will start to bloom in the middle of August....


 Behind the purple leaf Plum Tree....
 
 
 
 A loosestrife and asters that I planted there a few years ago....

 
The flower bed along this side of the yard.....

This Wandering Jew plant that I bought on Clearance has really taken off....

The leaves are stunning with the Sun shining on it....

Also cut back perennials here.....




 I also want to share how well this hanging pot is doing in the patio....

 
 Now the back yard will pretty much stay this way until the Fall......







 
I recently bought this set of Edison Bulb Solar Lights for the Patio......

I did not want to worry about plugging them into the porch light or the receptacle on the outside wall.....

 
And I wanted just a bit of light without having to turn on the porch light....

 
I had no trouble hanging them from the awning by using shower hooks!!

 
And the flower ones that I chose to hang them with look pretty!!


There wasn't much wire to put the solar panel on the ground so I improvised and stuck it in this "ball" I made by zip tying 2 hanging baskets together.....

And in the evening......

 
 
 

Just enough light that I was looking for as I do not sit outside in the evening.......

On the left side ....

The Firefly Lights...

The solar lights I elevated used PVC piping...

There is a bug light bulb in the lantern that is set on a timer from Dusk to Dawn......

The Firefly Lights on this side of the Patio...

 
 


Dragon Fly Solar Lights on the arbor.....


And there you have it....

I will not be doing another Cottage Garden update until the end of August....

 I hope you will stop by to visit again on WEDNESDAY when I will begin to share my "Under the Sea" decor for Late Summer in the Living Room....
 
Starting with my Tree....
   
 
 
 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!
 


15 comments:

  1. Well, you are simply amazing…creative, thoughtful, organized and energetic! Love, love this post, as usual….but the best is the pictures of you….great job, you look fabulous and, most importantly …I know you feel fabulous ! Well done! I can’t wait to see your next post, they are always fun and colorful and sweet! Thank you, happy day, V.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. V.,
      Thanks again for your sweet words and for taking time out of your day to visit with me...I am so happy that you enjoyed this post...I do feel 100% better than I have for years...It is not easy though but well worth it...I hope you are enjoying your Summer despite this heat...
      Hugs,
      Deb

      Delete
  2. You look great, Debbie - congrats on the weight loss! Your garden looks beautiful and that Wandering Jew is amazing. I have 2 and I just love the color!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a lovely private sitting area you've created! I love the idea of using the white plastic privacy lattice....I'm thinking we might use that instead of other choices to give us a little shade on our 12' x 12' arbor we'll be building in a few months. We just finished a complete landscape job on our front & backyards (all lawn gone, now we have rock) - sounds awful but its not, we've got plants everywhere in raised planters built from various materials. We're both tired, so need to take a couple months to recuperate & take a few day trips out & have a 'normal' retirement for a while. Congrats on your weight loss! I'm doing a happy dance myself - today I hit 42 pounds off (started the beginning of April). I need two knee replacements & the orthopedic surgeon made a great suggestion - have ONE meal a day (lunch for me). It's the easiest 'diet' ever as I love salads & just switch out the proteins (shrimp, chicken or hard boiled eggs). At night when I have the munchies (not hungry, though!) I have sugar free popsicles or a bowl of frozen berries from Costco. I feel SO much better - glucose numbers in the mid range now, and BP meds have been cut in half. I take tumeric w/ black pepper (Costco), B12, senior vitamins, C, D, CoQ10, glucosamine, stir collagen/peptides in my cup of morning tea & BP meds -- what a difference. My regular doctor wants more labs done in September as he's interested in how this is working with the lab tests & it will be just over 6 months by then. I hope to have 60 pounds off by then. Once the steroid shots no longer work I'll be scheduling knee replacements - life is too short to be hobbling around! I am enjoying your blog. Best wishes to you on your continued weight loss journey! Deb E

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deb E,
      Thanks so very much for taking the time to stop by and leave such a sweet comment!!
      The lattice is attached o an existing chain link fence via zip ties of all things...We replace those that break off after the Winter but otherwise, it has held up very well and provides just enough privacy...It has taken me 40 years to get my yard and patio to look like it does now!! Good for you on losing all that weight!! And I am sure that like me, you feel great after doing so!! Keep up the good work as I know it is not easy... I hope you are having a great Summer and thanks again for taking the time to visit a bit with me!!
      Hugs,
      Deb

      Delete
  4. Your garden is so absolutely beautiful Debbie...I loved seeing every little detail of it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Christie,
      Thanks so much for stopping by!!! Glad you enjoyed seeing my garden!!
      Hugs,
      Deb

      Delete
  5. Hi Debbie - First , congratulations on your weight loss journey. That's such a huge success. Second - my word - every single plant in your back yard looks happy and vibrant. That's amazing! Finally, thank you for sharing your post with the Home Imagined Link party. Don't forget we are cheering for you from sidelines.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your garden looks lovely, and I love the lights!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love the lights! Must be so nice to sit out there. We have rain daily so our outside time is limited. Everything is wet. Over from PS, enjoy your week.

    ReplyDelete
  8. You are the garden whisperer Debbie! Everything looks so lush and perfect. We have weeds growing in our flower beds that I keep pulling out, and they keep growing back. GRR... lol. Great idea using the shower curtains to hang your lights, they look great. I want to have a small patio with solar lights around it some day. My plans keep getting pushed back with other projects that need to be completed sooner rather than later. You look great! It's a wonderful feeling when clothes look baggy on us. Keep it up, woo hoo! Have a happy Sunday.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Debbie, your Mid Summer Back Yard Cottage Gardenand Lighting look fantastic! So cozy.
    Visiting today from Sunday Sinshine #12&13.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your garden is charming both by day and by night. What an enchanted place! Thank you for sharing this post in the Talent-Sharing Tuesdays Link-Up 69.
    Carol
    www.scribblingboomer.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Congratulations on the weight loss so far! Keep it up!

    Your backyard looks like an amazing place to hang out! Very homey!

    Thank you for sharing this at the Sunday Sunshine Blog Hop!

    Laurie

    ReplyDelete
  12. WOW, awesome garden - well done
    Thank you for sharing your links with us at #272 SSPS Linky. See you again next week.

    ReplyDelete

I always love to read your comments and opinions!!
I will try to respond to your comment as quickly as I can either on your Blog, through an email address or here on the posts where you commented if I cannot find any other way to contact you!!
If you are a vendor and insist upon leaving a comment with a link back to a website, it will be deleted immediately as I check my comment several times a day!!