Cottage Style Party #54

This has been the summer of re-do's.

Let's start with my veggie garden.

Here's my entire tomato yield for 2013:

Yep, their pretty but...

...except for a couple I ate last week, this is it.

My tomato plants succumbed to wilt and I yanked them out over the weekend.

My heirloom tomatoes just could not deal

with all the spring rain we had.

I love my fresh home grown tomatoes and this just makes me mad!

So mad, that I treated the soil, piled on bags of fresh compost and 

went on the hunt for tomato plants.

Yep, in July.

I found some healthy, though wonky shaped plants

at Home Depot, for full price (which does not seem right!).

This leads us to

Re-do #1

My new summer garden, part 2:

It looks similar to how it looked 2 months ago!

At this rate I will have more tomatoes by September...maybe.

If the wilt doesn't come back...

Remember this fountain post?

And this fountain:

Yep, it was fun and I loved the blue pot make over.

It should have creeping Jenny hanging over the 

sides and elephants ear growing out of the top by now.

But it attracted way too much attention from local wildlife

who knocked over the potted plants and ate the elephants ear bulbs.

After draining it, re-potting the (partially eaten) plants, 

re-stacking and refilling it

*3 times*

the pot cracked.

I wasn't ready to quit because the sound of a

 fountain in a garden is essential!

And the fountain part was fine.

I wish I could say that about the pot and plants!

Which leads us to 

Re-do #2...

I wasn't ready to throw away the pot.

I thought about planting something in it but I still needed to lift my fountain

above the lawn mower grass-throwing level.

I also wanted some plants but a pot was not the way to go,

not this year anyways.

So I picked up some floating water hyacinths and tossed them in.

I bent up a wire coat hanger to dangle the fountain from the side.

Now it makes more noise and no animals have paid it a visit except birds.

A little odd looking, but effective!

It will (re)do for this year.

Not a Re-do nor a fail on my part:

This is my hydrangea bush this year.

It had 2 huge gorgeous pink blooms that lasted about 2 weeks and...

...several smaller blooms crammed up against the steps.

Ugly, right?

I usually do a hydrangea post or two every year.

I bet you have been wondering where it is, right?

Well, now you know the sad truth.

I'm blaming this one on the hydrangea!

Here's a peek at the 2 huge ones in their glory:

I was waiting for more to pop to do a post on them

but got nothing more...sad.

I am waiting for the part where all, well, most

of my garden work is done and

I can sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor.

When does that happen?

Here's something that, so far, is doing well:

No wilt here yet, though I am waiting for it with

the impatiens virus lurking out there.

I still love the suggestion to encourage the moss but just need to 

remember to get buttermilk at the grocery.

What ugly steps?

Ha!

Someone was less than impressed with the flowers.

Olive kitty!

What, momma? Did you say "snackies"?







A few other successes

(read: dumb luck!)

in my garden this year...

I love this fortuitous color combo of the 

stargazers and caladiums.

No planning here, just luck!

A volunteer phlox in my daylily bed.

I love a volunteer as long as it is not weeds!

When a friend gave me this gorgeous hanging basket,

I was forced to repot these plants.

Which were not looking so good, btw.

Since you see the bottom of the pot when you walk

up my front steps, it is nice to have something pretty to see.

Update photo here!

Here it is early this morning with the sun shining on it.

Why have I not use peach flowers before?

Next year will be the year of peach flowers!

And one more thing...

The World's Longest Yard Sale 

begins next week!

Woot!

I will be doing my usual Ohio leg of

 Rt 127 on Friday.

And of course I will be blogging about all of it!

Can't wait!

Here's a pic last years finds:

I believe that is everything I found last year in one day.

Can't wait!

Hello Friends!

Welcome to this weeks

Cottage Style Party!

I apologize for last weeks rough start!!!

When I tested the linky it was fine

until it wasn't.

Special *thank you* to Pernilla at 

Swedish Corner Down Under blog

for keeping after me to fix it right!

Thanks Pernilla!!!

And might I add...

if you drop into her blog right now

you will see her photos of the middle of winter in Australia - 

which some how looks much warmer than my summer!

Let's get to it then!

I just love this floral tea set with the peek of geraniums in the background!

Stop in to Kathy's blog A Delightsome Life for 

a cup of tea with her and her pretty tea service!

Can you believe this beautiful old pantry with leaded glass windows?

It's way to pretty to be hidden in a pantry which is why Pernilla is not hiding it!

Stop by her blog Swedish Corner Down Under for more delicious pics of this beauty!

Look at all those pretty linens!

And you can't go wrong with brownies...yum!

Drop in to Poetry in a Pot of Tea blog for an iced tea break...

and maybe a brownie!

And stay to see her adorable honey bee napkins!

Don't forget to pick up your button on the side!

Thanks for stopping by!

Next 5 DaThanks for stopping by!

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