Follow me through the rose trellis

Come. Follow me through the rose trellis and down the rock path. I’ve been looking forward to your visit.

Before we sit down for a little R&R, let’s enjoy the walk along the way. This miniature gazebo serves as the local buffet for all kinds of birds and the fountain behind it their bathhouse. We can watch them frolic from our bedroom window. The cement bench behind the fountain is a quiet, secluded place to ponder. You can see a bird bath in the distance. The photo below is what it looked like in past years.

Since then, I got tired of the wildflowers and tore them out. They are lovely for a short season, but then they are really a mess for a l-o-o-o-n-g season.

Close up of the fountain

Across from the gazebo bird feeder and fountain is a rustic iron bench which serves as a potting bench. The tall pot is filled with dried hydrangeas from last year's season. I was able to cut enough hydrangea blooms off one bush to decorate more than 10 tables at a church retreat! Hope it produces like that this year.

I bought this old “thing” for lack of a better word at a garage sale. It had a leather strap as if to wear as a shoulder bag. I am not sure what it was used for, but if you know, please let me in on it.

Say Hi to Mildred and her baby, Molly.

A rustic iron planter with sweet potato vine

And here we are. The flowers are planted and the table is set, ready for a little relaxation on the back porch.

I’ve started an herb garden this year for the first time. To store them, I used this baker's rack, formerly in my kitchen. I sprayed it grey to go along with my color theme and placed it on my deck. I love watering cans, old and new, and have several setting around.
Lavender, oregano, basil, thyme, parsley, rosemary, and chives. This old wooden tool box with green faded paint belonged to hubby's father. I thought I’d put it to good use. Since I thought I might get my herbs mixed up, I labeled them by painting craft sticks and stamping the particular herb on the stick. I sealed them with a clear outdoor polyurethane vanish.

Another view of the pergola and patio. You can barely see my set of adirondack chairs, but if you want to learn what I did with them and more on the deck redo, click here.

Since, I’m prone to be a little “project” driven, I needed a reminder to relax so I wrote it on the wall. Surely, I'll get the point if it's staring me in the face! I plan on stenciling calming phrases like this down the entire side of the lattice topped wall.

On the other end of the patio, a vintage fan tops a small table between two rockers.

Beside the glider, I placed a planter with a faux star and seashell at its foot.

A view of the pergola and patio from the back door.

Looking past the planter setting on the back bench of the pergola is a little yellow speck. If you look real close, you can tell it's a finch having lunch at a thistle feeder. In the planter you'll see an assortment of plants including a pink geranium which was just planted. Hopefully, it will grow and have lots of blooms.

Close at hand, my garden gloves, clogs and yet another watering can.

Where has the time gone? It’s getting dark and we still want to check out all the lovely outdoor areas at Barb’s at Grits and Glamour , Rhoda's at Southern Hospitality, and Diane's at 2nd time around Tuesday. Come back again soon!