A Landscape Renovation Part 2: Progress Made

It's been two years since I brought you along for A Landscape Renovation, From the Beginning, an explanation of the changes we made to my MIL's yard. After she purchased the house she had been renting, she wanted to address her yard which could honestly be described as boring (or at best as ho-hum) with nothing but strips of overgrown builder-grade evergreen shrubs and a rundown entrance bed. So we began a multi-phase project, with the first three phases described in the post referenced above. We have since completed phase IV, which comprised additional perennials, and phase V which primarily involved replacing perennials that had not thrived/survived and installing a tree and several shrubs.

 

Let's see the progress made thus far —for a garden is never truly finished! 

 

   

Summertime Tea al Fresco

Hello! I wanted to share with you a special tea on an overcast — almost ready to rain — day. There is something inherently relaxing about brewing a favorite tea, adding something sweet or savory, and spending quiet time in a lovely setting. 

 

For today's tea, I've chosen loose tea and tinned biscuits that my husband brought me from London, and set a tea table on the deck overlooking the backyard. I set the table for only one, but I won't be alone for tea — 

 

     

For I'm joined for tea

Vintage Treasures from the Annual Glass Show

Hello, friends! I thought I'd share with you some wonderful treasures I picked up from the 48th Collectible Glass Show, held annually in Marietta, GA. I try not to go to it with any particular type of object in mind, since the show spans glassware produced from 1900 through the 1980s, and ranges from pure artistry through dining and utilitarian pieces. For variety, some booths offer porcelain, pottery and table linens from the period as well.

 

In no particular order: 

 

These are awesome examples of 'swung glass' art pieces. Swung glass is a style of mid-century art glass made by pressing hot glass into a mold, reheating it, and literally swinging it like a pendulum to stretch and elongate the neck. This centrifugal force creates a fluid, organic, and one-of-a-kind shape most famously crafted into tall vases.

 

     

A Gardener's Table on a Quiet Weekend

Welcome, friends, on a sunny, quiet weekend! I had hoped to set the table on the patio, but a spate of daily thunderstorms has driven me inside. Since the temps have also soared, it was a good decision all around! My garden has struggled this year, first with drought conditions, then a deluge of pollen, and now more rain than the poor plants know what to do with. Actually, they've hunkered down and concentrated on building more roots rather than exploding in blooms. 

 

So this gardener gathered a smattering of blooms and set a relaxing table inside.  

 

    

July is not the most colorful month in my garden. The spring bulbs, perennials and flowering shrubs are busy preparing

Celebrate the Fourth of July with a Red, White and Blue Tablesetting

Welcome! I'm so happy you're joining me today to celebrate a very special Fourth of July! It is the 250th anniversary of America's "great experiment", the phrase first used by George Washington to describe the creation of a democratic republic based on Enlightenment ideals.

 

I've set the table in bold reds and blues balanced with strong whites. I began with a vibrant table runner and matching napkins that sets a casually festive tone.

 

    

Blues are the dominant colors in the place settings,