Garden Failure to Thrive

So, back in the spring, I had the genius idea to plant a wildflower garden so that I could snip flowers and have fresh arrangements in my house all summer.  I guess I forgot that I live in the south where it is ungodly hot for like 11 months out of the year. My little wildflower garden was pathetic, as it got many hours of smokin hot sun every day, without relief.  So, my son and I laid waste to it.

I went to a local nursery, which happens to be owned by a nearby family whose landscaping I had always admired.  I looked specifically for perennials that thrive in full sun (even though my garden area gets some morning shade... it still should be fine, as most of the day is relentless sunshine).  I bought 2 butterfly bushes, some ornamental grass, a couple of dwarf zinnias for fun and a lantana because they have such pretty delicate flowers.  Turns out that was far too few plants to even partially fill the garden, but I have a plan!  I decided to ditch any landscaping fantasies I have for my backyard (this new gardening endeavor area is on the side of the house), so over time this fall I will be relocating any plants worth saving to this area.  I already moved a rose bush (see photo below) and have plans to move 2 more plants.  

I'll never forgot  learning about thrillers, fillers and spillers in regards to container gardening, and the principal applies in a larger space as well.  The photo below shows my "thrillers"... the grass, rose bush and butterfly bush.  Then, as I have time and energy, I will add medium-sized (fillers) and low growing (spillers) plants to complete the garden.

You can also see the California Christmas Tree in a container at the bottom right of the photo.  This is a gorgeous tree that the nursery owner has in his front yard and he happened to have a couple at his nursery.  I have loved that tree since I first noticed his yard.  I can't wait to plant it, though I am not yet sure where it will go.

One last thing, planting these large plants has been a complete pain.  I finally broke out the pick to attack the nasty, rocky, clay-y soil.  It was a nasty, sweaty workout to dig a hole 3 times the size of each plant, then to mix in soil conditioner to aerate and improve the soil.  I don't think I planted more than 2 plants on any one day, and sometimes it was only one plant for the day and then I didn't touch the project again for a few days.  I really like gardening, but it is an "extra" in terms of my responsibilities and passions, so for this garden to literally and figuratively grow over time is fine.  Though, I watch enough Curb Appeal: The Block that I wish it could be done in one giant shot.

My "soil" -- more like clay, boulders, roots, and a few bugs  ::

Night Stands

My husband, king of all safety, decided that my very sweet pedestal bedside tables were not  going to cut it any more.  Because of the field he is in (mining) he is extraordinarily observant of potential safety hazards.  He was concerned that our baby-who-is-now-toddling could potentially pull the tables over and essentially something VERY BAD would happen. I can't even type the words that he said could happen.  When they do safety training at his work, the MSHA trainer (msha= osha for mining) shows them case studies and videos of awful accidents, so he's seen it all.  I, on the other hand, can't even bear to speak or type all the horrible things that could go wrong if there is accident in the home.

Anywho.

I love a pedestal table and I really loved these in particular because I found them at the usually style-forsaken Kirkland's and they were $40 each on mega-clearance.

So, now they are en route to my sister-in-law's home, who also needed bed side tables and who does not yet have children to pull them over.

Now, the hunt has begun for new night stands, preferably with drawers because anywhere I can squeeze more storage, I will do it!  The drawers have to be fully functioning, not just boxes that slide in and out of a hole.  I want them to slide nicely.  I also want the night stand to be somewhat rustic or aged or at least look they they are old fashioned.  I like a few of Restoration Hardware's night stands, but holy moley.  I actually went and took a look at RH store here locally and wasn't impressed with the actual product, particularly with this one, which is one I had been eying.  It had a very fake look to it, almost as if it wasn't wood (though of course, it was real wood).    I never could justify $700 on a night stand that wasn't amazing in every single way.

The hunt continues.  I hope to hit a few locally-owned furniture shops in the next couple of weeks.  I'd imagine the prices will be better, but the style will be just as great as RH.

Oh and by the way, sure wish I had the resources/help with my home and kids so I could just build my own night stands.  But it is not to be for now.