Where Bloggers Live: Outdoor Space
Welcome to the monthly edition of Where Bloggers Live. It’s kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…Bloggers! Who doesn’t like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes? Over the next few months, a group of seven bloggers will be sharing their workspaces, their homes, towns and more!
Make sure you visit everyone to see where the magic happens!
Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Em at Dust and Doghair
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Julia at When the Girls Rule
Leslie at Once Upon a Time Happily Ever After
This month’s theme is “outdoor space,” whether that’s acreage, a patio, yard, balcony, or stoop. Whatever bit of earth and air we get to enjoy.
Outdoor space has always been important to me. I love sitting in the shade and feeling the breeze and gazing off into the distance. I also love sitting on a city stoop watching people walking by 24/7. As a renter for the past 10 years, I have not always been fortunate enough to have outdoor space to call my own, but I’ve always managed to eke out a little something, even if it’s just a pot of pansies beside the front door.
I’m fortunate in my current apartment to have a lovely patio right outside the door. In one of my Brooklyn apartments, I had to go down two flights of stairs to the basement, then walk back up a different flight of stairs to end up in the backyard. If it hadn’t been for Caleb I would probably have never gone out there, especially as much of the spring and summer, the space was sickening with the scent of the Vomit Berry Tree – actual name unknown, but you can imagine the delight given the name.
I’ve always loved gardening. Well, to be honest, I’ve always loved buying plants. I like the research and designing phase…definitely the plant buying stage…but not so much the hard sweaty work stage. So I’m quite content having a smaller space to work with. And everything is in containers, so no digging. Even when I want to feed the soil I just go to a local stable and get two spackle buckets of aged manure and mix some into the pots. So much easier than the days when we’d have our friend dump 10 yards of aged manure in our driveway and it took me days and days to wheelbarrow it all over the yard to where it was needed. Plus, the neighbors were not such a fan of that.
So I’m happy to have my little square in the shade. As regular readers know I do most of my blog outfit photos out there. Now that the weather’s turning nice, I sit at the table with the laptop to watch webinars or attend Zoom meetings.
The Japanese have a term, “borrowed views,” meaning creating space in your garden to see beautiful things beyond. I always think of that when I walk down to my car and can see the pond down below through a clearing in the trees. Nice of my landlords to arrange that so nicely for me 🙂
This year I kept mainly to bright or variegated foliage with just a few flowering plants. It is so shady out there that flowering things really struggle. But I couldn’t resist the one pot of foxgloves. I’ve always said that if I could have only one type of plant in my garden, it would be foxgloves. So dramatic and whimsical. Little foxes in polka dot kid gloves! Look at the little heart-shaped flower! You can’t make this stuff up!
I’ve been lugging vintage concrete statuary around from apartment to apartment for ten years (my movers love me), and just recently the last of it got delivered from behind my ex-husband’s shed as they’ve put their house on the market and needed my junk treasures out. So currently there’s A LOT of stuff out there, ha ha. I’ve tried to hide incorporate it into groupings of potted plants, which is working about 85% of the way, but I had to stash some things in the house (oh, the creepy crawlies there will be!) for the pictures.
I acquired all my statuary and furniture from all over the place over many years. The rocking chair is close to a hundred years old and the previous owners of our second house left it on the front porch.
Y’all know the story of the original concrete rabbit being stolen off that same front porch.
The four more-or-less-matching concrete planters were at our first house. The original owners had been in the concrete business and there were SO many things – planters and columns and driveway entrance thingies. I took what I could.
The little elf and the deer I took from someone’s trash at the curb (can you even??).
The two scrolly iron Victorian chairs I bought for TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS APIECE from a literal mountain of them piled up behind a landscaper’s office.
The four black wrought iron chairs at the table were a find of my mother’s – a bigtime garage-saler. They’re mid-century Salterini hoop chairs. Like this. But not in “good” condition. They’re really not bad, they just need a good sanding/metal brushing and painting. I wish I could sell them (not for $3,775!) because while I love the way they look, they are miserable to sit in. I’ve tried a couple times in the past with no luck.
The table is not Salterini, but it coordinates nicely with the chairs, don’t you think? It was a hand-me-down last summer from a friend re-doing her deck.
The other smaller items I just found here and there: estate sales, a friend cleaning out his mother’s house, a garden center going out of business.
When I had my house I had soooo much more! Tiered wrought-iron planters and galvanized watering cans and a metal rolly cart and interesting little metal things hanging on outside walls. Oh, I love me some old stuff.
This year for Mother’s Day, Katie gifted me with a donation to the Patio Prettification fund, so it’s many thanks to her that I have so much beauty right outside my front door now.
And I love my little patio…and my foxgloves and old chairs and concrete bunnies and borrowed views. I hope you have an outdoor space you love, too!
Don’t forget to visit my friends at the links above to see their outdoor spaces!
xoxo
Penny
I adore foxgloves and you have the loveliest outdoor space. So nice and woody and green with plenty of room for your pots and things. Love your wrought iron chairs and tables. Is this a long-term place for you? Hope so. Feels nice.
They say great minds…. ha ha! but I have a little balcony and have featured it in my latest post!
bettyewp
Foxgloves, sigh. They’re like magical to me.
I never know how long I’ll be at a rental. In 10 years I’ve lived in 6 different places, half of which I did not leave of my own free will. I seem to have a knack for moving to apartments where the owners are just on the verge of selling and moving 🙁 I usually have a “year-long month-to-month” lease, which doesn’t really make sense to me, but whatever. I’ve been here just about a year-and-a-half and I didn’t get asked to leave at the end of the first year, so…hopefully it will be awhile 🙂
Ooh, running over now to see your balcony!
Em
Oh. My. Word.
Actually, oh YOUR words! I could write an entire blog post about YOUR blog post (and, don’t say it, mine would be longer, haha).
Let’s start with your words…”Whatever bit of earth and air…” Poetry.
And your photos, always gorgeous.
But your space…shade gardening is so underrated. I get the whole flower thing, truly, but your beautiful plants, augmented by all your spectacular finds, are like artwork to me. I can’t wait to show this to my mom…she will love your compositions.
I have never had the “eye” to know how to put different elements together like this. I can execute just fine (and I’ve executed plenty of plants in my time, heh heh). But going into a garden space like yours makes me want to study everything, scoop it all up with my eyes. Can’t get enough!
bettyewp
Oh, thank you so much, Em! I felt a little like you as I was writing, thinking, I feel like I’ve been talking for an awfully long time, ha ha! But couldn’t decide what to leave out, so…just left it all in 🙂
Yeah, honestly, an open sunny space is virtually unusable for me. Other than the beach, I’m not really a fan of sitting in full sun. But a shady spot? Save me a seat!
“I have never had the “eye” to know how to put different elements together like this.” Uh, I’ve seen inside your house, and you certainly DO have “the eye.” Same rules apply outdoors!
Heading over to your blog now!
Deborah Stinedurf
I cannot tell you enough how much I love your outdoor space…I love the words you used to describe it all…I love that everything has a story behind it…I love it all! I so wish I could chill there with you, have a cup of coffee along with a deep discussion on the meaning of life…xo
Debbie
http://www.fashionfairydust.com
bettyewp
Well, if you’re ever on Long Island…
jodie filogomo
You really have a way with words Bettye!! So much that you could make rusted chairs sound divine (well, you kinda did…haha).
Anyways…the vomit berry tree cracked me up!! I’m sure Caleb could have cared less, right??
Your talk about the buying of plants reminds me of my first foray with planting. My friend took me flower shopping and it was FUN!! But when I got home and had to dig in the dirt and sweat my sunscreen into my eyes…that was a different story. Thus my fake plants…haha.
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
bettyewp
I’m the same about live plants as I am about live Christmas trees. They’re a pain in the BUTT but the artificial ones bring me no joy.
But container gardening MUCH easier!
Linda Root
Enjoyed your photos, patio & writing. What a treat!
bettyewp
Thanks, Linda 🙂
julia
Your patio has always looked nice in all 4 seasons I think, but when I see all that shade and foliage I think mosquitos! I know. Not every place in the world has them like we do and there are places where you can sit outside in shade with no worry. Like your place. I think having a smaller bit of land would make it more manageable and easier to make it cohesive like yours. I don’t think I would miss all the yard work. Is Janey able to go out there or is it too risky? She would be a fun addition to your table and laptop as you’re zooming. In fact, right now, as I type, I have a black cat laying on both of my arms. I’m trapped! Have a very nice and SAFE weekend Bettye!
bettyewp
Oh yeah. They’re comin.’ The skeeters. They appear with the humidity and we had that yesterday.
Sometimes I take Janey out in my arms and she’s very content to just be held, purring, while she watches the goings on of swaying branches, birds, and squirrels. But I get bored just SITTING THERE so we don’t last long. Sometimes I get it in my head to get her a little harness then she can go out there on a leash with me. But then I kind of worry about her getting to LIKE going outside and trying to dash out the door while I’m going in and out. I dunno. Maybe I’ll do, maybe I won’t.
Daenel T
I have serious porch envy. Like I wanna setup camp in your yard. It’s stunning. I can see how totally peaceful that space can be for morning coffee. I like the idea of container gardens. I’ve been thinking about starting a garden in the backyard but I know nothing about gardening. Haha
And “Vomit Berry Tree”? Snort.
bettyewp
I do remember looking that tree up when I was in Brooklyn, with that name, and Google knew exactly what I was talking about. A tree grew in Brooklyn…and it STUNK. And, even better, as the berries fell on the ground and fermented (that was the awful awful smell), they drew SCADS of FLIES! I couldn’t even go out there then.
Peaceful morning coffee. That’s such a wonderful visual…but I have never accomplished it.
I see you as having a gardening soul, Daenel. I hope you give it a try.
Leslie Susan Clingan
Oh, Bettye, this space is heavenly. I love that everything has a bit of green moss or a rusty patina to it, giving it more character and color. That rocking chair is a gem. And the idea of borrowed views is so accurate. We have borrowed views of the mountains…between the neighbors’ houses.
Your space looks cool, refreshing, inviting. Would love to curl up with a book and a kitty right there.
Iris
Oh I LOVE your little patio and all your “stuff”. The little deer is adorable, as are all the other little creatures. I have a few older pieces. I didn’t show my deck as it’s really grungy looking these days, but I have a couple of older things there. Thanks for sharing.
Grace & Peace,Iris
http://www.IrisOriginalsRamblings.com
bettyewp
In the garden, I think the older the better 🙂 I think it helps make the garden seem like it’s been there for ever and ever…like your daylilies!
Shelbee on the Edge
Bettye, your garden is absolutely beautiful and so serene. I would spend hours sitting out there! We have been making plans to improve our back yard for some good summer time sitting! Hopefully within the next few years we will have it the way we want it. Always a work in progress though.
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
bettyewp
Yep. If I was gonna have a headstone when I die (don’t be alarmed) I’d want it to say, “A Work in Progress.” I’m definitely going out there more now that the plants are all pretty. I just need a more comfortable chair!!!