Hey Guys!  I can pretty much say things are winding down for my garden spruce up.  As I’ve expressed before, when we moved in our home, I knew nothing about landscaping and gardening.  All I knew is I wanted a pretty backyard, where I could hang out and chill all day if I wanted.  After realizing I was never going to luck up and get my yard crashed (by my HGTV heartthrob Ahmad Hassan – yes- I had my Saturday morning dates) rolling up my sleeves, putting on my gloves and d.i.ying it was the only way I going to get something done.  Over the years, (what seemed like eternity) by adding these 5 things to my yard, helped create my outdoor Rest Haven space.  Thirteen years later, stone by stone, plant by plant, bed by bed, I was able to accomplish that look.  Here are a few of my suggestions and things I’ve done on a dime.

1).   Add a Gazebo/She-Shed/Girl-Cave.   Be creative with your design and fill it with all things that make you smile.  The look of my gazebo (Rest-Haven) has changed over the years, but I’ve finally gotten it to where the colors and style is just perfect for me.  The best investment was having the cushions re-covered and making new pillows using Sunbrella fabric.  You can see what it use to look like here

(the planters were given a new look – the burgundy and gold was a bit weather beaten – you can see here how spray paint changed a few things that day)

2) Re-purpose antique finds and use in the garden as planters or art pieces.  Here I used an antique fire log as my planter.  I just bought a tray of sedum and sat the entire tray in it.  Added some coconut fiber to sides to keep them secure and let mother nature do the rest.

Vintage strainer was used as planter

The wrought iron antique bed became the rose bed in 2013 and it’s still holding up (I’m still considering on painting it.. I’m just not sure what color)

3)  Add Yard Statues –  Looking around the yard, you see I’ve added pieces that simply were pleasing to look at.  I love swans, cranes and ducks and this tall metal pelican one was perfect to add in the large flower bed.

Throughout my beds  I have statues hidden among the greenery to add character to them.  Also, the smartest and most cost-effective thing to do is plant perennials and plant swap with a few fellow gardener friends.  If you’re in the gardening game, you know how we love to share our sprouts.

 

and since I love music, I had to add something to reflect that as well

4) Mix and Match your outdoor colors and fabric patterns on the pillows.  Go bold and be creative.    Remember – everything goes when it comes to boho.  I also dangled these large fiber tassels for a bit of drama

(btw.. these two animal print pillows were $.50 ea.. so.. why not get them…)

5)  Rock it out – Add stones/rocks to your landscape.  Natural elements are always a must for creating a hippie vibe.

I got absolutely and completely lucky with my rocks.  I met someone who had acres of field rock and he said “help yourself”.  The only thing… I had to pick them but that’s ok…. when “shyt” is free.. I’ll do what I have to.  I gathered my son, nephew and a couple neighborhood guys and we picked a whole flatbed full.   These rocks are the border of all my beds around the house.

When I look back from where I started, the progress made has been very rewarding.  It wasn’t crashed, but it sure was changed.   Now I can sit back and relax and enjoy the fruits of my labor in the yard.  I hope my 5 favorite tips were helpful to you.  As always – happy hunting as you thrift your house into a home!

CIAO!!