gardening and landscape
What Happens When You Set Flagstones Directly On The Ground
What happens when you set flagstones directly on the ground? It depends. That’s such a terrible answer, right? We are not experts, but we do have experience setting flagstones directly on the ground when creating paths. I’m sharing what we’ve learned here – the good and the bad. Hopefully, our experience will help you make a more informed decision when deciding to DIY or hire a pro to build a flagstone path. Keep in mind that our experience is specific to soil and weather conditions in New Jersey. Where you live, conditions, and, therefore, your experience might be different when setting flagstones directly on the ground. Remember, this feedback is…
Adding Magic To Our Deck With String Lights
Am I the last person on earth to add string lights to their deck? It kind of feels like it, but I know that’s an exaggeration. Not everyone has a deck or a backyard, so I feel extremely blessed. We’ve spent the last three years working on our outdoor spaces. It occurred to us during the long, cold winter that maybe we should stop and enjoy those outdoor spaces once the weather warmed up. Otherwise, what was the point of all that work? Although the more time we spend enjoying our outdoor spaces the more projects we dream up to tackle. Because that’s what you do when you’re relaxing, right?…
What’s Going On With Our Driveways?
What’s going on with our driveways? That’s probably what our neighbors are wondering. Same, neighbors. Same. The short answer is we’re fumbling our way through a driveway reimagination. But the short answer does not make for a blog post. So, let me dish the dirt right now, and let me tell you, there’s a lot of actual dirt in this story. We live in a semi-rural area along a county road. I’m not sure if it’s illegal, but people don’t park, at least not long-term, on the side of the road as you would in a town. The roads were not built to accommodate parking and you do not want…
How I’m Connecting Two Decks With Landscaping
This spring we’ve been working on connecting two decks on the back of our house with landscaping. We’d rather just connect the two decks and make one gigantic deck, but someone forgot to plant a money tree in the backyard. Decks are expensive to build and maintain and this house needs one hundred other things before it needs a bigger deck. Until that day comes we can try to visually connect the decks with landscaping instead. Think of it as a bridge between two islands. Here’s a picture from three years ago when we moved into the Colonial Farmhouse. You can hardly see the small deck on the right because…
I Successfully Overwintered Our Porch Plants
I hope I don’t jinx it by saying I successfully overwintered our front porch plants which included the ferns and the Spike plants. But I did! For those of you who enjoy gardening and consider it one of your life passions this will seem like not a big deal. To me, it was a big deal to keep my summer plants alive all winter long because I’d never tried to save my front porch plants. Frankly, I’m usually sick and tired of watering them by the time August rolls around and they die a sad death. Then I feel guilty that my neglect caused this catastrophe. But not last summer!…
DIY Plant Hanging Rod Secured to the Ceiling
We recently built a plant hanging rod on our sunporch, so I guess I’m a plant person now? Perhaps I should have ended that sentence more declaratively. I’m a plant person now! Nope. That label still feels more uncomfortable than that time I touched poison ivy. I have some house plants. Not a lot. More than what’s on the barren surface of the moon and less than what’s in a tropical jungle. I also have some outdoor plants that I had the wild idea to try and keep alive over the winter. Three of those outdoor plants are ferns in hanging pots. They really liked hanging on my front porch…
Our Not Quite Fall Front Porch
We have a not quite summer, not quite fall front porch right now. Anyone else feeling like they are sitting on the fence between seasons at this very moment with their decor? No? Just me? You couldn’t even give me a shove either way off the seasonal fence because I like it right where I am at the moment. It’s just so pleasant in New Jersey right now. We can hang out outside without wilting under the intense heat and humidity of summer. It’s not yet sweatshirt weather though with the daytime temperatures still in the 70s. In other words, it is perfect. If New Jersey was always like this,…
2021 Outdoor Project Progress
Do you know what’s great about blogging? There are thousands of people to hold you accountable to what you say you are going to do. That’s also the downside of blogging. Ha! Today I’m updating you on our 2021 outdoor project progress! We’re a good chunk of the way through summer, so let’s hope I’ve made a little progress, right? If you’ve been following along on social media, especially stories, you’ll be familiar with some of this work. If you haven’t been, you’re missing out on the rollercoaster of emotions that is every single project we tackle: excitement, anticipation, regret, hope, relief, excitement, pride, vows to never tackle that project…
How to Calculate the Value of a Tree
Have you ever considered the value of a tree? Before you write this post off as boring, hang with me for just a second. It will be worth your while. I’m not just talking about the value of a tree in terms of what it cost to purchase or in terms of how much money it would bring if harvested. I’m not even talking about the intrinsic value of a tree to a person or community’s social and emotional well-being. I’m talking about the quantifiable value of a tree as it relates to property value, electricity saved, stormwater diverted, and air quality improved. Do I have your attention yet? The…
Wood Flag Painted on an Old Door
Our Colonial Farmhouse dates back to the 1780s. The small barn on our property isn’t quite that old, but we know it is over 100 years old. On the side of our barn hung a wood flag. Well, what was left of it. The American flag was only recognizable on that strip of wood because that symbol is imprinted on our subconscious. I didn’t hang the wood flag there. I don’t know how long it had been hanging there. Suffice to say, that poor wood flag had seen a storm or two. We actually didn’t realize the American flag was on a wood door until we took the flag down.…
