Friday, July 30, 2010

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Garden Accessories

Today is the last day for my Giveaway
and a chance to win one of 2 Cuisinart Ice Cream Makers.

See my sidebar or click here for more information.
In fashion and interior design you are never
complete
without your accessories.

So it goes with garden design.

I wanted to share with you a few of my
favorites
tucked throughout my garden.



Enter through my garden gate on the north side of our
yard.

We have a small lot. It measures only 80 x 100 feet, but we have a
view lot with nothing but a canal and mountains
behind us so it feels larger.


Whenever I am having a party I fill this wire basket

that I have wired to the gate with fresh flowers
to
welcome
my guests.



These were all picked this week, even with the
heat.  I try to trim the dead ones back and
that way I get roses all summer.



I introduced my garden on Summer Sundays
last week during twilight hours.

Here it is in the daytime showing the canal to
the right.  It is very narrow and we tried
several different backyard layouts over the years
 until we did this about 9 years ago.

My
 inspiration
 was a magazine picture that I had
cut out at least 10 years before that and found again.
It was a similar sized yard with a stucco home and
metal rail just like ours. 

We transformed it from
grass and a fish pond.
The grass didn't grow well and the neighbor's cat's
loved licking their chops after a tasty fresh fish
meal.
 We finally found something we loved.

My oldest daughter fell in love with it as we
changed it and said that it would make a great
place for a wedding reception.  She had her
reception there a year later!

The garden then inspired a total home remodel
about 3 years later turning it from contemporary
to Old World.



The gazebo at the north end holds a dining table.  It is
lit at night with a chandelier and rope
lighting which I featured last week.

Click here to see that post.
The twilight photos were my first attempt at night lighting.



My friend Paula painted the back canvas and as it ages
it just becomes more authentic looking.





This is one of four pots that welcome you to my front door.
I love a profusion of flowers.  I buy them at
the local nursery and set them in my stone pots.

At the end of the season they are so easy to
dispose of, you just lift the inexpensive
peat or plastic pots out of the big
decorative pots and throw them away.




The pots create the Italianate feeling and add
height to the garden.




I love the details on the pots.





Of course the fountain is the centerpiece.  For my
daughter's wedding reception we had goldfish
swimming in it and flowers and candles
floating on it.


What Italianate garden is complete without palms?
We bring these two palms indoors during the winter.
They help to mask our hot tub and when I sit in
the hot tub and see the palms swaying, I
almost feel like I am on vacation.



We have beautiful glass candle lanterns everywhere.
These are Maxxinista finds.







Even little jeweled ones that I found in Frederickburg, Texas.





These were garden sculptures used to decorate one of my
husband's bath showrooms.  For once I was smart
enough to not throw something out!





These urns permanently top the columns.  We purchased
these from Bombay.  Oh, how I miss that store!
They have survived years of snow.


And every garden needs a bit of whimsy.  This is the
 Fairy Queen's castle.


Complete with fairy houses.





Mother's Day last year was my gas fire pit.


And since I was raised with the importance of
growing fruits and vegetables, I tuck my vegetables
between the flowers.  This far end of the garden is
anchored by 3 trellises and has the biggest garden
space where I can grow pumpkins
and such.





The arbors also light up at night.



Because, if you don't grow produce like pumpkins,
what is going to happen when Cinderella needs one?





Last but not least are my bling bling garden shoes!
Who knew that they put bling on garden shoes.



But a girl needs those to go along with her bling bling
toenails!

(It keeps the garden dirt from showing under your nails.)

I will be posting this with


and

Outdoor Wednesdays.


Jacqueline
Jacqueline

Chocolat - French for Chocolate. I adored chocolate from a young age when I had to sneak in the cupboard to find where my mother had hidden the Nestle's Chocolate Chips. Having read about the famous chocolat shoppes in Paris, when I finally got there I was determined to try a chocolate from every Paris shoppe. I invite you to share my adventures in creating, in travel, and in life.

25 comments:

  1. Jacqueline -- The girls and I are going to Haley's baptism tomorrow...you can make it for us then! By the way, I made it before you posted your recipe! Can we come live in your garden...it was a perfect place to have a wedding! We will bring our things to stay....LOL! Joni

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  2. Wauwwwww.w........what a amazing garden you have !!! i really like it all........wishing you a happy weekend darling..........hugs from me.....

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  3. Such a beautiful yard! I'll bet the reception was amazing-enjoy!

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  4. What a wonderful backyard! I adore everything about it. Can you tell me where you got your canvas covered gazebo? It looks great! And do you love your gas fireplace? Does it keep you warm on cool nights?
    Penny

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  5. Wow wow and wow! What a beautiful space! I would never leave! So many little places to sit and enjoy...loving the gazebo!

    What a beautiful place to have a wedding reception...a wonderful wonderland!

    Thanks for sharing this!

    Enjoy!
    Cathy

    Your toes are darling!

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  6. I am so completely jealous of your yard! I live in New Mexico and we're lucky if we have a 5' square area of grass. Oh, how I miss the grass!! Gorgeous garden.

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  7. It's just, just amazing. Amaaazing. I love the welcoming flowers - both the big potted ones and the ones you tie to the gate. I love everything right down to your bling bling garden shoes.
    I'm inspired to buys flowers now and to not show you pictures of my yard. :)

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  8. I loved everything...but your toes really stood out...I love nail art..yours look beautiful!

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  9. Oh my gosh! You are a woman of MANY talents! I feel a bit like a slacker! :) Your garden is just BEAUTIFUL!!! So inspiring!

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  10. gorgeous! I am so jealous of your view! florida is beautiful, but the mountains are just gorgeous!

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  11. Your garden is absolutely gorgeous! I think I'd live outside if my garden looked like yours. Thanks for sharing!

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  12. You could rent out that backyard for receptions and be busy all summer long. It's gorgeous! You did a fantastic job transforming it into a paradise.

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  13. Beautifuk yard!! Love the palm, what kind is it? I haven't had very good luck in keeping any alive inside. The one you pictured looked really healthy and I'd like to try one. Love to have the name.

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  14. Gail, couldn't find a way to answer you, but it was an outdoor palm that we bought 4 hours south of us in St. George. We brought it home and it loses a lot of the fronds by the end of the winter, but perks up really quick. I don't know what kind.
    Jacqueline.

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  15. What a beautiful garden. It reminded me of my Grandmothers gardens. It has been so hot and dry in our area that no ones gardens look well this year. So refreshing to see all the green and blooms. I love the trumpet boy statue. I have one similar with a boy on a fish. Thanks for sharing!!!

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  16. What is not to love about this garden anyway! I would never go anywhere else! Love your garden gate so much. Wish I had one!! Love the basket with flowers too. And the lanterns, I am crazy for. It is juat all beautiful, and the garden shoes, tooooo cute, lol!! Now I"m off to see the Fairy tea. Not sure how I missed that, but I"m late getting around as usual:-)

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  17. your garden is beautiful! I envy all your great gazebos! the fairies are a nice touch, as is Cinderella's carriage! It must a wonderful place at night!

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  18. Gail, I looked up palm tree types. I found a great resource at sunpalmtrees.com and I think mine is a California Fan Palm tree.
    Hope you get this message.

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  19. Your little corner of paradise is extraordinarily gorgeous. I can tell that much love and thought has gone into making it so wonderful...thanks for sharing it with us!!!

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  20. What a wonderful space you have created. The painted canvas is awesome, what a good idea. And love the whimsy too. Well everything!! Where do you live?
    xx's
    Marsha

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  21. Jacqueline, this is such a delightful post. I loved seeing all your garden accessories. Each detail is wonderful. I can see why your daughter chose to have her reception in this lovely space. I'm off to see more of your garden. Thanks for stopping by HFTS. Hope to see you again. ~ Sarah

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  22. Oh such a beautiful and glorious garden. Thank you so much for allowing us inside.

    - The Tablescaper

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  23. Oh Jacqueline, your garden has taken my breath. It is beautiful. So many amazing and gorgeous details, I can't even list everything I love about it. laurie

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  24. How to comment on the garden....it's a piece of art. On a lighter side, I see you and I have in common fun toenails!

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  25. These really are beautiful gardens. That all these pictures seem to be very beautiful and hence that will also motivate others.

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