potted plants on the patio

What dresses up a vintage dining set and shabby painted bench better than some bright summer flowers?  Potting plants is at the top of my list of favorite chores.  Well, it’s not really a chore at all I suppose.  It’s more of a leisurely weekend activity to melt away a crazy, hectic week.

Cottage Fix -vintage dining set and shabby painted bench on the patio

I picked up a flat of these impatients at my favorite neighborhood nursery.  I love to wander through the crushed pebble pathways until something catches my eye.  These little sweeties are so nice and bright that I couldn’t pass them by.

Cottage Fix -impatients on a vintage outdoor table

I usually stick with annuals for our summertime patio pots.  But this season I decided to get some perrineals too so we can transfer them over to the garden when they get larger.  Our garden could use a plant or two after the long harsh winter we had here in Virginia.  We lost a few plants and a few others are looking bleak and in need of a buddy or two.

Cottage Fix -clay pot with lavender and creeping speedwell on the patio

I love a pot of lush lavender smelling sweet and yummy next to our chippy white bench.  I added creeping speedwell to the pot which is a walkable my honey is dying to get his hands on.  He’s planting walkables next to our side gate entrance.

Cottage Fix -lavender and creeping speedwell

Another nice thing about potted plants, besides the patio smelling delicious, is that you can move them around if they need more or less sun.  I always move all of mine to the shade when we go away for the weekend. If I water them thoroughly before we leave, they usually do okay in the shade for a couple of days.  Oh, I still think about them some while we’re gone.  Wondering how they’re doin’, what they’re up to?  Do they miss me?

Cottage Fix -vintage white patio furniture and potted plants on the patio

Oh how I love hydrangeas too, don’t you?  The dreamy puffs of summer that happily greet me in the garden as the days get warmer.  Our hydrangea plants are on the fritz though, I’m sad to say. The cherry tree beside then, the one that has been providing much needed shade from the strong afternoon sun, is looking leafless and desperate. We are planning on cutting the cherry tree back this fall to see if we can save the tree, and all of the plants it’s been protecting as well.  Otherwise, I’ll be reading up on transferring hydrangeas!

Cottage Fix -hydrangea

Happy Fathers Day!

xoxo Sally

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