Backwards gal

After I spiffed up my bench on the front porch, my planter full of Gerbera daisies was looking SAD.  Here is it right after I planted the flowers - which is why there is dirt everywhere.  

Being Polish, I decided to plant stuff and then figure out how to make the planter look better.  So, I got some plastic bags...

Whipped out the same stain used on the bench, and got to work slapping it on.

I'm not sure wood stain is good for flowers.  Oh well, it was worth it. 

And when it came time to spray the thing with the Spar Urethane, I did this:

I know, I'm such a weirdo and did this totally backwards.  It turned out great though, and it looks so much better with my bench! 

Next time I will figure out whether something needs to be painted before I plant things in it.  Duh!

Summer maintenance

To my disappointment, the Ikea bench we bought last summer did not hold up well in the couple months that we used it.  It was stored indoors all winter, yet it was faded and all of the finish was gone when I pulled it out this spring.  I had used Thompson's Water Seal spray on it last summer, and have come to realize that stuff doesn't do anything.  Observe:

Honestly, I couldn't believe how white it looked after only a couple months of use.  So I made the decision Memorial Day to whip it back into shape using materials I already had:

The 'Cedar' stain we used on our living room floor, sandpaper, foam brush, and of course, gloves.  Do you love my super-intuitive label for the stain?  WOOD STAIN.  Really?  Thanks for the tip.  I couldn't tell by the huge word STAIN right under the label.  I barely had to sand this thing because the wood was bare already.  But I did anyway, then wiped off all the dust with paper towels lightly dampened with mineral spirits.

The mineral spirits wasn't really necessary, but I had gotten a couple drips of stain on the flagstone porch and had to remove them.  Then I got lazy and just used the same towel to wipe.  Let's just call it 'recycling'.

The cedar stain brought this bench back to it's original look immediately.  I used a little foam brush to get into all those cracks, and the rag on the larger areas.  I did a couple coats of stain to be sure I got everything.  Here is half the seat after one coat:

I am so happy with the stain color, it looked brand new again! 

The next step was to haul it to the driveway to use some outdoor spray urethane.  No more Thompson's, thank you.  I picked up this Varathane Spar Urethane for $6:

It's a durable protective clear finish, meant for outdoor wood surfaces that are subjected to water and sunlight.  It is also water-based, so I didn't have to worry about covering the driveway, I could just hose it down after.  I chose Satin finish because I didn't want it to be shiny.  It looked nice after just one coat, but they recommend 4 on the can.  What?!

It goes on a little funky.  It seems like there will be bubbles, but when it dries, it's fine.  It's not perfectly smooth, more like a textured matte finish with slight sheen.  I was able to do all four coats with one can, so that was rad.  Here she is all done and dressed:

It rained about 6 hours after I put the last coat of finish on, and it still looks great!  I should have put a tarp over it, but I was lazy.  Those are plant stands I'm using as 'side tables' for drinkys.  They work great in the narrow space, and were free since I've had them for years.  Here is a long shot that includes the amazeballs hanging basket I got for $11 at Walmart!  I hate shopping there, but this steal has softened my heart a bit.  The door greeter actually exclaimed "Now, that's a big one!" while I was leaving the store, which still makes me laugh.

No matter how well this Spar Urethane works, the bench refinishing may be a yearly thing.  Ikea recommends oiling it (the bench is made of acacia wood) but I found even while doing that, the bench stained easily from stray flower petals and water spots.  We'll see what happens with some extra protection this summer. 

Can-do cannas

Last summer I bought some Canna Lilies.  This is the best picture I could find of them in 2009, which is terrible.  One pot was the red-verigated 'Tropicanna,' and the other was just a nice orange-flowering one with classic green leaves.  Thanks to my mom, I didn't let these annual plants die over the winter.  I harvested the bulbs, cleaned all the dirt and leaves off, and stored them in my basement in a box. 

Come April (which really should have been late March), I had several canna bulbs to plant in quart containers.  The most important thing is to make sure the right end pf the bulb is pointed up, and that you use good potting soil, not garden soil.  Mom came over to help me get them planted, and then I got to put all my little bulbs in the sunny window until they started to spout. 

Only two of the 6 Tropicannas spouted, but I got 4 out of 6 of the other variety to leaf out.  Memorial Day weekend, we finally planted them in their planters out on the patio.  It was so impressive to me that only two months in the pots created almost perfect root balls!  Check it:

Unfortunately, we didn't have any potting soil at the house so I used garden soil mixed with lots of peat, sand, and hummus to help with drainage.  Straight up garden soil doesn't do well in containers because it's compacts and doesn't allow the water to drain as well as lighter potting material. 

I also picked up some sweet little rolling plant stands to make moving them around the patio easier.  I may spray them black, and possibly take off the price tag.  If I get around to it. 

If my mom hadn't told me to store the bulbs over the winter, I would've had to re-buy these for over $20 this year.  I feel like I just got free plants, and I can't wait to see if they get just as big as when I purchased them last year.  Thanks for your plant wisdom, mom!

The patio is in business

Not only are we thrilled that our DIY patio hasn't crumbled over the first winter since it's installation, but we have already been out there doing this:

PS - New Glarus Brewing Co is an awesome craft brewery in (surprise) New Glarus, WI that has super tasty beers.  It's on our wish list to go there for a brewery tour and stay in a swiss chalet, since New Glarus is the 'Little Switzerland' of Wisconsin.  How fun is that? 

Not only is the patio a welcome and private place to relax, but our amazing neighbor Margo planted all kinds of eye-candy alongside their garage long before we moved here.  We don't have to do anything but enjoy this rainbow of perennials!

The view doesn't get much better than this when you're sitting out here with a cold beer.

Along with yellow and purple irises, she's got POPPIES!  The orange ones are stunning when they bloom...

But the pink petals are super sweet against those purple centers...

And the peonies certainly don't disappoint, she has pink and white ones to ogle and sniff.

Shaun couldn't help but snip a couple for a little arrangement.  Dude loves pretty flowers.

Who can blame him?

Backyard golf

A couple weeks ago, Shaun asked me to come outside and watch his golf swing.  As if I could tell him whether it was good or not.  I did him one better and took some photos.

He was looking pretty cute, but then I got distracted by our awesome grass.  Having Spring-Green come take care of our lawn every summer is the best $120 we spend every year.  It's completely worth it for 6 visits stretching from early spring to fall. 

 

This is what our grass looked like last September:

These guys are geniuses!  I'm all for DIY, but I know when to hire an expert.  Not only would I probably not have gotten these results, but I don't think we would save very much money doing it ourselves, have you seen how much fertilizer and weed preventers cost?  Not to mention all the equipment to evenly spread it.  The cats totally approve of the nice thick grass, we let them out sometimes to eat it explore.

Lucius also loves to chase after Shaun's practice golf balls, helpfully pointing them out where they land.

 

We all had a great time playing in the grass.         

Permanently outside

I must explain my somewhat lengthy blog absence.  I have fallen victim to my yearly obsession.  Landscaping.  I can't get enough of it.  Instead of hot actors or winning the lottery, I dream about new planting areas and cashing in bonus points at the local garden center.  Weird.

Let me be clear, this does not mean I like cutting the grass or edging.  In fact, I don't know how to use the lawnmower.  That is rather embarassing to admit, since I tackle almost any project myself...but I just like to feign ignorance so I don't have to add another chore to my list, okay?!  I am out working in the yard every single day after work, and I'm always dirtier than when I was a toddler. 

But it was a total joy to see all the shrubs and perennials I planted last year come back to life this spring.  My Dappled Willow is the star of the backyard:

The foliage is so stunning!

The catmint I put in last summer has pretty much exploded.  We already had to contain it with twine...

If you don't have catmint already, consider planting some.  Not only is it incredibly hardy and fast growing, but the flowers are beautiful.

There was a yucky little planting bed near our soon-to-be-renovated sun porch, that desperately needed to be addressed.  Not my best work!

Yikes.  There were some half-dead coral bells that never got enough sun in the back, the salvia were randomly planted there last summer and looked all wonky and off-center.  And silly little asiatic lilies were cropping up all over the place.  So I decided to do a little cleanup and repositioning with a brand new shrub in the middle:

My first rose!  Since I've never had one before, I picked an easy care double knockout rose.  I tossed the coral bells, moved one salvia over and replanted all the lilies further to the right.  I'm in love with the purple salvia with the hot pink roses!

The only problem is the transplanted salvia is not growing the way the other one is.  This photo was taken just five days after the switch....'lefty' is in it to win it!

Currently, that left salvia is another few inches higher.  So much for symmetry.  I also had the pleasure of seeing my Allium grow....they are so cool.  I got the bulbs late last fall and sort of hurriedly plopped them in the ground all willy-nilly.  I'm so happy with them! 

Thanks to the profuse catmint, salvia and alliums, I am able to make little arrangements as often as I like.  Obsessed!

Me thinks I need some new vases.  TJ Maxx, I'm coming.  Save me the good stuff.