I’m working on the “Garden on the Deck Project: how much you can grow on a 56 sq foot deck in 6 planters while still having room to walk and a place to sit.”  That title is just about as full as my deck.

I wrote about taking the plunge with my container garden earlier this season as I planted basil, marigolds, thyme and pansies.  This is what they look like now:

I have since added another small herb pot with cilantro, parsley and rosemary.  Mmm!  I use my herbs almost every day when I cook.  You just can’t be fresh herbs.  De-lish.

Peas!

I am also trying peas.  We’ll see how that goes as I’m a little late to the party on that, but I’m giving them the prime spot on the deck to maximize their sun exposure.  This planter was donated by Papa and next time I go back to check on the vegetable garden, he will supply me with some sticks for my peas to climb.  I should probably give them some time to come up out of the “ground” first.

I am obviously experiencing GardenDeficiency Syndrome, due to my lack of a flower garden at my apartment, as I NEEDED to purchase this hydrangea plant that you can see lurking in my photos.

It was just calling my name.

Flowers tend to do that to me.

Ask my dad.

Having come from a place where there are hydrangeas everywhere, this plant connects me with my old garden and makes me feel whole again.

Then, I decided that the hydrangea might be lonely.  And I can’t STAND lonely flowers.  So I bought some Spirea and Tick Seed and chopped up a sprouting sweet potato that I hope will vine out for a companion planter.

The hydrangea photo-bombed most of my shots.

BFF’s.

Let’s talk planters for a minute.  I have scoured stores for planters everywhere I could think of in the south Nashville area.  I really want to start collecting this blue and aqua ceramic pottery like the ones I found at Homegoods for my first round of flowers, but I just can’t stomach paying so much for them right now.  I’m also trying to buy/invest in home items that will last for a long time instead of temporary/disposable things because I don’t like to be wasteful.

So, I went for these sturdy, blue, synthetic planters that look pretty realistic at about 1/5 the price. They look so realistic, in fact, that a woman saw me holding the two of them, on in each hand, as I was checking out at the store and said that they looked so real that she thought I was “She-Man” to be able to carry both of them.  Haha!

This made me feel good because it confirmed that a) these pots look like ceramic and thus will fit in nicely with my real pots while keeping my bank account in the black and that b) I am not a freak of nature.

The kitties are enjoying their new garden.

Now I just need a rocking chair…

Y’all come back and stay a while,

Sugarlump