My back patio garden

I've never been quite happy with my garden until now.  It still has a loooong way to go but I finally feel like it's going in the direction I want it to be going in:  structured yet a little wild. 

{We recently removed a bunch of daisies from the side area - transplanting them to the cutting garden along the fence- and put roses, peonies & foxglove in their place.}

When we first bought our house -in the Spring two years ago- we were looking at this:

...And I can't find a photo of it from the first year but I added a bunch of zinnias & random flowers that I was given by family & friends.  I loooved having these free-flowing/ wild-looking  flowers but they didn't quite work around the patio.  Last Fall we added dwarf holly around the patio for that structure I was craving and we moved all of the flowers to a new side cutting garden along our fence.  (And now I'll feel no guilt when I bring them inside!) 

And here is is now:

{It still has a lot of growing in to do- and mulching!- but it's finally getting to feel a bit like I've always wanted it to feel.  And yes, my child is pantsless.  It's how we roll around here early AMs and more than I'd like to admit!}

This morning my three year-old is sleeping in so Justin (my 17 month old) and I took a little stroll and he helped me take pictures:

We looooove smelling these roses.  This is a Chicago Peace rose.  I kill plants, but at my old townhome I did manage to keep a few roses alove, so fingers crossed for this beauty!

Love the small of the yellow ones.  I already forgot their name though:

Hard-to-kill succulents usually work well for me:

And I've put out some of my magnolia pillows.  They're not outdoor fabrics ( they're linen) so I'll have to be sure to pull them in before it rains. 

{I am hoping to get my online store up within a month for the fabrics!!  They're being photographed in late May.  It's been a little nutty lately so the fabric line has taken a bit of a backseat.}

And we added a vegetable garden around the side of our house.  Loooove having lettuce!!

{Before you think I'm good at gardening I have to tell you that I bought it this way.  Yes, I know, it's ready to eat & doesn't have much more growing to do but picking lettuce from my garden makes me happy :)

mm mm good!

 And the tomaters should be good this year!!

I planted lavendar around the drawf holly bushes.  I'm hoping it will do well but I've heard it's tempermental around here.

{Smells so good!!}

And finally, I'd like to thank my stylist, Justin Liess, pictured here:

{He knows just where those boots ("shoes!" as he calls them) need to go!}

I love you my little "Tunia:"

My kids get new nicknames almost weekly:

For a while he was "Petunia" .. don't ask, I don't know why

Then it became "Tunia"

Sometimes "Tunes"

And now the poor little guy is getting called "Tootaline"

I hope the scarring isn't permanent ;) ;)

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Better Homes & Gardens Shoot

Yesterday a team from Better Homes & Gardens Magazine photographed my DC Design House room for an upcoming issue!  Art director Shelley Caldwell flew into DC to direct the shoot done by photographer Helen Norman & her assistant F.J. Hughes for the day.

{Shelley & FJ}

Like all good photoshoots, props were brought in to make the room feel more lived-in.  They brought in some things that I would have loooved to have taken home with me incuding some cute bags.  :)

They took my picture in one of the madhatter wing Chairs & it was pretty hysterical because my man hands kept getting in the way. 

Dave (my husband) came to help me undo the room after the photoshoot and it was crazy to see the showhouse room almost empty again.  We loaded most of the room back into our cars and headed home.  Very bittersweet, but onto the next thing!  :)

 

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.