Garden Statuary and Urns

Hi Friends,
I hope you are well.
I've been in love with garden statuary for decades. 

We inherited a sweet statue from Bill's aunt. He was actually part of a fountain but his feet were broken. I gave this sweet boy some new concrete "feet" and tried to attach him to a fountain but it didn't work. Instead he was planted in the garden. 

 He's been happy here for years. 

We also brought home a bird bath from the same aunt. With the bowl on, it was quite massive so I used the base as a stand for a sundial. This year it sports a fern. 

The bowl became my fountain. 

Perhaps as my garden matured, I would have been able to use the bath on the base but I have always assumed that it was too large for my yard. I also never wanted to have to lift it into place. 

I adore these two which became the feature for our fountain instead of the boy. 

 Bill got me a really beautiful birdbath when we lived in Lubbock. Its got a pink tint to the concrete. 

I picked up a sweet angel at some point. Her poor wing broke in a freeze which is a danger with concrete.  

I gave my mom an angel for Mother's Day one year. I brought it home when she died. 

Her broken wing has been repaired. She is so sweet. 

A menagerie of animals have joined our collection over the years. 

Our squirrel is an antique find. He is adorable on the front porch in the fall. 

Our lamb came from Home Goods. 

I have a fondness for bunnies. 

This one came from Tuesday Morning to replace one that I had thought I had lost during retaining wall construction. 

I subsequently found the original bunny buried in the yard.

I'm much more careful with my statues these days. Our drainage issues cause things to become buried during rainy seasons. Bill and I are talking about what can be done about rain water run off. 

We are home so much that we are able to notice things that need improvement.

I picked up this adorable bird planter at Round Top. He is a cutie. 

The mate to this urn broke one year. They were supposed to flank our front door when we moved here but the gray offered no contrast with our tan brick. 

We inherited a gorgeous urn from Bill's mom. 

It has gorgeous patina. 

I've been spending a lot of time in the garden. It's all planted so I wanted to add to our collection of garden accessories. 

Garden concrete statuary and urns are so classic but pieces are so hard to find. There was nothing to be found at my antique and thrift stores. Calloway's remained open during the lockdown but they had clay, not concrete. Resin does not hold up over time so something from Hobby Lobby was out. I've been to one estate sale but even though people were masked up, they did not respect personal space so I bolted out of there. 

It wasn't even that crowded but social distancing was not happening. 

 The places that fabricate concrete statues and urns are all out on the highways as stops between destinations. I remember there being one out near Mineral Wells. There was also one on the way to Oklahoma and it seems that there is also one on the way to the lake. 

I always wanted to stop but it never looked open. 

All of those were too far away for a random Friday. 

We have one place nearby to get classic concrete urns and figures.
I checked to see if they were open and they were. 

I had a wonderful drive over there. It felt normal after staying so close to home for four months. 

I masked up and had a lovely time walking around looking at bird baths, urns, angels, animals, fountains and fountain parts. 

Bill told me to keep an eye out for Big Foot. There were two of them. 

The small one was $800.00 and the other was almost a $1000.00 

He thought one would look great in the Woodland Realm.
I beg to differ. 

 I expressed that the garden has been such a haven for me during #pandemic. 

She said that she hears that all of the time from customers. 

 I like to ask small business' how they are doing since restrictions have lifted somewhat.
We chatted about lockdown. 

I asked if they had been able to stay open. She said that they were only closed for two days. 

They had people pulling up to the gate to ask if they were open. 

She was able to keep her workers and they wanted to work. 

She had orders that are eight weeks out. 

Good for them.
I brought a few things home with me. 

I want to introduce you to The Woman At The Well. 

She is lovely! 

She is supposed to be a fountain topper but we thought I could plant her with succulents since you can't see where the water is supposed to come out. The little plant will fill out in a few weeks.

I also got a square planter. 

I'm not sure if this is where it will stay but it was close to where I park the car. Bill only wants to move this once.
Haha. 

A sweet new mama and baby bunny joined my family of bunnies. 

That is all for now.
Stay safe.
Blessings,
Katie 

Common Ground

In The Garden/Spring 2020

Our garden has been so pretty this spring. It has been such a huge blessing during this very strange time. 

I planted tulip, daffodil and crocus bulbs last December. 

They had the grace to bloom simultaneously. 

Once they were done, the irises started their show. I divided these last year, so they are doing better than they ever have before. 

The ivy has started creeping up the side of the house. I'm not sure how long it will be before Bill pulls it off. So far he hasn't noticed and I like how it looks. 

The gate to the back yard with the fountain is my favorite vignette in the yard. 

Usually, the pansies are spent by the time I am ready for impatiens. This year they are still beautiful so I've dead headed them and planted the impatiens in between.   

Purple pansies are my favorite. 

We have passed our last freeze date so the peace lily and ferns are out of winter storage. 

My oxalis never disappoints. I have it everywhere because it is just so faithful. 

My snapdragons have been so much fun. 

The trellises keep Dixie from stepping on them. She loves hunting for lizards in this flower bed. 

This area along the wall is a great place for annuals and perennials. 

The area down below is our secret garden. I started on that shady area last summer but it isn't living up to its potential yet. It will soon since I have so much time on my hands these days. 

Last year on a walk, Bill and I saw a pile of irises in the trash. 

We went back with the truck and picked them up. 

This darling yellow iris was in that mix. 

It's the only one blooming so far. The rest may until next year before they bloom.
I love the yellow and white! It's so pretty.  

This is the start of a border that will be in the front yard along our rustic fence. 

I spent most of the day yesterday clearing out Asian Jasmine. 

What a hideous job that was. I am so sore. 

I'm going to have to get Bill's help with this one. If he can turn the soil with the pick ax or shovel, I can sift out the rest of the roots. 

Last year, my neighbor cut down a huge red tip photinia so this area gets morning sun now. 

I had a rose that never bloomed because of too much shade. I've popped it in the ground here. Once we amend the soil, add a border and get this planted, I'll show it to you. 

We have had a lot of rain so far this spring so I try to be out every time the sun is shining.  

We are blessed with early springs here in Texas but we sure pay for it in August.
I hope you enjoyed this suburban garden tour.
Please check out my weekly link party. It is a great place to connect. 

Have a blessed day.
Katie 

Please come back tomorrow for an Easter blog hop. 

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." 

Isaiah 43 1 & 2

April Garden 2019

I took a walk around my garden today with my camera. 

I've got a few things blooming that didn't bloom last year and I'm thrilled about it. 

Fall 2017 seemed delayed somehow.  

If you look closely at the image below you can see the orange leaves reflected in the glass in our front door. This picture was taken November 29th of 2017. 

Call me crazy, but orange clashes with my Christmas decor. 

It seemed like we raked leaves well into December. 

As well, we had a brief cold snap but other than that it was a very mild winter. 

I almost lost everything in the green house during that four day snap because the temperature was into the teens. I was able to save all my kalanchoes because they were in the house. 

My climbing roses didn't bloom last spring possibly as a result of both of these weird weather occurrences. 

I'm thrilled they are blooming this year. 

When we bought the house, we had several very well established honey suckle vines. 

They all disappeared except for one stubborn vine but it hasn't bloomed in years and years. 

I don't know if cutting back it last summer when we put in the new fence finally helped it bloom. 

I'll let you have a little tour of what else is going on. 

This has been a good year for my irises. 

Salvia and oak leaf hydrangea are just beginning to bloom. 

Oxalis is my favorite perennial. It spreads so well and is such a faithful bloomer. 

I love taking a stroll in our garden. 

I hope you are having a fabulous holiday weekend. 

Katie