Summering up the Deck 2013

So last year I posted about summering up my deck...this year is no different.  I started many of the plants myself from seeds and used things I had and repainted or recycled or reused things. 

I love to make an outdoor room outside with comfortable seating and pretty things to look at and touch.  A place comforting and welcoming to make you want to stay a while.  An escape area…

Love me some beautiful begonias! I love angel wing begonias the most…and they are so easy to grow!

I spray painted this old wooden bench to perk it up a bit.  I had previously lacquered it with a clear finish, but that was peeling off.  So out came the power washer and the lacquer peeled right away. It looks a bit like old barn wood now, I didn’t completely cover the wood so it shows through.

The sounds of water running into the fish pond are very relaxing and the pond makes a great place for the pets to drink from all summer.

The weather is so unpredictable as spring weather is…these two pictures were taken within 15 minutes of each other!

I love these blue chairs from Target.  I just had never wanted to pay for $20 each (on sale) for them.  So, I was at an auction last week and purchased these for $2.50 each!!  They were dirty so I power washed them and they look brand new!

The metal glider is still in decent shape so I didn’t even have to repaint it this year…

This white bench (I paid $32 for it) from the same auction…it was one of the reasons I went to the auction.  I love the style and thought it would look great on my deck!  The cement garden balls look great there.

My house from the hammock…

The hammock is a great place to relax after a stressful day.

The hydrangea came back this year. I was very happy to see that!

This has been so far one of my favorite planters this year.  It is a giant flat pot that was given to me…actually I received two of them.

I set the pot on a stump in the yard close to the hammock.

I added some petunias, geraniums, creeping jenny, and tall foxtail grass.

And the great news is the curly willow survived the winter. 

I try to add pops of color to every container I plant.

My cats or dog are always photo bombing my shots!

The blue bench looks great too! 

I planted this old wooden tool box with dianthus and some ground cover…

The umbrella that I made last year was torn up in the hail storm last September; it had multiple holes and tears in it from the giant hail. So I repaired it and sewed some grossgrain ribbon around it to hold it together…funny, but I love the way it looks and I can get another years worth of shade. 

The umbrella adds a lot of shade…

It still looks pretty good.

I bought another $3 umbrella at the auction but don’t have a stand yet, so it’s not up yet.

I love seashells….

The garden frog keeps watch…

Another bargain from the same auction…a Weber grill in great shape for $12.50!  Looks like it was used very little…we have used it every weekend so since I bought it!

Everyone in the family seems to be enjoying getting outside more and hanging out on the deck!

I might be linking to these great parties!