Like last week, we awoke again this morning to a thin layer of fresh snow covering the yard – and a promise of more to come. In between snowfalls, we had two days where the temps hovered near 40 degrees. I managed to get those daffodil and tulip bulbs in the ground, but had to tuck them in close to the house where the ground was warmer.
The sunshine lured me outdoors this afternoon while Momma took a little catnap. Drinking in the fresh, clean air, I took a little stroll through the yard and snapped a few photos of things that caught my eye.
Do you think this garden bench would look pretty painted a grape-y shade of purple? I’m toying with the idea. Or should I leave it to weather as is? What say ye?
Hubby found this discarded ladder a couple of summers ago and painted it a lovely shade of green to serve as a trellis and whimsical piece of yard art with my painted bird houses perched on top. The garden ladder supports a clematis vine I snagged from my mother’s garden before I sold her Milwaukee home. I’m so glad that I was able to dig a few of her pretty flowers to make the move with her. I’m not entirely sure what pruning type this clematis is, but decided to take a chance and prune it back today to make the area look tidy. My mom can see it from her usual spot at the kitchen table and often comments about how the gardener really should clean that up.
Hubby added the rope to assist little climbers after he cut off one of the lower branches they used to hoist themselves up into the crab apple tree. One of my favorite memories is of my granddaughter Violet sitting up there perched as high as she dared singing praises to Jesus and thanking God for this tree to climb.
Friday night is date night at our house. We pay a caregiver to come and hang out with my sweet Momma while we go out to dinner, see a movie, or do some shopping. Last night we found ourselves at Menard’s where we replenished our birdseed for our feathered friends. I also replaced my worn out garden gloves with some brand new hot-pink ones…hopefully won’t lose them next year.
It has been a crazy week here. Short on sleep most nights and long on trying to keep mom awake and occupied during the daytime when she’d really rather sleep. Sometimes I’m just so tired that I give in and let her nap. Today is one of the days when I did my best to keep her awake, thus putting off my contribution to Six on Saturday. It’s still Saturday and here it is.
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Barefoot Lily Lady 
You won’t lose those gloves in a hurry. I often choose brightly coloured one for the same reason. For what it’s worth I’d vote to keep your bench as it is.
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Given the fact that it is in the shade and a wetter spot in the garden, it might be best to leave it as is. I’m so torn. Thanks for weighing in on this one.
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If you’ve got a yen to paint something, go for it. Grape sounds like a great colour, &, in my view, would go well w/the ladder trellis. What paint did you husband use on it – a typical outdoor paint? It’s lovely. As to pruning the clematis, I’m no expert on which is when, but a general rule of thumb for most plants is that if it blooms in spring, prune after blooming. If it blooms later summer or fall, prune the next year so the new growth doesn’t get bit by cold weather. You can pass that on to the untidy gardener if you like. 😉
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Thanks for weighing in on the paint or not-to-paint idea. As for the ladder, Wayne used an exterior latex paint we found in the mis-tints section at Home Depot. Our grape-y accents are a Rustoleum brand spray paint that has worked well on some drapery rods (which became cool looking plant stakes) and a few sad-looking trellises in need of freshening up. The untidy gardener thanks you for the refresher on the general rule of thumb for pruning. I’m pretty sure this one bloomed in spring and late summer. I didn’t cut it back entirely to the ground – I cut it back to about 12″. Hopefully it will fare well over the winter months in spite of the ill-timed haircut.
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