Is it Fall already?....

It sure feels like it around here this morning!

We woke up to a temperature of 49 degrees in our county. I have to be honest and tell you that I have enjoyed the cooler temps of the high 70's during the day the last week or so.  I wish I lived somewhere that was always that temperature during the day.  But, these cooler mornings makes it a bit too chilly to enjoy my morning coffee outside, where I can take a walk around our yard and enjoy our flowers.

I think this summer our yard and flowers have looked the best they have in the past few years.  Having two dogs that love to sun through our plants and dig holes under them to stay cool sure has played a number on our gardens.  This year, with our youngest graduating and having her Open House in our back yard, we had to out smart the dogs and put up a 14 in. high wire fence around the perimeter of our backyard. It has worked up until this past week.  Somehow they, or at least one of them, have discovered how to get over the little fence, even though their legs aren't that long!

One of our local stores brought in some beautiful hanging baskets this year for $5.99.  I bought several like the one above.  In this old birdbath is my version of a fairy garden of sorts.  I filled it with hens & chicks and creeping thyme, I think that's what it was called anyway.  It doesn't need much attention at all!

The pink impatience are from last year.  I brought them in during the winter and they didn't look like much, but once I brought them back out in late spring and trimmed them back a bit, they took off.  I wonder if I can do it again this year!  Have you ever done that?

I like this little hidden spot under the lilac bushes.  I picked up the big pot at a yard sale a few years ago and have enjoyed putting in a pop of color with different flowers each year.  Otherwise it is all green, kind of an unexpected surprise when walking through the yard!

Here is another one of those $5.99 hanging baskets that I just popped in a vintage gray porcelain bowl that we found.  For height I put it on a stump we had that wouldn't split for firewood.  Another pop of color!

We moved our flower beds out and around to the front of our shed.  This got the wheels turning in my head and of course I had to decorate.  So I added an old vintage metal chair with another $5.99 basket and a birdhouse.  Then I put a part of an old wine rack up against the shed coming out of an copper looking planter filled with Black Eyed Susan vine and some Cleome (we call them cat whiskers) for color.  My green gazing ball and copper rain chain added just the right amount of charm this shed needed.  Notice the toad house....I don't think it's been occupied yet, although we do have a big toad living around those parts!

Here's another one of those flower baskets.  I had an old wire apple basket and I bought some of that coco liner stuff.  Trimmed it to fit and then planted the basket in it.  It needed height behind my birdbath so my hubby and I drove out to the country and found that big old stump and a big chunky flat round of wood.  It was the perfect touch.  We have enough plants in our yard to fill in the gaps needed around the shed for color.  We had to haul in a few more rocks to finish it off.

Another part of that wood wine rack was made into a trellis by my hubby for our garden.  I painted it a crisp white and hung a ceramic blue and white plaque from an old digging tool hung from the top that says Garden....Now you know where you are!

This is one of my favorite spots in the yard to spend some time.  Yep, another $5.99 basket plopped in a galvanized bucket.  The glass top table was purchased for $10 at a yard sale years ago and the chairs we've had for about 15 years.  It's a favorite spot to enjoy a glass of wine while my hubby grills or a morning cup of coffee while listening to the birds.

I love planting these bright yellow daisy like flowers in this spot.  I am not remembering what these plants are in the bucket....I know I will feel silly when you all tell me what they are.  But, they've done well in this spot!
The owl has a year round perch on this old metal fence pole that is cemented in the ground.  The little painted flat rock was done by my daughter when she was in 5th or 6th grade.  It says Home Sweet Home!

I planted two of these Mandevilla's in the pots right next to our deck steps.  I was hoping they would be in full bloom for the Open House, but they weren't.  They were full of buds, just waiting to bloom, but not a flower was open that day!  Isn't that how it always happens!

I always  plant this red metal planter with white petunias and a spikey thing.  It gets the hot sun all day long!

Well, thanks for touring my summer yard with me.  Some of you have asked to see our shed again.  It has really added alot of charm to our back yard.  I think my husband out did himself with this one!  Soon our youngest will be going off to college and we will be empty nesters for the first time! If any of you have any advice or words of wisdom, I am interested to hear.  This next stage of our lives comes with excitement and nervousness at the same time!  So many changes have been happening to our family lately!  As always, Thanks for stopping by for a visit!  Have a delightful day!