You won’t find our porch on Pinterest….

Now that the weather is finally seeming warm enough to think about putting flowers out (in the Midwest this means that we have two days before the temperatures and humidity spike to levels that will make us forget how much we longed for summer), I am laboring with decisions on what to plant, where to plant, where to buy the plants and the planters, when to find time to plant….you know, the thing that is like my absolute worst trait….indecisiveness and procrastination enhanced by total lack of self-confidence.

So instead of actually doing anything productive, here are some pictures of the process so far:

 

This is what I like to call Phase 1. In Phase 1, I buy several trays of random plants and google “container gardens”, “decorating ideas for porches and patios”, “how to arrange containers”….. then I take pictures of the image on my phone so I can go out to various stores and try to find similar containers for waaaaaaay less than said stores are charging….

Russ suggested that I might want to shop our garage and shed collection of pots this year….and I came up with these….

It turns out that …..

this little guy is for sale on eBay as a vintage McCoy pottery planter! Who knew? I thought it was just a funky little keepsake from my mom’s house that I couldn’t part with but would not actually use.

It is a lot of work, especially for an over-thinker like me, but my heart’s desire is to bless our neighbors, our friends, our family with a display of God’s beauty through plants and flowers. My prayer is that whether folks are passing by or stopping in, they will be blessed and feel loved in this season.

We have had at least one guest already who seemed to enjoy his visit…..

Sigh….God bless the squirrels…..they really do not have any discernment about who thinks they are cute and who doesn’t……

So, what are YOU planting this summer?