THE POTTING BENCH

SUMMER POTTING BENCH-Small potting bench near the back porch-stonegableblog.com

Before I begin… Please make sure you enter the $300.00 giveaway at the end of this post!!!

These days you’ll find me in the back yard and on the porch and patio of StoneGable. Digging in the dirt and working at my little potting bench. It is such a workhorse! I try to keep it sorta clean and filled with interesting plantings and a few vintage finds, but mostly it is utilitarian and not just a pretty face! My potting bench earns it’s keep! So while it’s had a good scrub down and is free from dirt and a bevy of clay pots I snapped a couple pictures to show you how I perked up the potting bench for the summer season!

Today I’m partying with some very talented bloggers for…

sensational-summer-outdoor-spaces-blog-hop

A big thank you TO Heather at SETTING FOR FOUR for doing such a fabulous job putting this blog hop together!  Make sure to stop by and visit the great blogs at the bottom of this post for lots of sensational summer inspiration!

I’ve had my locally made potting bench for about 6 years. It was a gift from Bobby for Mother’s Day! It’s really starting to show it’s age as it is beginning to chip a little. I love it all the more!!!

This year, my potting bench is sporting some big bold colors and some little succulents!

 

SUMMER POTTING BENCH-bright and fun-stonegableblog.com

A pot of Gerbera daisies sit on a vintage child’s chair! I knew that I’d find a place for the little chair and it seems right at home on the potting bench!

SUMMER POTTING BENCH-gerbera daisies on a vintage child's chair-stonegableblog.com

SUMMER POTTING BENCH-pink garbara daisies-stonegableblog.com

Two red Gerbera daisies are potted in terracotta pots that flank the little shelf on the potting bench. 

SUMMER POTTING BENCH-red gerbera daisies-stonegableblog.com

And in between them are 3 numbered white painted pots. They have become a little chippy with age. Now I think they are just about perfect!!!!

SUMMER POTTING BENCH-white numbered pots-stonegableblog.com

The number 2 pot holds a basil tree. The leaves are so tiny, but they smell and taste just like their larger cousin! I’ll plant the other two white pots with a basil trees as well and bring them into the kitchen for the summer.

SUMMER POTTING BENCH-tiny basil tree-terracotta pot-stonegableblog.com

As these darling little basil trees grow I’ll keep cutting and shaping them and using the clippings in my recipes! Basil tastes like summer to me!

If you live in my area you might like to visit Henry’s greenhouse. That’s where I got the little basil trees. They have the most interesting things there! Click HERE for the link.

SUMMER POTTING BENCH-tiny basil leaves-stonegableblog.com

The potting bench has a spigot and an old enamel basin for a sink. This make shift sink gets tons of use. When I pick veggies from the garden or fruit from our trees they get a good wash in the basin-sink before coming in the house!

The “sink” has no drain, so I pick up the basin and empty it into the soil in the kitchen herb garden that stands beside the potting bench. The water is fine for the herbs as our gardens are organic.

SUMMER POTTING BENCH-enamel dish pan for sink-stonegableblog.com

Now the basin-sink holds 3 nasturtiums to be planted in my kitchen herb garden. Their peppery orange and yellow flowers will go into my summer salads and decorate lots of summer dishes!

SUMMER POTTING BENCH-nastursiums in the basin-stonegableblog.com 

Under the potting bench is a sturdy shelf. I keep a watering can handy! 

I don’t use it that often, but Bobby does. I love to see him gently watering our little seedlings in the garden with the watering can. It is so sweet…and so is he! 

SUMMER POTTING BENCH-potting bench near the back porch-stonegableblog.com

The rough painted box seems to find it’s way to the potting bench each year! This year I put a pot of allysum in it.  I love their little snowy flowers!

SUMMER POTTING BENCH-white chippy box of allysums-stonegableblog.com

Above the potting bench is a galvanized tin cubby! 

SUMMER POTTING BENCH-galvanized metal cubbies-stonegableblog.com

These cubbies get filled with all kinds of things throughout the planting season. 

SUMMER POTTING BENCH-succulents-pots-stonegableblog.com

Right now I have some pots and succulents in some compartments. I’ll be planting them in a vintage colander soon and new things in the cubbies will appear! 

SUMMER POTTING BENCH-little pots and succulents in cubbies-stonegableblog.com

I’ll be sharing more about the potting bench and the kitchen herb garden as the summer goes along. I’m especially excited to share some fun changes in June!!!

SUMMER POTTING BENCH-white chippy pots-basil tree-stonegableblog.com

 

You know, you don’t need to have a specially built potting bench to HAVE a potting bench. How about using an old table or even a dresser. Let the weather turn it into a rustic, unique place to plant your flowers!  I think that would look so romantic and be very useful!!! What other piece could you turn into a potting bench?

SUMMER POTTING BENCH-potting bench-summer-stonegableblog.com

 

Here are two other posts about my front porch you might want to check out too!

PLANTING HYDRANGEAS IN POTS AND URNS

PLANTING HYDRANGEAS IN POT AND URNS-Easy tips for beautiful blooming hydrangeas in pots and planters-stonegableblog.com

FRONT PORCH SITTING… CREATING A STYLISH OUTDOOR SPACE

FRONT

Please check out these great posts and all the sensational summer outdoor spaces my bloggers friends are sharing!

Domestically Speaking

Setting for Four

Sand and Sisal

FRONT PORCH SITTING… CREATING A STYLISH OUTDOOR SPACE

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Cupcakes and Crinoline

DIY Show Off

At the Picket Fence

StoneGable

Debbie Doos

Redhead Can Decorate

On Sutton Place

Clean and Scentsible

Yesterday on Tuesday

Top This Top That

Town and Country Living 

And now for the GIVEAWAY!!!!

One lucky reader will win a $300.00 Pay Pal cash!!! Just think of all the great sensational things you can get and do for your outdoor spaces!!! Please enter to win! 

The giveaway will end Tuesday May 26th at 11:59 pm. And the winner will be announced on my Facebook page! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Let’s party a little! Show off your sensational outdoor spaces and projects right here! Let’s get inspired!

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189 Comments

  1. Deborah in Atlanta says:

    I love gardening but your bench is tops! It’s an entire garden on a work bench. Glad I found your blog post.

  2. love the little bench. I have something by the shop but thinking about doing a greenhouse this fall and creating a bench that has many purposes.

  3. Karen VanLoo says:

    You just gave me a great idea! I have a potting bench, and have a lot of clay pots stacked around – now I want to paint a few of them, and put No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 on them. Did you use a stencil to paint those on there? I know the craft stores sell “Patio Paint” that you can use on clay pots, I’m definitely going to paint some now. I love using numbers on things, that’s really “in” right now! Have a great day!

    1. Hi Karen, I made the numbers on PicMonkey and then printed them out. Ran a pencil over the back of each number and taped it right side up to each pot. Then I went over the number with a pen. That left the number on the pot. I used acrylic paint to paint each one. Hope this helps!

      1. Karen VanLoo says:

        It sure does – thank you!

  4. Ronald Gagnon says:

    Definitely the patio

  5. Love to decorate my deck with a metal room divider intetwined with pink mandevilla for privacy. Thanks for the opportunity to win!

  6. I would LOVE a potting bench! Your pictures are so inspiring – I have so many garden projects going on – I love this time of year!

  7. Love your potting bench! I can’t wait to find one I like. Having the faucet there is so handy. I would love to win the rafflecopter. I could think of so much to do with that cash.

  8. Oh so love your potting bench and I always look forward to how you dress it for each season….OK..I am crushing on the basil tree….where did you get it???…and those pots are adorable!!!

    1. The basil tree came from a greenhouse called Henry’s down our way. It’s the neatest greenhouse I have ever seen. So full of amazing ideas!

  9. Jenny Hitchcock says:

    Beautiful potting bench!

  10. Love your potting bench! I would love to have one! My favorite spot to plant in my yard is a garden area in the very back of the yard. It’s full shade and I fill it with impatients that grow out of control by the end of summer.

  11. Yvonne,
    so pretty
    where can we bu a basil tree??
    thanks

    1. I just put the info in the body of my post. You are the second person to ask, so I thought it would be a good idea to include that info! Thanks for asking!

  12. My front porch! I just planted my first hydrangea in a pot at my front door (thanks 😉 and I’m LOVING it!

  13. I love your oitting bench.. I enjoy my patio in every season – happy when i am playing in the dirt…then sit back and just admire.

  14. Patio, definitely! We renovated a HUD house and laid a flagstone patio and it is my after work go-to spot! I do und a perfectly imperfect potting bench just sitting on the curb just when the patio was finished and it makes the perfect patio sideboard. Great landing spot for plants, garden shears, even dishes from cookouts….always changing display.

  15. Yvonne, if your potting bench is a workhouse, it will win best of show. Puts my plastic bag and gloves to shame.

  16. Maria Morais Sarmento says:

    Since I am moving to the Unites States in July and knowing that I will have a porch, it would be wonderful to be able to decorate it!!!

  17. The porch. For great curb appeal 😉

  18. Teddee Grace says:

    Your little potting bench is aging gracefully! Thanks for the opportunity to enter the giveaway.

  19. Yvonne-
    Your potting bench is so cute, I love decorating mine too. Unfortunately I don’t have a water source close enough. The basil tree is so cute, I may have to take a ride down your way to find one and also the cypress topiary. Thanks for the inspiration.

  20. Love your potting bench – from top to bottom and in every detail! ! One more creative gem you have thankfully shared with all of us. Can just see one like gracing our weathered deck – covered with pots of herbs and seedlings – safely up and away from the deer and other critters who invade our garden.

  21. Love the potting bench. My new home has the perfect spot for something like this.

  22. I have a blank slate, so I need lots of ideas, and I love the potting bench with the sink.

  23. I love the feeling when I de-clutter my back porch after winter–hosing it down once the pollen is gone and arranging the decorative birdhouses on my baker’s rack. Nothing feels better than potting some new annuals. The thrill that comes at the end of the day when I stand back, take in God’s beauty and finally collapse in my rocker. This morning I awakened to rain. I grabbed a cup of coffee and took in the smell of honeysuckle. Yes! My back porch is the place to be.

  24. You are amazing! I’m so stealing your potting bench idea for my back porch! Love it! The “sink” is such a cool idea!

  25. My deck is my favorite place to decorate but it never seems to look the way I invisioned it! I love your yard, so cute…..

  26. Love your potting bench! I had my husband make me one a few years ago using an old window as the back. Painted it distressed white. Use it all the time, and it gets better with age 🙂

  27. Love-Love-Love your blog post and your potting bench is fabulous!! The basil trees are the cutest and most functioning plant ever!! Hope I can find something along those lines in my area!! I can’t wait to decorate my deck this summer – thinking about a fountain encased in an old boiler I have! Wish me luck!

  28. I love to decorate my Back porch and Patio

  29. Hi Yvonne!

    Perfect timing sharing your potting bench … I’ve got the potting bug and now I need the bench. Love the Basil topiary – perfect for the kitchen. Thank you for all your inspiration. Reading your blog is the first thing I have on my daily agenda and can’t wait to read all the other posts on summer! Thanks for the chance at the giveaway!

  30. Oops! Got so carried away I forgot to mention I love decorating the deck!

  31. Nancy Carr says:

    My front porch is my favorite place to decorate. It is long and has several areas for seating and lots of room for pretty plants. I love having iced tea or coffee while sitting there and watching the world go by. My dogs also love it there. I want a little red chair like you have. Blessings

  32. I love decorating my gazebo. I love your potting bench. Maybe I could get my husband to help me make one.

  33. Love this post! Thanks for the giveaway offer.

  34. Michelle Scott says:

    I love your little potting bench!! It makes me want one. I like that it is so function with the water spout! My favorite outdoor spot to decorate – I have a little garden that surrounds my mail box down at the end of the driveway and that is always such a lovely little spot to plant some colorful flowers and decorate a “welcome at the road”. I love looking out my window and seeing that pretty little spot. This year I think I am going to work on really decorating my back deck and pergola. I want it to be a very inviting outdoor space to relax and enjoy the season.

  35. Such cute ideas, tips and of course love the giveaway. Thank you!

  36. Tanya Wersinger says:

    thanks for sharing your talents and creativity with everyone. Tanya

  37. We only have a front porch and I love to decorate it! I should do more plants and things, and I’m getting there.

  38. I love to decorate my patio! Love your flower bench!

  39. Carol Weiler says:

    I live in a townhouse so have a small front patio but love to put out my white wicker furniture and lots of potted plants and ferns.

  40. I focus on our decks and walk outs. After two years in this house, I finally have the basics in place and am having fun freshening the look each season. I love hydrangeas, but it is deer candy around here, so I am going to do them in deck pots this year. I need to go pot scouting this weekend. Loved the inspiration in your potted hydrangea post!

  41. I love decorating my front porch. Great giveaway.

  42. Ronny Kosempel says:

    I can picture your lovely potting bench on my patio, filled with potted herbs and brightly blooming plants and flowers. One can dream, can’t one?

  43. jenni farnes says:

    what a fabulous post and a fabulous porch and a fabulous potting bench! so….i’m dying over that galvanized cubby. i have a wooden one in my studio that is from pottery barn….but the galvanized one has my whole entire heart. do you have a source for that lovely thing? thank you for the chance to win….most generous and kind.

    1. Hi Jenni, I found the cubby last year at HomeGoods! I really was not looking for it and did not know where I was going to put it… but I just could not pass it up! Boy, am I glad I did!

  44. Mary-Alice from Texas says:

    I love your potting bench. I will show this to my hubby and see if we can come up with a design. I really need one desperately as I am an avid gardener.

  45. jon anne winstead says:

    I love all your hints and ideas; my husband not so much!! He says all the husbands should get together and ban us from blogs (especially yours), Pinterest and Houzz!! It’ll never happen!!

    1. I guess that is sorta a compliment! Thanks!!! Tell your hubby I am trying to make HIS life more beautiful too!

  46. Diane Westbrook says:

    Oh, I am in the midst of planting the back deck area…Found an old big black “cauldron” that I will plant a hydrangea in..thanks to your suggestion! We had frost warnings the other night so had to cover up all my plants! They all survived, thank heavens. Love the potting bench..what a wonderful idea and yours is so cute. Happy planting and thanks for the giveaway!

  47. I love decorating on my porch, I acquired an old wagon last year and filed it with plants..this year it’s a 100+ year old harvest table..perfect on the porch

  48. We have some boring cement that goes right up to our house with no flower bed area left. So, I line that area with old watering cans, buckets, wood leaf baskets, old gas can, old milk can, 7 up crate, etc. I think it really improves the space.

    1. Heidi, That sound right up my alley! Sometimes we can make a not so good area a fabulous one with creativity like yours!~ I bet it looks amazing!

  49. Your gardening bench, along with EVERYTHING you share, is gorgeous. I would love to have one. I’m always making a mess all over my yard whenever I pot plants and divide up perennials….you have inspired me! I’m going to have to look around my house to see what I have that I can use as a base…..I have an old microwave stand from years ago that may do the trick. Thanks for the inspiration and it’s such a JOY ~ internal woot ~ to be partying with you!

    hugs and blessings, mb

  50. Ann Baird says:

    I have a salvaged potting bench that I believe was a tool bench at one time. I love it but it’s huge! My entire back deck has long windows facing out on it, so I can’t put it there. Keeping it on basement patio under deck, but no one sees it there. Useful, but I can’t show it off.

  51. Love your blog!!! Thank you for sharing your beautiful home.

  52. Oh yeah, love to decorate my front porch.

  53. Robin E. Hess says:

    Yvonne, thank you for sharing your beautiful work. I love the rough painted box, filled with a plant. I found a box like this at a tag sale last week and I don’t want to paint it. Your box will be my inspiration.

    As a side note, while I was scrolling through, I saw the Mason Jar Lid tarts…..dessert anyone? They are adorable!

    Thank you again for sharing, you are an inspiration.

    1. Oh my goodness, Robin! Make those tartlets. They are so good… and very easy!

  54. Cheryl Bell says:

    Yvonne, I just love your kitchen garden and potting bench area! It’s such an inspiration for me right now!! We enlarged our patio last summer and added a fireplace and we have enjoyed it so much thru the fall and winter months. But it’s time for planting summer veggies & herbs. Right now they are in pots and tubs, like some of yours. I have an area behind our patio that has a large wood and metal table that was my potting bench, but it’s been there for years and is pretty ugly and worn out now and needs to be scraped and a new one put in it’s place. So this outdoor blog party is giving me some great ideas! You’re always an inspiration…thanks for sharing our life with us!

    1. I love those “ugly and worn out” pieces!!! Sounds like the perfect potting bench surface to me!

  55. Love love love your potting bench! It makes me really want one!

  56. I love your basil tree and the numbered pots. I am going to work on something like that.

  57. Judy Lincicum says:

    I am soooo getting ready with my colors all picked out and such, to decorate my patio for summer. Now I want a potting bench just like yours, Yvonne, but I live in an apt and do not have room for one. That’s ok, I’ll visit yours often!

  58. Is your potting bench just conveniently near a spigot or do you have a hose attached to it. I am trying to figure out how to get water to my bench but the spigot is about 24 inches off the ground. I never really thought about decorating my bench with flowers, right now it is a mess;-)

    1. Bobby installed a water spigot right behind the potting bench and we (and when I say “we” I mean Bobby) ran a hose from the wall spigot to the potting bench. He also thoughtfully hid the hose. Sweet guy!

      1. Thanks, I could probably figure something like that to run from the spigot to the bench. Thanks again for all your wonderful ideas.

  59. I LOVE your potting bench. I’ve always wanted one. I love the little cubicles on yours —interesting little bits and pieces can be stashed there to add interest. My daughter would love a little basil tree. She loves basil! I love to decorate my back porch area. So many ideas and so little time!

  60. I would love to use this to decorate my front porch. Beautiful!! Thanks so much for offering this. Trying to spruce up for the sweet sweet Summertime!!

  61. Love your potting bench and how it’s decorated. We spend a lot of time on our patio and grill out there often.

  62. Melissa K says:

    Honestly I have so many flowers beds & a garden to take care of that my spaces like the front porch & back patio get a little neglected. Would love to have them decorated though! Maybe when I retire I’ll be able to spend more time doing this….lol

  63. I enjoy decorating our front small porch and our back large deck. I want a potting bench. I have no overhang to protect one. Any suggestions?

  64. Thank you for the inspiration to get outside in the yard. We just moved to a new fixer house, so we lots and lots of outdoor projects. Currently, we’re in the clean out mode, getting rod of lots of overgrown shrubs and trees. I look forward to planting the flowers beds. Love your potting bench!

    1. Jamie, I think that no matter what stage of life or homekeeping we are all in… the work never ends! Have fun dreaming and making your fixer upper your own!!!

  65. Cyndi Flowers says:

    Love the potting bench

  66. Nancy Trotta says:

    I enjoy decorating my front porch so my neighbors can see something pretty when they walk by or visit. I do it for myself because I love good curb appeal.

  67. Your posts are always a joy for me! Such inspiration and spot on decorating. I enjoy seeing your potting bench go through each season. I hope to have one again once I move from the big city of Atlanta upon retirement soon. I do plan to get out and away from all the busyness of a big city where I can play in the dirt and see all God’s handiwork more close up. Thank you for sharing this little spot of your world.

  68. Jacque Avant says:

    I love this cute potting bench and the way to display pretty plants. I always enjoy reading your blog. I have already planted a hydrangea in a large pot that I will enjoy as soon as it starts blooming. I have always just planted them in the yard. Great idea.
    Thanks so much,
    Jacque Avant

  69. Another great inspiration. My home and patio grow in beauty and enjoyment from your generous sharing. Thank you!

  70. Marty Koons says:

    I love your potting bench and have been wanting one for awhile! I also enjoy reading your blog every day!

  71. Teresa Anthony says:

    I LOVE decorating porches AND decks for spring and summer. Lots of color and interest…flowers, lanterns, re-purposed, unique items. Love all the great ideas! I’m about to move, so my outdoor decorating is on hold for the moment. 🙁 I will be inspired for later, however. Thanks for all the great creativity!

  72. My patio is the most fun to decorate because my neighbors get to enjoy it too. It all starts with a colorful rug, some comfy chairs, a couple of tall hibiscus plants, and lots of plants for a lush look. Succulents are a great idea!

  73. Spring is my favorite time of year. I love potting fresh annuals in my back yard. I have petunias, geraniums, colorful calla lilies and whatever else I find that looks pretty.

  74. My screened porch is my favorite place to decorate and one of my favorite places to be as soon as the weather gets warm. We always pick up something for it when we travel, so it’s full of happy vacation memories too! Love you’re potting bench! I have one too and use it constantly this time of year!

  75. I love your potting bench, Yvonne. Mine seems to be the picnic table on our porch, though I’d love something that’s actually a potting bench!

    xo
    Claudia

  76. Gosh where to start? I love everything about this post! I just want to drive over and play in the dirt. Rinse my hands in the vintage basin. Smell your basil tree. Fondle that wee wicker bee hive. And commit each item to memory! I think I need a potting bench. Yours is fabulous!

  77. Oops. I was so enamored by your potting bench … I like to decorate in front of my driveway, as that is the first thing I see when I drive up.

  78. Lanita Anderson says:

    I like to decorate our deck with potted plants and planters, fun colors for summer and a pretty tablecloth to go with our table, chairs and umbrella. Love your potting bench…..am pinning for future reference!
    Blessings,
    Lanita

  79. Everything you put together is fabulous!!! Love the potting table!!

  80. I decorate the front porch, the deck, the shed/potting area and 2 other outdoor rooms. I love the warmer weather, but decorate outdoors for all the seasons.

  81. Melissa W. says:

    I would love to get two rocking chairs and a bench swing for my front porch.

  82. I love the patio to decorate. It is what I see from the interior. Now, I need to find my green gloves.

  83. Your potting bench is gorgeous! I love decorating my deck and pergola. I would love to buy some of those patio lights so it’s pretty at night.

  84. logan wilhelm says:

    I really like your potting area…even copied a picture of it for inspiration. I am using an old rustic drop leaf table that I removed the leaves from. I have my barrel of potting soil beneath it and tools in pots. I would love to find a piece to sit on top of the table to hold pretty plants and trinkets similar to yours…will keep looking. Looking forward to making this area a place where all the fun starts.

    Thanks for all the ideas and how-tos. Love to see how things are done so that I can replicate it to work in my space.

    XXOO

    Logan

  85. Hello Yvonne,

    I love to decorate my front porch every year. I also love to decorate my screened in porch that overlooks our woods. Thank you for being such a blessing to us in so many ways.
    Blessings

  86. Lisa Sweeney says:

    I love your basil topiary! I wish I could find one! I enjoy decorating my patio for summer, putting out all my pillows and flowers!

  87. Which spot do I like to decorate….well, I need to do both the deck and the patio.
    The deck is wonderful for breakfast or a morning cup of tea, while my patio is
    much larger and can comfortably accommodate a much larger group. The curved
    wall of the patio lends additional seating when needed as do the semicircle steps
    to the two sliding doors to the house. Depending where the sun is either place
    can be used for stitching or reading. Your ideas for crocks and plants just make
    me want to go back to the nursery for more things to plant. =) My one crock is a
    salad bowl as it contains red leaf romaine, curly parsley, sweet basil, and a purple
    ruffles basil….. very colorful and fun to create.. Now to take the suggestions
    from you and the girls for adding colorful accents to these peaceful woodland getaways by means
    of pillows and accessories. Thanks for sharing all your tips and creating wonderful
    giveaways!
    Kathy

  88. I LOVE that potting bench. I also like your clothesline!!

  89. what a beautiful potting bench, love everything about it!

  90. Love the potting bench. Thanks for the chance to win this wonderful give card.

  91. We recently moved and now I have 2 decks to decorate! I enjoy your blog!

  92. Would love to win a new potting bench! Mine is really in need of repair!. Getting ready for summer in my garden is the best. I decided on a blue and white ocean theme for this year.

  93. I am so happy to open your Stonegable posts each day. I don’ t know what I did before I found your website! I just finished decorating our front porch today, because it has been too cold to plant. I am using some of your ideas. Next on to the deck. So much fun!

    1. Phyllis, it thrills me to know that StoneGable has inspired you! That’s my goal!!! Thanks so much for letting me know!

  94. I’m building a secret garden and one of the last things I need is a garden bench, this is the nicest I’ve seen so far.
    I knew I wanted a sink but couldn’t figure out what to do about the drain part, now I realize I don’t need a drain!
    Thanks for posting these photos, great inspiration for me.

  95. Sylvia Marie says:

    Weathered wood, tTerra cotta pots, Gerber Daisies, You have motivated me to finish mine!!!!, I just need to put the last coat of sealer on the potting table,then its outside to look beautiful for the summer. I dearly love your site.

  96. Love the little red chair! I like to decorate my front stoop. I have lots of kid memories there. Thank you for the great blog.

  97. Nancy Ashley says:

    Your potting bench is absolutely beautiful! I sure would love to win the $300 giveaway. I would spend it on my little country decorated studio that has a cute little front porch with a country railing around it. I love to decorate it for all of the holidays and other times it is filled with my latest vintage “treasure” that I have found. I am truly a country girl and my country roots run deep. Love to sit and sip iced tea on the porch in my porch rockers and watch all my little bird friends feed and drink.

  98. Cindy Dowling says:

    Love your potting bench! Love all your ideas and everything you do! Your such an inspiration thanks for sharing! Now to come up with a potting bench half as cute as yours!☺️

  99. Love the basil topiary and the adorable bench. Beautiful!

  100. I love decorating both my front and back porches and will desperately miss them both when we move into our own home later this summer. You’ve inspired me to make a potting bench though!

  101. HELEN FOSTER says:

    LOVE your ideas…. I have been working on my porch for 2 weeks…. need to add some green. The purple rocker OMG…luv it

  102. Martha Franks says:

    I always love to see your blog! I get so many good ideas from you. I am getting to the stage of life where most of my planting is done in pots on the back deck. . I aim to feed bees, butterflies and hummers. When that GA heat and humidity sets in, I am ready to sit in my kitchen window and enjoy the colorful flowers, plus bird feeders, nesting boxes and bird baths. Makes me happy!

  103. Love your potting bench. I need one desperately ! My favorite place to decorate is our back porch. I love ferns,so I have several. I also have my herbs in pots on the stairs. This year I have planted several pots of creeping jenny – one of my favorites. This year I painted my rockers black,which I love. Sitting on my porch in the early morning having my coffee is my favorite time of the day!☕️

  104. Your potting bench is so pretty. I too have a potting bench…it is on our back porch., my favorite spot during the warmer months.

  105. I have a small front porch that I decorate as well as a deck out back. I also like to garden so have several beds of dwarf lilacs, hydrangeas and weigelias…. Always a work in progress!,

  106. Susan K from Lancaster, PA says:

    I LOVE to decorate our screened in porch! My husband and I practically live out there in Summer. Oh and Yvonne, I finally went to Vintage by Amy in Strasburg that you recommended and I am going to start my first chalk paint project (a small accent table) soon. I also purchased a vintage small French hutch for in our dining area that I plan to work on after my “practice” pieces…can’t wait! I adore all the painted pieces you have! Thanks for a great giveaway! Susan K from Lancaster

    1. Don’t you love Fresh Vintage? I sure do and I love Amy who owns it… and her daughter Annie too! I’m so glad you took a little fieldtrip there and were inspired to give chalk paint a try!

  107. Thank you for posting our lovely pictures. You have started a fire! My potting bench is still sitting in our basement. It is past time to bring it out and use it. Tomorrow is going to be the day to put the fire out. The potting bench is going outside to be used and enjoyed!

    Thanks again,
    Janis

  108. What a lovely potting bench, Yvonne! I am in love with that little red chair!

  109. I have a little area under my maple tree along my driveway that I call my woodland garden and I have been adding shade-loving perennials for the past two years or so. I love working on that area and this year I was delighted to see that two of the three trillium that I had planted a year or so ago and tho’t they had died came up and blossomed! I was so excited!

    I love your potting bench and I’v been thinking about an old kitchen cabinet with a porcelain top that’s been sitting around in my garage for several years, imagining cleaning it up and using it for a potting “bench”. I might even paint it a cheerful color and add a crate I have to the top for a shelf unit. I’m excited to get started on it! Thanks for sharing your sweet little potting bench and all your planting projects. It really inspired me to use that old cabinet.

    1. Naomi, Your old kitchen cabinet sounds perfect for a potting bench!

  110. I would make over our deck – would love to spruce up my potting bench.

  111. I love to decorate my back porch for the seasons. Your potting bench is awesome and so functional too. I enjoy reading your blog and being inspired to create such a peaceful home.

  112. Yvonne,

    Love the potting bench. I’ve been thinking about getting one for my backyard and seeing your’s gives me the inspiration that I need.

  113. Love your blog, Yvonne! My most decorated outdoor space is our screened porch.

  114. Definitely my front porch! I love your blog and all of your ideas.

  115. Love the potting bench, that is a goal to get a potting bench. Love the flowers. And crushing on the white pots and basil trees.
    Be blessed
    Pam

  116. Hi Yvonne, When you painted your white pots did you use acrylic paint or milk paint?
    Thank you.
    Pam

  117. Ashleigh Hall says:

    First, I want to thank you for such beautiful, inspirational posts!! Your home and gardens are so lovely! Secondly, we have 4 decks and two lower level patios that we love to decorate, but lately I have been so overwhelmed with other “chores” that I have been neglecting them. Thank you for the great ideas to help get me motivated to tackle them!

  118. Sherri G. says:

    Your Porch/Potting bench is Gorgeous, and I have just visited all the others! They are all fantastic and so many great Ideas. I have been busy working on my front step and back patio. Two different friends told me about some roadside chairs on Mothers Day Weekend so I sent my husband and daughter to pick them up. Score! I have been busy taking them apart and painting and now looking for fabric to cover the seats. Thank You for all the fabulous ideas!

  119. I Love to decorate my porch!

  120. I have a potting bench in our garage….i’m thinking of moving it for the summer months….what a great idea ,inspiring ,love it thanks!

  121. Maneesha Pradhan says:

    I love to decorate my patio. Have my friends and family there. It seems like a celebration every time.

  122. I Love to decouragier our deck with flowers, benches, old wooden boxes. But I really need nice pots!!!! So good luck to me to win
    Thank you
    Bianca

  123. This is absolutely adorable. It gave me so many ideas! I can’t wait to get home from work so I can get my hands off the key board and into the dirt.

  124. I decorate my 3 season porch! Since I live in Ohio, I only get a few months of use, but I absolutely LOVE being out there! My beloved dog and cat can’t wait until it is opened every year!

  125. What a cute idea, Yvonne! It’s chilly here in Michigan, but it was 83 the other day. Can’t wait to get my hands in the dirt!

  126. Love your potting bench! I have been looking for 2 years for one of those basil trees. Henrys website says they close at the end of May….is this right? and how far is Henrys from the outlets on Rt 30. Thanks for any info, Elaine

  127. Love the numbered white pots- I think I may make a few. I enjoy your blog and your great ideas! I am not too far away; in Lehigh County , PA.

  128. Beth Groff says:

    Love to decorate my front porch.

  129. I love all the color you have everywhere in your outdoor decor! I love to add splashes of color and decor to our back patio which is in essence our deck.

  130. Aileen Young says:

    I need todecorate my patio from scratch.
    only have an old picnic table.
    thanks for all the great ideas…

  131. I’m completely swooning here Yvonne!! That is just potting bench perfection my friend!

  132. Shauna Neuenswander says:

    I love everything, your garden is beautiful. I would love to have a basil tree I will have to start looking for one.

  133. Your potting bench is adorable. Mine is just functional. Maybe I will take some ideas from yours. My favorite place to decorate is my porch. I bring all my house plants out and fill some large planters with coleus. Everything thrives over the summer.

  134. I love everything about your blog, can I come live with you??.

  135. Your patio looks so great, Yvonne! I LOVE that we are heading into summer and you are sharing all your great outdoor ideas! Happy Memorial Day weekend!

  136. Nita Smith says:

    Love your potting bench.

  137. Yvonne!!! WOW – Your potting bench is sensational!! You are the Queen of styling in my books! I love your flowers, your pots…..all the details are so beautiful!! Wish I could come over and see it in person! Thanks soooo much for joining me in this summer party!! Pinning 🙂 hugs Heather

    1. Heather wouldn’t it be great to live near each other! You are amazing in my book too!

  138. Lovely potting bench and kitchen herb garden area you have! I’ve been finding I plant more and more herbs each year in pots rather than flowers and love the fragrances they give off and the flavours In cooking. I’m especially fond of combinations that repel Mosquitos etc and have large pots planted around the patio and backyard fire pit area. Always inspired by your blog Yvonne, thanks for sharing.

  139. Patti Ingram says:

    What an adorable potting bench! All the photos on your blog are beautiful. 🙂

  140. Diane A. Parks says:

    I love to decorate my back deck, facing the lake. I have painted 2 rocking chairs a beautiful periwinkle! Love your potting bench!

  141. Helen Davis says:

    I love decorating my deck for entertaining friends or just to read blogs like yours on these nice warm days. This spring I have found most of my flowers at Lowe’s on clearance and the best part about it was that the plants only needed water. The pots are all a pretty cobalt blue, red and brown. The colors are perfect; so bright and cheerful. I also found a cute bench from a local antique dealer and it will be a great place for a glass of lemonade. I love the iron wrought furniture that we have on the deck with natural color cushions and umbrella. The flowers and the pots add just the right amount of color to the area. As the summer continues, we only hope to enjoy it more and more with family and friends.

  142. Thanx for the giveaway opportunity…I’m not into social media but I did want to participate so I am commenting just to thank you!

    I love your blog, you are blessed with wonderful talents and full of wonderful ideas.
    Thank you for all the tips and ideas to make our homes beautiful…

    Many blessings to you and your family…

  143. Bonnie G. says:

    Your porch is charming-I can just imagine how pleasing it is to spend time there. There’s a makeshift potting area on theback deck but I really enjoy decorating and spending time on the front porch!

  144. Diana Cote says:

    Patio, we don’t have a whole garden but we do have a patio at our current town house, next year we will have a garden and I will enjoy making it my own and growing lots of delicious things.

  145. My favorite area to decorate is by far, our porch. It is the first thing people see as they pass our house, pull up in our driveway and enter our home. So for me, I like our porch to be decorated, so that it seems warm and inviting to our guest, but also out of just pure enjoyment of making our home look beautiful for me and my family.
    I love decorating, and while we have only been in our first home a couple years, and it being an older home requires a lot of attention, that cause some of the decorating things I would love to do be put on hold more often then naught, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
    I love old homes and the charms they have that new homes just can’t compete with.

  146. Alisia H. says:

    Hey there….I don’t have a deck or a porch but if I did I’d choose to decorate my porch during the summertime. I’d put white wicker furniture covered in blue & white ticking fabric with bright colored accent pillows. I would also love to have galvanized pails filled with hydrangeas & peonies and maybe a wooden swing on the corner.

  147. I’ve never had a potting bench and always wanted one. Hmm, I think this is the year!

  148. I love decorating the space leading from my back door, which is really a side door, to the back of my home. It leads to the in-ground pool which is bordered with Oklahoma flagstone. I have lots of plants in pots. One of my most favorite is the Japanese Irises that I transplanted from my Mother’s garden in Virginia over 20 years ago. Japanese Irises are very tiny compared to American varieties and very fragile. The blooms are a deep purple and look beautiful and blend well with my other flowers that are also in pots. These pots of flowers remind me of my Mother and her passion for gardening.

  149. Summer is truly a breath of fresh air and you have certainly captured its beauty inside and outside your beautiful farm home. I just love perusing your virtual tours.

    Hugs!

  150. Yvonne, I love your potting bench! It’s utilitarian AND perfectly lovely.

  151. Beth Beard says:

    Your potting bench is charming! I have been asking my husband to make me one for months. I’m showing him a photo of yours and hopefully I have one this summer. Thank you for all your great ideas and sharing your talent with us.

  152. Thank you for the giveaway opportunity. I love decorating our back covered patio. Spending time out there is the perfect way to enjoy the summer. xo

  153. Our house is being sided this month and I can’t wait to decorate my porches. Thanks for the ideas and the chance to win.

  154. I just love the potting bench and just about anything tin.

  155. Julie lizzi says:

    Love the blog. This year I decided to try a fairy garden using some doll house furniture and plants. I found something called an “optic plant that’s perfect in it”

  156. What a fun space. Where would I look for a galvanized tin cubby to purchase?
    Thanks
    *Smiles*

  157. Ellie Hancock says:

    That is a brilliant decor! I purchased a bench and took it apart and painted it so it matched my patio. it really makes a big difference!