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Front Porch Appeal: Spring Into Porch Season April 02, 2025 |
Welcome to Front Porch Appeal!
Some of our northern friends are still receiving snowfall and spring must seem a bit distant yet, but keep the faith. Spring is here. We hope you've been well and enjoying your days with vigor. This month we're going to show you a few things going on at our home and porch. Thank you so much for joining us here; we never take it for granted.
It’s time to brighten up our porches as longer days and warm evenings are just around the corner. Porch season is almost here! We’re incredibly grateful for you, and let's cheer each other on as we step into spring. May you feel optimistic and peaceful.
Spring Blooms Brighten Our Porch
A thoughtful birthday gift, this cheerful pot of white, yellow, and orange pansies brings a burst of color and warmth to our porch, the perfect way to welcome spring’s arrival. When pansies are in bloom, we can feel good that spring is here to stay. Do you enjoy pansies on your porch, too? We'd love to know. Just hit reply to this email.
And look at this beauty! A few years back, maybe even seven or eight years ago, we picked up a pot of purple hyacinths to brighten our springtime porch. At the time, I hadn’t realized just how heavenly they smelled, every bit as glorious as lilacs. Our whole porch was filled with their sweet fragrance. This year we brought home another gorgeous pot of hyacinths, bursting with blooms. Some flowers have fully opened, others are just beginning to unfurl, and a few are still waking up. Did you notice the colorful pansies in the background?
And if you're like us, you’ll love a close-up view. Aren’t they just lovely? I bet you can almost catch their fragrance. It’s a joy to watch them change day by day! For now, we’ll savor their beauty before planting them in our porch garden to enjoy for years to come.
A Special Home for Backyard Birds
This is a bit Christmas-y, but wanted to share this birdhouse that our grandson decorated for us. (He gave it to us for Christmas.) We have it hung up in our back yard, waiting for just the right bird family to claim it as their own. A New Chapter for Our Garden
Once upon a time, in the spring of 2024 and for many years prior, our front walkway and garden were bursting with color: beautiful begonias, marigolds, lantanas, and a variety of perennials thrived. It was a sight to behold. But, as many of you know, living next to a gorgeous woods comes with its own set of challenges. Deer often visit our yard, and last year, they took their visits to a whole new level. Our gardens became an all-you-can-eat buffet. Even the so-called "deer-resistant" plants? They might as well have been labeled "deer candy." As Dave put it, "Apparently, the deer haven’t read the book."
We weren’t the only ones. Our entire neighborhood felt the effects, likely due to the growing number of developments pushing the deer beyond the woods in search of food. As much as we loved our garden, watching it get devoured was disheartening. Fast forward to March 2025, our garden and walkway looked sad and bare. Knowing the deer would only enjoy our hard work more than we would, we made a tough but practical decision: to downsize our garden and eliminate the front walkway. Our thought is less garden, less work and more peace. The deer eating our garden made us reconsider just how much we want to invest in time, resources and money.
So you can see we are in the process of simplifying our whole front gardens around the porch. Our garden to about half its original size and we replaced the walkway with sod for less maintenance, more simplicity. And honestly? We’re all in on that. Not to worry, we’ll still plant some flowers, just on a smaller scale. As the weather warms, the sod will green up, and we’re excited to see everything take shape. Stay tuned. We can’t wait to share the transformation with you.
For the Love of Red Buds
Alongside our home is a lovely woods and in the spring we are blessed to see the red buds bloom. This one hangs over our yard and it's a gem. The other day, I snipped a few flowers to bring them inside to our table. Lo and behold, they are rooting. Who knew? I've read that red bud trees are difficult to propagate this way, but just maybe we will be fortunate enough. No matter what, they make a nice cut flower for a few days.
A Tiny Herb Garden with Big Charm
Last year, we gave new life to an old brick patio, and with it, Dave created an adorable little herb garden. Ta-da! It’s not just practical, it is downright adorable and makes us smile every time we see it. Right now, it’s brimming with curly parsley, purple basil, green basil, chives, thyme, and marigolds… but take a closer look! Do you see them? Nestled among the greenery are the cutest decorative mushrooms, a fun birthday gift I received this year.
And as a finishing touch, Dave built a trellis where we have planted morning glory seeds, soon to climb and weave their way up. From above, those little mushrooms add such a fun and whimsical touch!
An interesting view from down low—just another reason we adore our little herb garden. It’s become such a happy spot, full of fresh herbs, cheerful marigolds, and a few delightful surprises tucked in.
And just to give you a bit of perspective, here is the new paver walkway Dave put in last fall. It extends around the back of our house to our back porch. You can see our new herb garden just to the right of it. Safe to say, we’re enjoying it.
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Dogwood season has arrived in Middle Tennessee, and our backyard tree is putting on its usual spectacular show. Planted twelve years ago, it has never failed to be a highlight of spring, bursting with delicate pink blooms that seem almost too perfect to be real.
Up close, the petals have a soft, watercolor-like beauty, each one a reminder of how fleeting this season is. If only the blossoms could linger a little longer. Isn't that so true of spring flowers... Sun-Powered Charm: Our Butterfly Lantern
Our sweet neighbor gifted us the most delightful solar-powered butterfly lantern, and it has quickly become a favorite on our back porch. By day, its cheerful yellow design adds a bright, happy touch, but at night, what a sight.
As the sun sets, the butterflies seem to come alive, casting a soft, enchanting glow. It’s like a tiny world of fluttering light, bringing a bit of magic to our evenings. Have You Met
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