Happy Summer! Is your garden in full bloom? It has been a fantastic growing season here at Storybook Cottage. I was delighted when my dear friend Amber from Follow The Yellow Brick Home invited me to participate in A Vintage Garden Tour.
If you are coming over from Panoply, Welcome! Doesn’t Rita have the loveliest garden?
A Vintage Garden Tour
Prior to moving to the Fort Worth area almost four years ago, we lived in Phoenix for 10 years. While I can appreciate the desert landscape my heart truly belongs to the English garden look.
It has been a banner year for our roses. The garden contains climbing roses, rose trees and traditional rose bushes. All were planted by Mr. Decor and myself over the past few years.
My friend Tracy sent me bearded iris bulbs from her garden in California and they have done quite well here.
It took three long years but we had our first peony blooms earlier this spring.
Vintage Elements
I like to include vintage elements to the garden areas to add a bit of interest. Earlier this year I shared some old metal chairs I found in a trash pile. We have a total of four. Two are painted a bright periwinkle and we use them for al fresco dining.
The other two I left rusted and chippy. They are tucked into our front yard flowerbeds and hold potted plants.
I obviously have a thing for chairs.
Residents Of The Garden
There are small birdhouses and feeders tucked in here and there. We currently have a Mississippi Kite nesting in one of our old oak trees which is a bit rare. A small sparrow has taken up residence in the vintage-inspired home below. The weight of the nest has it leaning to the side and we are praying it doesn’t topple as the babies grow.
In a small garden area near our driveway, I added a dry river bed and accented it with a vintage child’s wheelbarrow.
Another garden bed has two sweet vintage angel sculptures nestled in the lower right front of the bed near the pansies.
Wee Magical Visitors
In the photo above you can somewhat see the top of a wee blue roof in the clay pot. I like to nestle in little fairy gardens throughout the garden.
Other little fairy homes and garden gnomes appear elsewhere.
Most of the garden potting occurs on a wooden table built by Mr. Decor.
I generally like to add simple seasonal color by placing annual plants in pots. Perennials are planted directly into the beds.
I hope you have enjoyed this year’s summer garden tour.
Next up is My Thrift Store Addiction. Cecilia has such a beautiful garden.
May you bloom where you are planted!
Laura
Laura, I love the way you’ve embraced our Texas climate and made such pretty gardens! I’m sure this is easier than Phoenix, but still, it’s a tough climate to deal with…especially right now. Your roses amaze me! You look darling out there working too. 🙂
Laura, I didn’t realize you’ve only been in Texas 4 years. As Stacey said, the heat here can also be a challenge, but you’d never know from your gorgeous garden photos! Your roses are stunning! Happy to be joining the tour with you! Blessings, Cecilia @My Thrift Store Addiction
Laura you are just adorable and your posts are always a treat! Your flowers look gorgeous and I love your little gnomes and vintage touches., especially that little blue chair! Thank you so much for joining our hop!
Laura, your gardens are gorgeous! Your rose trellis is simply amazing! AndI love your al fresco dining setup – I spy a little “helper” in the picture! 🙂 So happy to be on the hop with you!
Wow, your climbing rose is breathtaking Laura! Cottage and English style gardening is my favorite as well. I love your little wheelbarrow. Thanks for sharing your lovely garden with us!
hugs,
Jann
How adorable!Hugs!
Wow, Laura! You look beautiful under your rose arbor! Those roses are to die for. You would laugh at mine. I can’t understand why they won’t bloom!
All your flowers are so pretty. I’ve never seen iris that color! Peonyis a treasure for sure.
Now, for your” chair thing” it is working great for you. You have styled them beautifully.
Hope your flowers survive the temps I am reading about!
Laura, Your gardens are beautiful! I have a thing for chairs, also; always have;) I especially love your bower of pink roses; so perfectly English garden style. Fun to be hopping with you today!
Laura, your garden is lovely. I know it must be a continual effort in the Texas climate. The rose arbor and the roses growing there are gorgeous, and your iris and peony look quite happy as well. The garden chairs are great ~ a great find is always the best! Love your garden apron and you in your bare feet. The photo reminded me of something my mom used to say, “The earth likes to feel your feet and the wind likes to play with your hair.”
I enjoyed my visit ~ have a great week!
Thanks for sharing your garden with us, Laura. I really like the dry river bed idea. So suitable in a landscape where rain is infrequent.
Laura, I want an invitation to come personally view this adorable garden! And pet the puppy! Everything is beautiful! Even you in your cute little outfits.
Laura,
Your peony is gorgeous with its pink center and paler outer petals. And your rose trellis is stunning. Yes, English gardens appeal to me much more than desert gardens, too.
Stay cool,
Judith
Laura, I so enjoyed my tour of your beautiful garden today! Wow, your roses are stunning, and I love chairs too! I say that you can never have too many! It was so much fun being on this tour with you! Enjoy your week!!!
Your garden is so pretty! The roses are wonderful and those iris are so pretty! You are too cute posing in your garden!
Love your English touches, Laura. Your dog is ADORABLE! You have some peonies?!? Wonderful….One of my favorite flowers, along with hydrangeas and sunflowers. Hugs friend!
Laura! Who would ever guess you live in TX with the irises, roses (just stunning!!) and peonies blooming as they have/are?! Yours and Mr. Decor’s work has certainly paid off. I can certainly appreciate your sentiment of loving the English garden look.
Your garden table as well as your metal chairs leave me green with envy. What a score, finding the chairs in someone’s trash pile. I love seeing how you’ve truly made a storybook cottage. Thank you for the tour.
The roses are stunning! How do you do it? I’m planning on plantng some knockout roses next spring – they come in pink now!
Just gorgeous, Laura! Those roses, oh my gosh!!! I lost 5 roses this winter so I guess I’m giving up on them….sigh. So sad, I love them so much!
Oh my Laura! I absolutely adore your rose trellis! It is stunning! And I too love vintage chairs, and have them scattered about my yard as well! Your garden is simply wonderfully delightful, and I so enjoyed the tour today!!! Blessings to you today 🙂
Your roses are spectacular,and you look beautiful standing in that arbor! All your vintage pieces add to the vintage feeling, as well as your whimsical things like the little wagon. A bird bath is a wonderful thing in the garden. I recently found a solar powered little thingie that sits under water in the middle of the bath and makes a bubbling fountain. So excited to try it—my birdbath cracked and I’m on the lookout for another.
Great tour!
I love the English garden look as well. I was once obsessed with roses. Now it’s peonies and hydrangeas. You seem to have acclimated yourself quite well to growing a garden in Texas ~ so pretty! xo Kathleen|Our Hopeful Home
How pretty you look posing with your arched roses, Laura! I did enjoy my stroll through your garden this morning, and was amazed to see that you have peonies growing!! I love all your chairs and architectural pieces that add such interest. Your sweet tea table looks so lovely, and I wish I was sitting enjoying some refreshment with you. Thanks for sharing the beauty!
Oh wow, your rose is really climbing over that arbor so beautifully. Your gardens are looking amazing.
Laura, I love your garden and your bistro set is adorable for dining. I’m thinking about doing a fairy garden for our deck at the condo. Awesome flowers, especially with the climbing roses;. You are just too adorable in your gardening apron and watering your plants.
Laura, Your roses are absolutely gorgeous! Wow! That color is fabulous! I love your bistro dining table! It’s so charming! So fun to be on another Hop with you!!
Your garden is gorgeous and your little pup is so cute!
Your garden is lovely.
My favorite is the little blue chair. Steve just found a child’s rocker on the side of the street. I set it in the garden with a bucket and plant inside, but I think I need to paint it blue.
Pretty blooms, Laura. I need to decide what I’m going to plant to replace the knockout roses I removed. Love the climbing variety.
Laura, I absolutely enjoyed my stroll through your gardens. I love all your whimsical decor touches. Everything is so pretty. Happy gardening!
Laura,
What a lovely garden with so many precious vintage features!! Love the fairy garden elements!! I see you shop Big Lot’s too!! LOL!! Thanks for the charming garden tour!!!
Hugs,
Deb
You metal chairs remind me of a Coke set I have (with three chairs) that came from my grandparents corner store back in the early 1900s. Mine is an indoor vintage item though with the oak tabletop and chair seats. – Margy
Beautiful pictures from your lovely garden, but the irises would have to be my favorite.
Just love seeing all your beautiful handiwork in the garden. Congratulations on the peonies and thanks for the lovely tour!
Ooo, it’s beautiful. I love your dry river bed, and that climbing rose is just stunning.
Thank you for letting me enjoy your beautiful garden. Wish I had your green thumb. Your flowers are gorgeous! I’ll just have to keep on creating faux floral arrangements, but they won’t compare to the flowers our God makes!
I love your garden choices, Laura, from the plant types to all the lovely little personal touches throughout. In our first home we planted rose trees, and spent many happy hours tending to them and watching them bloom. All before children, of course:) Since our moves to Kansas City and now Chicago (14 years) we have a veritable wealth of hydrangea bushes that I longingly wait for each spring:) Think I might try a faeire garden next! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm, pinned! xo Kathleen|Our Hopeful Home
What a beautiful garden!, Laura! Your roses are outstanding, and you have so many pretty areas of interest. I loved the wee visitors as well! I’m featuring this post at the Hearth and Soul Link Party this week. Thank you so much for sharing it!
Oh what a beautiful garden! I have always dreamed of a garden like this. We do have some peonies along the side of our house, and some annuals here and there. I managed to kill the petunias in our front yard last week though! It got way too hot. I’m a new co-hostess at TFT at Katherine’s Corner. Thanks for sharing there!