Welcome to May Dreams Gardens, home of the purple bench. See it back there in the vegetable garden?Before I painted it purple, it looked like this.
It was a pretty color of cream but the paint was starting to flake off on the seat (ha ha, "pretty color of cream", that's an attempt at dry humor which doesn't always come across well in writing.)And here's a close up of the bench right after we got some rain early Saturday evening.
Does everyone like the new color? It's kind of bright, but I think I'll keep it like this.Behind the bench are the green beans which I have covered with row covering, because May Dreams Gardens is also home to ravenous rabbits who would eat my green bean plants down to the ground without a second thought if they could get to them.
In other news around here:
I harvested more peas this evening, dodging a few rain drops in the process. As I noted before, the row is only eight feet long, so I don't get a lot of pods with each picking, just a good sized serving, so there isn't much to share. I think I'll get one, maybe two more pickings. Perhaps I'll try some fall peas? Anyone have any tips to share on planting peas for a fall harvest? I'm guessing I would need to plant them ten weeks before the first threat of real frost, which would mean planting by mid-July. Is there a variety that is good for fall planting? Or would it be a foolish waste of seed?
I checked in on my second garden twice this past weekend and everything is coming up just fine. Over at that garden, there are very few weeds, so I don't think I'll have to do much hoeing around the corn, beans and squash. Here in my raised bed garden I have purslane sprouting everywhere so even though I weeded it all on Saturday, it could stand to be weeded again today.
A few more bloggers have joined in on the Garden Bloggers' Book Club and posted their reviews on the book, Passalong Plants, or written about their own experience with passalong plants. So you might want to go back to that post and check them out.
We are getting some rain, finally, which is welcome and needed. We could use a lot more but its a good start.
Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day is coming up again on the 15th of the month. I'm starting to watch more closely in the garden to see what is blooming and budding in anticipation of what might make a good showing on the 15th. More later on how to participate in this if you are new around here.
That's some of what's going on here at May Dreams Gardens, home of the purple bench and ravenous rabbits. What's new in your garden?
Carol: I love the purple bench! Very inviting for a sit down with lemonade or something stronger perhaps! I'm looking forward to my second bloom day! It has been pouring all day here and the peonies are not looking so good. I am hoping they dry out as they were just coming into bloom. The rain is always welcome in spite of its' consequences. I may just have to pick a bouquet!
ReplyDeleteExcellent color! I like how it draws your eye from across the lawn. Way to go!
ReplyDeleteLove the purple. It adds some fun and whimsy. By the way, what's the tree behind the bench?
ReplyDeleteI love your purple bench. All my garden furniture is painted bright colors. except for the chairs and tables on my patio. You might have seen them in some of my photos.
ReplyDeleteI love purple. Three of my garden chairs are painted bright purple the rest are bright blue and red.
Great colour Carol. Much brighter than the 'lovely cream' that it once was.
ReplyDeleteI love the color!
ReplyDeletePeas: I never seem to get enough to make a meal. I don't know how my mother would get not just enough for an entire meal for the family but enough to freeze for the winter. Oh, wait, I do. I think she had about a 50 foot row. Maybe more. Sugar snap peas are much better that way because you can eat the whole thing, but they just don't taste like the real thing!
Well, it was worth the wait, Carol. I love seeing something across the garden that I just have to go and check out - perfect!
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about peas but I always plant them too late (sugar snap), don't get too many, but eat them standing at the vine so I don't care if I have enough for dinner!
Carol, The bench looks very "country in New England with Martha Stewart". She said she paints her garden furniture a different color every year! Or possibly her huge staff does... You chose a really pretty color. Will there be purple flowers near it? Hope you get more rain. We've had some good soaking showers here and infact some areas of Wisconsin have flooding. We'll send some your way. Have a good week.
ReplyDeleteYour bench looks great. Come over & paint some of our benches as they are looking pretty sad. You can paint the color of your choice
ReplyDeleteThe purple bench is great! Talk bout an added "punch" to the garden! Love it!
ReplyDeleteLove the purple bench! I know I vowed to paint at least one piece of garden furniture a more vibrant color this year, but I haven't done it yet. I have my eye on this adirondack chair we have, but it's technically my husband's chair (long story...) and I don't think he'd go for me painting it the fire-engine red that I'm envisioning.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited that one of my wild irises is blooming and that the hydrangeas will be in bloom soon. Oh, and I also have a new garden bench displayed on my blog, but the color is far less exciting than yours.
ReplyDeleteYour purple bench looks great.
ReplyDeleteThe purple is a great contrast to the green lawn. I love using opposites of the color wheel.
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love the purple bench! It will be like having lilacs, iris, spiderwort, and violets all summer long. A beautiful choice.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to read that the rain I've send you has finally arrived. ;-)
ReplyDeleteGood job on the purple bench, much better than when it was cream!
For some of us, there's no such thing as too much purple ~ it looks wonderful, Carol!
ReplyDeleteAnnie at the Transplantable Rose
I love purple! The bench is very nice. I wouldn't have thought to do this; all my benches are silver weathered wood.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to garden bloom day and have every intention of participating this time. God willing and the creeks don't rise.
When I plant autumn peas, and autumn brassicas, the wisdom around here is get them into the ground by Bastille Day (July 14). This may have been true ten years ago, I find that it is still awfully hot for them then. However, planting them around the first of August and utilizing a row cover to help keep them cool seems to work. I just use the same kind of peas I used in the spring. This year I planted Sugar Sprint, 32 row feet. We have had them for dinner four or five times, and I have two gallons frozen. It helps that peas are not the only things available to eat out of the garden, and that they are sugar snap. The regular kind of peas I treat like garden candy. They never make it into the house at all. Well, so I'm lying a little about that. last year I had enough of them to make meals of three times. None to freeze.
I love the purple bench!
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing an article in one of my garden magazines (a few years ago) about a lady who painted all of her garden accessories in purple.
One year I did all my old watering cans in that color.
It certainly will brighten any spot you put it in.
I like the color. I usually don't like purple, but that color is nice. In my garden every things blooming(tomatoes, peppers, strawberries) and flowers.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you got some rain.
I love the NEW color!!
ReplyDeletePurple passion! You really did take the plunge. I love it, Carol. Aside from the purple plants everyone mentioned, it would also look great next to red or bright yellow. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteAll, Thanks for the wonderful comments! It seems unanimous that the purple color is better than cream and adds some color to the vegetable garden. I'm going to keep it this way, and see what I can put around it to add more color in the garden. I've got two new wooden trellis towers that I'm also going to paint, now that I'm in a painting frame of mind. But they won't be purple, I've got another color for them!
ReplyDeleteCarol
Perfect colour choice, Carol! It just sings of joy. Our arbour, my lawn chair that my spouse built me and the greenhouse door are all a jubilant shade of periwinkle blue-purple that doesn't appear in any flower that I can think of--and just makes me instantly happy. I threatened to paint the house doors that colour (we're about to paint our house) and gave my hubby a trauma.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see your colour choice for the trellis towers.
Yes, I love your purple bench!! BEAUTIFUL!
ReplyDeleteCarol,
ReplyDeleteI have a purple bench myself - it adds color to the long winter days and makes me long for the spring. I've added a few more pictures to my gardend beyond the arbor. I've been gardening for the last 5 years and am addicted. Thank goodness my husband keeps the house clean while I spend the entire day in the yard.
HI, was googling spiders and somehow came across your wonderful site. Not sure if I am even typing my question in the right place. I noticed the ADORABLE little fencing that looks like it has stained glass little flowers in it. Now I can't even find that again, but do you remember where you got it? Thank you, Judy
ReplyDeleteJudoo... My sister got that fencing at a locally owned garden center. It's pictured on this post: http://maydreamsgardens.blogspot.com/2007/06/you-are-in-such-trouble.html
ReplyDeleteCarol at May Dreams Gardens