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The Impatient Gardener

Cottage, DIY

HOW BLOG READERS SAVED ME FROM A WEEKEND OF PAINTING

July 3, 2014

The readers of this blog have saved my bacon (and at least part of my sanity) more than once, and I think you’ve all done it again.

I am downright impetuous when it comes to some things, and paint colors are a big trigger for me. A couple years ago I painted my front door and less than a month later a copy of Coastal Living magazine came with a photo of a gorgeous turquoise door and I almost ran to the paint store right then to repaint the door. Readers talked me off the ledge that time, and you’ve done it again on the garage.

Yesterday I mentioned that I’m not entirely sold on the new paint color of the garage. The mere fact that I have been seriously considering repainting a garage that I just paid to have painted less than a week ago is not a sign of an entirely sane mind and while none of you actually said that, you all had a lot of very constructive comments that were really helpful.

One person pointed out that exterior colors fade, which is something I hadn’t thought of. Another said it would be best to live with it for at least a year before doing anything. And pretty much every commenter said they thought it looked pretty good. Couple all that with the face that Mr. Much More Patient either really likes it really doesn’t want me to go through the hassle of repainting it.

Dedicated blog reader Heather also pointed out that it might even been the Wythe Blue door that’s throwing the whole thing off (I actually had this thought as well for a brief moment and so have a few other people so I think there might be something to it). Changing that door color is a super easy change.

The other day I ran out to the Sherwin Williams store to get some paint chips just to check out what they had in the way of grays. I grabbed a handful (by the way, SW has nice, big paint chips; why doesn’t Benjamin Moore do that?) and really fell in love with a color called Gray Clouds. When I got home I looked at it in the light by the driveway and loved it even more. In my head I was thinking, “This is it. It’s perfect.”And then I held it up to the garage.

And guess what?

It’s damn near the same color as what’s there. It might be just a tinge greener, but I know that if I painted the garage that color you wouldn’t notice a difference.

That piece of white trim needs to be gray and I have to get a new light for by the door.

So, for now, at least, the paint color stays. I will paint that weird trim bit that sticks up this weekend but everything, including the suspect door color, is staying. Plus, by the time we’re done putting the pergola on the garage, I don’t think you’ll even be looking at the paint color much. And last night I planted a climbing hydrangea on the side of the garage that we can see from the house that I hope will cover most of that side in time (climbing hydrangeas are notoriously slow growers and I wouldn’t normally recommend planting them to grow up a structure, but I’ll get into that another time).

So, dear readers, you bailed me out again. This weekend, instead of repainting a perfectly nicely painted garage, I’ll be gardening, sailing, paddleboarding and enjoying the holiday. Thanks, gang. I hope your weekend is great too!

garage paint
by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
3 Comments

About Erin @ The Impatient Gardener

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previous post: PAINT SUCCESS! OR MAYBE NOT.
next post: A NEW BACK YARD GARDEN

Comments

  1. Heather - New House New Home says: July 4, 2014 at 11:05 am

    Woo hop! Glad you've put paint brush aside and are enjoying your weekend. Funny, because after I commented about the door I thought you might have been offended. I almost took the comment down.

    Reply
  2. Ms. Wis./Each Little World says: July 7, 2014 at 1:10 pm

    Glad you decided to save your time and energy. We used to own an 1899 Queen Anne house that we painted in 7 (subtle) colors. We spent so much time trying to get it right the first time. Never an an easy task. But I think all the folks who said don't do it were right. Makes more sense to devote your energy to the garden.

    Reply
  3. bella says: July 17, 2014 at 1:59 pm

    I love your blog and I love this garage, color and all. I could be wrong, but don't you have a kind of royal blue colored door on your house? Did you think of painting this garage door that color? I think that would look nice.

    Reply

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The Impatient Gardener

Do you love gardening? Me too! I'm Erin and I garden in Southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5. The Impatient Gardener is all about real-life gardening: the good parts, the bad bits and even the funny stuff. It's part information, part inspiration and a little bit commiseration. Thanks for visiting.

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E R I N 🌿 The Impatient Gardener
I had a rather unpleasant realization last night w I had a rather unpleasant realization last night when I remembered that I’d not yet ordered tomato seeds. And I’m not going to rectify that until I dig into my seed stash, because I don’t go through tomato seeds quickly so there are definitely some lurking down there. 

I never used to grow tomatoes from seed because there are great varieties to be had in garden centers (including many heirloom varieties). But it’s almost non-negotiable for me now that I’m a convert to dwarf tomatoes. If you’re not familiar with the #dwarftomatoproject championed by @nctomatoman and others, these are heirloom varieties that are crossed with dwarf varieties to create plant that produces all the flavor and interest of an heirloom in a short (usually less than 4 feet) plant. 

They are particularly great in my tall raised beds. Of course I leave room to try new non-dwarf varieties every year (I loved Sun Dipper from @panamseed last year and I’ll grow it again).

Last year was a good tomato year and the photo shows some of the varieties I harvested in one day. I hope this summer will be equally good for the tomato harvest. 

One of my favorite questions to ask gardeners is: What is your favorite tomato variety to grow? So have at it in the comments because inquiring minds want to know!
And this is why I leave my winter containers assem And this is why I leave my winter containers assembled until at least March. A dusting of snow gives them a whole new look (even if it’s shades of gray). Also, I think I love my Limelight hydrangea even more in winter. Fabulous winter interest!
I’m going to look for opportunities to add more I’m going to look for opportunities to add more ferns to my garden this year. They are such interesting plants and often real problem solvers, bringing texture and color to places that many plants aren’t interested in. Athyrium niponicum (Japanese painted fern) ‘Crested Surf’ grows well for me in part shade (even pushing a bit into part sun) and looks great next to Persicaria ‘Golden Arrow’.
Birds chirping, glorious fresh (i.e. not nibbled o Birds chirping, glorious fresh (i.e. not nibbled on) foliage, and texture galore. I can’t wait to have moments like this again. The star, by the way is Hakonechloa ‘All Gold’ which looks so good with the bold foliage of Ligularia dentata ‘Desdemona’ next to it. 

With the new path, this area will be getting a small revamp. It’s the next spot I’ll be focusing my planning on.
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