My affinity for meatball boxwoods is no secret. In my very informal garden, they are one of the few nods I give to formality and I like the structure they provide. I usually prune boxwoods toward the end of June, but this year was a little behind weather-wise and then I left for awhile so I didn’t get to them ...
So happy to be bringing you some Friday Finds today. We have enjoyed the most perfect week of summer weather and although I’ve been flat out catching up on work, I’ve been taking every possible moment to soak up the summer goodness because I know how fleeting it is. I love looking at dream properties as much as the next ...
God bless the cloud. When my phone took one bounce of the deck of the boat last week before plunging into the depths of Lake Michigan I had no idea what had all backed up to the cloud before it offed itself. Thankfully, upon returning home I found all of the photos I had taken on Mackinac Island safely delivered ...
If it ever seems like your garden changes very slowly, just leave it for a couple weeks in the middle of summer and see what it looks like when you get back. Although I do this (rarely for this long, however) every year, it never ceases to amaze me how much the garden changes in what seems like a short ...
I had posts planned for you this week and in fact all set to go, but Murphy’s Law has made itself known and I dropped my phone with everything on it (including a ton of photos of beautiful gardens that I can only hope backed up to the cloud first) right into Lake Michigan. Almost directly under the Mackinac Bridge, ...
I’m leaving my garden for almost two weeks. It’s a bittersweet time to be away as I want to savor every bloom and new leaf and change and mentally bottle it to be conjured up come January. At the same time, summer is about much more than just gardening and it’s time to do some summer stuff. Any success in ...
Every year I have the good fortune of growing several new plants, some provided for me to trial and others that I seek out and purchase because I NEED them. Since the garden is finally filling out, I thought it would be a good time to show you some of the interesting new plants I’m growing this year. It’s always ...
The Impatient Gardener blog was started in 2009 and its library of posts includes practical how-tos, plant guides, favorite garden gear, successes and failures and much more. If you’re looking for something specific, the search function at the top of the page can help.
It’s probably a sign of the times that I’ve been flummoxed by a countertop for the bathroom vanity. We live in a time when you can get almost anything you want, and usually pretty quickly. So perhaps I was being presumptuous when I assumed that the way one went about getting a counter for a […]
I don’t think I’ve mentioned all the issues with the vanity, mostly because they are one of the more unsavory parts of this renovation. But it’s a good dose of reality for anyone considering a renovation or building and certainly bumps in the road are part of the process. It’s disheartening, however, when the finish [&hellip
I bet Mr. Much More Patient had never heard the word pergola until about a year ago when I said, “Ooh, we should have a pergola!” His response was, “What is a pergola for?” Now that we actually HAVE a pergola, I thought it would all be clear to him. So when it was assembled […]
We are actually to the punch list stage of the project. Can you believe it? There are a lot of things hanging out there, including a “little” issue with the vanity and linen cabinet, but we’re to the point where there’s not much left for the general contractor to do and he asked me to […]
You won’t catch me making any resolutions, but how about a revelation? We were not supposed to be working on a renovation in 2011. That was never part of the plan. The plan, well, one version of it, at least, was to start this project in early May (2010) and be finished before the Fourth […]
Since I’ve done almost no decorating this year, haven’t wrapped a single gift or baked a single cookie (yet), I’m lacking in the holiday post department. But that’s doesn’t mean I don’t have a little gift for you. Because I do: An awesome idea for a super cool, great looking and inexpensive floor. This floor [&he
I’m happy to say that we are actually to the point in this renovation where I don’t want to share too much in terms of updates, lest I ruin the big reveal. That, folks, is a good thing. There’s actually a chance we could be done (OK, probably not with all the painting, but maybe) […]
I pulled out the fall planting of the window box (which wasn’t looking all that bad other than the mums which were DOA) and wintered it up on Saturday. And just in time, I guess, since I didn’t even get a chance to snap a picture until Sunday when it was covered in snow. It’s […]
Cottage style is very in these days. That cozy, coastal vibe is why entire magazines devoted to the style, not to mention blogs and even furniture lines continue to thrive. In fact, I’m a devotee of the style myself. But anyone who has ever had the chance to stay in a real cottage, I think, […]
You remember gardeners, right? They are the people who play in the dirt. You know, like I did before the house project sucked me up? Well, let me tell you, I intend to make up for my decreased amount of gardening this year 10-fold in 2011. I can’t wait to spend part of the winter […]
We had pretty typical Wisconsin November weather this year. Several days of temperatures in the 60s followed by two in the 30s. Rain, a snow flurry or two, a little bit of sleet and the occasional dose of sunshine. But it’s December and when Sunday’s weather was in the upper 40s, I thought I better […]
Do you ever play “I’m not buying but if I were, I’d buy…”? The Art.com catalog came today and I found a number of things that could be so cute in the right space. Here are a few: These are from their Country Chic collection. I love the birds. I feel like you might be […]
I’ve been so caught up in painting and other house projects that I’m behind on construction updates. So let’s catch up, shall we? The new ceiling fan was hung in the living room. And then it was hung again. Too low. We actually purchased this fan well over a year ago to replace the hideous […]
Hudson, modeling how I feel today. At about 3 p.m. yesterday, it occurred to me that perhaps I bit off a bit too much of this renovation project for myself. As you know, I suffer from TES: Time Estimation Syndrome, in which I estimate everything will take way less time than it actually does. And […]
