Recently Pinned Garden Inspiration

The Plant Diaries Pt. 6

In case you missed it, I started a new series on Overbooked Mama called The Plant Diaries where I’m attempting to document our Spring backyard gardening adventures. This week I’m back with some recently pinned garden inspiration mixed in with a few random status updates from our yard.

We’re well into Spring now with highs in the mid-80s already. I know we are only at the beginning of May but with my fair skin and general heat intolerance, we’re at the cusp of me retreating into the A.C. for the season except for at dusk and dawn. During our first year at our current home, I spent a lot of time in our garden but got out of the habit last year. I’m looking for ways to create a routine I can stick to this summer when it comes to making good use of our outdoor space. If you have a daily rhythm to share with readers, please reply to this email or chime in below in the comments!

I’ve been pinning lots of garden inspiration lately. We have a fairly large yard that eventually I would love to break into distinct zones. Hiring outside help is not an option with our budget so we’ll be slowly working on home improvement projects when we have the time and money.

Patio Extension + Outdoor Dining Area

My top priority is extending our covered patio with garden pavers similar to this. I’m imagining a sunshade covering an outdoor dining table underneath. Dining al fresco has been beneficial to my mental health for years. I always leave feeling more centered from the fresh air and intimate conversation. It’s harder to be distracted by technology when surrounded by nature. It’s a great way to encourage children to burn off some extra energy and calm down for bed too.

Potager

Our current raised garden beds are a bit far from our back door but ideally we’d keep the views from our living room windows unobstructed. The light and view of the backyard were a huge selling points for me! I’d love to turn the raised beds into a more formalized French-style potager kitchen garden with a small fence and gate to keep out our dogs and some stepping stones to walk between beds. I’m also imagining a trellis between a few of the vegetable beds and planting food we can eat year-round. This post from Camille Styles has plenty of inspo.

Herb Garden

I mostly gave up on our seedlings in the raised beds this year. Sadly, they didn’t take off. I think it was a combination of them not being big enough when we transplanted and not being patient enough to harden them off properly. The plants I bought from the store are doing great on our front porch and since I see them every time I go in and out our front door, I don’t forget to water them! We’re getting our first few tomatoes already. The porch is now home to a mix of herbs, tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries in their own pots but I love the idea of adding a herb garden to our front yard. There are a couple of spots in the front of our ranch house that we could add something similar and add a bit of visual interest to the house. Our kitchen is at the front of our house giving me easy access to clippings while I’m cooking dinner. As an added bonus, there’s a spigot nearby.

Fire Pit + Hammock Stand

Finally, I’m dreaming of a fire pit and hammock stand area. This would probably be the most costly of the projects because it requires a lot of crushed gravel. I love designs that enclose the space partially with greenery for a bit of privacy. There’s something so cozy about a crackling fire in the winter and our kids love to roast marshmallows to make s’mores!

Other items on my wish list are a hedge row along the fence line and a stock tank pool for my husband!

Play Areas

We currently have various play areas in our backyard and I love that it’s not restricted to a small area and they can branch out to explore. The highlight of the yard is the playhouse my mom designed and built for the kids a few years ago. Over the years we’ve added a water table, mud kitchen, and sandbox. They also have several types of tree swings and plenty of sports equipment, bubbles, and chalk to get creative! I think it would be fun to create their own fairy garden someday. My kids currently have a wildflower garden growing near our bird feeders and a few existing lantana bushes. It’s neat to have them keep an eye on the growth and also take responsibility for keeping their plants watered. Speaking of getting my kids involved in the garden, the team over at Thames & Hudson kindly sent me a free advance review copy of a few more books that are absolutely perfect for Spring.

Mouse on the River by Alice Melvin follows Mouse on a new adventure—from the woods, down a gently flowing river, to the open sea—to visit an old friend. It features rhyming text, making it perfect for a bedtime story. I loved the whimsical illustrations and my kids loved the fold-down die-cut flaps! Swipe through for a peek inside this gorgeous oversized picture book.

If you're familiar with The Big Book series you'll love Little Snail's Book of Bugs and Little Turtle's Book of the Blue by Yuval Zommer! Little Snail is introduced to 10 species of common garden bugs in his journey through the pages. My little readers loved the playful illustrations and had fun with the sound words during our read-aloud. Little Turtle will have you planning your next trip to the beach as he discovers all kinds of marine animals during his swim under the sea! My 3-year-old is in his turtle era so this book could not have come at a better time.

Let’s get growing!

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