The front porch

Color plays a big part when decorating a porch. It pulls it together and makes it work if you have a pleasing palette.  Ever since we moved to our little white cottage about two years ago, I've been changing the way things look there quite a bit.  From this pretty palette of blues and turquoise, to white, to black.

A cottage will usually have lighter, softer pastel colors, but I wanted to blend things up a little to make it work with the colors of the cottage, which are the whites of the walls, black shutters and the red door.  So this year, I kept the same colors I already had there the previous year.  I only added a few things.  New pillows that are really not new in the whole sense of the word because I got them at a second-hand store, along with this super cute 'old' but new to me, cow throw, which I adore.  And it has all the right colors too!

The focal point and main pop of awesomeness there this year, however, are the lovely Endless Summer, blue hydrangeas, which, after two years of being planted are finally getting established and producing an enormous amount of amazing, beautiful blooms...

The roses on this photograph were starting to bloom, earlier on the year, and things were not as lush as they are right now...  

I love coming here on early mornings.  It's like coming out to a brand new world and stand on the tip of this world to wait on God.  To be welcomed to the new day by the Creator Himself.

Some of the new things I also added to our porch this spring are the two thrift store chairs I painted and upholstered, using a cute little dress.  You can read the story HERE, if you like.

Looking lovely sitting on the porch

The potted geraniums are the same from last year.  They are planted on a smaller pot, that I keep inside the larger pot so I can bring them in during the winter.  I took care of these geranium all throughout the winter.  I never gave up, and they are now doing splendidly...

I have planted hostas in that same bed. These hostas were not doing well last year and had signs of pest infestation, but I am learning.  Hostas are relatively resistant to insects and other pests, but nematodes, weevils, grasshoppers and snails, can make a meal out of these popular perennials.  I am in the look for these critters and removing them by hand.  It is the most effective way..

Red door.  Red geraniums

These inexpensive Halloween, witch's caldrons turned into hanging baskets have some ivy geranium growing in it.  The birds must love them too, for they have chosen to build their nests there.  I was quite surprised the other day as I started to water the pots and a frantic mama bird almost crashed right onto my face... I didn't know she had her nest there and felt so terrible afterwards thinking I could had drown the wee ones...  I still haven't mustered the courage to look in and investigate...

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The Iceberg roses I planted in front of the holly hedge when we moved here are all in bloom right now, bending down with the weight of pearl-white beauties over the path that leads to the front of the house... like a snowy carpet, letting visitors know they're welcome. 

I find that these roses are some spindly things, with long, thin canes and a low profusion of bloom.  I am not too happy with this outcome and haven't been able to figure out why is this so. They get all the necessary amount of sunshine and care, and still seem to resist aiming for excellency.

Petal-covered path love...

And here it is... the cottage surrounded by trees seen from the top of the road... trees bordering all its corners.  It is a circle of perpetually flowering privet trees, surrounding an area of green grass and red roses.  I just can't love it any more... so so in love with our little white cottage and so very thankful for the simple life we live.  

We'll be heading down to FL early tomorrow morning and won't be able to post for a few days, but I will be reading.  It was fun creating the name aesthetics of all your beautiful names...  you can still leave a message on the previous post if you want to have your own name deciphered.  I'll be happy to work on that after we come back....

See you then!