Our Backyard Escape - the post about our Garden!

Another part of our backyard escape was planting a small garden for ourselves.  In the past I've grown some herbs on my patio, which is fun.  This year, I started herbs on the patio..hoping they would eventually make it to our garden area.  Luckily we were able to transplant...very successfully I might add...our patio herbs into a raised-bed garden area just at the end of our rock path.  It isn't very big, but we are hoping this will get our feet wet enough and brave enough to try our hand at a large one in the backyard next year!  After we make a larger one in the backyard, this one will be Owen's and our other children's garden space.  It'll be the one where we grow a few seasonal herbs and kid friendly stuff that's kid sized and perfectly fun to pick.  Like bluberries!! We planted strawberries, cherry tomatoes and lots of chocolate mint b/c it smells so awesome!  I can't wait for Owen to tell us what he wants to plant...for now...it's a Mom-guided project!!

Before being planted

Taken this week...the only thing that didn't make it was some 99 cent lavendar I found on sale at a local greenhouse.  Apparently I couldn't bring it back to life!

Some Gerbers in bloom...I also have a cream one and a red one...but they aren't blooming like this one!

Chocolate Mint...it's my favorite...and it's HUGE now!

Some cherry tomatoes...these have been picked and eaten already.  I'm ready for more!

Our first real tomato.  Still green and just doing it's thing until it's ready!

Since I moved nearly all of my herbs from the patio, I decided to replant my whiskey barrel with all sorts of beautiful annuals.  I had no idea they would go as crazy as they have...but I say this all the time...they sure must be happy where they are because they are doing fabulous (if I do say so myself)!!  Next year I think I'll leave out the Colleus (big purple plant on the right side of the photo).  It's drowning out my Mexican Heather...which is in the center of the barrel that you can't even see unless you are right on top of it.  That's the beauty of annuals though.  You can change it every year if you want!

A back shot of the barrel. I planted a pretty purple and white verigated version of a sweet potato vine and it's growing out onto the driveway as we speak!!

I'm also very excited about our planters out front.  They are doing so well this year I can't believe it!  These have gone from this:

To this

I love summer :)