Go Big or Go Home garage wall

Usually the thought of how much flowers actually cost every year aggravates me. And so usually i get the cheapies, and then impatiently wait for them to grow in, and get mad at myself for having gone the cheap route.  This year, i told the boyfriend it was Go Big or Go Home for the pots on the wall, and i loooove the instant gratification of these zinnias all colorful and large, like they've been growing there for some time. 

I never liked the wrought iron scrolls that were on either side of the window, (remember when we de-scrolled the railings?) but needed something that took up a lot of space and helped with the whole "i'm staring at a cinder block wall of ugliness" since the boyfriend refuses to paint it and yet we do nothing about stucco except lament the cost.  These herb planters were a clearance find at the end of last summer, take up a lot of visual space, and modernize the wall as only geometrics can.

 And i'm excited about my basil.  Yeah, i got a lot of basil.  I got confused-i couldn't find lettuce, which i wanted for the window box, and i was in a rush.  So i got 2 different kinds of basil. Times two.  I am leaving the top 2 boxes empty because i can't reach to water them, so they're for decorative purposes only.  #shortgirlproblems.

I'm never sure what colors to go with for my annuals-do they all need to be the same color? Does that look too monochromatic or nicely cohesive? Is that boring or pleasing? My neurotic nature of second guessing loved the colorful blooms all in one plant.  Since i knew i was using the big black wall squares, i repainted the terracotta pots from lively spring green to the darkest free sample i could find, which is Valspar's English Tea Party. 

Here's the ol' cape from the font.  Nothing is in bloom yet, so right now it's lush and green.

 Except this.  What is this, and how did it get here?  Is it hydrangea?  Lilac?

It's pretty, but we'll have to move it to a less crowded spot.

We started work on the patio, since we have tons of free brick and figure we should put them to good use.  I don't really want more brick, but i'd rather not have to move the table and chairs to mow the lawn like we've been doing for years.  Plus, i can finally get a pretty outdoor rug.  The only problem is my neighbor's fence.  It's wonky. 

Perhaps this helps you understand.  For us to make the patio straight, it creates a weird triangle that is not ours, but is not being claimed by then.  We have looked at the property lines and have no idea why they made their fence like this. You can see the white stakes, marking the straight line.

You can sorta make out the string line which marks where the patio will go, and you can see how the fence narrows where our trash cans are.  This stressed my perfectionist darling out and he had a tough time figuring out how to make the patio look right for us and work somehow with the fence.

It took him 1.5 hours to dig out that grass on his own, but when i "helped" last night we got the rest of that half done in a half hour.  Which is interesting, as my "help" was handing him different shovels and loading the lighter pieces of sod into the wheelbarrow, but it clearly made a difference.

Mostly, though, i just took pictures.

What are you all planting this year?  Do you do a color scheme?  Did you know you were reading the blog of a neurotic person?  I think you actually might have known that already.

sharing is caring:  living savvy outdoor extravaganza, thrifty treasures @ southern hospitality, travel photo mondays @ travel photo discovery, places i've been @ the tablescaper,  travel photo thursdays@ budget travelers sandbox , Monthly projects @ Evolution of Style Make it Pretty Mon @ Dedicated House Throwback Thursday @ Sweet Pea, inspire me mondays and power of paint @ domestically speaking, Places I've Been @ The Tablescaper,  Before and After @ Thrifty Decor Chick,   Sundays @ Suburbs Mama  Mod Vintage Life, Motivate Me Mon @Keeping it Simple,  give me the goods @ rain on a tin roof, home stories a-z, nifty thrifty @ Coastal Charm, be inspired @ elizabeth and co, the scoop @ stone gable,  inspire me tues, lil luna, get your craft on, sugar bee crafts. inspire me weds @ 733, wow us weds @ savvy southern style,  work it weds @ the blissful bee, outdoor weds @ a southern daydreamer, whimsy wednesday, wicked awesome weds @ handy man, crafty woman,  whatever goes weds @ someday crafts,  charm of home, link party palooza @ tatertots and jello, Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring, open house @ no minimalist here, creativity unleashed @ shaken together,creative connection @ making home base,  inspiration gallery @ Craftberry Bush, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, my romantic home, jennifer rizzo, Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity now,  furniture fridays @ mustard seed, Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage, design it fridays @ finding fabulous, best diy @ 36th ave, overflowing w/ creativity @ it's overflowing, nifty thrifty sundays, under the table and dreaming. inspire me please @ liz marie blog,sunday best @ the girl creative  shaken together, seasonal sundays @ the tablescaper,   sunday soiree @ craftomaniac