Checking In With Chelsea

DIY ideas, crafts, and tips for your home

subscribe and never miss a thing!

Receive Free Email Updates

  • About
  • Videos
  • Projects
    • Indoor Projects
    • Outdoor Projects
    • Craft Projects
  • House Tour

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

September 24, 2014 By Chelsea Lipford Wolf Leave a Comment

How does your garden grow? Mine? Not so well…

green centipede grass brown medallion on vinyl siding bare natural bed area garden yard

I created this flower bed in April of 2013 to spruce up the outside of my garage. There was grass there, so it required removing that and defining the bed before planting. It looked pretty good right after everything was planted.

carnations and other flowering plants in new flower bed against vinyl siding

Then it got too hot. And I didn’t water my pretty flowers enough. So 2 of the 3 types withered and died. The one that stuck it out was more of a ground cover than the upright flowering plant I desired for this space. And even it had seen better days…

green grass flower bed with dying plant and American flag

So I hit up the garden center and bought some new beauties. But of course I had to clean out the old stuff first. And it looked better immediately.

green grass flower bed half dirt 5 gallon bucket

I decided to use my cordless tiller to fluff up the old dirt and hopefully make it a more loving and nourishing environment for the new flowers.

Black and Decker orange cordless tiller green grass garage vinyl siding and empty flower bed

Once that was done, I laid out the plants for a “dry fit”. And unfortunately I under-estimated how many plants I would need. I was majorly short! Last time I planted this bed I had too many, so I guess I over compensated in the other direction this time!

plants in plastic pot sitting on dirt in flower bed with green grass around

So back to the store I went. Well I guess I got the last of the bluish-purple flowers in the back, because they didn’t have any more at the store! I adjusted the game plan and started looking for ANY upright perennials that could compliment what I already had. And of course they didn’t have ANY at that store. Not a single upright perennial. So off to the other big box store I went.

There they had something very similar so I snatched them up. The original ones I bought are on the left and the second ones I bought are on the right. They are both in the same family of “salvia” perennials. I think it works.

Salvia plants side-by-side comparison

Especially since I alternated them on the back row in the new lay out. I think I like it better than if I had 7 original salvias along the back. It gives it more dimension and interest.

salvia purple blue perennials in flower bed with pink pentas and green grass

I used a trowel to mark around each container as I planted them one by one, making sure each plant was still lined up before backfilling the hole. And with a little pine straw sprinkled around, I’m really liking the finished product!

blue and purple salvia in flower bed against tan vinyl siding with brown medallion with pink and purl pentas

And the best part is these flowers will come back year after year and they bloom in fall, spring, and summer so I’ll be able to enjoy my handy work year-round!

pink pent, purple pent, blue salvia flower bed

Anyone else enjoying planting new flowers and plants this time of year? Who else replants flower beds after a neglectful season? There’s always hope you’ll do better next time! Which is why I’m watering my new bed every single day!

Subscribe for Free Updates!

Stay up-to-date on Chelsea's latest projects, tips, useful resources and more.

Previous Post
Styling and Profiling
Next Post
Caulk, Mud, and Grout, Oh My!

Related Content

Chelsea Edging Front Sidewalk in SpringHow to Clean Up Your Yard for Summer Now!Sunshine Ligustrums in Their Happy PlaceCurb Appeal Update 2018Cherry Picked by Chelsea Acurite Rain GaugeCherry-Picked: AcuRite Rain Gaugeflower bed with fresh pine straw and green grassCleaning Up Yard for Winter

Please Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome!

I’m Chelsea. DIY
enthusiast who loves
sharing my victories
and mishaps!
Learn more
here.

CHECK IN WITH CHELSEA ON INSTAGRAM

Feeling like a million bucks at the Daytime Emmy C Feeling like a million bucks at the Daytime Emmy Creative Arts and Lifestyle Awards with my forever date! 6 more weeks until baby!🤩🏆 
.
.
Hair by me
Makeup by me
Earrings by @elledragoclayco 
Dress @azazieofficial borrowed from @brittany_baugh 
Shoes @lulus borrowed from @emilylipford
B’s suit from @laurenralphlauren

#daytimeemmys @daytimeemmys
Home sweet home!✨It was a nice respite to go on Home sweet home!✨It was a nice respite to go on a work trip to @exploreclt after spending a week on a road trip with 3 small kids.🙉But there’s no place like home!
.
.
Now time to tackle Mt Laundry because thankfully the little people wore clothes while I was away! What’s on your agenda this weekend?
.
.
#homesweethome #sweethomealabama #noplacelikehome #familyroom #familyroomdecor #familyroomdesign #roundcoffeetable #ikeaforthewin #ikeadecor #kidslivehere
An occasion to get dressed up? We are here for it! An occasion to get dressed up? We are here for it!👏🏻 Nothing beats a family wedding on a beautiful spring day!☀️ Happy Memorial Day Weekend!🇺🇸
Happy 3rd birthday🎈to the biggest mama’s girl Happy 3rd birthday🎈to the biggest mama’s girl I’ve ever known! She weighs as much as her big siblings but still likes Mommy to hold her.😜 She’s got plenty of sass and insists on doing everything herself. Which is why she normally has hair in her face and a tornado of chaos all around her. Pretty much our life since she came into it. But the best kind of chaos that grows and stretches you and teaches you to slow down and accept them just the way they are.☺️
.
.
Can’t believe it’s been 3 years!🥺
.
.
#celebratethem #birthdayshoutout #girlbirthday #girlparty #3rdbirthday #springbreak2022 #familyvaca #vacay2022 #vacationmode #visitflorida #staugustinefl
Cheers to the weekend, friends! May it be filled w Cheers to the weekend, friends! May it be filled with plenty of sunshine and bright spots!☀️🥰
.
.
#happyweekend #friyay #feelslikesummer #weekendvibes✨ #mothersdayweekend #beachday #plentyofsunshine #pocketfullofsunshine #girlbedroom #twinbeds #pinkvibes
FINALLY painted this eyesore of a wall and finishe FINALLY painted this eyesore of a wall and finished just before dark last night!🙌🏻 My husband and I decided instead of starting a new project (ahem a baby nursery) we should finish the projects we’ve already started. Since baby is due in the summer, it will be so nice to have our backyard up to par so we can rest and relax out there during recovery. ☺️
.
.
We started this project back in October by stripping and scraping the many layers of paint so we could waterproof the bricks and paint the wall to match the house. But the house was painted exactly a year ago. So it was way past time to knock this huge item of the time-do list. And it feels like such a relief to not have to walk by the unfinished-ness every time we come home now!
.
.
Next up we’ll slowly tackle patching hardwood floors and finish painting and replacing our interior doors that are taking up room in our garage.👏🏻
.
.
What’s something you’ve knocked off your to-do list lately?!
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Indoor Projects Outdoor Projects Craft Projects
Facebook Pagelike Widget
  • Contact
  • FAQs
  • Advertise with Chelsea
  • Media
  • Today’s Homeowner

Search This Site

Receive Free Updates Via Email

Copyright © 2022 Checking in With Chelsea • All Rights Reserved