Today we are taking things outside again. My friends and I have teamed up to share our garden tours today, so you get 20 for the price of one today! My yard is pretty small, but we do try to keep it manicured.

I’ve been working on my side yard garden ever since last year. I had a trellis in the center of this garden with a beautiful clematis vine that was so full it toppled the trellis over. When I saw that, I decided it was time to redo the whole space. So I got to work ripping everything in that area out. Here is a photo from last summer after my demolition.

First, I moved the trellis from the center to the back so I could secure it to the fence for extra support. Then I carefully dug up the roots of the clematis vine and replanted it over there. I was hopeful it would take and grow back again this year and it did.

The garden obelisk (would you believe I found that at a flea market?) that you now see in the center had been in my backyard. I had it in an old whiskey barrel with a blueberry bush growing up it. The barrel rotted out, so I transplanted it here to the side. Blueberries grow SO SLOWLY.

I recycled the usable parts of the whiskey barrel, you can see how I used them to create a rustic house number sign, and the handles were resued for door pulls! I filled in the rest with a daylily plant, 2 heuchera plants, and one hydrangea on the end.

This year, I’ve been working more on my front yard. It looks decent, but it’s not where I want it yet. I have a few bare spots in the garden that I can’t yet decide what to fill in with yet.

This photo shows our little stepping stone walkway. This is one project I am working on this summer. This area had small red rocks that I removed about a month ago. They were messy and always getting kicked around. I just planted creeping thyme in between them. It doesn’t look like much now, but once that spreads and fills in, it will hopefully look pretty amazing.

The front of my house faces north, so it gets mostly shade all day. While there are a lot of shade garden plants to choose from, I would also like a few more perennial flowers here too.

I added two daylily plants last year which I’m really happy with. I also have lilies behind those that bloom usually mid-July. Those lily bulbs seem to multiply a little each year which is great. We added a trellis to the side of the porch several years ago for added privacy. I had planted a rose bush that I picked up at a discount store for $3. I later decided I didn’t like it, so I pulled that out and planted a climbing hydrangea in its place. That little rose bush somehow came back even after I pulled it out so now I just leave it alone.

To the left of this, I am working on a full hydrangea garden just for cut flowers. No one sees that side of the house, and the hydrangeas seem to grow well there. That area is not photo-ready yet. Hopefully next year. My porch is small but it’s a nice, shady spot to sit on hot days.

(Major update: see how I transformed the concrete porch floors with paint – it’s amazing!)

How cute is the little flag pillow? I found that in the Target dollar spot.

I found the basket that holds these flowers at my favorite flea market.

On Monday, I shared my new potting bench in the back yard. I’ve wanted one of these forever! It’s under $100 at World Market.

In the backyard, we have a paver patio that my husband and I installed ourselves way before my blogging days, but that is still a work in progress.

(Updated: here are some of our backyard updates over the few years since this post was originally shared! Which is a good reminder that home projects take time!)

Our DIY Wheelbarrow Planter was an easy upcycle that made a big impact in our landscape!

See our list of Small Garden Ideas that show you don’t need a huge backyard to create an outdoor oasis!

Our little front porch has a big impact and didn’t cost much to create. See our Budget Front Porch Ideas

Want to see more gardens? Visit my friends!

Summer Garden Tours & Outdoor Spaces Blog Hop

Monday

Lehman Lane

Our House Now a Home

The Dean’s List

Green with Décor

2 Bees in a Pod – Vicki’s House

Tuesday

Two Purples Couches

Knock it Off Kim

Wednesday

2 Bees in a Pod – Jennifer’s house

My Life from Home

Average but Inspired

Refresh Living

Thursday

Little Bits of Home

The Honeycomb Home

Iris Nacole

Twelve on Main

Beauteeful Living

Friday

Hunt & Host

Simple Nature Décor

Love Your Abode

My Creative Days

Follow Along with all the garden tours by following #gardentourbloghop

We hope you enjoyed our garden tours and found practical and beautiful inspiration for your own backyard and landscape!