I can never tire of this picture…the sign made by my son for my brick & mortar shop graced by the assortment of coneflowers, planted by another’s hands bur which I was blessed to tend for two years. On the day I closed my shop on Main Street, I collected some of the flowers and later spread the seeds into my home garden, thus taking a bit of that place home with me.

My absolute favorite flower is the daisy. They make me smile, inside and out. Clean and white, dipped with a dot of happy yellow smack dab in the center, they will always be in my gardens.

With Spring quickly approaching, I can honestly say that the thing I am missing most about our last home are the gardens we lovingly cultivated over the years. Don’t get me wrong….we have gorgeous plantings at our new home as a result of the master gardeners that owned the home prior to us. But I don’t yet “know” those plants and how they bend in the sunshine. And I want to give my own personal flare to the gardens with what my husband kindly calls “yard trash”….the hundreds of insulators I’ve collected over the years, the birdhouses inviting the chickadees to again find a home each spring, and the dozens of vessels that will carry the amazing florals indoors.

This Lenten Rose was one of my first surprises at our new home….they bloom right through the winter! There are several scattered about our yard so I can’t wait to see what else pops up here!

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Part of my routine in late February/early March is to find all the “fun” yard items that I’ve stored away over the winter and start getting them out and ready to fill our gardens. For me, that always includes clay pots, galvanized watering cans and odd architectural items that end up gracing our yard. As you work on creating your own beautiful yard spaces, think outside the box! What can that rusty shovel now be used for rather than digging? Or that window frame with the broken glass you were taking to the dump? Or that old washing machine you found at the antique store but had no idea what you would do with it? Take a peek into my own yard….

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Better yet, come join me at The Marketplace on Locust March 18-20 for our Spring Open House. The entire store will be full of inviting Spring and home décor. You will find furniture for the yard, porch and patio, tableware for a springtime family dinner, and even better, tons of designer ideas on how to use those pieces you love but just can’t figure out where to put them in your home or garden.

So as you await this amazing event, start gazing out the window a bit more than usual and see what your own home patio and yard are inviting you to do as the weather warms. I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and get started! Until then, I’ll keep planning and dreaming. How about you?

~Blessings,

Connie