“That is one good thing about this world … there are always sure to be more springs.”
– L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea
Spring is in the air and I’m ready to throw open our Dutch door.
I can’t wait to see how Snowberry’s gardens come back to life over the next few months.
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Last year, we completely renovated our outdoor spaces. The project was delayed, as were many things, due to the pandemic.
It finally got underway early summer and was finished in the fall.
It was quite a project and turned out better than we dared to dream. We love our gardens and they’ve become an extension of our indoor living spaces.
Indoor outdoor living is a cornerstone of the California lifestyle and we’re fortunate to make use of our front and back patios most of the year.
I thought it would be fun to take a look at the gardens just after they were planted last fall.
And, compare them in a few months.
Let’s start the tour …
This is the side view of the house, it’s what you see from the street as you pull into the driveway.
We added a 5′ teak bench and I joke that it’s our Uber pick-up zone.
During the pandemic it became our Door Dash drop off spot.
Tony, our amazing carpenter, custom made our shutters.
I ordered the 3′ window boxes and decorative corbels from Amazon.
We painted the already white boxes and corbels to match the trim color of the house.
You can read about Snowberry’s exterior design and paint colors here.
The gate closure had to be jury-rigged to accommodate the garden gate we brought with us from our house on Fidalgo Island.
When these photos were taken the structure hadn’t been painted.
Meyer Lemon Tree
Meyer Lemons
The gravel path is lined with brick salvaged from our back patio in a tilted soldier setting.
We bought our fountain at Giannini Garden Ornaments in South San Francisco.
If you live in Northern California it’s a wonderful place to visit for garden statuary.
This gate leads to our side yard and back garden.
You can sort of make out one of our raised beds behind the fence to the left.
We recently added copper caps to the fence posts.
Alstroemerias
I love our copper path lighting … their height directs the light downward and creates an incredible amount of light.
It’s very welcome when taking Pippa and Maggie out to potty at night.
This is Bun Bun. A hold over from Snowberry’s previous owner.
Bun Bun was painted black when we we bought the house. The demo process left her paint job a little worse for wear.
Quite honestly I was surprised she survived both the house renovation and the landscape renovation.
We expected her to be removed with the other rubble.
But, she survived and thrived so we didn’t have the heart to send her packing.
Jim power washed her and she’s been given pride of place in our front garden.
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”
– Audrey Hepburn
So there you have it, Snowberry’s front gardens.
I’ll share our back and side yards in another post.
Our landscape was designed and installed by Enchanting Planting.
We’re so excited about our Meyer lemon tree and lime bush. Even though they were just planted last fall, we had a healthy crop of lemons and limes.
We use a lot of citrus year round and being able to pull fruit from our own trees is something we love.
It won’t be long until I’m sipping Classic White Wine Spritzer’s on the patio!
Is this personalized notebook and mug darling or is it DARLING?
My future DIL gave them to me. I guess she knows me pretty well!
I’m not sure where she got them, I’ll have to ask.
How does your garden grow?
We have two good sized raised beds on our side yard. Neither bed gets full sun so figuring out what we can successfully grow will be a process of trial and error.
I’m dreaming and planning and planning and dreaming. And making lots of notes.
Our local nursery is filling up with herbs and other veggies. It won’t be long until we start planting.
I also plan to include flowers in our raised beds.
I’m closely following Kim at Shiplap and Shells and Jen at The Flowering Farmhouse for ideas and tips on growing flowers.
I recently ordered dahlia tubers from The Flowering Farmhouse.
Dahlias may be my favorite flower. But it’s hard to say, I really love them all.
Thinking spring I added a few lighter and springier touches to our great room coffee table.
The Elements of Organic Gardening
These are a few of my favorite books about gardening and gardeners.
It won’t be long until we take the covers off our back patio furniture.
I ordered these gorgeous pillows and throws.
Yep, I going with a green and white theme this year.
I can’t wait to show you when it comes together.
Here’s a recent snap of our front gate after the painting was complete.
I just love it.
I know it’s not officially spring until the 21st, but in California spring truly begins in early February.
Of course, it’s interspersed with winter storms here and there.
A few days ago we had snow on Mt. Diablo.
It’s definitely chilly.
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Next week I’ll be joining a group of amazing bloggers to talk about closet organization.
I’m featuring Snowberry’s master closet.
If you saw my Instagram stories last weekend I offered up a little sneak peak. I saved the stories in highlights if you’d like to take a look.
As always, I appreciate your visit and welcome your thoughts in the comments below.
Cheers from Snowberry!
All photos in this post are taken by Monica Vargas Photography.
It is so gorgeous!!!! Still winter here in Missouri but the grass is starting to turn green in some spots. A long way from planting flowers. Thanks for sharing!! Excited to see MORE pictures!! Have a blessed day!
Good morning, Robbin! It must make you smile to see those patches of green. It won’t be long before Spring makes it way to the Show Me state. Wishing you a beautiful weekend. xo
Juliet it’s an absolute sanctuary!!! End it is making me so anxious for spring! I just love beautiful outdoor spaces! You’re cute little pathway lights are so unique as well. I’m glad that cute little bun bun made it through the reno!!
Cammi … you’re too kind! I do love our little garden … and it is my sanctuary. Spring is just around the bend and won’t it be wonderful?! Wishing you and your gorgeous family a beautiful weekend! xo
BUN BUN THERE YOU ARE!!!!
ADORE THE STORY………AND GOOD FOR JIM!!!AND THANK YOU JULIET FOR ALLOWING HIM TO STAY!
WELL, I ADORE THE DUO WHO HEAD UP ENCHANTING GARDENS AND I HAVE SEEN WITH MY OWN EYES YOUR GARDEN AND BOY WILL IT BE MAGICAL!I have never seen Alstroemerias planted in the garden!!I NEED A YELLOW ONE!
You will be very happy wandering your pathways with YOUR SPRITZER’s come summertime!
NOW,TELL US WHY YOU BROUGHT A GATE WITH YOU FROM WASHINGTON STATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE NEW OWNERS WERE OKAY WITH THAT?OR YOU JUST SNAPPED AND GRABBED!!!!
CURIOUS MINDS NEED TO KNOW!!
XX
Good morning, Contessa! When I open up comments and see La Contessa … my heart skips a beat. Yes, Bun Bun … a persistent little bunny and happy as can be greeting our guests. Well, mostly UPS drivers. Ha! The gate! It’s not as sneaky as you think. This beautiful gate was made for our front entry but did NOT work. Quelle Horreur! The walkway slanted upwards just a bit too much. Anyhoo … it sat in the garage at the Fidalgo house until we moved. And we thought – who knows where we’ll end up or what our new house will be … why not bring it with us and see. You remind me to send a photo to the talented carpenter who built the gate and all our gorgeous trellis’ and pergolas so he can see that his talents are displayed far and wide. It looks like a beautiful day and I hope you’ll be a able to spend some time in your lovely Italian garden. xo
You look so pretty! I think I have hair envy. Love the garden gate and trellis. We are moving to the Gulf Coast of Florida soon and my husband is very excited to plant a tropical garden for our landscaping. Always love your posts!
Kelly! You are too too sweet! xoxo Congratulations on your move to the sunny Gulf Coast! How exciting! Tropical gardens are wonderful … how much fun you’ll have planting yours! Wishing you a beautiful weekend! xo
Juliet… I always love visiting you because you supply me with my daily dose of eye candy. I love your gate so much. Also that first pic of you and the door is so darn cute!!! Have a great weekend!!!
Hey there, Katie! It’s always a thrill when you stop by! Thanks for the lovely compliments. I know I’ll be drooling over your new casa very soon! xo
Your garden is so beautiful. I loved the story about little Bun Bun. The fountain is wonderful and I absolutely adore those copper lights.
Thanks, Carol … it’s come a long way and we’re really looking forward to enjoying it this summer! xo
So lovely! Makes me excited for the warmer weather to come. Do you have a source for your copper pathway lights?
Hi Rosa … I’m excited for warmer weather and longer days as well. You know when I was writing the post I realized I didn’t have the information not the path lighting. I’ll ask our landscape designer and report back. Hope you have a great weekend! xo
Hi Juliet,
I love your Dutch door! How fun that you’ll be able to leave it open during the warmer weather and not worry about the pups escaping! Your garden is lovely and so neat and tidy, and to have fruit from the citrus trees already, I envy you! Ours are in containers and are very sparse with their fruit, I must be doing something wrong.
I just planted my deck containers and am enjoying the new plants. Finally some color out there and the roses are getting ready to bloom – Already!
Looking forward to seeing the rest of your garden. Turning the clocks ahead tonight Ugh! But then it will be Spring, yay!
XO Heidi
How did you survive springing forward?! It was overcast and rainy here (and cold) that I really didn’t notice extra light last night. I’m sure you’re doing nothing wrong with your citrus. We’ve planted it in the past and not had fruit for two years. I think it was more mature plants purchased by our landscaper. We got lucky! We do adore our Dutch door … but last year a bat flew in so we have to be careful!!! xo
Swooning over that gate! There’s so much to love about your garden. Love! Love! Love! The lemon and lime trees. Thank you for the inspiration!
Juliet, everything is so lovely! I’m so jealous that you can just walk outside and pick lemons and limes!!
Oh Juliet! I am so inspired by your gorgeous garden post. I just know you are enjoying your outdoor spaces. How I’d love to have lemons and limes.
Hi Kim, I’m really hoping to get a flower cutting garden going in our new raised beds. I’m following your blog closely for ideas and inspiration. And instruction! Thanks for stopping by! xo
I’m sharing your link on my weekly round up this week!
Thank you so much, Kim. I really appreciate that! xoxo