Gardens, Decks and Porches - Outdoor Living

I recently had a request to do a post on outdoor living on

gardens. Since it has been raining a lot the last couple of
weeks, I thought some greenery and outdoor images
would be a good picker upper.

The house and garden above are blended especially well.

I apologize as I'm cannot remember where I saved
some of these photos from. The French doors on the
back of this house are gorgeous as well as the tastefully
designed backyard with plants surrounding the yard.

Photo from Absolutely Beautiful Things

These fun paper decorations and flags were
strung up for an outdoor birthday party.

I love the choice in plants and trees for this
very well manicured yard. It's a very relaxing
place to enjoy a cup of tea.

This is the backyard and back facade of a house.
The house is covered in vines and this console
table looks so put together, it looks like it should
be on the inside of the house. Gorgeous mirror and
sconces.

You don't often see a dining area in the porch area at the
front of a home. However, if there's space for it, why not?
Looks like a great little space to lounge.

If you have a garden, you can't really go wrong with garden
parties. Using tents like this to set up stations for drinks and
nibbles is an easy way to prepare for a garden party. I like
how the trim on the tent is green to match the surroundings.
It makes it easy on the eyes.

Photo from Allsorts blog

A traditional American porch with a flag.

If you live in the city, you probably have a
tiny area for a yard. You can still make it
into your own cozy place with benches and
plants and pillows.

I don't know about you, but I'm a pretty hardcore online
real estate stalker. This is a fantastic deck of a home on a
hill with tons of greenery. I wish I had enough space for a
deck this big!

Photo from Sunset

I love the pops of color in the furniture in this well laid
out back yard. This is certainly a more modern way of
designing outdoor space. I love fire pits and it's neat how
they put one to the side of the dining table.

Here's another city garden.

City Gardens: Creative Ideas for Small Spaces

For all of you who live in the city or have a small
space to plant your garden, here's a great book
for ideas and layouts.

The English Garden

I tend to be a visual person so many of the
books on design that I recommend have a
lot of beautiful photos and illustrations in them.
For all of you English Garden lovers, this one's
for you.

The Garden at Hidcote

The gardens at Hidcote Manor became the first garden
to be taken into the care of the National Trust. The book
also tells of the garden's creation by American Lawrence
Johnston and how it became so important. Again gorgeous
photos.

Dream Gardens: 100 Inspirational Gardens

Perhaps you need a book on ideas for your own
garden. Here's a book that shows you 100 different
gardens of all types and sizes.

The Most Beautiful Gardens in the World

A book on 32 of the of the beautiful gardens
all over the world. Definitely worth browsing
through this one.

I don't have a green thumb or a place to plant
a garden at the moment since I live in a condo.
However, I've always been drawn to greenery.
There is something that is very soothing about
having plants and flowers around - it freshens
the air and refreshes the spirit. Some day, I know
I will have my own garden. In the meantime, I
can still have my bamboo plants which are super
sturdy and very difficult to kill...you don't even
need soil for it to grow. Do you have a garden?
What types of gardens or plants are your favorite?