Rain, Rain, Go Away! (Or don't, because I'm actually being really productive...)

With all the rainy days we've had in NYC lately, I've had to get rather crafty about what to do when I'm cooped up inside all weekend...

...My latest endeavor? Terra Cotta Flower Pots.

Now I don't know if you've shopped for planters lately, but they're insanely expensive and not always all that cute! And, considering all the time I've spent surfing the web looking for a great planter and come up with zilch within my budget, I figured it was time to just make my own.

First, I bought a variety of sizes and a few different, bright colored acrylic paints.

Then I painted each one a solid, bright color and did the rims in chalkboard paint.Having recently become obsessed with bold geometric stencils, I chose a pretty easy pattern to create a stencil from. 

Unfortunately I didn't document making this pot so you'll just have to take my word for it. It took several hours to trace, paint, and then outline each shape but the final result makes it totally worth it!

Important note: terra cotta pots are tapered--they're wider at the top than at the bottom. This is totally NOT conducive to geometric stencils. If you can, go for an abstract pattern or something that doesn't need to line up perfectly to look ok (the back of this pot looks a little weird where the shapes finally met up). 

 For the second pot I chose a floral motif.

First I drew onto tracing paper a stencil I found online. 

Then I put half of a manila folder under the tracing paper and cut out the stencil with an Exacto Knife. 

This took a while, but in the end was really helpful in making the pot.

I decided to do a kind of tonal gradient to add some visual interest but again, this took a really looooooooooong time. 

Now that it's done though, it's exactly what I wanted.

Lately I've gotten really into accessories with a Moroccan flare. I love the mix of bright colors, delicate and intricate patterns, and the abstract visual interest these patterns create on the surface of the object. I had a small blue pot left, so I figured I'd free-hand my own Moroccan-inspired design. 

My only wish is that I had used a finer brush because I think these designs should look more delicate. 

Overall though, I think these now pots totally hit the mark when it comes to spicing up my boring backyard. Bright pops of color and bold patterns definitely add variety, and the fact that they're handmade makes them unique and special. 

Day 1: Revamp, Redo, Rehab

Let's Start at the Beginning...

First, there was this.

And this.

I mean seriously, who's idea was it to paint this fence Macaroni & Cheese ORANGE?! There are several reasons why this was horrendous (and I know that this doesn't need much explaining, it's the definition of eyesore), the first of which being I'm a die-hard Georgia Bulldog. 
I literally cringe at the sight of anything orange. 

This was my personal nightmare. It had to go. 

So my roommate and I decided on a color and we painted. And painted. And painted. 

It took two solid weekends but we finally covered up the orange with a bright Kelly Green. 
Perfect.

Next, the hideous monster weed had to go too. 

Not only was it prime breeding ground for swarms of very thirsty mosquitos, but it was dominating our prime outdoor real estate! And as two City Girls on a budget, we couldn't afford to lose any precious square footage to the blood-sucking mosquito breeder. 

Finally, with that huge plant gone, we discovered we had more backyard than we ever realized! 

(I mean seriously, can you believe this is the same space??)

Naturally, upon discovering that the previous tenants had left us five very large, very durable outdoor planters, my mind went crazy with daydreams of lush container gardens, filled with beautiful flowers, humming birds, and bumble bees... 

...Granted, I may have also been dressed like Snow White and tra-la-la-ing these little critters into being extremely efficient helpers...

(I'm a kid of the 90s--I obviously believe that if you sing nicely enough to woodland creatures they'll help you with all of life's mundane tasks).

But here's the catch--my backyard gets very little sunlight. 

I mean, it is the city and while everything around us is only a five-story walkup (could be worse!), we are nestled neatly between several buildings so really only dappled sunlight gets through... 

Translation: my hopes of a Bippity-Boppity-Booping my garden into a lush floral paradise were as fictional as white mice turning into well-dressed henchmen to chauffeur me around the city.

Not one to be easily deterred, I figured it was time to hit the pavement and do some homework--figure out which plants would be best for a sunlight deprived outdoor space. 

Luckily, the Big Apple is full of incredibly knowledgable and friendly people who know TONS about gardening. 

Armed with the question of: 
"so what do you have that would do well in the near cave-like conditions of my backyard?"
(ok, ok, maybe I'm exaggerating, but you could sit out there all day long in the summer slathered in oil and never burn)

I scoured books and picked brains until I finally purchased some hardy, shade-lovin' plants...

Since it was Fall and the growing season was drawing to a quick close, I opted for some Autumn classics--kale, mums and boxwoods. 

Sure, I wasn't exactly creating any show-stopping container garden designs just yet, but it was definitely a start and our sad little backyard was taking its first steps toward rehabilitation! 

Goodbye Hideous Cinder Block...

...Hellooooo adorable planter! 

There's nothing quite as satisfying as taking something that was once an embarrassing eyesore (i.e. this ugly cinder block)

and turning it into something fun and useful! (Not to mention colorful!)

Now that I'm spending more time outside, I've been contemplating ways to add more texture and variety to my backyard. We have several of these cinder blocks that are left over from the previous tenants... actually it's really unclear why they're here at all, but they are and they're heavy so we're stuck with them. 

Today I finally figured out the best way to deal with these big ugly bad boys--spray paint! 

Knowing that these concrete blocks are porous, I bought a good spray-on primer and covered four of the six sides (top, left and right sides and front). Since their backs are right up against our fence, no need to waste precious paint on that side! 

Then, I chose the spot where I wanted the color line to be (a little more than slightly off-center), and using painter's tape and some butcher paper, went about creating the diving line and covering half of the block so it wouldn't get any unwanted color on it.

Next--just spray, dry and repeat! I made sure to use painters tape and carefully cover all of the parts that weren't supposed to get sprayed (i.e. cover all the blue before spraying on the gold).

Also, because the gold paint is actually not an outdoor paint, I used a sealant to make sure it wouldn't flake or peel. 

Then I filled the holes with top soil and added my plants. I'm pretty tickled with the result too! Next I am definitely going to do an all-gold one, and I'm dying to get my hands on some neon pink paint (our fence is bright kelly green so it'll be super preppy but definitely perfect). 

Hello & Welcome

Welcome to The City Gardener! 

This blog chronicles the (slow) process of turning my small, New York City backyard from something bland to a kind of paradise. I have spent countless hours scouring websites and reading books, trying to find fun, budget-friendly ways to make this little space really special. 

Check out my most recent posts for ideas for everything from simple backyard fix-ups to painting planters to hosting a great outdoor party! 

Thanks for stopping by! Any ideas, thoughts or comments you have about my projects or links I would love to hear so drop me a line or leave me a message here.

Happy Gardening!