FALL GROWTH

I wanted to share some of my recent gardening projects before everything dries up and withers away for the winter -- not that Alabama is experiencing any extreme cold conditions anytime in the near future. A few months ago I posted about my adoration for potted boxwoods, indoors and outdoors. Like I mentioned, I plated a few around Melrose and here are my boxwoods on either side of the outdoor fireplace in the backyard:

And at this same time I purchased some miniature boxwoods to sit on Melrose's front stoop. I would love to find some better pots (I don't love the carved detail in the concrete), but we all ready had these and they get the job done so I have left them. I do think they need to be re-potted in bigger containers though.

I'm pretty positive you have caught onto the fiddle leaf fig tree trend. It is everywhere. You can't avoid it. And don't try to. I'll admit, I have been debating on purchasing one for our den bay window, but I resulted to being happy nursing my baby fig trees to full growth. You will be surprised at how much they have grown! Here they are fresh from the mail, pre-planted:

And here is a picture from a few months ago ...

And, now here they are this morning! You can definitely tell the growth by seeing how much fuller they are at the top. It is fun to watch a new leaf bud form at the center stem, grow to size, and eventually sprout open. Now I just don't know where to put them when they reach my pot hanger!

Another gardening project I finally finished is filling my flower bed with rosemary and dusty miller. It took me a while to locate rosemary plants large enough for my space, but now they are planted and smelling wonderful! Here is the empty, lonesome space begging for beautiful greenery -

And here is the new space filled with new cedar wood chips -

I've been a little slacking on decorating for fall, but here is my outdoor arrangement I set up. I stole the pumpkin idea from pinterest via Martha Stewart. In my carrot bag I only ended up with one gnarly, pointy carrot so I shaved the other one down to look the same. (note to self: the carrots will deteriorate) I used the same wreath and spider stands as last year. 

What is your favorite fall decor tradition? My favorite is definitely the purchasing of the pumpkins and hanging the wreath!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

Well, spring is officially here and I am loving it! I have all ready enjoyed a few afternoons by the pool, my white jeans, and open toed sandals. Not only am I embracing the warmer weather, but so is Melrose's plant life. Our tulips have bloomed (and about died), the azaleas are in full force, and Mom planted me some new dainty flowers in my stone pots. Now, I am just waiting on our rose bush and confederate jasmine to spring alive!

 check out the drooping tulips in the background, oops!

And since Easter is right around the corner, I decided to go pastel pink with my new shellac manicure. So sweet and innocent.

I think it will match my new Easter dress from Zara perfectly. Don't judge - I know it looks a little funky and harsh with the black booties, but it really is sweet and feminine. I think a little gold belt around the waist will be the perfect touch. I love the mint green paired with the abstract watercolor and the palette is so unexpected. Do you have a new Easter dress? 

I hope you all enjoying this lovely weather! We are about to be in full backyard project mode so I will be sure and keep ya'll updated on the process! Stay tuned for Melrose's master bedroom reveal this week!

INDOOR TREES

I am not very fond of fake indoor plants, but I do love the color and natural element an indoor plant can lend a room. I want a fairly large and pretty tree to place in a tight corner of our study. I had no clue what type of tree would survive indoors and be busty enough to fill this area so I started researching. I know I want something beautiful since you will see the tree from the entrance of Melrose. 


Through pinterest and other blogs, I discovered the fiddle leaf fig tree trend. These beautiful trees can grow easily indoors and up to 12 feet tall! Their large, waxy leaves can create awesome canopies in a room if pruned correctly. Here are some pictures of fiddle leaf fig trees in homes.

la dolce vita

elle decor

The fiddle leaf fig tree would be perfect except that I can't find a reasonably priced one. Not to mention that I want it a few feet tall now and not a seedling. Laurel-Dawn at abode love also did an excellent post on these trees if you want to check out more pictures. 


Along with the fiddle fig leaf, I have found these quaint olive trees in several homes. These can be easily pruned like a single ball topiary at 3-4 feet tall. Other varieties can grow taller.

So, after a little more research I found that a lot of people grow citrus trees indoors and they can have a similar shape to the fiddle fig leaf, but they also produce fragrant flowers and fruit! One that has especially grabbed my attention is the orange tree (there are lots of different types). I found a good post at Little Green Notebook on calamondin orange trees if you are interested.

and Martha even did an article on growing orange trees indoors ...

all sources via my pinterest board

I like how you can prune the olive and citrus trees to have a tall skinny trunk with a fuller top. I think one of these will be making its way into Melrose soon. I saw some for sale at Lowe's this weekend and Williams-Sonoma and Amazon also sell them! 


Do you have an indoor tree? If so, what kind?

SPRING TIME AT MELROSE: update

Brandon has been working hard in the yard and it is a-maz-ing. Seriously, the grass is SO green (in the front yard) you would think you were on a golf course! Maybe it is because I accidently sprayed a whole container of Miracle Gro on the lawn - or maybe it is because Brandon takes pride in his yard. Definitely the later of the two...

Here is Brandon in action and admiring his work. 

We really have some work to do in the backyard if we want our grass to look as great as the front yard. We just have lots of dirt patches and empty flower beds. I hope to fix the flower beds this weekend, but in the meantime Brandon has kept it very clean cut. Along the back fence we had a lot of shrubbery that had just "taken over." Brandon got busy on it basically cut down an entire tree.

The flowers Mom and I planted are growing like a weed (ha)! Their colors are so vibrant and make the lawn look so pretty. I just hope they don't die. This is my first, true experiment at gardening so I hope it goes well. 

Check out the overflowing rose bush around the mailbox. Beautiful! Also, over the weekend I noticed that my hostas we planted have buds. I can't wait to see the flowers that bloom - it's a surprise!

BEAUTIFUL BABY ROSES

It has been a mystery as of what type of roses were growing up Melrose's mailbox, but this past weekend the mystery was solved! We had our first few blooms and they are too stinkin' cute! How do I know it was mystery roses growing up the post? That is because my mom, with the green thumb, spotted tiny thorns along the stems and knew exactly was they were.

I can't wait to see the entire bush full of roses! There are tons of buds on the vines so I am sure they will be blooming very soon. The roses are very petite and their color matches perfectly with Melrose's front door. As for the other plants and flowers around the house, our azaleas have all fallen off (now it is time to trim them back), the tulips have bloomed and deceased, the hard rain this past weekend knocked the petals off of 2 of the 3 sets of yellow flowers, and the squirrels keep digging holes in the soil and bark chips around the flowers. Goodness, I never realized keeping up with flowers was so much work!

For the future, I hope to plant a tea olive bush in a gap outside the front door and some hydrangeas in the backyard. I LOVE the smell of tea olives - they may not be that pretty but they sure do exhale a fresh, springy scent that makes my day.

You can clearly see what is left of our azalea bushes on the brick walkway. Sad day. 

[please ignore the crazy pink ghost that decided to make an appearance in the photos, and the quality - taken from iphone]

SPRING TIME AT MELROSE

Spring has arrived! The tulips are in full bloom and the bees are a buzzin'. 

My Mom made a trip up to Birmingham to help me in the yard. Jill has a green thumb. She was a naturalist at Wind Creek State Park in Alexander City and then Lakepoint State Park in Eufaula, so she knows her stuff! She was extremely helpful and I learned a lot. Plus she bought me some pretty flowers to plant! Not sure the names of the flowers, but I know the yellow will "run" and spread and the red is to match the shutters. 

If you haven't noticed, the pollen is everywhere right now! Mom was kind enough to attempt to sweep it off the brick. It looked good while it lasted. Pollen should have been created brown or black to blend in with nature, not neon yellow/green that shows up everywhere! I could sweep all day long and the same amount of pollen would be back the next. 

The nice owners before us left these pretty, cement pots. Mom and I planted a hosta in each. It really adds a nice touch to the porch. I can't wait to see the flowers - it is a surprise!

Thanks Mom for all your help! Can't wait to do it again. Next project, the backyard - scary!