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  1. You have me intrigued with your Water Gardening. I love the sound of running water so I will follow along to learn more.

  2. Hi Brenda, I too love the sound of water running in the garden! We had a pond with a stream at our previous home, but getting it up and running in the spring was quite a bit of work. So at this home we settled for a pondless waterfall. It's small, but I love it. You will enjoy yours! Thanks for sharing with the Garden Party.
    hugs,
    Jann

  3. Wow Brenda…I knew your patio was big..but not that big!..what an awesome picture you took..it kind of put it all into perspective..I would love learning about water features with you..I want one this year also as I also love to hear the sound of running water..as long as it is not a leak somewhere that is…lol…

  4. The patio in your rental is huge! Nothing like that where I live. Room for a grill and a small table and chairs is a big deal. I'm sure it would be lovely to have a spare room but you've got something quite extraordinary with your patio.
    I've tried water gardens and have always been highly unsuccessful. With you guiding us, I may try again.

  5. Thanks for the large pic of your patio! I had no idea it was that wide! And yes to the water gardens….always interested in trying new things! 😉

  6. We just moved to our (older) little house and the back yard was a mess of weeds and old gravel.. so I have my work cut out for me/us (I usually do most of the gardening work although I have a hubby.. he's definitely NOT an Israel! I want to have a water feature so I'll learn with you! I've been doing a little research on them too. Love the full view of your patio so now I can picture how much bigger it is than I thought! My "patio" area will be about that size, but more of a square and not as long. Right now it's gravel full of weeds and grass.. I have to mow it but would like it to go back to being just gravel. Weed killer is expensive that us retired folks usually can't even afford.. so I weed it by hand which is literally a pain! Anyway.. love seeing everything and will love hearing what you do and put into place with a water garden. I also want to get a bird bath out there as we have 3 cats and they are very bored in our yard without any trees to climb or a birdbath to watch! My "birdbath" a couple of years ago was a 50 cents large plastic "tray" sort of thing that was about 3 inches deep.. I set it up on rocks and put some rocks in it, and kept it filled… the birds absolutely LOVED it and took baths in there and just sat and sunbathed. Our cats would watch, and once in awhile pounce, but they never did catch one of the birds, even though the birdbath was fairly close to the ground. It's so fun to watch the birds!

  7. My birds love the birdbath too. I have to remember in the summer when it is very hot out, to go put some ice cubes out there to cool it off. Well if you are going to do this water gardening thing it will be fun to learn about it, of course! 🙂

  8. I'd love to learn more about water gardening with you Brenda. It's been something I have been wanting to do for a long time.

  9. Wow, your patio is huge compared to the handkerchief sized slabs at most apartments. That gives you lots more living space. I look forward to seeing what you do with your little bit of heaven.

  10. I love that you showed the whole of your patio in this post, Brenda- it's huge! You were lucky to find this place, your little piece of heaven in the middle of the city!

  11. Love love love the patio. I could order a tent/ gazebo from Wayfair but where to order an Israel. The patio looks relaxing and I really like the way you use color. I'd like to know more about water gardening…so let the journey begin!

  12. I love your outdoor space.you have created a sanctuary for yourself + your fur babies. I love your blog. I look forward to it everyday. It inspires me creatively and also helps me to be brave. I want to be brave like you.

  13. Your patio is looking beautiful. Love the water features. As I was reading about your galvanized container fountain, and wondering if you were thinking of possibly putting some fish in it, I had a little memory flash of my dad saying years ago that fish wouldn't live long in galvanized metal tubs. My mom and dad had two concrete/stone fish ponds and 26 aquariums in the basement for wintertime. So he did know a bit about this. I just looked galvanized container/fish info up on line before writing here, and there seems to be a few differing opinions on that, but I thought you might want to look into it and it might be useful info for you.

    I imagine water plants would grow just fine, as they do in soil filled galvanized containers. It seems that if you added fresh chlorinated water from the garden hose each day it would be enough to kill off the mosquito larvae.

    I had great luck several years ago using a giant plastic flower pot set into the ground as a fish pond. I had tropical fish, black mollies and a couple of orange sword tails, in it. And grew a couple of water hyacinth plants that had beautiful lilac colored blooms. The fish do eat the mosquito larvae, but it is fun to give them a little fish food occasionally. By the end of the summer I had bunches (schools) of baby black mollies and sword tails that I gave away to my kid's friends when it was time to bring the fish inside.

    I'm looking forward to seeing all that you do on your patio this summer.

    1. I used a very inexpensive product called mosquito dunks added to the water that killed off all mosquito larvae. It needed to be added once a month and was safe for fish, birds, squirrels, my dog, all that I saw drinking from my water garden, in between the water lilies. 🙂

  14. I had a small water garden that I enjoyed in the past. They are simple to put together and take care of, but the water plants themselves are very expensive to buy every year and there's really no way to over winter them, they die just like the annuals when the weather turns cold…. Maybe the water plants will be cheaper where you live.
    Brenda, I have been reading your blog for a long time, although I rarely comment. I personally enjoy you sharing your life with us on your blog, but not so much the other apartments, etc. I enjoyed Java talk. I like reading comments too. A conversation amongst women my age dealing with similar life challenges is a good thing, even when opinions may differ…. And please take some time for yourself and blog much less if that is better for you. Your loyal readers will always be here! I know I will be. 🙂

  15. What a lovely outside living area you've created, Brenda. I love hearing the sound of water outdoors…something so soothing about it.
    Mary Alice

  16. I'm trying to bring some beauty to my patio or backyard this year. I think I'm not ready for water gardening but it would be fun to learn along for when the time comes. What a lovely space you have created!

  17. Love learning more about water gardening. I built a water fountain at my last house out of two clay pots. it was not hard to make and lasted for years. Love your gardening on the patio. You have made a wonderful place out of your space.

  18. I love the idea of a water garden! I'd enjoy seeing you make one.

    Wow, what a nice big patio you have! Is this a common feature in your area? Around here you're lucky to have something 6 x 12.

    1. No, this size patio is not common in Tulsa. I saw it and looked for nearly a year before I went ahead and leased it. Right after, they gated the complex, which was one thing I really wanted. So everything worked out. The apartments were built in the sixties, and I had to give up my stove to put in a European washer/dryer, but it was worth it.

    1. Which we all need to do: sit and relax or meditate to reduce the stress. Since I can't go out and do all I would like to do, I'm creating a vacation right here.

  19. I've definitely been inspired by your patio photos and stories. Grabbed some pretty flowers to freshen up some pots that were empty for the past couple of summers of drought. Thanks for the inspiration!

    1. I'm glad you're gaining inspiration. I used to be a quilter like you, but a car accident in 1998 required surgeries to my hands and I can no longer quilt. So I garden!

    2. I have wondered about your quilting. You have shown several beautiful quilts that you made but never talk about quilting. Now I understand why that chapter of life closed.

      Your gardening chapter is alive and well. Seeing what you do with your patio is inspiring – thanks. Water gardening? Lead on, we are ready to learn.

    1. It's really taking the heat off those patio doors. I'm not having to turn my air thermostat as low to get cool. So maybe it will also save on my electric bill!

  20. I would love to learn about water gardening with you! Not sure I will do one, but learning about it will be fun. I'm so slow this year and haven't planted anything. Just too much going on.

    I'm so glad you got positive reinforcement on your blog. I enjoy the posts about you, your home and family and those reflection posts are always thought provoking.
    hugs,
    Linda

    1. I love to learn new things. And gardening is my favorite hobby. So I want to learn all aspects of gardening!

  21. Your patio looks so nice, Brenda, and it's really a great size! I'm still loving your umbrella for shade. I do believe you can do anything when it comes to gardening! Have a great week.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia 😉

  22. Brenda . . . I've followed your posts for a very long while and I need to tell you how much I respect your strength and creativity. You have faced many challenges and you HAVE to be a strong person, probably much stronger than you realize. You have provided a beautiful, loving home for you and your pupsters and you have created an absolutely LOVELY little garden paradise within the dimensions of your patio. Brenda . . . you are an inspiration to all who have struggled with what life "dealt" us and to all of us as we age and downsize our worlds. A BIG THANK YOU!!!!!

    1. We can all downsize and still have a lovely place to live! It just takes creativity and determination.

    1. A little at a time. I've been here for a little over two years now, and each year I've added to the patio.

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