Do you love spending time outdoors on those sunny spring days? I’ll show you just how I am spending my days in my coastal cottage garden and outdoor spring spaces.
The spring cottage garden is coming to life with every tree blossom and beautiful flower in bloom. I’m transplanting my seedlings from the greenhouse to the raised beds this week. Planting the flower annuals in the window boxes and containers throughout the yard will be next on my list.
Affiliate links are used for your convenience. Read my full disclosure here.
Spring Into Summer Home Tour
I’m so happy to have the opportunity today to join a group of 29 blogging friends and share our spring home ideas with you. Whether it’s outdoor living, home decor, recipes, or craft inspiration, we’ve got you covered! At the end of this post, I’ve provided links to the full group, so be sure not to miss all the amazing inspiration.
A Shiplap and Shells Cottage Garden Introduction
Welcome! For those of you that are new to my blog, let me first say thank you for stopping by for a visit. I’m so glad you’re here. I am a hobby gardener in the Pacific Northwest, about 60 miles SW of Seattle, WA. You could say I’m a flower girl at heart and am known for my little greenhouse overlooking the Puget Sound, and for my small but beautiful cut flower garden.
Cottage Garden Magazine Features
My garden was just featured in the Better Homes and Gardens Cottage Style Magazine Spring Issue. Wait…there’s more! You can see even more in the summer issue of Country Home Magazine and the June issue of The Cottage Journal. Yes, I’m still pinching myself.
The Cottage Garden in the Spring
Here’s What’s Blooming In Early May
It’s surprising how much the garden transitions from the end of March until the beginning of May. As I was taking these pictures last week, I knew that everything would look a bit different in this first week of May.
Here you can see that our new planter is full of primroses and violas, with bright yellow daffodils planted behind. I’ll be replacing them with geraniums, salvia, petunias, and more this week. The daffodil blooms shown here have already finished blooming.
Here’s one of the lavender topiaries I bought at Costco to add height and a pop of color to this garden space. If you’re not familiar with my garden, this will eventually become one of the fullest and brightest spaces in the yard come summertime.
And speaking of color, here is one of my blooming azaleas in my spring cottage garden. We are known for our rhododendrons and azaleas here in the Pacific Northwest.
The tulips are beautiful this time of year. At this point, we are on our third phase of tulip bloomings.
I have a confession to make. This is what the arbor filled with Montana Ruben clematis was supposed to look like right now in the garden. Isn’t it absolutely beautiful?
In fact, I couldn’t wait for this tour, because it was going to be one of the prettiest views of the garden at the beginning of May. But the plant on the left NEVER BLOOMED this year. I was heartbroken. I’ve cut the clematis all the way back in hopes that it will make a strong comeback next year.
Vintage in the Garden
Vintage yard art throughout the garden creates so much interest. Did you know that this vintage bike was given to me by a neighbor? That’s right, it was FREE! I added a cute little thrifted basket and planted some white violas for the final touch.
This bike wasn’t as good of a deal but I still made out pretty well at $20. You can see more about my vintage flower container ideas HERE.
Our Porch is Not Like the Others
We used to have a porch. But we added a deck to the front of our house years ago. We have a quirky little set-up where the Puget Sound water view is in the FRONT of our home. And of course, we wanted to be able to enjoy an outdoor living space, which I’ll share with you in a bit.
So now I decorate the greenhouse porch instead!
A basket of flowers always hangs here.
This vintage galvanized tub is always filled with flowers.
Here’s the other side of the greenhouse with annuals planted in vintage containers.
The Greenhouse is Officially Empty
If you haven’t been following along, I’ve been sowing seeds inside the greenhouse since the last week of January. I’ve been hardening off the seedlings for the last couple of weeks and now I’m working on transplanting them into the raised beds.
Here are all the geraniums I was overwintering in my greenhouse enjoying the sun before they get planted in containers and window boxes around the garden.
The snapdragon seedlings were the first to be transplanted. Click here for all my posts on how to start a cut flower garden.
Enjoying the Puget Sound Waterview
The outdoor deck furniture is out and we are definitely enjoying it on the warm and sunny days here in the Pacific Northwest. Have you met puppy Ollie yet? He loves this outdoor space. We live in a 1600 square foot house so we are so happy to have an extended living space during the warmer (and dryer) months.
Many people think that we live on a lake, but it’s actually the Puget Sound, located along the northwestern coast of the US state of Washington. This is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea.
The tides move in and out throughout the day, as you can see in the picture above and below. All of the green land you see in the picture below, between the sailboat is covered by saltwater at certain times of the day.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the tour of my coastal cottage garden and outdoor spring spaces. Be sure to keep checking back through the spring and summer. You will not believe how the garden transforms in the summer months. You can see last year’s Cottage Garden in Review for a sneak peek!
Until next time,
Happy Gardening!
Spring to Summer Home Tour
PIN AND SAVE ON PINTEREST
If you’ve enjoyed this blog post, please pin and share this on Pinterest.
Other Garden Tours For You...
Let’s Connect on Social Media
- Follow me @shiplapandshells on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook
- Join my Facebook Gardening Tips & Tricks Group!
Kim,
This tour is amazing. I envy your beautiful garden. Maybe one day. I’d like to share one of your photos (with link obviously) on a Raised Bed Post this week.
Kim,
Literally every part of your garden is absolutely gorgeous! Such amazing inspiration and I’m sure you spend a lot of time in your garden.
Your yard and greenhouse are an absolute dream! It looks like it is straight out of a magazine and it is!!! SO happy to be o this tour with you, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
What a dreamy cottage you have! I just love all your flowers!
Oh.MY.Gosh! Stunning. All of it. I love your use of color throughout. I am so monochromatic in my plantings and then I look at your garden and absolutely love it! Congrats on all the publications- it’s very well deserved! Have.a great day. XO- MJ
What a gorgeous yard!
I always feel like I’m on vacation every time I visit your blog! Your gardens are stunning and those views – wow! So great to tour with you! Enjoy the rest of your week!
Shelley
Your outdoor space is so amazing. I would love to wake up to that every day. Also, I enjoyed the pups in some of your photos. They are super cute.
Sweet Kim, Thank you for that beautiful and throw tour, I feel as if I just had a lovely garden visit with you! I know I’ve set it at least a 100 times but I will never ever tire of reading about, or seeing photos of your beautiful home, or your gardens on the Puget Sound. I love how you implement vintage things such as that adorable bike, adding the extra basket made it just so super fun! Your gardening is thetic has my heart, and I am always delighted to see what is growing in your beautiful greenhouse and garden. Thank you for taking me “along on this journey,” I feel so delighted sharing this time with you! You deserve to be in all the magazines my friend, and I am so happy for you xoxo
I need to check my autocorrect! 🙂
Kim, I just love this tour. I didn’t realize the tides going in and out was so significant, but I guess that makes sense! Your greenhouse and subsequent planting of all your seedlings is impressive and must keep you busy. Here in Phoenix I just plop the seeds into the ground but next year I should try sowing them earlier to see what happens. I wonder why your clematis didn’t bloom? When I get a moment I do want to check out all the other bloggers. Many of them I haven’t visited before and I look forward to even more inspiration. Thank you for sharing your lovely slice of heaven.
I get lost in all your garden pictures!! I wonder what happened to your clematis…that stinks! Did it leaf out but without blooms??
Kim your garden is so dreamy and full of inspiration!!! If I could get my garden to look as half as good as yours I’d be thrilled!
Everything about your garden is a delight Kim!
I just am in love with your garden and greenhouse! I am just getting into cut flower gardening and hope that someday I can have some more established gardens and a walk in greenhouse.
I love your garden, it’s a dream to have mine half as pretty as yours. So gorgeous.
This has to be one of the prettiest cottages ever. Surrounded by such beauty what a blessing.
Thank you, Wendy. We really love it here.
I think your garden is what we all dream of having. It is amazing! I am so glad to be participating in this tour with you.
That is so kind of you to say, Sherry. Thank you!
I can certainly understand why the magazines want to feature your beautiful gardens and darling little greenhouse. I am so in awe of your beautiful gardens. I gardened quite a bit when my children were little, particularly with herbs and perennials. I am anxious to finally get the renovation and addition in our backyard finished so I can finally figure out Florida gardening and have a little garden once again. I hope you get to come and visit!
Thank you, Chloe. I am interested to see what you figure out with the Florida planting. And yes, I am definitely planning on visiting. I am really looking forward to it. I’m sure you will be the most incredible hostess! Hugs.
Stunningly beautiful, as always. I always love another tour of your beautiful gardens….
Fun to be part of another “hop” with you!
Niky @ The House on Silverado
Thanks, Niky! I always love it when I can join you for a hop!
Kim, your greenhouse is one of my favorite things on the internet! Seriously! You don’t know how many times I’ve popped by just to admire the views, so I’m tickled that you’ve shared this tour with all of us today! Also, I totally understand your sadness over a plant that decided not to bloom…our lilacs seem to be lagging behind this year, but I haven’t figured out why yet. Hoping they’re just late to the party. Haha! Love all of your inspiration…keep it coming! xo, Kristi
You are so sweet Kristi. Thank you for the sweet words. Every year we have some kind of plant that feels like holding back. I am so happy to be joining all you lovely ladies. It has been so fun and I’ve pinned so many pictures for inspiration.
Seriously one of the most stunning places on the internet, Kim! Love, love, love your garden and I couldn’t be happier about all your features too. They are all very well deserved. I can’t wait to get to the bookstore and pick up my copies! Sending you big hugs, CoCo
Thank you CoCo! It’s been a lot of fun but I think I’m ready for a rest. I am hoping to take it easy this summer and enjoy the flowers.
Always beautiful Kim! Thanks for sharing your amazing spring garden. In Illinois, my plants are just starting to get a little bigger but nothing has flowered except for a few spring-flowering trees. Next week I can safely put out my plants and I couldn’t be more excited!
Isn’t that always the best time? I’m excited to plant the tomatoes. I always wait for Mother’s Day weekend. We have so much to look forward to!