It’s Raining Bark (Again) & 3 Fabulous Finds For The Garden

Welcome to the 910th Metamorphosis Monday! It’s raining bark. Again! See that large Sycamore tree on the left?

It’s that time of year when Mr. Sycamore decides it’s time to bless me with a million pieces of shed bark each day. Argh.

It does this every single summer around this time. The first year it happened, I was worried there was something wrong with the tree. Nope. This is normal behavior for a healthy Sycamore Tree. Some of the pieces are HUGE!

Each day, for the next several weeks, I will need to go out into the yard and pick up bark. I may try using my blower to see if it’s strong enough to blow it all together into a big pile. The bark you see below represents how much was shed during a 36-hour period.

It’s unreal how much it drops each day! I just purchased this garden cart for other gardening needs, but it has really come in handy for bark collecting each day.

This cart is a lifesaver for gardening! It’s super durable and has no-flat tires.

When I first saw this photo, I was shocked by how the front wheel looked. I didn’t notice it when I was taking the photo. Talk about maneuverability! It’s going to be a big help as I start planting the perennials I purchased recently. (Cart is available here: Gardening Cart, Great for Hauling Almost Anything.)

Patio Furniture: The new patio furniture arrived! I spent some time this weekend putting it together. (Furniture is available here: HDPE Furniture with Chippendale Chair Backs, similar to PolyWood, but with a wood grain finish.)

And I am so happy to say, unlike the previous patio furniture I ordered, this furniture looks exactly as it did in the ad photos online. It sits very comfortably, with no sagging seats like other HDPE sets that I’ve seen online, and I’m crazy about the Chippendale chair backs!

I really like the faux wood grain! Every piece has this wood grain look, including the legs. It took me all day to assemble it since I did it by myself. My son helped me move the table to the patio; I had already moved the chairs earlier in the day.

I wish I had my Pier 1 Pagoda umbrella here, but unfortunately, it’s back in Georgia.

Pier 1, bring back these stunning Pagoda umbrellas! I love the designs and their beautiful wooden poles. They looked so high-end and were extremely well made!

Back when Pier 1 stores still existed and these umbrellas were available, I purchased three: 1 for my son/DIL, one for myself, and a backup in case it was needed one day. My son/Dil used theirs for many, many years; it finally began to deteriorate a year or two back, so I gave them the spare. I have always taken mine in after dining out on my deck, which is no small feat since they are large and heavy. So the one I have back in Georgia is still in perfect condition. I wish I had bought more of this particular umbrella back when it was still available. I love the colors! If you come across a pretty Pagoda umbrella online in a beautiful design similar to the one I have in Georgia, please let me know. I am on the hunt!

I made a big lifestyle upgrade this weekend, and by lifestyle, I mean so much less work and chaos for watering flowers and shrubs in the front yard!

I purchased this standing hose holder to corral my long 75-foot gardening hose. It has hooks on the back, so that’s where I’m currently storing my sprinkler.

The holder has long stakes that go deep into the ground. I couldn’t get them all the way in, but was able to push them about 90% of the way in. Despite not being fully installed into the ground, it’s working great and is super sturdy. Garden hose holder is available here: (Hose Holder.)

FYI: This is my favorite wand attachment of all time! I purchased this watering wand for the backyard hose a few years back, and it still works great! So I purchased a second one for the front garden. Love all its many flow settings—it’s powerful! It’s great for hanging baskets, too! Watering Wand is available here: Watering Garden Wand.

The hose holder is almost invisible unless you are really looking for it. Such a great improvement for the front yard!

Looking forward to sharing the patio set really soon! Just need to find an umbrella that I like and get my perennials planted around the patio. I finally found some Purple Coneflower and some gorgeous Rudbeckia with huge blooms. Can’t wait to share the garden updates soon! Looking forward to the wonderful Before and Afters linked below for this week’s Metamorphosis Monday!

Metamorphosis Monday: Metamorphosis Monday is a party that’s all about Before and Afters. Please link up your Before and After projects, like DIY projects, room makeovers, craft projects, and even recipes. Please do not link up Table Settings; save those for our Tablescape Thursday party on Thursday. If you are participating in Met Monday, link your post to the party using the “permalink” to your MM post and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on the name of your post, then copy and paste the address (that shows in the address bar at the top of your blog) into the “URL” box for InLinkz when prompted.