Wow - we are already at the halfway point of our Pocket Patio Project for the Spring 2021 One Room Challenge! Or at least, we should be…time will tell!  It is already vastly improved from the abandoned parking lot look because we now have some plant life happening.  And, so far at least, I’ve kept it alive.  Once they are established they should be pretty stable and we can let God do the watering, but up until then, I need to do my part :)

If you are new here, welcome!  I’m Janet, a designer and blogger in the Greater Boston area with a passion for making life beautiful one room at a time.  

And this is the One Room Challenge a biannual event where hundreds of designers and bloggers complete a space from start to finish over the course of 6 (this time 8) weeks and document the progress and pitfalls in weekly posts.  It is a great way to get. stuff. done. with support and cheerleading from the many fellow participants!  

This is my third time participating - I jumped into this for the first time last year. I don’t know WHAT I was thinking, trying this out during a Pandemic (?!) which proved to offer MANY extra challenges, but it all worked out and we completed the Vintage Diva Glamour Den bedroom makeover in the spring and the Overdue Office Overhaul in the fall. This Pocket Patio Project is the outside entrance to that home office #PPP.

The One Room Challenge is the brainchild of Linda Weinstein and is in its 19th year.  The official media sponsor is Better Homes and Gardens. Check out the blog HERE at the One Room Challenge where we all link posts each week and prepare to be awed and inspired by all the wonderful projects in progress! 

Pocket Patio Project #PPP

Back to the Pocket Patio Project.  The hard labor is done, mostly courtesy of my fabulous progeny. 

Our next dilemma was the edge of the patio that borders the driveway. The view is less than stellar and there is an awkward transition from the gravel of the patio to the asphalt of the driveway that could use some softening.

This week I found the perfect solution and ordered two of these trellis planters to screen the driveway view and give the patio a bit more of a walled garden feeling.

They arrived quite quickly, but alas, this is what the boxes looked like

Right.  The three most dreaded words in the English language. Some Assembly Required.  And by “some”, they usually mean we don’t have to fell the trees and mill the lumber, but other than that, it’s a shop project…I’m hoping the size of the boxes indicates fully assembled lattice panels at least!  

I’ve been avoiding this all week, but today is the day…Let’s take a peek…

Oh waaaay better than I anticipated!  8 screws and 4 casters that all go into nice metal threaded inserts and a little wrench to tighten the nut on the casters.  Easy-peasy.  And NO cursing needed! It took me more time to deal with the packaging than it did to assemble the planters!

 They have locking casters, which is great so I can wheel them into the garage for the winter - they are awesome, but I don’t think the wood is probably sturdy enough to survive too many New England winters - especially in this location where the snowplow pushes all the driveway snow!

They are each 5’ high and 30” wide, which is perfect! It provides a nice level of screening, but doesn’t block access to the entry for visitors.

I was thinking I might need to stain them, but the color is also less obnoxious than anticipated.  I still might but that remains TBD. All in all a great purchase from Best Choice Products except for the staggering number of marketing emails that ensued once they had my email address…

Now I need to go find MORE plants to fill these…and maybe something to hang on the lattice. These are faux greens I put in here temporarily to see how they will look!

In other plant news, my gigantic purple irises are blooming out at the front of the house. They are so top-heavy, they’re a bit dramatically suicidal, so I bought them some garden supports to keep them contained - sort of like a corset for plants?!  And so far, so good!

Here’s where we are so far with the Pocket Patio…

Here is what’s left to do:

• Entry door replacement, hopefully soon.  That should be in this week…ish. 

• Design new, more substantial trim for the entry door.

• Get plants for the new lattice planters.

• Decide what to do about the ugly exposed cement foundation, if anything.  

• Hunt down furniture and accessories to finish it all off!

Other Posts you might enjoy:

Pocket Patio Project Week One (the before pics of the sad state of affairs)

Pocket Patio Project Week Two (inspiration and plans)

Pocket Patio Project Week Three (planting the garden)

Container Gardening the EASY way to have a garden!