Summer Garden Inspirations from the Hens

One of the many joys of summer may be sprucing up your yard in anticipation of fun-filled backyard barbecues or quiet summer evenings lazing on your patio, glass of wine in hand. Or perhaps the highlight of your summer days might be digging your hands into the soft, fragrant loam of your garden. Whatever your plans or passions may be, the time spent outdoors in the warm summer breeze can be so very satisfying.

Hen Carrie prepares for a backyard gathering with
an outdoor drink station.

Nobody takes on gardening projects better than Junkers! Junkers have the innate ability to look at a rusty, non-functioning item in their home or at a market and see a charming garden vessel that, when planted, becomes an objet d’art.

Our honorary hen, Lettice, adds a focal point to her garden.

Lettice's Objets D'Art

Hen Kathy's Repurposed Planter

Lettice's Tripod Planter

Lettice's Antique Stove-Turned-Planter

Magnificent hydrangeas planted in weathered wine barrels or olive buckets and tiny succulents growing in raised chicken feeders quickly become backyard scene-stealers. Antique crocks, old buckets, chipped aging pottery, and wire egg baskets all yearn to hold seasonal annuals.

Hen Kathy's Wine Barrel Planter

Hen Susi's Eye-catching Planter

Hen Kathy's Succulent Garden

Hen Susi's Succulent Garden

Hen Kathy's Antique Crocks

Antique Containers in Lettice's Yard

Galvanized tubs and wheelbarrows make great planters too!

Don’t forget vintage plaster or cement statues of all shapes and sizes. Squirrels, pigs, rabbits, chickens and ducks all add whimsy and charm to your planting beds. Vintage Mexican pottery is also a favorite of ours and acts as a colorful, amusing focal point when displayed in a succulent garden.

We love our garden statues. 

Lettice 'gnomes' how to decorate!

Don’t pass up old wooden crates, bins, and even furniture as receptacles for your plants. Use your imagination and have fun with your yard! For larger projects, try a mosaic approach for outdoor flooring to create a one-of-a-kind patio that is definitely a conversation starter. 

Hen Susi used an old wicker chair to display her herbs. 

Lettice's Colorful Accent Piece

Hen Carrie's Mosaic Patio

S'mores are bountiful in Carrie's outdoor fireplace. 

Planting what some may see as junk adds character and personality to your surroundings and truly makes a house feel like a home. There is no better place to add whimsy and fun than to your summer backyard. We look forward to hosting many family gatherings during those long-awaited summer evenings in our backyards and hope you plan to do the same! Happy summer!

The Hens