I finally tackled one of my spring goals. Sure, my hands and car were an absolute mess, and my bank account was sporting $25 less dollars than it had previously, but to me – it was worth it.

I assembled (with great assistance) my first container garden for our front porch.

Our front porch is a bit rundown and rickety. Old wood is chipping away, and the paint that has a century of layers attached is still hanging on tightly for dear life.

Better Homes and Gardens would never do a feature on my porch. There will most likely never been any Pinterest boards inspired by it either.

But to our family, our porch is our sanctuary.

We have three mismatched chairs, and two little decorative tables.

One small side of the porch even has rope lights to add ambiance for the warm summer nights.

We often bring out a bluetooth speaker system, and play music by Norah Jones, Bela Fleck or Michael Giacchino, as we watch the cars drive by on our somewhat busy street.

Our front porch is also the one place in our house that truly brings peace to Itty Bitty. He could be screaming like the dickens, but once he is outside, he suddenly smiles and babbles a little tune. Maybe it’s the cardinals that fly to and from the trees across the street, or possibly the abundance of Brown University runners – wearing their neon shorts and matching running sneakers. I know for certain that he loves waving hi and bye to all of the friendly neighbors with four legged friends, after which he will pat his leg (sign language for “dog”) and explain “daw!”

I love being out on our porch, we utilize our small grill, bring out extra folding chairs and tables when friends join us, and enjoy each other’s company. The only problem with our porch, is that it just looks so darn ugly.

Being one not too concerned with looks, this hasn’t really bothered me before. But now that we have lived here for almost two years, I’ve decided to make a little change.

I can’t paint the house, since we rent, and I’m surely not going to scrape and repaint the porch. Maybe one day we will get a beautifully matched patio set, but that just isn’t in the budget at this time. I could afford about $25 though.

So recently, after crummy doctors appointment, I decided to take matters in my own hands. Pinterest be damned, I was going to be bring beauty to the outside of my home. Using the ever trusty Yelp App, I searched for a Nursery & Gardening supply store, and found the highly reviewed Jacavone Garden Center in Johnston, RI.

I mulled around the space, feeling a bit like Alice in Wonderland. All of the colors were so vibrant, and the smells were lovely. People were there purchasing flowers on their lunch break, and retired folk were perusing the isles, planning which plants would be added to their backyard oasis. I’m not going to lie, I was overwhelmed.

That’s where Connie stepped in. She asked me what I was looking for, and I told her I wanted a pretty pot of flowers for my sunny porch. Nothing to hang, since I doubt we hand hangers, and I sure wasn’t going to install those. I needed no drama flowers, bright with color, that would last me through the summer.

Together we walked the isles, and she asked me my preference on colors and textures. Before long, she grabbed a pot, threw in some soil, and magically threw my choices beautifully together.

Now my container garden sits lovingly on the side of my porch, always in my sight while I sit outside to write – or when I’m there playing with Itty Bitty. Already people have complimented it as they walked by, saying how pretty it is.

Who knows, maybe I’ll give Connie another trip in the future, and get another plant to put on the other side!

What do you think about my first container garden? I’m excited to hear your thoughts.