Country Cottage Garden Display

I've said many times how much I love a good tabletop or flat surface to be able to dress up with a little vintage vignette. I've had this smallish white antique desk for years, and it's the perfect size to tuck in an odd space or use as an end table. For the last several years (and houses) it's been in my office holding a lamp. At this house it's sort of moved around without purpose, but has ended up in the Garden Room doing miscellaneous plant duty. But lately it's been bare, and that's hard for me to see a bare tabletop. 

The only thing better than a small table is for that desk/table to have some sort of a "back" to it. You know... a shelf, a wall, a door. Something to have as a bit of a backdrop so that you can build your vignette upward. In the past I've had an old door that gave me something solid to work with for a backdrop. But my old door is outside on the back porch giving a back to the potting bench shelf.

Plus the fact that I don't want to block any sunlight out here...

(my fave old door on the back porch)

So I had to go looking for something else to use.

Something garden-y and vintage and preferably see-through.

When I'm needing a little inspiration I turn to my old pics and posts and search through Pinterest for ideas and inspiration. One of my favorite boards is part of my back to basics roots with Vintage Markets and Displays. Those pins never fail to give me ideas for my holiday and seasonal decor. Since this is the Garden Room I also searched for ideas for garden decor and potting benches. Guess what I came across? I only had to look as far as my stash on the back porch.

I scratched my head a bit and came up with putting this old gate

that had been outside on the porch behind my little white desk.

Instantly, the petite desk took on a bigger presence

and the chippy/rusty wiring gave me a place to hang a print.

I've had this old metal gate for years and have used it at multiple booth spaces which gave me a fun place to hang smaller pieces and vintage prints to sell. I needed to give it a little extra height behind the desk, so I sat it on top of an old wine crate then leaned it up against the window frame. Since the roll up shade is on the inside of the frame, the gate didn't interfere with rolling it up.

I can't find a signature on this old print, 

but it's such a sweet cottage-y scene

and that old chippy frame works perfectly.

I think I found this white wire door basket at a garage sale

who knows when. (years ago)

I haven't used it much, but here it is...

 just perfect for these dried (and a few silk) hydrangeas.

I lined the interior of the wire mesh with a moss sheet.

One of my white totes is holding a springy little plant,

seed packets, and a few clay pots.

(those are mini gardening tools,

about the size for a big baby doll.)

I gave up on trying to keep the dried hydrangea petals intact...

so I just went with the mess.

The little illustrated book is Cottage Gardener

by Jackie Bennett.

The deep freeze that most of us went through back in February

has impacted the buds on my hydrangeas bushes and roses.

(anyone else notice this?)

Days of below zero weather caused there to be much fewer blooms

and my azaleas only had a few blooms this year. 

Last year they were covered; this year only a few blooms

toward the base of the bushes.

I was able to get a few containers planted last week,

so hopefully I'll have some pics when we have a nice day.

I also have some health news to share with you all.

I've been putting it off a little, 

but I hope to get back with you this weekend.