I’ve always been inspired by gates. They’re more than barriers; the right gate can feel like a welcome into a private, magical garden. I love what gates represent, even when they’re simple. I often find myself admiring gates while walking through neighborhoods.
Below are a few gates I’ve photographed during my drive-bys. If you missed my earlier posts, those drive-by photos showed a couple that I adored. But the gate I’ve been most eager to finish is the one for our own side patio.
We’re still without a gate on this side of the house—yes, still Gateless in Seattle. Years ago I started talking about installing one on the side patio, but it never happened. Despite a couple of other gate projects getting completed around the same time—a double gate between our side and back yards and a single gate on the other side—the side patio gate kept getting delayed for one reason or another. For now, a bench and piles of garden supplies are blocking the opening to keep the dogs in. It’s a bit ridiculous, but it works.
The good news is we finally hired a new contractor through Lowe’s contractor service, and I’m confident this one will finish the job. They’ll build the gate and wrap the porch posts with wood trim to give them a more finished, substantial look—another task we’ve been waiting on for a long time.
The photo above was taken before our railings were installed. You can see how the posts look now, prior to being wrapped, and there’s even a pallet standing in as a temporary gate. Fingers crossed we’re finally on the home stretch.
The gate and the porch post wraps are the last two projects on our list this summer. Most of our other outdoor efforts have been smaller tasks, like planting veggie barrels.
These chemical-free barrels are the same ones we’ve used for years. They’re easy to plant and tuck neatly into a small space, so rather than starting a larger garden project this season we decided to use them again. We planted a lot of kale and lettuce after a late start; we purchased plants ready to transplant instead of starting from seed. I enjoy watching them grow and look forward to harvesting fresh leaves. We also receive a weekly vegetable delivery from a local organic farm, but it’s fun to grow a portion of our own food.
Lily’s small fragrant garden has filled out nicely over the last few weeks. We also planted miniature rose trees that we bought last year. They were devastated by aphids earlier this spring, and I had pruned them back expecting to wait until next year for blooms. Fortunately, they leafed out and bloomed again. When the aphids returned, I tried an essential-oil spray before resorting to other measures, and it worked—so far the pests are gone.
After arranging the deck furniture and flower pots, we had a rain shower that forced us to bring cushions and rugs back inside—typical Seattle weather. I keep cushions and some rugs indoors during longer wet spells, but otherwise I’m not too worried about a little dampness. Lately we’ve had mostly lovely weather, which helps.
I’ll share photos of the furniture, pots, porch posts, and the new gate as soon as they’re installed. I may even be able to post updates within the next week or so. We’re also wrapping up staining the side patio concrete; I’ll update you on that process when it’s finished.
As promised, we’ll host a virtual deck party to reveal the finished space. I’m excited to see the dishes people plan to bring and will announce the winners of the Simple Gatherings books this week. If you haven’t entered yet, you can still join by sharing what you’d bring to the virtual party in the giveaway post from the deck progress updates.
We can’t wait to spend more time outside and enjoy our complete outdoor area. It’s been a long project, and I’m so ready to relax and entertain in the finished space.
You can catch up on our deck and exterior projects here:
Painted Brick Exterior and Outdoor Projects
Outdoor Projects Part Two
Designing and Shopping for our Deck Project
Trex Deck Building Process