Category Archives: Beautiful Outdoors

Tropical Oasis

Beautiful Outdoors, Garden Spaces, Pin Inspiration

A warm front is coming! Though it’s not in the actual physical form, more like a virtual warm front is heading your way with these tropical oasis photos. What else is there to do on a blistery cold day other than look at pictures of warm destinations and their gorgeous tropical plants.

Here’s what we’ve been daydreaming of…

trop 90fb05cb3c01d0f6eb512001a3a24646 93e7991e6bd4e3814450627ae1da8499 4f9450dd7f4a4c575eb72051106d884c

Planting a tropical plant such as a Fiddle Leaf Tree or Elephant Ear are a sure way to bring the tropical oasis inside during the cold winter months. 56d64eb9fae20afc7e40f0458683e1cc

Want to go tropical too? Check out our Pinterest board filled with these and more tropical ideas to temporarily escape the winter blues.

tropicalplantspinterest

team-signature

 

Fall to Winter Birding

Beautiful Outdoors, Birds, Store, Weekend DIY

Fall is a great time to start getting into birding and is very easy to attract autumn birds with our simple tips! A lot of people don’t realize how early fall migration actually starts. August through October are the peak months, although migration does continue into December for some species, especially the shorter-distance birds. There is a common misconception that feeding or attracting birds during the migratory season will interrupt their migration, which in fact will not. So don’t be concerned!

Use these great tips for the perfect fall birding season:

  • Offer nutritious fall foods such as: sunflower seeds, nuts, peanut butter and suet
  • Start winterizing your bird houses (see winter tips below)
  • Ignore your leaves and build a brush pile for an instant shelter

IMG_5568 (Source: Willard & May, Photo Credit: Stephanie Osiecki)

Winter is just right around the corner and while you’re doing your fall clean up outside, keep those bird houses out there! Birds suffer when the temperatures turn colder, but with the help of your bird houses, they can survive even the coldest nights and storms!

Check out our tips for winter birding:

  • Position the bird houses and shelters towards the most sunlight to take in more heat
  • Provide insulating materials in houses and shelters, add more perches to accommodate more birds
  • Prune in the spring rather than the fall so that the birds can take advantage of extra insulating spaces that cover throughout the winter

By providing shelter for backyard birds you will attract a wide range of species that will visit year-round. We have some great options at Willard & May to choose from, to protect the birds in your neighborhood!

bird_houses You can find these styles of bird houses and many others at willardandmay.com [1.Bird Villas, 2. Nesting Box A Frame, 3. Copper Roof Bird House, 4. Sea Grass Nesting Pocket, 5. Sparrow Apartment Building]

Also, be sure to check out this great weekend DIY project for the birds! tree+5 (Source: Robin Beck)

We would love to hear from you, let us know what you use to help protect the birds in your neighborhood!

team-signature1

Fall Essentials

Beautiful Outdoors, Outdoor Decor, Pin Inspiration

‘Tis the season of crisp air, chunky sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin carving, and so much more! Now is the time to start your fall decorating. Use our fall essentials and ultimate fall guide to spruce up your place to have the perfect fall decor this season!

wm-fall_essentials_blog

Now it’s your turn to show us how you celebrate autumn around your house!

team-signature1

Fall Gardening/Cleanup Checklist!

Beautiful Outdoors, Gardening, Store

Find out what you need to be doing in your garden once the harvest has ended! Use these tips to help your fall gardening and cleanup a breeze! Also, check out our garden tools to assist you!

IMG_9163

Tips:

  • Water! Give all your plants a good drink so it can last them through the winter
  • Shop for fall planted flower bulbs: Tulip World
  • If you have deer or rabbits eating your plants & flowers, try out animal repellent or deer netting; or plant things that animal pests don’t eat, such as: daffodils, siberian squill, and fritillaria
  • Remove all rotten fruit and debris from the ground – infestations last through winter
  • Leave dried flowers, ornamental grasses, & seed heads to provide food for birds in flower beds & borders. Rake the leaves as needed but keep it off the grass as it can suffocate it
  • Mulch to maintain soil quality and protect perennials from frost, using weeds (with not seeds), cocoa hulls, grass clippings, leaves, & straw.
  • Dig up and store indoors any tender bulbs, such as gladiolus, cannas, dahlias, and caladiums, that you want to store over the winter and re-plant next spring.
  • Empty all pots and store indoors for the winter, even plastic containers can crack and clay pots can shatter
  • Plant shrubs and evergreens
  • Till your soil for next year
  • Clean tool blades with vegetable oil and handles with sandpaper
  • Plant your spring blooming bulbs! October is the month to plant tulips, daffodils, crocus and more. Be sure to plant in clusters – they look the best this way and it allows you work in plenty of compost into the soil. And lastly, be sure to water well after planting.

Happy Fall!

team-signature1

Lantern Centerpieces

Beautiful Outdoors, Lighting, Outdoor Decor, Outdoor Party, Pin Inspiration, Weekend DIY

Are you planning a wedding? Throwing a fun summer party? Need some centerpiece ideas without breaking the bank? Why not try using lanterns? There is nothing like a flickering candle in the night. They create the perfect ambiance to a wedding or party. These lanterns can be used not only as centerpieces but also to decorate the head table or guest book table or even to be hung in trees. It is such an elegant look and adds accent lighting! One of the many great things about using lanterns is that they can be used in any type of wedding or party — the possibilities are endless! Plus, they are cheaper than flower centerpieces and can be reused or sold after the wedding or party is over!

Check out what some brides have done with their lantern centerpieces.

lantern3

(Source: The Red Dirt Bride)

lantern1

(Source: Style Me Pretty)

lantern5

(Source: Tumblr)

lantern2

(Source: Weddings Illustrated)

Check out our variety of lanterns we carry at Willard & May!

lanterns

You can find these styles of lanterns and more lighting options to get you going on your new centerpieces at WillardandMay.com (1. Colorful Sleek Lanterns 2. Round Cast Iron Garden Lantern 3. Sleek Metal Lantern 4. Vintage Hanging Lantern).

Have a lantern centerpiece idea you’d like to share? Let us know and comment in the section below!

team-signature

Backyard Friends

Beautiful Outdoors

Sometimes the creatures that live in our backyards can be a treat or a pest. They are likely more of a pest if they unearth your tulip bulbs or dig holes throughout your yard. Unfortunately, we probably spend most of our time focusing on how to get rid of them from flooding our back yard… squirrels, skunks, and other backyard rodents. Remember the movie Over the Hedge?- totally what I’m picturing. Rather than panicking over how they’ve made a new home out of your birdhouse, or are digging through your garbage, perhaps you could take a few minutes and just watch them the next time you are out in your backyard. They are probably more entertaining than you realized.

One photographer, Nancy Rose, decided to poke some fun with her backyard squirrels. These squirrels, one she cleverly named Mr. Peanuts, would go crazy over peanuts left on her picnic table, so she decided to set up little scenes and catch them in action. You can check out her entire collection of funny squirrel photos, but here are also a few below for your enjoyment! Nancy: you are one patient and talented photographer!

Our favorite is the one where the squirrel looks as if he is grilling up some hotdogs – we’re totally looking forward to the day it’s warm enough to do that!

nancy-rose-squirrels-115

nancy-rose-squirrels-139

nancy-rose-squirrels-72nancy-rose-squirrels-62nancy-rose-squirrels-02
nancy-rose-squirrels-22

 

Have any fun photos of the animals in your backyard? Feel free to share below in the comments and maybe we’ll feature you next time!

team-signature

 

A Winter Wonderland

Beautiful Outdoors

Snow. Snow. It’s everywhere you look, especially if you are in the north! Last week we got a nice helping of snow to beautify our rather dead looking scenery. While it made for not the most fun drive home or shoveling experience, it did make things look oh so wonderful.

After all the snow was cleaned up, one of our team members took a few shots of the  snow sticking to the trees and bushes at her home. Since we are outdoor lovers at Willard & May, we figured we’d share them with you. Maybe you’re tired of the snow like us, or you’re dying to get your hands on some – either way, sit back and enjoy the beauty.

Do you have awesome photos of the scenery in your backyard? If so, share them on our facebook page and we’ll add it to this post!
team-signature