When we moved into our house, one of the things that I really wanted to change about our house was the landscaping. There were, however, many more pressing concerns though that required our funds and attention- a leaking roof, a monstrosity of an air-conditioner, cosmetic updating that made the space more livable. All of these repairs have trumped the landscaping funds for now and we have been doing things little by little in our yard.
One of the things I have disliked the most though has been one of our side beds. It is filled to the brim with giant ferns. The ferns are enormous and I have to mow through them to cut the grass. I don’t find them all that attractive and they keep popping up in my other beds. Each year I have vowed that I am going to rip them out, but my efforts usually end up on other things and I forget about it…until the ferns pop up the next year.
When we had the original owner out to our house last summer, she commented how pleased she was to see those ferns there. They came from her father’s lake cottage and she brought some back each time she went. Her eyes were misty as she told me how happy she was to see each of those ferns there and she shared with me her happy memories of planting them and the summers with her dad. I began to see the ferns in a different light than I had before. To her, they were a thing of beauty and held wonderful memories of her family’s summers.
Last night I brought bunches of them in and started putting them in recycled single-size coffee jugs. They looked so pretty all fanned out that I started putting them in each room, adding a touch of green here and there. I marveled at how beautiful they were and how they added that little bit of life I needed to my living space.
Frugality is a lot like that though, isn’t it? Sometimes it takes seeing all that you have through another pair of eyes to appreciate all of the bounty you already possess. My yard was filled to the brim with vases of green and all I had to do was pick it from my own backyard. Yet, each year I grumbled about mowing around them, shaking my fist as more ferns popped up.
Sometimes it just takes someone else pointing out the beauty for you to appreciate the ordinary.
that is such a great story, Amy. just last week i took some of my sister’s scraggly ferns (also growing on the side of her house in no rhyme or reason) and potted them for my front porch. they’re still scraggly, but hey – it was a free plant and it really livens it up out there. as i was digging it up i wondered who planted it and when. maybe they’re really old plants, who knows? yours is a great story.
and they look great in your house, btw!
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It takes a content eye to find beauty in the ordinary. Being happy with what you already have is something you have to learn. Thanks for reminding me!
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Thank you for this beautiful post.
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Beautiful post, Amy! It’s always nice to sit back and really appreciate the things that may be considered annoying because at least they are ours!!
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That is a great story, a nice reminder to appreciate what we’ve got. Thanks Amy!
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well written post, Amy! Enjoyed reading it- Heather
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I’d offer to take some of those ferns off your hands if I lived closer. They’ve always been a favorite of mine.
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Thanks for that reminder. It is good to try and see with new eyes every once in a while, isn’t it?
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Loved this post, Amy. I had to laugh as we have a bed of ferns in our yard, too, and we’ve been debating whether or not to pull them. I wonder if there’s any sentimental attachement in our case? Nonetheless, maybe I should try bringing some of our green indoors.
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I am in love with these ferns…I want your ferns…I see them daily at a home on my way home and each day I say “I should stop and ask if they would share a start of those ferns with me.” I never do.
I honestly have looked at home stores, etc. trying to find these ferns to plant…any ideas?
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Melissa- I bet you if you asked someone that they would share them with you. They are easy to grow and multiply (it seems) easily. Our neighbor asked me if she could dig some of ours up for her back beds and I told her she could take as many as she wanted. When they look good, they look really good (like what is in the picture), but when they look bad they look really bad so you have to cut them down
Thanks for all the sweet compliments. I was gone today and it was so nice to come home to!
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Well said!!!
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Wow, I really needed that right now.
I have out-of-control ferns in one area of my yard. I never thought of cutting them and using them as something pretty in the house.
Where are my pruners?
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Wow, what a great idea. As you know I have ferns and I am going to have to do that.
Thanks for all of your hard work
Becky
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I also wanted to tell people that if you have ferns or know someone who has them, you can press them and frame them. It was a very cheap way to decorate my guest bedroom
Becky
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Thank you for this and beautifully put. It’s a relaxed and open mind that allows to change one’s perspective. There is so much in our lives that we take for granted, but with a little thought and awareness we can be truly grateful. And if ‘thoughts become things’, we attract more things into our life that we will be truly grateful for. Oh, it’s a great life…..if we can see it.
Thanks.
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I have ferns on the side of my house- and they remind me of the cottage when I was a child. They are so green and perfect. Great post! Thanks
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Mmmm, so true!
I’ve been so inspired to look around me more, since becoming a blogger (strange as that sounds). I think I’ve just been blessed to see the ways that others find beauty in small things, and use them to add that homey touch.
Like Merchant Ships is the perfect example… her gorgeous vases of flowers and greenery from outside have lately inspired this mama to pull over to the side of the road if I see lovely flower bushes somewhere that it would be appropriate to take a little bit for myself. Now I “brake for free floral arrangements” as often as I can!
Guess I need to really walk around my yard now and see if any of the overgrown plants I’ve been grumbling about as of late would be lovely inside my house. Thanks Amy!
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Stephanie- You are so right, Meredith has really inspired me too and helped me to see the beauty in things that I would not have seen before. She is so inspiring!
Becky commented about framing the ferns and she did that and they looked AMAZING! I noticed that my Country Home magazine had these as some design inspiration so I might have to try that too.
I am learning to appreciate decorating with nature a lot more!
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I really like ferns and have many in my yard. I never knew just how many types there were until I googled ferns and saw how many there were, maybe that could be a quest – how many types can you get in your side yard?
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Oh, what a great post! Thanks!
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