Best laid plans.

I had planned to do a wine barrel planter like Kate at Centsational Girl.   

I live in So Cal, so they aren't as cheap here as hers, $40 here, but I thought why not.  We have an area to the side of the garage that I had been meaning to 'refresh'.  It has had dry stacked bricks for 23 years and weeds were growing between the bricks.  I had been wanting to change it to pea gravel for awhile, but DH reminded me that then we have lots of bricks to deal with.  So I went looking for ideas for bricks.  In the mean time here is a before shot.

See the alyssum and hummingbird salvia grew in between the bricks!  While I hated to get rid of them, the bricks had to go.  Don't you love the white rock.  It was DH's grandpa's.  We have about 5 of them throughout the garden.

So after removing the bricks and laying new weed cloth I found this awesome idea for what to do with my bricks, a few of them anyway.  Esther at Fleur Gardens  had this awesome idea for a dry stacked brick column.  Well I had the bricks and a spot to put a small one.  I just needed sand and pavers.  So off to Lowes I went.  Here is a pick of the process:

After I went to Lowes I stopped at Walmart and found a neat pot for $20, it is Better Homes and Gardens and is lightweight.  I then stopped at Home Depot, they are in a loop around town, and got some succulents, they were on sale 4 for $10.  So here it is

What do you think?  I like how it gives the space some dimension.  Here is a close up:

Hopefully the succulents will start spilling over the sides and the orange flowers of the plant in the middle the hummingbirds will like.  Here is the whole area with the gravel.

Love how it turned out.  Now on to figure out what to do with the rest of the bricks.  Any ideas?

Toodles,

Laura