PERFECT PLANTS FOR BLACK THUMBS

I have a black thumb and generally stick to fake plants. In fact, if you saw on Snap Chat (@avestyles) yesterday you would have seen that I killed my purple fig cactus. A cactus!!! Lord, help me! So, when it came time to pick plants for our yard I thought to myself, "Oh no. I don't know if I want to spend money on things that are going to die a couple months later." Haha! But, I can't put fake plants in my yard, so John Harper from Harper's Landscape came to my rescue!

I went to Harper's Nursery to select plants for my Hayneedle outdoor makeover (click here to see how it turned out), and I said, "John, you gotta help me. Please show me some plants that are hard to kill." I don't think it was his first time running into the likes of me. He was really knowledgable and showed me exactly what to buy. Here's what I bought:

Sky Flower - this plant is so beautiful (shown above). It has berries and purple flowers. It also grows like a weed and look pretty in big planters. It definitely needs a good amount of water every day, but that's really it.

Mexican Fence Post - It's a hearty cactus that seems to be doing just fine. The hot, hot summer and direct sunlight haven't killed it yet. 

Agave - Another hearty desert dwelling plant that needs hardly any water. That's my kind of plant. It really thrives in the sun and warm temperatures. It's nice to know we can leave on a weekend trip and know that this plant will be a-okay.

Sour Orange- If you want a plant that can grow sky high, give a lot of shade and have it create a hedge then you might want to buy a sour orange bush. John told me that these are just as good as oleanders, but they aren't poisonous to animals. They do have huge thorns on them though.

Bottle Palm - Nothing says paradise like a palm tree. I wanted to fill these cool Hayneedle planters with a substantial plant, and so John suggested a Bottle Palm Tree. They just need good drainage and clean water. 

My yard feels like such an oasis now. I highly recommend Harper's Landscape for all of your landscaping and gardening needs. Their customer service served me well, and I know that would do the same for you too.

Photos by Rennai Hoefer

BACKYARD MAKEOVER WITH HAYNEEDLE

Even though it's a record 120 degrees in Phoenix, we still enjoy being outside and living in our pool all summer. This is the first summer in our new suburban home, and it's the first time we have been ready to invest in some outdoor furniture. I was delighted to get to partner with Hayneedle to create a modern, comfortable outdoor living space. They offer all different design styles at affordable prices. Do you want to see how it turned out?

Because our suburban home has a traditional style of architecture, I wanted to honor that and insert some modern, clean lines that are true to my style. I think it's important to try and balance the integrity of the exterior space because all modern would have stuck out like a sore thumb.

The color palette was kept simple with off-white, wood and pops of blue thrown in. I picked blue because of the bright blue skies and blue water from the pool. 

On our furniture wish-list was a big dinner table that could seat our whole family, as well as different areas we could lounge outside and watch the kids swim and play. Hayneedle offered so many modern conversation sets. It was really easy to find what we wanted.

Coley and Lindsey, stylists and founders of Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market, helped me put the final touches on the makeover project. You can see more of the design process and reveal photos on Hayneedle's blog. Click here to check it out. Shop the entire space here.

Also, be sure to check out Coley's boho outdoor spot and Lindsey's industrial modern makeover with Hayneedle on their blog. Here's a little peek below.

Lindsey's backyard is amazing! This hammock looks so dreamy!

Coley's backyard is a boho oasis. I love how she combines old vintage pieces with new furniture.

Photos by Rennai Hoefer