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Jimmye's friendship boat

Jimmye’s boat garden

Jimmye Lynn Dye-Porter’s boat garden started with a problem area on her property.

She tells a little background, “My home sits on a little over 1/2 acre and in one area near the property line, I get runoff from several directions. Needless to say, it is not ‘mowable.’   I decided to fill in as much as I could with top soil, garden soil, wildflowers and you name it.  One day as I was working, my neighbor who lives behind me was mowing (he owns the big pasture and pond). He asked what I was doing and I shared my plans… he said, “Would you like to have a boat to put in the low spot?”

But, Jimmye had already filled in, mulched and decorated this area with many projects inspired by Flea Market Gardening! Why was she starting over?

Jimmye starts the story, ” All of this was done in the first week of May. I was just sick of looking at the wet area. I had what I would call ‘completion on the original area’, …the one where the wild flowers, a bird bath, container plants and a wheelbarrow are. I was pretty satisfied with the area, then the boat came along. I left the original area, added the boat, then starting renovating it.

“My brain went into high gear when my neighbor first offered the boat.  I knew if he was serious, I WANTED that BOAT!  He and his wife delivered it on May 1st. My son in law came down the next day and helped me get it ‘docked’… and I went to work.”

“It became a whimsical challenge, just adding stuff here and there. I completed the project on May 12th. I worked all but two days and three of the days were 90 degree with unbearable humidity!  Everyone loves it! Other than my son in law helping dock the boat – I did all the work myself. A couple of times, I did not think this almost 65 widow would make it!”

“This is the day the boat floated up in my yard..”

Katty Kat and I spent all day putting newspaper and cardboard down to hopefully kill the grass in this area.

“The red pump came from my childhood home. I used it to ‘anchor’ the boat. I added cypress mulch on top of the cardboard, then started ‘gathering’ items from around the yard,” Jimmye tells us.

In progress….

“I started adding soil and more items from the yard. Lots and lots of garden soil. I added Lantana in the back, since they will eventually be large and red, white and blue wave petunias and red gerbera daisies,” Jimmye says.

Brooke and Fisher, two of Jimmye’s grandkids.

My grandchildren who live down the road from me, Brooke, who will be 6 in June and Fisher, who will be 10 in August, came down to inspect the boat.  There are 2 pair of boots on the seat on each side of Fisher, these were their first pair of boots, I have filled them with Hens and Chicks, Million Bells, and other succulents.

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Jimmye’s ‘stars’ are really her grandchildren!

I added two additional cobalt blue stars, for each of my grandchildren, Jackson who will be 9 in Oct and Kenna, who will be 3 in June… they are Texans! I will also add a small star in Sept. when then new grandson arrives.  If you will notice, the boat is now equipped with Cobalt Blue Satellite capabilities!

“This is the original area and I was happy with it!” says Jimmye.

“This is the original low, wet area I ‘filled in’ with cardboard and bark mulch.  It’s a good thing my son in law is in the furniture business – it took ‘almost a boat load of cardboard’ to fill in the low spots. My Granddaughter Brooke and I made the birdbath.  I had tomatoes, peppers, squash, scarlet runner beans, sweet pea, wildflowers and one lone Blue Bonnet!  The wheelbarrow came from my son in law, the yellow child’s rake $2.97 from WalMart and the hanging votive holder are decorated with the Bud Lite Platinum Bottles.”

“I planted sunflowers in the concrete blocks and the ones I transplanted from under the bird feeders.  There is an area about 12 feet between the wheelbarrow and pots and the boat, I am going to add canna, some of my daylilies and Russian sage.  My intent is to link the two areas, in the next week or so, lots of flowers & mulch.  I did move some of the items I had made earlier to the boat.. the rusty chair with the lighted sconce/the upside down tomato cages, the barrel planter. The rest I added after adding the soil & then mulched all around.”

“On the last day, I told my friend, Becky, that I had lost track of time, until I uploaded the photos and looked at the dates, I had no idea I had completed the ‘Boat Project’ in only eight days!”

“AND,” says Jimmye, “this is fact, the only craft I have ever done was needlepoint and cross-stitch and I have not been able to do either of those in about 15 years, due to my diminished vision. SO, this was an entirely new medium for me!”

Jimmye tells us, “I met Becky Norris through FMG, when I would see some of her posts there, or vice versa.  We would laugh at each others responses and then we decided we could be sisters, we have so much in common, even our heights, both 5’2″!  I have really enjoyed getting to know Becky, as well as others at Flea Market Gardening.  Everyone has so much fun and is so helpful and encouraging.  I am so glad I am able to ‘be a part’ of this wonderful group!”

***

My heart is warmed by your friendship story, Jimmye,…I love all your projects and smile at the thought that your ‘too wet’ area now holds a boat! ~~ Sue

Sue Langley

Sue Langley, a passionate gardener and photographer lives and gardens with her husband and Corgi, Maggie on 7 acres just south of Yosemite, Zone 7 at 3000 feet. She manages the Flea Market Gardening Facebook page and website.

View Comments

  • miscelaineous46 says:

    That is wonderful! Cobalt blue glass is my favorite. Thanks for the idea of putting bottles on a rake ... I have been wanting a bottle tree but this will do in the meantime. I especially love the copper fish! Jimmye, you did such a good job :) I am going on 66 and have a lot of gardening projects planned. You have given me some great ideas. Don't think I am going to have a boat, but you never know what will show up!! Have a wonderful summer.

  • Marie Niemann says:

    Loved your story Jimmye and the boat project! I bet the grandkids love coming to your house, you must be a fun Grandma to hang out with! Let's go play in the boat! hehe I'm happy you found FMG and have become a good friend to some of us fellow junkers!

  • Nancy K. Meyer says:

    We are a loveable bunch at FMG, glad you found your sister. I have found mine, too. Love the boat and the RWB --your project turned out 'grate' !!!!! Love it all and good to get to know you better.

  • sonia Zoe says:

    It a cute story - I too love the blue bottles on the rake - the kids are having a great time. Sonia Zoe

  • Jeanne Sammmons says:

    Wow, Jimmye, that is a remarkable make-over in just 8 days!!! The boat is terrific...what a neighbor!!! Looks like you've certainly made it your own & enjoyed so many FMGing projects to tie it altogether (or should I say to the dock!) The pump is great 'anchor' idea! Love FMGing, too ...& all the FMGing'ers on our Facebook page! TFS!

  • Becky Shaul Norris says:

    Wow, wow, wow, I can hardly believe my eyes. I saw the boat when it first 'washed" up to your place. It is hard to believe this is the same boat. You have done an amazing job. I do believe all that cardboard and mulch will do a fine job of keeping the weeds out. Hope you left the plug out of the boat. Jimmye, you are a blessing to me each day. Love the company I keep and I love all the things we have in common. We may be short of stature, but we sure do have big ideas, and through our own perseverence we have gotten the jobs done. It is amazing what we can do when we set our minds to it. I know several grandchildren are sure going to enjoy your boat. Keep up the good work and it will all get done in short order.

  • Sue Hunter says:

    I love the rake bottle tree!! I bought a bottle tree years ago for my parents for their antique lavender colored bottles for the old family home; this was before they became popular. Unfortunately, it was just another "thing" Dad put with the rest of the stuff in one of their numerous storage areasa; garage, old barn, old chicken coop.mower shed, basement, camper trailer, storage pod, etc. Dad got very ill 3 years ago and I came to help Mom take care of him. He died not quite a year later and my husband and I decided early retirement was our future to move in to care for Mom, whose health is also faiiling. We found the "tree" and put it out and then started filling it with the many antique and collector type vintage bottles. It blew over this spring and broke one of the antique bottles; but a few weeks earlier my husband had come across more bottles in, you guessed it, a storage area! He reinforced the tree and "mounted it" so it can't blow over in our sometimes 65 MPH winds, But then I had all these new bottles and a full tree. What to do, what to do? We are doing a lot of fixing and renovating of this 100 yr old property and bottle trees don't come cheap! And he found another crate of old bottles just today!! But you know what was out in the old chicken coop/mower shed? Leaf rakes, long-tined pitch and manure forks. They too are antiques, so I will have doubly cool bottle trees! Hooray! And thanks for the idea. And this beautiful inspiring garden, it is "ship shape!!!"

  • Debra Clark says:

    This looks great and love all your ideas ! Found my "sisters" too !! I have a motorboat I keep threatening to my hubby to bury n plant if the owner doesnt show up ! Been 6 yrs now so thinking its time !! Cheers!

  • I love the boat idea for your problem wet area. I know of a house that has the same issue when it rains. They hung up a sign that says lakewillbegone in the area. I have always thought it was cute.

    I love the bottles on the rake idea. Thanks for sharing. I will be incorporating that into my gardens next year. My grand daughter and I have been putting bottles on bamboo (whatever we can find) sticks and mixing them among the perennials. I love pops of blue in the garden.

    Thanks for sharing your story and pictures.

    Myra

  • May I become one of you, having a love for cobalt blue?

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