Carlene collects clutter!

Good clutter… The way Carlene Blair arranges this clutter is her talent and also the name of the  blog story, Organized Clutter, of her garden and home creations.   Junk gardening is one of the topics on her blog along with interior decorating, crafting and treasure hunting, all of our favorite things!

Many of her garden projects are so refreshingly unique that I know her imagination is boundless. Take a walk with us around her Northern Minnesota garden and see which projects and garden beds will inspire you.

Carlene’s garden sink is decorated for 4th of July

”My name is Carlene and I am the mother of three grown children, grandmother of two, and work four days each week selling furniture. I live in northern Minnesota, and chronicle my collecting, and decorating with vintage items in my home and gardens on my blog Organized Clutter. Although I have been a flower gardener for over twenty years, I didn’t become a junk gardener until the late 1990’s when I was inspired by Mary Randoph Carter’s book “Garden Junk.”

Above is Carlene’s potting sink, complete with a dish rack with blue and white plates.  A vintage pump and teapot sit on top along with red geraniums and small American flags.

Ironing board vignette includes a vintage iron, a tiny dress and a fresh pot of flowers

My favorite junk garden pieces are vintage, rusty farm tools, and also vintage kitchen items that are readily available and inexpensive at thrift shops.”

Carlene’s brilliant idea to ‘frame’ a hanging basket

“My most popular garden project began as a square rustic picture frame, a galvanized bucket (that originally contained a citronella candle), and a techno-heat lobelia.  I hung the framed lobelia from a limb on my birch tree.”

Flower beds go vertical with a step stool and ladder

“My front yard border, a mix of perennials, annuals, and junk, is a favorite of my neighbors.  The stepladder has been my garden signature piece for over 10 years while other plants and junk have come and gone.”  Carlene remarked.

Pump vignette “I like old pumps too and gas nozzles!” Carlene says

Sweet container trio,…mushrooms made in small Jell-O molds

“I love using unusual repurposed items as planters, like this vintage ice cream freezer, and I like making garden decor from junk too.  The toadstools were made from individual Jello molds and screwdrivers.”

Hens and chicks get toasted

Carlene says, “”I challenge myself every garden season to find a new way to plant Sempervivum or hen and chicks.  Here I planted them in a vintage toaster.”

Toy tractor pushes a load of gravel in a succulent bed

“I added a toy Tonka front end loader to my succulent garden last year along with a dollar store river rock path.” she said.

Burlap covered patio chairs

Carlene says, “My stoneware bean pots with begonias and impatiens on top of another large crock. I did a graphics fairy transfer of French Roosters onto freezer paper ironed to muslin. The chair cushions are my old ones that I wrapped (like a present) with burlap!”

Carlene’s chippy red funnel echoes a colorful red lantana

Just combining two ordinary things can create so much charm. She says,  “Here’s my upside down galvanized funnel with red stripe and a broken broom handle.”

Carlene created this terracotta and succulent miniature garden

A harvest season chair planter mixes orange mums and a cool blue background

Carlene’s uses vibrant color in her front flower bed

Carlene’s front border has low plants in front and taller ones in back to show off all the primary colors.  “Since I garden in northern Minnesota in a hard Zone 3 climate, my front border is just starting to fill in, but in July, I think it will be beautiful!”  she tells us.