a bench, a fountain, and garden lights

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Lamps Plus.  As always, all words and opinions expressed are honest and my own.

Do you remember some of the lighting fixtures I’ve gotten from Lamps Plus for our house so far?  We updated the 50-year-old exterior lights with the classic Stratton Street Lights…

We added a lot more light to the long, interior hall with the Possini Euro Star fixtures…

…and freed up the living room side tables by adding the Mendes Antique Brass wall sconces over the sofa.

As we’ve been turning some of our attention to the house’s exterior this spring and summer, I started looking at some of the items offered in the “plus” categories of Lamps Plus.  What initially led me to them was the search for a teak bench similar to the one we bought in PA and took with us to Minnesota.  I loved that bench, but it was perfect on the porch of the Minnesota house, so we ended up selling it to the new owners.  Once we built the new fence in our current yard and started sprucing up the landscape, I envisioned a teak bench along the fence to provide a focal point and some seating when we have a bonfire.

Lamps Plus came up in that search with the exact same teak bench.  I love the classic styling of the back and the arms.  It’s a deeper bench, making it comfortable for sitting on, but it also isn’t too heavy so it can be moved around as needed.

I can’t wait until it has aged and matches the worn gray finish of the teak lounge chairs.  I’m also looking forward to the yellow newness of the fence calming down a bit!

I planted a limelight hydrangea on either side of the bench and plan to add a little boxwood hedge around those.  I’m also going to build a trellis to grow something along the fence behind the bench.  In a few years, it’ll be a really lovely moment in the back garden.

It was easy to assemble and is very sturdy once it’s it’s all put together.  I had my other bench for about eight years and it held up beautifully, which is why I wanted another one.  You can find the teak bench HERE.

I also ordered the Farron 3-tiered lit fountain.  We considered adding a fountain to the pool, but we were a little limited as to where we could add it and what styles we could choose from.  I felt like the backyard would benefit from the trickling sound of water and, since we couldn’t add it to the pool, a fountain was going to be the best option.  I love this fountain even more than I thought I would.  It looks great, but the sound of water adds so much to the ambiance of the pool and patio.

(I had the foundation leveled out, but it has settled a bit, so I need to fix it so the water falls out of all of the spouts.)  I have found it to be easy to care for.  I just top off the water every couple of days (when it’s really hot) and sometimes use the jet nozzle to force cloudy water out before I refill it with fresh water.  I’ve even caught the birds playing in it.

And, the fountain is lovely at night.  The lights are subtle and just add a gentle glow.

It’s another addition that adds so much to the patio.

The last thing I ordered from Lamps Plus was four Bellagio solar-powered landscape spotlights.  We positioned two on either side of the espalier apple tree to highlight them at night.  I thought it would be a nice idea, but I had no idea how impactful it would be.  I never paid much attention to lighting around the house other than for safety, but now I’m thinking of all of the other ways the garden and house could be lit.

The best part is, since they are solar-powered, you literally just pull them out of the box, turn them on, put them in place, and they are good to go.  They are easy to move for edging or mowing or if I decide to use them in another place.  I can see adding more over time to highlight more features.  I can see these being nice to light a mailbox, house number, or a holiday wreath on the front door.

As I shared in this post, Lamps Plus has quite a few things for your home and garden that aren’t even lights!  It’s my go-to place for new light fixtures, but I’ve also learned it’s a good place to check for patio furniture and other things that might be nice additions as we continue to work on our home and garden.

Now that the temperatures are cooling off, I hope to get some more yard work done before winter.  We have some soil and grass seed to put down and we want to get the trim along the back of the house painted and shutters painted and installed.  I can’t believe we’re already in September!!

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