1 Turned on its side and fastened to a shelf, a vintage pitcher
becomes a birdhouse.
2 Drainage holes are the only additional touch needed to turn a
rusted cart into a lush—and portable—container.
3 Wanting to separate the garden from an adjacent parking
area, Julie built a 16-foot-long cedar divider and adorned it with
finials and yellow window frames.
4 and 5 Repurposed containers of all kinds are simpler to
care for—and still pretty—when filled with drought-tolerant
succulent plants. 6 and 7 Lined with deeply textured T1-11
siding that is difficult to paint, the shed’s interior walls took well
to the desired whitewashed look.
“THE SHED IS WELL-
USED. IT’S NOT
JUST FOR LOOKS.”
— JULIE LINDQUIST
inside; outside, more than 15 containers
take shape from repurposed colanders,
sinks, chairs—even an old window screen.
“I like cute junk,” Julie says. “I’m not
formal. I’m more into the repurposed.”
Swirling around the shed, plantings
also play into the casual feel. Daylilies
and hostas, favored for their color, size,
reliability, structure, and easy care, make
numerous appearances. “Some of them I
buy just because I like the names,” Julie
says. “How can you pass up a hosta called
‘Empress Wu’?”
Time puttering among flowers and
flotsam evaporates much like early-morning
mist on the lakeshore. As the murmuring
voices of fishers drift from the cove and
deer slip in and out of the surrounding
woods, Julie loses herself for hours at a time
watering or trimming plants. More time
quickly passes in the shed where she reads
garden magazines and relaxes amid her
bargain finds. “I have an old Lloyd Flanders
chair in there that I bought at a rummage
sale for $50, and it’s maybe a little too
comfortable,” she says. “I can’t tell you how
many times I’ve sat in it for a mini break
and wound up taking a 30-minute nap.”