Welcome to the board.You'll find lots of enablers here that are all willing to help you spend your money.LOL,LOL You have a nice looking yard.
These folks have some gorgeous garden and you'll learn a lot here.
Kathi

Thank-you Kathi, I dont always trust my ideas so having people in kahoots will help. Such as ideas for the post's
I was thinking of rock on the bottom 1/3 and then white boards with trim on the top? The post just dont look chunky enough to just paint white.

Welcome to posting!

Wow, your garden is spectacular, and I love your stonework. That fireplace is beautiful! I agree with you that your posts are too skinny. Your plan sounds good. The stone bases would look great with your cobble paths and the stone fireplace.
Renee

Your garden is beautiful. Agree the stonework is gorgeous and your idea is great for your posts.
Cher

Hi Lou and welcome to the forum!

"you people have gardens that bring the word swoon to mind!"

Lou, your garden is definitely 'swoon-worthy'. Your first pic looks like a lovely little oasis!

I'd probably just replace the skinny posts with 6"x6" wood ones but then I usually keep it simple (easy) and have no talent at stone-work. Your pond and FP are lovely - did you do those yourself?

Looking forward to seeing more pics of your lovely garden. :)

Are you talking about the porch posts? If so, no need to replace them. Just cover them with 1 x 4 on all 4 sides. Caulk and then paint them white. That is what the builder (my DH) did for our porch at my former house. If I can find a picture, I will post it.

That said, welcome to "this" family of gardeners.

Kathy

Thank-you everyone! Plantmaven, I think what I am going to do is do the bottom 1/3rd stone and the top 2/3rds in the way you talked of. Of course its going to have to wait awhile. Its been 21 degrees here with snow..which gives me a really bad case of spring fever! LOL

Your plants are beautiful! Too lush to be in TX. We have been in a drought for several years.
Things get so pretty and then the heat hits mid May.
No spring fever here......yet. We are just now having our "winter". No hard frost yet. I still have roses blooming.

plantmaven I love columbines! I grow them but have a problem with mildew and rot, so I enjoy them while I can. What are the taller yellow flowers near your porch? I feel bad for you with the drought, I complain enough just having to water twice a week when its summer. It would help I suppose if I put in a watering system. I have a niece who just moved her family to TX. Shes enjoying the warmth! Im thinking shes in for a shock coming june july?

They are also columbines. They are a hybrid of Texas red native and Hinkleys gold.

Yes, the first summer in TX is a shocker.

What part of TX does she live? I am in San Antonio. Also what part of the country do you live?

My niece moved to austin, her husband landed a good paying job so its off to another adventure! I'm in the foothills of the cascades in oregon, I'm at 1850 elevation so I dont have the warmer weather like the valley, we're always about 10 days behind and 10 degrees cooler on average. Its always a gamble planting tomatoes and forget melons. Biggest problems are deer, birds and pocket gophers.(photo shows what deer can do to covered beds!)