A slave to the Goddess Flora shares his garden adventures.
-
Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.
With working seven days a week during most of the year, it's been a treat to have a couple of free weeks to play in my garden! Lots of little projects got done with a lot more that need to be done. Here are some of the things in my garden that made me smile while I was working.
I got the lower head planter on a visit to Rosedale Gardens (post to come later) with my garden blogging pal, Alison, who also bought one. Wonder where she put hers?
The kalmia on the right has never been covered with so many flowers and the dead-looking bamboo on the left is actually putting out more leaves. So glad I listened to Alison's advice and didn't get another!
I got this cool amber "seed pod" last time I visited Judi Hook. It glows when the sun hits it!
Meanwhile, the one she made for me, delivered, and helped install this March is looking much more integrated now that the plants have filled in a bit.
The naked gardener came out of the garage and now has a place in the garden again.
This dragon by Blackwaters metal never made it onto my car as a hood ornament but I like it here preparing to eat the severed head of a cherub!
The everlasting alliums that I first saw in Linda and Tom Reeder's garden and purchased from Gardener's Supply last fall are finally out of their box.
This beautiful Italian bench, a Christmas gift from my pal Florence, had been sitting around in pieces and is now together and in a permanent place.
Fiddleheads from the lovely and talented Barbara Saunderson of Glass Gardens Northwest finally came out of their bubble wrap and into the garden. Looking forward to adding more. Blue next?
Glass flowers are blooming!
Is there anything quite as cute as a new hatchling?
Now it's time to do more tidying and clean up of beds and brickwork. There's always something to do in the garden isn't there?
I love garden art and am especially fond of the work of Judi Hook. Fortunately, she enjoys sharing her latest work with me. See some previous visits here. A few weeks ago, I got to see what Judi's been up to lately.
I love this combination of metal and one of her her "seed pods"
Rusty and shiny two of my favorite things!
A new colossal-siced (nearly 4 feet) piece. This bright orange color reminds me of the sun.
These simply glow when the sun hits them!
Warm colors are especially welcome in the winter when they brighten our gray days.
Allium on steroids. This one may need to come home with me someday soon.
Judi has started powder coating some of her work. I love this sparkly blue/purple color!
The powder coating transforms these into elegant pieces for gardeners who aren't fond of rusty metal.
Another of the combination pieces.
Plum and orange. Delicious!
Judi runs a horse boarding business, rides and shows horses which explains the fences everywhere. This new work is in a field behind her studio in the barn.
Walking through the barn was quite a treat as I haven't been around horses for years. They're such beautiful animals. The sound of birdsong in the barn was delightful. Judi pointed out many swallow nests. She looks forward to their returning to nest each year. Is that cute or what?
Judi's still working her magic growing sempervivum on rocks.
A neighbor asked Judi to make a finial for his flagpole; she came up with this and liked it so much that she made one for herself and is displaying it on driftwood.
Revisiting some old friends.
So excited was I with looking at her latest creations that I forgot to take many pictures of he gorgeous gardens.
I hope you enjoyed seeing this new stuff. If you'd like to purchase any of Judi's work, give her a call at (253) 847 - 2937. I know someone who will be driving to Portland for the fling and would be delighted to bring any of it to you!
Even though it was a very wet day on Sunday, we couldn't stay inside like sane people but had to go out and dig up some bamboo and cut back what was left. Didn't get a truly before picture but think of the bamboo all being as tall as those stray tall pieces near the blue evergreen. Things are so easy to dig up right now!
Why do this chore on such a day? Well, because something was arriving today that demanded it. What could it be? You may have guessed that it's a new refrigerator since ours stopped working on Thursday night but that won't be coming until Tuesday and wouldn't require that a space be made for it. Look there, out on the street, taking up most of the bed of Judi Hook's truck.
Looks a little 1960's science fiction movie ish to me or maybe like one of those Christmas ornaments folks used to make with pins, sequins, beads, etc. Remember those? The kits came from some craft catalogue.
Here's the path to the back yard before the installation. Sorry, I was way too busy during the installation to run inside and get the camera. Did I mention that the rain was pouring down like we maybe should have considered building an ark?
Here it is after. Loree tells me that the mud will wash away eventually. Tom on the right and Judy on the left both stayed relatively dry while I, wearing no coat, became drenched. Oh well it feels good to be inside, drinking coffee and writing about it in dry clothes.
It's certainly different from everything else in my garden.
My pal Florence, about whose Italian-inspired garden I posted here, here, here, and here decided that I needed a little bit of Italy in my own garden. I got a call from Florence a day before Christmas asking if I'd be home for the next few minutes. Shortly afterward, her husband's truck pulled up in front of our place to deliver a garden bench supported by two winged lions (the heraldic symbol of St. Mark) Here are the legs of the bench.
And here is the top of the bench. What an incredible surprise! I haven't put it together yet because I can't decide where to put it. I'm going to clear out a couple of areas in the garden this winter and make some changes in them so I'll wait to put it together until I've chosen a special place for it.
What a great motivator to get outside and get busy!
For those of you who didn't attend the recent garden bloggers' fling and who are following my series of posts about it, we now find ourselves still in day one of the adventure. It's a beautiful sunny morning, we've just visited a couple of incredible gardens and we're now visiting Annie's Annuals and Perennials in Richmond, CA. (one of the fling sponsors) where we'll have a nice catered lunch and listen to an informative presentation done by a representative of the Dramm Corporation, a major sponsor of the event. Thanks again to all of the sponsors for keeping costs down for participants allowing a larger number of folks to attend not to mention all the cool items donated! Like many gardeners, I've ordered from Annie's catalog and online for years and was looking forward to seeing this fabled place in person. (BTW, if you don't get Annie's catalog, and enjoy gardening, make sure you click on the link above and rectify the situation. Since Annie's carries a lot of rare and unusual annuals that will grow in nearly every zone, there is sure to be much in her catalog that you can't live without!)
Perhaps you already know that I love yard art, tasteful to tacky, it all brings me pleasure. I should say that clean architectural lines, beautifully placed pots, limited color etc. to be an equally stimulating artistic statement. The Dramm presentation (I think it should have been titled, "It's one Dramm thing after another.") took place took place beneath the shade of an event tent(whew, it was a sunny and hot day!) Dramm's new line of brightly colored and well made irrigation tools were a delight to see but my attention wandered during the presentation to a chapel in the background.
The work by California mosaic artist Tina Amidon, is titled "Allegorical Reliquary-Mosaic Chapel Fountain" and is a visual delight through which to walk. I love symbolism and tried to figure out what was being said here.
I wonder if the round or rose window at the top of this end panel with it's space ship and moon is an intentional homage to the space window at the National Cathedral?
The inclusion of entire three dimensional objects like these tea pots in this large-scale mosaic fascinated me!
The rose window at the other end.
Here's a video of the artist explaining her work. It's interesting to hear her explanation after reading my own interpretation into her opus and also to see water pouring over one of the side walls. You can see the receptacle at the base of this wall. I wonder if it's still functional?
Not that this needs water. It's quite interesting just the way it is.
The chapel is for sale in case you were wondering. I didn't see a price but I bet that the friendly folks at Annie's would be more than happy to tell you. You may find yourself
Could you see this chapel in your garden? I think I have a place where it might work very well. How much do you suppose it would cost to ship a few tons of concrete nearly a thousand miles? Fear not, it may be heavy but not as heavy as one might think. From Ms. Amidon's website, we learn that it's "made of mosaic and stucco on polymer-fortified concrete, fiberglass mesh, and polystyrene foam armature. Hmmm.
Do you remember the UNCF slogan, "They're not looking for a hand out, just a hand?"
Are you a fan of mosaic work? Stepping stones, mosaic pots, or other objects?
Unfortunately, the paint is crackling off the red bottles taking away their original vibrancy.
What are your thoughts about this chapel? Does your garden need it? Do you think it might be interesting but only in someone else's garden or do you dislike it altogether?
