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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.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

An Unexpected Christmas Gift

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!

23 comments:

  1. What a great addition! I really like it.

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    1. Me too! It'll be fun to drag the parts all over the garden to decide where to put it!

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  2. What a wonderful present! I'm glad to hear you have plans for changes to the garden this year, after the slump you seemed to be in last year.

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    1. The garden still seems a bit overwhelming but I'm enjoying puttering around and doing things a little at a time. Now that the pain is gone, I have the ability to do a lot more without it hurting. Makes a big difference!

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  3. Oh. Oh. Oh! What an incentive to really get moving in the garden. We should all have a friend like Florence.

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    1. Along with the bench came a book, "1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die" Florence is a wonderful friend!

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  4. WOW! What an incredible gift! How wonderful to have a reminder of her in your garden. There is another Portland blogger who needs your design/plant advice. Check out Susie's blog at http://www.life-change-compost.com/. :o)

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    1. It is very sweet to have this reminder of her in my garden! I have many in my house. I'll check out Susie's blog as it's always fun to find a new one!

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  5. That Florence really knows how to give a gift, what a great addition to your garden! (as will be those manzanitas from Xera...)

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    1. Yes indeed! Now I just need to figure out where to put the bench and all the plants I've been aquiring!

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  6. What a great friend and a great present!

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  7. What a lovely present and a great addition to your garden!

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  8. Gift giving is an art. I'd say Florence is a great artist.

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  9. Jealous! How wonderful, Peter. I can't wait to see how you situate it in your garden. I'm going to go check out your posts of her garden.

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  10. What a great gift! And is that a new daphne? A great plant to sit and smell on a bench . . .

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    1. Some new plants from a trip to Dig Nursery on Vashon Island a few weeks ago! They'll be planted in the ground sooner or later.

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  11. Ohmigosh, you scored! Totally jealous.

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  12. You have good friend, Peter. Nice gift!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.