Wish this had been my idea

But i saw it in a magazine some years ago. Now all I can hope for is that I can keep the plants alive. There's a fair amount of sand in the tiles. What do you think?
Pity the lamium's pink doesn't show up much.

Nice looking grouping. I don't care where you got the idea, it is beautiful.

thanks, cat.

Woodspirit that looks very nice. It may not have been your original idea but you have definitely made it your own, with the plants you chose. There is a whole discussion about growing Herbs in the square terricotta flue tubes. Helps keep them more contained. I have a rather large terricotta drain pipe in the middle of my yard that one of the boys drug home years ago.
I went back and tried to find the thread I was talking about and can't find it.

Where do you find these terricotta flues?

A builders supply shop, someone that sells cinder-blocks. Maybe a stone yard where you get stone, gravel and sand. Here we have a place called Builders Supply and they sell all that type of building material.

Thank you,Holly.

Here's a picture of some herbs in flue tiles / chimney liners:

http://davesgarden.com/forums/p.php?pid=2809260

Some nurseries around here stock them. Woodspirit's are unusual, with beveled instead of rounded corners. I've never seen any quite like them, very neat!

Thanks Claypa, That's the one I was looking for. And your right about Woodspirit's tubes. I have seen those before, can't remember what exactly they are for, one of my boys would know. The shape adds a little extra interest, more than just a round one would.

i got mine from a yard that sells all kinds of brick, block, catch basins, manhole covers, stepping stones, concrete pavers, cement culverts, etc. One has a chip out of the bottom but does not affect my use. I think they gave all 3 to me.


This message was edited May 20, 2007 11:09 AM

I really like it too. I've seen something similar in a magazine years ago...maybe Southern Living. I didn't have the perfect spot back then...now I do. Thanks for the lovely reminder.

Yes, yes, yes! Southern Living for sure. I keep a large binder with gardening information/ideas so I went and looked and there was the article from 1996. I tried to scan it to send here but my scanner would have nothing of printed material.

This message was edited May 19, 2007 5:14 PM

woodspirit~That's a great grouping, no matter who thought of it first! What are the plants in the tubes (I know golden creeping jenny)? Looks great with the Pink Pewter lamium and sweet woodruff. Guess who *else* will be combining those plants in her garden this summer? :0)

p.s. Is that sweet woodruff?

This message was edited May 19, 2007 6:20 PM

er, i forgot. They were in a group labeled "stepables" because you can walk on them without damage. The light green one is not creeping jenny, that much I remember. I just wonder how to keep them alive. should have put portulaca in one of them.

Woodspirit, I have portulaca and Celosia planted in my large terracotta drain pipe. The portulaca reseeds its self and I just add a couple of the Celosia. It's very colorful. Mine is 2 ft high and 2 ft in diameter, One of my sons drug it home and it was given a place of honor right in the middle of the front yard. It's been sitting there so long that I can't remember which son scrounged it up. There are daffs planted in a circle around the base. I could / should do something a little more decorative with it. Include it in a flowerbed maybe add something that would cascade down the sides. I was just thinking that it was probably Jamie, now almost 25, because the reason we plant Portulaca and Celosia is that Jamie picked out the flowers to plant in it and I am still using the same combo.

HollyAnn,sounds pretty to me.
Do you have pictures?

I like man because they add such a different texture to the surrounding plantings.