Let's see your ARBORS and TRELLISES !

There are stained glass insets in the fences too. Irises on the fence in front:

Here's a closeup of that one.

And stained glass cats on the back fence.

I have some big pieces too, but I still haven't found the perfect place for them. They weigh a ton and have very sharp corners, so I had to move them out of a couple of places because I was afraid I'd kill myself on them. I have to find a spot where I won't be gardening underneath them and bash my skull in when I carelessly stand up without remembering they're there. I know myself too well to trust that I'll always be careful. I can't count the number of times I've knocked myself silly by working under a hanging plant and getting up quickly.

This is one of the big pieces.

I have dozens of stained glass garden ornaments too, but they've been put away for the winter and won't be back outside until March or April.

Cheer thats one great idea for a trellis.
Wish I was 50 again ,there is a ton of that at my girlfriends.
If
I could haul it.
ZuZu Beautiful glass work.Great idea for the corners of the trellis.

Zuzu - your stained glass is beautiful. I love the corner placement and think the inserts are just so beautiful, so unusual and such a lovely addition to the garden.

I like those fence inserts. Can stained glass hold up to freezing weather? They certainly would be nice color accents during the gray tones of winter.

Zuzu,
wow, what a great direction to go with your art! I used to do stained glass. Get the itch to do it now and then. Inspiring!

http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y256/cheerpeople/sequence%20of%20blooms%20Sept%2008/?action=view¤t=sept8016.jpg

There is another picture of the clematis in bloom after this one. The clematis is 'Sweet Autumn' It is 4 yrs old in the pics. I bought it as a in a 4 inch pot from another gardener! It has a lovely fragrance.

ge1836- you are right, it was heavy to haul and work with, but winters are long here. I had time.

It is glorious.

just checked photobucket. Great shots, your garden is beautiful. Love the astilbe.

Beautiful stained glass, Zuzu!

Zuzu has cats of every type - living and statues/ornaments. Show us some of them, Zuzu.

Yes I'm a cat person too .

I can't keep up with Zuzu and her kitties. At one time there were 17 but then there were some deaths and some new arrivals so I'm not sure what the current count is.

in my dreams to be that lucky.
We are allowed 4.

Two dogs at a time was enough for us so God bless Zuzu and her big heart to welcome kitties that would otherwise not be around to grace her garden.

Thanks, Zuzu on the Lilian Vernon tip. It should be easy to check to see if they still have them.

Sure enjoying the the thread and all the pics. Love seeing the results of creative minds at work!

Tonya

There are some nice expandable trellises in Garden Supply catalogue.
I'm thinking of a medium for clems.

Whoa, hold the phone! I didn't make the stained glass. I have an overdeveloped talent for shopping and almost no other talents at all.

Louise, they aren't hurt by the frost here, but I don't know what might happen with real freezes.

I have 16 cats right now. I lost a few of them this year, but then I acquired two feral kitties and I bought one on sale at a shelter. I told you I have a talent for shopping. Mambo cost only $25, and that included every vaccination imaginable, neutering, and microchipping.

Jasper, the first feral, was a tough nut to crack, but he's now fully integrated with the other cats, and although he still won't let me pet him, he's indirectly petting me by brushing up against my leg -- pretending it's by accident, of course. He's my constant companion in the garden, following me wherever I go.

The latest feral is a 7-year-old female tabby. She's still in seclusion on the screened porch and hasn't met the other cats yet. Like Jasper, she was also living on territory that was being taken over by coyotes. The people who trapped her and brought her to me said her name is Sweetie Girl, but as they talked about her, they kept lengthening the name, so it's more like Sweetie Girl Adorable Darling Lovely Baby. I might have to change that name.

The only thing that is dangerous for stained glass is pressure, as if it was attached to a ridgid surface and got some torque.

"Almost no other talents", Zuzu! Surely you jest!

I love Zuzu's kitties, have yet to meet them all but here's a little collage I posted the other day on the rose forum. Or did I post it on the garden forum somewhere already? Loosing track.

And one of my first pictures of Lumpia, taken April 2006, I love this one!

cat envy

Zuzu you must have a big heart and a big bag of kitty litter!
Lampia- I wanted one that color, so now we have frank.
It's hard to say which I love more- Frank or the blue- eyed grass!- here's a baby pic.

Frank is adorable! I have a soft spot for orange cats. Two of my other orange cats are featured in Sue's collage.

I guess I should put up a pic of my stray. He was first brought to my attention by my other half (who claimed to hate cats) pointing out the orange cat hiding under the rose bushes. It took me several weeks to convince him (the cat) that I would not hurt him, just feed him.

7 months later......I woke up with Jack(my other half) Dexter and Casey (the dogs) and Osee...My bed never seemed so small.

And, my other half that claimed to hate cats, threw a hissy fit when I said I was going to bring him to the local shelter. "Oh no, He's a nice cat. He's staying here." I think I'll keep Dexter, Casey and Osee. There is a wicked smile on my face as I type this.

Oh, what a sweet picture! He has beautiful eyes. Is the name Osee like O.C. for orange cat? I used to have a cat named JD, for John Doe, because he was a generic tabby.

You are absolutely correct Zuzu. Orange Cat, O.C. Osee. After my last cat was killed by a car I said I would never have another cat because I live on a very busy road and I would not be able to contain the cat with a dog door in the house. But this cat is smart, he seems to know where not to go, namely the road. Also, my side of the bed, because that is where the alarm clock is.

I can understand your reluctance, but if it isn't a car, it's something else. My sweet Tootsie cat was killed last year by a huge falling branch as she was taking a nap under my neighbor's Liquidambar tree. We think they're so safe in our gardens and away from the street, but it ain't necessarily so.

Every time I've been in the market for a cat, I could never find an orange one. They seem to be the first ones to get adopted at the shelters and when I've gone to private homes where they are giving away kittens, the orange ones are always off limits.

That is one very handsome red cat !

That's a heartbreaker about Tootsie. We try our best to keep them safe, but it doesn't always work.

Mambo was certainly a bargain. Osee's first visit to the Vet was almost $200.

JD, you may be fated to get an orange cat the same way I did. He just wandered in and stayed.

When things like that happen, Louise, I can only take comfort in the thought of the extra time they had. Tootsie was a day away from euthanasia when I brought her home from the shelter more than 10 years ago, so she was on borrowed time from the start.

Mambo was a true bargain. He's worth his weight in gold. Totally affectionate, with no bad habits whatsoever.

I admire all you for taking in shelter animals. Bless your hearts.

We never get the chance, we just open the door and they run in. That's how we got the last two cats, apparently someone just dropped them off. One time my husband opened the garage door, the next time it was a neighbor. Zoom, in they ran, in the dead of winter.

And my beloved dog Bandit, who passed away a few years ago, was the runt of the litter of 9 puppies, whose Momma came and ran in the door, stayed until she had the puppies and they got old enought to eat on their own, and then took off. People used to sight her all over the area, so she wasn't abducted or injured or anything. And the puppies were old enough to go to good homes on Easter, and every last one found a good home.

This message was edited Feb 2, 2009 6:31 PM

That dog sounds like a cat that used to live on my property. She had two litters a year for several years, would raise them on my back deck, and would push them through the cat door into my house when they were old enough to be weaned. She never tried to move in herself. In fact, she hated me and hissed every time she saw me, but she knew what was good for her kittens. She didn't train them to be afraid of humans, so they all grew into placid and loving cats.

That's funny Zuzu, how many years did this go on? How many kittens would you guesstimate all together.

This dog that had all the puppies was mean, too. She would stand on the back deck and not let my daughter in the house when she came home from college.

I thought it was the parents who weren't supposed to let the kids in the door when they "came home from college" !

Shoot Mike, how come I never knew that?

Zuzu, that sounds like my dog, Casey. She was a heartbeat away from no heartbeats. As I watch all the gray and white hair monopolizing her face, I have the exact same thought..borrowed time.

I doubt that the mama cat hated you, she just didn't trust humans because some human had mistreated her at some point in her life. She was a smart cat though, nudging her youngsters into kitty paradise.

Polly, there is no difference between providing a home for a wayward animal that runs in the house or a shelter animal that is selected. In either case they are in need of a home. And bless your heart for finding homes for those puppies!