Garden Objects #2

Thanks for the compliment and all the great tips hart.

I think that this addition would be something to help me get my 7 grandsons interested in my gardening.

R_R_R, That fairy is very cute, Love the alligator, my GS JR has always had a thing for Grrrrs as he called them. I guess because we brought him some plastic ones and a book about them from our trip to New Orleans years ago. Last year we went to S.C. and there was a large lake where we camped and there were a lot of them for us to watch. I have long wanted one of those for the yard thinking he and the other Grands would love it. One of these days I will pick one up.

I promised Bluepoppy I'd post a couple pics of the living wreaths Holly made, they were the project for this years Home Greenhouse Association's annual picnic. These are freshly planted, and should fill in nicely. This one is a variety of succulent plants. Ric

That's so pretty, Holly and Ric. You know, I have a great big living wreath form like that one my SIL gave me for Christmas one year and I've never done anything with it. Hmmm, need to put that on my project list.

You said wreaths, Ric. We want to see all of them. LOL Greedy, greedy, greedy.

The other is a mixture of shade lovers: squill, mini hostas, variegated ivy, bridal veil, and impatience. Ric

Ooooo, I like that one too. What's that plant just to the right of the bottom center with the slender, spotted leaves, Ric? That's so pretty.

Hart, Holly said that is the squill. Ric

Thanks, Ric. Tell Holly the wreaths are beautiful.

I completely forgot about my garden sign! DH got this for me a few years back when I had just started out and I love it!

Rcn, Thanks! The hammock & stand came from Walmart. Sold separately, both items are still on their website. Total cost $200 to $300. I think that Walmart has free shipping if you have the item shipped to the store and pick it up there. They might have these at your local store. My stand is the plain green metal one, last item on the hammock page.

Roses, Your fairy is beautiful. I'd like to see the setting you have placed it in.

Your Gator is great!!! Bet the kids love it. 7 Grandsons must make for a busy time at your place when all are gathered!

Junking! There's a term I've never heard before. Another Hartism? Or is it a VA thing? What I like about Junking is it's a good way to use some of that old stuff sitting in your basement or attic. And it definitely creates something you won't see at every house in the neighborhood.

Holly, your wreaths are wonderful. I remember your speaking of wanting to make one from Mini hosta last year. How do you water them? Hanging up or laying down? They open up all sorts of possibilities. Your basic form wouldn't necessarily have to be in a wreath shape. Would xerigraphic plants be better at the top? Hens and chicks would make a nice one.

Bec, Your sign is just beautiful. It looks like DSO had them include some of your favorte flowers on it. It is lovely.

Oh Holly, My Ligularia were originally further back in the bed. They were there for 2 years and never bloomed. Last fall, I moved them closer to the front, where there is some morning sun, or at least brighter shade. They've grown leaps and bounds this year, so I am hopeful that they will bloom.

RRR, your fairy is adorable :) I think I've got that same alligator! I bought one for Rick 10 years ago when we were doing our last trade show in Baltimore. While we were loading our truck someone stole everything from our booth :( I wasn't going to give up though and ordered another one directly from the company who had them on display. Worst part, other than having to pay for the darned thing twice - shipping cost more than the alligator did :( The poor thing is almost buried now but your photo has inspired me! I think I'll dig him out and find him a new home along the path to the pond, a much more appropriate setting :)

Stormy, thanks for the info, I'll check it out. We don't need the stand because Rick's already got the hooks in the trees so maybe it will be even cheaper!

Holly and Ric, I love the wreaths :) I've got that fuzzy Tradescantia you've got in the middle of the first one, still trying to find the right home for it! Are those 'Blue Mouse Ears' in the second one? Cute!

Bec, pretty garden sign :)

Yes there are Blue Mouse Ears and another one a not sure which one. I did order several hostas just for the wreath. Ric felt that anything in the 6-12 inch was too big so that limited me to only the very small ones. From the very small ones I gave one away to DIL and lost one planted a couple in the wall. So when I went to get them for the wreath realized that I didn't have near as many as I had expected.
Sometimes when I'm busy I will water them hanging by putting my wand on soaker and letting the water soak down through. But really I get best results when I take them down and lay them on the ground use the soaker setting and then go back an hour or so later and hang them back up.
RCN, Thanks for the ID on the Tradescantia. Everyone from the HGHA brought extra plants to share. We had 2 large tables full of extra plants that you could help yourself too. As well as what you brought. The Tradescantia was on that table and the Gardner that brought it didn't have and ID for it. Not sure I will keep it in the center of my wreath but I just loved the plant and figured I could move it to the garden. I was going to post it in the ID Forum.
Bec, Love the sign.
I'll post some pic later in a couple of weeks to show you how they fill out.
Here is my last turtle, this one a gift from my daughter another Pier1 find.

Love the sign, Bec. The artist did a great job. It's not in the garden, but I'll have to take a photo of the brick from my mom's old homeplace. She had a local artist paint her old homeplace on one side and my parents' house on the other.

I think junking is a hartism, Stormy. When I used to go just about every weekend, I didn't have the money to buy nice antiques, just junk, so instead of antiquing we were junking.

My hammock finally gave up the ghost. I think I got it at Lowes or Home Depot. And the ratty old tree that was holding up one end died. It was so lovely to lie there and enjoy the shade and breezes and the view. It was up in the higher part of the backyard so I had a nice view of the mountains on both sides.

No Hart, Junking goes a lot farther back than you. LOL When we on the tour of the Ladew Gardens the hostess said the Harvey Ladew would go to England to Fox Hunt and the go Junking. Which is an English term for antiquing. I've heard it used before, somewhere else as well.

Holly, I don't think you realize how old I am. LOL I'm talking about back in the 70s and 80s. Gosh, I haven't been junking in years. At any rate, I was certainly being a lot more literal in my use of the term, which was that I was bringing home a lot more junk than antiques, not trying to be coy about buying actual antiques on my (overseas no less, did he know people fox hunt in Virginia like crazy LOL) fox hunting junkets. LOL My ex used to laugh because a lot of the furniture I was bringing home was falling apart as I was bringing it into the house. Got everything fixed up and refinished though.

Oh yes I'm sure he did Hart, Have you ever seen his home in Maryland It is a spectacular garden and he was friends with all types of stars and royalty. His Topiary Gardens are unbelievable. Do a search on the Ladew Gardens. They said he bought the property in Maryland as it was getting too crowded in Long Island to hunt. International Playboy from what I have read, interested in Fox Hunting, Art, Gardening, and Junking. LOL
This door was one of his junking treasures.

No, I have never seen it but it sounds beautiful. I think they foxhunt in Maryland too but it's a big thing in my home county, Fauquier and the Charlottesville area. When I was a kid, we used to sit in my aunt's back yard and watch the fox hunters streaming by in the fields behind her. This was out where Manassas Mall and all the malls and shopping centers are now. Most of the fox hunting is done in the far west end of the county now. I like the blessing of the hounds ceremony the Bull Run Hunt does every year.

Now don't I wish I'd come home from any of my junking forays with that kind of "junk." LOL Actually, I think that must be junque, not junk. LOL Or maybe zghunque.

I saw the topiary photos you posted, is that where you took the photos? Very spectacular.

Yes, I have more just haven't posted them yet.

Hart, fox hunting is very big here too. One of my business associates is a Master of Hounds. Every time I see a fox around here I think he is a lucky escapee running north to freedom! The Devon Hunt fair about 6 miles away is a hugh week long event with a big dressage program. Fox Hunting is also very big in California. Winterthur holds a beautiful Point to Point on the outskirts of the Museum Grounds complete with tailgate picnics.. Oscar Wilde referred to fox hunting as the Unspeakable chasing the Uneatable!

LOL But Wilde obviously never had a fox get into his hen house.

I do think fox hunting is cruel but it is pretty to watch the riders and the hounds.

Hart, Wilde wasn't into Hens.

LOLOLOL I saw Vincent Price doing the one man Oscar Wilde show, "Feasting on Panthers" years ago at Fords Theater in DC. It was wonderful.

Don't they usually just drag a scent for the hounds to chase? At least that's what they did in NJ where I grew up. There was a club that unloaded near my house several times a year and they would drag a scent through the farm in the morning. I rode with them a few times.

I know they drag a scent, but they also hunt real foxes too. I guess it depends on whether there are any foxes around bothering farmers' animals. I don't even want to go into what happens to the fox.

Okay, back to garden objects, I forgot about this guy. This is my dragon who guards the pond. I got him at a place over in Rappahannock County years ago.

BTW, those rocks in the photo aren't mulch, they're the actual "soil" there. Boy, do I have fun finding plants that will grow on that slope.

Another one I forgot about. I got this little kitty planter at Webers years ago. I've been trying to find another one for a friend ever since but they've never gotten them back again. I'll try again this year. I don't plant anything in him because it dries out too fast. Maybe I should try a little cactus in there.

My new chicken birdhouse. I haven't actually put it up yet, just stuck in in a tree to take a photo.

Stormy, this is the big rock I dug up the other day. It's really thick and heavy. My dirty foot is in there to show size. I'd like to try to figure a way to make a little garden bench out of it.

Love the dragon! That 'soil' does look challenging.

Another big, thick rock. It has pretty colors.

I have a few things growing in there - some euphorbias I scoured the earth to find that grow I think in the desert out west. The prickly pears planted themselves. Weeds are an awful problem. I don't know what these things are that grow there but they root to China. I fell into the prickly pears yesterday trying to pull some and had prickles in my butt. LOL

You can see the euphorbios blooming here in amongst the weeds, prickly pear and a barberry.

Closeup of the euphorbia blooms on those euphorbias.

OOHHH, you are probably still feeling prickly. I had a run in with ours when I was trying to weed around it. I threw my gloves away, cuz every time I put them on I could feel prickly. My nephew was not liking it, when we moved it down to our house from my parents' house when they moved in with us. LOL He's the one that got nominated to maneuver it around.

The only way I've found to get the prickles out is duct tape. Just tape your fingers (or butt LOL although I decided to just suffer rather than duct tape my butt) and pull and it brings the prickles with it. Might have to do that a couple of times.

^_^ I took a nail brush to my hands and arms and scrubbed. seemed to do a pretty good job. I'll keep the duct tape in mind. I aked DH if we could take it out and he said we better not, since mom still lives with us. She likes to see how many blooms show up. Originally, it came east from OK with my brother when they drove to Jersey for my wedding almost 36 yrs ago.

Jan, I've heard of them using scent lures here, but they definitely hunt live foxes.

Hart, what a treat to see Vincent Price live! He was an incredible actor with that marvelous speaking voice. So good looking when he was young.

Prickly butt syndrome. Now that smarts. Good luck with it. I see now why your hands are so raw. You really should wear gloves when digging there. Too easy to really hurt your fingers with those jagged edges.

Hart, I love your dragon. Many years ago I gave my friend one very similar to it. When she was away on vacation, I put it in her garden.

Your kitty is very cute. Yes, you should put a cactus or succulent or hens & chick in it. It's too nice to sit idle.

Those rocks are both nice. For the seat, do you have any smaller logs that you can cut for bases? The nicely colored one would look really good standing in your shade garden.

I love the chicken bird house.