Ooh, maybe it's time to go to Ollie's again here! I've found nice lightweight pots there the last couple of years, at prices easily less than half of what I've seen elsewhere. Sometimes they have foam ones with no drainage holes, but those are a snap to drill -- in fact, I've discovered you can even poke holes in them using a metal kebab skewer, but quarter inch drilled holes are probably better, LOL.
Sign up for the "Ollie's Army" discount card for coupons etc. (they haven't overwhelmed me with spam or junk mail).
Garden Objects #2
Gee, I've been going to Ollie's for years. I think they started in the south central Pa. area.
We've gotten some really good deals on wall paper and borders. The only thing to watch is the lot # and buy at least 1 extra roll, but at their price it's a steal. Extra pots, tarps for camping and such are cheap. Ric
Sally, Love Ollies. There are none around here, but I do pass some on longer drives and always stop in. That's where I get all of the books on tape or cd. They sell them for $6 to $8. Sure beats $20 to $25 at the book store. Also get calendars for the office there for $2, nice wall ones. Great place for large ceramic platters to take to picnics and parties. $5 for really nice ones.
One year I stopped in the one at Penn State. Always have to walk around a bit after that 3 hour drive. They'd gotten a trailer load of Kenneth Cole leather jackets and coats, complete with Dept. store tags. They were all the current year's styles. For $25 each, half of the folks on my christmas list got leathers that year!! Next time I'll check out the pots. I rarely get out of there for less than $65, $70.
Holly, your wreath is really coming along nicely. Do you take them apart at the end of the season? Those mini hosta are too nice to let them freeze.
What, Holly!! You don't want to buy a $75 sedum turtle?!! LOL Their prices were crazy but their individual plant prices weren't as bad. I thought you'd enjoy seeing the turtles.
LOL Stormy, you're a shopper after my own heart. I remember years ago going into TJ Maxx and they had just gotten a shipment of Liz Claiborne dresses, had been $120 and they were $20. I bought five.
Hart, I may have to check how much it would cost to buy some heavy stainless steel wire and try welding up some topiary frames, in my spare time of course! LOL Those turtles are cute, I can't imagine what the frames would cost. Our 14" wreath frame was $22.50, and that was a bulk price for the club. It's stoutly made with an enameled finish. Ric
Hart honesty, Till you buy everything in there it isn't a bad price. I do love all those sedums. Maybe when I get the greenhouse up and running I would like to try one with orchids and bromeliads.
Stormyla, I grew one last year with annuals at the end of summer I took out everything except the ivy and tried to keep it over winter. It was a real pain to water and keep inside and the spider mites didn't help. I was thinking that with the hosta wreath I'm either going to take it apart and put everything in a corner of the veggie garden to over winter or may be just try digging a hole and putting the whole wreath in it.
Here is the sedum wreath
Holly, I wonder if you couldn't make one with little evergreens to stay outside in winter? Places that sell bonsai plants would have the baby evergreens. There are of course perennials that are evergreen too.
Orchids and bromeliads - wow, that would be something.
I've seen the frames at Michaels and they nearly always have a coupon for either 40% or 50% any one regular priced item.
Here's one at AC Moore - they have the same 40-50% off coupons - for $7.03 for a 30 inch. You'd just have to buy the spagnum moss but that's cheap. With the coupon, you could get one for about $3.50-$4. BTW, AC Moore is for some reason more expensive on everything online than they are in their stores.
This place has 10, yes 10, for $19.90 in the 14 inch size.
http://www.mainewreathco.com/cgi/supplystore/commerce.cgi?product=Box_Wreath_Rings&cart_id=1245272218.18122
They have a living wreath ring that includes a back for $16.95 for 14 inch.
Hart that was what I thought I would use last year put two of them back to back to make a larger pocket but even that way they were terrible shallow. By the time you get the moss in place you really have no room for the potting soil. I have been told that you can cut a strip of chicken wire and fill and roll it then put the ends together to make a ring but the person that explained the process said it was hard to work with.
I wonder if you could use some cheap children's innertubes, cut some slits and fill it with soil and then plant around it a la growbags? You could get plenty of soil in them and they wouldn't dry out as fast. Cut a hole in the top for watering.
Really thin chicken wire isn't as hard to work with (or shape) as the thicker stuff if you decide to try that. Get the cheapest, flimsiest you can find. And be careful, you can really cut yourself on those cut wire ends. I'd cut it and then fold back the cut ends and then shape it.
Actully I always thought I would try planting ivy in a bike tire and let it wind around and around. LOL
My neighbor has a whole bike in her garden and it looks awesome-- She is an artist--maybe I can snap a picture.
Holly, your bike ivy made me think of the guy in Manassas who has a fence made of bicycles painted white. I really need to get a photo of that next time I'm in town, and his giant metal chicken that's about 8 feet tall. I want that chicken! LOL He can keep the bicycle fence.
That would make a cute trellis though.
Hart I have seen a few pics of the white bikes and think they are great. You know that might be an idea for me, I have been thinking about a spot for my honeysuckle I know that I want to move it but had no idea where to put it. Using something like the bike instead of a tall trellis would give me a lot more location options.
Sally, Is the bike painted white? I saw one too on the garden art thread. It was really cute. But I think it was just an ornament and not a trellis. Holly, a bike would make an awesome trellis for Honeysuckle. I think I'll start a new thread.