MINI DECKS FOR POTS

                                   
 Gosh, I love 2"x12" cedar planks! They make the best "mini decks for pots. I like to group my pots because it makes it easier to water when it heats up here in the Rogue Valley. Plus, I don't have to level each pot individually...I just level the deck and add a variety of pots. The perennials make up the most of what you see since it's too early for annuals. I'll add a Chamaecyparis obtusa Filicoides (Fernspray False Cypress) a nice pyramidal evergreen to the big pot next to the house. Hopefully I can find one at the nursery this spring. (I've always been glad I took Latin in high school!)  

Evidently no garden is complete without a gnome...and I finally found one that isn't so cute or painted hideous colors. 

HAPPY APRIL DAYS!

 We're reeling here in the Rogue Valley from more than one...more than two...up to five days of NO RAIN WHATSOEVER! Somebody up there finally turned off the spigot! So the "smart" tulips waited until now to bloom.  

These are my "pink and green" tulips...according to the label on the bag when I bought them...looking very orange and yellow to me! Oh well, they do spice up the early spring garden which is mainly white and shades of green at this point. 

CRANING MY GARDEN NECK...

Okay, so I made a quick stop at Tuesday Morning...right next to TJMaxx. I was looking for more bunnies and found a couple. But on my way to the check stand I passed "temptation alley" and saw these metal beauties.

 I made a quick U-turn and replaced the bunnies on their shelves. I opted for these lovelies...even if they were made in You-Know-Where. They just looked so natural. And it saved me from succumbing to ah...the pink bird thingies for some added height and interest. 

This one just had to be by the birdbath and I placed the other one among some osmanthus bushes. I wonder if it will scare away the little birds? 

GRAINSATIONAL

 My  undergardener and I went to an "industrial" antique store. I was looking for unusual stuff that I could repurpose in the garden. I found lots of items that I loved so it was hard to focus on just one or two due to budget constraints. I settled on this grain mill (it works) even though I wasn't thinking about another antique for the house just then. But it was too good to pass up and too good to put outside. 

Originally I thought I'd put a plant on it, but ended up for now using it as a candleholder on the hearth.  It is sitting on a rubberized pad because my trusty undergardener thought he should "oil" it thinking that I was going to put it outside. So he used some old stinky motor oil. When he learned of my intentions to use it INSIDE, he had to douche it out with simple green. Oye!
That's my mom's old oak sideboard in the background...the only piece of the furniture that I was able to get...but the best one in my view. The rest of the set (table and chairs) was handed over to a nephew without a bye or leave from me.
So I'll have to go back to "Coop de Ville" soon and get some actual garden stuff...metal sculpture, old iron hooks and galvanized watering cans, maybe an old bench...stay tuned!

GRAVELICIOUS!

 Early spring is gravel time here at Angelcrest Manor. With this year's rains, I was sure wishing that I had done this last year when we were both a year younger! The weather guessers predicted a few days of no rain and temps above 50, so I took the leap of faith and ordered it. 
My trusty undergardener is hard at work with the flatpoint shovel and wheelbarrow. I keep saying, "Repeat after me...it will be so nice when it's done!"
This time we got 6 yds of a crushed pea gravel for the entire backyard garden area. It seems that I got lucky as I was wishing for a brown gravel instead of the usual grey stuff. Turns out this gravel is light tan...a nicer look for sure!

As it dries, it gets even lighter so it will reflect more light. 
So after 3 days of hauling this stuff, we've taken a day off and are trying to recuperate. I keep saying, "The worst is over." Looks like we still have a couple of yards left for the side yard and bird feeder area. "Oh goodie," says Jack. Oye! Well, it's good to be outside and think about other stuff again!

HEARTBROKEN

We had to say goodbye to our kitty Izzie. We've had her since she was 8 weeks old. You don't realize how much a cat can become part of your everyday life from the time you wake up until you go to bed. We are reliving that now and missing her. But she is in a better place where she doesn't have to suffer from failing kidneys or liver. There will never be another one like her! Our thanks to Chris for finding her in Roseburg and bringing her to us as a tiny little kitty. She had a good life and  had some great adventures in Chico and Medford. Chase misses her a lot and you can't tell a dog that his best buddy won't be coming home. We have a nice place reserved for her in the garden where she'll feel the sun as she slumbers.

REMEMBERING...

When I came across this small glass pitcher among a box of glass items in my mom's storage unit, I snapped it up and put it into my box of stuff to take home. I remember this little pitcher sitting on my mom's kitchen windowsill for over 70 years, holding bits of succulents or perhaps a rose or sweetpeas from her garden. I can't remember its origin but I believe it is Italian and hand blown. I think someone gave it to her. 
I have been waiting for the daphne to bloom so I could make use of this vase. It's funny what you remember and what is meaningful as the years go by...now it graces my kitchen windowsill.