Last Summer's Patio Garden
I added a new page to my blog today: Container Garden Inspiration
If you’re short on space or living a more transitory lifestyle in a dorm or a short-term rental, container gardening might be for you. Container gardens are great for:
If you have a favorite container garden to share, please let me know in the comments section below.
In my youth, I entertained myself in a variety of ways. Watching and manipulating my shadow was one of them. When my shadow was long and thin, I imagined that I was really that tall. I liked the play of shapes, guessing what a shadow might be when it wasn’t obvious. Shadows added variety and dimensionality to an otherwise flat landscape.
Poppies in Shadow
When I researched a few shadow quotes, it surprised me to learn that most of them were “gloom and doom,” or about moving out of the shadows and into the light. Shadow is synonymous with shade, which certainly explains my bias. Growing up red-headed meant I had a lower concentration of photo protective melanin, a fancy way of saying I freckle. I spent my youth seeking the cool shadows by day or my ineffective skin faced the painful consequences.
Flowering Maple
Earlier this week, when the rain gave way to the sun, I looked at the shadows through the camera lens. Instead of avoiding them, I focused on them. It’s challenging getting the camera to record what the eye sees. In the end, only the shadow knows for sure.
Light with Minimal Shadow
Here Comes the Sun
It’s another cold, crisp day in the Valley with the bright sun belying the chilly wind. Yes, we Californian’s are weather wimps. I made a quick dash between appointments to a nursery to gather a few small plants for the fairy garden. I chose Hypoestes for the soft, pink vibrant color, Lamb’s Ear for its softness and Sweet Alyssum for the incredible honey-like fragrance. Color, scent and texture make for lovely landscapes. Won’t the garden fairies be pleased?
Sweet Alyssum, My Signature Flower
Lamb's Ear, The Closeup
"Silver Carpet" Lambs Ear
Pink-Lined Walls
According to the ancient art of Feng Shui, a home’s entryway is critical to our well-being. Kathleen McCandless, author of Feng Shui That Makes Sense says:
“The entry is not only the first impression of your living space, it is also a key component in whether or not you will experience comfort, safety and happiness while you live there. The most important consideration in Feng Shui is whether or not a space allows us to feel ”safe”. If we do not feel 100% safe in our environment, we will not relax…”
To ensure the well-being of the garden fairies, I created what I hope will be an inviting entryway. I braided three soft branches from the overhead pine, then wrapped them in tender shoots of Asparagus fern creating a gentle arch. A pair of pine cones flank the arch for stability. The airiness of the ferns should appeal to the light-hearted nature of garden fairies, so that crossing the threshold is a delight.
Braided Archway
While my fingers remained nibble, I braided a lavender bed. Lavender contributes to a calm sleep, also essential to general well-being. I lashed the corners with tall grass using simple knots to keep the corners united. The bed is tucked into a sleeping loft in the crook of one of the rocks .
Lavender For a Restful Sleep
I found a beautiful mound of moss under the garden swing. If I’m successful transplanting it, the cool moss will make a lovely addition to the fairy home interior. More news tomorrow.
Breaking Ground
I’ve been gathering materials for my fairy garden and today broke ground on the site. It was amazingly simple: I didn’t need a permit, a contractor, a surveyor or an inspector. No bank loans, points, appraisals or hassles. Life is good.
I unearthed a few tiny bulbs and was happy to see a worm or two as I dug right in. After removing the remaining bulbs and rocks I sifted the soil, saving the rocks for a small border.
Last Christmas we received a flowering bulb planted in a wide-mouthed drinking glass with clay-like pebbles. Now that the bulb is dormant, I removed it from the glass and lined the walkway with the miniature clay balls. We also received a plant that resembles a miniature pine tree, perfectly proportioned for the tiny garden.
Lindy Approves
"Towering" Pine
When I shared my plans for a fairy garden, my friend Susan said the following:
“This reminds me of ‘spirit houses‘ built for the spirits disrupted when the break ground to build a new (human) house. You’re supposedly supposed to built a small house (a miniature the size of a bird house, maybe) and place it on a pole or post at the front corner of the yard. If you don’t build this spirit house for the little beings you’ve dislodged from their homes in the soil (or in the foliage?) in acknowledgment of them, they can get angry and bring bad luck to your home.”
I love the idea of making amends with the earth, much as Native Americans did whenever they took from the land.
I can’t wait to get back outdoors again tomorrow. Meanwhile I’m pondering a variety of ideas, including a woven lavender rug and an archway built with pine cones. More tomorrow.
Porous Clay "Pebbles"
Future Site of Homes for Fairies and Gnomes
I’m mesmerized by the idea of a fairy garden, a place among the flowers and trees designed to attract “fairies and garden gnomes.”
I was surprised to find entire websites dedicated to this pursuit. You can buy hand-carved furniture and tiny fences for your upscale fairy, or you can gather rocks, twigs and leaves and design a starter miniature garden. I like the creative challenge of using items found in nature. I could outfit a beautiful pot or corner with purchased items, but I’ll have more fun creating something from scratch.
Two large boulders and a little patch of dirt are within my sights out back, a lovely place for fairies to take up residence. If you build it, they will come.
Building Materials
Further Fairy Garden Inspiration:
Brontosaurus Topiary
When my boys were small and interested in things like trains and dinosaurs, I spotted a Brontosaurus topiary frame in a garden catalog. I’d never created a topiary before, but I thought it would be fun to try. Having children gives you permission to play with Lego’s and to connect train tracks across the living room floor. It’s also great justification for buying a pricey topiary frame “for the kids.” I could hardly wait for it to arrive!
I bought and assembled the frame, centering it in the corner garden and bought four small-leafed ivy plants to place in each of the feet. Somehow I missed a step and all the ivy died. The small plants simply dried out too quickly. I bought more ivy, and this time planted straight into the ground. I stuffed the frame with Sphagnum moss and waited for the plants to fill in. After a month or so, I had enough ivy to start threading it through the frame. Eventually it was thick enough to prune. It took longer than I thought, but the frame filled out and we had an adorable green Brontosaurus in our yard.
The boys are more interested in Minecraft than dinosaurs these days, but the charming little fellow lives on. I trim it once or twice a year but for the most part it requires very little attention. After a good prune, I find a small flower for the dinosaur’s eye. It reminds me of my carefree summer days in our London yard and for just a moment I’m five years old again.
Time for a Trim
Greenhouse Available from Farmtek®
As a professional organizer, I’ve worked diligently to remove my name from mailing lists. Using Catalog Choice, I’ve stopped most direct-mail ads and over 100 catalogs from filling my mailbox.
So imagine how silly I looked when a catalog called Farmtek® arrived with today’s mail and my heart skipped a beat. Did this mean someone thought I was a farmer? Little did they know I plant on a tiny plot of land in the suburbs of what was once beautiful orchards. Our entire lot, including the house, is only 6,000 square feet. Once home to apricots and prunes, our agricultural heritage gave way to Apple, Cisco, Intel and HP.
It’s unlikely I’ll be ordering grow lights for my (non-existent) greenhouse or an air inflation system, though the idea of both is appealing. Thumbing through the catalog I found a few items for small-scale gardeners, but nothing I can’t buy in town. I’m afraid Farmtek’s® catalog is headed the way of most. It was fun though, getting a small glimpse into the shopping options of a farmer.
A critter built a sizable nest at the top of our orange tree using twigs and sticks to support her family. Given the size, I’m wondering if a family of squirrels plans to move in. Opossums are another possibility. I’ve not had the chance to research the style of the nest, and I haven’t seen any “traffic” to indicate who might be up there.
I’m fascinated by nests, and the resourcefulness of the resident builder. I hope she reveals herself in the weeks to come.
Who do you think built this nest?
Mystery Nest
I’m in beautiful Marina del Rey today, enjoying a long overdue catch-up with good friends. My room with a view opens up to sand, surf, seagulls, and last night, a duck next to the pool. Good times!
I plan to snap some shots of the local flora to share with all of you when I return. I love travel and time with friends as much as I love my home, my family and the felines that keep me on my toes.
Slinky and Lindy are still working out the order of dominance, hence this brief game of kitty hide and seek. I’m not privy to their private thoughts, but when I return they’ll have a story to tell, the subtext of which is “where have you been?!”
Hide and Seek
Gardening Nirvana 