My son gave me this beautiful Talavera Dove flower-pot for Christmas last year.  I kept it indoors during the winter months, but once the weather improved I placed it on the deck.  After a couple of heatwaves, the lemony-yellow coleus doubled, than tripled in size.  This week it flowered.  Now the pot feels more like a peacock then a dove, with its fanning plumage.

Talavera Dove with Coleus

According to Wikipedia:

Talavera is a type of majolica earthenware, distinguished by its white base glaze.^[1] Authentic Talavera pottery only comes from the city of Puebla and the communities of Atlixco, Cholula and Tecali, as the clays needed and the history of this craft are both centered there. All pieces are hand-thrown on a potter’s wheel and the glazes contain tin and lead, as they have since colonial times. This glaze must craze, be slightly porous and milky-white, but not pure white. There are only six permitted colors: blue, yellow, black, green, orange and mauve, and these colors must be made from natural pigments. The painted designs have a blurred appearance as they fuse slightly into the glaze. The base, the part that touches the table, is not glazed but exposes the terra cotta underneath. An inscription is required on the bottom that contains the following information: the logo of the manufacturer, the initials of the artist and the location of the manufacturer in Puebla.

In our age of mass production, it’s fun having a garden pot with a bit of old-world tradition. It’s nice having the long, warm summer days to enjoy it, too.

Have a great weekend!

What’s on Deck