Oops! I needed a little break.......

Know I should have been in the garden yesterday morning but meeting Vanessa for a a little fun and retail therapy at SuzAnna's had to be squeezed in too! Will show more pics later of the fun things we found ~ gets better all the time.

See you all at Rhondi's Front Porch Party tomorrow.

Blue Angel

I'm not really 'blue' ~ just so busy with the garden chores and other things that I just have to take a bit of a blog break for a day or so. When I get back I'll be stopping by to catch up with all your news. Don't forget, Rhondi at Rose Colored Glasses is hosting a great Front Porch Party this week ~ stop over to get details.

" A garden without seats is unfriendly."

Christopher Lloyd ~ 'In My Garden' 1994

Deep Purple

As dusk falls across the garden

some flowers take on an

otherworldly look.

A favorite purple clematis climbs an old obelisk each Spring. Rusting legs caused it to fall in a recent wind, I was concerned the thin brittle stems were broken and my flowers would die. Happily they survived. I shored up the shaky structure with strong wooden stakes. Improvise in the garden. Don't toss out the old things, they bring history to the place.

Shabby in the garden works really well.

Deep purple in the thunderstorm this evening.

Hydrangeas in the Garden

I love them, don't you? Beautiful Hydrangeas ~ great bushes of them tucked around the garden in mixed borders, in front of fences and porch railings, on a corner of the cottage sheltered from hot afternoon sun and chilling Winter winds. They love to drink, show you when thirsty by drooping sadly and making you run for the old galvanized watering can. But in the evening as the sun sinks into the West and a slight coolness is felt in the air, they perk back up in all their glory, straight stemmed, their lovely leaves firm, their magnificent blooms fresh looking as in the early morning.

A bunch of Hydrangeas picked today for the table on the front porch.

Cream crackle vase from SuzAnna's Antiques.

Party Time on the Porch

RHONDI'S FRONT PORCH PARTY ~ JUNE 5

With Summertime almost here, many of us will be enjoying our outdoor spaces around the house.

Be sure to pop over to my friend Rhondi at Rose Colored Glasses in time to join in her porch party this week. You will find the instructions there and you can join in even if you don't have a porch of your own ~ you can borrow one! Looking forward to sipping a tall, chilled drink on your porch, and then hurry on over to mine, I'll be waiting to welcome you!

Beautiful Terra Cotta (Baked Earth)

If you have traveled in Europe you will have seen how terra cotta is used profusely. Over 500 hundred years ago, Filippo Brunelleschi demanded that the roof bricks of the Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo) in Florence be made of Impruneta clay - they are still in place and as beautiful as ever. How is this possible?

Pieces made from the rugged, red-colored clay of Impruneta in Tuscany are the epitome of Italian terra cotta. They are durable and frost-proof to -30F. Unlike mass produced or machine made products from other countries, Italian terra cotta is made from the robust clay indigenous to northern Italy and is kiln fired at 2000 degrees F for five to seven days. This slow 'high firing' ensures that the clay is fully fused, resulting in a legendary product. These traditional methods create high quality terra cotta that is durable, frost and salt resistant, and can last a lifetime

One of my most vivid memories of Tuscany are the thousands of terra cotta pots of every shape and size, lining the sides of the road as we drove past the potteries in Impruneta - they were breathtaking.

The other areas well known for terra cotta are Umbria, where the clay is softer and used for urns and classic Renaissance shapes - these are frost-proof to -20F. Siena, where the clay is similar in color to Impruneta clay, but with a finer grain and smoother texture, pots are easier to produce which keeps costs lower - frost-proof to -10F and ages well for many years.

The materials, methods and craftsmanship used by northern Italian artisans for hundreds of years has resulted in some of the most beautiful urns, vases and containers in the history of garden design. (Collezione ~ Italy's Finest Terra Cotta)

Above - the terra cotta tiled roof on my brother's 200 year old house in the South of France.

Below - view across the village from the upper story of the house showing the lovely roof tops.

Small terra cotta pots in my potting shed.

Terra cotta pots and planters at the garden center I described in my previous post.

A mix of glazed terra cotta and ceramic containers.

This has to be the 'guardian angel' of the pots.

"He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist."
~~~~~~~~St. Francis of Assisi~~~~~~~~~~

Going Potty!

Remember when a Spring visit to your favorite garden center - a real one, not a big box store where 'garden center' is an add on - was mainly tons of healthy plants, shrubs and small trees being watered properly by dedicated plant lovers.

There were a few true and lovely classic terra cotta pots (another post coming on these) piled on an old painted bench or crusty wooden table, and then later wobbly piles of plastic and faux stone versions that promised less heavy lifting but more drying out on hot Summer says. At a recent visit to a nearby 'real garden center' which still has a beautiful selection of plants this Spring, I was confronted by the most amazing display of pots ever!

Moving through the garden, I discovered these colorful displays which make the idea of container gardening very enticing - and look at the ceramic birdbaths to coordinate with your pots!

The aqua shade against the chartreuse green of the garden hut is pretty.

Love all these natural shades of cream, tan and brown - some highly glazed and glossy, others with a matte finish.

These glowing cinnamon and milk chocolate shades - perfect for bright green foliage.

The citrus colors would be beautiful in a tropical garden......but I'd happily place this lime green birdbath in my garden.

Blue, true blue - what heavenly cobalt shades, some with over glazes looking like water spilling over the edges - I can imagine these around the deep blue of a salt water pool.

Love the swag garland of roses on this tall urn.

Aqua, chocolate and lime - more beauties - paired with......

.........unglazed terra cotta lantern pots with a Moroccan feel - lovely with candles glowing through the cut work design.

Needless to say, these are not inexpensive pots. Prices start high and creep upwards to several hundred dollars for the larger ones! Oh well, some of those faux stone ones are pretty too - and in my garden the old galvanized watering can always stands nearby when they dry out.