All Creatures Great & Small

There have been dragonflies this Summer.................but butterflies have been sparse. How I've missed them flitting from plant to plant in the garden.

The parsley, usual depository for the beautiful Monarch's eggs, has been munched on by just one lonely green and yellow striped caterpillar - usually there are dozens.

The weather conditions are to blame for our gardening woes this year. No beans or peppers made it. Tomatoes just now turning red for picking but not by the pound as in other years. Cucumbers not bad, but not many. Eggplants? Well there's one hanging on waiting to be harvested - eggplant Parmigiana for one perhaps!

Lack of rain, unbearable heat..................how the farmers make it remains a mystery. How grateful we are to them for bringing their vegetables and fruits to the weekly market.

Decoupaged pot with dragonfly.

Do you have butterflies in your garden this year?

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.