New Plantings

We finally got around to planting something in a very nondescript part of our yard. And what a difference! I love the new life that has come to our property. I especially love how autumnal everything looks. It is nice to breath new life into a little patch of land. I sort of gave up on my garden this year, especially with the drought, but this seems a bit more manageable for us.

Terrariums

So yesterday I promised I would post today, and so here I am, back to being a blogger, trying desperately to attain some sort of blogging rhythm. I don't like disappearing for weeks at a time and then coming back to post and then leaving again. I hope to continue to post on an almost daily or at least every - other - day pattern. The reason for my absence was because the studio that I write these posts in was 90 degrees. Our landlord has yet to put the air condition units into our apartment and so despite the thermal curtains drawn and the fans blowing on and on, it still is pretty hot. That's why today I am writing this entry in the morning, before the hot sun warms the room!

Anyway, to get to the fun stuff now:

I came across a great article from Design Sponge about creating terrariums. I love terrariums. I remember creating my very own in 3rd grade out of an empty milk bottle. I have no recollection as to what was in the terrarium, but I had a great time doing it. They specifically highlighted the work of Katie Goldman Macdonald who sells the terrariums that she creates. She utilizes blown glass vessels to house the plant environment. How amazing are these?

Image above - Drew Kelly for the New York Times

On her website,  Goldman Macdonald mentions that she does locally commissioned works. These would be great centerpieces for a wedding, no?  I also really appreciate how her website has a beautiful watercolored homepage. 

Images of Terrariums from Botany Factory

All things nature.

Recently I have been obsessed with all things nature. Whenever I wander down a quiet street in my town my eyes search the area for interesting-looking flower buds, branches, grasses. I feel like there is so much to be taken in that I get overwhelmed.

Since germinating the seeds for my outdoor garden I have become further interested in the process of raising the delicate little seeds till they become seedlings and then 'of the age' to be transplanted. My zucchini seeds have grown so much that I'm afraid they will get too big to transplant!! (I heard that this can be an actual problem.) We built a 4'x 4'x 6" box which we need to fill with a soil mixture that we are creating so that transplanting idea can become a reality.  Here is a blurry picture I hastily took of my current zucchini situation:

See how the zucchini is taking over the entire tray of seeds?  I think it is going to soon kill the other baby seeds.  So sad!!  I need to get my garden going!

I came across this amazing tabletop that you can grow plants in. What a great idea and so aesthetically pleasing!! If only the website was in English.

Speaking of brilliant ideas for the garden, have you heard of Terrain at Styer's?  It's basically a wonderland filled with beautiful and unique garden and home goodies (and more).  I have passed by it maybe twice and both times I wasn't able to stop by and go in to see it for myself.  Every time I kick myself for not going in!!

I would love to have these in my garden:

This amazing planter...

This bird fountain - a bit extravagant but it's humble enough to fit right into a country garden...

And maybe a few of these Pin Dot Spheres to light your patio when you are having those late summer outdoor dinner parties.  I would love to see the shadows these cast!

Plant tabletop found at Bloesem.


Images above are embedded with a link back to Terrain at Styer's.

gardening.

Though I think I'm a bit late on the start, this past weekend I tried seed germination for a garden I am planning on having this summer.  Trying two types of germination: the first, a conventional seed pod kit from Jiffy with seventy two pods that hopefully will germinate in the next few days.  The second is using a damp paper towel laid on a baking sheet that is covered with plastic wrap.  As you can see from the photos below, we have success! And in just four days!  It's a method that Square Foot Gardening uses that makes germinating seeds a much quicker process.  Soon I will be able to transplant to our full size 4' x 4' raised bed that we are building this weekend.  I'm really excited to start tending the garden.