The decorated urn in my new header was a spur of the moment/design minute while out in the garden on Easter Sunday afternoon. After a cloudy morning the sun popped out and, although rather breezy, I decided to take a garden walk with my trusty Felco (the best) pruners in hand.
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Are you like me, never certain when to actually prune what? This day I was just doing random nip and tuck in the back area. That meant clipping cheeky invasive wisteria vines creeping into a nearby tree - not good. Some never-to-see-the-light-of-day lower leafless rhododendron twigs required removal. Swathes of ivy draping over the edges of some very big pots scattered around the garden had to be given severe haircuts before taking root in the surrounding ground……the biggest no-no for which my DH is ready to toss ME into the compost bin! Ask him how many hours days he spent last Autumn yanking yards of ivy from the flower beds!
I ended up lifting this huge and heavy urn up onto the potting bench - used for decoration, or supporting a tea cup or wine glass, rather than actually potting - on the front porch. Added an old, fast turning vintage, grapevine ball, the pruned twigs and some of the ivy, and voila something new and quite pretty to welcome any and all callers to the cottage.
Note the fern in the basket in the foreground. This one of two maidenhair ferns I purchased last week - both to plant in the shady back garden as companions to the bluebells. It's so dainty and bright so decided I'd keep one in the pot here until the weather heats up, then later transfer to the shady ground it apparently enjoys and will eventually spread across.
Perfect weather now for playing in the garden. A little rain has watered the plants and settled the pollen, there are no biting mosquitoes yet, and I've managed to get many outdoor chores done. Next on the list is cleaning out the potting shed……….and painting some small pieces of furniture that have been hiding in there over the long, cold winter months.
What's happening in your garden this week?
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