My pot addiction
Not that kind, silly!
One of my Garden Pot addictions: finding colors that provide a dramatic background for the flowers
Something was missing
As in all compositions, I sit back and ask myself: What’s wrong? What bugs me?
In my garden, the answer turned out to be too few focal points. There was so much going on that my eye flitted from one flower to next without landing on something. Too chaotic, not peaceful enough.
Yes, our fountains, koi pond, green house, and patches of solid green provide lovely backdrops and focal points:
But I needed more, specifically in my Bohemian Cottage Garden. Designed as somewhere between a cutting garden and perennial border, it ended up a bit too wild, without areas for the eye to rest.
Enter garden art
Starting with this lovely Egyptian- style cat (her name is Jasmine):
And fabulous glass flowers by Kliss Glass that draw the eye to a splash of color, even after the surrounding blossoms fade:
And then there are the pots!
Huge ones (and for a smashing deal, because I wandered into the ‘not quite perfect’ area):
As my son helped my hubby unload them from my van, he said ‘Mom, you have a serious pot addiction!’
He’s right! Come take a look:
This tall one (over 4’) was cracked on the bottom, so they gave it to us for a song… and we simply buried the base!
I especially love how foliage and blossoms look against it:
The pots set off the flowers so beautifully - like this scrumptious periwinkle-colored one that exactly matches the nepeta, lavender and veronica blossoms. And doesn’t that chartreuse anise hyssop look vibrant against it?
Couldn’t resist tucking this beauty into our woodland garden for a splash of light in amongst the deep shadows:
And of course, I had to find some cool-colored shade-loving plants to set it off!
And this duo was perfect against the rusty wall of my Art Studio - filled with baby tears and Japanese Forest Grass to add punch:
Of course, bird baths are always a win-win for both beauty and wild life!
Read more about our Garden:
Going for soft, beachy neutrals in my new Art Studio: a Beach Cottage look. Come take a peek at how we repurposed materials to add to the charm
Walking on moss
Oh the light! Come be awed by the beauty of nature reflected in our new pond
Wherever you are in your creative process, here are some color inspirations that I hope will inspire you with an extra pop of color to make your compositions glow.
Gorgeous views surround my new Art Studio. Come take a look
Turning my childhood home into our forever home. Take a peek at the transformation from old carport and driveway into a stunning Art Studio and Pond
Our amazing pond by Mark The Pond Guy - what an awe-inspiring process! I though you’d like to come along and watch it being built
Tour through my gardens of color and draw inspiration for painting, fiber art and floral bouquets
Large pots are a fabulous way to provide focal points in a cottage garden
Whatever medium you dip your brush into, allow the Color Goddess inside you to play! Turning an empty palette into colorful gardens
I'm beginning to think there's three types of backyard ponds with three different goals and types of upkeep… of course we opted for the highest maintenance
When we moved in and began digging, we soon determined that the old, tired garden soil was not only sandy, but in many areas, hydro-phobic (wouldn’t absorb water). Enter in 72 yards of compost
Touring private gardens in the NW Perennial Alliance
My home and gardens are an open canvas - come walk with me through our acre of gardens waiting to happen
Artichokes and ratatouille from my garden
Better late than never - drip irrigation inspired by the Bellevue Botanical Garden watering system
Loads upon loads of compost – I’m digging, hauling, dumping, spreading until my back and knees and hips are screaming in pain. But of course, as the days pass, I’m getting into the rhythm and all of a sudden the structure of a garden appears. Is this a pond?
I’m potting up seedlings grown under a grow-light in our entryway.
When my son comes to visit, we walk slowly through the trails of the Ash Family Forest looking for interesting mushrooms and fungi
Earth sleeps under a coat of diamonds
I grew up around these trees, running through the forest barefoot with friends, crawling under huckleberry bushes to make camps
Smaller branches and thinned logs make great Critter Piles in our Ash Family Forest
We are creating trails through our forest just large enough for our ATV, chipper and other forest-management gear. In keeping with our motto of staying close to the earth, all trails are built by hand.
Another day working in the Ash Family Forest and thinking this would have been easier if I was 30 again!
All of the trails through our forest are created by hand, but this new cart my hubby built (along with our new ATV) will make dragging all of the tools into the forest so much easier!
It’s official - the Ash Family Forest is certified under the United States Stewardship Forest program!
Making trails through our forest
A forager’s meal after a long day working in our forest