New work and around the studio

Some new pictures of stuff happening around the studio.  It's been a busy summer with commissions taking up most of my time.  I know, not a bad problem to have!  But it has taken away from my regular making.  I've been a busy bee the last 2 weeks getting new stock items made in anticipation of Christmas both on line sales and studio Christmas open house.

I just sold this sun and moon last night so it's on its way to a new home!

These magnolias, there were actually 4, have gone to Genuine Ga for sale in her gallery,

And I've decided George is now the shop mascot.  Isn't he handsome?

This was in the garden a few days ago.  I love this combination of Miss Huff's Hardy Lantana and the lavender of False Dragon's head

Just a glimpse of my world.

Cruising the yard this afternoon

This is my stroll around the yard this afternoon.  Or "cruising" as I like to call it.  Late afternoon sun creates interesting shadows.  It's cool enough now for a light jacket in the mornings but the afternoons are just perfect.  I was very comfortable in my t-shirt!  

I went to the nursery yesterday and came home with pansies galore.  I put them in their pots today.  I pulled up the caladiums that I have enjoyed all summer and will try to save their bulbs for next year in the basement.

This is a black elephant ear.  Not the full black ones but as you can see, green and black

I love the sun coming through this one

My version of a bottle tree.  Slumped little jars hung with fishing line.

A white wood aster,  These are native and come up all over the place in the yard and in the woods.

One pot of my pansies and something new this year, swiss chard!

My hydrangea is still putting on  blooms

I love the look of the old blooms and they dry nicely for arrangements.

Wait for it!

Wait for it!

There you go!  These are garden orbs I had in my Etsy shop but decided they needed to live in my yard!

So I hope enjoyed the tour.  The yard will be winding down soon but we haven't had frost yet.  Probably before Halloween.  Oh, that will be another coming post.  Halloween decorations!

Another day another daylily

I am loving the daylilies this year!  I think they are prettier this year than in the last few years.  We had sufficient rain and hot but not too hot weather.  I took these pictures a couple of days ago.

Pale yellow with a mauve accent

These are really almost a pale chartreuse with burgandy

I am always looking for red daylilies

Here's another red

Daylily mixed in with artemesia.  I love the silvery foliage! This is my newest garden.
Out in the full sun away from the house.  That's the only place where I have full sun but
I can't get water to it so things have to able to take care of themselves.

Echo is watching out for me

A new project

As if I needed another project, I've discovered "plate flowers".  I had no idea what they were until I started seeing them on Etsy.  Take old china, crystal, mismatched plates of various sizes and glue them together with silicon, I used the kind that comes in a caulking tube, add a bent spoon or knife to the back and stick in a metal pipe that has been stuck in the ground.  We experimented with pvc pipe and galvanized tubing, cut on an angle for a sharp point to stick in the ground.  I think I like the metal tubing the best.  My husband cut them for me.

So I've hitting all the thrift stores for dishes and silverware.  I also thought it would be cool to add some of my little pinched pots.  When I'm hand building, I'll end up with a little wad of clay and rather than throw it in bucket, I'll just pinch out a little shape. So a little piece of pottery is added for a different look.  

I love them!  They are very fun to make and look great nestled in with all the flowers.  I know what I'll be giving as gifts this year to my peeps.

2 china plates and crystal cup

3 plates, a clear glass plate and pottery piece.  This one is stuck in a PVC pipe

2 plates and yellow glazed pottery piece.  The pottery  reminds me of the trumpets on daffodils.
This one has a hanger and is hung on the garden art wall in the backyard.

Like I said, another project.  So many projects, so little time!

Can this really be Spring?

We've only just had the equinox and already it's acting like Spring.  The trees are leafed out, the dogwoods are blooming, the daffodils have come and gone, the grass is growing.  It seems way too early for all these things to be happening.  We didn't get much of a winter.  A few really crazy cold days but mostly not bad.  I don't like the cold so I don't mind.

This was a quick tour of the yard this afternoon.

Vinca major or periwinkle

Money plant

Lorapetalum.  A large open shrub with purple foliage and these fringy flowers .

My Bloodgood Japanese maple.  I love this tree.  It was planted  years ago and has loved the spot I put it in from the very beginning.

Native red honeysuckle growing up a trellis

Thrift or creeping phlox.  Pale blue flowers.

The dogwoods in the backyard.  White clouds everywhere.

So that's the tour for today.  Stay tuned for more as they come along.

Autumn happenings in my garden

These are last of the garden pictures for the season.  It was a beautiful Autumn.  The dogwoods and crepe myrtles were spectacular this year.  The sourwoods and sassafras were gorgeous red and orange, Even the forsythia put on a show.  Most of the leaves have fallen now so I'll wait patiently through the winter, looking at garden catalogs and dream of next years garden.  I do want to try to have some tomato plants next year.  If you've been following, you know I battled the deer with sprays, hot peppers and chili powder, wind chimes, cages.  Nothing would stop them.  I learned from a neighbor that she used ivory soap cut up in chunks around hers and that worked. So next time, I'll give that a try.  

Red orange sassafras trees

Forsythia will turn this pretty purple the more sun it gets in the fall.  Talk about a southern staple.  It grows everywhere and doesn't need anything.  Just cut it back occasionally if it gets too big.  Pretty bell shaped yellow flowers in the spring, a carefree, open shrub in the summer and then this lovely purple in the fall. What's not to love?

Heading around the curve in the driveway and this sugar maple greets me

Crepe myrtles line one side of the driveway

This is an azalea.  No, really!  It blooms in the spring, off and on in the summer and then this show in the fall

Some garden mums in a pinky purple.  There'a a little bee taking a nap in this one.

Almost international

I had a crazy day yesterday.  It started out great.  We drove up to Helen to GHAA for the official ribbon cutting of the gallery there.  Lunch was served and we all stood behind the ribbon for picture taking.  Which was all fine!  The trip home was fine.  Since it was still early in the afternoon I thought I would work on the little creek pond in the garden.  I had a new pump to install.

Well, of course the old tubing didn't fit the new outlet on the new pump!  So I take the pump over to my sweet husband in his shop and said, "Dear, can you help me?"  He drops what he's doing and proceeds to get out pipe fittings and stuff I don't even know what it is and rigs something up.  I take it back to the garden and it still doesn't fit.  I had to pull out the tubing(which was what I was trying to avoid) and take it and the pump back to the shop and say again, "Dear, can you help me?". We get it fixed up and I go back the garden and, Yes!!, it fits!!  Of course, I can't get the tubing back in the same place it was but, oh well, at least it's running now.

My little hand made creek with copper irises
growing in the stream

It flows into this little pond.  I have
blue flag irises, pickeral weed and water lily
in the water

Then I come inside and check my computer and I have a sale!  Yipee,  And I look at the the state it's going to and it's VI.  I'm thinking Virginia and then realize, no, that's not Virginia but Virgin Islands!  I know, I know, that's a US territory but I've never sent anything outside the continent.  I did ship to Alaska last year but wow, I'm psyched about VI.

So I hear thunder in the distance which is good because we need some rain.  I getting off now.

Garden relic

What do you do with an old satellite dish?  Well, this would be a good choice.  When we moved to our property 16 years ago, this old dish was part of the landscape.  I started gardening the area around it, as I moved plants from one home to the new house.  Everybody kept saying I should take down the dish.  After a while, I didn't even notice it but was thinking that it would be an awesome structure for some climbing rose.

About 10 years ago, I ordered a Paul's Himalayan Musk rose from Wayside Garden.  In the description it stated, "Only grow this on a strong structure".  The dish seemed to be the perfect thing!!  It grows with reckless abandon around the concave dish.  It perfumes the air when it's in bloom.  I just wish it bloomed all season.  It's fleeting in its glory but so worth the wait.

Paul's Himalayan Musk Rose

Do you think it gets good reception?

They smell devine

 A blanket of roses

Clematis or Clemtati

Is the plural of Clematis, Clemati?  Do you say it KLEM-a-tis or kle-MA-tis?  I don't know the answer.  I personally choose the first pronunciation.  Anyway you say it, they are the queens of the garden right now!  This is the Ramona (lavender) and the white with purple center is Florida var. Sieboldiana.  It cranks up after the Ramona gets started.  It will only bloom once while the Ramona blooms off and on all season til frost. It looks so delicate next to the bold, lavender blooms. It was almost dusk when I took these so the flash insisted on flashing.

I love the buds as they peek out from the leaves

Big, bold Ramona and delicate Florida var. Sieboldiana

As the buds first start to open. Very exotic looking!