Wednesday, December 14, 2011

What I would be giving this Christmas, if I were in a *slightly* higher income bracket: planted gifts from Potted...

This must be the year of the list; it seems every other garden blog I read has a list of gift ideas for the gardener. Some mention an item or two that I wouldn’t mind receiving, but sadly most are full of things I would be horrified to receive. My favorite list so far…Top Ten Gardening Gifts From Hell, from the blog Black Walnut Dispatch…unfortunately you know someone is going to end up with at least one of those gifts, I pray it isn’t you.

I vowed this was the year I wouldn’t give a single plant-related gift; I could tell my tendency towards horticultural presents was wearing a little thin on my friends and relatives. Last June, when opening his father’s day gift, my dad said “let me guess…it’s a plant” and he was right. You see he’d never grown the Sungold tomato, it was practically my duty to give him one, since he is the tomato king of Eastern Washington. But that was the final hint I needed to hear, I was in a gift-giving rut.

So since I’m taking this year off from plant oriented gifts (mostly, I admit there are two small ones...pathetic!) I thought I would share with you what I wish I were giving everyone on my list…and honestly, I wish I were receiving as well. In a word…Potted, as in the store in Los Angeles. My first obsession was the Circle Pot... Simple perfection! My succulent-loving, design-savvy friends would LOVE one of these planted up with any number of things…or donkey tail sedum just exactly as it’s shown here.

And if that wasn’t quite right then the Bauer Biltmore might fit the bill, picture it with a lovely Agave parryi huachucensis at least to start with, until it needed to go in the ground... Still not quite right? Then the Wedding Cake Planter with a small agave on top and succulents around the bottom… Or the Julius, exactly as shown with a Sansevieria or a small Astelia nervosa 'Westland' (I think that’s what it is…regardless it would be perfect). This one would be great for even a non Mid-Century Modern lover. Heck even the Bauer Canoe is wonderful, right? Stick a Tillandsia in there and you're done. Of course even if I were giving plant gifts this year, these beauties are all way out of my budget, but still a girl can dream. And then visit a local thrift shop or antique store to find something “inspired by” like this Bauer Canoe “wannabe” which was part of my Christmas decor last year…and a bargain too! Since there has been a bit of a fire-storm in the garden blogging world the last week or so about undisclosed gifts or sponsored posts let me finish this by saying that in no way have I been paid or perked from the folks at Potted for this post. I’ve never been there, I’ve never ordered from them, and I don’t know them personally. I just wanted to talk about a gorgeous selection of containers that I’ve been lusting after. However if they feel the need to send me a Circle Pot as a thank you I’d really like an orange one, please…and I’ll blog about it too, once I’ve got it all potted up. Oh and I did borrow most of these images from their website…I hope they don’t mind.

14 comments:

  1. Fun and funny take on the idea of gift list posts. Those circle planters are perfect for your garden. They shouldn't mind at all.

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  2. I love those circle planters too. But I'm really digging your boat-shaped succulent planter with the snowflake!

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  3. I love the circle pots too, but not at that price. Gives me some ideas for making something inspired by that idea though...

    Thanks!

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  4. Those boat-shaped containers from the sixties? They're valuable? Wow!

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  5. Beautiful stuff! I liked your story about giving your dad a plant for christmas...funny how we give others the very presents we'd like to receive! I didn't realize I'd been doing that until I read your post -- I'm always giving people birdfeeders and plant stands and such...who would love that??? Love your blog!

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  6. Loved the circle pot, too, but not at $89. For that price, I'd expect personal delivery and installation, complete with cob web removal!

    Alan, can't wait to see what you come up with!

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  7. If only we could all move up to that higher income bracket! I agree about the circular planter...now we just have to find a cheap knock-off ;-)

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  8. Wouldn't it be awesome to be rich and buy the coolest gifts for those we love with no regard for price? If only. Great post, Loree.

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  9. One of each ...please!

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  10. Great planters and I couln't agree with you more about those ubiquitous gardener's gift lists.

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  11. I like Potted's determination to carry cool, well-designed stuff made locally. I hope Andrew sees this post, Loree!

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  12. Love all those pots but the Bauer Canoe is special. I wouldn't mind receiving all of them tbh :)

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  13. Shirley, I figured an email saying "no you can't use our pictures to talk about how cool our products are" was probably pretty unlikely.

    Pam, thank you! I still love it as much as the day I found it.

    Alan, I hope you'll share pictures of what you come up with!

    NellJean, yep...got some you want to get rid of? :)

    Thank you Mary, I almost included a couple pictures of the plant related gifts I am giving this year but then I decided that would be silly, after all I haven't given them yet!

    Gerhard, cob-web removal...good one.

    scott, I'll be on the look out...

    Grace, oh indeed it would be!

    linda, but what color?

    ChrisU, hopefully you'll be one of the lucky ones who gets a gift certificate.

    Denise, me too! But I doubt it, he's too busy to read my blog anymore...

    Mark and Gaz, wouldn't a trio of Bauer Canoe's look great together?

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  14. Yes I LOVE those circle pots too, but I'm another who cringes at the price. Ah well, looking at the photo is free, and nearly as enjoyable. :)

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