Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Waste not want not…


Oh how I hated the idea of cutting off all those fragrant Clematis armandii blooms before they had a chance to open. But ya’ll convinced me they needed to go (cut back the vine!) so before I dug out the plants I cut and saved any bits with buds and put them in vases.

Lots of vases.

And my reward? A lovely subtle perfume throughout the house and sweet little white flowers.

Did you notice the post cards in front of the vase above? These were Christmas gifts (along with the cool stands). I love the vintage desert scenes...

As you might have guessed I have a hard time throwing away any branches I trim from the garden. Why let them go to waste? So naturally the bits I trimmed from the Arctostaphylos denisflora ‘Harmony’ made it into a vase as well.

They play very nicely with the rest of my green/grey/white mantle-scape.

Callistemon branches work too…

As well as prunings from Rubus lineatus (in the orange vase).

Bringing bits of the garden into the house helps me feel connected even when I can’t be out in the garden.

Looking at the things around the vase…this old metal toy and tillandsia were part of a Happy Anniversary diorama from Andrew, the wheelbarrow wheel really turns!

My plant lust partner Megan brought back this fluorescent reindeer-moss covered stick from a trip to Central Oregon, Andrew added the legs.

A close up of the big spikes on Euphorbia milii.

Not all garden cuttings do well though, I’ve found that euphorbia flowers inevitably bring aphids into the house (yuck!) and I can’t for the life of me get a colocasia leaf to survive in a vase, they wilt in about 30 seconds flat. So what's your favorite thing to bring in from the garden?

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

32 comments:

  1. That log with legs is the cutest thing I've ever seen. Would you ever consider posting a tour of the inside of your house?

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    1. But then I'd have to show the scary bits too like the kitchen that still hasn't been painted (beige walls, beige cupboards, beige counter-tops...7 years later!!!). Actually I meant to do a sort of tour over the winter but just never did. Maybe I'll wait until after the great migration of plants back outside and do one then.

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  2. Great inside views, and I should have figured you might have such postcards! For me, I bring in sotol stalks for a big Tarahumara pot (10'+ ceiling, so they get cut from 12'+), grama and cottontop grass stalks / seedheads, and the occasional tender agave or aloe (but only Dec-Mar).

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    1. Very interesting, I didn't realize you brought in a couple of tender plants too. I bet the sotol stalks are quite beautiful.

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  3. Lovely table-scapes. Great postcards too.

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  4. I love the idea of using garden trimmings to decorate the interiors of the house, very nice touches there! Having Clematis armandii blooms in a vase is such a unique idea, as well as having laminated vintage postcards.

    Love that mossy log too! Will it last long looking like that kept indoors?

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    1. Actually I've had that mossy log for about a year now. It hasn't changed a single bit, I'm surprised as I thought it would.

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  5. Such wonderful inside green-ness! I love it. I have a hard time tossing branches that I prune, either deliberately, or because I accidentally take them off with my fat, clumsy butt as I walk past them outside (that happens more often than you might think!) I usually stick mine into a pot of dirt to see if they'll root and make me more. Sometimes it works, sometimes not, but it's always a learning experience. I like the idea of just bringing them inside, I don't know why I never thought of that. My way often ends up with me having more plants than I have room for.

    The vintage postcards are such a lovely, thoughtful gift! And the mossy log with legs and the wheelbarrow with the Tillandsia are both sensational. The inside of your house looks just as fabulous and fashionable as the outside!

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    1. I've never tried rooting them Alison, that's a great idea. I think of myself as a big failure with propagation so I've never tried...maybe I will!

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  6. You inspire me!!! Thank you for being epic cool!

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  7. My favorite thing to bring in from the garden is a tired, dirty body. :)



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  8. I'm running out of surfaces and vases, and R is impatient with having to sidle past branches that reach out to snag clothing. My favorite branches at the moment are from pruning the climbing Hydrangea. There are still a few of the dried flowers from last year, the branches themselves are quite gnarly and the new leaves and flowers are just unfolding in all their spring freshness.
    My mom had a vase like that white head. You manage to bring it right up to date.

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    1. I'm still reminded of my lack of sympathy for the time Andrew stabbed his backside with a long agave spike (it was overwintering in the bedroom of our rental when we fist moved to Portland). So I'm sure R and Andrew would have a little to talk about.

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  9. Wow, your photos are so lovely and inspiring. Your home looks beautiful inside from the little bit you showed. I love the moss on log with copper legs, and your little antique guy with wheelbarrow is really nice.

    FlowerLady

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  10. We have such a house plant jungle that I don't bring a lot of garden stuff in. But right now we are enjoying the bewitching scent of several tiny vases of Daphne odora blossoms. I love the little metal wheelbarrow pusher and his snakey tillandsia!

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    1. Are these year-round houseplants I take it? I'm always amazed once the wintertime prisoners head back outside how few houseplants I actually have. I bet those daphne blossoms smell divine!

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  11. I wish i could grow clematis...too hot...I love you wagon man I WANT ONE!cool floor lamp!great shots

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  12. I bring in dirt -- not intentionally -- after working in the garden, which is what I've been doing a lot of, and then it ends up all over the floor. Not quite as pretty as what you've brought in. You really should be a decorator, Loree, or a merchandizer. You make such appealing vignettes! And Andrew has spectacular taste as well -- love that tillandsia in the vintage toy wheelbarrow.

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    1. Thank you Pam! Andrew told a very funny story about heading into Garden Fever and looking for the smallest plant they had to fit into the wheelbarrow. Thank goodness for tilandsias!

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  13. It's all as wonderful as you are, my friend! Faboo lamps too! I'd like to bring in tomatoes but since I only grow one or two cherry tomatoes in pots, they usually end up getting eaten while I'm gardening. Just as well because Tom is not all that fond of them. Because I only clean once a year, things brought in from outside would just get lost in the clutter.

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    1. Once a year...wow. And I thought I was lax in the housecleaning department! (Tom would be very unhappy here, it's all tomatoes all the time in August and September)

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  14. Clematis armandii characteristics are that it's an evergreen clematis species with showy white fragrant flowers and shiny dark leaves.

    Armandi clematis is a very vigorous, evergreen climber with masses of small, white, vanilla scented flowers that are blooming in early spring.

    It's best planted in a sunny, sheltered spot, out of harsh winds, with adequate support.

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    1. Okay yes all true...but why are you telling us this? Me thinks your comment is just this side of spam.

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  15. Loree, that's charmingly spiky. Funny about the cards. I've been collecting scenes of Oklahoma and glass houses. I'm fond of both the conservatories and old Oklahoma scenes.~~Dee

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  16. I'm the least qualified person to comment on design matters but I love what you're doing :-).

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  17. Oh my gosh, I love all of this. What great design style you have. I love the moss stick with legs and the tillandsia-toting wheelbarrow. And the postcards, too! Who's the fuzzy, toothy guy on the mantle?

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