Bottles in the landscape

When I drove by this hellstrip I had to stop and snap a photo.

It's definitely an inexpensive and colorful "hardscape" treatment. Well, if you don't count the price of the wine, or water, or booze, or whatever it is that was purchased in those bottles.

Seeing it got me thinking back to Bella Madrona and the first time I saw bottles used as hardscape...

Then my mind really got traveling and I started remembering other bottle uses I've seen. Like these next to Garden Fever, topping a retaining wall...

...and acting as mini-terrariums.

There were all sorts of bottles in Karen Schwartz's garden...

And I can't forget the bottles I saw last December at Raul Zumba's garden in the Bay Area.

All these bottle thoughts had me wondering if I shouldn't try and come up with something creative to do with the mountain of wine bottles we go through. I have donated a few to Alison, who is up to creative things in her garden, like this...

But thus far all I do is take our bottles to the curb each week.

Weather Diary, Dec 1: Hi 47, Low 30/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Let's go to BBC Steel...

I've lost track of how many times my comrades have shopped BBC Steel. I've been invited each time, but for some reason (many of them involving Lila care) I never had made it, until last Thursday...

Their windows feature screens with cut metal patterns and in the landscape there are rusty squares (unplanted, why?), nice to see they're making use of their own products.

On to the scrap yard...

They sell these pieces at 40-cents per pound...

I tried to pace myself so as not to get overwhelmed, it would be oh so easy to become so. Take this piece for example. I have two tall, thin, pieces with circular cut-outs at home already (thanks to Alan, who generously shared his prior purchases with me). I looked at this and knew I had to have it! Then I asked myself where exactly I thought I would put it. Ya, no idea...

There's Alan searching for just the right things to take home this time.

When I first saw a corner of this piece I thought I'd hit a gold-mine. Saguaro cut-outs! Nope, not that cool.

These grid pieces reminded me of the trellis I already have at home, and they were light...meaning they'd cost less.

But the expanded metal pieces were calling to me. I've already got one, which I love (here) and since I was thinking I needed something to hang on the fence at the back of our property (for vines, of course) these seemed ideal...

I wandered on, so many interesting things just begging to be used...

I wonder if they'd sell the auto body by the pound?

Damn!   

Now those would be fun to plant up. Although how you'd get them home I do not know.

Moving back over to the smaller pieces...

I bought that one on the left...

I was seriously tempted by that one...

If only those words meant something to me.

The stainless and aluminum pieces were more expensive (I think I was told $2/lb?) and set apart in a separate section of the yard.

There's always a Verbascum...

Okay, time to corral our purchases and head on out. These three pieces of expanded metal were coming home with me.

Fellow shoppers Patricia and Bill had scored a cart, which they kindly shared.

My haul on the scale, and my total was $27.00 which I guess means they weighed in at 67.5 lbs. Gosh, metal does add up! I am thrilled with my purchases and look forward to using them in the garden. And returning to BBC Steel in the future...

Weather Diary, Sept 23: Hi 68, Low 50/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2018 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Crackedpots at McMenamins Edgefield, 2018

I think this was my third trip to Edgefield for the Crackedpots show. Wandering the gardens of Edgefield is always a good time, add in people watching, stuff for sale...and it's a fun outing. While most of the artist's creations are not my style (there's a lot of "whimsy") there are always a few things I'd like to bring home and the idea behind the the show is one I wholeheartedly support: "Crackedpots is a volunteer driven non-profit devoted to waste reduction in our community. Creative reuse - reclaiming and re-imagining - is at the heart of all we do."

I've talked up the planter I bought last year from Indio Metal Arts and was thrilled to see her  work in the same location this year...

Aren't these great?

I was really eyeing this one,  a square pot on a spike so it hovers above the ground. Pretty fabulous right? I stood there thinking over the purchase and managed to talk myself out of it. My garden is small, I've got a lot going on. I need to be careful I don't add so much visual clutter (cool clutter is still clutter) you are no longer able to see the plants for the containers. I passed. And I am happy I did. But I hope someone took this beauty home!

Moving on I was taken with this sconce/vase/thing. Pretty fabulous right?

As was the one on the right, the simple square container. I'm sure someone will be enjoying these, but that person is not me.

I was hesitant to snap a lot of photos of the items for sale, knowing these are people who've spent time dreaming up and creating things, I didn't want them to think I was snapping photos so I could attempt to replicate what they'd come up with. So — on that note — time for a little plant viewing.

I should have asked a passer-by to pose with the Gunnera, it's huge!

As are it's blooms.

One of the very first Magnolia macrophylla I ever saw (in the middle, up against, but taller than, the building). I like to visit it to remind myself just how tall Clifford can get.

A friend of mine used to live in an ivy-covered apartment building, he told stories of spiders. I wonder if they're a problem for the hotel guests?

I appreciated that someone was kind enough to buy this fellow a beer.

The grand hotel, which was built in 1911 as the county poor farm. Andrew and I have talked about staying here, a quick "weekend away" kind of thing for a summer concert on the lawn (it's just 12 miles from our home), but we never have.

More art for sale, flowers behind the flowers.

There were interesting, informative signs throughout the garden.

I especially appreciated this one — at a sale where you're potentially buying more stuff you probably don't need!

Oh, and there's a plant sale! Mostly plants that have been propagated by the McMenamins gardeners, but a few others too. We'll come back to this.

I photograph these huge troughs every time I visit.

They're just so fabulous.

As is the Agave americana var. medio-picta 'Alba'.

And the Puya...

Moon carrot! (Seseli gummiferum)

I do love a green wall...

I photographed these same Aeonium in this same spot last year.

Surely they didn't spend winter here.

Cuphea, I believe?

Look, space for your next outdoor event! Which will hopefully be held on a day with a clear sky and no smoke, this was another very bad day, air quality wise, here in the Portland area.

Fabulous!

To the veggie garden...

Make that fruit and veggie...

On another side of the property I was excited to peruse the offerings from ReClaim It!, the retail arm of Crackedpots.

Here you can shop items that haven't yet been creatively up-cycled.

Barrel rings for $6...

I managed, once again, to just walk away. However I did walk back to the plant sale. Yes indeedy.

I keep meaning to add one of these to the garden.

And who can't use a couple more Echium russicum?

At only $3.50 each I bought three, and a Centaurea atropurpurea.

And then I ventured on, back towards the car, but stopped to admire the keg planters. Fitting when you've got an onsite brewery.

Striking variegation.

That flower is humongous!

My hand for scale.

Wowsa.

The winery called, but I was strong and walked on by...

Weather Diary, Aug 15: Hi 89, Low 64/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2018 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.