world's collide

i love how in the garden unexpected things happen...not all of the unexpected things that happen are good. like when all the purple broccoli you planted gets eaten by something invisible or how some seeds just don't germinate at all.  i planted nasturtiums in the spring by seed...i don't have a single one in my beds.  or how the tomatoes i grew from seed and planted on the hottest day just dried up and shriveled.

but back to the good things. this is about those things. like the fact that i adore rust and i adore plants. when these two are combined i have a surge of inspiration.

it's a rainy saturday but i don't mind...of course because i'm a gardener and we gardeners love rain.

rain brings new life like these tiny leaves on my purple moustache beans...it's growing on an old wrought iron bed in my front victory garden/potager. i love the way these tiny bright chartreuse green leaves look on the twisted purple stalk all the while twisting around this rusted wrought iron bed post. 

another view of the purple moustache beans tendrils on the rusty bed post.

also the contrast between the brightness of the green leaves of the sunflower not yet blooming and the darkness of the rusted garden gate just says to me.

 "this is right".

add in white and i'm all in. this tillandsia or air plant on a bed of moss looks so happy in this ole' bird feeder with it's rusty base. 

don't you just the love the idea of something freshly painted next to an old rusted white chair?  i do. 

lavender and rust...a must.

some of my nandina are already turning to that lovely burnt orange hue...well sitting in front of an old rusted stroller makes it twice as nice to me. 

this persian shield and ruby red caladium looks so at home next to the rusty bit of fence stuck inside the plant container. 

i got two of these white columnar stands at one of my favourite local antique spots(City Farmhouse)...i am still trying to decide the best suited area in the garden to place them. but don't you just love the bit of rust on the the top capital and the fact that they are white and textural is a big plus.

my oak~leaf hydrangea are turning from originally white to blush pink to russet pink and now this amazing colour of coppery rust. 

this could well be my favourite plant in my garden. 

close up of just one cluster of this beauty

this 1930's birdcage is hanging just outside our back door leading to the patio garden. the patina on this antique couldn't be any more beautiful. my intention for this is to put in some succulents but i could look at it all day just as it is. another find at city farmhouse here 

in franklin, tn. 

i hope y'all are enjoying your summer gardens and adding in whatever tickles your fancy. 

happy july,

marmee

vintage container planting

there is something very satisfying about using something unexpected as a container for plants.  besides "upcycling" which i have been doing all my life as a way of being fugal  because i had to be, it is visually more intriguing. thus when i am out and about, antiquing, at the farmer's market, thrifting, or stopping at a yard sale, i am constantly thinking would this work at a planter in my garden.

the wrought iron bed was bought from a local estate sale of a woman that is in her nineties...she had been collecting all her life. i had been looking for the perfect iron bed for my garden for years. honestly i didn't want to spend a fortune since i knew it was going in the garden. this bed was the right one for me.  it was smaller than a twin and larger than a crib size. on one corner of the bed it is  planted with a vining black eyed susan that comes back every year. the other three posts are planted seasonally with beans of our choice for that year. it is stunning in the summer when everything is growing. this is located in the front fenced in potager off the front porch next to our 5 raised beds.

this was a temporary planting in my bike basket until bike riding season comes around again. 

which is right around the corner. yippee!

my garden as well i am sure your garden is always evolving. it changes as my perspective changes.  

i found these great olive picking buckets a couple of years ago at a local antique store city farmhouse...the minute i saw them i thought what great containers these would make. i lined them with some older burlap, added soil and voila' the perfect welcoming containers at my backdoor patio. i found the carriage wheels at last years franklin main street festival from a local vender...i love how it elevates the second olive picking bucket and has room enough for the beautifully aged watering can.(which i got at the old  tennessee trails yard sale.)

i found this rusty old wheel barrow a few years ago. it had a few rusted through the bottom holes already in it and seemed the perfect choice for planting some pretty petunias. i placed in it in the front fenced in potager right next to the raised beds of veggies and companion flowers. it adds some depth/height and texture to that area.

the same can be said for this lovely ole' coal scuttle.

 it was rusted thru in a few places making it great for

 a container. so cheery little yellow pansies found their home.

this beautiful old wine crate with handles in a purple stand was purchased at silo studios benefitting snooty giggles dog rescue. as many of you know rescuing is close to my heart. just planted this week with delta pure rose pansies, suncatcher pink lemonade petunias, dwarf sweet flag grass, citronelle heuchera villosa hybrid. i plan on hiding some easter eggs in there as well. 

 back in the day i collected many longaberger baskets. i use them all constantly and they have stood the test of time. they are hand woven in the u.s.a. i placed plastic inserts inside the baskets then filled with fafard complete container mix.
 during easter they seem appropriate to plant with
some seasonal herbs(peppermint, english wedgewood thyme, & greek oregano) plus flowers just outside of my
kitchen backdoor for easy snipping to use in my cooking.

i found this sweet little lamb just yesterday while i was doing some easter basket shopping at another local antique shop

scarlett scale antique boutique

she already had a pint sized pansy in her back. i couldn't pass her up seeing as we just had our first lambs of the season born last week. 

so go out there and look for the unusual, not the typical container to add visual interest and something more personal to your gardens. 

happy gardening~it's spring.

marmee