I’m so excited for this new garden
Each time I design a garden I do a through examination of my client and my client’s space. This time I’m lucky because my client is also my very good friend Catherine.
Catherine lives on the chalk downs in Oxfordshire and has this spectacular view over the fields and gentle hills.
However, since her garden is the only garden around, all the slugs and snails in the neighbourhood make a bee line for the garden plants.
And they have perfect homing instincts! I actually accidentally knocked a couple into the garden pond and I’m like, ” Oh my god I’m so sorry!” and they just came sliming out of there 10 minutes later!
So the plants I chose had to be bullet proof and slug and snail resistant.
Today was the day that I look forward to the most; the day of plant buying!
I went to the Burford Garden Centre, and one has to walk thru the “pretties” to get to the plants.
Oh my gosh, look what I saw on my way thru!!! Assorted mismatched tea cups and saucers holding beautiful little orchids!
You know, this would be the best and easiest little project to do at home. The problem with this set up was that there was no drainage hole in the bottom of the tea cup.
I know the secret to drilling a hole into china. You have to drill with an appropriate drill bit for ceramic and drill the tea cup while it is immersed in a pot of water and drill thru it into a hockey puck. (I’ll show you when I get back to Vancouver because there’s a definite lack of hockey pucks here in England…lol)
But wouldn’t that be a lovely way to display all our orphaned cups?
But I was there on my clients time so off I went to do my plant selection and this is what the car looks like just now!
After a while all my cars end up being gardener’s cars…lol
Even the passenger seat is taken with plants. You can just see the steering wheel thru the crocosmia.
Anyway, I’m so looking forward to planting up this garden tomorrow and then Catherine is having a garden party this weekend! It’s going to be so beautiful. 🙂
If you have some tree, which roots ruins you flowers, use tree loppers in Perth.
michellepond
I have no doubt that this will be a beautiful garden. Tea cups and orchids! What could be better?
Veronica
So true Michelle. I think I might re-evaluate all my orphaned tea cups now. 🙂
forestpoppy
Looks like a lovely selection. Can you show us an after photo please? Juliex
Veronica
Absolutely will Julie. That reminds me, must pop over to forest poppy and catch up with you. 🙂
vastlycurious.com
“Slugs and snails in the neighborhood make a bee line for the garden plants” – This is a hysterical analogy! Such a lovely post Veronica. They sell the teacups here too for almost $40.00 each! You could but them at Flea markets and sell them. Also I’ve a question..could you also slip out the root ball and add some pebbles at the bottom?
Veronica
Thank so much Kathryn. Actually you cannot do that with orchids. These tropical orchids usually just live in a crook of a tree on not much humus and with exposed roots, so the best way to cultivate them is in one of those orchid pots with holes not only in the bottom but also in the sides. I’m really bad because I tend to see house plants, (sometimes orchids included) as disposable. Kind of like cut flowers which last a bit longer. So it’s possible to just enjoy the orchid in the cup under less then idea conditions and when it starts looking poorly just toss it and replace it…but then I feel badly. 🙁
vastlycurious.com
I do the same thing. ! But I have re-used the teacup! I was at an Antique shop in Pittsburgh yesterday and he had a bunch and I thought of you!
Veronica
Aw Kathryn, so nice of you to think of me. 🙂
dawnsrays
What a wonderful job! and those orchids in a cup, wow, they are gorgeous.
Veronica
They are lovely, aren’t they Dawn? I’m going to try to drill some of my orphaned cups when I get home and, at about $2/cup for the thrift store ones, if I break it then no big deal. 🙂
Sara v
I love little orchids–it’s like seeing a bit of Liliputia!! Good luck on the garden–it looks like a fantastic bunch of plants!! 🙂
Veronica
Sara that’s brilliant! It is like Liliputia! Hey, I was invited join this FB group recently called Hometalk (about gardening) and there’s a lady on it who makes these little fairy gardens. And actually they are really charming. 🙂
Catherine Llewellyn
I am also very excited about the garden!! Can’t imagine what I’ve done to deserve such a heartful and talented friend XX 🙂
Veronica
Aw Catherine, we love you. 🙂 xx
Chloe Belanger
I’m so excited to see the results!! 🙂
Love and miss you loads! xoxoxo
Veronica
Miss you too shnoodle. XOxo (Biiig Kiiiss, Biiig Hug, leeetle kiiss, leeetle hug.) 🙂
Bill
Hmmm. 150 miles from Tacoma? Better check the odometer …
And our Northwest slugs would simply cart off those fancy teacups as souvenirs after they field stripped those gardeny cars. Fortunately they leave our Doug firs and Western Red Cedars alone, they don’t like using chainsaws in the dark.
Veronica
Oops, Lol Bill, I live in Vancouver BC when I’m not in OXON. I know about the slugs, believe me! And, I’m sure I heard them sniggering to themselves about the chainsaw. 🙂
Bill
I know Vancouver, that’s where TV shows about Seattle are made. So, tell me, do Canadian slugs handle their beer better than our Yankee slugs?
Veronica
That’s the one! I think our Vancouver slugs just drink the beer and slime away slightly happier than before. Sometimes I think I should just nail them with the weedeater! 🙂
Bill
Warning not for the squeamish ..I slug hunt, early mornings and just before dark, armed with a squirt bottle filled with dilute ammonia (house cleaning grade diluted 50% w/ water). Slugs turn to jelly and are kaput.
Veronica
Sounds like a great method; quick and easy. I just can’t seem to kill them so I try to plant slug resistant and encourage skunks, toads etc to visit the Vancouver garden. Here it’s easier because here there are at least seventeen common garden creatures (marginal exaggeration) from hedgehogs to thrushes eating them, so all one really has to do is clear up the garden so they have little room to hide. Come to think of it, my grandmother used to drop them into a bag of very salty water…ugh…the memory makes me feel all jiggly. 🙁