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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.

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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!

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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?

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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!

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After a while all my cars end up being gardener’s cars…lol

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Even the passenger seat is taken with plants. You can just see the steering wheel thru the crocosmia.

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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.

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Comments: 22

  • August 21, 2013
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    I have no doubt that this will be a beautiful garden. Tea cups and orchids! What could be better?

  • August 21, 2013
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    Looks like a lovely selection. Can you show us an after photo please? Juliex

  • August 21, 2013
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    “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?

      • August 24, 2013
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        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!

  • August 21, 2013
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    What a wonderful job! and those orchids in a cup, wow, they are gorgeous.

  • August 21, 2013
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    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!! 🙂

  • Catherine Llewellyn

    August 21, 2013
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    I am also very excited about the garden!! Can’t imagine what I’ve done to deserve such a heartful and talented friend XX 🙂

  • Chloe Belanger

    August 21, 2013
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    I’m so excited to see the results!! 🙂
    Love and miss you loads! xoxoxo

  • August 21, 2013
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    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.

      • August 21, 2013
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        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?

  • August 22, 2013
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    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.

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