The Garden Tour

We had an absolute blast at our garden tour yesterday.

And today I think I have never been so tired!

The tour went from 10 to 5. People began arriving at one second after 10. The last ones knocked on our door at about 5:15. (I was so pooped I just let them through to take a quick look at the back yard.) In between we had a constant stream of visitors. There were usually about 10 people here at a time; as soon as some left, more arrived. I estimate we saw at least 400 visitors. Between us, we probably talked to at least 300 of them!

It was fascinating to see what caught people’s eyes. That tin panel I bought last weekend? We hung it on the wall next to the kitchen window

and everyone thought we had tiles embedded in the wall. “Nope,” I’d say. “Pressed tin. Yard sale. Two bucks.” I wasn’t surprised that our tomato frame, made of bamboo, got a lot of attention.

Given that the tomatoes are only about two feet away from a whole stand of bamboo, I was surprised by how many people asked where we got the bamboo for the frame. “Ummm, we grow it,” I said, waving a hand at the rustling plants.

The bamboo received a great deal of attention. So many people are afraid to try it, and we spent a lot of time explaining that there are clumping bamboos and running bamboos, and how to live comfortably with both. Certainly it can be a problematic plant, but it doesn’t have to be.

As I expected the blooming clematis was popular, especially the purple one with lots of blooms.

Big blooms!

I love the back almost as much as the front.

It’s next to a butterfly bush that obligingly started blooming this week. Butterflies stopped by all day.

One lady noticed the fish in my little pond and was happy to have her guess confirmed that they are mosquito fish. She was even happier when I was able to tell her she can get them for free from the county’s vector control department. Some mosquito fish are destined for a happy new home this week!

The Aztec lily bulbs I got three weeks ago now have two blooms! Seemed like no one had seen these before.

We had fun staging some pots in the niches under our outdoor counter.

 

Because we had so much rain this winter, there were some nice calla lily blooms.

Many people brought cameras. One young woman spent quite a while taking pictures; she told me she’s a professional photographer of rock bands. Flowers probably made a peaceful change of subject! She had an impressive Canon SLR digital camera with a hunky 6” lens, which is why she was able to sit several feet away from a plant and take close ups. She took a number of the flowers in this pot.

“I’m late getting home,” she told me, snapping away. “But I don’t care!”

Even the trough with the perfectly ordinary red geraniums had its paparazzi. Perhaps it was the gnome.

Many people commented on the peacefulness our yard. Which was a tad ironic, because for part of the day, the wind was blowing 40+ mph and the rustling bamboo sounded more like a storm at sea! But it really is a haven that we get so much enjoyment from. I’m so glad we got to share it.

Singin’ the Blues!

All right, everyone sing. All together now…

I got them blues,

I got them low down blues.

I got them low down, holiday weekend, no yard sales worth mentioning and those that were there had only piles of tatty clothing and worn out kids’ toys and not even a cat or a dog anywhere to be seen blues…

I was offered free coffee and waffles at my first stop. Which was a nice gesture but I don’t drink coffee, and (I blush to admit) I’m a waffle snob. I only eat really good ones – and they have to be spelled correctly.

Not ‘waffel.’

I know, I know, how petty! But misspelled signs are like fingernails on the blackboard for me. And we won’t get started about the misuse of apostrophes.

I did buy one item, a decorative (IMHO!) metal panel that I’m thinking might be fun in the yard. My husband is off giving a workshop today, so we have not yet had the “but where are you going to put it?” conversation. Among some plants, perhaps at the back of a bed?

Or maybe hung on a blank piece of wall? I think the colors go well with our house.

Each square is raised an inch or so from the frame, and the designs are embossed and painted. I saw some similar pieces in a store recently and thought they’d be fun outdoors. But I left them in the store because the price tag was nowhere near the two bucks I paid for this!

So that was my big morning out. Even with buying gas – ouch – and groceries (at three different stores!) and bird seed I was home by 10:30. Plenty of time left in the day to go water some pots. Including the one I put my Aztec lily bulbs in just two weeks ago. Look – one of them is getting ready to bloom!

Just in time for the garden tour next Saturday. Wish us luck and a sunny day on the 30th!

And the giveaway winner is…

I just realized it’s been 11 days since I posted the 11th-day giveaway. Didn’t mean to take so long, but I rather like the symmetry!

So who won some photos of my garden? Everyone who entered! Yup, since there were just five entrants, all of you win. The original offer was for three prints on photo paper, but I loved Amber’s postcard idea. So if any or all of you like, I’ll create custom postcards for you with your choice of photos on the front, and something like this on the back.

I’ll print them on white card stock, 4” x 6” so you should be able to mail them at the postcard rate. You each get a set of 4, and they can all be different if you like. Just let me know what pictures you’d like me to use, and where to send them. (Cathy, I already know where to find you!) There’s an email link on my “About Me” info.

Of course, if any of you prefer photo prints instead of postcards, that’s just fine too.

Thanks for entering! I loved your sweet comments and sure do wish you were all close enough to come to the garden tour next week.

Next week? Yikes!!

Signage

“I bought this sign to impress my wife,” said the man on the driveway, holding it up for me to see. “Hope it fools her!”

I think it will, don’t you?

It was a morning for signs, including the usual “Huge Garage Sale!” signs that lead nowhere. So annoying when gas is so expensive. Today we got a variation on that—signs with uncertain arrows. Two or three folks were rather challenged in their sign placement, and it was hard to tell if the arrow was pointing ahead or around a corner. But Saturday morning is all about the adventure, the hunt. Surely the thrill of finding that elusive sale would be lessened by efficient sign placement, yes?

One seller was into signs as a marketing tool.

Up the street from them I found a sale where two young women were sitting on the sunny driveway, petting this puppy. The puppy’s owner said, “I lost my old dog a few months ago, and it was terrible. I’d had her for like fifteen years, since I was a senior in high school. She was with me through college and moving across the country, she was my heart. When she died I was just lost. Then I saw a picture on the Internet of this puppy, and when I saw the heart on her face I knew she was supposed to be mine.”

I’ve been thinking lately that I should consider actually buying one of the pieces of exercise equipment I see every weekend on driveways. Hate to admit how sedentary I am—but it’s true! So when I saw this, I recognized it as another sign.

We always thought that Schwinns were the coolest bikes, and way too pricey for my family. So now I finally own one, though this one isn’t going to travel too far.

 

Now I can either get more fit—or get bored with it! But for what I paid, if boredom wins at least I won’t have to feel guilty about what I spent.

It was by far the most expensive (and heavy!) deal of the day. I also brought home a handy magnetic clip to hold notes on my doorframe at work…

…some garden magazines…     …a fun watch…

…and a ravishing Le Crueset tea kettle (which retails for $75—ouch!)

Total outlay for the morning: $22.75. Surely a sign of frugal buying.

And now…signing off!

Another 11th Day Giveaway!

The 11th day of the month…time for another 2011 giveaway! We’re really focused on our garden these days since it will be on the Mary Lou Heard Garden Tour on April 30. I can’t give away tickets to the tour—because it’s free! All you need is the list of addresses to you can visit some wonderful “real gardens for real people.” The printable list will be on the website soon.

But I can give away something related to my garden. Pictures! The winner of this month’s giveaway will receive three of my garden photos, of your choice. Maybe you’d like a print of the colorful textures of coleus and geraniums.

Or an exotic passion flower.

I love the colors of this clematis with the new fern frond.

We have unusual container plantings too!

I always think there’s nothing to compare to the excitement of having a water lily bloom.

Perhaps you’d enjoy some of our garden creatures, such as a thirsty raccoon...

 

…or a butterfly on bamboo…

…an early morning web…

…or a copper dragonfly.

If you’re a fan of yellow kitties, our Noll Baxter often models for us.

 

More images are on our garden website—take a look!

The winner will choose the size of your prints as well as the images. If you’d like a chance to win, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post. I’ll throw them all in the hat and choose a winner early next week.

And if you’re in Southern California on April 30 and can come by for the garden tour, I’ll be having a special giveaway just for Queen of Fifty Cents readers…stay tuned!