I gave seeds to a neighbor and told him what to expect. I advised him to plant them in pots on the floor so they'll climb up the railing and spread. I look up to his balcony and see he was modest about it, planting only a few in only two areas, and they have taken over, his whole railing is covered. It's delightful to see. He has his own little jungle up there. Like I do.
He's a cop.
If he's still around next year I think I'll take up a dozen or so caladium bulbs up there so he can max out on the jungle effect.
I have a million pictures to show you. Want to see 'em?
What?
Fine!
How about 24 pictures then?
See the white eggplant? ↑ This is a good plant to use.
Nice and tall, plus it makes those white things.
Apparently they're edible.
11 comments:
Beautiful!
I'm jelly. Caladiums are just what I need for a certain spot in my yard. I love coleus even more. The head sculpture/pot with the white and red is sooo right. Do you recall where you bought it?
It's a bad pot. Bad pot. Bad.
It's very heavy with only a small container. And I have a rule against small pots.
The morning glories in that one are doing worst of all. Caladiums are ok in it because they're forgiving about watering on account of their energy coming from the bulb.
I forget where I bought them. Some place online. A boutique kind of place, that makes them right there to order. As I'm recalling, they offered to seal them for extra cost.
Here's Hayneedle.
I didn't care to do much comparison shopping back then. I bought 4 concrete containers.
Stoneface Creations
Most of the pictures I'm seeing look like Chia Pets.
The idea, I think, is be outrageous. So the plants predominate and not the planter. Best to have it tucked in so that it's "discovered" and not pushed out to the forefront. So visitors go, "oh, there's a face. Ha."
And not.
HERE'S THE FACE THAT YOU'RE NOT TO MISS.
The ones made tp look like hair are terrible. Better to avoid that. I think. If anything have it look like an outrageous hat, or more like plants just took over a statue.
One time I explained this to my dad and he cracked up laughing. I was being serious. He gave me King Tut statue in bisque. I actually resented it because it's so trite. So common. I'd rather have something unusual. Something you don't see all over the place. But that's impossible for my parents to fulfill. Bless 'em, they tried. But everything the chose for me along Egyptian lines were exceedingly mundane like that. So i painted it in real gold. I did an excellent job painting it. It's the nicest you'll see, but still very common item. Then it dropped.
Oops.
An accident, I swear.
Bashed a hole right in its head.
A big one.
Shame to ruin it.
Don't you think?
It's perfect for holding a 4" nursery cup. But then you have to tend a small plant.
I bought a fern from Home Depot and stuck it in the planter. My dad saw it and questioned me. I go, "Tut's headress is already outrageous. You don't get any stranger than the Nemes headdress with its wild-ass shape and bold gold and blue stripes. But now with a fern BLAM! it's really wild. I gesticulated a gigantic form on top of my own head and my dad split a gut laughing (at the way I describe things) He has this look that means, "what in the fuck are we going to do with you?"
Stoneface creations looks familiar. The place I bought mine was similar to this.
Better Homes and Gardens
This is actually a good place to start. They got tons of stuff.
Head planter category at Arizona Pottery
Landscape supply (bleh)
I forbid buying anything goofy.
Here we go. You should buy these ones.
Etsy [concrete face planter]
Amazon
eBay has a poor selection presently.
Thanks for the links! I really like this one:
http://www.stonefacecreations.com/CRANIUM13.jpg
Yours just seems to capture it just right. The leaves are just airy enough, and the colors muted. Looks like a jaunty hat.
Yes, I feel the same about letting ornaments hide a little.
"How about some fresh air for a change, Chip?"
"No, we can't go out on the terrace, that belongs to the plants!"
ding-ding-ding, and dig the price.
ChipA's descriptions of some of his interactions with his dad intrigue me as they bring to mind men I've known and loved, including my own dad and now also deceased brother. Those two were both competent men of discipline, integrity and fortitude who were more comfortable fulfilling duty, solving problems, and doing what they knew how to do best, while holding themselves slightly outside and apart from the distraction of sensory and/or emotional engagement.
The moments when they did let themselves see or feel outside of their comfort zone or normal perspective, were memorable (as was their character) and shared laughter was often one of the results.
Although the face on the pot at the ding-ding-ding link doesn't ring my bell, I enjoyed seeing the fill in the pot at the Stonefaced Creations link. Finding a fill that works is tricky business, in addition to the hole space being a factor to consider. I learned about both recently after I bought a swan planter that had been set out for sale at the end of a driveway on the road to our new home. It looked like stone but was surprisingly light, made of dense foam with a small chip on one side but had nice lines overall and a look that pleased me in addition to a $5 price tag. It's currently holding a canna lily and chartreuse coleus, but I'm thinking something with less of a straight line up would be the better choice next year.
Maybe I'll succumb to the caladiam pitch and give them a try. I like the look of the ones coming out of the lady's head, in light green with pink veins--airy yet substantial enough to be swanlike.
Back in my church days, the meme at that time was that three invites were what it took for new comers to consider darkening the door of a church or attending a church sponsored event.
Maybe the same is true for Caladiums.
SO pretty! I have a black thumb, but my mom had a green thumb and was a talented gardener. This reminds me of stuff she’d do on decks, ledges, porches etc. (let alone in whole backyards). Thanks for sharing the beautful pictures and also bringing great memories of my mom to mind. A “Two-fer”!!
Post a Comment