A small Vertical Garden

I have been inspired and in awe at some of the amazing vertical gardens I have seen on line. I wanted one for my yard and thought I could make a small one. Rummaging around  the second hand store I found a wire frame for making wreathes and a bit of plastic netting. In the shed we had dry moss and soil, up the street in a crevice I found some interesting moss, in the garden I had some succulents and a low growing creeper that crept over from next door.

The wire wreath frame with the plastic net wrapped and wired, ready  for the  garden contents.

A paint tray full of Hen's and Chicken's, moss and the creeper.

The frame ready for the plants. I started with moss and then soil.

This gives you an idea of the size in relation to the paint tray.

Complete.

It sat for a week or so flat, establishing its roots before I hung it. 

After a couple of months it looks beautiful, I even cut some of the babies off of the large succulent.  

The plastic net doesn't hold up so good in the sun, and the whole thing is slowly moving down, but it was a fun project and a lovely small vertical garden that thrived the hot summer. When it gets cold I will put it on the ground and next year I can rearrange it and figure a better wrap.

Grindrod Garlic Festival 2012

Garlic hanging lamp perfect for that dark corner in the kitchen hanging over a little round bistro table.

It was 27C at 9:30 am on Sunday August 19TH in downtown Enderby, in the afternoon in Grindrod my car read 37C. My purchase of garlic chocolate from "Deep Creek Chocolates" was safe in the cooler under a white cloth, my booth was cooler shaded by curtains hung around it, people were coming in just to enjoy the shade. For the Garlic Festival  I came with garlic themed greeting cards, hats,  bags of all sorts, and a garlic lamp.  I was busy in my booth, and had many items of conversation such as the change room, the boob art, and all the garlic stuff. I did a bit of trading garlic for garments. When you go to a garlic festival there is never a shortage of garlic and you must come home with garlic.

I had some fun free hand stitching on my sewing machine.

A Garlic fascinator, from the carefully peeled outer layer of a large garlic bulb.  It needed it's own box so I made one with some of my hand made recycled paper and flowers.

Sneeze for the camera.

I somehow managed to get a break from my booth just in time for the costume contest.  Gabriele, Karen, Maddy, Shawn-Mark and Jeanette in the back row. "Garlic Girl" Maddy was announced the winner.  Maddy is my student, she took sewing lessons for two weekends this summer, her last project was to make a costume for the Garlic Festival, she did a great job. I made the Garlic hats that Gabriele and Jeanette are wearing. Our prizes were Garlic chocolate and two $5.00 Garlic festival bucks. 

The Eagle is Home!

The Eagle has returned, missing a few claws and some bent feathers.

Missing From Enderby Home

This metal sculpture of an Eagle is missing. Gloria Morgan a former Splatsin First Nations Chief proudly displayed this magnificent Eagle in her front yard on Highway 97A., made locally. At six feet by six feet it had to be taken away in a truck. Please let this Eagle come home, I and many others will miss it on our  walks and rides past the Morgan residents. If you know anything about this theft please do go to the RCMP. No questions asked and there is a reward. I am so sorry for your lose Gloria, I do hope the Eagle returns in a good state and soon.



This reminds me of a song I wrote for my friend Beba when she was dying of cancer. The eagle was special to her also.

She is the Eagle

Home, home,  home, home, home, home.....

The eagle she flies high,  but now she's flying low take her home.

The eagle she's a mother she cares were you go, go home.

Home she's going home, high above the clouds looking down upon the world, she sees the way we are, she cries the way she is going home.

Come home, what do we come home to, come home.

Home, home, home, home, home, home, home................

BC Day August 6, 2012

At the top of Mowat and Brash-Allen roads.

Steve and I started out the day with a bike ride . We did the loop crossing the bridge on Mabel Lake road, left on Enderby-Grindrod road, right on Mowat road. I was sure I was going to die riding up that hill, Steve seemed to have no problem. I guess I need to ride more often. Then we took a right down Brash-Allen road and right back onto Mabel lake road. It was beautiful. We started out as early as possible to beat the heat. Then we toiled in our yard and garden. Steve working on his gate.

We have a good crop of plums, looking forward to munching on a juicy yellow plum in the very near future.

Some of the garden is growing some of it is growing in miniature.

This is a watering device. a clay pot turned upside down with a clay saucer siliconed to the top which is now the bottom.  

The grapes are in abundance but not happy.

The sunflowers are giving balance to the front yard. At one time there were two hay bale walls in the front, I do not know the true story as to how the other one fell. With out the second wall in front it was just odd looking, so tall flowers for balance.

The Bee's love the sunflowers. I will plant more next year. We recently watched the documentary "Queen of the Sun".  It was good and a must see. Without Bee's we will not be. 

Double headed Sunflower.

Steve and the new gate, now he will add branches to make a closed in fence on each side of the gate.

Quince, we will have plenty.

Every day we check on the peaches all two of them. Brushing off insects and hoping the birds don't peck at them. Patience.

A brick self portrait watching over the side garden.

Oregon grape grows well in our yard. I don't mind it around the tall  Douglas Fir trees, they are so sappy, the Oregon Grape is prickly so you don't want to get to close to the trees. The grapes make a nice juice if you add sugar.

A single poppy among the tall Evening Primrose and the variety of succulents.

The circle of friends stand on the decaying Balsam stump that the ants are taking care of.

We finished off the day sitting on the front porch watching the lighting and counting the time between the thunder. Matty was hiding in his carrying cage under Steve's desk in the basement.