Another Wine Bottle tree .... really

You may remember from one of my many Moon Garden updates,

I was working on a wine bottle tree feature.

I had just planted the tree stump in that post.

Here is how we put it together.

First, the Man drilled holes in the stump.

Then he cut rebar to approximately 12 inches.

The rebar was then pounded in at an angle.

This continued around the stump.

We kinda just guessed where they could go.

You just want them staggered so you see all the bottles.

Tippy had to get in the way in on the project.

Since it is in the Moon Garden I only used blue and clear wine bottles.

Sounds like I have a lot of bottles huh?

Well. I kinda do.

I have NO idea where they all come from....

The only thing left to do is plant around it.

I started some Moon Flower Vine seeds in the house and had great germination!

My plan is for the vine to grow up and entwine with the bottles.

We'll see if my plan comes together .

( another 80's reference, who gets it ? )

Anyway...

I will probably plant white impatiens also.

They are really my favorite annual to use in the Moon Garden.

I also like white allysum .

It smells so sweet and the bees love it .

I'm thinking about wrapping lights around it too.

What do you think ?

I'll have to do it right away , before the vines get to big.

Hoping to get some planting done tomorrow.

I'll have my little helper , so we will see how that goes....

Linking to some or all of the great parties:

Show Off Your Stuff @ Fireflies and Jellybeans http://firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com/
Primp Your Stuff Wednesday @ Primp http://micheleravendesigns.blogspot.com/
Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims http://www.mygirlishwhims.blogspot.com/
Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage http://www.abeachcottage.com/
Rock & Share @ The Shady Porch(a pinterest party)http://theshadyporch.blogspot.com/
Tablescape Thrursday@ Beteen Naps on the Porch http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
Thursdays are Your Days @ 52 Mantles http://www.52mantels.com/
Show and Tell Friday@ My Romantic Home http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/
Inspiration Friday@ At the Picket Fence http://www.atthepicketfence.com/
Pinning and Singing on the Weekend@ 5 Minutes Just for Me http://5minutesjustforme.blogspot.com
Potpourri Friday @ 2805 http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/
Fabulous Friday @ Faith,Trust and Pixie Dust http://michellelunt.blogspot.com/
Weekend Bloggy Reading : Link Up @ Serenity Now http://www.serenitynowblog.com/
Fridays Unfolded @ Stuff and Nonsense http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/
Shine on Friday @ Happy-Go-Lucky http://happy-go-lucky-harvey.blogspot.com/
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/
A Pinteresting Link Party @ Here's to Handy Andy http://herestohandyandy.blogspot.com/
Tutu's and Teaparties : A Pinteresting Party @ http://tutusandteaparties.blogspot.com/

Mini Moon Garden

Last Monday the local garden club hosted an open house.

One of the speakers was an expert on mini conifers.

Now those don't really interest me all that much ,

but part of his talk was on making hypetufa troughs,

which is what they plant mini garden in .

The speaker always uses mini conifers in his troughs.

He was quite the purest when it came to trough gardens.

I am not.

I don't think he would approve of mine.

But  I love the way it turned out.

I didn't make this container

( although , I do plan to give it a go , so stay tuned for a hypertufa post )

this one was given to me by a friend.

  Her daughter had made them as a 4H project.

I bet I've had it for at least 10 years.

It was made using the same basic method ,

probably a different "recipe" and

she used a rhubarb leaf to made the pattern .

Cool huh?

Over the years , I've used it as a bird bath , a bird feeder , or

just as an ornament.

I decided it was time to put it to use.

Plus after hearing the speaker I was dying to give it a try.

First I filled the bottom 3 inches ( approximately) with chicken grit,

I then filled it with a light weight potting mix.

Then the fun part...

planting.

The idea with these trough gardens is that it is actually a MINI garden.

So you arrange the plants as if you are landscaping a full sized garden.

Complete with ornaments, paths , arbors , etc.

This container was in my Moon Garden so of course it had to be a Mini Moon Garden !

I don't know if I've mentioned it before ,

but I have a slight obsession with Hostas.

Especially miniature Hostas.

The only problem with miniature Hostas is they have a tendency to get lost in the border cause they are just THAT small !

I thought mini gardens would be a great way to showcase my little lovelies.

I added a mini pine and a VERY small leafed mint.

The Hostas won't get much taller , but they will eventually get bigger around.

I anticipate the mint will spread, I really hope it does.

I'm really hoping it spreads in like grass.

Time will tell...

Then I added this little arbor and garden bench.

And the icing on the cake ( I think ) ...

The gazing ball!

I've got a couple more mini garden plans floating around in my brain.

I'll share them eventually.

The weather must straighten out first.

Do you like them ?

Has anyone else planted one ?

Are you tired of my Moon Garden yet ?

I hope not, cause I've got another update post coming soon.

I think I'm in love....

Linking to some or all of thse great Parties :

More the Merrier Monday@DIY Home Sweet Home http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/
So Very Creative Party Time @ So Creative http://soverycreative.blogspot.com/
Meet Me Monday @ You're Talking Too Much http://youaretalkingtoomuch.blogspot.com/
Amaze Me Monday @ DittleDattle http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/
What's in the GunnySack@The Gunny Sack http://www.thegunnysack.com/
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
Make the Scene Monday @ Alderberry Hill http://alderberryhill.blogspot.com/
Make it Yourself Monday @ An Original Belle http://anoriginalbelle.blogspot.com/
Show Me What You Got Linky Party @ Our Delightful Home http://www.ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com/
Party Time Tuesday @ Northern Cottage http://www.northerncottage.net/
Trash to Treasure Tuesday @ Sassy Sites http://sassysites.blogspot.com/
Cowgirl Up Creative Linky Party @ The FarmhousPorch http://farmhouseporch.blogspot.com
Show Off Your Stuff @ Fireflies and Jellybeans http://firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com/
Primp Your Stuff Wednesday @ Primp http://micheleravendesigns.blogspot.com/
Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims http://www.mygirlishwhims.blogspot.com/
Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage http://www.abeachcottage.com/
Rock & Share @ The Shady Porch(a pinterest party)http://theshadyporch.blogspot.com/
Tablescape Thrursday@ Beteen Naps on the Porch http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
Thursdays are Your Days @ 52 Mantles http://www.52mantels.com/
Show and Tell Friday@ My Romantic Home http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/
Inspiration Friday@ At the Picket Fence http://www.atthepicketfence.com/
Pinning and Singing on the Weekend@ 5 Minutes Just for Me http://5minutesjustforme.blogspot.com
Potpourri Friday @ 2805 http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/
Fabulous Friday @ Faith,Trust and Pixie Dust http://michellelunt.blogspot.com/
Weekend Bloggy Reading : Link Up @ Serenity Now http://www.serenitynowblog.com/
Fridays Unfolded @ Stuff and Nonsense http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/
Shine on Friday @ Happy-Go-Lucky http://happy-go-lucky-harvey.blogspot.com/
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/
A Pinteresting Link Party @ Here's to Handy Andy http://herestohandyandy.blogspot.com/
Tutu's and Teaparties : A Pinteresting Party @ http://tutusandteaparties.blogspot.com/

Moon Garden Update

The moon garden in spring is a little bare.

 But , I'm sharing it anyway.

That's right , if you read my blog , you get the ugly with the beautiful  not so ugly...

But really, it's April in northern Iowa.

Normally we don't see even this much plant life.

 I did plant a Bleeding Heart with Addie last Wednesday.

( this picture was taken prior to that )

Did you notice the tree stump in the black container in the back of the garden ?

Now you really think I'm weird right?

Em sure does.

Well, it's the start of an awesome feature for the Moon Garden this year.

( I hope anyway )

This is what it will end up like.

( again , I hope )

That's right !

ANOTHER wine bottle tree !

 Because , really, can any person living in the Trailerhood have too many wine bottle trees ?

I think not.

Plus, I have plenty of wine bottles...

(All those corks came from somewhere you know .)

Last year , I filled in with a lot of annuals.

I plan to add a bunch this year too ,

when you live close to as many greenhouses as I do , you can't help yourself.

I shop for plants like other women shop for shoes,

not that I don't love shoes, I do....

But I want to add more perennials than annuals this year.

I love perennials for the " bones" of the garden,

however,

 I really feel you need some annuals for constant color.

Just my opinion of course,

but, it's my blog ,

so I get to say what I want ....

Here is a little Moon Garden inspiration I got from Pinterest .

The White Garden  at Sissinghurst , Kent, England

Wish I had this shed !

Wouldn't this group of containers be FABULOUS in the Moon Garden ?

Old galvanized metal filled with white flowers...

LOVE

But here is my ultimate goal ~

Notice the Datura dangling above the rock ?

GORGEOUS !

 Yes ?

YES!

Wish me luck !

I'll keep you updated .

Linking to theses fabulous parties :

More the Merrier Monday@DIY Home Sweet Home http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/
So Very Creative Party Time @ So Creative http://soverycreative.blogspot.com/
Meet Me Monday @ You're Talking Too Much http://youaretalkingtoomuch.blogspot.com/
Amaze Me Monday @ DittleDattle http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/
What's in the GunnySack@The Gunny Sack http://www.thegunnysack.com/
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
Make the Scene Monday @ Alderberry Hill http://alderberryhill.blogspot.com/
Make it Yourself Monday @ An Original Belle http://anoriginalbelle.blogspot.com/
Show Me What You Got Linky Party @ Our Delightful Home http://www.ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com
Party Time Tuesday @ Northern Cottage http://www.northerncottage.net/
Trash to Treasure Tuesday @ Sassy Sites http://sassysites.blogspot.com/
Cowgirl Up Creative Linky Party @ The FarmhousPorch http://farmhouseporch.blogspot.com
Show Off Your Stuff @ Fireflies and Jellybeans http://firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com/
Primp Your Stuff Wednesday @ Primp http://micheleravendesigns.blogspot.com/
Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims http://www.mygirlishwhims.blogspot.com/
Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage http://www.abeachcottage.com/
Rock & Share @ The Shady Porch(a pinterest party)http://theshadyporch.blogspot.com/
Tablescape Thrursday@ Beteen Naps on the Porch http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
Thursdays are Your Days @ 52 Mantles http://www.52mantels.com/
Show and Tell Friday@ My Romantic Home http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/
Inspiration Friday@ At the Picket Fence http://www.atthepicketfence.com/
Pinning and Singing on the Weekend@ 5 Minutes Just for Me http://5minutesjustforme.blogspot.com
Potpourri Friday @ 2805 http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/
Fabulous Friday @ Faith,Trust and Pixie Dust http://michellelunt.blogspot.com/
Weekend Bloggy Reading : Link Up @ Serenity Now http://www.serenitynowblog.com/
Fridays Unfolded @ Stuff and Nonsense http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/
Shine on Friday @ Happy-Go-Lucky http://happy-go-lucky-harvey.blogspot.com
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/
A Pinteresting Link Party @ Here's to Handy Andy http://herestohandyandy.blogspot.com/
Tutu's and Teaparties : A Pinteresting Party @ http://tutusandteaparties.blogspot.com/

Spookified Moon Garden

This past weekend I "spookified" my Moon Garden.

It was definitely past it's prime , no longer the lush garden you saw here.

My family thought I was crazy.
Well, they think that most of the time.

You see , my Moon Garden is in the back of my house , where it is rarely seen by anyone but me.

That has never stopped me from decorating before, and it didn't this time.
It's like my Secret Garden and I like it that way!
AND

It is Halloween after all !

When I told Em that I was making ghosties , she said " you're not going to make those weird ghosts that hold hands in a circle are you ?" , and I said , " well yes I am."

And I did.

And I kinda like them.

My Moon Man

I wanted some white pumpkins , but # 1 - I couldn't find any locally and #2- I was too cheap to buy them even if I could've found them. Sooo, white spray paint to the rescue!

I filled my rhubarb leaf bird bath with another white spray painted pumpkin and some silver spray painted mini pumpkins.

There you have it .....

My "Spookified" Moon Garden !

Now for Pinteresting Wednesday.....

I know , YESTERDAY was Wednesday, but Pinterest wouldn't connect for me last night....

WAY cooler than my ghost in the garden !

A close up. Chicken wire . Cool huh?

Fun idea , but do you think they would scare my birds?

Ghosts and white pumpkins .... just like mine right ?

right.....

Maybe I'll add some grave stones next year !

Linking this post to :

The Vintage Apple

http://www.thevintageapple.com/

Wordless Wednesday - Almost

So , I'm pretty new to this blogging thing , (but I am having fun with it ) and I see quite a few blogs that do " Wordless Wednesday" posts.
Now I have Addie every Wednesday afternoon, so I thought it would be a pretty cool feature on my blog too.
Here's the problem.... it's almost impossible for me to be wordless about ANYTHING ! But.... I am going to try use as few words as possible.
This Wednesday's theme : INSPIRATION.

I have found another cool thing while blogging , it's called Pinterest . It's a great creative tool , that lets you look at other people's inspiration. It's like an online scrapbook of all things that interest you. How many times have you looked at a picture in a magazine and thought it was great and got some inspiration from it , then when you tried to find it back , you couldn't remember which magazine it was in or which issue of which magazine (  if you're like me, you have all the issues because you just can't part with them , cause you might need to refer back... someday ), well this helps you store all of those ideas on " boards". For instance , I have a board for "garden" and " quotes" and "inspiration " and , well , you can have as many boards as you have interests if you want . It's awesome , I'm telling you !

ANYWAY...... here is some of my INSPIRATION ....

Inspiration for my " chair obsession"

An Inspiration for next year in the Moon Garden. Can't you just see a similar arrangement with silver pots and white flowers ? HEAVEN !

One of the next DIY projects I'm going to tackle. Addie LOVES writing with her chalk. Just because it's functional doesn't mean it can't be beautiful !

Pomegranate Champagne Punch

I think this will be the "signature cocktail "  at my next Girl's Night party ! YUMM!

My quote of the week.....BUT oh, so true !

Ok , so it wasn't "Wordless" , but this is as close as it gets for me. The wordless Wednesday word is INSPIRATION and  I hope my blog gives you a little of that.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's new feature , "Thirsty Thursday". I haven't found a blog yet that does that , but I'm sure there must be one or two !

My Moon Garden

My flower beds have never looked better than they do right now. Typical of course , because in Iowa our first frost usually comes around the first week in October. That gives me about another month to enjoy the beauty of my flower gardens.
I talked in an earlier post about my laziness when it comes to my vegetable garden. I tend to give my flower garden a little more TLC. Thanks God I don't need my vegetables to feed my family! I have friends and farmers market for that.
I label my gardens ( kinda like my homes ). I have a hosta garden , a wine bottle tree garden ( bet you're wondering about that one , huh? ), a perennial garden and a moon garden.
Today I'm going to take you on a tour of my moon garden. Never heard of a moon garden you say... a moon garden consists of white blooming flowers , silver foliage plants, plants that bloom at night or plants that release their fragrance at night.
I fell in love with the concept of a moon garden years ago when a read a beautifully illustrated article in Herb Companion Magazine and I knew I had to have one.
One of the first things to consider , even before plant selection , is the location of your garden. If you don't place it near somewhere you spend time in the evening, you will never enjoy it to the fullest. I planted my first moon garden when we lived in the " big blue house" . I planted it next to our deck. It faced the south and got plenty of sun during the day. My moon garden now is on the north side of the house and mostly shade , but that is where my deck is supposed to be ( but that's another story) . So you see now why it is important to plan location before plants.
One of my FAV plants for a moon garden is Datura or Angel's trumpet. It is beautiful ! It's very slow to get started ( at least for me ), has velvety leaves and huge beautiful trumpet shaped flowers that open at night.

They do come in other colors , pink and yellow , but I prefer the white.
Other must haves for moon garden are any variety of Artemesia.  I have Silver mound in mine, simply because it's one of my favorite perennials. I also have Lambs ear, Varigated Dogwood , white Peony , Russian Sage , Allysum, Ribbon Grass and LOTS of white Impatiens ( mostly shade remember).
There is something magical about sitting on your patio or deck ( or in my case grass, because for some reason my deck is still NOT built ! ) and seeing the flowers and foliage glow in the dark , fill the night with their fragrance , listening to the frogs and crickets ( of course , it's all the more enjoyable with a glass of wine ).

This was my moon garden a few weeks ago. It is looking very lush right now. The Ribbon Grass is taking over , so it will probably have to find a home elsewhere ( I can never just pull something out , it has to be relocated). Next year I will make room for a Datura or two ( they get quite large) and I have a trellis which I am painting midnight blue and I am  hoping a moonflower vine will cooperate and cover . And isn't my Man in the Moon painting FABULOUS ? A birthday gift from my friend KP. I am so lucky to have talented friends!
How do you create a little magic in your garden ?

Till next time ....