Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Garden decor - kind of

My garden is pretty un-decorated. No statuary, no angels or garden gnomes (pa-lease!). There are several reasons for that. Lack of confidence, lack of ideas, lack of money, lack of space. I never did get that big birdbath from Lowe's. I couldn't commit because I wasn't sure I really loved it. I have a gazing ball that my neighbor gave me and a few other really small things. The two most notable items of decoration in my garden were gifts from my sister, and I wholeheartedly love them.

Mr. Frog arrived last week for my birthday. How cute is he?

A few years ago she gave me a beautiful ceramic pot with a flat side. I chose to make a spilling fountain of it with a pump and a hidden basin under it.
The summer heat was a problem, because the water evaporated out of it quickly, leaving the pump running dry, so eventually I turned off the pump and enjoyed the pot strictly for its vivid colors.
Three and a half years later... If I can't keep my house vacuumed, do you really think I'm going to keep the rocks swept clean of leaves?

The man who sold the pot to my sister told her that cold weather wouldn't harm this pot - and she lives in Ohio. I didn't give it another thought until I was standing near it one cold day and heard a pop! and then a tinkle. Looking around, I discovered a chip of colored ceramic on the ground and pieces missing from the glaze of the pot. Oh, waaaa! My beautiful pot was coming apart! Even in Florida!!

Well, the pot has shivered and popped through three winters, losing more of its glaze with each freezing night. The bare ceramic has become mildewed and probably provides a comfortable home for a clan of algae. I wish I had had the good sense to bring it indoors for the winter when it first happened, but really, that's a lot to expect of my brain.
It's still pretty to me. Perhaps I can find one at a scratch-and-dent sale. The new one will fit right in.

7 comments:

  1. Your frog is cute and happy and your ceramic pot very pretty even in it's chippy stage.

    Happy Summer Gardening ~ FlowerLady

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  2. Such a beautiful pot. I've had the same thing happen with ceramic stepping stones. Pop and crack they go in the winter. I love your comment about not being expected to sweep the leaves from the stones if you can't keep the house vacuumed. I relate.

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  3. Love your little frog! Sorry about your pot. I never bring stuff in, either. They either make it or not. I have too many things in the garden probably. Perhaps I fall in love with things too easily!

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  4. That's too bad about your pretty pot, but I do love the frog..he's a real charmer.

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  5. Mr. Frog brought an instant smile to my face. I think he's adorable. I think the pretty pot as it is in its present state has character. It's been around just as we have!

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  6. I am so glad I'm not the only one that doesn't do too good at vacuuming the house! Well, look at it this way...you'll never find another pot that looks exactly like yours in someone else's garden.
    Jeanni

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  7. FlowerLady, I guess I’m in my chippy stage, too, so it all works.
    Happy Rainy Gardening!!

    Kay, I don’t know why I am so beset with feelings of inadequacy about my “housekeeping” since apparently many of us are in the same dusty boat!
    Thanks for the commiseration.

    HolleyGarden, before reading your comment I would have thought that I fall in love easily, too, but I guess it’s not true love if I’m not willing to lay out the money. I do think I would have paid the price for that frog though. Yes, Susan, charming is just what he is!

    Me, too, about the smile, Ingrid. He’s a happy fellow. I suppose that just as that pot still has quite a bit of pretty glaze left, we do, too. Most of the time time I only see the chips, but there’s still glaze left on me --- I guess. You call it character, and your right.

    Jeanni, I tend to vacuum when we have company coming – and we don’t get many visitors. Ha! It’s my way of conserving energy – in more ways than one.

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