Useful Garden Pottery

Copyright © 2007-2009. Suburban Wildlife Garden. All Rights Reserved.

I've been on the lookout for a large pot or urn for my front porch. This week I finally found one at Hill Country Water Gardens. It's always a joy to visit this unique nursery.

They seem to have everything I love; from plants...

...to pottery...

...complete with wildlife like this green anole...

...and fountains with very special goldfish and koi.


I was tempted to buy another birdbath for my back garden as well.

But in the end I decided on a pot from the clearance area. It has a hairline crack at the top, but since I don't plan on using it to hold water that's okay. Here it is on my porch.

The staff at Hill Country recommended that I add some pea gravel to the base as ballast. I may also try hanging a light-weight pot of flowers just inside the top. For now I'm enjoying the fact that I finally have something on my front porch besides my welcome mat.

BTW, I hope all of you had a very Happy St. Patrick's Day! Here's the Oxalis that's decorating our breakfast table this week.

‘I’m very glad,’ said Pooh happily, ‘that I thought of giving you a Useful Pot to put things in.’
‘I’m very glad,’ said Piglet happily, ‘that I thought of giving you Something to put in a Useful Pot.’ ~ A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Copyright © 2007-2009. Suburban Wildlife Garden. All Rights Reserved.

When Doors Attack

Copyright © 2007-2009. Suburban Wildlife Garden. All Rights Reserved.

Today we began our day-trip to Fredericksburg to catch the last day of their Oktoberfest. Along the way we dropped off at Starbucks to pick up some hot beverages as well as free coffee grounds for the garden...


Unfortunely, my jaw had a rather unfortunate tangle with a car door in the parking lot. Door-1, Dawn-0. After picking myself off the pavement and getting some ice, we drove back home where I applied more ice and took some pain meds with visions of strudel dancing in my head.

So much for Oktoberfest this year. Ah well. But at least I had one visitor during my convalescence.

This green anole seemed bent on spying at me through the front door.
Before my little accident today I was able to catch some nice blooms like this Turks Cap (drummondii)...

And I noticed some of the local hydrangea colors are starting to turn...

I can't get enough of the Shrimp Plants (Justicia brandegeeana) near my son's school. They are very pretty this year...

And despite the heat, these ilex berries seem to know autumn is here...


Last week I visited the new Neiman Marcus store in Austin. I didn't buy anything, but was very impressed with the thousands of silk butterflies they have hanging from the second floor to the first.

They aren't as nice as real butterflies, of course, but they were still enchanting to me.

Okay, time for another ibuprofen. Better living through chemicals!

“Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Copyright © 2007-2009. Suburban Wildlife Garden. All Rights Reserved.