window clings

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just in time for haunting

As gardeners, we know enough to appreciate the activity of bats as they gobble up pests at a prodigious rate. This little guy is pretty friendly looking besides. If you put him on your window the little goblins ringing your bell will not be terrified, so better have plenty of treats ready.

Hand cut from static cling vinyl, you peel the bat from the backing sheet and apply to any clean indoor glass surface, working out bubbles with your hand.

Orders are sent in sturdy envelopes with complete instructions for use and storage. The bat measures 11″ x 5″.

You can order a bat, or other of our Window Art Warnings HERE!

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vase, wildflower walk and a new job

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A ball of chicken wire is a handy device for holding stems upright in a vase.

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The patch of Lily-of-the-valley growing through golden baby tears has grown exponentially each year (starting with a single start from a friend).

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I wanted to keep the simplicity of the white and green.

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Pristine little bells give off a powerful scent (but not too powerful). Cathy of (Rambling in the Garden) hosts a weekly In a Vase on Monday meme to tickle your nose and your eyeballs. I highly recommend it.

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I knew when the Hortlandia posts started rolling in I would regret having missed it. But who would pass up time in the gorge with good friends, good food and wildflowers? Not me!

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The drive to their place in Mosier was a dream journey.

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We wanted to take some shots out their windows to show how our bird-saving silhouettes can be used without obstructing the view.

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And what a view it is!

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The last time we hiked Rowena Crest, the Balsam Root was just finishing up. This time it was in full flower.

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Lupine on the crest was just getting started, though we saw drifts of it coloring roadsides at lower altitudes.

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Less bold, but worth a closer look, larkspur amidst the grasses,

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and all sorts of dainties tucked in here and there amongst the bolder show-offs. We passed several fields of Camassia turning the landscape blue but they were behind fences so no photos.

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Last, but certainly not least, I answered the call to help out at (Joy Creek Nursery) on Sundays. What kind of a dream job is that? I hope you’ll stop by to say “hello” if you’re in the neighborhood, stroll the fabulous display gardens and fall for a few of the enticing plants in the sales area.

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friday grab bag

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How ironic is it, that picking out the negative spaces in our window silhouettes is called “weeding”? Looks like I can never escape this chore.

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Here’s a sneak peek at what our latest product is apt to look like (from the outside, looking in).

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What a difference a few sunny days makes. Ceanothus ‘Blue Jeans’ is in full bloom.

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It comes along quite a bit earlier than C. impressus ‘Victoria’ and is a duskier blue (like denim) to Vicki’s clear blue.

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In the “delightful surprise” category are these Epimediums, NOID from one of our bloggers’ swaps.

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All surprises are not necessarily delightful. The Alliums I planted in the fall are coming up nicely and look almost ready to flower, but all of the leaf tips have browned in a rather unsightly fashion.

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Plagued by gophers, our “lawn” looks like a war zone. Taking Amy’s (Plan-it-Earth Design) advice, I’m starting to plant it with things that will disguise the damage, need little to no mowing and quit pretending to be lawn.

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This is the first little patch, using a nice big clump of Carex I got from Anna (Flutter and Hum), which I divided and spread out over a fairly large area. The clumps of Prunella vulgaris were left in place (I’m choosing to view them as wildflowers rather than weeds). The Alliums were tucked into open spaces and I’m thinking Camassia next. At this rate, it’s a project that could become my life’s work, but I’ll show those gophers who’s boss.

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pane relief

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My latest plan is to use Thursdays to pitch our window cling silhouettes. I hope you won’t mind. The latest, for sale (HERE), came to be because Richard was fascinated by the bronze cat statuettes (circa 600 BC) he found in a book about Egypt. We went back and forth, refining the design so that it would read as a silhouette.

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Birds aren’t the only birdbrains out there. Plenty of humans have mistaken a sliding glass door (at least one in the home of a fastidious housekeeper) for an open portal to the great outdoors. One of these guys, applied at eye level, could prevent a serious headache, or worse.