Surprise Lilies Bouquet

Burgundy vinca flowers add a pop of color to this surprise lily bouquet. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Surprise Lilies Bouquet

Fresh flowers are the easiest way to update a home. In mid-summer where I live, one of my favorite flowers makes an appearance: surprise lilies.

Surprise lilies, also called Resurrection Lilies, are North American cousins of the tropical Amaryllis popular around the holidays.

Surprise lilies are perennials. Once planted, they return every year until the bulbs grown too thick. Then the bulbs need to be dug up and divided.

Surprise lilies pop up mid-summer without leaves. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

I plant surprise lilies along paths and in unexpected garden spots so they surprise me, too.

Native pink phlox with surprise lilies in a gift bouquet. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

About the same time as surprise lilies bloom, native pink phlox are also in bloom, a lovely combination in a vase.

I also look for inspiration on my deck and found dark pink Vinca in bloom. You can also add a variety of other flowers to add a pop of color.

Surprise lilies will last a good 2 weeks in a flower vase. Pick them when they are still in bud to get longer vase life.

Charlotte

Scentfull Small Vases

Lilies of the Valley in a tiny vase in my kitchen. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Scentfull Small Vases

We all focus on tall flower vases but this is a good time to get a start on a tiny vase collection if you don’t have one.

Lilies of the Valley are fragrant and need small containers to show off their delicate beauty. It doesn’t take many of them to fill a room with their lovely scent.

My favorite way to include them in my home is through small vases in bathrooms. I also keep a vase close to where I work on the computer.

Small vases can be hard to find so be creative.

Small vases include toothpick holders and painted containers. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Glass and crystal toothpick holders are a good small vase size. Vintage hand-painted glass containers work well as do cream pitchers. Be creative and collect what you like.

If you’re giving them away as gifts, pick something that represents the recipient. If in doubt, keep it simple.

You will find some small vase options at local yard sales, thrift stores and antique malls.

My latest small vase of Lilies of the Valley. Can you smell them? (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Charlotte

Handmade Postcard

Handmade postcard framed and ready to hang by my front door. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Handmade Bluebird Postcard

There are so many good things about this it was hard for me to decide where to start.

First, you can make a postcard out of most anything. The key part is the size and where you place the address on the back side. In this example, my neighbor drew the line down the center and observed the postal service requirements of address, and stamp, on the right.

You can easily make your own postcard by observing spacing. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Secondly, this is a hand painted bird picture. My neighbor texted that she was hoping she got the bluebird blue color correct - she did. But even if she had not I was not going to tell her, I love these colors and the effort she put into coloring it.

Bluebirds are neighborhood residents and inspiration for my custom gift company, garden and apiary. We tend to see the most often in winter when trees are free of leaves and it’s easier to spot their bright blue color.

These painted birds remind me of the cross stitched ones in my custom Bluebird quilt.

Love the bluebird blue color in this Bluebird custom quilt. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Thirdly, this is a perfect example of something you can make into charming wall art. I added a black line on the right side of the design to balance the borders. I could also have just gently removed the black lines around the other three sides by cutting them off but it was less of a risk for me to just add a fourth black line.

I added a line on the right to frame the hand painted scene. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Finally, find a complimentary background paper and frame. Sometimes you can turn the sample paper in a frame over to fill in around the center design.

You can find interesting and inexpensive frames at thrift stores. I pick a few up when I find them so I have them handy for projects like this one. Chose a modern and a vintage frame to have something to balance whatever you decide to place in the frame. Some people like to have everything framed in the same frame, which is a design option but not practical if you want flexibility to add items as you find them - or get them mailed to you.

Hang the handmade postcard where you can enjoy it daily. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

And here it is again, hanging in the little reception area by my front door. I keep a few seasonal decor items there and see them as I walk up and down my stairs.

The backing has a hook for easy hanging.

“What a Wonderful World” indeed with such a thoughtful neighbor!

Charlotte

Year 2022 Color Very Peri

Perennial vinca vines feature a periwinkle blue flower. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Year 2022 Color Periwinkle

Actually Pantone, the color setting company calls the 2022 “new” color “Very Peri,” a combination of blue and lavender that looks like periwinkle to me.

“Displaying a carefree confidence and a daring curiosity that animates our creative spirit, inquisitive and intriguing PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri helps us to embrace this altered landscape of possibilities, opening us up to a new vision as we rewrite our lives. Rekindling gratitude for some of the qualities that blue represents complemented by a new perspective that resonates today, PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri places the future ahead in a new light.

“We are living in transformative times. PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri is a symbol of the global zeitgeist of the moment and the transition we are going through. As we emerge from an intense period of isolation, our notions and standards are changing, and our physical and digital lives have merged in new ways. Digital design helps us to stretch the limits of reality, opening the door to a dynamic virtual world where we can explore and create new color possibilities. With trends in gaming, the expanding popularity of the metaverse and rising artistic community in the digital space PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri illustrates the fusion of modern life and how color trends in the digital world are being manifested in the physical world and vice versa.”

So basically we will see this color being used in a variety of trends, from home decor to clothing.

Since “blue” is a rare color in nature, the periwinkle blue vinca vines I have on my limestone hillside add a lovely blue tone to my spring and summer garden. It’s been a personal favorite for years.

Pantone’s description of this color is very poetic and, interesting. I’m not sure I see all of what they describe in this “new” color but it is very pretty.

So why is this pertinent? The color will appear in clothing, bedding, Christmas ornaments and a variety of home decor so if you want to be trendy, this is the color to embrace.

Charlotte

First Year Bouquet

A few current flowers brighten my gloomy den. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

First Year Bouquet

2022 is starting grey and cold with snow and ice in the forecast where I live. To celebrate the new year, I checked my indoor plants to find a few flowers to add to my glass flower basket that sits on my den coffee table.

Research shows having fresh flowers around lifts spirits. Maybe that’s why giving flowers is popular when people are in hospitals and recovering. I know having just this little tiny bouquet of flowers next to where I”m writing makes me happy.

So what did I find?

There was a sprig of orange geraniums; peachy begonia blooms and a couple of pomegranate flowers. I finished the bouquet off with a few sprigs of white euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost.’

The glass bee was something I picked up several years ago from a St. Louis glass blowing studio. The bee now makes an appearance in every little flower bouquet.

Hope this combination brightens your day, too!

Charlotte

Christmas Tree Spider Legend

A master gardener friend gave me this spider as a Christmas gift. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Christmas Tree Spider Legend

As a fan of E.B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web” it may come as little surprise that I like spiders, even in my Christmas trees. Much like the legend of the Christmas tree pickle, the Christmas tree spider also has its origins in Europe and most likely the Ukraine.

As the legend goes, a widowed mother is too poor to decorate her Christmas tree so friendly spiders spin elaborate webs on the evergreen. When the mother and her family wake on Christmas morning, they open the curtains and sunlight hits the webs, turning them silver and gold. Some say this is where the idea of tinsel was started.

Some other versions claim Santa or Jesus transformed the webs. Nevertheless, tinsel for many years was a staple on many Christmas trees. We also added it to our Christmas tree decorations when we were growing up.

We also each had a cat. One year one of the cats ate the tinsel and spent Christmas at the vet. That was the end of our adventures with tinsel.

One of our Christmas trees when I was growing up covered in tinsel. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I haven’t added tinsel to Christmas trees since but I do have a lovely gift spider that makes its home in the evergreen tree.

What traditions do you include in your holiday decorating?

Charlotte

Small Christmas Trees

This tiny gift Christmas tree came in a 3” box; the fun is now finding ornaments. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Small Christmas Trees

There is no reason why you have to break the bank, or your back, to have a Christmas tree. Whether you don’t have space, or time, or money, for a standard-sized Christmas tree, you can still have the sentiment that goes with having a Christmas tree by choosing a tiny one.

For many decades I decorated for Christmas with large, people-height Christmas trees. Then for a few years I spent the holidays at hospitals with sick family members. When I was back home during the holidays, I found myself enjoying the 5 minutes - well, make that 10 minutes counting locating them - it took to find my tiny Christmas trees.

Trees have special meaning. From the beauty of the Tree of Life to the simplicity of snow-covered Cedar trees, trees are an easy way to bring nature inside.

This tiny Christmas tree has kept me company for many years. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Tiny Christmas trees don’t take up a lot of storage, or display room; can easily be located and re-located, around the house, and once you have them decorated, you don’t need to take the decorations off.

Are you re-thinking your Christmas tree yet?

You can have lights on tiny Christmas trees, these are battery-operated bee lights. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

People now are downsizing. The younger generations are not wanting to accumulate as much “stuff” so this approach helps keep the holiday spirit without needing a storage locker.

With current lighting options, you can also give your tiny Christmas tree a glow. The tiny tree in the photos has a string of battery-operated lights with bees.

In terms of ornaments, they can be challenging to find. But without putting pressure on myself, I enjoyed the hunt for the tiny tree decorations. Keeping an eye out at thrift stores and antique malls one can find the smaller ornaments, especially during off season.

My latest project is the small Christmas tree from a friend at the top of this post. The tree will keep us company in the den, assuming the cats don’t remove the ornaments as toys.

Now sometimes we don’t have time for a tree, even a tiny one. Here’s a simple option I’ve also used a couple of years when I just didn’t do much holiday decorating. Find a card, or image, that means something to you and frame it.

Framing a lovely favorite Christmas tree image also works. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

For some years, this little framed Christmas tree was the only holiday decorating I set up.

A decorative tin with a Christmas tree can be multi-purpose. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Look for tins for holiday ornament storage and you can also repurpose it for easy home decor.

Remember it’s not how much you add to your holiday decor but the reason for the season.

Charlotte

Tiny Simple Bouquet

Pink vinca join white mums in this tiny glass basket vase on my den table. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Tiny Simple Bouquet

It’s easy to think one needs to pick up a flower bouquet to have fresh flowers at home. But even a couple of flower sprigs can brighten up a desk or table if you have a glass basket to fill.

This morning I was ready to dress up my den table where I am doing a lot of writing. I don’t have a lot of plants in bloom inside so I scoured what I do have and found my reliable pink vinca with several blooming sprigs. Those don’t survive winter outside but they are happy inside and reward me with blooms throughout winter.

Then on a garden walk, I found a white chrysanthemum still in bloom and cut off a couple of stalks. Doesn’t take much!

Charlotte

Tiny Ornaments Door Wreath

My door bee now has a Christmas wreath to get her into the holidays. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Tiny Ornaments Door Wreath

My handyman was telling me recently that some people have storage sheds just to keep their large holiday house decorations not to mention dedicated rooms for boxes full of items. Although I have holiday traditions as well as the next person and appreciate the idea, I like to keep my home decorating quick and easy. Over the years my holiday decorating has downsized considerably, and by that I don’t mean less decorations, I’m talking about smaller ones.

For example, here’s a very simple Christmas wreath you can make now and reuse from year to year. Maybe more importantly, it will be easy to install and then store and still give your front door a holiday vibe.

We all end up with small pieces of fake garland; or you can pick up some at your local hobby shop.

The fun part is to find tiny Christmas ornaments, in this example the largest one - not counting the center metal bee - is about an inch tall. Some of these were in a miniature Christmas tree ornament set; others were small dollhouse items available at hobby stores. Check local thrift stores and antique malls, those are great places to find unusual ones.

After spacing the ornaments around the wreath, attach with a hot glue gun and allow to dry. Make sure the end of the garland can hook into a circle. Finish with a bow if you like, I just added my bee.

The bee and wreath are held to the door by a clear plastic hook with a suction cup.

When through for the season, this tiny wreath can easily be stored away. I store in trunks with a plexiglass top I use for plant stands through the year. And the best part is it doesn’t take me weeks to put it up, or take it down, leaving me plenty of time to enjoy the holidays themselves.

Charlotte

Happy Thanksgiving 2021

Happy Thanksgiving 2021

A friend told me yesterday she likes Thanksgiving better than Christmas because it’s about sharing a meal and being thankful without all of the pressure of holiday gifts and associated big decor and even bigger expectations.

Well it doesn’t have to be that way. For years I have focused on having home decor that’s easy to deploy without taking a huge chunk of time, and in some cases space. For example, this little combination of vintage postcard, vintage Made in Japan turkey salt and pepper shakers and fresh mums takes up a tiny corner of my kitchen. And yet it reminds me of the season and makes me smile when I go into my kitchen every morning.

So just a reminder to keep things simple and do what gives you joy. And add a generous dose of gratitude for what you have.

Happy Thanksgiving 2021!

Charlotte

Homemade Pumpkins

Popular this year, pumpkins made out of wood. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Homemade Pumpkins

Maybe we have the pandemic to thank for this trend but I’ve seen a lot more homemade pumpkins as home decor. Yes, I mean homemade pumpkins although there has also been an increase in homegrown ones. These handmade pumpkin options can be reused from year to year and you save calories by not eating them. Ironically enough, real pumpkins are a favorite Halloween decorating item where I live and almost impossible to find around Thanksgiving, when they can be made into pies.

Regardless of being homemade or real, pumpkins work well for fall decor in the US because they span two holidays, Halloween and Thanksgiving.

The simplest homemade pumpkins I’ve seen so far was this idea at Pine Street Vintage Goods, 711 Pine Street, in Rolla. With canning jars in short supply, there are currently extra lids available at most hobby, home and garden centers and even thrift stores. This idea makes good use of the lid rings.

Extra canning lids painted orange and tied with a bow. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Another cute pumpkin idea at Pine Street Vintage Goods was this pumpkin made out of fabric remnants.

You can repurpose left over quilt batting for the filing and dust off that hot glue gun to add, and secure, the string.

Fabric remnants stuffed with extra quilt batting make for cute pumpkins. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I have several large fabric pumpkins somewhere I have deployed this time of year. With home reconstruction ongoing it’s hard to access some storage areas so I will settle for my tried and true small chenille pumpkin.

This homemade pumpkin out of chenille fabric with a small twig top was easy to make. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

This cute small pumpkin was made out of repurposed chenille fabric and left over quilt batting and has been a fall decor item for many years.

Again these small items are easy to store and to quickly deploy to add a seasonal vibe to a space.

Pumpkins are in; found this fuzzy pumpkin throw pillow at a big box store. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

For those of you who like practical decor. this fuzzy brown pumpkin was on sale this fall at a local big box store as a throw pillow. I didn’t personally test it but it did appear to be a good head pillow size.

And then there was this outdoor pillow I found on sale at the end of the summer season last year.

Outdoor pillow with an endearment printed on it. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

So, one way or the other you, can easily get pumpkins into your home decor!

Charlotte

Last Zinnia Bouquet

This Dahlia joins the last Zinnias and Golden Dewdrop shrub flowers from my garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Last Zinnia Bouquet

I picked the last of my tiny zinnias for a cut flower bouquet for my den. I do it every year, a tradition of sort to mark the end of the growing season. While looking for a zinnia flower or two still blooming around the garden, I also collected dried seeds for planting next year; another wonderful tradition. Having that stash of seeds represents hope and the promise of a new growing season.

Of all of the flowers I grow, I confess zinnias are a favorite. Between their bright colors and ease of growing, as well as attraction to pollinators, they are hard to beat. I try to have some growing even if just in pots. Which is where I found this batch of zinnia flowers since the flower beds have been trampled by a construction crew.

Some hardy wildflowers have also survived the heavy foot traffic. I know since this is the end of the growing season, many will be going dormant. As long as their roots are hydrated and undisturbed, they should return next year.

That lovely peach and yellow flower front and center is my second dahlia to grow in pots this year. This plant will be coming inside and hopefully will keep blooming through the winter season. There are few things that brighten a room more than a bouquet of fresh flowers.

One year I tried to bring zinnias in a pot inside but they didn’t make it. I will just have to wait to see more of them after I plant seeds next year. And that’s a very lovely thought!

Charlotte

Halloween Welcome

This is a cute welcome to the season where I get to see it every day. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Halloween Welcome

If you have a small space you walk by or see frequently, this Halloween Welcome vignette is a fun way to bring in the spooky season without having to store huge decor items. And you can easily transition to the next celebration with similar small items.

Small bookcase at house entrance doubles as storage and display space. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

This is a two-shelf book case with a mirror I use at the front door as a miniature mudroom. It holds my gardening hat, gardening shoes and gloves, a couple of blankets, fish food and an extra set of socks or two. On the top shelf I like to have a small bouquet of fresh flowers and something seasonal such as this Halloween Welcome vignette.

The ceramic mouse is an old salt shaker I found in a yard sale box for $1 when I purchased clay flower vases. Makes me smile every time I bring it out of its storage shoe box.

The vintage post card is a print from something I found online, and the photo frame was a thrift store purchase also for $1. The spider is plastic and a gift, it usually spends its time outside on my front porch next to my seating bench. The little pumpkin is made out of chenille fabric and serves me well for Halloween and Thanksgiving.

You can certainly go bigger, which I have done in the past but I find these small items have been the most sustainable for easy home decor over the years.

When through, I tuck them back in a shoebox and bring out the next small seasonal decor, a nice way to mark the passage of time and to have something fun to welcome you as you walk by. As we all spend more time at home, get the kids involved in making the inspirational collection with things they already have; it doesn’t have to be new things you buy.

Charlotte

Witch Spells Decor Book

White paint on a black painted recycled book and witches are in business. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Witch Spells Decor Book

A friend surprised me with this cute Halloween decor and it tickled me so much I’m passing it along.

Now I don’t advocate any of those odd decorating trends with books, from reversing the book spines to wrapping them all in the same solid color paper. I personally don’t mind the different book colors because I want to find my books, that would be more like a mean trick than a decorating option for me.

However, this cute Halloween decor idea made me smile. The book has been spray painted with black matte paint, then lettered with white paint on the front. The orange ribbon was to reflect the gift so I left it on, orange is a good fall color.

This gift is so easy to make I have contemplated buying black paper to cover a book and then adding white letters to the front. Or I should be able to quickly paint the letters on the black paper. That way the original book is preserved for later use and it can easily do double duty for Halloween decor.

Either way, it’s now time to concentrate on some of those witch spells!

Charlotte

Handmade Wreaths

Every fall this grapevine wreath gets news greenery and dried flowers. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Handmade Wreaths

As we all spend more time at home, adding handmade wreaths are a quick and easy way to update doors and walls to reflect the new season.

I have a number of wreaths I have used over the years to easily update my home decor. The largest one is a wild grapevine wreath that hangs on my front porch. This time of year, I enjoy collecting flowers and greenery to give the wreath a fresh look. My favorite find so far is a birds nest.

No need to get so complicated. A seasonal wreath can be as simple as this fall-colored wreath I found at a local thrift shop.

A simple wreath of artificial berries can also easily add a fall flavor. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

When I think of fall, I think of the orange and green tones of Halloween and the bounty of Thanksgiving so this wreath should work well until Christmas. The berry-like wreath needs something on the left where it’s sparse - not much into ribbons but that would be the quick fix or maybe something dried would work such as little bundle of pinecones. Half the fun is trying to come up with something new!

Now these handmade wreaths do not need to be complicated, sometimes simpler is better.

Wild grapevine wreath from my property with a few trimmed boxwood greens. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Simple wreaths can also be an easy way to update a room or door.

Charlotte

Collectible Book Case

My refinished doll cabinet now holds my heirloom plate collection. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Collectible Book Case

We all have that one piece of furniture that someday we are going to refinish.

This wood book case started out as a glass cabinet for a doll collection. Over the years, I used the wood cabinet as a book case, waiting for the right time to finish it into the glass fronted cabinet it was originally designed to be. The glass pieces were cut a good decade ago; a small miracle that they survived stacked up in a basement closet all of these years.

And I didn’t refinish this. A friend who likes to refinish furniture hauled it off with a supply of Howards Furniture Refinishing products and brought it back better than ever.

Because of the years of use, the cabinet had to first be sanded. The wood is from a now extinct Brazilian tree.

Because of the decades of use, this collectible book case needed to be sanded. (Photo by Jessie Scrivener Gunn.)

Sanding down the wood made it possible for the Howard Walnut RestorAFinish to get absorbed. Howard RestorA Finish makes refinishing furniture easy and can be used to treat scratches or refinish a whole piece of furniture.

We didn’t have a match to the original wood color so we mixed colors to match. To make the finish darker, add a second or third layer, allowing each to dry in between and lightly sanding between each application.

Here is the collectible book case finished with a couple of Howard RestorAFinish applications. (Photo by Jessie Scrivener Gunn.)

Here it is finished including Howard’s Feed N Wax, a combination of bees wax and carnauba oil that rehydrates wood.

Frankly I will apply Howard’s Feed N Wax when I first find a piece of used furniture. Often that’s all it takes to bring out the wood luster.

We mixed a couple of Howard’s RestorAFinish stains to match the original color. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Once back inside my house, I added the glass panels to finish this furniture piece.

The collectible doll collection cabinet now holds my grandmother’s dishes. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The hardest decision I had to make was finding something to use as grips to open the glass. I ended up using tiny plastic squares usually placed under glass for protection.

Tiny plastic squares work well for grips to slide the glass panels. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

You can find Howard’s Refinishing products at some home and garden centers. We carry it because for years it was not available where I live.

I’ve used these products for decades and still find them to be the best on the market for furniture refinishing.

My friend, Jessie Scrivner-Gunn, does what she calls “modest reupholstery and refinishing” so if you have a project you can use help with, contact her at jjcreek165 at yahoo.com or call 573.465.5001.

Thanks, Jessie!

Charlotte

Salt Pepper Shaker Decor

An old silverplated platter in my kitchen holds pens and this sweet vignette. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Salt Pepper Shaker Decor

As we continue to adjust our living spaces for more and frequent use, repurposing salt and pepper shakers into easy home decor is a good option to brighten a space with little effort.

A friend gave me a vintage ceramic mouse holding a piece of cheese salt shaker many years ago. The little ceramic brought smiles every time I saw it so I started looking around for other salt and pepper shakers. Salt and pepper shakers are small enough to easily store and take little time to set out in a small space.

I didn’t find them often but when I did, I brought them home to be added to one shoe box and to quickly update a little corner of my kitchen.

This particular spot is the first thing I see when I walk into the kitchen and keeps me company when I am working at the kitchen island.

Last Christmas, another friend gifted me with these charming ceramic bears with a honey pot salt and pepper shakers.

These gift bears with honey salt and pepper shakers are the perfect size for this space. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

So cute and the perfect addition to my glass flower basket with a handblown glass bee flying over the flowers.

A little handblown glass bee flies over the flowers in the glass basket. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

It takes me about 5, maybe 10 minutes if I have to pick new flowers - to update this little kitchen corner.

Sometimes I put out a new salt and pepper set for a new season. Other times a new set comes out to celebrate a special occasion. It’s so easy to do and has minimal impact on the rest of the space.

And did I mention the fun it is to treasure hunt for them?

Charlotte

Saving Bench Legs

One of my favorite garden resting spots in front of a small pond had its legs in mulch. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Saving Bench Legs

You would think that since I lost an earlier wooden bench to rotting legs I would have remembered to do something about this bench.

I meant to.

I even collected same size and color bricks to put under the legs; then got sidetracked. By a year or two.

As I was doing some clean up around the small pond where the bench sits, I was disappointed in myself. There sat the wooden bench showing the same signs of my earlier wooden bench, rotting bottom legs because they are in direct contact with soil.

Now let’s not dwell on the fact that I sit on that bench daily at least once if not half a dozen times. I like to feed the goldfish and, most recently, watch all of the visitors to the nearby patch of blooming spearmint.

Bees, butterflies, wasps, dragon flies, this patch of blooming spearmint is a busy place. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

This week, though, I decided this was not going to continue. I scrounged up four red bricks of the same size, did not allow myself to be distracted, and placed them under the wooden legs to elevate them out of the mulch and soil.

As soon as they dry, I will treat them with a paint to try to stop the rotting.

If not, then my handyman may help me put some new leg bottoms on this bench. It’s an unusually small size and fits perfectly in that spot.

And I should not have allowed this to get to this state.

To try to preserve the leg bottoms, they are now sitting on bricks elevated out of the mulch. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Now where’s my list of things to do. I’m writing this one down to remind myself!

Charlotte

Panicle Hydrangeas

These lovely panicle hydrangeas cluster make lovely flower bouquets. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Panicle Hydrangeas

If there is one hydrangea to plant to help pollinators, and to use as elegant easy home decor flower bouquets, it’s panicle hydrangeas. Panicle hydrangeas have a long oblong flower head as opposed to the more traditional round hydrangea flower shapes.

Like common lilacs, panicle hydrangeas have a long life with little care. This is one of the hardiest and easiest hydrangeas to grow. It is adaptable to a wide range of garden conditions from full sun to shade. They do require at least 4-6 hours of sun to set blooms.

Though they don’t need pruning, panicle hydrangeas will look neater if you at least remove some of last year’s blossoms that are still hanging on in early spring. I tend to trim them in March when I’m trimming roses.

New buds are formed in late spring on new growth, so they aren’t typically damaged by cold.

This is the telltale shape of a panicle hydrangea, more oblong than round. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

This is a LimeLight Panicle Hydrangea shrub with more round flowers heads. (Photo by Charlotte ekker Wiggins)

My panicle hydrangeas start to bloom mid-summer along with hardy hibiscus, black eye susans and purple coneflowers.

When I see others cutting off blooms, I collect the cuttings and bring them home for the easiest, and quickly elegant, flower bouquets. If the flower heads are too big, you can easily cut the flower heads down into smaller sections.

The cut flowers do take up a lot of water in the first couple of days so check their water levels and replace vases with fresh water.

Some of the bouquets I have added over the years last the longest in darker rooms.

Charlotte

Geranium Bouquets

This geranium sprig is a bouquet of tiny flowers made by nature. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Geranium Bouquets

If you have room, or a pot, for only one flower to grow for cut flowers, grow geraniums. These easy to grow annuals, originally from South Africa, are easy to grow and provide a ready supply of natural bouquets. Each geranium flower head is a collection of smaller flowers growing in a tight round head.

Once cut, each flower head stem has a built-in bouquet, ready to sit in a flower vase and brighten any room.

Cut geranium stems once flowers have started to bloom. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Depending on how old the flower head is when cut, my cut geraniums have lasted 1-2 weeks in a flower vase. That’s a nice run for cut flowers.

I also bring my potted geraniums inside over winter. After they adjust to being inside for the duration of winter, they continue to bloom through most of winter, giving me a continuous source of flowers. I do fertilize them through winter so they get their energy to keep on blooming.

About this time of year, home and garden centers mark down geranium starts to clear out the inventory. The starts may be small but once potted and regularly watered, they will get some good growth.

These geranium starts were $1 each at a local home and garden center. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Once nicely established, geraniums can turn into large plants so give them room to grow.

People on live online session often mistake this geranium for roses. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

This particular geranium lives in my office, in a south-facing window. After about 10 years, the plant is 3 feet tall. I have segments tied to stakes to keep them upright.

Every spring I remove as much of the old soil as I can reach and give it fresh soil. I also try to keep it evenly watered, although I sometimes miss that but the plant quickly recovers.

I compost the fading flower heads. That encourages the plant to grow more. The flower heads can easily be removed by snapping the single stem off.

With regular diluted fertilizer, this geranium will bloom for months, providing flowers on the plant as well as flowers for bouquets.

Charlotte