The FLOWERPOT Cafe' IX - Join us for a cup of Flowers!

Well, here we are in April Showers. In the South (United States, that is) this could be April Tornados, April Hail, April Showers, or April Droughts. We have had April Snow in the past as well. But with April Showers come May Flowers, so lets get it started. No longer will we have to purchase all our flowers and foliage. Now, or VERY soon, we can walk out into our backyard and find a multitude of pretties just waiting to be picked and shown off in our latest displays. If you don't have any at the moment, lively conversation works as well. To old and new friends,

WELCOME TO THE FLOWERPOT CAFE'

Have a seat, join us for a cuppa or two and hope you enjoy your visit!

We came from here http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/824798/

Please don't miss out on our newest theme, brought to you by Candee. Does she have a knack for word play and ideas or what?

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/831798/

I figured ya'll might get a kick out of this. I went into the back yard to take photos. Instead, I clipped a piece of every tree, flower or weed I could find. I AM GONNA HAVE SOME FUN TONIGHT!!

Random findings in the yard....

Close up.....

Yep, these are weeds.....

What lovely weeds you have. Now how do you keep the "weeds down" as in the bowl. Everything I try just wants to float?

I spot some lilacs and dogwoods, what else have you gathered there for your spring fling?

Well, I gathered so many weeds, I crammed them in so the don't float. LOL. The are very soft and pliable. I got a little of everything: the azaleas, rhododendrums, pincushion flower, bachelor's button, spirea, switch grass (which I despise, but found the length and drape to be nice, but handle with care), foliage off saplings (I think redbud), tall weeds with little white flowers that look like daisies, Foliage from bulbs, more weeds, vinca major, the green and yellow bush I always forget the name of, but Karma knows, varigated monkey grass, and probably poison ivy too. LOL. No seriously, I don't know what it looks like!!

This is blurry, but one arrangement I did.

Finished my Sticks and Stones. LOL!!

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/822250/

Hi everyone, Welcome to the flowerpot cafe!
Thankyou Traci you do a great job with all the moving house we do!
Looks like a lovely colourful mix from your garden, lots flowering. So we have weed soup on the menu today, very nice!!
I like your last arrangement very much, lovely in the spotlight.

I have my usual teapot on hand, so have a seat and share a cuppa!

Sunflower tea.

Good morning everyone. Still haven't worked on my Urn theme as we spent yesterday after work tearing down the ceiling and 50 year old insulation from our breezeway. What a mess and every time I get into a similar project, I am wishing I had put on goggles and a face mask. I had a mask but it kept falling off guess my nose is smaller than it looks.

Lovely sunflower tea Terri, thanks for the sip as it helps to clear my throat!
Candee

No wonder, I can't get any arrangements done. Seem like abotu the time I get unpacked, I gott arepack. I such a turtle. LOL

Love all the new arrangements. I got half a dozen projects running flat out full here and don't have time to make anythign right now. Gotta try and get stuff moved cuz friday night and until monday I going back down into the 30's with frost and freeze. Can't belive it and this alreayd the middle of April. If my poor plants survive I gonan be darn lucky,.

WHAT STAR!?!? Oh no, I haven't checked the weather lately. I has been so nice, I thought we were done with freezes. ARGH!!! Lots of plants to be moved AGAIN!!

Candee, they make masks that have a metal piece over the nose. You can pinch it to fit. I have to use these for my job. MOTHER VOICE - Always were a mask, especially on older homes, ASBESTOS!!

I love sun tea, thank you! Hmmm....where have I seen that pot before?

Pupil ya better check thta weather. You may be lucky and be up enough that it wil miss ya, Sure hope so.

Finally decided on the Olympus and here is my first macro .

Hello~~~~~~~~~~been missing the fun. It has been...busy...at home; so am behind on classes, chat and coffee. Hope to be catching up soon. We are having rain this week. My poor little crocus are taking a very cold, full power shower. I Knew that I should pick a few.
Anyway, thought that I would post a couple of pics-bright spots in my home.

Edited: to introduce Pippin the toy poodle and her favorite "sister" Casey. They share sunspots, heat vents and grooming.

This message was edited Apr 10, 2008 3:54 PM

..And the orchid photo, which I had mentioned. It is a phal. with smaller blooms-by 1/2; than my others. It has been blooming for more than 2 months now.

Edited: what you can't see are the 5" of buds out of view and the 2nd branch that is budding up.

This message was edited Apr 10, 2008 3:59 PM

Hi everyone,

Candee, Hope you have managed to tear down the ceiling ok?!! Sounds like very dusty work. We have to wear those masks with the metal clip on the nose, when we are mixing grout in the mosaics class. Thankyou for my shells, they arrived today in perfect condition.
I shall be bringing my seashell/shore arrangement in soon!
Your flower is gorgeous, yes the Olympus was a great idea!

Star, Sorry to hear your weather conditions are bad again.Hope you manage to save all your plants. Glad you found us, (we move alot)!

Hi Marcia, nice to see you at the cafe! Love your orchids, absotutely gorgeous. Hope the weather improves for you and your garden starts blooming soon. Shame your crocus suffered in the power shower! Hi casey and Pippin!

Traci, Moving your plants in and out keeps you out of trouble at least .. LOL!!
I thought I would collect some flowers and foliage from the garden like you did the other day.
It's so nice to be able to collect a few flowers from outside the back door again!

Anyone see the goats in the old cafe? Hahahaha!!!!!! you never know whats going come in here, its great.!!
Well here's a basket of flowers collected from the garden today.
Kerria, Hebe, rosemary, choisyia sp? forget me nots, honesty and polyanthus

another view....

Made a fresh pot!

Another basket from the garden,
Rosehips, wallflower,hellebore,hyacinth,choisyia and california lilac.

A bowl of spring!

All green arrangement for one of the tables.
Have a lovely day all!

Hey all,
Won't be around much through next week. I get Teensy monday and I have over 200 lilies to plant. This doesn't include the 150 glads. WHAT WAS I THINKING!?!?! Well, honestly, I had tilled beside the walkway and was planning on them going there, but then things changed. So at the time, it was a great idea. Now every one has to go into pots. Potting soil is NOT cheap. I know I am not planting them right, cramming as many in them as I can, but I figure they will atleast have a fighting chance if they are in dirt.

Star, It is gonna get us. Just a couple of nights and then right back up into the 80's. Don't we have the craziest weather in the south?!?!

Candee, don't you just love the macro. Beautiful picture. The one I am attaching was taken with my "like new" Canon. A wonderful DGer over the pond, not Terri (who is wonderful also), sold it to me for dirt cheap. Now I take pictures all the time. I am still learning mine, as far as manual settings go. Have fun and keep snapping away.

Marcia, how do you do it? The orchid has been blooming for 2 MONTHS!!! AND you have more on the way?!? I want to get into orchids one day, but I realize I need to learn about the basic plants first. LOL. My photo is one I had, but not anymore as I don't know what to do with them after bloom. Pipen and Casey are adorable!!

Terri, those are great!! I never did anymore with mine, but I do have some left in good condition and MIGHT do something with them, IF I CAN FIND THE TIME!! I need so much more of that. What is the long stem sticking out of the spout on the yellow tea pot? I LOVE IT.

I'll drop in when I find time.

First attempts with macro on camera. Not to bad, but have gotten better. Reminds me of a lion.

Hi Traci, Why are you putting them in expensive compost? Use your garden soil for bulbs.......... Good luck with all your potting up.

Yellow balls! aka Kerria japonica in the spout.
Nice Macro!

Hi and thanks folks. It has been awhile since I was able to go to classes and to come for coffee.
Traci-would encourage you to start with Phals. They are the easiest, some of mine bloom 2x a year. For me they do best with benign neglect. This purple is a heavy producer. The other 2 blooming just put a few blooms up, but they were heavy last time.
I only killed one..had been careless and left a moist piece of bark on the center of the plant. Drat and it was a lovely pastel yellow one.
Will see if I can get the website of the orchid nursery, less than 5 miles from me..just lovely and they have a greenhouse cat!!! I often just cruise the aisles during the long winters...and when family visits...and when I want some color inspiration.

Beautiful orchid Marcia, I have never had any luck with them, they croaked faster than you could blink an eye.
Terri, I adore your baskets, they are as unique as you are clever and you have so much inventory in your garden to choose from, I am as green as your arrangement with envy at your blossoms.
Sounds like you are gonna be real busy Traci, but at least you will have a helper in Teensy. When I have a lot to pot up I use garden soil for the bottom half of the pot and then the potting soil on top, that way I don't use near as much. I have a feeling I will be learning this camera for a long time as there is a lot to do with it and I can't remember one setting from the next so will have to study it!

Hi everyone,
Marcia, next time you go to the Orchid nursery will you take your camera and take some pics to show us please? That would be lovely, you are lucky to have such a place nearby for colour inspirations.
Thanks on the baskets Candee, apart from the forgets me nots there isn't much else flowering yet, only the odd flower here and there, not enough to make a BIG arrangement yet!!
It's a cloudy day here and I'm aching from digging up weeds and grass from my allotment all week. Think I'm just going to chillax today and watch the football.
I made my seashell arrangement, using my new shells from Candee, black grass (can't remember the name of it) hellebore and forget me nots.
Happy gardening all.

I love my new shells, Thankyou so much Candee!


Hello Lurkers!

GORGEOUS TERRI! Love the black grass.

Speaking of chillax, ADELE!!!! WHERE ARE YOU????

Thanks Sweetie.
Diggerette is probably digging!

I said I was going to chillax today but, I don't sit for long, get bored and want to be doing stuff in the garden. I planted a few things into the ground that were in pots, a couple of Hollyhocks, Penstemon, Lobelia cardinalis sp? I dug up my dahlia tuber by mistake! I always forget where things are, anyway I found it a better place to live.
I have bulbs and other plants to go in tomorrow, weather permitting.

Flowers ...... Fondue ... Bon appetite!

Hi all,
Well we have had a mixed bag of weather today, first warm sunshine then rain, hailstones and sleet!

Sounds like alabama weather!! I have flowers sitting in water and don't know what to do with them. I have to figure something out NOW!! Hope to be back with a new lovely!

Found a new daff yesterday.....

Oh, that is a pretty one Traci. what flowers have you got??????????

I have a beautiful orange lily, white small mums, alomestria (sp) and yellow flowers that look almost like lollypops. Quite the range, no?

Love the delicate arrangement with the helleborus Terri, looks quite nice. Nice new daff you have there Traci, now can we see that orange lily? I love lilies. Soon here they come but we are a bit behind the times. I do have one lily that gets about 8', yes I said 8 feet tall and it is stunning if I say so myself^_^

Thanks Candee. I can't wait to see your 8ft lilies, what month do they usually flower?
I would like to see Traci's yellow lollipops! wonder what they could be.

Here is a link to a photo of Steve who is 6'1" next to those lilies.
http://hhcreations.com/7-5-06%20giant%20lily.JPG

Hi Candee, I remember now! How could I forget such beautiful GIANT lilies. LoL!
It will be lovely seeing them flowering again this year!

Hi everyone else, I guess you are all busy bees. Have fun!

Hi all, Just popping in quickly to say that I found out the Chelsea Flower show themes for this year. I remember someone suggested we have our own flower show with these themes.
I have posted them early to give everyone time to think!
Have a good day, I'm off to dig.......