Alchemy of Clay

I took outside onto the front porch, several of my potted plants which have been on the windowsills all winter. And I took a couple ready to re-pot, which haven't been so happy lately.

My bags of potting soil have been stored on the balcony in a big plastic tub, which is located under a sculpture called my "Spirit House." It had a plant inside last year, a coleus I think. And as it froze over the winter, there are lots of leaves and a bit of dirt inside.  I saw a bird fly out a week or so ago, and I thought she must have been taking some of the plant material. But now for the second time, while I'm moving pots around, after I'm finished she took off out of that little house.




I looked closely to see if there was a nest, but it must be around the corner, in a protected part of it. I dare not lift it up to see...and I dare not move it so I can get at my potting soil.  I hope she comes back and raises her babies there. But whenever I'm around of course, she's silent, and I have no idea whether she's there or not. The invisible bird.

So in another week I'll try the re-potting game, if I don't hear/see any evidence of her nesting there.

A root bound Lavender plant...waiting till I can transplant it into another pot.

The gardenia has lots of new leaves budding out. I water it regularly, and have been waiting for a rain but tonight (April 9) there's a small possibility of frost. So everything is snugged up against the house under the little roofed portion of the porch.

 This planter will probably have four o'clocks in it again, since some will probably volunteer, but I've got lots of seeds too!
This planter has a dead geranium and is slated to either help the lavender or the rosemary plants, when I can get at some more dirt!

I've got several bulbs of peonies, which I want to also plant into pots. Yes, I have many pots, but not many large ones.


I'm going to give a quote for the day...just because.

If I can do no more, let my name stand among those who are willing to bear ridicule and reproach for the truth's sake, and so earn some right to rejoice when the victory is won. -Louisa May Alcott, writer and reformist (29 Nov 1832-1888)

An important post about help for artists HERE. 

I want to recycle all the plastic tubs of plants and use pottery/ceramic planters that I've made.

But which plants should go in which pots? Next decision.


 This can replace any one gallon pot easily.

 It's sister flew off the wheel just before I was going to trim it, so I bent it into a scalloped shape. 


And since I couldn't trim that extra 1/4 inch around the base, I fluted it to lighten the whole thing up.  Of course my planters havce to have good drainage.

And now I'm off for a bit of away time...but when I come back, I'll be purchasing seedlings! The usual last frost is Mother's Day around here.

If there's been a gully washer the night before, our mornings are cool and damp, and all my windows and doors are flung open.  The posters on the wall cringe and warp with humidity, but they'll dry again soon when I close up for the afternoon and turn the air conditioner back on.  I have to be sure to run the fan in it daily, because otherwise I fear the moisture and heat will grow some lovely black fuzzy stuff.  And being allergic to mold, I kind of want to avoid that!

There's one hanging plant that kind of catches the sun, but maybe not quite enough for the geranium to be happy.  The coleus is doing fine however, at giving me something colorful to look at through my balcony.  I shift this plant to the cooler shade of my front porch ever so often, and then don't have it's cheer outside the balcony for a while.

I frequently see hummingbirds at the feeder. I only put out a cup of nectar at a time, again because the heat and sweetness wants to grow mold inside, which isn't good for the birds. The purple shamrock is very happy not to have full sun, but the little Christmas (?) cactus right below the feeder is less happy in this shady spot.

But the Kalancho is happy as a lark, especially since it can lean up against the wall.

Today's Quote:

To this day I believe we are here on Earth to live, grow, and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom.

Rosa Parks

Get out the bubble wrap and tupperware tubs!

My Easter/spring celebration

Opps, here's another one...



 I enjoy these looser forms, especially the creativity they pull out of me.



Today's quote:

Everyone needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.

John Muir

Just yesterday, Wednesday we were on the southern edge of another storm that swept across the eastern side of our USA.

March 21, 1:30 PM 2018

 It might have been just at freezing temperature, and the snow flew horizontally in the wind for hours, but it didn't pile up here in my neighborhood in Black Mountain, NC this time.

March 21, 2018

Yes, the new plants came inside over the night before and during Wednesday March 21.



Just a week ago, the Wednesday before it, more snow had fallen. And then spring came back the next day!

March 14, 2018

March 14, 2018

March 15, we woke up to enjoy spring's return.

There were canoes out on Lake Tomahawk (for the first time I've seen them!)

March 16, I enjoyed the Quaker Meeting house gardens

March 17 I went plant shopping with a friend at Painter's Nursery in Old Fort, and walked around the greenhouse then came home and potted plants on my porch.

March 18 was warm enough for shorts and sitting out on the balcony reading in sunshine!

This is one of those yo-yo springs. I'm beginning to expect this kind of weather.