I never know where I’m headed when I create. Whether it’s a meal, a quilt, a garden, or a blog post, I just have to jump in and see where it takes me.
Sometimes I make something great that doesn’t work.
Despite heroic measures on my part, I was unable to overcome the effects of gravity; the plants kept falling out of the frame. So I gave up.
Sometimes I make something bad that works.
I wanted to try free motion quilting, but I knew I wouldn’t be very good at it. I did it on the back side of my daughters bolsters – the side that goes against the back of the couch – so no one sees it.
And sometimes, I just have to keep trying until I get it right.
BEFORE – Here’s a little seating arrangement under a cherry tree. After years of cleaning up petals, pits, and poop (the birds LOVE those cherries), I took out the seats.
AFTER – I used the pavers to make a little wall, filled the area with soil and made a cute little garden instead. Now all of the cherry tree debris just disappears.
The best contemplation spot. Your mistakes are outstanding. 😀
PS – Place a fabric cover over your planter (cut x’s in the top for the foliage to stick through) and staple to the sides with 1/4-round or other deco wood piece. Place the drip line into the box at the top for a top-down watering approach. Nothing should fall out and the box will remain moist without being soggy. Cheers!
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Oh, well that’s just brilliant! Thank you so much, Shannon. I had given up on this, but now I have hope.
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‘Brilliant’ and I rarely collide in the same text box. I’m not much of a container girl (no microbes, earthworms, fungi), so take anything I say with a spoon of salt! And do please let me know how it turns out.
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Shannon, that’s funny. I also love my earthworms . . . Other people have also suggested fabric or chicken wire & one friend posted a tutorial that calls for both. I will try this again in the spring – I will let you know.
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I love your vertical hanging planter. They do that at Longwood Gardens on a whole wall. There has to be a solution to keep the succulents and dirt intact….maybe Spanish moss, very fine bendable wire? I’ll ponder that – it’s too cool an idea to call a mistake!!! I love your blogs!!
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Wow – I need to look at that Longwood Gardens wall – that sounds amazing. So there MUST be a solution – I thought the fabric idea above sounded doable – and not too heavy. Wire might work, too? I guess I haven;t given up yet. . .
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Wonderful post, Jodie. Full marks for persevering with that planting frame.
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Derrick, persistence is one of my finest traits. Or worst traits, if you ask my husband. : )
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Derrick, btw – don’t we miss Cynthia? She wrote “homemade, hand grown, beautiful life” and her little picture was a coneflower. Her daughter had a baby and I just know she is too busy in Grandma land to post.
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Of course. X
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Another suggestion for the planter…make the planter deeper and put the plants in compostable pots and attach them somehow, perhaps still using chicken wire for support. We’ll figure this out yet.
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That’s an idea, mom – so they have a good, big root base to hold them in. If you remember, I had this thing propped up almost vertical all summer, trying to let the roots establish. But every time I went full vertical, it collapsed. A friend sent me a tutorial where they use chicken wire AND landscaping fabric with cuts in it. I can tell it will be an obsession all over again next spring.
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I have some hanging wall pots I use with succulents, but they are slightly angled which helps. I still love yours.
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Thanks, Katie – That actually gives me another idea – if I put little bumpers on the bottom on the back that would angle it away from the fence at the bottom. I think that would give me the tilt I need. Ha – I haven’t given up at all, have I?
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Hear, hear! Great post.
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Thank you, Laurie, my creative friend.
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I love the planter idea. Maybe an X of wood to make four smaller areas that wouldn’t sag down? I congratulate you on your FMQ efforts because I am a total failure because I have never been able to get my bobbin tension to work correctly and I end up with loops and more loops. 🙂
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Judy, that’s a great idea about the planter. I think I will be revisiting that project this spring. And the loopy bobbin threads are the worst – but easily fixed. Just try adjusting the tension while sewing some scraps. Keep adjusting the top and bottom tensions (while sewing on a similar combo of fabrics as your Real project) until it works. If that doesn’t work, take your messed up sample to your local sewing machine repair shop. They will probably be able to help you. My shop is the best that way! Don’t give up. Sewing is such a joy.
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I like your idea of clearing the debris around cherry tree and making the tree surrounding better to site and admire. Not all the mistakes turned into falls, infact its the mistakes that give us vast range of experience. And the stories and memoirs of such experiences are a good excuse to commit such mistakes again and again 🙂
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That’s a great way to look at it, Kritika. And you’re right – i have some GREAT stories!
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Glad you have 🙂 and keep building more. Good luck 🙂
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The little wall looks nice. I think that was a very successful change. 🙂
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Thank you, Bun. I am liking that as well.
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