for the love of rock

Tags

containers, garden, moss, rock, water conservation

Garden containers are available in all sizes, shapes, and colors. Over the years, I selected a few for my half-acre gardens in Central Virginia. This is one of a pair, color changed with deck stain. Many plants were tried, yet last year I decided to forgo needy plant material and go with pebbles of various sizes, shapes, and colors.

I confess…I love rock and have shoved handsome specimens into suitcases while traveling in Canada, Wyoming (that one first went into my saddlebag), New Mexico, and Massachusetts. I also enjoy garden containers, and now marry the two for a handsome result.

I am bewitched by rock, pebbles, and stones. They are everlasting, visually appealing, and oh so sensuous.

Moss finds its way around stones.

And moss finds its way between ground stones and one metal mat outside the garden shed. If I stood outside long enough, moss would grow between my toes,  I digress.

An especially old container from Mexico now appears to be holding eggs.

The sister container from Mexico, decades old, survives with only one small repair. Mostly filled with pine bark mulch, topped with pebbles, I adore the ease and quiet beauty during all seasons. Notice how the granite salvage nearly vanishes into the mulched ground. While there is plenty of plant material in the surrounding herbaceous borders, containers become sculpture.

Perhaps a bit busy, this terrace garden just outside my kitchen door provides tasty herbs for pestos, remains stable, while the quiet containers add interest. The vintage wire basket from a Charleston, SC garden, was just the right size to add a bit of whimsy to the larger shapely container.

This contemporary planter was a gift from Crescent Gardens. Surprisingly lightweight, it found a home on my lower patio, where I enjoy its shape and uncluttered appearance.

Although merely a clay saucer, this container provides one Carolina Wren with endless bathing opportunities throughout these steamy August days, and this ritual brings continual visual delight to moi.

I  hope that your summer delivers moments of visual delight.
Too often, these moments are small and fleeting, yet are forever memorable.

Copyright © 2018 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

 

january home and my 100th post

Tags

home, humor at home, IKEA, Japanaese soaking tub, Jennifer Aniston, P Allen Smith, sustainable living, water conservation, winter projects

This is my one hundredth post—a first for this blogger. For many bloggers, this accomplishment is a yawn. I believe most many bloggers power through topics as if they were swatting a mosquito. I instead, carefully scribe essays to support my mission and I postponed this post hoping for an Epiphany—a topic that would rock your world—an announcement I have anticipated since summer.

My epitaph should read, “kept waiting.”

No word from afar that will send fireworks into the heavens. Rats! I am tired of seeing my Christmas post staring back at me, so here goes—my 100th entry for all of you—my dear, dear followers.

Happy New Year!

Personally, I detest being idle, sans creative juices. During January, the garden sleeps, my life is content, yet projects at home never cease. As I rattle around indoors during cold winter days, the house whispers. All major renovations are complete, following 6.5 years of effort, yet there are the little details that remain, like the itch in the middle of my back—small yet difficult to ignore.

The kitchen’s butcher block counter tops could use a fresh coat of Behandla. The basement workbench is a wretched sight, following years of abuse by former male hobbyists. And for the past two years, I have lusted after some type of soaking tub for my master bath. Are you braced for the outcome?

Tackle #1: Having considered new surfaces for the workbench, I settled on a good coat of paint instead. While shopping at Lowe’s, I happened upon a cart filled with rejected paints. There sat an unopened quart of a high tech pricy paint in just the perfect hue for a basement workbench. Instead of paying $18, I paid merely $2.50 for this sexy liquid. I love finds like this. After a thorough vacuuming, the counter tops were ready for their makeover. A three-inch roller and sponge brush were all that I needed to complete this facelift. The following day, I applied a second coat and voila, a mini transformation that only I will appreciate.

  So goes the masterpiece at casa LaSauce!

Tackle#2: As far as the soaking tub for my master bath—well that is a horse of a different color! I considered a custom Japanese tub made by the Alaskan company who supplied Jennifer Aniston. Yes, a gazillion dollars. Then I found a brilliant copper soaking tub online. P. Allen Smith ordered one of these babies for his summer porch—yup, another gazillion dollars. I then visited Southern States and eyed animal water troughs—too big, too small. Then I showered in my basement’s stall shower all summer. Why is this so hard? The basement is now too cold to visit, especially when naked, so I put this home challenge on my back burner to simmer.

In order to satisfy my winter itch, I invited a pal to take a day trip to IKEA—a two hour drive from home. If nothing else I could check out the kitchen department and finally add Behandla to my inventory. Much to my dismay, IKEA is no longer the fascinating place to shop— they have sold out to China. I now prize my IKEA purchases from 2000, when the made in Sweden stamp prevailed.

Nearly empty-handed, my pal and I approached the end of our IKEA tour when we discovered the clearance department. I found a 4-pack of light bulbs (.99) and then EUREKA! there sat a stack of black, half-priced tubs. My pal nearly fell over laughing when I pulled one down to the floor and stepped in and sat down. An absolutely perfect fit for this gal’s Japanese soaking tub! I was a happy girl! As I raised up to exit the tub, its roller feet began to carry me across the showroom floor, and both my pal and a gasping IKEA employee ran to my rescue.

For a mere $7.50, I finally had my soaking vessel. One more stop to the plumbing department at Lowe’s ($11.45) and a visit to my neighbor for the installation of the spout (a few homemade cookies), and this gal is in business. I actually photographed myself IN the tub, yet will refrain from publishing these images online. What you see below is a sleek, efficient, water saving, up-to my-neck soaking spot. Hurray!If I fill my conventional bath tub, it consumes over 40 gallons of water to reach my chin. This black beauty tub requires merely 10 gallons, as I displace half of the area with my five-foot-five frame. Up to my chin in bubbles and a big smile, I now look for my next project about the house. Stay tuned for the unveiling of my bio-ethanol, free-standing fire burner for the bay window! VERY green.

And I still hold out for the great news to come in February for my next blog. Keep your fingers crossed! Cheers!

PS Please remember to visit my seasonal essays by month. This drop down menu is found in the left margin…the menu by category is located lower left margin. Every essay is packed with information, inspiration, and local photography. One hundred heart-felt posts await your exploration!

Copyright © 2013 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

how dry is your garden?

Tags

how dry is your garden, migration, Monarch butterflies, US drought, Virginia drought, water conservation

Drought is severe in dozens of US states this summer. This condition will drive up food and insurance prices as well as reduce the number of garden pollinators, such as butterflies, as their loss of host plants succumb to heat. This will also affect the fall migration of the Monarch butterfly, as there will be few plants to nectar on during their flight.

Here are a few thoughts on water conservation and ways we can help our wild creatures survive unbearable conditions.

Please read my blog https://dianelasauce.wordpress.com/2011/09/08/the-thing-about-water/

Here’s to fall and a gentle rainy season.

the thing about water

Tags

tips to save water, US drought, Virginia drought, water, water conservation

Most of us take water for granted. When we turn on spigots, we expect that precious resource to simply flow. Let us take a moment and follow that flow back to the place where it all begins—Mother Nature.

Water is a non-renewable resource. We do not manufacture water in our basements or garages. Water comes from ancient groundwater aquifers located beneath the earth. Those natural holding tanks are filled by Mother Nature when she unleashes quenching rain upon our planet. This is where the taking for granted adage comes in. We expect Mother Nature to provide, and when she does or does not—only then do we take notice.

Many winters we witness homes bobbing down raging rivers and sliding off hillsides, while other parts of this planet are buried deep beneath record-breaking snowfalls. Other locations are experiencing the worst droughts in years. Notice the trickle down effect?

When there is too much or too little precipitation, crops suffer and often do not survive. In some countries, people die. Families are dislocated, yet we are at the total mercy of Mother Nature. Sure, we can try to outsmart her, by inventing all sorts of contraptions to suppress her damage, yet we, let me repeat, we are at Her mercy.

Modern Man can often intervene and draw water out of the groundwater reserves during droughts to save crops, but only if the reserve is there. When nature is raging, all we can do is stand back and hope that we can later recoup losses.

Yet the imbalance is apparent and populations must take notice daily and conserve water, especially where droughts are occurring more frequently. While the average American uses 100 gallons of water daily, French and German populations cut that consumption by half, while some tribal communities use fewer than 10 gallons. If you are one of the excessive consumers, below are a few conservation suggestions:

•  Replace old water guzzling toilets with new, efficient ones. A leaking toilet can waste 200 gallons per day! New versions are inexpensive and often come with rebates.
• Repair or replace dripping faucets. Report water leaks to landlords or businesses and insist that they be repaired immediately.
• During dry spells, catch the cold-to-hot water from showers into a bucket and carry that water to the garden or use it to flush the toilet.
• When washing vegetables, collect the water in a basin and carry to the garden. Give a planter a drink!
• Turn off water while brushing your teeth, shaving, washing hands, and between lathering and rinsing while in the shower.
• DO NOT rinse dishes before placing them in the dishwasher-energy star models are designed to conserve water and clean dishes.
• Forget the garbage disposal-this uses energy and water, fills septic tanks quickly and creates additional sludge in municipal water treatment plants, which consumes additional water and energy.
• Why not compost instead? Over half of American garbage is compostable.
• Consider replacing any appliance over six years old. Both energy and water savings are significant.
• Half of outdoor water is wasted by run off. During hot spells or droughts, allow your lawn to go dormant. It may look ugly, yet it will recover when Mother Nature delivers in the fall. Notice my assumption!
• Consider replacing or reducing the size of your lawn. Both carbon emissions from mowers and water usage will be greatly reduced.
• Consider gardening using organic methods as chemical controls can be toxic to birds, affect water quality, and may reduce pollinators.
• Install rain barrels or cisterns on your property. Thousands of gallons of water run off rooftops even during brief showers.
• Consider gardening in raised beds. These preserve soil integrity and require much less water.
• When designing your landscape, use native plant material, as it requires significantly less water.
•  Use plenty of mulch to conserve water, keep root systems cool, control weeds, and limit erosion.
• Consider reducing your consumption of meat. Nearly 1800 gallons of water is consumed to process one pound of beef.
• High water demand for corn/ethanol depletes water tables. Must we really consume so much corn?
• Support businesses who respect natural resources.
• Remember our wildlife. Refresh birdbaths and create rock puddles for butterflies.
• If you must water your gardens, please do so before the sun comes up using a hand-held water wand. Wet the ground, NOT the plant. Do not water in the evening, as this promotes fungal growth.

In conclusion, and this may anger many golfers out there: I cannot rationalize how golf resorts justify building in arid climates. This is irresponsible stewardship. I am not a golfer, and find walking or gardening a great form of exercise where sustainability reigns supreme.

Between water waste and climate change, Americans could face water shortages in 36 states within the next ten years. Not only do we need to be aware of our carbon footprint, we must respect water if we wish to survive on this planet. Comments?

If you do not believe me, check out the recent documentary, Home.