Favorite Garden Tchotchkes Pt.1

My gardens are filled with "pretties" that I have found and collected from flea markets, craft shows and closeout stores.My only saving grace is that I have a large enough yard that IT doesn't look like a flea market! 

The Thesaurus tells me that "tchotchke" pretty much means "useless piece of crap" (which is exactly what the spousal unit calls it!), but I think my crap actually enhances the garden! We are still arguing over gazing balls ~ he thinks they are trailer park decor, and I love them, so I have to sneak one or two into hidden corners so he won't notice!

A disclaimer ~ some of my tchotchkes were actually purchased at art shows from hard working artists, so forgive me for lumping those into this category. :-)

This first in my "tchotchke series" is a nice little plaque I found at a garage sale. I love the quote on it, and I lightly painted it to put more depth into it. I'll post another a bit later!

Global Warming? ..Or Wishes Coming True?...

Today I'm using this blog as more of an actual journal. Why? Because, as a Northwest Ohioan all my life, I have to say this NOW, because I don't think I'll ever have this opportunity again - this 2011-2012 season, we have had NO Winter. At all. Yes, we have had a few half inch or so snowfalls, and two that were around maybe 4 inches, but the weather was so warm that it would melt in a day! A few cold nights (20 degrees F), but nothing that lasted for very long. I had to turn the pond deicer on for maybe a total of 14 days or so, if that. Completely incredible. Then, on top of that, the late Winter/early Spring has been extremely warm! Now, all of us Ohioans know that there can be snow as late as May at times, and my bragging might be a little early, but as of this writing, we have had temps in the 60s, 70s AND 80s for over two weeks, and there is no serious cooling off mentioned in the near future, so if we would get a Spring snowfall, even a BIG one, the ground has warmed up so much that it wouldn't last. There IS a very real possibility that a late cold snap could damage many of the plants breaking dormancy a month early, but that is for Mother Nature to decide.

magnolia and forsythia

redbud

I don't believe I have ever seen this happen before - but the Crocuses, Daffodils, Forsythia, Quince, Cherries, Dogwood, Redbud,and Magnolia are ALL blooming at the same time!  It's an incredible display, but if this warmth keeps up, all these blooms will shatter in just a few days and that will be it. Last year, in comparison, we only had a couple of warmish days in March and then an extended cool period, resulting in the flowers and flowering trees going on for a month or more. That would be the one and only reason I would still want a cool Spring!

spirea and oregon holly

guess you know what this is...

AND my toads, along with the ducks (a pair of Mallards that have been visiting the pond every Spring for the past several years) have showed up a full month early, too! 

tillies

My Tillandsias are already outside! They have NEVER been put outside before mid May before! (They ARE all on this chain together in case they have to be whisked inside in a hurry!)

Nonetheless, it's a wonderful thing, and I'll be really disappointed next year when there's snow on the ground in March!