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Tea Cup Topiaries
From Laura Crumpacker
I wanted to share a
picture of something I did recently for an upcoming
tea party I plan to host. It was inspired by a
wallpaper border and thought it might be a fun idea to
share.
I made tea cup topiaries to go on each table and
thought I might offer some as gifts.
You'll need:
Tea cups or other vase-type containers
sand
branches
3" Styrofoam ball
moss
I took mismatched
cups as well as some adorable ceramic boots and filled
them with sand. I then took branches cut from bushes
and vines in the yard and wedge them in a 3" styrofoam
ball covered with sheet moss.
After wetting the sand
in the cups I covered the top of them with the moss as
well. I had considered using plaster in the cups to
stabilize but didn't know if I wanted to do that to
the items I was using. I showed them to some friends a
few days later and much to my surprise, the branches
are leafing out do to the wet sand, which makes them
look more authentic!
SeptemberLady "Born and have lived in Southern MD most of my life. My husband and I just finished building a new home on the family farm, where I hope to retire in the near future.
My interests: Doll collecting, cookbook collector (especially old ones), antiques, family/friend get-togethers, cooking/baking, flower and vegetable gardening, bird-watching."
Memorial Day: Backyard Grilling Memorial Day signals the start of barbecue season. Everyone wants to light that fire and charcoal that first meal. A few tips might pre- vent your entree from becoming a "Burnt Offering."
Read these tips for plenty of grilling ideas, make this year's barbecue perfect!
Growing and Using Garlic Chives Garlic chives, Allium tuberosum, is a hardy perennial (Zones 3-9) that will grow to about 12 inches high. The stems are skinnier and flat, instead of hollow as are regular chives, with greenish white blooms that are about an inch wide and not as rounded. They bloom in the summer rather than spring. The bloom stalks grow much taller than the leaves, sometimes up to 30 inches.
The stems and blooms are both edible and have a mild garlic onion taste. I've noticed many writers will list this as primarily as an Asian herb, as they are also known as Chinese chives, Chinese leeks, ku chai (China) or Nira (Japan), but it has many other uses as well!
The Perfect Porch Swing Perhaps it is the soothing rhythm or the reassuring creak of the porch swing that attracts us. Perhaps it is the companionable silence or quiet conversation. Or maybe swings simply remind us of more genteel times.
Although porch swings can be purchased in a wide range of materials, the most common are wicker and wood. You can also make your own porch swing from one of the myriad of woodworking patterns available at garden centers, hardware stores, or on the Internet.
You'll need:
Memorial Day: Backyard Grilling
Growing and Using Garlic Chives
The Perfect Porch Swing