July 2018: San Diego Shadows

Dragon tree shadows on the sidewalk

I think the fantastical plants I kept seeing around San Diego are called “dragon trees”.

coronado dragon trees

On the way back from Coronado Beach, I noticed the playful-looking shadows they cast on the sidewalk. So, once again, I stopped in my tracks to take a photo of the ground.

La Jolla Cove sunset

Other photo favorites from July include a sunset in La Jolla (San Diego) and Quijote looking at the ocean.

Dog at the beach

Have you seen anything interesting on the sidewalk lately?


Microblog Mondays: Write in your own space

A Dozen DIY Planters

Coconut planter

Part of the fun of container gardening is actually the containers themselves! There are lots of ways to form, fold, build, stitch, tie, repurpose, and personalize new homes for your plants.

Here are a twelve pots and planters that you can make!

string planters

1. String Garden

Create a hanging garden in the Japanese kokedama style with low-light houseplants, moss, peat soil and bonsai soil. / via Design*Sponge

 

2. Clay Pots

These little succulent pots are fashioned out of oven-baked clay. I think the small ones are super cute, but you could probably enlarge the plans if you wanted to make them for bigger plants. Tutorial and templates are on sayyes.com.

 

3. Mason Jar Wall Planter

This would be a great way to put an herb garden in your kitchen without taking up counter space! / via Not Just a Housewife

 

5. Kitchen Garden Colander

You can also repurpose flea market finds, like kitchen items, by planting a small garden in them. This lettuce-filled colander could double as a centerpiece on an outdoor table. / via House of Hawthornes

 

Seed pot

6. Newspaper Seedling Pots

With a few folds, you can make your own biodegradable pots for starting seedlings! I first saw these at Phoenix Chile Fest and later got to make my own at CraftHack.

 

7. Paint Can Planters

Dress up any old can with some colorful fabric for a cheery place for a houseplant to live. / via Design*Sponge

 

8. Coconut Plant Pot

This is actually carved from a coconut! There’s also another coconut planter project in the same post on the Jungalow.

 

9. Square Hanging Planter

This is a project that’s simple to make with a chic result! / via Fall for DIY

 

10. IKEA Hack Planter

We actually have more of these IKEA Gorm shelf units than we are currently using, and I’d love to turn one into a planter or garden storage box. / via IKEA Hackers

 

DIY plant cozy by SOTAK handmade

11. Flower Pot Cozy

These folded fabric covers are like coffee koozies for your plants! / via Sotak Handmade

 

12. Address Number Planter

A sign with your house numbers and a little planter is such a welcoming touch for an entryway! To keep costs down, you can use succulent cuttings and scrap wood.  / via Shanty 2 Chic

December’s Last Sunset and 2017 Photos

The sunset the last evening of 2017 was gorgeous – nature’s fireworks to celebrate the New Year.

A couple of the year’s other beautiful sunsets showed up on my Instagram Best Nine, fitting neatly into its unintentional bright pink/purple/royal blue color scheme. All of my most-liked photos were taken in Arizona, so, of course, they include some desert scenery.

Only a few coincided with my monthly photo picks.

1. #LOVE sign at airport protest 2. Star Wars Capacitance Electronic Disc (CED) 3. Sunset behind palms 4. Tovrea Castle, Phoenix 5. Buildings in Old Town Peoria 6. Hotel Congress sign, Tucson – July 7. High Desert Trail, Black Canyon City – August 8. “Let’s Be Better Humans” campaign bus – March 9. View from Picacho Peak – en route from Tucson


I thought the photos I’d picked for 2017 were more varied than the automatically-generated Best Nine list. But, looking back, almost all are plant- or architecture-related. I guess it was a good year for both those categories.

I wonder what 2018 will bring.




Microblog Mondays: Write in your own space

The Way Trees Grow

My elementary school art teacher didn’t like my trees.

Tree branches at boyce thompson arboretum

The drawing I had been working on was of a whole forest of them – with trunks that were bent and twisted all different directions.

Palo verdes at arboretum

“Trees grow straight up and down,” she criticized. “Not like that.” She made me start my drawing over.

I remembered this while I was hiking recently.

Bent palm tree

And I wanted to laugh every time I passed yet another example of nature showing that I had been correct all along.

BTA tree

 




Microblog Mondays: Write in your own space

Find more trees over at Happiness and Food’s Tree Love Thursdays!