Garden Pics

[botias]

Some people have dreamboats, this is my dreamgate. A frugality tip I read: avoid nice things in general because they will make your other stuff look shabby. That's sort of what happened with the gate project. The wood part turned out so nice that it kinda cried out for some cool hinges. Cool hinges require cool bolts, 80 of them, and so on. Much better than the Ivy Disaster, though.






The hinges were shamelessly copied from this. I love Gothic architecture. The mister traced the design, printed it out, and then cut two of them out of some scrap steel. Not to mention the welding, drilling, sanding and painting.




This 'waterlily' dahlia is one of my favorite garden plants, if not THE fave. I feel like my photo doesn't do it justice. They are so intense, cheery, beloved by bees and other pollinators, and the plants are tough, perennial and (almost) pest free.

Comments

[zanthinegirl.livejournal.com]

Wow! I love that gate, and the hinges are just unbelievably awesome. Too, too cool!

And that is a spectacular dahlia. pretty!

[botias.livejournal.com]

Thanks! The gate makes me stare. I didn't grow up welding so it seems like magic to me.

I divided the tuber clump this Spring for the first time, I gave some away and planted others around my garden.

[missus-grace.livejournal.com]

Beautiful gate and beautiful garden. I'll have to check out that dahlia. We only do perennials, and I wonder how it would do here in the pacific NW.

[botias.livejournal.com]

I am in the PN, though at the southern end. Dahlias love this climate and the biggest farms are in OR and WA. The only problem is that slugs and snails love this climate too and they will munch dahlia sprouts to the ground in the early Spring without some prevention. Dahlias are pretty vigorous though, and will generally outgrow the snail threat even if one does nothing. I've begun using a non-toxic bait.

[wallows.livejournal.com]

I loooove the gate. It makes me think of the Mines of Moria scene of LOTR. Your garden is so inspiring.

[botias.livejournal.com]

That's funny because I also looked at pics of the gates of Moria for inspiration. I love those flicks. :)

[louise39.livejournal.com]

That dahlia is stunning almost iridescent! And that gate - so much creativity and work! So gorgeous.

[Your husband is a great guy, too!]

Thanks for the pictures and the story.

[botias.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I can tell I am going to be one of those people who wants to take weird stuff with them when they move. The garden gate is only slightly less odd than the kitchen sink, probably. :)