This little guy started out yesterday looking more like Audrey 2 than the prettiest tiny orchid ever it turned into today!!!

Oh look… another DIVERSION!
Seems like a LOT of these tangents keep happening to me these days?! So while I “should be” packing up some pottery to ship out, I noticed that a couple succulents seemed a little overgrown & gangly!

And after watching far too much social media, I felt somewhat emboldened to tackle the job… and to try my hand at propagating some of the stems & leaves. Online I saw someone using an egg carton and a little dirt… so I’m doing the same. I mean, if it’s online it’s got to work, right?!

I figure even if I get a couple that grow, it will be a success!!!

While this happy wavy one has been replanted recently in a new stamped & soda-fired flowerpot… just finding more “diversions” from working on the REAL projects I “should be” tackling during this crazy time off!

Found a few beauties as I was walking up the street at home.
I don’t think I’ve ever noticed these double? ruffled? bi-color? daffodils
before in my neighbor’s yard?!

Made Earth Day today a little more special.

Looks like my friend & master gardener Rosene has accepted my coleus challenge. Every year she propagates hundreds of coleus starts and shares them with everyone. But now that she’s quarantines with all these coleus plants, I though she could use a new challenge… of growing a COLEUS TOPIARY!!! And it looks like she’s well on her way! With a beautiful tiled ClayQuilt in the back ground… which kinda looks familiar!!!

And here’s the picture of the challenge inspiration I saw on Instagram… looks like she’s got a ways to go!!!

So it was a tough day down in Peoria for some good friends of mine when the gusty winds blew through last Sunday! They have an amazing terraced backyard garden with large trees, tons of hostas & flowers, and a LOT of rustic decorative accents all over the place… even a ceramic totem pole made by “you-know-who”!

Well… after the gusty winds…
they now have a few less trees and one less totem pole!!!

Yes, the storm took out one of their largest trees, which in turn took out portions of other trees… and totally smashed my TOTEM POLE!!!

But like I tell my students… “It’s just clay!”

I was just happy that the tree fell where it did… damaging the trees & totem… and NOT my friends or their house! Could have been so much worse… luckily, they had a beautiful green bowl of chocolate to help with the aftermath… also made by “you-know-who”!

Almost a month… and not only have I not killed it yet, but it’s still blooming!!!!

Looks like these African violets are very happy in their fancy homes!!!
Thanks to Nancy for sharing the photos… and her husband Rick for growing his collection
in my stamped & soda-fired flower pots.

If you want your plants to be happy too…
my HOLIDAY HOME SHOW is less than a month away. November 23rd & 24th.
More details to come…

While I was visiting my friends in Peoria last weekend, it looks like something fun “sprouted” in one of their flower pots overnight?!!! Some groovy squiggly soda-fired plant stakes just kinda-sorta randomly “appeared” while they weren’t looking!!!

So much cooler than pumpkins this time of year! Sure, not so good for jack-o’lanterns,
but much better colors, textures & groovy shapes!!!