BABY FRUITS NOW......

...show the promise of good things later in the season.  This wonderful weather and rainfall has created a bountiful garden this summer!

 Baby apples will be pie, dried apple slices and sauce in fall.

 Baby aronia will become an ingredient on our dark berry jam along with...

 ...blackberries...

 ...black currants...

 ...and concord grapes.

 These colette pears are best eaten fresh...

 ...as are red raspberries.

Finally, can't forget the baby tomotatoes which will become a multitiude of good things. 

Top of the list?

Dried Tomato Dip!

WEEDLESS WALKWAY

Here's a simple way to keep weeds from growing in your walkways and it's free! 

 Dig and rake the area where you want to place your path so it is level and looks good. Then lay old newspapers down, overlapping each one until the path is covered.  The day I did this, there was hardly any wind blowing....that helps!

If you have old cardboard boxes, break them down and place them on top of the newspaper.  Then sprinkle a thick layer of grass clippings or shredded leaves to hold down the paper and cardboard to hide it completely.

Have fun placing your stepping stones.  They'll look great from the start and stay that way all through the summer.

SCULPTING CONCRETE LIKE CLAY

If concrete is mixed on the drier side and includes only sand as aggregate, it can be used for sculpting using the same techniques in sculpting clay.  Of course concrete will never be as plastic as clay and you have a short window of time to do your work, but it is worth the effort and works well for our garden projects.

 It can be used to make amazing life-like  cast  leaves....

 ...and accepts all manner of pressed textures just like clay.

 Tina and Helen are using concrete to sculpt faces on garden gnomes.

 Letter stamps can be used to create words and phrases...

 ...and clay tools work equally week for sculpting in concrete.

Leftover tiles from a bathroom project add color and interest to Tori's hand-sculpted stepping stone.

 Each of these stepping stones was made by hand...

...by this happy group!

SUMMER HYPERTUFA AND HANDMADE PAPER STUDIOS START IN JUNE

LEAF PLATTERS-SPAS FOR THE BIRDS!

Birds love to have water nearby in every season, but in the summertime, they seem to especially enjoy water for frequent drinking and refreshing splashes.  A leaf platter water basin is ideal for this purpose because the water is shallow and the decorative leaves attached to the side made the perfect sundeck for the birds to preen and relax.  In our Hypertufa Studio you learn to make your own leaf platter. This is a creative, fresh twist on typical bird baths and a point of interest in your garden that's far and above typical bird bath projects.



You begin with a stroll through the gardens to collect the leaves you'll use in your casting. My favorite leaves for this project are hydrangea leaves because they can be found in multiple sizes are tough and have deep veining on the back. We cast individual leaves on smaller mounds of sand to use as the ornaments for the leaf platter.

The leaves are arranged face-side down on a mound of damp sand.  This hump of sand makes the bowl shape to hold the water in the finish water basin.  The leaves can be arranged in an accidental or an ordered fashion.  Once the mound of sand is covered with leave and thin layer of concrete is pressed onto them to hold them down and capture a perfect impression of their shape and veins in the concrete. 

To finish the platter, a thick layer of hypertufa is patted onto the layer of concrete to add support  and shape the outside of the plater.  The "sandwich of the concrete and the hypertufa make a perfect combination.  The concrete captures the leaf  detail and allows the basin to hold water. The hypertufa adds shape and heft without the weight.Usually basin bottoms are left plain but here old rosette irons were used to stamp a design in ot the bottom and wine corks were inserted as feet.Lyn used huge hosta leaves forger large elegant basin.

Caroline and Chris had us make this custom super large leaf basin.  It makes a stunning water feature with or without  a fountain and pump!Don't miss the chance to make your own leaf platter this summer.  

Join us in one of our Hypertufa Studios at From the Summer's Garden.  

Get sign-up info here! This is a great way to reconnect with old friends or enjoy your own personal "staycation." 

GARDEN STUDIOS AT FROM THE SUMMER'S GARDEN

The Garden Studios at From the Summer's Garden are held during our Spring Sale and conducted by our artists. It give cusotmers a chance to join in on the creative fun. Our final weekend for A GARDEN OF GOOD wil be this coming Memorial weekend, Friday, Satuday, Sunday and Monday and we'll be open 10:0-5:00. 

3 COOL WAYS TO USE A CAINFUSIONS SPOONREST

John Cain from CainFusions absolutely LOVES their large spoon rest because it will handle any and all of your utensils in the kitchen. It can also be used as an elegant candle holder or used to nest a coordinated colored bowl into one when entertaining. Sleek, contemporary, & safe to run through the dishwasher! Now available at A GARDEN OF GOOD!

COME AND MAKE THIS TUFA HEART PLANTER!

You can make your own heart-shaped tufa planter with Steve this Saturday,

May 17 from 1:00-3:00 at 

A Garden of Good and...it's just $20!

Heart-shaped things are popular so here’s something fun for you to make for your own garden of good.

What You Need:  

2” thick piece of packing foam around 8” x 12”.  Styrofoam will work also but is more expensive.

A corrugated cardboard box with cover flaps at least 15” long

Small saw

Hot glue gun

Duct tape

Marker

Scissors

Motor or vegetable oil

Old paint brush

mud gloves

plastic mixing bucket and plastic to cover work surface.

Your favorite hypertufa recipe. Here’s mine:

http://fromthesummersgardencontent.blogspot.com/2010/03/steve-hess-hypertufa-handout.html

You can also make this out of Sand Topping Concrete Mix but it will be heavier!

What You Do:

1. Draw a free-form heat shape on the pieces of packing foam and cut out with a small saw.  This will become the base of your mold.

2. Next cut the two long long flaps off of the top of your cardboard box.  Trim them down to no more than 6” wide.  The narrower your strips of cardboard, the shallower your planter. Note” Be certain the corrugation is running parallel to the 6 inch wide of the cardboard.  This will allow you to easily roll up the two strips. Rolling the two cardboard strips makes it easier to form the sides of the mold.

3.  Place one end of the first cardboard strip in the center “V” of your heart-shaped foam.  Run it up and around the top of the heart down to the point and cut the strip

where it meets the point.  Repeat for the other side of the heart with the second cardboard strip.

4.  Hot glue the two strips onto the foam base.  Use the duct tape to seal the bottom edge where the cardboard meets the foam and the two joints where the cardboard flaps meet.  

Your mold is now ready for casting.

5.  Cover your work surface with plastic sheeting and put on your mud gloves.

Coat the inside of your heart mold with oil using an old paintbrush.  This will serve as a release agent for your planter.  

6.  Mix up hypertufa or concrete to a clay-like consistency.  Remember, add water sparingly!

7.  Pat a 1” thick layer of the material across the bottom of your mold. Then begin pressing it against the sides of the mold by the handful until you reach the top edge of the mold.  Try to keep your sides thinner than the bottom. The finished planter will look nicer and weigh less.   Three quarters of an inch is a good thickness.  It helps to look at a ruler so you really know just how thick this is.

8.  The top edge is very important because it is where you grab the planter to pick it up.

Pay careful attention to the appearance of the top edge, making it consistent and smooth.

9.  At this point you can punch drainage holes in the bottom with a pencil.  It might be smarter to leave the bottom intact while you use the planter inside as a cachepot and then punch a drainage hole later in spring when you put the planter outside.  Allow the planter to become stiff and cure for three to four days. 

10.  When your planter is completely hard, remove the mold and discard it.  Use a brick to smooth rough edges to shape the planter as you please.

11. Take a trip to the grocery store or greenhouse for small plants featuring reds, pinks and whites and plant up your Valentine container.

TIP: You can ornament the out side of your planter by cutting out small hearts from extra cardboard and hot gluing them to the insides of your mold.  Do this BEFORE you coat the mold with oil. 

TIP:  Make heart shapes from extra tufa or concrete and skewer with wire to make decorative picks to go with your planter.