OK, so this wasn't terrible at all. In fact, I might say this was the highlight of my preparations.
But before I get to the fun part, I feel like maybe I should provide a little bit of background.
You see, Tredknot Tirarium Planters have been a long time in the making, and I feel like, in some ways, little by little, they are now rapidly becoming my strongest product line.
HISTORY OF THE TIRARIUM
I came up with this design several years ago, when I was working hard getting to know the ins and outs of the tredknot. At some point, it occured to me that the tredknot form, in its basket like form, might be a very good vessel to hold the habitat and root ball of a plant. To see a spider plant fresh green spears exploding from this knotted form some how seems just right.
My mother, Edie, who is really good with both plants and designing things has given me a lot of encouragement to explore this direction, (in fact, it MIGHT have even been her idea.., I'll have to ask her about this). Either way, I thank her, because the further that I go down this road, the more that I realize that it is a good and right one.
SPIDER PLANTS, AND BEYOND!
In fact, for 2 years now, Edie has gathered up baby spider plants for me to plant in my planters.
(insert photo), as she has again this year. My good friends Patricia has also been good enough to save me some from her plants in Lewisburg, PA, which she sent 2 yrs ago via the US Postal service! (if you bought one of my planters that year, you may now own one!)
However, while I do plan to use these beautifull little striped babies in my pots, I am proud to say that I have in fact graduated from spider plant school! Which is to say, that I have finally discovered that there is a whole world of plants out there, that look DAMN GOOD, wrapped in a rubber sari!
So for past few months, I've had a little after work project of mentally collecting a small army of plants, by visiting the selection at both Lowes, and B&L on 15-501. I've had to try to resist my temptation to keep from collecting these as I see them, as I figure they might be better off in Janie's good hands at B&L. (However, I haven't always been succussful, though all have faired well in my care, I'm proud to report..).
Well, this past week, I broke the piggy bank, and made my haul.
SPEED DATING FOR PLANTS
So, I have to clarify that I did not just go gang busters at Lowes. Indeed, I spent a good 2 or 3 hours there, carefully making my selections. So long was I there after a long day of work, that eventually I had set my plants down on a patio table so I could sit myself down and think about them, in between fending off employees.
So what I came home with was a Very rich assortment of plants- geraniums, drucenia, snake plant, succulents, and many more, especially chosen for my collection of planters.
Factors to consider were that, just like plants, some tires like a lot of direct sun, and others prefer shade.
Therefor I needed to match similar personalities, to create a happy union. After all, these two are going to be pea in pod for the long haul (owner willing).
Of course, other factors are how much heat is a plant going to want (say radiating from an all black tire, or reflecting from a white wall; what kind of soil draning will they want, and finally of course, the aesthetics of finding a pleasing and good looking match. If figure, if a plant looks great with its mate, it has a better chance of survival with its new owner.
So, when I'd weighed all of these as best I could at B&L and Lowes, and brought them home, I still had a little match-making to do.
This was quite alot of fun, matching the colorful striped bands of rubber with those of foliage and flower! I hope and trust that my customers at the Festival For The Eno will be as struck as I was and am by the combination that leapt out at me.
However, when the dust settled, and these obvious matches were made (mostly with eccentrics like the fiery pink geraniums), we were still left with a group of plants and trednots who had more subtle personalities.
And thus, I turned towards an excercize culled from modern dating, and that would be 'speed-dating', what proved to be a very efficient way of matching two complimentary objects.
So what I did, I just lined these straglers up on my porch one balmy night (romantic no?), and saw who gravitated to who. You know what, some very interesting combinations occured, that weren't so obvious before. And one of the humble brown planters ran off with a wild pink geranium!
In the wild covalent orgy of plant are rubber tire knots, you just never know what to expect!
(Anecdotally, I suggested speed dating to match patients with doctors to a young woman from Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance. She laughed, and said she'd pass it on. No date yet though...)
But before I get to the fun part, I feel like maybe I should provide a little bit of background.
You see, Tredknot Tirarium Planters have been a long time in the making, and I feel like, in some ways, little by little, they are now rapidly becoming my strongest product line.
HISTORY OF THE TIRARIUM
I came up with this design several years ago, when I was working hard getting to know the ins and outs of the tredknot. At some point, it occured to me that the tredknot form, in its basket like form, might be a very good vessel to hold the habitat and root ball of a plant. To see a spider plant fresh green spears exploding from this knotted form some how seems just right.
My mother, Edie, who is really good with both plants and designing things has given me a lot of encouragement to explore this direction, (in fact, it MIGHT have even been her idea.., I'll have to ask her about this). Either way, I thank her, because the further that I go down this road, the more that I realize that it is a good and right one.
SPIDER PLANTS, AND BEYOND!
In fact, for 2 years now, Edie has gathered up baby spider plants for me to plant in my planters.
(insert photo), as she has again this year. My good friends Patricia has also been good enough to save me some from her plants in Lewisburg, PA, which she sent 2 yrs ago via the US Postal service! (if you bought one of my planters that year, you may now own one!)
However, while I do plan to use these beautifull little striped babies in my pots, I am proud to say that I have in fact graduated from spider plant school! Which is to say, that I have finally discovered that there is a whole world of plants out there, that look DAMN GOOD, wrapped in a rubber sari!
So for past few months, I've had a little after work project of mentally collecting a small army of plants, by visiting the selection at both Lowes, and B&L on 15-501. I've had to try to resist my temptation to keep from collecting these as I see them, as I figure they might be better off in Janie's good hands at B&L. (However, I haven't always been succussful, though all have faired well in my care, I'm proud to report..).
Well, this past week, I broke the piggy bank, and made my haul.
After a good run on B&L, I went next to Lowes, where I ran into sculptor Bill Moore in the parking lot. Bill told me that, peering into my tire, plant and masonry edging stuffed Toyota Carolla, his son asked, "what is all that stuff?". "I don't know" he replied, "but he needs a pick up truck."
This is not the first time I have heard this from a sculptor..
SPEED DATING FOR PLANTS
So, I have to clarify that I did not just go gang busters at Lowes. Indeed, I spent a good 2 or 3 hours there, carefully making my selections. So long was I there after a long day of work, that eventually I had set my plants down on a patio table so I could sit myself down and think about them, in between fending off employees.
So what I came home with was a Very rich assortment of plants- geraniums, drucenia, snake plant, succulents, and many more, especially chosen for my collection of planters.
Factors to consider were that, just like plants, some tires like a lot of direct sun, and others prefer shade.
Therefor I needed to match similar personalities, to create a happy union. After all, these two are going to be pea in pod for the long haul (owner willing).
Of course, other factors are how much heat is a plant going to want (say radiating from an all black tire, or reflecting from a white wall; what kind of soil draning will they want, and finally of course, the aesthetics of finding a pleasing and good looking match. If figure, if a plant looks great with its mate, it has a better chance of survival with its new owner.
So, when I'd weighed all of these as best I could at B&L and Lowes, and brought them home, I still had a little match-making to do.
This was quite alot of fun, matching the colorful striped bands of rubber with those of foliage and flower! I hope and trust that my customers at the Festival For The Eno will be as struck as I was and am by the combination that leapt out at me.
However, when the dust settled, and these obvious matches were made (mostly with eccentrics like the fiery pink geraniums), we were still left with a group of plants and trednots who had more subtle personalities.
And thus, I turned towards an excercize culled from modern dating, and that would be 'speed-dating', what proved to be a very efficient way of matching two complimentary objects.
So what I did, I just lined these straglers up on my porch one balmy night (romantic no?), and saw who gravitated to who. You know what, some very interesting combinations occured, that weren't so obvious before. And one of the humble brown planters ran off with a wild pink geranium!
In the wild covalent orgy of plant are rubber tire knots, you just never know what to expect!
.jpg) |
| Plant Speed Dating At Dusk |
(Anecdotally, I suggested speed dating to match patients with doctors to a young woman from Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance. She laughed, and said she'd pass it on. No date yet though...)
 |
| Motley Crew |
 |
| Snake Plant Habitat in the making |
