You said it with flowers (and they wilted the next week).

You said it with chocolates (and all she did was gain weight).

Now it’s time to find a more lasting way to express the fires of your passion for that special someone. How about expressing all that he/she means to you in a terrarium?

Romantic mementoes for a terrarium

That’s right, collect all your happiest memories –

• the ticket stubs to the concert where you met
• a few pine cones from the hike you took together
• the ribbons from the gift she gave you
• a golf ball from the time you tried to teach her to swing
• a page of sheet music with your favorite song

and all the other bits and pieces that make up your romance.

You might even have a snapshot or two from a picnic or prom. Or the jewelry box that the engagement ring came in.

Maybe you could tuck in a pair of binoculars from the whale-watching cruise (the one when she didn’t get seasick) or the paperback she read when you went camping (and it rained nonstop).

And how about all the belated greeting cards you’ve laid by the kitchen table the morning after her birthday. Take those components and arrange them under glass.

A terrarium portrait of romance

Make a mini scene dedicated to the two of you. Access your inner artist, combine shapes, textures, and colors. Let them work off one another.

Lay them in a bed of sheet moss. Let them tell the story. You could even present them as a progression starting with a memento from your first date and moving up to the wine glass from your wedding.

Now that’s the sort of gift that is going to make his/her eyes mist over. Guaranteed.

But that’s not the end for your terrarium tableau.

Baby makes three in a terrarium

Assuming your little crystal love castle worked its magic better than you ever hoped or dreamed, now you’ve got Junior.

And those baby years slip away in a blink, so collect the little toddler shoes your mother knitted and the pacifier that brought you a few hours of blessed sleep.

Put in the blue ribbon from the 4-H exhibit and the gold star from the first correctly spelled homework assignment.

Carpet it with sheet moss to make it look like a baseball diamond, spread gravel to mark the bases and bingo – you’ve captured a snippet from Junior’s first years.

Sentimental journey with a group of terrariums

And don’t stop at one terrarium. The beauty of glass is it displays particularly well in groupings. So you could do the story of your life in several chapters all displayed in a cluster of different shapes.

Let it summarize your family, including the pets. Even framed (or unframed) portraits add another layer of meaning under glass. These can be like shadow boxes with more dimension – sort of surround-sound versions of a scrapbook.

The point is, terrariums are not just about housing plants. They can hold a snapshot from your life. They can be mementoes from a lifetime.

Plus, your dusting duties are vastly diminished.

How would you plant the Hoop Skirt Trellis and Copper Pedestal Planter?

By Charlotte Germane, Editor of H. Potter Knowledge blog

All plant photos courtesy of Renee’s Garden

Nasturtium Display on Your Trellis

Beautiful when bare, this trellis and copper planter will be your own dazzling garden statement when you add your favorite climbing and trailing plants.

Place this trellis and planter near the dining table on your patio or deck. Then choose edible plants, and all through the warm days ahead you and your guests can pick edible flowers to add to salads.

The nasturtium is a popular edible flower (and the leaves can jump in the salad too). A nasturtium seed offers you the fast track to masses of edible flowers on your trellis. These easy-to-grow plants will cover your garden trellises with warm colors.

Hummingbirds love them!

I’m planning to mix three nasturtium varieties for a multi-colored fountain of blooms. Are you attracted by the Soft or the Bright combination?

Soft Nasturtium Combination

Tint of yellow  ’Moonlight’ can climb six to eight feet. Give the first tendrils a hand by twining them around the metal trellis.

Nasturtium 'Moonlight'

To fill out the planter add the one-foot mounds of ‘Vanilla Berry’.

Nasturtium 'Vanilla Berry'

Pretty ‘Creamsicle’ forms one-foot mounds, and trails a bit from garden planters.

Nasturtium 'Creamsicle'

Bright Nasturtium Combination

Send the adventurous ‘Amazon Jewel’ climbing four to six feet up your trellis. Enjoy the variegated leaves and the range of flower colors.

Make a regal statement with a one-foot mound at the base of the trellis.  Blue-green leaves are a striking feature of the heirloom ‘Empress of India’.

Nasturtium 'Empress of India'

For the big finish, add this hot number. It grows in one-foot mounds and will drape itself around. What better for a copper planter than semi-double-flowered ‘Copper Sunset’?

Nasturtium 'Copper Sunset'

Click here for these Renee’s Garden nasturtium seeds, and more varieties too.

How to Grow Nasturtium Combinations in a Planter

Wait to plant outdoors until all danger of frost has passed. If you are uncertain about that date, contact your local Master Gardeners.

Place your container in full sun or part shade and fill it with packaged potting soil. Choose soil that drains well but does not have many added fertilizers. A nasturtium that gets too much nitrogen fertilizer will be all leaves and few flowers.

Nick each seed with a pair of nail clippers and plant the seeds one-inch deep, covering them with soil. Follow seed packet directions on spacing.

Water well with a fine spray after planting and keep the soil moist until the seeds have germinated. Once the plants are mature, water only when the top two inches of the soil are dry.

Thin the young plants as needed. Don’t feed the nasturtiums.

Through the Seasons

Prolong the blooming season by replanting nasturtiums in late summer. The nasturtium is a tender annual and won’t last through frosty winters.

Don’t miss any gardening tips from our authors. For a free RSS or email subscription to this blog go to the upper-right section of the sidebar. Your email address will not be shared.

Nutcracker Suite -- Christmas Wardian Case by Michaela at The Gardener's Eden

By Charlotte Germane, Editor of H. Potter Knowledge blog

Sugar Plum Terrariums

Seven talented gardeners, who happen to be well-known garden writers, created holiday terrariums this year using H. Potter Wardian cases.

Enjoy their creativity in this video of the holiday terrariums! Watch our video, then come back for details about those festive Wardian cases.

Terrariums Designed by Garden Writers

Presenting our wonderful terrarium gardeners, in order of appearance on the video:

Patty Craft is Publisher & Editorial Director at Horticulture magazine.

Kylee Baumle writes from Our Little Acre.

Chris McLaughlin is A Suburban Farmer.

Aimee Gertsch gardens and cooks at Aimee’s Blog.

Helen Yoest is always Gardening With Confidence.

Michaela lives in The Gardener’s Eden.

Genevieve Schmidt is an expert on North Coast Gardening.

Tiny Garden Decor for Terrariums

Patty’s verdant terrarium shelters an iridescent angel that was beaded for her by a family member.

Kylee’s lighted Christmas tree reflects on lots of fun details tucked all around her woodsy scene.

Aimee’s Wardian case plays holiday host for two stout penguins.

In Helen’s terrarium look for the cardinal perched among her seasonal greenery and berries.

Michaela’s Wardian case is a Nutcracker dream of toys around the tree, under a crescent moon.

Holiday Plants in the Terrariums

Chris mixed variegated polka-dot plants with holly berries, topping it all off with a string of Christmas ornaments.

Gen brought in colorful cyclamen for a fresh and seasonal look — and got some attention from curious roommates.

More Posts on Holiday Terrariums

Most of the garden writers are posting about their terrariums too! Read their own stories about the decorated Wardian cases at these links:

Chris at A Suburban Farmer

Michaela at The Gardener’s Eden

Genevieve at North Coast Gardening

Aimee at Salt Lake Gardening Examiner

Aimee at Aimee’s Blog

And watch a new video about a favorite H. Potter Wardian case.

Happy Holidays to Our Talented Garden Writers and Their Terrariums!

Don’t miss any of our posts on terrariums. Most are written by Tovah Martin, author of The New Terrarium. For a free RSS or email subscription to this blog go to the upper-right section of the sidebar. Your email address will not be shared.

Kids can open the roof of this Wardian case, one of the traditional terrariums.

Terrariums are kid-size

So, it’s been raining for two solid days and the kids are climbing the walls.

Or it’s steaming hot and no one wants to go outside.

Or you’d like a nature-based diversion for your tween, to break the obsession with staring at a screen.

Try terrariums!

Instead of a screen, they’re windows on nature. As far as kid appeal is concerned, they have it all. First, they’re compact. Kids love small worlds. Remember your dollhouse? Or trollhouse? You were drawn to it because it was like someone shrank reality.

Terrariums are easy for kids

Any kid from 2^nd grade on up (and maybe younger – you decide) can construct a terrarium and succeed. And the project is inexpensive. You can recycle salvage jars or go for something more evocative – like an apothecary jar or a Wardian case (Wardian cases allow your kid to create a whole landscape – in miniature). H. Potter’s terrariums will fire their imagination.

Glass terrariums teach kids about nature

Terrariums are a cognitive exercise in applying creativity. The results are totally compelling – here’s a work of art that your kid can whip up without spending a fortune on supplies. In terms of payback, this can be a long-term investment.

Terrariums get nature and your kid into a dialogue that might hang in there for the rest of your child’s life.

Bet there were terrariums somewhere in your childhood memories. Remember? See! Terrarium experiences always seem to stick.

How to make terrariums with your kids

• Collect the ingredients beforehand (see my How to Plant a Terrarium post) so you can whip them out when the right moment arrives.
• Be sure to have small-sized gloves on hand to make this happen.
• If your kid is prone to tote things around with him/her (or if this is a school project and a bus is involved to get the terrarium home), you might want to go with a small, portable version of a terrarium and work with a plastic container. Plastic’s fine for terrariums – they just need to be aired out more often (opening the lid once a week for half a day usually works).
• When the weather is good, organize a nature hike with baskets or bags for your kids to pick up “nature treasures” to include in their terrariums.
• Teach kids what not to collect – like bird’s nests (which the birds might reuse) and endangered plants. But most seed pods, seashells, lichen-covered sticks, little stones, etc. are fair game.
• Be sure to wear gloves and long sleeves. Check for ticks and watch out for poison ivy!
• Let your kids unleash their right-brain creativity. Help them plant the little plants properly (see my How to Plant a Terrarium post), but anything goes for decoration.
• That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get involved with this craft project. Make your own terrariums!

Watch a new video about this H. Potter terrarium.

Don’t miss any of Tovah’s expert advice on terrariums! She’s the author of The New Terrarium. For a free RSS or email subscription to this blog go to the upper-right section of the sidebar. Your email address will not be shared.

Roasted peppers to wake up your senses.

Peppers from your garden

Balmy September days finish the ripening and sweetening of peppers.

H. Potter’s copper urn is the perfect place to grow a variety of peppers on the deck or amidst the flower beds.

How to roast peppers

Roasted peppers are great flavor enhancers for just about, well, so many things.

Many cookbooks recommend cutting them in half to roast, but grilling them whole makes peeling so much easier. Set aside in a bowl, covered, until cooled, and they will continue cooking. That way their delicious juices can be saved. Once cooled, their skins slip off like a Hollywood starlet dropping her negligee in a love scene. Remove the seeds, slice, and use or freeze in containers for next winter.

Roasting them in the oven at 400 degrees works well too and gives a more even heat without blackening the skins.

Peppers from the market later in the winter are not only exorbitantly priced, but they have a kind of petroleum-like taste. Not sure what that is, but it definitely motivates me to preserve the abundance of summer’s harvest.

Fresh peppers freeze easily

They don’t need to be blanched, just cut them into slices. I use a variety of colors to freeze in plastic bags to add later to frittatas, fajitas, stir fries and soups.

This side dish is the perfect accompaniment to just about any September dinner on the deck.

Roasted Peppers and Tomatoes with Herbs and Capers

Four big bell peppers — red, orange, chocolate or green

One large beefsteak-type tomato, or one-and-a-quarter pounds ripe garden tomatoes

Two smaller yellow tomatoes (or whatever is available)

Ten flat-leaf parsley sprigs

Two tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram, or twelve to fifteen large basil leaves

Two cloves garlic

Two tablespoons capers, rinsed

Twelve Nicoise olives, pitted

Three tablespoons best-quality olive oil

Salt and fresh ground pepper

Roast the peppers until evenly charred. Place them in a large bowl, cover, and set aside to cool while preparing everything else. Then remove blackened skin, pull out seeds and cut into wide strips.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Score the ends of the tomatoes, and drop them into boiling water for 10 seconds. Plunge into cold water for 10 seconds; then remove the skins, halve them crosswise, and gently squeeze out the seeds. Cut into wide pieces.

Pluck the leaves from the parsley stems. You should have about a half cup. Chop finely along with the marjoram and garlic, then put in a bowl with the capers, olives, and olive oil. Season with ¾ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste.

Lightly oil a small gratin dish. Add the tomatoes, peppers, and sauce; toss together. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Don’t miss one of Patti’s recipes! For a free RSS or email subscription to this blog go to the upper-right section of the sidebar. Your email address will not be shared.

By Dianne Benson, author of Dirt: The Lowdown on Growing a Garden with Style

I have not yet met any single plant — let alone a vine — that is as awe-inspiring and heart-stopping as a passion vine (Passiflora).

Passiflora passion and trellises

If I had the pleasure of living in a climate hospitable to growing these exquisite creatures in the ground — I would have many more varieties than the four I now proudly boast.

But my four are just heaven…as they should be, given their highly graphic, if not religious significance (stamens are the Holy Trinity, corolla the Crown of Thorns, and so on).

One oversized, mauvey, multi-colored beauty resides in a biggish terracotta pot and grows at the sunniest end of the grape arbor on a rather graceless piece of lumber.

The frilliest passion flower has the terrible job of scrambling over a deer fence which is impossible to beautify.

But it is the remaining two passion vines that are much happier because they are growing — as they should be — on handsome trellises. As this emblematic, exotic plant sends out amazing curlicue tendrils (another Passion of Christ reference), its ability to climb on and arrange itself around a trellis is unsurpassed.

A trellis is better than a lattice or a fence

The framework of a trellis can be fanciful or straightforward, right-angled or tripartite, pillared or domed, intricate or simple.

The very best selection I can find is here at H. Potter where they have all of the above and more — there is one trellis with hanging bells that seems exceptionally delightful — style and garden sounds at the same time.

Made of strong iron, they are coated with a special finish that is not brown or green or gray, but a totally neutral color that fits perfectly into the garden palette — even when it is brand new and before it is covered with passion or any other vines.

The one pictured is the Leaf Trellis; the next that I have my heart set on are the Pillar Trellis or the Onion Dome.  You will be thrilled when you see what a difference they make in your own garden.  And what’s even better — some designs are now available at a sale price…treat yourself….

East Hampton, New York

19 September 2010

Don’t miss any of Dianne B’s garden ideas! For a free RSS or email subscription to this blog go to the upper-right section of the sidebar. Your email address will not be shared.

Case solved: My Wardian case at home.

By Kylee Baumle

Growing plants in a bowl or any kind of enclosure is a look I like. So when I was visiting Longwood Gardens and I spied a small Wardian case for sale in their gift shop, I didn’t hesitate in purchasing it.

But there’s more to that story…

The Case of the Elusive Wardian Case

Mom and I were on one of our gardening adventures, and while she had visited Longwood Gardens a few years before, she wanted to go again and knew that I would want to see them too. So before heading back home, we drove to Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.

Our usual plan of action is to do a quick tour of the gift shop to see if there’s anything we can’t live without, and then enjoy the gardens.

I saw the Wardian cases sitting on a table marked “Reduced.” There were five of them, but I only wanted one.  The gift shop wasn’t busy and I asked the manager if I could buy one now and have him put it back for me while we toured the gardens. He convinced me to just wait to buy it before we left.

We went on our way and spent a few hours walking through the beautiful grounds.

When we returned to the gift shop to make our purchases, I walked over to the sale table and was shocked to see that all the Wardian cases were gone. I asked the manager if there really were none left and he told me that one person came in and bought them all.

I just couldn’t believe it. Then one of the shopkeepers said, “I think there’s one in the back that’s got a broken glass pane in it. It’s not perfect, but maybe you’d want that one?” Of course I wanted to see it.

When she brought it out and I saw the cracked pane was at the bottom of one side and not that conspicuous, AND she said, “You can have this one for $11,” I said, “Sold.”

These cases were used as table decorations, when Longwood Gardens celebrated the 100th anniversary of Pierre du Pont purchasing the property and turning it into the beautiful gardens there today.

Planting my Wardian Case

As I was walking through Lowe’s one day, I saw they had some small square plastic terrariums on sale for half-price – $7 each.  I bought two.  In each one was a beautiful jewel orchid, a fern, and an evergreen type of thing that I don’t recognize.

My Wardian case has a plastic liner in the bottom, where I placed a layer of potting medium.  I planted all the Lowe’s plants, filled in the gaps with more potting medium, and used sphagnum moss as a top dressing because I like how it looks.

Just for fun, I added a couple of stones, put a turtle on top of one and placed a ladybug bulletin board tack near the base of one of the plants.  It’s been planted for about eight months now and is doing well!

I check the moisture level of the potting medium once a week and water if it needs it. If I can see a bit of moisture condensation on the inside of the case, I know it’s got plenty.

The Source of my Wardian Case

I did a little research and found that these Wardian cases are made by H. Potter, one of my favorite garden sites to visit.  They’ve got beautiful garden accents and some of the most exquisite Wardian cases I’ve ever seen. Someday I’d like a larger one, but for now, I’m enjoying my tabletop version, which reminds me of a Victorian greenhouse.

Watch a new video of a favorite H. Potter terrarium, and see Kylee’s Wardian case dressed for the holidays in our Sugar Plum Terrarium video.

We’re delighted to have this guest post from Kylee Baumle. Kylee writes the award-winning blog, Our Little Acre, about her garden in Ohio. She is Book Review Editor for Horticulture magazine and a Feature Writer for Indiana Gardener magazine. Kylee is also one of The Soil Sisters, a collaborative venture with fellow gardener, Jan. You can join their gardening community here.

For a free RSS or email subscription to the H. Potter Knowledge blog go to the upper-right section of the sidebar. Your email address will not be shared.

A festive platter salad from the late-summer garden.

Where’s your favorite platter?

It’s perfect for late summer entertaining when the markets are full of delicious, fresh produce and your garden is overflowing.

A platter salad easily turns the abundance of summer into a successful meal.

Ingredients for a platter salad

• Following the principle that foods in season generally taste good together, a platter salad is a collection of compatible vegetables cooked when necessary — but mostly not — and arranged on a large platter.
• Tossed with generous amounts of herbs and a mustardy vinaigrette, you can re-create these salads every season with whatever you have available.
• Choices for late summer are several varieties of potatoes (pre-cooked), radishes, cucumbers, red and yellow tomatoes, string beans or garbanzos, and chunks of grilled squash or eggplant.
• Other nice additions might include capers, anchovies or various olives.
• Showering the salad with herbs produces a layering of flavors — parsley, dill, marjoram, basil or chives — whatever combination appeals.  As one friend said at a recent dinner, “Every bite tastes different.”

Platter salads are a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach and are easy to put together for two people

For guests, they make a beautiful presentation by tossing in the vinaigrette at the table. If you’re already using the grill for meat, roasted peppers or a few grilled zucchini are tasty additions.

Serve with crusty bread and a great glass of wine. It’s summer’s finest hour.

Platter Salad

One pound small potatoes — red, Yukon Gold or purple

One-half pound green beans

A few radishes, cut in half

Two lemon cucumbers cut into bite-size pieces

Two handfuls of cherry tomatoes

Red or green peppers, raw or roasted and cut into squares

Two to three small zucchini, grilled and cut into easy-to-fork strips

One-quarter cup finely chopped marjoram (or basil) and parsley

Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing

Three tablespoons red wine vinegar

Two tablespoons lemon juice

Two teaspoons Dijon-type mustard

One to two cloves garlic

One-quarter teaspoon salt

Freshly grated pepper

One-third cup extra-virgin olive oil

Wash the potatoes and then place them in a small saucepan; cover with water and three-quarters teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil; simmer until tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain. Set aside to cool and cut into bite-size pieces.

Wash green beans and cut off both ends. Add to a pan of simmering water for three to four minutes then dip in cold water (or serve raw).

For the dressing, add all the ingredients to a food processor. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while machine runs.

Arrange the cooked and raw vegetables on the platter in a beautiful display of colors and textures.

Sprinkle herb mixture over all.

Drizzle with vinaigrette at the table and enjoy!

Don’t miss one of Patti’s recipes! For a free RSS or email subscription to this blog go to the upper-right section of the sidebar. Your email address will not be shared.

From left to right: Dwarf Colocasia affinis 'Jenningsii', blue-leaved Melianthus 'Honey Flower', Alocasia 'Hilo Beauty', Hibiscus tilaceus 'Tricolor'. All exotics from Landcraft Environments, Mattituck, NY. In the ground: Xanthosoma albomarginata; dried allium - Allium oreophilum 'Agalik Giant' (from Odyssey Bulbs).

By Dianne Benson

What makes a garden shine?

As the climate is changing right before our very eyes, and stymieing our senses with its brutality and extremes, the bloom time is fleeting and lacks its good old stamina.

Here one minute and gone the next: so how to make our garden shine without the dependability of our wildest garden schemes…or even our most well-thought-out ones?

Introducing elements that are not dependent on Mother Nature seems to be the way to go.

Gazing balls are OK but perhaps too much a conceit for me.

That old deception of Garden Mirrors can be effective and one seems always so surprised and pleased to come upon it (especially when it is reflecting back your own unexpected image) ; but it is – after all – a trick, and though it is great at lighting up a dead-end situation — it doesn’t really shine.

The reflection from a pond or a pool and the sparkle of a birdbath are other ways to bring shine to the garden too; but I have just added something totally unexpected — A Shapely and Large Copper Urn.

I’ve plunked it down right in the middle of the Mysterious Tree Bed where the tulips were, the allium remain (though dried and lifeless), the lilies have come and gone, and boy — does it look great.

There’s something about the copper being the just-right metal to pick up the wonderful mélange of color created by the surrounding trees.

It reflects the greeny-whites of the Aralia elata above and the variegated Heptacodium below…the red tinges of Landcraft’s superb Hibiscus tilaceus ‘Tricolor’, as well as the surrounding glow of several Japanese maples: lion’s-headed, palmated (full moon, that is) and variegated.

Other metals that don’t rust or tarnish are either too precious (even Gold Plate would be out of the question) or are, and should be, reserved for garden tools: two of the Ten Garden Greats at DianneBBest.com are the essential stainless steel trowel and the high-gauge stainless monogrammed hand-made shovel.

Copper has such a significant presence in art and architecture because it is so compelling and variable —its beautiful red-brown sheen eventually oxidizing into a like-no-other-color turquoise/blue/green patina — makes it doubly perfect for the changing nature of the garden.

East Hampton, New York

14 August 2010

Watch a new video of this copper urn.