Hot Stuff!

We headed into Chicago to a unique glass blowing warehouse which is a workshop for several local artisans.

The furnaces are all lined up against at least a 100 foot wall, hotter than hot above 2,000 degrees and even the fans do not dissipate the heat.

There are cylinders of propane, extinguishers and fire everywhere.  I wasn't brave enough to sit up in front like this lady.

Pearl Dick is one of the artisans and she does glass heads, a long arduous process requiring great expertise.

The head goes in and out of the furnace over and over, features formed, color washes, silica, etc.

The artisans are from all over the United States, many from Seattle which has a big glass blowing community.

Fireproof cloths are used to shape the glass while it is red hot.

Some of the glass is more whimsical but still beautiful and intricate.

This is not a museum, it is in a fringe neighborhood, warehouse atmosphere glass on the streets instead of grass, torn down buildings and not much nicer inside.  It is not pristine, hot, but the space is reasonable and an artist goes where they can work.

After lunch we headed out to the Echt Gallery in a much more gentrified area.

Pearl Dick is featured at this gallery with a grouping of very little heads.  Someone in our group wanted to purchase them, not sure if this deal went through.

This is a grouping of her heads back at the warehouse, much larger than at the gallery.

The Echt Gallery is a small boutique gallery featuring some beautiful glass work and sculptures.

I had a difficult time realizing that these were artwork with the boxes to go with them!

Blown glass in metal hull

There really was some more recognizable artwork here also.

Chilluli Glass Cylinders

Chilluli

Chilluli Painting

Around The Garden

It has really been hot here with no rain so watering every day is a must.  Some of the container plants are showing stress as are some of the larger perennials and hydrangeas.

Endless Summer has never looked like this before!  It could be the mild winter, my experiment this year, very little low nitrogen fertilizer and no pruning whatsoever.

Hydrangea Starlight Let's Dance

This is a smaller hydrangea two to three feet, suffered some frostbite this spring but looks pretty good.

Astilbe Bridal Veil

Astilbe Chinesis Visions

Foxglove Grandiflora

This is a perennial foxglove not a biennial.

Hosta Patriot

Hosta Paul's Glory

Cordyalis

Reseeds everywhere but very easy to pull out and blooms until frost.

Persicaria Polymorpha

The supports are invisible and so far the plant seems pretty stable, but we have not had a big storm at this point.

Miscanthus Udine

The supports are invisible, really has helped keep it from flopping onto the pathway.

Daylily Arnie's Choice

Mid-Season but blooming early this year

Daylily Eileen Clymer

Early

Daylily Lullaby Baby

Early and very small

Campanula

I transplanted most of these to another location and this one unexpectedly remained.  It survived, the others didn't, they don't like to be moved!

Nepeta Six Hills Giant

Very wispy and anything but upright, am training it to cover the window wells on the south side.

Home Run Red

One of my 4" pots last year just about full grown this year, one of the differences between this and Knockout is the vibrancy of the red color.  These were sent to me by Proven Winners Choice.

As Allan Armitage said if he had one coneflower to choose it would be Kim's Knee High!  This is Kim's Knee High Red, beautiful deep magenta color a much stronger specimen than Pow Wow.

Mango is a strong Meadowbrite much more stable than Art's Pride Meadowbrite.

Graffiti

One of the first lilies to bloom and very striking

Rozanne Geranium

There is so much to see when you walk around the garden!

A Collector's Garden 2012

I am back at my sister-in-law's eclectic garden and there are always new (old) things to see.

The pond is the highlight for me since I would love a pond but just do not have the room.  It is a vintage cement pond.

Persicaria Polymorpha at the back of the pond is secured in place with an old wooden headboard.

The Coreopsis Zagreb does very well in this full sun area and with shearing back should produce another round of blooms.

An old piece of fencing and some garage sale faces will hold up the pole beans.

Some more little people peeking out of the sedum

The geese used to be dressed when they belonged to my sister-in-law's mother but now hosta will do!

Old tools hanging over the vegetable garden

Grass growing up through a small vintage bike

Old popcorn popper with colored eggs

An old stove with an angel watching

Supposedly it was used by my mother and aunt to make starch, hooked up to a gas line in the basement.

Fencing is a great way to identify different rooms and uses in your garden.

The arbor has Autumn Clematis growing on it which will bloom in August and September.

I just love those birds!

I have come to the realization that most of the containers we use are too small.  This is a new one on the front porch area, looks very large doesn't it?

However, when you back up, let's say to the middle of the street, the container is seen in a new perspective, not too big at all.

Blue is a favorite color in this garden.

A memorial garden for a treasured mother

The daylilies I bought for this garden are called Addie Branch Smith.

Seating is important in a garden whether it is real or imagined.

Handmade  garden decor abounds.

Cup and saucer on a garden stake

 

Terra Cotta Pottery with Mexican tiles applied all around

I leave you with some views of the pond and the borders.

Hopefully, this is not a plan but an inspiration!