Garden Stakes and A Garden Gate

After taking photos in my last post about the gardens, the sky opened up and we had buckets, no barrels of rain fall from the sky! We were afraid all the plants were going to be washed away...but their little roots held their ground, so to speak, and survived the crazy weather. Now we are having a few clear and sunny days to dry things out.

A few of you asked about the garden stakes and what we used to make them. They are fun and simple to make. Here is a list of supplies we used:



* Mallet
* Anvil (or a hard surface)
* Spoons (we found large serving spoons at thrift shops....more room for your words!)
* marker (or tape) to keep a straight line while you are hammering
* Stamping letters (used to label metal/ steel tools, we found these in the tool section of the home improvement store)

After you decide what plant you want to label, flatten one of your spoons with the mallet on the anvil. (This is my son's favorite part!) Then, make a straight line across the spoon with a marker, (or a piece of tape) and space out your letters as you go.

(the steel stamping set)

I have some tarnishing liquid used to bronze and age solder that could be used to instantly darken the engraved letters, but I didn't use it on these....I'm just going to let them "age" naturally.

(the Rosemary is new this year...and didn't float away with the rain.)

(the stakes survived the torrential downpours we've had the past few days...but the dirt around the Oregano looks washed away)

~*~*~*~*~

Since it was a sunny day and we didn't have to duck and run for cover from the rain (you don't use umbrellas in the Northwest, ☺), we visited a 2nd hand remodeling store yesterday. We had heard about this place that builders and contractors take their "left-overs" or unneeded supplies to....so, you never know what you might find on any given day.

(the front side of the gate)

I spotted a pile of cyclone fencing and noticed something wooden and white entwined in it. The white turned out to be a little white picket gate! Of course it didn't have a price on it....so up to the counter I went to ask. The girl followed me back and said, "Hmmm, is $15 ok?", I tried to contain my excitement...and said, "Sure."

(back view of the gate)

I was hoping it would fit in the cyclone fence gate we have now...but it doesn't unless we rebuild the area around it. So, for now it will be a 'decorative element' in my flower and herb garden! I think we'll put some brackets at the base so it will stand on it's own, and perhaps grow a climbing rose or sweet peas on it next year.

Roscoe: "Finally, a sunny day!" (I'm sure that's what his little dog brain is thinking!) ☺