A beautiful day for a ride at lunchtime! Queenie the Pony is a surefooted, sassy pony. Yesterday we rode to the hounds… Oliver and Gracie, that is. Good for the mind and even better for the soul.

There was significant water play and creek-crossing practice. Sorry for the tilt-a-world… it’s not easy trying to take pictures on the back of a fidgety pony.

Heading home.

The Work of Art design has been uploaded to michellemasters.com and is available as a Birthday Greeting Card, Blank Notecards and Lavender Sachets! For more information click HERE.

Do you hear that faint peeping sound? It’s coming from my garage!!!

This is what is coming from the garden. : )

It’s been a busy Spring here at the farm. More to come from Countess Cluck (shown above) and her little chickie friends.

Some of you may know that I really enjoy ceramics- making, touching, throwing. I think its an “earth/soil” kind of thing, you know… toiling, digging, planting, making mud-pies, composting. Seriously! There is something about that connection to the earth that is joyous, playful, fulfilling and meditative.

Where was I? Oh yes, during my play with clay these ceramic pendants have come to the surface. I experimented with making them last fall and loved giving them as Christmas presents!

I will have a limited number of these little darlings to sell at the Flower Show along with the neck cuffs. I’m thrilled with the way they came out! Some of the designs are flowers made from pressed almonds and pressed rosemary. Others are burlap textures with plants incorporated into the design. I even have a couple of little topiaries featured to tie it all together. Hope you likey. They make a beautiful, artful statement!

What a theme to work with! Where do you start… where does it end? ARTiculture. The fusion of ART and HORTICULTURE. A fun concept to work with- but rather challenging to encompass.

My design went through many revisions. I wanted it to be fun, colorful, current, yet historical and relevant to Philadelphia and the Flower Show. There are numerous Art and Garden references. Can you find them? I’ll post the nods at the bottom.

I love the little guy in the gallery of the garden who is viewing the flower series. A Surrealist exhibit is currently being featured at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and it seemed only fitting to add a melting clock to this fantasy garden full of sculpture, art and topiary. I had hoped to sneak a de Chirico train in the distance but there had to be some restraint… believe it or not!

Did you find the art references? Here is the list:

• Salvador Dali’s melting clock
• Alexander Calder’s kinetic mobile
• Andy Warhol’s famous flower prints
• The Venus De Milo
• A rabbit posing as the Rodin’s “The Thinker”
• another rabbit posing as Degas’ “Little Dancer”

There are also historical garden references…

• the stepped hedge from Great Dixter in Sussex, England
• the bird topiaries from Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA

Every year we stay with friends in Kennett Square during set-up for the show. They live a half of a mile down the street from Longwood Gardens. For years I have driven by the gate on my way to work in Philly. This summer I finally had the opportunity to go! It was amazing. The topiary garden was more than I could stand! The conservatory, views, orchids- were completely overwhelming. I really couldn’t take it all in. A second visit is in order. : )

Come to the Philadelphia Flower Show! It is a blast and a welcome relief to the winter. I’ll be there in booth Z-1002. Stop in and say hi! For more information click here.

After selling topiaries at my shows for a number of years I’ve learned something… people are nervous about purchasing Rosemary plants for indoor use. And I’ve also learned… there is no reason to be! With a south facing exposure and a little attention you can have fresh rosemary on your windowsill all year long even in colder growing zones. I kid you not. It’s -12 wind chill here today. Eegads.

Shown above is one of a pair of rosemary standards that I brought home after the Devon Horse Show in May of 2013. The pair spent the summer planted in the potager providing garden structure as well as culinary deliciousness. This photo was taken soon after they were dug and potted up to bring indoors for the winter. I would recommend polyfoam or ceramic containers… terra cotta drys out much too quickly in a heated environment.

I LOVE the shape of these filled-out standards! They are gorgeous on either side of the fireplace. Generally they are kept in a south facing window with lots of natural light.

So, after some trial and error and a little “dried” rosemary over the years- here is my secret to overwintering Rosemary topiary.

• Wait.
• Soak with warm water.
• Soak again.
• Drain thoroughly.
• Full sun.

Repeat.

I know, right!? Wait to water them until their new growth starts to show signs of wilting. They are a Mediterranean herb and the soil will need to dry out but they WILL give you a sign of when to water. When you perceive the new growth start to droop take them and soak them with WARM water. They need to be watered deeply, twice, drained and then given full sun.

I will admit- Rosemary is not terribly forgiving and you DO have to pay attention to them. But it is so worth it. The only time that I have ever killed (gasp!) a plant (I think) was when I put it in a place that I was not constantly buzzing in and out of. They all tell you when they are ready to be watered.

RIP my sweet bonzi ficus- though you looked so Zen by the bath tub I could not support your daily watering needs. If only you could have fit on the window sill in the kitchen- because we all know those dishes are a never-ending daily nirvana.

Do you have a south facing window in a place that you frequent? A perfect place for a Rosemary topiary! Looking for a yummy recipe to put those trimmings to use? Look no further! Tuscan Herb Seasoning one of my FAVORITE ways to use fresh Rosemary- perfect for meats and soups.

Do you have a favorite recipe that includes fresh Rosemary? Please share!

There have been some fun pieces coming out of the kiln at Clayscapes for me! Exciting. This little darling makes my heart go all a flutter.

The new hand thrown pots for the Philadelphia Flower Show are coming out nicely. Each one will be planted with an Angel Vine or Rosemary Standard.

And… I’m excited to possibly be bringing some of my ceramic pendants with me to the show for purchase. (Fingers crossed that they come out of the kiln okay and in time!) There will be a limited number of them with various designs and colors available with the neck cuffs. Live rosemary and boxwood cuttings were used to create the designs as well as burlap textures. I wanted to incorporate the plants and textures used throughout my work to tie it all together. Not sure about pricing as of yet. Please contact me directly if you are interested… I don’t expect to have them for long. : )