Tag: tree

Eugenia; Our New Pet Poodle Tree.

If you follow me on Intsagram, you will note that I have been having a string of bad luck with my garden this year.

I lost my fig tree, a whole lot of ivy, the backyard boxwoods, and most recently, my hostas have been withering up and dying. Yes, I can even kill hostas.

To remedy the situation, I have been making weekly trips to the garden center bringing home new plants. I have replaced everything except the poor dead boxwood who lived in our front door urn.

Yep, he’s dead

I added the cast iron urn & boxwood last summer, and it was adding a bit of class to the Storefront.  Well it was looking anything but classy with the dead and yellowing boxwood. Something needed to be done.

I started searching for new replacement trees & shrubs, but they are expensive! I didn’t want to invest too much, as I am still worried our plant thief will come back and take them. With decorative trees in the $60+ range, I held off to find the perfect tree.

Surprisingly my waffling paid off. Last weekend while perusing the local Loblaws garden center, I spied a pretty  ball topiary tree. You know the ones, they look like a show poodle’s tail. Well this pretty topiary had a too good to be true price on it. The poodlesque Eugenia was a good 4′ tall and had a $29 price tag. Yes you read right, $29! I thought it must be a mistake, and lugged it to the checkout. Sure enough, it was on sale, at over 50% off! Woot woot! I snatched it up, and carried it the 5 blocks home.

I planted my new pet poodle tree in the urn, and surrounded it with a few succulents and some mulch, and we now have a regal poodle topiary. We’re back to being classy. Well as classy as you can possibly be when you call your topiary a poodle.

photo 3(9)
See what I mean about the whole Poodle thing?
10424610_1437733873155387_1135352746_n
The Storefront & new tree

 

What do you think? Any guesses on how long it will take me to kill it and/or butcher its pretty poodle haircut?

The Tale of a Too Tall Tree

I thought I’d keep things green around here in honor of St. Paddy’s day. I hope you’re enjoying a pint of beer and pretending to be Irish for a day. (I know…I know…you’re Grandmother was 1/8 Irish…sure.)

I’ve got a story for you about a tree plant.

Last week we had my mother in law’s car while she was on vacation. It was great! We bought so many large things, and forayed to places usually inaccessible to those without cars. We went to an outlet mall people! Urbanites don’t get to experience such things.

While we had a car I wanted to get a new plant. Odin is finally over his “eat all the plants!” obsession, so I went in search of a plant. I wanted a fiddle leaf fig tree. They’re beautiful and fancy and people on the web say they’re cool, so I needed one. Problem is, they can be expensive. However my main squeeze Ikea carries them. So off to Ikea I went in search of froyo and a fiddle leaf fig.

I get to Ikea, waited in line for my froyo and wandered the store eating my yogurty goodness and ended up in the plant department. I looked around and…NO FIDDLE LEAF FIGS.

Sad yet determined, I picked the prettiest palm I could find, grabbed a basket and headed to the car.

First problem: Plant is too big for car. That’s okay, I can put the seats flat and lay down the plant. Huzza!

I drive it home willing it to not roll around and get dirt all over my MIL’s car.

Get it home, and wrangle it out of the car. I’m starting to get the feeling that this plant is a bit big. I get it into the house and carry it upstairs.

Oh wow, this plant is really big…I have to squish it through the hallway.

I place the plant in it’s intended destination, the alcove outside our master bedroom beside a full length mirror.

Oh…the plant completely hides the mirror and it sticks out blocking our bedroom doorway and the hall. Sh$t. Now what?

Oh! We have a big guest room (big in comparison to the rest of our house) I’ll put it in there!

*Squishes plant down long tiny hallway.

In front if the bay widow maybe?

7b9ecdd8ac8511e3bdba1231f19b6e09_8
Umm…no.

Well crap. I don’t have anywhere else to put it. The only other place is in the corner where the hot pink chair lives.

1633de42805d11e3af9412422c162709_8

So I move out the chair, and slide in the plant, shoving his leaves against the
Wall and forcing him in. Ta-da! It fits(ish).

1922479_529097883869470_448614614_n

Uhhh…

What about the chair?

One can only do so many things with a hot pink bankers chair.

I know, I’ll shove it in front of the closet. No one needs to go in the guest room closet. The only thing in there is extra duvets and old clothes.

And. like. if you need to open the closet, the chair totally can be moved. Right? RIGHT?

2ce3b954ad2711e3b833123fdcabf3b2_8

Oh I give up.