Yesterday was beautiful
Rain was forecast for the afternoon, with mostly cloudy skies during the morning hours. A good day to get at the ever growing list of chores and projects! An even better day to visit the Tractor Supply to check out the stock tanks for the front garden! 
There were four visiting Monarch Butterflies.
The most we've ever had!
There were four visiting Monarch Butterflies.The most we've ever had!
Changes to the front garden have been stalled by rain and an absent landscaper. She needs the big jobs more then my teeny tiny change! It's been frustrating to wait and wait~~but, there has been a gift. The design has become clearer to me and had we gone ahead with it as planned...I would have had to undo it. (More on the design in a future post)
As an aside, I've been eying stock tanks for years. One of the many tear sheets in my garden and home improvements folder features a stock tank jacuzzi. It was very clever and appealed to me on several levels...easy for DIYers and it had that
My Urban Suburban living room/den~colors all wrong in this shot, but you get the idea!
Urban Country look I love. But, like many a good idea...this one stayed in the folder.
It really was a beautiful dayFast forward to blogging.
Incredibly beautiful and breezy
Incredibly beautiful and breezyPam (Digging) has renewed my interest in stock tanks! She has used them beautifully in both her gardens. Her planters and small ponds are fabulous.
The large stock tank pond in her new garden is my favorite.
Stock tanks make sense to me~good design and economical.
I think it can work at Clay and Limestone.
Another gratuitous photo of the rainy day, NOT, that was forecast!
The large stock tank pond in her new garden is my favorite.
Stock tanks make sense to me~good design and economical.
I think it can work at Clay and Limestone.
Another gratuitous photo of the rainy day, NOT, that was forecast!I'm drawn to round stock tanks.
They can be found in Middle Tennessee.
They just won't fit in the back of my Subaru!
Also, I'm not sure which size to get...
Four foot seems too small, six and eight seem too big!
Then there is Hedge and Lawn!
Both will be undergoing some changes in the redesign.
They can be found in Middle Tennessee.
They just won't fit in the back of my Subaru!Also, I'm not sure which size to get...
Four foot seems too small, six and eight seem too big!
Then there is Hedge and Lawn!
Both will be undergoing some changes in the redesign.
So, I brought an oval stock tank home.
I'm checking it out to see if I like it better then a round one.
The shape is cool. If it doesn't work
there's a perfect spot in the Garden Of Benign Neglect.
I'm checking it out to see if I like it better then a round one.
The shape is cool. If it doesn't work
there's a perfect spot in the Garden Of Benign Neglect.
So what do you think? Oval or Round?
Gail
Gail
"Gardeners, I think, dream bigger dreams than Emperor's.
-- Mary Cantwell
Gail, as to the question of round or oval, I say...BOTH! You can never have too many. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link love and the very kind words about my stock-tank obsession. I really do love to use them in different ways in the garden.
And I really like your fireplace surround and one-of-a-kind art. So cool!
Good to know I'm not the only one who thinks a trip to Tractor Supply is a treat, Gail! My friend Cole Burrell has made such gorgeous native bog gardens out of oval stock tanks that I'd have been inclined towards one... except that I love circles. Maybe you can find a place for both! (And maybe they'd be willing to deliver the bigger sizes... )
ReplyDeleteOops, sheesh, I got so excited about Tractor Supply that I forgot to congratulate you on your monarchs! Gorgeous shots!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat an exciting day at C&L!! Love the oval stock tank, you made the right choice! I can't wait to see what you fill it up with!! Beautiful Monarchs, what a treat!
ReplyDeleteYou have certainly planted a seed in my brain~ I've always wanted a bog garden. And dare I admit to being jealous of both your asters and Monarchs? Just a little...
ReplyDeleteoh, forgot to mention, love your colorful mantel art!
ReplyDeleteGail,
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas you shared!
I love stock tanks and it is for a couple reasons,
1)tough
2)no voles can get in them
3)re-purposing is awesome!
Good luck with the projects.
Rosey
I can't wait to see what you come up with. I'm with Pam - oval & round.
ReplyDeleteA new stock tank sounds like a fun project! Good luck figuring out the details; it will fun to see the results.
ReplyDeleteI am with Pam, both, you have the room and you already have the oval.
ReplyDeleteI Love love love the first photo with the monarchs.
You are out numbered here Gail...go back and get a round one now!! BOTH!! (you have now peaked my interest in one, or two)
ReplyDeleteYou are out numbered here Gail...go back and get a round one now!! BOTH!! (you have now peaked my interest in one, or two)
ReplyDeleteI am going to have to rent a truck to get the round one home...I remember that's what you had to do Pam! I appreciate everyone's response...and OFB, I love Tractor Supply stores...they have a little bit of everything! Including water storage systems that can be adapted to downspouts, etc.
ReplyDeletegail
Wonderful butterfly photos.
ReplyDeleteWhichever tank you choose, just do a lot of prep to the ground and it will last much longer.
Marnie
Great pictures today!
ReplyDeleteThe oval shaped tank is cool. I have a smaller one. I love it.(-: I am sure you will enjoy yours too!!
Gail girl .. I guess I am swimming agaist the tide here ? I like the oval one (maybe because my garden is small and I still think in those terms ?) but oval has its benefits for planting more around it some how .. I see in my mind's eye a frog swimming from one end to the other . doing laps to keep in condition ? LOL
ReplyDeleteI'm sure what ever one you choose it will be perfect. I too have been frustrated waiting for my landscaping to be done .. so I have tossed in the towel and now I will be waiting for Spring .. another upheavel in Spring time ?
I'll manage it some how ! haha
Joy
PS .. those butterfly pictures are gorgeous !
Those monarchs looks almost fictitious / gittan
ReplyDeleteIt's been too long since I've visited your blog and I see I've missed all sorts of beauty and delights! It's a beautiful day here, despite the lack of sunshine, because FALL has arrived on my corner of Katy! I hope you have a fabulous weekend, Gail. I wish I lived close enough to trundle over in my little red truck and ferry a stock tank home for you!
ReplyDeleteKeep the oval and rent a truck for the round?
ReplyDeleteIt was a beautiful day! I spent it building a playset, finally. Great butterfly shot, I tried to get one of a monarch and hour and half ago and by the time I got my camera there it was gone. I like the oval stock tanks better.
ReplyDeleteHa! I thought you were at my garden those monarchs have been so awesome all I want to do is photograph them! I haven't caught two together like this it is an excellent shot.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots of the monarchs, Gail, well done my friend, and congrats on having so many fluttering around too. The stock tank looks great by the hedge, but seems a little dwarfed that out of control forsythia. How much are you going to prune it? Maybe rent a trailer and get several? A thousand and one uses. :-)
ReplyDeleteFrances
The monarchs are amazing. How lucky you are to have them visit. What great photos. I do like to oval tank the best. It really has potential and character.
ReplyDeleteFrances, I have a fantasy that a great big crane swoops down and rips that hedge out! Mr I would object...He loves the privacy. I am waiting for the landscaper to help me thin it! gail
ReplyDeleteGail...
ReplyDeleteLove the Monarch photos! Mine are still here, too. They need to pack their bags and head to Mexico!
I've also been lured by Pam's stock tank gardens and asked her (awhile back) if I could download a few of her photos for inspiration. I still haven't gotten to that project -- I am planning to use oval ones planted with cannas and other tropicals to use as screen/walls for our outdoor shower.
I vote for oval. I think oval is flexible and fits into existing landscapes easier than round. However, I love the round ones for water features.
Cameron
I think this is the first time that I noticed that you've been gardening there for TWENTY-THREE years! See -- my little toddler (4 year old) garden has a long way to go! :-)
ReplyDeleteGreat on the stock tank Gail. I've been contemplating on one for myself. My area is so small I think the oval would work better. To me they have more character. But if it came down to it I probably could use both. I'm thinking of veggies in mine as the ground is too far away for me. lol
ReplyDeleteLove those Monarchs.
Well If I had room I'd have both they seem a great idea for a pond, I look forward to seeing the finnished job.
ReplyDeleteLove the butterfly shots
Curiosity has the best of me now, wondering how your gardens will look finished. :)
ReplyDeleteYour rainy day photos are beautiful. So many butterflies!
I hope your good weather lasts and you have many more days like this one.
Your Monarchs are especially appreciated because I have not seen one. No milkweed!
ReplyDeleteRound or oval, it's all good. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat shots of the Monarchs. The last 2 are especially beautiful.
I really like your fireplace. I haven't seen anything like that before.
PS I love warm colors in a house.
ReplyDeleteTo me, round seems more formal and oval more informal, so I vote for oval. It will be interesting to see what you plant...
ReplyDeleteHi Gail, I'm so amazed by all these lovely butterfly photos, they are truely wonderful. I've never seen a Monarch butterfly in true life, they look huge, how big are they? I'm sure the tanks will be wonderful and I agree with Pam take them both. I find tank-gardening or growing in containers very interesting, I mean one can move around them and put them on different places each year. That's cool.
ReplyDeletexoxo Tyra
Gail I am absolutely in love with your Monarch photos... and jealous... as I may have mentioned I had only a couple earlier on... Usually I raise and release over fifty each year for twenty past. Sad but at least I can imagine your being out and about in your garden with them floating around ... and to know they are OK. Not a great year for them I am hearing. I love the view of your cozy colorful living room... Lovely! Is that a Ginkgo leaf? I look forward to seeing what you do with your tank! Carol
ReplyDeleteI say oval! Love the shot of the Monarch in flight.
ReplyDeleteCarol, it is a ginkgo leaf; a gift from a friend. I am excited to see what I do, too!
ReplyDeletegail
Your Monarch photos are just fabulous. Butterflies will never sit still for me. As to the stock tank- I am reading so much about them I need to get moving and get one.
ReplyDeleteStock tanks...never thought about it. Should stop by Pams blog to see the interest.
ReplyDeleteGail,
ReplyDeleteI love the way stock tanks look, if you can fit them in. Totally cool as planters, water gardens, vegetable gardens, whatever.
So glad you're seeing so many monarchs heading south. My butterfly gardening friends in Clemson have just finished tagging a hundrend (as part of the Monarch Watch citizen science tagging program) -- whoo, hoo!
Fantastic post!I love your enchanintg photos of the butterflies...how gorgeous!Always a magical moment when butterflies come along and to be able to take a snapshot..is the best feeling! Enjoyed your post!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking get both, when I saw the other comments. It made me laugh. I wish I had room for one or more. Well, my obsession is with wash tubs, but I have realized I really need to stop adding to the collection, as I am running out of places to put them.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to seeing what you do with yours, and if you keep the oval and get a round one, too. Maybe you need more than one size of round ones, too.
A beautiful Post Gail....Lots of butterflies, n colours ...Love the warm Orange in your living room...
ReplyDeleteCheers! Radhika
A beautiful Post Gail....Lots of butterflies, n colours ...Love the warm Orange in your living room...
ReplyDeleteCheers! Radhika
Well Gail....this is all new to me....and so interesting.
ReplyDeleteI love the oval one but if you have the space why not BOTH......don't you just love new projects, so exciting.....
Love love love the butterfly photographs....picture perfect.
Hi everyone, You are good sports for helping me decide! I do like both and think this one will look splendid back in the GOBN...by all that royal purple. I hope you all have had a fantastic weekend and a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteGail
Treasuring those butterfly photos, Gail ... I must be patient ... it will be a long time before they visit me here :)
ReplyDeleteI love the oval myself! I have a TS store right here in town, and have never been inside. Hmmm, must check it out!
ReplyDeletePonds are one of the wonderful things I like to visit in other people's gardens--love the stock tank idea. Also, love your unique mantel. But what's up with the letters and numbers?!
ReplyDeleteMonica, My mom signed all her letters to me hugs and kisses (xx&oo) so I have them for her...the number 4 is for The Four Agreements; an excellent book, btw. They are leaning up there until they get rehung~~Glad you like the surround, we designed it. gail
ReplyDeleteI've been looking for quite awhile for a round stock tank, and can't find any! You'd sure think that would be easy here in the land of farms and cattle, wouldn't you? All I've seen are ovals.
ReplyDeleteI saw a Monarch flitting about the garden on Friday and was surprised there were any still hanging around. It looked perfect and was flying slowly and gracefully, so it might have been a newly-emerged one. Beautiful images, Gail!
Hello Gail. I can't believe all the great posts I've missed during my two week absence. You've been busy photographing your garden before winter comes. I love the Monarch photos ~ the second one is great (with it in flight). I'm also thrilled to read you're going ahead with a water feature. I'm sure you will enjoy experimenting with it as I did my little pond this summer. I vote for the oval. I just like that shape. I had to visit our local mercantile store (before my daughter got sick) to purchase a stock tank heater. Now I just hope I can keep everything alive thru the winter.... It will be another new learning experience that's for sure. Good luck with your new plans. Your garden still looks great to me.
ReplyDelete