I have a couple of Henry Mitchell books and they are wonderful. His rule of not to bring home a new plant if he's left a bunch of work to do in the garden is a good one (I need to find the exact quote). I still have yet to follow it, but I know I'd be less stressed if I did. 'Roses in the Southern Garden' by Mike Shoup is my idea of a perfect rose book, if only it were four times longer or in multiple volumes. Though it's only a list book, describing varieties, each variety has 2 or 3 pictures along with it. In addition to some closeups, tons of long views of the roses in gardens. Every photograph in that book tells a story. I'm not even in the south and probably a third of the roses wouldn't be hardy here, but the book still has a lot of inspiration I can use. It's easy to forget that Landscaping itself is an art when you look at some of the seemingly uninspired assortment of shrub landscapes. That seems so boring to a worshiper of the queen of flowers. But landscaping is about using the principles of design like balance, unity, emphasis- aren't those artistic terms? It's helpful to have a plan before we dig up the next patch of lawn, and to think about the why and how it will interact with the garden as a whole. Some people are naturals at designing their gardens, but I am not. I grab this plant and that because it's oh so pretty and then have to try and figure out where to put it. Learning to see- something that's talked about on the Landscape forum, is a process for me. Here are some regional books that have helped me... 'Cutting Edge Gardening in the Intermountain West' by Marcia Tatroe (my absolute favorite) 'The Undaunted Garden' by Lauren Springer 'Passionate Gardening' by Lauren Springer and Rob Proctor 'Xeriscape Handbook' by Gayle Weinstein (This was the one recommended in the class I took because of the sections on assessing the site and making a plan) 'Landscaping on the New Frontier-Waterwise design for the Intermountain West ' by Susan Meyer and others (excellent illustrations and how to draw a plan info- definite native bent) Vettin- the above list might not help you specifically, but I thought I might include it for others who may be reading. You might find some regional books too. Winter seems very long round these parts and there's plenty of time for reading. Nuggets of Inspiration can be had from many books. No book has to be treated like a bible- well except maybe The Bible. : )

Paul, it's been inside since soon after being assembled, so not a chance to rust yet. I think this thing's original purpose was as a school locker accessory, seems to have the same finish, magnetic. (I popped its' tag @ tha thrift store!) Pretty sure it's painted, and equally sure it will start to rust instantly if/as soon as the paint is scratched. Hope it's a planter for a few years, and I intend to hang it from a tree limb for summer. Is rust harmful for plants? I have some cute cookie tins that aren't nice enough for cookies anymore, mostly because of little rust spots. Love their wide, shallow shape, was thinking about putting holes in the bottoms... A pallet is an excellent source of pieces of wood which one can use to make anything they can think of. If you (anyone) investigate nearby businesses, you might find a source of other free wood scraps for the taking, if you ask around (not implying that pallets are always free, or advocating taking anything from anywhere w/o obtaining permission first.) Anyway, with such, we've made various planters with and w/o legs, little plant stands, a few larger tables, a foot rest for computer chair, storage boxes, a potting workbench, shelves. And, as mentioned above, thrift store is also a great place to find unexpected 'garden' items. Hoovb, the pics in the last link are very inspirational!! I can't wait to actually arrange the pots outside again! My overall goal is to have all plants hanging if possible. Getting pots off of sizzling hot porch floor is one reason (I think the sun is appreciated, but not the level of heat, much too hot for bare feet) dogs pees on pots on ground is another, too many worms climb in when on the ground, the porch floor is deteriorating too fast from runoff from plants being watered, and the wind can't blow them over, but the swaying is soothing to watch. Also puts them at eye level, love that. Forgot to mention one thing above, one negative to group pots I've experienced is lop-sidedness. One would turn a singly-potted plant occasionally to keep it symmetrical and upright. When there's a multitude of variously-sized plants, there's usually a mental 'front and back' which can soon manifests into reality if the plant spends an extended time in the same direction. I'm torn between liking both (having a 'good side' vs. symmetry) and feel like I need to decide something on some pots now, after what's already been a long winter inside... but maybe they will look less uneven outside, where the sun is definitely not as 1-sided as being near a window. Does anyone else encounter this conflict?

I like to collect housewares: dishes and glassware and centerpieces like vases and candleholders. I find tons of stuff at thrift stores. I brought home 3 large ceramic vases on my first spree, and I keep going back to try to find more. They are getting harder to find. Glass vases are plentiful, probably because of floral deliveries. I buy things on 50% off days for $1-3 that I would never pay full price for because I don't need them that badly. A footed bowl, a fish griller, teapots, a variety of stemware (cheap stuff and nice stuff), any set of four dishes that speaks to me (yesterday it was palm trees, other times it was sushi plates, oval multicolored glazed salad plates, williams sonoma tuscan style low bowls). I've picked up candles and holders from crate and barrel, pottery barn, a nambe bowl, wooden candlesticks and a vase. Lately I have been finding these realistic looking faux apples (pink ladies, red delicious, granny smith) that I had never seen before. I have a whole closet full of fun stuff to set the table with now. It's fun to go down the street to my local thrift store and see what I can find. It's almost like you can find things that you have been searching for that are not currently available in retail stores. You also see a lot of repetition, so you can find things that go together if you visit a variety of thrift stores regularly. I get the best finds when the staff is restocking the shelves. Otherwise a lot of the stuff is picked over. Now I am at the point where I have to get rid of something to make room for something new, so I only buy if I want to upgrade or if I can make a space for it or stack it. I still want to find some amazing blue stemmed wine glasses though. When I see a beautiful one, there are only 1-3 and I need four. Or irish coffee mugs - ceramic or glass without seams, in sets of four. Those are harder to find.

Jinx, thanks for taking a look at the pics and your kind words! I love Alfried too with his sexy forehead lol! When Neo Thissen affirmed it was a good quality and fair price that only reassured my decision to bring Alfried home. I haggled so hard for Mr. Sernau to make him mine. I texted back and forth with the dealer several times to firm up the offer. Then I did more research on the value of antique painted portraits too and I can't believe just how expensive they are online. Regarding Neo Thissen, when you look through his instagram pics, you can conjure up an impression in your mind of how he looks from what you see on his instagram page He's definitely not the person I was expecting to see, when he posted a rare pic of himself, He's quite young. He is so talented and gifted in his eye for curating antiques and offers endless inspiration. I love Neo Thissen's craft! Be sure to check out his house in April's Architectural Digest it's quite lovely. There's a link to the article in his instagram bio. Posting the link to see the pics enlarged. https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5758296/vintage-thrifted-jungalow-style-needs-upgrading-one-room-at-a-time#addAnswer