Located in the beautiful Derwent Valley, Tasmania



Sunday, January 23, 2011

weekend vegetable gardening with antiques

This stone cherub figure will add a touch of whimsy to the final vegetable garden. Here is my collection of antique gardening tools including a garden line, a dibber (very useful for putting holes in ground before planting seedlings) a daisy weeder (my favourite tool) a hand fork and trowel, a yard broom, a potato digger (about to be put to use when my pinkeye potatoes are ready) a spade and a garden fork. I love D-end handles, like the one on the spade.
My collection of watering cans. The large on is French and has a beautiful shower like spray. It can get heavy though if you fill it too much. The small one at the front is an English 1 and 1/2 gallon can. More my sort of size. And the green one is my favourite, not in terms of use but to look at!
A few old decorative urns, awaiting final placement when the vegetable garden is completed (this may be a year or two away). In the mean time they look decorative and hold a lemon tree and a bay tree.
I have two of these Victorian wire work planters which I luckily found in one of my favourite stores, The Vintage Rose in Launceston, Tasmania. I have various herbs planted in them.
This is a rare English rhubarb forcer which I received for Christmas one year. It is about to be put to use when I plant my rhubarb.
This is one of our latest projects which started this weekend. These are French garden tiles which I bought recently from our store (see previous post). In this garden bed we have an espalier lemon tree against the fence and plan to plant rhubarb (which I have in pots at the moment).
Harvested beetroot in an old English garden trug. We have almost sold out of these in the store but plan to find more on our next buying trip.
I plan to espalier this fig tree which is also currently in a pot. I would love to know if anyone has done this to a fig tree or can see a reason I shouldn't try it?
This poor artichoke is also in a pot! He is awaiting his own garden bed as I believe artichokes can take up a lot of room...
And lastly, here is an image of a dreamy parterre in the small Gloucestershire village of Winchcombe in the UK that I took on our last buying trip. I was very inspired by the layout of this garden, although I don't have that much space. The English sure know how to garden!

5 comments:

  1. Hi Tammy,

    It's coming together so nicely, these things take time. I know nothing about espaliering. I have thought I would like to try it here in the garden...but I need to do some major organisation and finishing off other sections of the garden before I start that. Good luck with espaliering as it looks so lovely and effective.

    Nothing beats good old fashion gardening tools, the look of them, the feel and even how they smell (that sounds weird!!!)but I hope you know what I mean lol.

    I have a concrete cherub angel in my garden, very fond of her and I love urns in a garden as well. Especially near box hedges.

    I love the edging with the tiles you have done, very effective and nice.

    I love the wire basket on your fence, that is something you don't see everyday.

    Anyway, nearly another weekend over. Thanks for sharing.

    Take care
    Janine
    XXOO
    N.W. Coast Tassie

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  2. Hi Janine, it sounds like we have very similar tastes! I am glad you can see where I am going with the garden as sometimes I don't know myself...but it gives me some relaxation time to potter around, some time to myself. Have a wonderful week! Tammy

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  3. What a lovely post !!...i like it all...that same France garden tiles we sell in our shop too !! they are so beautiful !!...happy day darling.......are the magazines arrived?? ...love Ria....xxx...

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  4. Wow, you have so many beautiful things ... and your photos are lovely! :)

    I especially love your antique gardening tools and the delightful watering cans. Your garden is going to be AMAZING!! :)

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  5. Hello Tammy I love youre garden tools,I like the garden also,I have been twice in Australie,youre land is gorgeous ans so big,the people are very nice overthere,sorry my englisch writing is not so good,have an nice evening,greetings Joke.

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