Very pretty and good job! The paint brings out the details in the pots and the little urns do look like iron. The three should look good all painted up.

That blue and white pot is a great find, I should hit more garage sales since thrift shops and estate sales are getting so expensive.

You did a great job Roselee! I agree with Shirley, the little pots do look like iron.

I love the contrast of dark leaves and brilliant green :-)

Thanks Shirley and Pam!

Shirley, those greenish pots were painted with three different colors. First the lime green base, then a light brushing of cobalt blue, them a little aqua smudged around to tone them down a bit. Believe it or not they ARE toned down ... LOL.

Pam, first I painted the little urns with black spray paint; the kind that stays on plastic that Jim told us about. Then two different rust colored paints were dabbed on with a wad of paper towel. Not that you asked, but in case anybody wonders ... :-)

Beautiful. I love the Canna and fern combination. Just getting ready to ask instructions on the iron urns and there they are. Thank you

The pots really look good! I especially like your "cast iron" urns. The tallest one is screaming out for a Victorian parlor and a Boston fern.

Jim

Quote " first I painted the little urns with black spray paint; the kind that stays on plastic that Jim told us about. Then two different rust colored paints were dabbed on with a wad of paper towel. Not that you asked, but in case anybody wonders ... :-)'

I was wondering :-)

Thanks for looking Shebear and Jim. Yes, I thought about a fern in what actually is a bird bath, plus a Victorian parlor would really be nice. Where can I get one ... LOL.

Shebear and Pam, they sell paint kits to make things look rusty, but I needed a base coat that wouldn't flake off the smooth plastic. I got Rust-oleum 'Universal' in a hammered finish. It costs more, but covers thickly quickly, goes far and stays on. Then you can buy little jars of rust colored paint at Hobby Lobby to dab around.

The top of the iron bird bath is very old cast aluminum and regular spray paint peeled off, but the 'Universal' is staying on. Good stuff.

I was wondering too. I have lots of really cheap plastic pots that faded and got ugly quickly. Now I know what to do with them. Off to shop for Universal black plastic spray paint and some rusty colored paint. I'm impatient, so I may just use rusty spray paint too.

Lynnmarie, yes -- that'll work, but if the pots are not shiny any latex paint will work. Whereever they sell paint you can often find returned cans on sale for a couple of dollars. Most of the time I use a base color and then lightly antique with another color, or for rust a little smattering of rust color. I painted an old galvanized tub medium blue, antiqued with a little grey, and put rusty spots down the seams and around the handles. The rust turned our pretty believable. Amazing how we now want things to look rusty!

Oh I love your painting and your garden looks like it is should be in a magazine! How wonderful!

Pretty! How do you water the pots on top of the cage loft?

Tdhg, thank you so much for your comments! Getting the colors right, to my eye at least, is an on going project. This is the first cut and there is still some tinkering to do.

Indu, I do most of the watering with a wand that extends out to three feet. It's helpful in reaching the pots of bougainvilleas etc., and the pots up high on the pigeon loft. The pots up there are sitting on tiles so the pot bottom down is not on the wood. The wood is treated lumber so will last a long time, but it's best not to let it be constantly damp. Lava rock on top of the soil keeps it from splashing out and also acts as a mulch to keep the soil from drying out as fast. The cascading plants are rhipsallis which is an epiphyllum (cactus family) so it won't wilt if the soil gets dry. Patty passed them along to me :-)

Suebear, it just hit me that I said your name wrong. So sorry.

Incidentally, on more than one forum I've been addressed as "roseless". I think maybe the Universe is trying to tell me something ... LOL

Hi Roselee, ;)
What is the name of the canna with the dark leaves and what color are the flowers? I have a striped leafed one that has a very light pink flower, (*love* it)-- trade you a start for a start of the black leafed one ;)? I'll send you a picture

Lesli

Hi Lesli! The dark leaved canna is Australia. It blooms repeatedly with dark red flowers. I'd love to trade it for a start of your striped foliage pink flowered one! I had it once, but lost it somewhere down the line.

This post was edited by roselee on Thu, Sep 5, 13 at 13:19