Which is correct? Both, I think. I've been doing some product development for my family business, Achla Designs, which mainly manufactures garden products- outdoor furniture, arbors, trellises and a lot of ornaments and things for feeding and attracting wild birds. We also have a line of items inspired by Early American traditional items found at Colonial Williamsburg. These include glass cloches or bell jars, which were used in colonial times to protect delicate plants from cold and drought. Organic Gardening magazine recently did a feature that describes their use.
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| planted with peperomia, two types of moss and tiny toadstools |
I thought the bell jars would make great terrariums so I made some ceramic bases and planted up a few. I used a combination of plants I ordered, some bought locally at Pemberton, and some moss from my backyard. I'd like to try some orchids. These are not the production prototypes- those will be introduced in the new year- just an experiment, but I really think they are fun. I included a Pre-Colombian mushroom god figure and some painted wooden rabbits from Oaxaca, Mexico.
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| without the lid- croton, rabbit foot fern, mosses and oaxacan bunnies! |
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| creeping charlie, rabbit foot fern, mosses with mushroom god icon | . |
So many possibilities to create miniature garden scenes! I plan to have some in the shop for the December Open House.
