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September 23, 2013

Mum and Pumpkin Topiary with Gourds

I got a vision in my head to create a topiary with my large 
planters that are located out in front of our garage.


 This is how the planters looked through the summer.  A mass of Supertunias and giant Salvia plants had really taken over.

 In my head I saw mums and
a basket on a stem perched above the mums...

So I explained my vision to my hubby and off we went to see what we could come up with.

We found the mums easily enough but the basket part proved more difficult.  We wandered around a few places and then at a garden center I found a pair of these metal hanging baskets that had been disassembled.  We agreed this may be the ticket so we walked over to the checkout area and asked how much they wanted for them (trying not to appear too eager).  When she said $5 each we grabbed them.

Now comes the part I needed the most help with.
 He chose this 1/2" EMT (Electrical metallic tubing he had it on hand- used for electrical wiring) and made cuts in the top, then fitted it to the basket. (We had been hashing this out on the way home as to how we were going to attach the tubing to the basket- and I came up with this idea with the cuts.  I may not always do all the work on my projects, but I have lots of ideas!)

He tapped the sides down to fit around the wire, then he pounded the bottom flat and cut an angle on them so they'd be easy to poke through the plant.

He picked up this spray can of Anodized Bronze at the hardware store and painted it all to be one color.  
He had also lightly sanded it first to prep it.
I guess he was in the mood for a project because he had these built and painted in less than 2 hrs!

I pulled out the plants from the planters, and then I removed a lot of the dirt.  I forgot I had put a plastic pot in the base upside down so I could use less dirt.  Stroke of luck!  He drilled a hole in the center and now we had something that would help keep the topiary from being tippy.  I left the plant in the plastic pot it came in and he drilled a hole in the bottom.  I carefully parted the mum in the center and he tapped it through.


 Ta-da!
The rest of my vision was to pile gourds and pumpkins in the baskets.  I chose only one pumpkin because of weight and a colorful variety of the gourds.

I had to play with the gourds because some of them could 
fall through the holes
I did each one a tad different.  

I thought some Indian Corn would be cute too but so far no one had any at the farm markets.  Dan thinks the squirrels will go after the corn and make a mess so I'm thinking I should leave well enough alone.

Finally some sun!
It's been raining on and off for days.
  
I'm anticipating doing something with these for Christmas too. 

So tell me what you think!

I'm joining the following parties-

Metamorphosis Monday 

22 comments:

  1. Beautiful is the word. Love those gorgeous fall colors here. Very creative idea.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Hope to see you on my blog:)

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  2. Such a neat idea. I bet it would be fun to change the topiary out for each season.

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  3. I'm thinking these are just gorgeous! My husband says I have waaaaaay too many ideas for him! But he accommodates me more often than not!

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  4. I love your clever idea for displaying the pumpkins! You guys should sell these!

    Mary
    From Virginia

    http://marysflowerworks.blogspot.com

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  5. Love your idea Liz, perfect for displaying your pumpkins. I can see it working for other seasons too.

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  6. 1. I absolutely love your planters....and the idea that you created the 2 tiered part yourself....well, that is incredibly creative....just gorgeous and sooooooo smart....love love love it.

    2. Thank you so much for your wonderfully kind comment on my little blog. I truly appreciate it!

    Love/hugs/blessings,
    Lana

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  7. I love this, how fun and so creative. Hugs, Marty

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  8. Just love this!! What a great idea.

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  9. Liz:

    This is awesome! Between your creative concept and your husband's abilities you make an amazing pair. Love how this turned out!

    Hope you'll link this post to Seasonal Sundays next weekend!

    - The Tablescaper

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  10. Such a great project. I have seen these in the Improvements magazines.
    Your topiary looks great on each side of the garage. You can change out with every season.
    It's nice to have a handy husband too.

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  11. Wow! You and Hubby make a great design team. Love the basket/topiary. I'm showing this to my hubby. Glad you finally got some sun.
    xo Babs

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  12. Oh, this is really a cute idea. Love the mums and the gourds and I bet it would be great for Christmas too!

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  13. a Vision AND a Handyman and wonderful results ...looks wonderful! :)

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  14. a Vision AND a Handyman and wonderful results ...looks wonderful! :)

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  15. a Vision AND a Handyman and wonderful results ...looks wonderful! :)

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  16. that is absolutely amazing! I would love driving into my garage/driveway and seeing those every day!

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  17. These are fantastic!!! I am going to remember this and the gourds are just a perfect touch!!

    Cynthia

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  18. These are striking arrangements, and so clever!

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  19. What a fabulous idea! Love the festive fall look in front of your garage!s

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  20. Oh my, this are gorgeous Liz and a fab idea! I love the mums and the cute gourds on top of these two topiaries for Fall. They look awesome in front of your garaje, I too agree! Thanks for visiting me sweetie.
    Big hugs,
    FABBY

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  21. How smart! You two came up with a winner. Your creation is beautiful and works perfectly. I like the fact that the basket can be removed occasionally for a different look. Great job!
    Blessings~
    Kim

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Thank you for your comments! I don’t always get a chance to reply but I do read them!




ABOUT ME



Welcome to Home and Gardening With Liz. I have combined my previous blogs “Infuse With Liz” and “Sit With Me In My Garden” into this new blog. I love interior decorating and gardening. I enjoy redefining interior spaces by moving things around and reusing decorative items already found in the home. I also enjoy creating tablescapes and an occasional crafting project. I'm so pleased you've stopped by. I invite you to follow me and I do hope you will keep coming back! Liz
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