I used to be bothered by a small gap which ran all along the steps of our stoop. The gap was only a couple of inches wide, but in places very deep. This careless flaw irked me, and I often imagined a little foot, hand, or treasure eventually becoming stuck in the crack.
Last summer Adelaide and I spent about a month together, planting a miniature garden in the bothersome gap. A little bit here and there we chiseled and dug it out a bit more, sweeping and clearing away carefully like a couple of archaeologists. Once our task was done we traveled by bus to our favourite garden centre, where we were reassurred that our choice in vegetation - chicks and hens - would last the cold winters of our Canadian mountain. Together we then carefully selected our favourite little babies, loading then up in our stroller for the journey home. Several bus trips and transplants later, we had our miniature garden, running along each of the 11 steps to our front door. A pretty little solution to the possibility of a trapped toe!
I am so pleased that our babies have survived the winter (although it was mild) and they are thriving! Adelaide and I have now begun to clear out the opposite side of the stairway, in preparation of continuing our miniature garden. The gap on this side is much smaller and less irksome, but I am hoping that these magical little plants would love to call this place their home.
36 comments:
What a great idea. I love those tiny little gardens tucked in unexpected places! Hen and chicks are also some of my favorite plants. I have been fiercely guarding mine against big footed gardeners (aka my husband)!
what a perfect solution and a reminder to me, instead of allowing something to bother me, think outside the box and use the flaw as an opportunity for a great project. Thank you, I am going to keep this in mind as we house hunt :)
What a sweet project!! Your model is so cute! :)
A beautiful solution that spread a little more beauty in the world.
What a great idea! Instead of an ugly gap you now have added charm. Very clever. And your daughter is as cute as button (as always!).
What a clever and proactive solution!
brilliant and beautiful choice!
So very lovely and smart! I also have a few of those in my garden and love how well they fill in the bare spots.
Cheers!
What a wonderful idea to plant a mini garden in the most unlikely of spaces! Your little sidewalk garden looks absolutely lovely. <3
I love this. It might be just the thing for the border of my veggie garden - it's mostly bare soil at the moment with some seedlings, and the neighbour's cat keeps using it as his personal litter box!
That is such a wonderful idea! and so pretty :)
oh so pretty! we have chicks and hens in our garden too. i love them... they survive our island winters (so cold and long), so yours should have no problem (they look so cozy!) :)
p.s. the jean jacket is too cute!
How beautiful! what a great idea Sharilyn :)
so, so lovely--what a clever idea!
Love those chicks & hens, they thrive well at my house in NH, too when a lot of things don't do well. Now whenever I see a crack somewhere around my landscaping, I'll be doing mini transplants everywhere. Thanks for the great idea & adorable pictures!
you guys did such a great job. its so beautiful! happy arbor day <3
This is the loveliest, sweetest, most darling thing I've read in a long time. Thank you for sharing and making my day a bit brighter.
this is one of the most lovely things i've ever seen! what a brilliant idea to a bothersome little problem! i'm a huge lover of your blog, but don't often comment. thank you for all of your inspiration.
this looks so great!
It' gorgeous! Succulents are my favorite of all time.
such a magical, sweet idea!
what a sweet way to solve your little problem
What a stunning idea!! I have quite a few pots full of succulents and they always look amazing and I never have to water them! Now I'll be looking around for little nooks and crannies to fill up with them - it looks so great!!
what a great idea. now it would be easier to continue the garden, succulents are pretty easy to propagate :) hugs n kisses for Adelaide
These are fabulous - what a fantastic idea. I had been looking at some beautiful succulents and wondering where I could put them - now I know! Also nice to know they survive a Canadian winter (although some would argue a Vancouver winter isn't exactly harsh!) :) Take care.
Such a great idea - hen and chicks (and the whole multitude of similar succulents) are some of my favorites for their versatility and durability. And, they multiply! You could probably transplant bits from your current garden to your new project, too.
this is such a great idea!
I have hens & chicks in a pot but I love the idea of planting in 'undesirable' spaces.
I am planning some gardening projects with my daughter this summer and I can't wait to learn together.
thanks for sharing
beautiful idea, beautiful garden!
What a cute little garden! :)
you create magic in the smallest of spaces.
That is just fantastic. It looks wonderful.
Oh, yes! Hens and Chicks will have no problem surviving your winters. They do very well in the rest of Canada and you're in the mildest region. I might just keep any sidewalk salt/pebbles away from them in the winter...
what a fantastic solution to an ugly gap... I almost wish I had a gap, now!
oh i want a gap to plant stuff too...and a colourful watering can like Adelaide's!! too cute!
This is such an amazing idea!!! I was going to but some into bricks - which I saw in a book by Alys Fowler but think I may also plant some in the gaps like you did! so cool, thanks
meagan
the row house nest
congrats on the new addition too!
Thanks so much for your post, really effective data.
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