GARDENERS' SUPPLY PAY A RETURN VISIT

I was delighted to host the crew from Gardeners' Supply last week. They were in Austin filming their new products, in local gardens, for the whole week. And what a week it was weatherwise. It started out quite nicely but then by Wednesday it turned really cold and that was the first day they were filming in my garden. At least the sun was shining.

Glass balls are now a part of my garden decor

The one bonus for them was the fact that we had removed all pots from the garden in readiness for freezing temperatures. The garden was empty save for the plants growing in the ground and that's just how they like it. They don't want any of my decorative garden art in the pictures when filming their decorative garden art. It is quite an experience to watch them at work and they certainly filmed in some most unexpected places.

I'm glad they brought their Vermont clothes with them because despite the sun on Wednesday morning it was cooooold out there. They brought their equipment in two vans and started to set up on the driveway.

The best spot for filming on the Wednesday was in the sunken garden where there was still quite a bit of color. Plus it was the warmest spot in the garden.  A mealy blue sage, Salvia farinacea, acts as a backdrop for this metal birdbath.

I didn't actually see them filming most of their items as I was gone quite a bit but you would be surprised how long it takes them to get the perfect shot. I remember seeing a little fox with a butterfly on its nose in among the flowers in the potager. It was really a sweet little garden ornament and perfect in among the narrow leaf zinnias. Look out for him in the catalogue.

On the Friday they filmed outside the walls using the trailing rosemary as a backdrop to film a row of Easter bunnies. Who would have thought they would use a spot like this. You can see they are using some potted asparagus fern in front to hide the edge of the path.

Then it was back into the sunken garden to film pots on the steps. I wonder if I dare use that brightly colored pot in my garden? It was another one of the things they left for me including the trellis.

Despite the miserable cold I often heard laughter coming from the garden, a clear sign that they all enjoy their jobs. Stephanie, Jada, Lenny, Alex and Geoff, the photographer, posed for me in the front garden before they left.

Thanks for the gift items and the plants you left behind. I hope y'all will come back again next year--when the weather is better.