Re: Harry Potter Garden

Cool!


n 12/30/2002 6:56 PM, Linda L Wallpe at lwallpe@juno.com wrote:

> Danielle,
> 
> When our 2 sons were at home, the small backyard  (one end dirt and
> vegetation and the other end blacktop) was devoted to a basketball net
> and automobiles.  They could be so wild chasing balls that I would never
> have planted anything back there and risk the trampling.   The basketball
> stanchion had been turned into a place to hang various bird feeders and
> was rusting.  It had become an overgrown pit , and something had to be
> done.  
> 
> Then I read the Harry Potter books and an idea was born.  It started with
> the word Diagon Alley.  I realized that the path was on a diagonal from
> one end to the other.  Are you as taken with this series of books as I
> am?  The word play!
> 
> The basketball stanchion became the quidditch goal.  I painted a
> ball-shaped finch feeder metallic gold as a Snitch ball.  Empty 2 liter
> soda bottle feeders became Bludgers.  I tied an old wood broom to the
> upright.  
> 
> There are 4 big, black compost bins in a row.  On a Xerox machine I blew
> up the shield symbols and names of the 4 Hogwart houses, put them on
> contact paper and plastered one on the front of each bin.
> 
> I bought a tall, skinny, ornamental metal etagere with shelves to use as
> an Owlery.  I weighted the bottom with a large rock and each shelf now
> sports an ornamental owl.  (Over the years 4-5 had accumulated: metal,
> ceramic).   
> 
> I grow a lot of daffodils (Narcissus is Malfoy's mothers name) and the
> strangest division are the split coronas so one bed got those.  There
> really aren't many plants yet that sport Harry Potter names but I'm on
> the lookout!  A breeder in Latvia has named a variety 'Harijs Poters'
> that is to be ordered this next year.  That's Harry Potter in Latvian.  I
> hear that a New Zealand grower is also working this thread.
> 
> One end of the garden is very shady from the neighbors maple trees.  I
> thought tricyrtis sounded strange enuf so I planted a half-dozen
> varieties and some large hostas there.   I put in a couple sumac trees
> and some large, bold red, orange and yellow daylilies.  One corner sports
> 3 hydrangeas: pink, blue and white.  This year I want to find a large
> goblet shaped container and plant it with blood grass.
> 
> Children quickly discover this area when they visit.  One little boy
> announced that 'you need a train'.  I see on the Lego Website that they
> have a 'Harry Potter' train but that it doesn't run on a Lego track.  I'm
> not familiar with the ins and outs of  trains but would be interested to
> know if it could be used outdoors and what kind of track one would run
> on!
> 
> I hope this gives you a picture of what's back there and not more than
> you wanted to know!
> 
> Linda Wallpe

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