Tabletop gardening in the Potting Shed with butterflies, blooms and Portmeirion Botanic Garden. A sprinkling of water cans are planted with flowers in anticipation of spring gardening season.
Happy April! It’s the first Monday of the month and I’m happy to be joining my blogging friends to share some floral inspiration and Monday Morning Blooms! You’ll find my floral friends’ links to their blooming creations at the bottom of this post.
The freeze date for our area in North Carolina is April 15th. While I’m anxious to get planting, I’m staying away from the temptation and flower-filled garden centers until then.
In the meantime, I’m enjoying a little tabletop gardening and dishing up blooms and butterflies in the Potting Shed.
Our common theme for this week’s Monday Morning Blooms’ edition was “Watering Cans”. If you’re a reader of my blog, you may have noticed I have a “thing” for watering cans and might be in need of a watering can intervention. ;)
I was all aflutter over this MacKenzie-Childs butterfly watering can when I saw it a few years ago. It’s one of my favorites and still available online.
It’s blooming with colorful mix of grocery store blooms. . . pink stock, purple and light green hydrangeas and yellow tulips.
Portmeirion Botanic Garden is my everyday pattern. I’ve added pieces over the last 20 years and still enjoying adding a new flower to my garden of dishes on occasion. In addition to the botanic blooms, I love the variety of butterflies on the pieces.
I found a pair of smaller butterfly watering cans at T.J. Maxx a couple of years ago. . .
The bright turquoise watering can is filled a combination of tulips, hyacinths, a sprig of forsythia and some Chinese Fringe Flower, (Loropetalum chinense) that’s in bloom now. Chinese Fringe Flower is a sight to behold when it’s blooming in spring. . .
The vibrant pink blooms seem shockingly bright for winter-weary eyes!
A mini sprinkle can is blooming with fringe flower and hangs over the window and Potting Shed table.
A cheery yellow butterfly watering can is a companion to the turquoise one, and blooming with yellow and pink tulips, purplish-blue hyacinths, forsythia and fringe flower.
La Rochere butterfly glasses are perfect for sipping your nectar of choice. . .
I highly recommend a Rosemary Lemonade Fizz Cocktail or Mocktail!
Introduced in 1972, Portmeirion Botanic Garden’s delightful mixture of floral motifs and signature leaf border, was inspired by early 19th century illustrations and designed by celebrated designer Susan Williams-Ellis.
The botanical illustrations are art for the table!
In addition to being beautiful, it’s durable, chip resistant and microwave, freezer and oven safe.
Our peonies are just starting to come up. . .
And will be in bloom the beginning of May.
But I can enjoy the short but sweet peony season year round at the table.
Portmeirion Botanic Garden flatware is blooming with flowers and alight with butterflies. . .
Napkins serve as placemats, adding more butterflies and blooms, layered over a jute runner. . .
And silver butterfly napkin rings are ready to take flight.
Butterfly magnets add some additional color, attracted to the metal surface of the watering cans like butterflies are to nectar.
Table Details:
Dishes and Flatware / Portmeirion Botanic Garden
Cabbage Leaf Plates / Bordallo Pinheiro, Tuesday Morning, several years ago
Galvanized Chargers / Pier 1
Butterfly Glasses / La Rochere, HomeGoods several years ago
Napkins / HomeGoods, several years ago
Butterfly Napkin Rings / Pottery Barn, several years ago
Large Butterfly Watering Can / MacKenzie-Childs
Small Butterfly watering cans / T.J. Maxx, several years ago
Butterfly Magnets / T.J. Maxx, several years ago
Jute Runner / Pottery Barn, several years ago
Fresh Flower Market Sign, World Market
Visit my talented blogging friends to see their blooming inspiration this week:
Pam at Everyday Living
Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse
Shirley at Housepitality Designs
Thank you for your visit, sharing with:
Between Naps on the Porch
Happy Monday Mary! Oh I would say Spring has sprung in the Potting Shed. I have to say that you are truly the Watering Can Queen! Who would have a string of wonderful watering cans that mimics a rain chain…you of course. LOVE the butterfly cans! They were all made for you!…Had not idea that MCK produced a watering can!…I need to pay close attention to their mailings!…I just realized why I love the Portmeirion Botanic Garden collection so much, as not only do they have the beautiful botanicals (the Passion flower being one of my favs) there are those beautiful butterflies!…Above the comment section, it reads, “thank you for your comments~they make my day” well, we would all say that you make our day!!!!
Beautiful! How wonderful to have a freeze date so early in the spring! We are warned not to plant anything until after May 31st! You are a full 6+weeks ahead of us. We received a good 2 inches of snow Saturday night. The good news is should start melting by tomorrow as temps will be in the high 40’s, low 50’s YEA! So your lovely flower tablescape with bright colored watering cans and gorgeous spring bouquets are food for the winter wery souls! Thanks Mary! 🌾⚘
That should be “weary”. 😣
Mary, Your blog is my favorite and an absolute delight! I’ve been waiting for your potting shed to “bloom” and the dishes, flowers and watering cans create a beautiful vignette! I have a friend who is crazy about butterflies, I’ll have to send her a link to your post, she’ll be all aflutter! Thank you for sharing your talents and creativity with us.🦋🌼🌸🦋🌷
Mary, I agree with Shirley that you are queen of the watering cans! I couldn’t help but laugh when you said you might need an intervention. Your butterfly cans in their bright spring colors are eye candy filled with flowers, they say spring has arrived in all of her glory! I have the Portmeirion Botanic Garden and it is the perfect pattern for us flower loving ladies! We escaped frost last night because it stayed windy. The cold isn’t great for blooms, but frost is a killer. I am so ready to spend time in the garden.
You always create beauty and inspire, I love sharing Monday Morning Blooms with you! Have a lovely day!
Wow, your Fringe Flower bush is spectacular Mary, what a welcoming spring sight! My peas and spinach sprouted in the planters and temps went down to 32 last night… Wasn’t supposed to get that cold… Not sure if I want to peek at them on my way to work or not. Have a great week:@)
Amazingly beautiful my friend! What a treat to the eyes this morning! Your watering cans filled with spring blooms is such a treat!
Love it all!
Oh this post is making me second guess all the times I passed on pieces in the Portmerion Botanic Garden collection! You make it look sooooooooo beautiful!
So beautiful, Mary! I adore the lilac, passion flower, dianthus, and peony Portmerion Botanic Garden plates. I am going to be wishing for those to add to my four plates and I had sworn off buying more dishes! Your vignette is oozing with delightful details that are such eye candy! Love all your watering cans and butterflies. We like so many of the same things.
I must mention how pretty the placemats and napkins are too! They add just the right touch!
Good Morning!…After a warm weekend, it is a sunny, but very brisk 31 degrees this morning here in New Jersey. Reading your blog gave me hope that maybe Spring is around the corner for us. Today’s blog post is stunning. Have a warm and sunny day, and many thanks for your posts. I look forward to reading them every day!
Absolutely amazing. So beautiful. 💗
It’s so nice to see you playing in your potting shed, Mary. Your collection of Portmeirion dishes is blooming with happiness. I love your Queen MKC watering can, and the other two look like her Princesses in waiting. Isn’t the Chinese Fringe Flower so beautiful? I hope you’ll have a wonderful week!
Your watering can floral displays are lovely! That Chinese Fringe Flower plant is amazing! What a breath of bright coloring to witness after the long winter. Our freeze date is much later than yours but I sure wish it was a lot sooner! The Portmerion dishes are the perfect choice for this vignette!
This beautiful post makes me want to make a visit to the garden center today, but In Virginia, we too are bound by the April 15th rule for frosts, so I’ll hold off for a while. I’ll just keep looking at your post for the eye candy I need to start the month of April. Thank you for such a gorgeous post!
Just beautiful. My daughters everyday pattern too! Great job😘
Lovely flower arrangements, beautiful floral dinnerware, butterflies, watering cans, bright colorful tablescapes who could ask for more! So looking forward to Spring. 🐝🐣🐇🐐🌼🌷🐝
That certainly sets my heart a flutter, especially since another atmospheric river of rain rolls in today for the week! I have never lived so long without a normal spring, I have a brilliant fringe flower and rising peonies too, imagine what sun could do for my garden! Gorgeous presentation as always 😍
Be still my heart. Mary there are no words to describe what you do in your little “She Shed”. I want to come play with you in your world. There is art in every frame. The Portmeirion Botanic Garden dinner ware is a favorite of mine but I have NO room for more china , according to my hubby. The detail on each piece, the colors, the bees and butterflies on each piece is a praise to our Heavenly Father, the creator of all beauty. Thank you for sharing your gift with us.
Good morning, Mary! Your post this morning is very welcome since we have a light covering of snow here in Michigan! It’s brisk but sunny so I’m hoping spring is on the way. Our last frost date is May 15 so I’ll live vicariously through until I can go out and play. Thank you for a breath of spring!
You set the most beautiful tables! And, I love that you eat in the potting shed on occasion. I’ve been trying to talk DH into getting a potting shed….
On a different note: given that you live in NC, have you ever been to Replacements.com warehouse? The most expensive dish in their ‘museum’ is a tureen by Royal Copenhagen in the flora Danica pattern – very similar to your dishes. I was in heaven when we went there. I suspect that your house looks a bit like their warehouse with the massive amount of tableware that you seem to have. I’m jealous. How do you store it all???? Can you do a post on that?
It is STUNNING!!! Love all of it. A breath of Spring
Very beautiful Mary!!
What a beautiful table setting. It makes me want to just stay outside and wait for all the flowers to bloom! I too have peonies and they are barely peeping out of the ground. You are so very talented and I love all of your blogs. Let’s enjoy each day God has blessed us with and enjoy his wondrous beauty season after season. All the best to you!
As always so fun to read your post. So many details and touches you make to look everything new.
Happy April Fools Day, thank you for treating us to a lovely table setting in your Potting Shed and not playing a trick. Love your variety of watering cans, butterfly theme and of course your choice of
the Portmeirion Botanic Garden China. A dear friend purchased it when it first came out making me an instant fan.
Beautiful setting Mary! Your flowering watering cans are so colorful. The Chinese fringe flower is so vibrant. Your dishware is now available in melamine; I was surprised to see it at Marshall’s last week. Have a great week! Clara 🦋🌷🌞
It is always a treat to visit your potting shed! The butterflies are certainly all a flutter throughout your lovely display! What a pretty choice of dishes!
Mary, visiting you always makes my day! No, actually my whole month. It’s always such a treat to visit your beautiful corner of the world. Spring has sprung in the Potting Shed, and yes, you are the watering can queen!
Your bright and colorful flowers, both in the cans and on the dishes are such a feast for our spring hungry eyes. Thank you, sweet friend, for always bringing joy and inspiration! Love being part of the Monday Morning Blooms with you. xo Lidy
Oh goodness Mary, you’ve outbloomed yourself this time! What an over the top Flower Market! Everything literally dancing with colorful blooms! I love seeing your MKC watering can full of a rainbow of flowers. The whole scene is a gardeners dream, so delightful and happy, a wonderful start to April!
Jenna
Mary, I love when you fuse your pottery with flowers—-no one does this as well as you do. Love every shot! Thank-you!
Mary your posts are always a beautiful sight to see. Beautiful flowers.
Joan
What a gorgeous post. The watering cans are pretty especially with the lovely flowers in them.
Marilyn
The flower plates are pretty and the watering cans are very nice especially the yellow one.
Marion
I hope you never get cured of you watering can addiction. So cute
Love Love Love all your Blogs.
Happy 1st of April, Mary! This post is a perfect way to welcome in the month of April. I’ve jumped in with work in the garden, cleaning out beds, planting a few things in posts, but still need to get some annuals in the beds. We have had another cool snap the past few days, but on a warming trend by Thursday back in the 80s. Our spring weather can be up and down, but hopefully no more freezes. I’ve always had a bit of watercan envy of your wonderful collection. I don’t really have a spot for a collection, but I do buy them on occasion to use for watering and for flower containers. I was thrilled to bring the MKC butterfly can home last summer when I attended the Barn Sale. I wanted the large peony watering can, but didn’t find it. I already had the mini can with the long thin spout. Do you have that one? It’s pretty cute. Love all your pretty blooms real and on the beautiful dishes, and of course the butterflies are favorites.
Wildflowers are in full bloom here. I wish I had scattered a mix of seed in my former rose bed. Thanks for sharing all this beauty. Thinking of you and sending hugs your way.
We are still waiting here in Indiana for Spring..thanks for this reminder of what, HOPEFULLY, will be coming!! Yes, YOU ARE THE QUEEN of watering cans! What a title! Someone should make you a crown of watering cans!! LOL!! The China is beautiful…it was a toss up for me between this floral pattern versus Lenox’s Butterfly Meadow and time chose the latter…both are scrumptious..every time I use them, I can smell those flowers! Keep the beauty coming!! Hope you are doing well inspire if your lose!! If I’m still in shock, I can’t imagine your feelings!! God bless you!! ❤️💐🌼🌸🦋
I JUST SAW my first “Yellow-tail butterfly” on Sunday…it got down to 32 here last night…hope it found a warm spot…franki
Chinese Fringe flower, brilliant color.