Pipevine in A Container at the Big House

This is one of those plants that "ya just gotta have" somewhere in the garden.  It's not winter hardy here (zone 7B-8, depending upon who you ask), so I'm planning to bring it into the greenhouse this winter and see what happens.  Has anyone else tried overwintering these?  I have the native species in the Stepchild Garden, and it does just fine overwintering, but the flowers are tiny little things.  (In fact, I've already told Patti she can have the native one for her house.......it's not worth the space in my mind.)

It is officially Artistolochia elegans, though they are apparently in the midst of renaming it Aristolochia littoralils.  If you have kids or pets who are going to feel a need to touch this, please be aware that the plant is pretty toxic, and is particularly linked to kidney issues.

Sarah's Garden

I visited my friend Sarah's garden this afternoon, and it's one of my favorite gardens. Part of what appeals to me is that Sarah does virtually all of the work herself, and it is completely a labor of love. She has an amazing eye for detail, which I'm hoping comes through in these photos.

At the top, there is a piece of "folk art" she created a few years ago out of old garden tools. I think it's pretty awesome, and am planning to recreate something similar for my own garden (she knows......)

Sarah loves vines, and has done a really amazing job encouraging a number of different vines to climb up the brick walls of her home. I especially like the creeping fig on the kitchen stairs.

Lastly there is a picture of the handles on the garden gate. What a perfect indication that you're entering a really beautiful space!