This post could easily be titled: Why You Don’t Place a Top-Heavy Pot on a Narrow Ledge.
In my new garden, I have a narrow ledge above our barbecue area that’s PERFECT for my succulent container collection.
Except that it’s a tad narrow (understatement). Which isn’t a good idea with all the raccoons, skunks, foxes, and squirrels that roam my garden on a nightly basis.
I woke up the other morning to this – what was I thinking?
I KNEW better than to place the top-heavy pot on this narrow ledge, yet I did it anyway.
Well, after begging my Reconstruction Team (aka my Tech Team, aka my husband, Tom) to glue my pot back together, I set off to salvage my poor plant.
The first step was to drag out the sieve that my grandfather made years ago. This is the perfect solution to easily separate the soil from the beautiful black pebbles that I used as top-dressing.
At some point, I need to have my Woodworking Team (poor Tom – so many teams, so little time) make a smaller one for me, but that’ll have to wait a bit.
After sorting out the pebbles, the next tedious step was picking out the prickly oak leaves and other bits of sticks and soil that were stuck in my pointy (and potentially painful) Twin-Flowered Agave (agave geminiflora).
I have various types of garden gloves that I use for all sorts of different occasions: thick rubber gloves when working with wet soil, thin cotton gloves when it’s hot outside and I don’t want my hands to work in a sauna, and my Foxgloves.
When working in tight spaces that require surgery-like precision, Foxgloves are the perfect choice.
Here’s what their creator, Harriet, has to say about the origin of Foxgloves:
‘As a landscape architect and professional horticulturist, I yearned for a glove that wouldn’t impede my sense of touch yet still protect my hands. I tried every garden glove on the market but never found one that fit well and could be worn all day.
Through my design experience I knew that modern performance (sport) fabrics were created to perform in harsh conditions. When I combined Invista SUPPLEX® nylon with the four-way stretch of Invista LYCRA® elastane the resulting gloves were durable, form fitting, extremely comfortable and kept my hands clean even after a day in the garden.’
These gloves are snug and form-fitting (yet super tough and durable), allowing me to perform delicate operations, such as gingerly picking out spiny oak leaves.
The gloves I’ve used the most over the years are their Original Foxgloves (featured in the photos above) and The Grip (which has little raised bumps on the palms to provide non-slip holding power).
But there’s other lines of gloves called ProtexGloves for gardeners who suffer from sun sensitivity and chronic skin and hand conditions (including built-in sunscreen!) as well as Egloves (touchscreen gloves for those of us who use their cell phone while gardening).
And Now For The Giveaway!
(Sorry – THE GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED)
UPDATE: Congratulations, Anita Lusebrink – you’ve won a pair of Foxgloves! (I’ve just sent you an email with the details)
But even if you didn’t win, there’s a 15% sale going on right now if you head on over to the Foxgloves site – use the code EM19 through Dec. 15th and fill your cart (the discount will be applied automatically)
AND – if you’ve left a question about the gloves in your comments, the owner, Harriet Zbikowski, has joined in the fun and left you a response – how cool is that!
Foxgloves has generously offered a pair of their Original Foxgloves to one of my lucky readers!
To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment below on any topic you like – it’s as easy as that!
I can’t respond to blog comments on giveaways because if I do, it’ll skew the random number generator I use to pick the winner. But please know that I read every comment you leave and appreciate all you have to say!
The Fine Print: A random winner will be chosen by midnight December 6, 2019 and contacted within 24 hours. If the proposed winner forfeits or does not claim the prize by December 13th, the prize will be re-awarded based on the sponsor’s sole discretion. All prizes will be awarded.
Please provide your first and last name to enter this contest so I can immediately contact you if you win. The winner agrees to allow his/her first name to be mentioned in conjunction with this giveaway. This giveaway is limited to U.S. residents only, who are over the age of 18 years old. No purchase necessary to win. This sweepstake is also void where prohibited by law (wherever that is, I’d sure hate to live there!) and by entering this giveaway, you agree to these conditions.
Affiliate Links: Over the years, I’ve tried tons of garden-related products and only recommend those I truly believe in and those that have held up well in my garden.
Harmony in the Garden is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to amazon.com and other affiliate marketing companies.
Harmony in the Garden is also a participant in Foxgloves affiliate program.
59 Comments
Love reading your blogs and learning from you! Thank you! And thanks for making me laugh, in sympathy of course, for poor Tom! 🙂
I really like the iron structure behind the ledge. It could be plants though, hard to tell from the photo.
Are the gloves one size fits all? I have large hands, more like a farmer than a gardener.
Hi Carol,
The gloves are sized S,M,L. We have two styles that also come in XL.
Here is link to size chart
https://foxglovesinc.com/pages/glove-size-chart
I love your blog, and your book on garden design is a must read. And your “Team” deserves a round of applause from us readers for his devotion and many talents!
I could use a Tom to help on my blog. Loved the Mexican Beach pebbles in the container!
I’ve been wearing Foxgloves for years. They’re my favorite!
Hi Carol,
The gloves are sized S,M,L. We have two styles that also come in XL.
Here is link to size chart
https://foxglovesinc.com/pages/glove-size-chart
Thank you!!
Those pesky raccoons!
OMG! I love love the blog!
Hope the gloves are red!
Rebecca congrats on 10years!!! I miss you! My garden misses you!! Hope those gloves are bullet proof.
Would love to try a new type of glove! I look forward to your posts Rebecca and always read them first. Glad you will posting for another ten years!
Always on the hunt for better gloves. Love their name. Also enjoy your column. Merry Christmas from The beautiful, wet central coast
Congratulations on 10 years. I just met you a year ago at the Seattle Flower and Garden Show. Really enjoyed your talk and also now read all your blogs. I would like to try the Foxgloves. They sound great!
Many thanks Beckie
Really enjoy your “essays”. I use many different style gloves depending what the particular chore is, Gloves used for raking are not much use for pruning rose vines
Carole, you are absolutely right.
I’ve looked for the perfect gardening gloves for much of my life. I try to keep my hands looking nice, even though I’m constantly digging, pulling weeds, pruning-and it’s nearly impossible. Can’t wait to try these; even better if I could win them. Thanks for this chance, and the recommendation.
I have had some luck with potted succulents that were top heavy and in need of transplant on a wall by grouping them tightly together and next to an asparagus fern. I interwove the spikey, octopus-like braches of the fern in and amongst the other plants to secure them, pruning the fern to make everything fit and adding interest with a variety of blooms at different times in the year. An added benefit is protection for the blooms from browsing deer that are a constant pest in our yards in the Del Monte Forest of Monterey…
Where have they been all my life. You couldn’t have sent this message out at a better time. I have been hunting for gloves like this for so long. Didn’t know they existed. My hands are taking a garden beating. I wear gloves but kept pulling them off to really “get in there”. Trashing my nails too. Thank you so much for the information. I will definitely be ordering and putting these on my Christmas list for colors and lengths. Wonderful 🙂
Thank you, Jeanne, wash them on your hands when you are done and they will be nice and clean every time.
I LOVE Foxgloves!
Thank you!
Love the Foxgloves. I have a pair that is over a decade old and still going strong.
This is the first I’ve heard about these gloves – love them!
I like the look of your revised newsletter and I am grateful for all of your tips. Thanks, Sylvia
Congratulations on 10 years! It has seriously flown by.
You can never have too many garden gloves.
Thank you to you and Foxglove for this giveaway. How fun! Those gloves look great and would look even better in my garden.? I do appreciate your blog and thank you especially for your lists of favorite plants that work in my area. Very helpful!. Here’s hoping?
I am soooooo jealous about your multipurpose assistant. Cherish him.
I didn’t know about Foxgloves. Thank you for recommending these. I wonder how these gloves would perform with roses. Would rose thorns perforate them? I look forward to reading your blog for another 10 years. Thank you for sharing your garden expertise.
HI Tami, We make several styles of gloves. Our Gauntlet is designed for thorny tasks.
https://foxglovesinc.com/collections/pruning-and-protective-gloves/products/foxgloves-extra-protection-gloves-gauntlet
Always excited to see one of your blog posts pop up in my inbox. In spite of the fact I garden in Michigan, which is so different than California, there is still much to enjoy and learn from you. Those gloves look awesome. Would love to have a pair.
Thanks Rebecca for your wonderful gardening blog. Please thank your over-worked, many-teamed Tom for a good-looking new website! ?❤️?
I am sure Fox gloves will be a welcome addition to my hortie operations such as planting perennials, ornamental grasses and shrubs. I wonder what Fox gloves would be like when holding on to a self propelled lawn mower. Sure would like to find out.,
My husband and I have enjoyed your wonderful articles and gleaned much from your wisdom. Thank you…..and happy ten year anniversary!
Always enjoy your blog. The new and improved website is very nice. Here’s to 10 more years!
What a nice give away! Congratulations on your ten year anniversary.
Roman says wearing fox gloves by Rebecca makes sense, she’s such a fox. Holiday Holidays to you, Tom and your entire family. ??♀️
Sounds like a Christmas request for sure! Thanks for the recommendation.
I am always looking for garden gloves that last, I usually go for the leather finger type as I volunteer at our History House garden as well as my own , so will put it on my Christmas list.
Your blogs are informative and inspiring, Rebecca. I too have a Reconstruction/Woodworking/Can You Make This Out of That team (mine is named Tim)! Loved your recent blog about your favorite orange plants. No marigolds here either. 🙂
That looks great! Nice article about gloves! Once I have my own backyard I’ll order my own (or steal yours…) 😉
Love ❤️ your blog-can’t believe it’s been 10 years. I go through so many gloves each year-sounds like Foxgloves might be the answer.
Love ❤️ your blog-can’t believe it’s been 10 years. I go through so many gloves each year-sounds like Foxgloves might be the answer.
Your husband is a wonderful partner! But, you can easily make your own sieve from recycled fence wood. Use good quality hardware cloth for the sieve portion and just staple to an easily made frame. Whee!
Thanks for the heads up about small ledges and big pots. Love foxgloves!
I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving ‼️
l love all your articles and try to copy the easiest ideas…. such as the sieve you showed from your parents. Such a good idea for transplanting…….Bev Fredrick
Breaking a loved container that you cannot replace is a day ruining event…glad you were able to salvage everything!
Foxgloves are fantastic.
Thank you!
I am lucky in that I have an opossum among my nightly marauders. He/she dines on cat food. The deer also come to the garden buffet.
I, too, sometimes place planters in precarious locations and then have to clean up the mess.
I so enjoy your blog , Thanks so much.
You encourage me to bring harmony into my yard turning into a place I want to be! Thank you
Thank you over the years for a (not overly frequent, thank you!) upbeat blog in my inbox about one of my favorite subjects, gardening. I also love the beautiful photography included (another favorite hobby!) of your garden and horticultural adventures.
You definitely have raised my interest enough in the Foxglove gardening gloves to write in and express my appreciation for your work and enthusiasm.
Thanks again, and I will be looking forward to reading your next blog this winter.
i was thinking you were going to send us some of your special fox gloves seeds! always happy to read your blog. May you have a great harvest and rest season.! May snow cover your garden for a winter rest!
I feel like I’ve tried so many gardening gloves and have never found THE GLOVE. Hopefully this will be THE ONE! Thanks for the chance to try them out. Love the name FOXGLOVE!! I won’t forget that name.
Thanks Karen, I hope you will love them too!
I feel like a kid on Christmas morning reading about these gloves! I go through gloves like I go through coffee!!. I’ve purchased so many seemingly durable gloves, that make me smile each time I put on a brand new pair – yet after heavy duty work in the garden, they all still get holes in the fingers. And of course the bulkier types aren’t good for delicate work, like filling up all of my containers, and tucking plants in tight areas to fill in the gaps. These gloves are going on my Christmas wish list ~ I hope Santa thinks I’ve been good all year and gets me a pair, hehe!
Washing your gloves will help extend their lives. Dirt is so abrasive, it wears our metal tools over time.
You can wash them on your hands or in the machine. They dry fast, so always ready to go.
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