Rhododendron Leaves...

 

How They Are Growing...

I am sure you will be happy to know, Dear Readers, that I have not abandoned the Rhododendron shrub #2-3 construction! But it is a very slow process. This is the Leafy Green version, for all year 'round display, with no blossoms and no snow to conceal any flaws. Last year when I was constructing the first attempt at this Leafy Green version, I skipped a vital step in my method. I ignored the fact that the RL shrubs, because they are Evergreens, do not shed their leaves before they add the new year's growth. Last year's leaves stay on the shrub, just behind the new growth layer. And sometimes, depending on the growing conditions, those leaves, or some of them, might still be there three years or four years behind the new growth! I can see this progression when I take a careful look at my own RL Large Green Rhododendron shrub!

If you look closely at this photo, you will see a red-brown branch in the upper left corner with two green branches emerging from it. Where they emerge is the leafy collection from the previous years growth, still fully attached and alive. At the the tips of the light green stems you will see the "new" leafy growth with the bud tip. These are now a year old and awaiting the "new growth" to spring from the tips after the blossom is done in May. Sometimes the older leaves will last for four years before they finally drop off. These older leaves are the "under-story" and create the denser appearance of the leaves on the shrub. In last years version of my min shrub, I skipped them.... and regretted it in the end!

Here, you can see I have begun (finally!) to attach the leafy stem clusters to the bottom of the first shrub branch. And in case you didn't remember, these shrubs are complicated.... the branches have grown too long and are bent down with age... so the "new" growth is at the end of the branch, but it hangs to the ground. (Why did I make this so complicated...?.... because this is what has happened to my RL shrub over time... and I find it fascinating!) So the new growth is all happening down at the bottom of the shrub on these branches. I am assuming that each branch has put out two new leaf clusters, but in RL often three or four "new branches" will start. Over time they are usually not all successful and so they dwindle to two, or sometimes only one or none. (There are dead branches back in the undergrowth too.) And in constructing my mini Rhododendron, I have to wait for the glue to dry for each leaf cluster before I can attach the next one to this branch. 

Here you can see I have attached two stem clusters (the new growth) and behind them, where they depart the branch, I have added a few single leaves for the previous year's cluster. And farther up the branch, another leaf representing two years previous leaves. and yes, the leaves are easily knocked off so you must leave them alone til they dry thoroughly before adding any more! (Did I tell you it is a very slow process?)

These are my single leaves to be attached individually wherever appropriate.... it gets pretty challenging to know where another leaf is needed... And in the jars you can see all the "stems" I have already assembled with their leaf clusters... approximately two hundred of them.

 

Here you can see all the "lowest" branch tips have had their new stems added...  and a few extra under-story leaves too.

And here you can see I have begun to ad the "new growth"stems to the tips of the branches on the next level up the branch.

 And more stems.... this has taken days, Dear Readers, a few stems, a few leaves at a time.

 

You would not think there was any growth at all!

 But when the morning Sun comes to play, I have hope! It is looking a little more "dense" and realistic! and slowly but surely it is growing!

 I am pretty sure I will have to revisit the "under-story" again and again.

 But it is growing on me! I am liking the more detailed, realistic look. So, no matter how long it takes, Dear Readers, I am doing my best to duplicate the way they grow in RL!

 

 

 

Stitching....

 

And Love.....

I am Sure, Dear Readers, I have mentioned a time or two how much I Love to stitch! There is just something so soothing and creative and utterly satisfying about the whole process... and the results of time spent are so evident... it is just about my favorite thing in the world! And as you can see, I have been indulging this love... the Deer cushion is finished, and even more, I have been racing forward with the next tiny wonder, the Squirrels cushion! 

 I was determined to follow this chart as is, no new additions or confusing adjustments, just go with the plan, it already had two squirrels in the picture!

 I was zipping along before I realized I had made a counting mistake in the smaller one,

I had to unstitch nearly the entire beast...

 All the way up to his little paws.... and then restitch the rest!

 And then add the other colors to the bodies...

 Here their bodies are finished... except for the eyes...

 Which have been added here... and started on the blossoms.

 Ah, the Blossoms! There is so much variety! 

My only task was to spread them into the corners...

And here I have begun the greenery.... 

And started to outline the squirrels in the darker red. 

 And at some point, Dear Readers, I realized I had made another counting error with the second squirrel... he was one stitch too far to the left! He crowded the small blue blossoms over against the white lily blossom at the bottom.... it was waaaaaay too late to consider any changes. Everything did fit, even if I had to shorten the lily stem by one stitch!

 Here the outlining of the blossoms is under way... this takes a long time!

And nearly done!

And the outlining is done! I am running low on the darker red and have ordered more.... but it is backordered. There is one more cushion theme still to stitch... and I have started the outline for it!

And I have begun the bright red background color!

I just can't explain, Dear Readers, 

how much I LOVE 

stitching these tiny cushions! 

(And don't understand why blogger must impose double spacing?)

 

A Whisper of Spring....

 

Snowdrops....! 

The Deep snow is all gone from The Folly Garden, Dear Readers, and so is the Snowy Winter Rhododendron Shrub! In its place we find the bare branches of the early Spring Lilac shrub and the Skeleton of the soon to be Green Leafy Rhododendron shrub. I needed to pull out my storage boxes and create the Safe Storage for the Snowy Winter Shrub... like it's sibling, the Flowering Rhododendron Shrub, it required some special engineering to build the holding space that would not crush or damage any part of the shrub. This is a bit complicated because the shrub goes around the corner of The Folly and hangs low on the embankment. I had to make a shaped framework that mimicked the Folly Garden space! 

 

I used the same pink builders foam that is used on The Folly Landscape.

Here you can see the two completed shrubs in their boxes!

And while I was looking at the now bare garden at "The Folly", I remembered that there were some tiny snowdrops I had made years ago... where did I put them? 

I found them in a little dish in The Conservatory.... just waiting for Spring!

 

I do not glue these in place, Dear Readers,

 because this is the same shrub that must be usable

 in the Autumn before the snow comes... 

or in the winters that don't snow....

 

There are a few little holes poked into the foam base

 and I simply insert the stems carefully...

They are such brief and temporary visitors!

 

So tiny and delicate!

And just whispering that Spring is on the way!

 

 

And while the snow has Not yet gone from my RL garden

it is slowly receding! 

 I was able to climb over the gate and find the spot near the foundation

 where the sun warms the earth the soonest...

And was overjoyed to find the Snowdrops are up

 and nodding their little heads! 

 

The temperatures have been above freezing, Dear Readers,

the snow is melting... the Snowdrops are blooming,

And I have finally heard that first Whisper of Spring!

Progress....

 

Is Progress....

I am making good Progress, Dear Readers, with the tiny cushion stitching, in spite of only being able to stitch for a couple of hours a day. The stitches are so tiny, I have to have very good light, and around here that means for the morning. The days are getting longer, but the evenings are still pretty long and dark. I content myself with gluing Rhododendron leaves onto stems in the darker hours. In the above picture you can see I have outlined both the deer with the darker red color, as per instructions. I have also begun to stitch the flowers, starting with the ones on the original chart which I would not need to move! Also adding the new blossoms into the extra corner areas. Once I realized how many flowers I was going to have to move... I decided I needed to draw the chart for them, otherwise, I would be hopelessly lost when it came to the background stitching.

 

I started with drawing in a few of the small blue flowers that would not need to be moved.

 

And gradually adding more that needed to be moved from the original chart position.

 And began the stitching of all the flowers.

And here is a picture of the growing bunch of Rhodie stems with the leaves attached!

 

And I added the dark red outlining to the chart showing the new flower placement.

Here you can see the flowers and greenery have all been stitched!

 

And at this point, Dear Readers, all the flowers

 and greenery need to be outlined in the darker red!

And because in many places there is only one tiny stitch

 left between the flowers....

you need to follow the chart very closely, 

because that stitch needs to be in the bright red color!

I have yet to begin the bright red...

It is slow going... but it really clarifies the design!

 

 And this is as far as I got, Dear Readers,

Stitching a little bit every day..

Making good Progress... 

because Any progress is progress!

 

Are You Dreaming of Springtime....

 

In Spite of the Weather....

Have You noticed, Dear Readers, the gradual returning of the morning sunlight? The Conservatory has been asleep, it seems like forever... but a few weeks ago, I noticed the early rays of morning sunlight shining on a tiny pot of snowdrops! Oh, how I long to see some snowdrops! At the moment, they are buried under mountains of snow in my RL garden, so I will not be seeing them soon. This picture was taken a couple of days before "Groundhog Day" (which is really Candlemas but it is not known by that around here). In this part of the world, a very important Groundhog (woodchuck by another name) comes out of his burrow on February 2nd, and if he sees his shadow it will be six more weeks of Winter. If he doesn't see his shadow... it will be an early Spring! This year he saw his shadow... and yes, we are still being Slammed by Winter! We just endured a very windy three days and two nights, and we were lucky that all we got was lots and lots of snow and sleet... ice and freezing rain had been predicted, but we stayed just cold enough to spare us the ice!

The view from my window the morning after the sleet...

And I stepped outside to get a few pictures but it was very windy and very cold!

But inside the Conservatory.... we can Dream of Spring ...

 

 And perhaps begin to plan the tasks for this year....

 

 And even enjoy the sight of little bunnies frolicking in the flowers...

Even though in RL they are an annoying pest in the Gardens!

It has been so cold in RL, that it is a bit chilly to work in my downstairs studio... 

so I have focused on the stitching (when I wasn't cowering from the Storm!).

I have made good progress!

 

 Here you can see the first two cushions are completed!

(At least, the stitching part is.)

And I am starting the outline for the third cushion!

There were four designs in the original set,

 and then Mary Corbet designed a fifth one

 which, of course, I had to have too! 

I started the next one right away! 

And I am stitching the Deer Cushion... 

mostly because it is the one I have already printed the chart.

You can see I am making it "upside-down"

 compared to the other two... 

this is strictly because it is easier for my hand

 to reach the stitching area in this direction...!

It is an 8" hoop and reaching all the way across is challenging!

 

And I just Know you will not be surprised that I had to add another Deer!

 

I tried to tell myself that I should just go with the design as it is....

but there is all that room....!

I took out my graph paper and colored pencils

 to see if it would work.....

 

 I needed it to look a little different... 

but tried to keep it really similar to the first one.....

 

 I cut it out and tried to find the right position on the printed chart...

 

 And decided pretty quickly that She was a Doe...

so no antlers were needed!

And I decided it was a "go"

 and all I needed to do was carefully mark

 where it sat on the chart...

(I ended up taping it in place....  carefully so as not to damage the chart)

And got right to the stitching!

 

Of course, I made an error early on with the counting... 

and didn't catch it until waaay too late to unstitch...

something about the position of her neck...

which means the whole rest of her body 

ended up being farther to the left than the design had suggested...

but no matter, she fits! 

(I was going to have to adjust the placement of the blossoms anyway!)

And that's as far as I got, Dear Readers,

Stitching Millefleurs and Bunnies and Does,

And Dreaming of Springtime

 in Spite of the Weather!