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Thursday, March 03, 2011

Cookies and Cream: Revisited

Late last year I wrote about how I intended to hasten the ageing process of the sculpture our friend Gary gave us, by painting it with my 'Cookies and Cream' formula of live yoghurt and compost. This is to encourage the growth of algae onto the sculpture, and to give it that aged and old look, like it's been in the garden for years. (See prior post here)

This was how it looked like before and just after the application of the mixture..



And this is what it looks like now....



I haven't done anything else to it apart from leaving it to mother nature to do it's part of the work. Not bad at all, I think the mixture worked pretty well as expected. The Yucca recurvifolia in front of it is too much of an obstruction so it will be moved, besides it's not really doing very well there. At the moment Arum maculatum are sprouting all over that area and I adore this plant. It's not exotic as such but on the right setting it is still in keeping with the exotic look. When the Arums start to go dormant I'll dig up the Yucca and think of something else to replace it, something that will keep the area lush but at the same time not too much of on obstruction to the ageing sculpture. Possibly Epimediums and at the same time train a Hedera pastuchovii 'Ann Ala' to sucker its way up the tree and onto the sides of the sculpture for more of that lush, jungle look.

We could do with a few more sculptures and ornaments in the garden, no doubt my Cookies and Cream formula will be put to good use again in the near future :-)

Mark

Cookies and Cream anyone?
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15 comments:

  1. Hazel4 March 2011 at 00:16

    Boy that worked really well! Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Alice Joyce4 March 2011 at 00:34

    Mark,
    So glad I've found your exotic, alternative **Eden** I'll be looking for my serving of cookies and cream the next time you mix up a batch.
    p.s.
    I invite you to visit me on FB and hope you'll 'like' what you see:-0
    I'm following you there, here, and everywhere!!
    http://facebook.com/alicesgardentravelbuzz

    ReplyDelete
  3. Alan4 March 2011 at 05:04

    Was there a part of the sculpture that didn't get the treatment (the back maybe)? I'm curious to see how much faster the treated parts aged.

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  4. Søren4 March 2011 at 05:25

    Great result! I've actually been thinking about doing this myself to the brick planter that I built in our courtyard two weeks ago, but though I knew the "recipe" I had no idea how long it takes for a surface to "age". It's nice to see that a couple of months is enough; it should mean our brick planter can look much nicer by this summer!

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  5. Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)4 March 2011 at 06:10

    I love that sculpture, and you did it proud with your aging treatment. As much I love Yucca recurvifolia, I do agree with what you said about it being too distracting there. You need something low-growing OR airy so the sculpture can be glimpsed through the foliage.

    Gerhard
    :: Bamboo and More ::

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  6. Mark and Gaz4 March 2011 at 11:43

    You're welcome Hazel :) I'm glad it worked!

    Hi Alice, you've got a lovely site there and enjoyed reading it. I've added your site on to our FB links and faved you too :) Looking forward to your updates!

    Hi Soren, you can play with the formula too, depending on what look or shade you wish to achieve. You can add a bit of green food colouring if you wish to have that instant 'algae' look but otherwise you can just leave it to develop on its own. A shady spot hastens the process.

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  7. Mark and Gaz4 March 2011 at 11:48

    Hi Alan, the back didn't get any treatment. I'll try taking a photo as soon as I get the chance, maybe when I start clearing the area which should be soon :)

    Gerhard, I agree, the Yucca doesn't look right there and will definitely move it. Something nice and low growing would be more appropriate to frame it as you've said. Ferns or epimediums spring to mind!

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  8. Anonymous4 March 2011 at 12:23

    Dear Mark and Gaz, I have used the same yoghurt and compost treatment many times on various pots and urns in the garden and have always found it to work very successfully. I think that if the surface of the item to be treated is rough, then the growth is quicker.

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  9. Unknown5 March 2011 at 09:46

    Looks fantastic, and the plans for replanting sound good. And at last some decent weather - have a great gardening weekend!

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  10. Mark and Gaz5 March 2011 at 22:23

    I agree Edith, it works alot quicker on rougher surfaces, smooth ones like polished terracotta takes a bit longer.

    Thanks Martin! Having a lovely gardening weekend so far :)

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  11. Alistair6 March 2011 at 17:15

    Mark&Gaz, I have also used this in the past for ageing pots and garden ornaments and it does indeed work. If you happen to come across a product for slowing down the ageing process, I will be prepared to part with a lot of money.

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  12. HolleyGarden6 March 2011 at 19:03

    What a difference! And it looks beautiful aged. I think you made the right decision to age this piece. Cute idea calling your mixture 'cookies and cream'.

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  13. Mark and Gaz6 March 2011 at 21:14

    Thanks Alistair and HolleyGarden :)

    Can't help with that one Alistair, but gardening is known to help slow down the ageing process (providing you wear sunscreen too!) :)

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  14. Janet/Plantaliscious8 March 2011 at 11:32

    What a wonderful transformation. I agree that the yucca needs moving, your plans to give it a more jungly setting sound great.

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  15. Libby21 July 2011 at 20:58

    I really like this, I didn't know you could make them like this. I shall really have to look inti this as I have just the place! I had heard of the 'Cookie & Cream' recipe but never realised it worked so well. Thank you for sharing x

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