A new addition to a glass cloche collection came just in time to showcase the collection for French Country style this Spring. Less than a week away, Spring officially arrives on Saturday, March 20, 2021 in the Northern Hemisphere, but fresh bedding plants at local garden centers have been heralding Spring's arrival in north Texas for the past two weeks.
White Johnny-Jump-Ups (violas) and blue lobelias under the collection of cloches brought Spring to my French Country style dining table as the small bedding plants awaited planting outside in pots on the deck.
S P R I N G
C L O C H E C O L L E C T I O N
F r e n c h C o u n t r y S t y l e
Not only are glass cloches beautiful to use inside and outside, they add authentic French style to both gardens and homes. The French first used glass cloches to protect plants in potagers (kitchen gardens) beginning around 1600. English gardeners adopted the practice around 1629.
c l o c h e (noun)
\ 'klosh \
origin: French for bell
definition:
a bell or dome-shaped glass cover used to protect small seedlings from frost
Over the years, cloche shapes, styles, and materials for garden cloches have changed to improve their function, to make them sturdier, and to reduce costs. Removable tops for ventilation, wood-and-glass square variations for both sturdy frames and less expensive styles, and terra cotta for reduced costs are a few of the changes developed.
However, none of the variations compare to the charm of
glass cloches with top handles!
Nonetheless, no two cloches in my collection are exactly alike. Each has its own special design.
A French zinc seed pot under a favorite blue-colored cloche adds more French style to the arrangement on the dining table.
A tall oval cloche has a glass handle in the shape of a vintage doorknob.
Etched intertwining vines decorate a traditional bell-shaped cloche that was my first cloche and the beginning of an unplanned collection.
Displayed with the cloche collection is a clear glass hurricane for candles, etched with vertical vines. Pale blue lobelia flowers in a cross-cut blue votive candle holder coordinate beautifully with the blue walls throughout my home.
And, the newest cloche in the collection? Large enough to cover a cake, the round cloche with its metal handle and lipped rim will appear frequently in the kitchen atop a plate holding cakes, cupcakes, or cookies whether Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter.
Plus there will be more French Country style when the new cloche covers croissants.
And, since this is Texas, the new cloche will also cover cornbread!
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You may also enjoy
Spring Potting Bench Flowers - Includes a large outdoor cloche not used in the Spring Cloche Collection
For more Spring inspiration, see my
Pinterest Board, Spring