Even before spring gardening fever strikes, Sue cultivates a garden look with the use of topiaries, garden prints and lots of wreaths.

``I use wreaths all over. Where people use pictures, I often use wreaths,'' says Sue, pointing to walls accented with ivy wreaths, some plain and others embellished with lemons, hydrangea blooms and bows.

You can see Sue's garden decor when she and her sister, Ann Fisher, have their annual spring Garden Party show and sale May 7-9 at 49 Hampton Roads Ave., Hampton.

For several years, the sisters have been having Garden Party events twice a year.

This year they are featuring a clay pot birdbath ($75), something you can easily make at home for your own garden. Sue and Ann did their version in Dutch blue, light coral and buttercup colors, adding an insect theme with dragonflies, bumblebees and ladybugs.

``You could use a floral theme with flowers, vines and ivy or a nautical theme,'' says Sue.

You'll also find plates decoupaged with a garden theme ($15), ivy wreaths ($36-$48) you can decorate to suit the season, topiary frames ($10-$40) and more. Garden Party hours are 6-9 p.m. May 7, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 8 and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 9. For information, call 722-6293.

CLAY POT BIRDBATH

Materials:

• 1 12-inch clay pot
• 1 14-inch clay pot
• 1 16-inch clay pot
• 1 18-20-inch diameter clay saucer
• Assortment of acrylic paints
• Brushes
• Minwax clear satin polyurethane, fast-drying type
• Silicone sealant and caulking gun

Begin with the largest pot turned over. Stack the clay pots from largest to smallest, marking with a pencil where they overlap.

Base paint each pot in the color of your choice with a least two coats. Add decorative patterns.

Coat the interior and exterior of the pots and the saucer with the polyurethane sealer. Use two coats. Let dry completely.

Assemble and glue in place with the silicone sealant.

Fill the saucer with water and wait for the birds.

THE BOOK