Showing posts with label grow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grow. Show all posts

Monday 24 August 2015

Chess set of tiny planters

Even though I'm not really a chess player, I love ornate chess sets. Especially ones with a special theme where the pieces have original designs.

So I saw this and immediately fell in love. A chess set of tiny planters that you can customise with your own choice of herbs and cute succulents? I want one! A 3D-printed set that XYZWorkshop created for a design competition.


If you are in possession of a 3D printer, the printing pattern is even available for download, for free, on MyMiniFactory.

Wednesday 7 August 2013

Visit to a lavender farm

Went to visit some friends who live in Hertfordshire over the weekend. They took us to a lavender field in Hitchin which is part of a working farm. Hitchin used to be one of two major lavender growing areas in the country.


It was really sunny in the morning when we arrived and as we came off the road into their car park we could see this purple hill in the distance. It was so pretty!


My friends had been a couple of months before and were disappointed because the lavender had not yet bloomed. This made up for it I think.


The rows of lavender stretched out over the low hill and even though the sun did then decide to play hide and seek behind huge clouds, it was just wonderful.


There weren't too many people around just yet so it was perfect for photos.


There were so many bees buzzing all around, with butterflies and ladybugs...


The farm harvests the lavender to make essential oil and lavender products for sale in the 17th century barn. There's a cafe and an outside area to sit and enjoy the view. You can also take home plug plants of lots of varieties of lavender. I was very tempted to buy some to join my pink Little Lottie lavender, but seriously, there's no room left on my balcony...


We each picked a bag-full of the lovely purple stuff and the rain didn't start until we were safely indoors again. So now all I have to do is decide what to do with all that lavender once it has dried. There's no such thing as too many lavender sachets, right?

Friday 31 August 2012

Strawberry Love

I planted some alpine strawberry seeds for my balcony garden last year. They were teeny tiny and the seedlings looked so fragile when they came out.


Well, they grew and grew of course...


This year they flowered and, with a little help, pollinated and bore fruit!


The strawberries are so small, but they taste amazing, really sweet and bursting with strawberry flavour.

Sunday 10 June 2012

Little Lottie

Last year I bought a plug plant of lavender, a pink variety called 'Little Lottie', to try growing some on my balcony. It started off quite well; I potted it as soon as it arrived and it seemed to establish really well, with new growth sprouting not long after. Unfortunately over a few weeks I managed to over-water it and, as lavender hates soggy roots, it started to die. When I pulled it out of its pot the roots had begun to rot.

As luck would have it though, one of the branches had dropped off the main stem and buried itself in the soil, so I left it in there, hoping that perhaps it would take root.

Well, by this spring it had redoubled in size and I was so happy when little flower buds started appearing.

This is a few of the cuttings from that little plant which I almost killed. How resilient must it be?

Saturday 17 March 2012

Weekend DIY - handstamped clay garden markers

These handmade plant markers are so cute! I love the hand-stamped lettering. Make some for yourself or gift some to friends who are keen on gardening.

Amanda of Wit & Whistle gives a short and simple tutorial on how to make your own set of handstamped polymer clay garden markers


Tuesday 11 October 2011

My tomato babies

Back in March, I planted some tomato seeds. I'd never been interested in gardening or growing before, mainly because I didn't think I was particularly green fingered. A mint plant I once brought home died within 2 weeks.

But the self-contained pot of compost and packet of seeds looked promising enough, and I was curious. Would I be able to grow them successfully?


It was actually really exciting seeing the little sprouts develop. Growing things helps you to practise your patience. In my other life as a medic, you become so entrained in getting things done now, now, now that you forget how some things will just happen when they do.


And these little seedlings are so incredibly hardy. I must have subjected them to several of the clumsiest repottings and yet they grew and grew. And grew!


I had to be cruel and pick out the ones to keep going as I didn't have enough space on my balcony to house all of them.


Even with the few I kept it soon grew into a forest. They just kept going, upwards and upwards. The ones where I'd left some side shoots as an experiment spread sideways too.


They flowered late because I kept them crowded for a bit too long and halted the growth a bit but it was so satisfying to see the first trusses of little green fruits.


And now they're slowly turning red.


Did you know that tomatoes are related to the deadly nightshade, potatoes, chillies and the tobacco plant? And the plant leaves and stem actually contain tropane alkaloids that are toxic if ingested. The biology geek in me finds this all fascinating.

Saturday 4 June 2011

Weekend DIY - Teacup Succulent Garden

If you have a lack of garden and are not so green fingered, but often wish for a bit of nature around your house, these succulent plants in teacups may do the trick. As succulents are adapted to arid soils and climes (the cactus is a family member), they won't mind as much if you forget to water them! To create your own teacup garden, follow these simple steps HERE.



Hehehe....yes, another use for the mighty teacup ~♥~

Saturday 21 May 2011

Weekend DIY - Clog Planter

So, if you were ever to wonder about what to do with an old pair of plastic clogs...turn them into cute hanging baskets! Simple steps HERE.