A little garden miracle

Not long after we moved in I threw three plants in basic plastic pots onto the area near our front door.  I pretty much ignored them, threw a little water on them once in a while and didn't give them too much thought.

Then, the other day, I noticed this ...

For anyone who knows how hopelessly bad I am at gardening, this is definitely a little miracle.  These little flowers are tiny, delicate and totally beautiful.  Of course, I needed to do them justice with a nice pot.

I know, repotting them while in flower isn't idea.  But, this little miracle was so pot bound that the roots had worked their way out the holes in the bottom of the pot.  I figured they had bloomed on neglect so what the heck, I was game enough to give it a go.

I looked around to see if I had anything I could use as a pot and came up with nothing.  And then I remembered that when we had bought our Ikea kitchen, we purchased some Foto lights.

We bought three of the middle size ones and one of the small ones.  The plan was to use the three over the bench and the smaller one in the drop zone.  We didn't end up using the shades, but we did use the parts.  So, that left us with some great shaped shades to find a use for.

So, I got out my trusty can of spray paint and did this ...

Then, I flipped it over and popped my little miracle right in there with some potting mix.  I really don't know how this plant has survived. When I pulled it out of the pot there was more roots than I thought possible surrounding a few pieces of bark and mulch with a little ball of dirt in the centre.  With a little encouragement, I ended up with this ...

It's a little top heavy, but I love it.  That colour will pop so great once we get rid of our mission brown deck and build the new one ... that's our next big project now that the kitchen is almost complete.

And I got a great photo bomb from my little Miss too...

Teacup Gardening

I've been collecting tea cup trios (cup, saucer and plate) for years.  I've got quite a collection going but not much space to display them.  I'm on a de-cluttering bent at the moment so a couple of weeks ago I went through my collection and decided to let some of them go.  For those I'm keeping, there are a few special and favourites on display in my art deco sideboard.

What to do with the rest?  Well, I've recently discovered miniature gardens as an extension of my fascination with (and plan to create one for my little girl) fairy gardens.  So, what better way to get started than by using my tea cups.  For now, I've planted some lovely little succulents and will see if I can keep those hardiest of hardy plants alive while I work on my fairy and miniature garden ideas.

 

These were super easy to create. 

• Dump a little potting mix in the cup. 
• Pop in a succulent. 
• Spread some bonsai stones over the exposed dirt.
• Enjoy!

Things I probably should have done but didn't ... use a potting mix meant specifically for succulents and drill a drainage hole in the bottom of the cups.

Using the bonsai stones really made the plants stand out.  You can see the difference below.

I've got a lead on where I can get a load of succulents for free so if this happens, I'll invest in the right potting mix and drill drainage holes when I plant the rest of my little tea cup succulents.  For now, I'm enjoying them sitting on top of my art deco sideboard.

It was a super cheap project as well.  The cups I already had, the potting mix I already had.  The succulents were $5 or $6 each and the bonsai stones for $6 for a bag that will give me enough for about 10 cups.  The outcome is that I get to display more of my collection.

I would like to add some more plants to my home.  What do you suggest that is easy to look after and doesn't need lots of direct sunlight?

I have hydrangeas!

Yes, that statement is worth the exclamation mark.  A year ago when we moved into this house I declared that I wanted blue hydrangeas in the garden across the front that would hedge up and bloom right outside my bedroom window.  My family event started a hydrangea fund as our housewarming gift.

This time last year I couldn't find blue hydrangeas anywhere ... but now, well here they are.

Handsome Handy Hubby has constructed a pallet veggie garden for himself and after he was at the nursery stocking it up through the week he reported "I think they have those blue purple flower things that you want". Lucky I speak Hubby.

So after swimming lessons this morning a very tired little miss cute and I headed to the nursery and a wonderful display of pink, blue and lavender hydrangea's greeted us.  These are the ones we brought home.

After a little digging, worm watching and watering, we went from a garden with one pink test hydrangea in a pot - from my Gram's neighbour.  I left it here in the garden to see how it would do for about a year. To a garden with the beginnings of a hydrangea hedge.

It's not the most dramatic change you've ever seen, but it makes my heart sing.  Sure, it'll look a bazillion times better when we pull out the banksia and add in the last hydrangea, take their tags off, build a structure to hide the bins, put in a gate on the side of the house for the climbing rose around the corner there to make a home and of course mow the lawns.  But it's a start.

Job 1 of about 150 garden jobs done!