Our Fairy Garden

Well our May long weekend has been nothing short of WET!  I'm so glad that I planted all of my flowers before this rain.  The only thing we had left to make was our fairy garden for this year.
Ari was a little hesitant to choose plants himself this year, so I shopped at the greenhouse myself for our plants.  I also found a new fairy house and a tiny bridge for our garden, as most of the DIY accessories I made last year fell apart over the course of the summer.

Because of the rain we had to make our garden on the kitchen floor -- Ari could not wait for a nicer day to plant it.  He helped me decide where to put all the plants, and then he did all of the decorating himself.  I think he did a wonderful job!  He is very proud of his work and thinks the fairy garden is the best thing.

Now to find the perfect spot in the backyard for our fairies to live!

Update: Our fairy garden is now tucked away in a shady spot outside.  We also found a small tractor and some birds to add to our garden while on our walk downtown today!

Mother's Day Weekend

I was a bit spoiled this past weekend for Mother's Day.  I was given a full Saturday off from the kids from grandparents, and then on Sunday my hubby kept them entertained!  I was able to get out and buy all of my plants and pot them all!  I do realize it's a bit early, but, they are all in pots so if there is frost warning I can bring them inside :)

It was such a great way to spend a weekend, and the weather has been outrageously beautiful.  We're supposed to get a lot of rain this week, so I'm glad it's all done before that happens.  Here's a peek at what I did...

 Love all the pops of colour around our garden shed!

'Fireworks' fountain grass and mixed impatiens in my patio planters

New garden artwork hanging from the cherry tree - moon & stars and a new teapot birdhouse, both made by local artist Linda Rempel of Dogtown

I always love a Mandevilla vine beside the back door

Ari was my busy helper with potting plants.  He even chose to stay home and plant flowers with me rather than go on a bike ride with his dad.  My kind of people!  Here we're working on our window boxes - impatiens and vinca vines.

This year I was on a much tighter garden budget than I usually am, so I'm pleased that everything still looks so great, even though I spent a lot less money!  I saved by shopping at Vanderveen's Greenhouse and by buying a lot of one kind of flower - impatiens - as I could get a flat of them for $14.50 (36 plants).  I also saved by planting almost all of my square foot kitchen/cutting garden by seed instead of buying plants.  Looking forward to watching everything grow!
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28 Day Indoor Garden - Day 28!

Well 28 days just flew by and we're at the end of our growing challenge set out by Sage Garden Greenhouse.  From the three varieties of seeds that I grew I would say that I had a 50% success rate.

The mesclun mix looks the best of the three seeds I grew.  We'll make a tasty salad with these greens one night!

My arugula seeds are still at a very 'micro-green' stage.  I'll give them a bit more time to grow before harvesting these ones.

My radishes looked promising, but after I pulled a few of the bigger sprouts there was a whole lot of nothing growing under the soil.  Big fail. I have a lot of seed left of this one, so I'll sow some in my kitchen garden this spring and hope for better results.

This little project was fun for Ari and I to take care of this past month...and I think it will be a fantastic project to do next year with my students in the classroom.  I think Ari will be happy to have his reading table back when I clean up the containers.  Now to work on planning my outdoor garden!
#28dayindoorgarden
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28 Day Indoor Garden - Day 21

We're two thirds through February and the 28 day indoor garden challenge!  My seedlings are still looking good and growing bigger.  I continue to rotate the containers every few days when I notice the plants are leaning into the light.  Ari has been a great watering helper!  Hopefully in another week or so we will be eating some of the fruits of our labour.
Top photo taken on day 16, second photo taken today on day 21. #28dayindoorgarden

28 Day Indoor Garden - Day 15

We are halfway through February and the 28 day indoor garden challenge!  Our seeds have really been growing, but still look more like seedlings than plants.  I'm sure they will really change looks over the next seven days...especially with all the sunshine in the forecast.  The plants keep growing toward the window, so I am rotating the containers every couple of days to try to keep them balanced.  Ari loves helping water the plants and keeping watch over their progress.  It's been a fun project!
#28dayindoorgarden

28 Day Indoor Garden - Day 7

The first seven days of our 28 day indoor garden have been great!  Our seeds have germinated and are growing more everyday.  The kids have been fascinated with our little garden, so I love that it's been a fun educational experience for them too.  Here are a few progress photos from the first seven days:

Day 3 - Ari and I had a talk and agreed to move the garden to his little table in our sunny bay window.  He promised to not play in the dirt.  He loves looking at the garden frequently to see how it has changed.  Here he told me, "Mom, the seeds are getting big like Maris!  I love them!!"  He is my little garden helper!

 Day 5 - Getting bigger!  I rotated the containers on the table.

Day 7, today.  They look very healthy and happy so far!  Each container has an area with no germination, so maybe I missed spots when I was sprinkling the seeds?

This challenge, sponsored by Sage Garden Greenhouse, has been a fun diversion from the cold winter.  I'm glad that we found out about it!  I will post another progress report next week.
#28dayindoorgarden
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28 Day Indoor Garden Challenge - Day 1

Today is February 1st, and along with changing the page of my calendar, it is the first day of Sage Garden Greenhouse's 28 Day Indoor Garden Challenge!

I registered for this event through Sage Garden's website and received my free Mesclun Mix seed package.  I also bought a Valentine's Day Radish mix and a pack of arugula.  When I decided to do this challenge I started keeping some good sized plastic take out containers with lids to use for planting.  I used a nail to punch in some drainage holes, and the lids are perfect saucers to catch extra water!

I had just enough potting soil mix leftover from summer to fill all of my containers and plant my seeds.

I put my containers on top of a cabinet that is next to a sunny window.  I wish I could have put them on a table right in front of the window, but then they would have been in reach of Ari, whose most favourite pastime these days is digging with dirt.  So, I hope that they will still get enough sunshine where they are.  I look forward to sharing weekly progress of my 28-day indoor garden with you, and, hopefully, be eating some of the produce by the end of the month!
#28dayindoorgarden

The 28 Day Indoor Garden Challenge

This morning, as I sipped my cup of coffee and read the news, I came across this article that was promoting the 28 day indoor garden challenge sponsored by Sage Garden Greenhouse.  The idea is to grow your own organic food within 28 days, right in your own house.  Of course, I was immediately drawn to the whole thing and promptly signed up.  Sage Garden will even send you a free pack of organic seeds (mesclun greens or red salad mix) to get you started (you do have to pay $1 to cover postage if you're outside of Winnipeg).  Along with my free mesclun greens, I also chose a pack of arugula and a Valentine's Day radish mix to grow during the challenge.  I look forward to getting it all set up and sharing my progress here on the blog.  Fingers crossed that Ari's bulldozer won't find the garden!

You can register for the challenge and get your free pack of organic seeds here!
Top photo from CBC article

Make it Monday: Monogram House Planter

Perhaps an ambitious project, but this DIY monogram planter from Remodelaholic came across my Bloglovin' feed this weekend and caught my attention.  This planter would make a fun statement piece on a house, or even on a garden shed or fence.  The impatiens are a colourful choice for the planter, although I could see succulents being a showstopper if you live in the right growing zone!

The full tutorial to build your own letter planter can be found at Remodelaholic.

The June Backyard

My planting and potting is complete for this year and things have settled into place with some nice rains.  It was such a beautiful morning yesterday -- the perfect time to take a few photos of the flowers around my backyard.  You'll notice a few more yellow flowers in my pots...thanks to Ari's request for more of that colour.  I love my little perennial garden under the trees, pictured above, with the water fountain and pots with a bit of colour to punch up the area.

I filled my large containers that flank the hot tub patio with purple fountain grass, trailing bamboo grass, purple nemesia and purple verbena.  They already look so full!

The hanging basket that I can see from my kitchen window has a mix of purple and yellow flowers: verbena, African daisy, petunia, double million bells and more trailing bamboo grass.

 

Ari is always ready to help when it's time to water the plants.

And, of course, my always favourite pot of bright begonias by the garden shed.  I added a small owl this year as a little garden whimsy for the boy.  He has also carved out a 'secret' hiding spot in the shrubs nearby -- I love his little imagination!

Greenhouse Shopping

It's May Long Weekend!  I've spent the last two days visiting multiple greenhouses and purchasing all the flowers on my list -- it's been a blast!  The weather is warm enough to plant and pot, so I am looking forward to getting my hands dirty this weekend.  I spread my shopping over three greenhouses, but these photos were all taken at Shelmerdine Garden Center - a beautiful greenhouse to visit in Headingly, MB.

 
I had purchased mainly purple flowers for my pots this year, and my son requested that I buy "more yellow flowers" before I headed out to Shelmerdine's.  I thought this was quite a cute demand, so I obliged and filled my cart with a variety of yellow to add to the yard...

I love how his little personality and opinions are forming...plus he has been very interested in helping with the garden and potting.  He is a little outdoorsman!

Fairy Gardening 101

I am very excited about the next few weeks.  Why?  Because I am teaching a mini exploratory course on fairy gardening to students at my school!  The students will be creating their own fairy gardens over five sessions to take home at the end.  How fun!

To prepare for this course I have been searching and browsing ideas on Pinterest.  It seems as though you are only limited by your imagination with fairy gardening.  The ideas are endless, and a little creative thought goes a long way.

I had a ton of fun putting together my own fairy garden as an example to show the students...

They were quite impressed!  I used an assortment of succulents, moss, grass and lantana to fill my pot.  The willow 'fence' and butterfly are from the dollar store.  I purchased the wheelbarrow and mushroom from the garden center's fairy garden supplies, but I built the twig chair and the house myself. 

The house was the most exciting part to design.  I used a recycled tea container and an old funnel to build my house.  Artificial moss, twigs collected from the backyard and a whole lot of hot glue brought my idea to life.  All together, the garden looks like a very inviting place for fairies to come and stay.

I look forward to seeing what the students (Grades 3-5) will come up with for their own gardens!

Shady Corner Revisited

I love this combo!

Balcony Gardens

For those with a little less outdoor space than desired - a balcony can still be enough for a show stopping garden!  Check out these six stunning balcony garden ideas from Craftsy, including this cute little windowsill garden, above. 

Image via Craftsy.

In the Garden: Shady Corner

The shady backyard corner by our garden shed is once again filled with a bit of colour.  My vintage mint folding chair holds a big pot of yellow begonias and a blue vintage watering can sits beside with hot pink New Guinea impatiens and a blackie sweet potato vine.  Love!

A Few More Pots

Last week I took a day trip to Shelmerdine Garden Centre with Ari (who, by the way, was the cutest little shopper there) to buy the rest of my plants for my pots.  I looove going to this greenhouse, plus they are the only place I can find trailing bamboo grass -- one of my favourite pot fillers!

Remember when I was torn about colour themes?  Well, I ended up going with TWO different themes - one for the back patio and another for the front of the house.  They're totally separate anyway, so why not?

I went with a purple and yellow theme for the patio area.  My two large pots are filled with: purple fountain grass, trailing bamboo grass, trailing purple lantana, purple nemesia and yellow African daisies.  

The hanging basket has bamboo grass, yellow African daisy, purple verbena, purple petunia and silver falls dichondria.

Also, check out the fresh layer of mulch! 

The front of the house has a pink/salmon/burgundy theme.  The window boxes and pot by the front door are filled with: purple fountain grass, pink geraniums, salmon petunias, light pink impatiens, creeping charlie vining plant, and pink/green coleus.

All we have left to plant is the vegetable garden, although the lettuce seeds have already sprouted.

And We Begin

The weather is finally looking like it will stay above freezing at night, so Ari and I headed to the greenhouse to begin our shopping!  We bought only a few plants to make some pots for now; with this little guy I will have to work in small batches.  He was eager to help choose plants and get his hands dirty!  How fun and exciting for him and me!

Here's what we planted so far:

Clockwise from top left: begonias, fern and impatiens; New Guinea impatiens and sweet potato vine; Mandevilla vine and impatiens; another New Guinea impatiens and sweet potato vine.