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!
SaveSaveSaveSave

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
SaveSave

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