Happy Christmas

Have a wreath-y Christmas everyone...

and a Happy gardening New Year.

Xx

Christmas is coming!

 There's nothing like a load of greenery and a bit of sparkle in a wreath on your front door to start off the Christmas feeling and our dose was larger than normal this year as we at Daisy held our first wreath making party.

We invited ten lovely ladies with varying experience of wreath making to test our ability to host and guide them to the successful creation of wreaths for their front doors.

(The words guinea pig comes to mind - poor souls!)

Preparation began in the garden, pruning and cutting back, choosing as wide a variety of greenery leaf size, texture and colours. There's not much left in my garden now, but then there was far too much in my garden to start with!!

 Ivy - flowers and tendrils, Rosemary for fragrance and Euonymus for variegation.

I never realised I had four types of Euonymus - all different shades, and with dried Hydrangea heads and Hypericum berries, bits of Fir, Bay and Laurel, all were bucketed up and transported.

Joined by reddish leaves of Trachelospermum, the silvery leaves of Sage, and some pale, pale Choisia, we added some fake frosty berries in red and white, baubles and sprayed Hydrangeas (we sprayed them silver, white and gold and the ones that worked best were the ones that weren't too well sprayed!) we were almost sorted for wreath contents...

apart from the Roses.

Then we set up the work space...

(with a fantastic view over Truro)

We provided everyone with an oasis ring mounted on a plastic base, which we bound with florist tape for stability. We provided florist wire and wirecutters and asked all our lovely ladies to bring secateurs and a bit of their own greenery...

and we printed out some of the lovely pictures from our Pinterest board as inspiration.

 With mulled wine (which had to be tested!), spiced apple juice and some mince pies and we were ready to go!

As our guests arrived the festive chatter began...

 and after a brief introduction and demonstration from Jayne we were off!

There was leafy pandemonium...

and much industrious snipping and arranging...

and mutual assistance... 

to achieve a table full of fantastic results!

Here is a selection of finished wreaths...

the only reason I haven't shared all of them is that my photography of some of them was very shaky!

They were all fantastic and so different.

Justine was first to finish and be awarded her mulled wine and mince pie, She also managed to get her wreath, which she did as a table centre, home on a bicycle unscathed!

Then all there was left to do was tidying up and the first Daisy event was over!

It was all a huge success and so lovely to see everyone leave with their wreaths, happy with their efforts. It felt so good to have had some small part in their creation (although we will be taking all the credit for each and every one of your wreaths from now on).

Thank you so much ladies, we couldn't have wished for better guinea pigs and your support and encouragement mean so much to the Daisy duo.

We also managed to raise almost £100 for the Aleppo appeal so thank you for that too.

Next year we hope to do it all again, but we'll need a bigger table so you don't end up pulling bits out of each others wreaths again!

The first Daisy event

On Wednesday this week we at Daisy are holding our first event - a wreath making afternoon. In preparation we have been collecting pine cones, amassing fake berries, sourcing wreath bases and planning refreshments. As part of the preparation I have been creating a Pinterest board of Christmas wreaths for our guests to use as inspiration, scouring the internet for the loveliest, and most original creations. Some of them are so beautiful I thought I would share the board with you.

Pinterest board link - Enjoy!

I'll be sharing more about our event later in the week - but now I have to go and cut greenery and needless to say it's raining!

A friend's allotment wreath from last year, great use of sprouts!.

Christmas lists

As usual in the run up to Christmas when I'm looking for gifts for a long list of people, I do nothing but find garden related things that I would like!  I thought I would share some of them in case you have more garden-y friends and family than I do (and then some for when I want to treat myself!).

1. Arch

Image copyright Agriframes

I would really like an arch for over my back door. It is not a pretty door or a particularly pretty wall, so to create some sort of focal point would be a huge improvement (I'm working on a new door but that is a longer term plan). I'd like a plain round arch like this one at Agriframes, but I can't say I'm keen on their official door arches or porticos. I think I will get a plain arch and plant it in 2 tubs, and so...

2. Tubs

Image copyright Garden Trading

For my arch to go into and the climbers (they're for a different list!) to grow in.
These are nice from GardenTrading, but I also like the zinc tub style if only I can find them in the right size!

I'd also like anything from Violet Grey, doesn't matter what, I'll redesign my garden to fit whatever is - just saying.


2. Pond in a pot

Image copyright Primrose.co.uk

I have long wanted some sort of pond in my garden but living on a steep hill with a sloping garden it is rather challenging. I came across this idea whilst Googling something else and would quite like to try one out. Not that you couldn't put one together yourself easily enough, then you could choose exactly your pot style and plants - perhaps I'll just steal their idea!


3. Bird feeders and houses

Image copyright Green&Blue

Green&Blue do stunning feeders and houses for the contemporary bird!
They are a beautifully designed, interesting alternative to the rustic or the wire-y versions.
And now they do bee hotels too!

4. Gardening apron

Image copyright Helen Round

I love this one by Helen Round, pure linen and hand printed with lots of handy pockets. She also does lovely tea towels and prints.

5. Cosy socks

These are my Seasalt Cabin Socks, leafily knitted and fluffily lined they are perfect for snuggling on the sofa or inside your boots in the garden - cosy toes are essential for happy gardening! Seasalt also do pretty floral socks inspired by Cornish Gardens, and fluffy long socks for even chillier activities.

6. Mugs, calendar and cards

Images copyright Alison Bick Design

Mugs are always essential to the gardener - gardening without tea or coffee is unthinkable! These are gorgeous from Alison Bick Design. I particularly like her range using Coastal Garden designs, or her Cornish Hedgerow designs and you can get prints, cards and a calendar too.

7. Gardens Illustrated

Inspirational and great with tea (or coffee) when the weather has driven you indoors.

I have subscription to this and have had for 5 years or so and I'm so grateful for it.

Subscribe here.

8. Prints

Images copyright Humblecottage Designs

I came across Humblecottage Designs last weekend and I loved the colours of these prints (and they had mugs with the same design on, although they don't have those on the website.) Perfect for gazing at when the garden is not looking as it should (from around Nov until about May in my case!)

I apologise if you were hoping for lots of lovely plants but that is a whole separate list which will need a lot of editing down to fit in a single post! Also many plants look pretty grim at this time of year and it can be hard to tell if the plant is a good one, so not an ideal time to buy unless it's a bare root stock. 

So now is the time for planning the plant wish list, with a beautiful mug of tea, a pile of Gardens Illustrated, in a room decorated with lovely inspirational prints - I love gardening.

Winter has hit...

Even in sub-tropical Cornwall!

Cheery bird is frosted and guarding his solid pool...

Leaves are rimed and furred...

and the dried fallen leaves and lawn become as gorgeous as the the more exotic Cotinus Purple Haze whose leaves will now drop quickly.

But have I lost my Echium Pininana?

How could I forget it, I've nursed it through one winter in it's slow progress to the 10 foot spire of flowers I'm aiming for next year, and then I forget to cover it at the first sign of frost. 

Well, I shall cover it once the frost has cleared today and keep my fingers crossed, but I'm a bit gloomy. I'll keep you informed. 

:-(

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Autumn ramblings on a stormy weekend

At the end of October we had a Sunday outing to Porth Reservoir. Images were needed for a college project on water and the coast had been covered, inland water was necessary.

We arrived mid afternoon on a beautiful sunny day and wandered around the lake passing the fishing stances placed regularly around the edge. Porth is big on fishing but also has 2 bird hides so its quite big on birds too. It was blissfully peaceful and slow and as the sun sank the colours and light were quite stunning.

The low sun reflected off the ruffled surface of the water...

heightened the colours, making them zing out...

and showed up the wildlife.

The browns, rusts and golds all around us glowed in the late afternoon warmth...

The path was bordered by bracken on one side and reeds on the other and various seed heads swayed in the light breeze.

Even the leaves underfoot were highlighted by the glancing rays.

As the sun disappeared the clouds turned rosy...

and the sky began to streak...

 everything was silhouetted against the beautiful sky and reflections.

Happy autumn walkers.