Search Results for: blog gifts from the garden

Cute Handmade Mother’s Day Gifts (Inexpensive, Too!)

Handmade gifts, especially when they mark milestones in your child’s life can be lovely. You’ll find yourself years from now looking at them and remembering back to earlier times. I have a small collection of these gifts, and they always make me smile. For example, there is the wax cast of my first-born’s hand when he was only two. We were at a festival, and the vendor didn’t want to cast anyone under the age of four because children that age tend not to hold still. We insisted and said we would take it, no matter how it came out. … Continue reading →

Easiest Plants For A Child’s Garden

Oats, peas, beans, and barley might grow, but what will thrive in a child’s garden? It’s a little depressing to find wilting and slug-munched plants, especially if you’re a child who’s been excited to eat from your very own garden. If you’re poring through seed catalogues like I am, think about the kid-friendly prospects inside. Peas and beans are great small space container crops. One added benefit of container crops is that they’re not always as prone to predators of the slimy persuasion. While slugs and snails can reach your containers, it might be easier to eat the goodies in … Continue reading →

Gifts from the Garden- Part 2

Most people love fresh herbs. Why not give a pot of fresh herbs to someone this Christmas? Of course if you can take a piece of an established plants but one that has roots is even better. You might want to give a selection of herbs like mint, parsley, chives, etc. Basil, sage, thyme, tarragon, and rosemary are other herbs you might want to consider including in your gift. Parsley and mint are great herbs. We have both growing. Both are from rooted plants from our previous house. The parsley is right near our back door on the back patio … Continue reading →

Gifts from the Garden

In the food blog I looked at the idea of handmade Christmas gifts, but what about some Christmas gifts from your garden? If you started off cuttings now, it gives them a few weeks to get established. We have three huge hanging baskets near our back door filled with the most beautiful plant that flower in mauve flowers rather like a violet only larger and they flower all year round in the shade. They look brilliant. They all started from one little cutting from a friend that grew to be enough for one hanging basket. We then took cuttings from … Continue reading →

Christmas Gifts for Gardeners

Dig in! It’s time to find Christmas gifts for the special gardeners in your life. But it’s getting close to winter, and in some places there is already snow on the ground. Things seem not quite so gardener-friendly. What can you get a garden-lover for Christmas? Books are always a hit. Find a book on landscaping with the plants that are native to your area, or look for a book that focuses on a particular love of your gardener friend. Whether it’s orchids or hostas, clematis or fruit trees, there are so many books written on specific plants that you’re … Continue reading →

Solutions For Getting Gifts You Like From Your Spouse.

Yesterday we looked at the problems surrounding gifts and your spouse and how sometimes it can end up so wrong. Here are some simple solutions to getting gifts you like from your spouse. When shopping point out and admire things in the shops that you would like or in the catalogues mark things that you would like and leave it lying somewhere your spouse will see it. Or just give it to them and say, ‘if you’d like some ideas.’ Provide a suggestion list of things you would like complete with the name of the store where they can be … Continue reading →

Planning a Magical Garden Space for Your Preschooler

As soon as January rolls around, I realize that March is not far away. In our temperate rainforest climate, March is the time when people really begin to think about getting out into the garden. We’re not planting much yet, but we’re making big plans. One of my goals for my small garden space is to make it a magical play space for my daughter. The other goal is to make it an outstanding organic vegetable garden. In past years, I have done modestly well at both, and I am aiming to improve over the next few years. How can … Continue reading →

Inexpensive Holiday Gifts: Time

One of the most frugal and heartfelt gifts for the season is the gift of time. Giving of your time and talents is a sure way to make someone’s Christmas merry, even if you are cash poor this year. Gifts of time are appropriate not only for family, but for friends, co-workers and associates as well. The secret is to come up with the right gift for the right person. Just as you would pick out the perfect gift from the store, picking out the perfect gift of time takes some thought. For example, let us say you have two … Continue reading →

Frugal Housewarming Gifts

Whether you have a brand new neighbor or good friends who are moving to a new place, you can provide a wonderful and special housewarming gift that won’t break the budget. Here are some ideas. Fresh from the garden Why not take a look at your garden and divide some of your perennials? New plants and flowers might just be the thing to provide a nice welcome and give the new owners something special that they can plant right away. You can also offer to help plant, as part of the gift. Picture perfect Find a special picture of the … Continue reading →

Romance in the Garden

Do you have a garden? Have you thought of your garden as a place of romance? As any of you who are regular readers of my blogs will know I am not a gardener. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the garden. I enjoy the benefits of tasty vegetables Mick grows. His fresh tomatoes are amazing – far tastier than those in shops. And I’m eagerly waiting for the first passion fruit, my absolutely favorite fruit, to ripen. Knowing what a fan I am Mick has planted several along the back fence and three more along a trellis plus one … Continue reading →