Everything to do with your shak.
A solar light with a difference, the Sun Jar is an eco- friendly light from designer Tobias Wong.
At first look, you may think it is a jam jar but on closer inspection you see that it is jammed full of solar cells, batteries
and LED’s instead. The Sun Jar absorbs the sunlight all day and shares it with you at night.
Good looking, practical and environmentally friendly, the Sun Jar gives you light and style all in one. Perfect for those summer nights in your backyard.
I am continuing today exploring my gardening as process theme. As I launch into my planning for the new garden, I am giving some thought to the gardens of my past and, in particular, to the mistakes that I have made; for it is through our mistakes that we learn.
In fact, do not think about the garden experiences that did not work out as mistakes, consider them instead a lesson on the gardening learning curve. Planning is an important part of gardening but you need to leave room to experiment and to have fun.
So when something does not workout it is not a mistake but an experiment. If you want, keep a record of your experiments so that you do not repeat them.
My greatest learning experience happened about six years ago when I rushed the season and put in seeds way too early. Nothing came up, I caught this in time to replant the spot but discovered that paying attention to the last frost date is not a suggestion.
How about you what gardening learning experiences have you had?
new garden spot
It is seasons like this one when my understanding of gardening, as an ongoing process, is comforting. I am starting a new garden bed this year and have not made any hard decisions on what to plant. This was bothering me until I stopped by the Greengirls blog and read The Inefficent Gardener. It is always good to know you have company.
The other day, as we were wandering around one of the local garden centres, trying to make some decisions, I spotted the first hummingbird of the season. I used to sit on my balcony and watch them visit the deep red glads that I had planted there. Hummingbirds are fascinating and have a serious attitude. On the balcony they used to hover within three feet of me and often seemed to be saying, hey, you, what are you doing in my space.
If you are looking for design inspiration stop by the Chelsea Flower Show site. There are some wonderful gardens on view and intriguing ideas.
The Chidren’s Society’s Garden is called Lust for Life.
This Iggy Pop song influenced the designer who has created a place for urban office workers.
The garden is for urban office workers to rest in and rejuvenate during
their breaks. The combination of clean-cut spaces, pure use of
materials, and the invigorating character of the water and colour
scheme aim to create gentle cross-sensory stimulation for weary office
staff.
I took the first step I put my six Scotia tomato plants out back late yesterday afternoon. They are about eight inches tall and still in the cell pack that they came in. This is the first year that I have not started my tomatoes from seed.
I am using my Weather Eye to keep informed about frost warnings and other severe weather. We live on the edge of town , along the River, and it is colder here than just three blocks away. So we are not frost free for another ten days or so.
Then I’ll transplant them to a white planter, add some basil and watch them grow. They are getting full sun, all I will need to do is water.
Does your backyard need a change but you can’t quite grasp what to do? To help you decide what you want in an outdoor room Canadian Tire has an outdoor room planner.
You can choose from pre-built plans or design your own. Add features and move things around. When you are satisfied, print out your plan and take it to the store with you.
The garden is where Nature and Civilization meet. The gardener
maintains the balance between the two so that all who visit, including the
birds, bees, and butterflies can benefit.
The garden is also a place to relax and unwind; an outdoor room where you can
put your feet up and lose yourself in the beauty around you.
One of the most effective ways to make sure your garden retreat does not become
overrun and require considerable work on your part to repair, is what I refer
to as the gardener’s footstep.
Once or twice a week, take a stroll around your garden. Look at what is happening
there. This is not the time to deadhead or weed, just simply take in the
sights, sounds and smells.
If you take this stroll you will begin to notice when something is out of whack,
an errant weed here, a strange bug there. This way you can intervene before there
is a problem
So take the time and smell the roses, after all isn’t that why you planted them?
Father’s Day is not far away. The Garden Supermart has a great gift for that do-it-yourself Dad.
Algreen’s folding preformed pond kits give your yard that value-added water feature, make a great gift and allow Dad to do-it-himself. The preformed pond kits come complete with a pond shell,
watercourse, pump and all necessary accessories and instructions to
create a quick and easy backyard pond!
What’s more, the preformed ponds
have been redesigned to be extremely easy to unfold. Because of the
flexibility offered by the rubber component, and the rigidity offered
by the plastic component, the ponds are also much more resistant to
breakage and wear.
The preformed pond kits start as low as $119.99! And for a limited time, they will even throw in a FREE SuperGlo underwater light with a transformer.
Africa54 is hosting a digital photo exhibition that you may find interesting.
As our effort to raise funds for villages featured in our Projects page we are now announcing the start of a digital photo exhibit under the theme:
The categories are: Food, Water, Your Backyard, Your Neighbourhood. There is no charge to submit your photograph. Entires can be emailed to africa54@gmail.com.
Please put the photo category in the Subject line of your email.
