Art for Heart's Sake

Winter is Almost Here!

Hi honeys, well winter is almost here - officially this Friday, in fact.  We woke to 0.4 degrees C this morning so needless to say it was a little chilly changing Ted's (geriatric duck in a pen) water this morning.  I must invest in a pair of warm, waterproof gloves I fear - my fingertips almost froze off.

It was wonderful to see our first real frost for this year this morning.  There was a slight frost on Saturday morning but this time parts of my kitchen garden were white.. lovely!  It does mean it's harder to get vegetable seedlings planted though.  At this time of year mounding the soil up before planting and then providing some cover really is the only option in the vegetable garden.  Lots of leafy greens can be planted in containers and put somewhere warm and sheltered too.

I am SO lucky to have a horticultural student helping me for a few hours each week at the moment.  Sina truly is a godsend - a very hard worker and great company.  She's here as part of her course, unpaid work experience and I honestly am so grateful.  We are managing to get some things done that I simply haven't had time for with lots more to come.  

I worked pretty hard in the kitchen garden on Saturday and the main perennial garden on Sunday which was great!  My right knee is aching at the moment but I think a lot of that is due to the colder weather.  I'm going to start wearing leg warmers to the ballet studio to help keep my knees more warm.  I don't have ones that go over my knee but the ones I have are a bit big so they should fit over my knees really easily!  I'll try it tomorrow night.  

I'd better get back to work.  Smiles..

Winter is Almost Here!

Hi honeys, well winter is almost here - officially this Friday, in fact.  We woke to 0.4 degrees C this morning so needless to say it was a little chilly changing Ted's (geriatric duck in a pen) water this morning.  I must invest in a pair of warm, waterproof gloves I fear - my fingertips almost froze off.

It was wonderful to see our first real frost for this year this morning.  There was a slight frost on Saturday morning but this time parts of my kitchen garden were white.. lovely!  It does mean it's harder to get vegetable seedlings planted though.  At this time of year mounding the soil up before planting and then providing some cover really is the only option in the vegetable garden.  Lots of leafy greens can be planted in containers and put somewhere warm and sheltered too.

I am SO lucky to have a horticultural student helping me for a few hours each week at the moment.  Sina truly is a godsend - a very hard worker and great company.  She's here as part of her course, unpaid work experience and I honestly am so grateful.  We are managing to get some things done that I simply haven't had time for with lots more to come.  

I worked pretty hard in the kitchen garden on Saturday and the main perennial garden on Sunday which was great!  My right knee is aching at the moment but I think a lot of that is due to the colder weather.  I'm going to start wearing leg warmers to the ballet studio to help keep my knees more warm.  I don't have ones that go over my knee but the ones I have are a bit big so they should fit over my knees really easily!  I'll try it tomorrow night.  

I'd better get back to work.  Smiles..

Exciting Times!

Hi honeys, it's been a busy few days as usual.  It's just sinking in that I'm no longer growing seedlings wholesale, just for my plant stand so now I have plenty of time to concentrate on my perennials.  Having said that my to-do list is pages long in terms of propagating!  Crikey!!

I packed up 6 orders yesterday including one order that took up two banana boxes, going to a landscaper in Auckland!  Next week I'm sending four banana boxes to a landscaper in Central Otago which is VERY exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time.  I just hope all the boxes arrive safely!  That's the hardest part about sending my treasures away - waiting to hear they have arrived safely and in good condition.  

This morning I've pricked out some very precious Primula auricula seedlings grown from French seed.  The seedlings are teensy and I have to handle them extremely delicately.  I hold my breath when I'm firming the potting mix around their precious roots because the tiny seedling tends to wobble around a lot.

A few weeks ago a student doing a horticultural certificate contacted me re coming to work alongside me (unpaid) a few hours a week for a few weeks.  I was so thrilled because not only will it help me catch up with a lot of propagating but I'm also excited about sharing my passion for perennials and other plants.  She came for the first time yesterday and it was fun and productive at the same time!  We've decided on a few hours Mondays and Wednesdays so that's wonderful.

Well I'd better get back to my potting up.  Smiles..

I've Been Away .. Then...

Hi honeys, my silence was due to being up in New Plymouth for a few days to visit my gorgeous Mum.  When I got back last Tuesday I had one day to get organised before my dear friend arrived for 5 nights!  

It was so lovely to see Margaret and she helped a lot by sorting out the fairly major drainage problem due to our new paved area.  The rain was washing down into one spot creating a pool of water on my garden that wasn't draining away.  Earlier we dug a short, fairly shallow ditch but I soon realised that wasn't going to be enough.  John dug a sump too but that just filled with water and didn't drain - creating a perfect ''puddling'' area for the ducks, ugh!  Margaret and I dug a 10 metre long ditch around 8 inches deep and then we lined it with weedcloth (not plastic weedmat) and 2/3 filled it with large rocky gravel.  We tucked the cloth back over and put the turf back on.  Margaret also dug an area around the sump and angled it so it would drain down the ditch.  We held our breath while we ran the hose into the area where the sump was and were so happy when we saw the water coming out at the far end of the drainage area down the hill beside the north raised beds.  I still have to finish covering the weedcloth at that end but I'm going to wait until Spring when I can sow grass seed.  There isn't much point in doing it now because soil temps are cooling off.

I had a wonderful time seeing Mum too.  She is such a treasure and still manages to have laugh a lot even though she's fed up with being alive.  At almost 91 she has failing eyesight and that's particularly hard because she's always loved to read.  Audio books are available but they are on CD and don't have ''chapters'' which means if Mum has to stop it at all she has to listen from the beginning again!  Fat lot of use that is!

Well I'd better get on with my work.  So much to catch up on! Smiles..

Dicky Knees!

Hi honeys, well this week I've had slightly ''dicky'' knees to coin a phrase.  I think one of the exercises on Friday twisted my knees into an odd position and now they are tweaking every so often!  It's not too bad just very annoying especially when I plie in ballet class!  Mind you my knees are 56 years old so it's not surprising.  I was doing an exercise with 7-18 year olds, giggle!

I've been busy potting up perennials this week and I also did a big flower seed order too.  I'm taking a business trip this pm to meet with the seed company and will be back early next week.  I love growing perennials from seed so much!  I will be adding so many varieties to my website in the coming months that it's a bit mind-boggling.  Where on earth am I going to put them all once they are in their pots??!!!  

We are planning to build a decking area off the retaining wall beside my tunnel house and this will become a display area for my sun-loving perennials.  This will free up space up on the roundabout behind the studio for plants that have been ordered.  It will take time but I'm hoping to have the decking done by Spring or at least late Spring.  John is really good at doing that.

Well I'd better go and finish packing for my trip.  More in a few days.  Smiles..