Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Simple Pleasures (Gathering Leaves)
I have to say that I really enjoyed the hour spent gathering leaves. Mother Nature had blown them into huge banks against the fence, and the rain had made them a bit slippery, so I thought it was time to do something about it.
Mr Lella is not really the gardening sort so I don't worry if he doesn't offer to do it. If he did, I think I might pull up a deck chair and watch :)
My task was made easier with these fabulous leaf grabbers; huge yellow plastic mittens which pick up a bucketful of leaves which each scoop. Costing £7.99, they saved me a lot of time.
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| Lella Loves... Sundays |
Mr Lella is not really the gardening sort so I don't worry if he doesn't offer to do it. If he did, I think I might pull up a deck chair and watch :)
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| Lella Loves... Sundays |
My task was made easier with these fabulous leaf grabbers; huge yellow plastic mittens which pick up a bucketful of leaves which each scoop. Costing £7.99, they saved me a lot of time.
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| Lella Loves... Sundays |
It is very satisfying to see my recycling bin filled to the brim.
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| Lella Loves... Sundays |
If you love your garden and you have the space, place all your wet leaves into black bin liners and pile them up, out of sight until next summertime. What you will have, instead of soggy leaves, is the most amazing composted leaf mould - also called soil! It is super-rich in nutrients and organic matter and it will go far if you add potting compost and some sand to create your own planting mixture.
In my photo, that pile of leaves has already started to decompose. The black stuff you can see is homemade compost, made in-situ as I had not gathered leaves from this section of path for 6 months.
Oooh... and whilst I was out in the garden, I noticed all the daffodils are pushing up. Their stem growth is looking good and I hope yours are too.
Lella xx
http://lellalovescreativity.blogspot.com
Lella xx
Friday, 27 January 2012
Silk Flowers (Red Tulips)
Hello there and welcome to another floral Friday. Today's display is one of my favourites but I might have said that about another display as I am obsessed with arranging silk flowers.
The arrangement below has 40 silk red tulips and 24 hypericum stems with bright red berries to match the frilly tulips.
The arrangement below has 40 silk red tulips and 24 hypericum stems with bright red berries to match the frilly tulips.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
I have arranged my tulips and hypericum in a heavy glazed planter simply because I like the drippy, two-tone glazes used on Japanese garden pots.
Red tulips are fabulous and if you are not a silk flower fan, you can buy fresh in most supermarkets. I saw a bunch of 7 red tulips last week for £4. Change the water and trim the stems by half an inch every day and your fresh flowers will last a week.
Red tulips are fabulous and if you are not a silk flower fan, you can buy fresh in most supermarkets. I saw a bunch of 7 red tulips last week for £4. Change the water and trim the stems by half an inch every day and your fresh flowers will last a week.
However, if you wanted to create a similar display to mine, using all everlasting plants, you will need:
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
40 silk Parrot tulips
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
24 Hypericum stems
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
A frost-proof garden pot is a good investment as they won't topple and you can always use them in the garden if you get bored with your display.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
Choose a garden planter, one which is an inch thick and glazed, if you like a heavy pot.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
Place all your stems together and trim the stems if needed. Some fake flowers come with a 30 inch stem so cut them back so they are one and a half times the height of your chosen planter.
*Tip: If your pot is 12 inches tall, trim your 30 inch stems to 18-24 inches. It is good to leave a few tall ones.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
Start your arrangement by adding one berry stem and then two tulips.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
Keep on building your display and just remember the one for you, two for me saying. Add one hypericum stem per two tulips and keep on layering.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
I have used hypericum berries to add dimension and they give the display a depth of texture. By adding a few very tall stems in between the nearly-finished display, you are able to add height but not heaviness.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
One of my finishing hints is to look down right above your display. The arrangement should look like a bouquet and have that 'just picked' feeling to it.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
Your finished planter should look something like this. I have left 7 of the hypericum stems a few inches longer than the rest as I like to add height using the chosen greenery. It reminds me of flag-planting in deep garden borders. Having taller plants in front of smaller shrubs draws the eye back and I love implementing that into my silk flower arrangements.
Have a lovely weekend and do please leave a comment if you love silk flowers. I am available for indoor commissions and I am happy to travel.
Lella xx
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