How to grow yourself a new collection:)

Sometimes things are looking a little shabby in the old succulent department... These little bubbies haven't really been well loved in sometime... sitting under the eaves with no water and a lot of sun... mistake! They have become a little misformed and somewhat crispy!

So this is the perfect occasion to do some succulent maintainence... Now I must tell you, this is the way I've been doing this for nearly 2 years, so it may not be the most effective way but it is my way...

So first you need the things above -

- Succulent and cacti potting mix (this gives the best result... although i have used normal potting mix and at one point even straight compost...)

- Somewhat overgrown succulents

-Scissors

- Seed raising tray (Not always essential I guess... but I think it helps the process a bit)

The seed raising tray below is one of mine... it is a bunnings one... my friend got similar at aldi for 1/3 of the price so if you see them there snap up a couple! I have another one but it's just not as pretty... also from bunnings..

First step is to fill the little holes with the potting mix, usually nearly all the way up to the top!

Then find some weird looking succulents that need some maintainence...

This first one is not so weird, it just has some extra babies hanging off its side... Perfect! 

This next one went weird and long... trim that back... will see what happens there... haven't ever cut the main stem off before.. usually I would take that extra little bubby one out of the middle...

This one also had long bits... and a flower coming! But the flower needs to be removed if the succulent is going to grow more successfully this season! Also I did some pruning...

  

Found this little selection on the footpath after someone tore it off a bush.

Next step is to snip off the babies and pruning bits so there is a little bit to stick in the dirt:) Luckily these ones have little roots as well.  They could have probably just have gone straight in a pot with the root system, but they are very tiny for a pot!

(At this point better homes and gardens man would have left them in the sun to form a callous on the cut so they don't rot.. but i have never done this.. not sure how much more successful it would be..)

Then just pop them in the dirt!

Then after maintaining a couple of plants you will end up with a little tray of loveliness like this:) I have two trays of lovelies right now! And in about 6 weeks they will be ready for planting in pots or you could pop them in the garden... or whatever!:)



Goodluck with your future succulent garden collection!

I love plants.

Today I went to the market with some lovely ladies and I got MANY plants:) I wish they looked like these right now... but they don't..... yet:)

Pic from here:)

Last week of the holidays...

Oh what a lovely week. Starting off with seeing a brand new foal, only 4 days old! And then the giant horse Justice who was quite stampy... but also quite the licker. Can you see his tongue?? Trying to lick Al.. hehe
Then I made clutches out of vintage Japanese Obi material. Obis are the thing that goes around the middle of the kimono. They are stronger fabric:) I got lots of metallic obis to make clutches out of:)
Of course we went to Barleycorn Brewery again to bottle Al's birthday beer. Which has been deemed a success! And they will do it again! What fun hehe:)
I spent today eating delicious blueberries and replanting my succulent babies into bigger pots and growing new roots on little baby succulents!
I also found a flower on my strawberry plants! My friend Lenny showed us how to pollenate the flower and now we are super excited for a strawberry to grow! I also repotted my tomatoes, so hopefully they will be way happier in their new home!

And of course I hung out with my bunny:) Suki-la! Chillaxing on the couch. What a dag. She thinks she is human.

Developing a Green Thumb...

It's true. It's very strange. I have developed somewhat of a green thumb. Mum says it runs in the family... I don't know about this! I think you just want what you can't have! hehe because we are renting I can't really plant anything and the garden consists of some grasses and a fig tree and some palm type tree! And a lot of lovely decking and a shed and some gravel.

So I seem to have taken up putting stuff in pots and growing things! I have taken a few pictures because i am ridiculously excited about the lettuce, basil and coriander seeds i planted on Christmas day which are ALREADY coming out! The chives are a little slower and haven't come out....

Mixed Lettuce...
Basil...
Coriander (nerd al hates coriander!)

And my beautiful strawberries in their special hangy planter thingy... 9 plants. All still living.


I scored these baby tomato plants at the end of the year from school. The school where I teach has a farm where the kids learn about agriculture and horticulture. Someone didn't want their tomato plants so I got them!! I haven't replanted them yet.. but one is growing 3 tomatoes! YAY! They are supposed to be Roma tomatoes.


And my succulents:) My babies. These are some I have replanted in some vintage teacups!:)




And that is some of my garden!

Goodbye 2009! Hello 2010! I hope you are just as friendly!

Some of the exciting things from 2009... a big year for the people in my house!
- Nerd Al and I got married after 13 years together,
- My beautiful bunny Suki La turned 4 and handed out loads of kisses and cuddles
- We went on our honeymoon to Thailand (with friends - did i mention Nerd Al and I have been together for 13 years and are quite excited to hang out with our friends too?? hehe I heard this trend of meeting friends on your honeymoon is becoming more popular!)
- We adopted a beautiful gibon for rehabilitation, our gibon's name is "Songkran"... i'm sure many others have also sponsored Songkran... as long as the money is going to gibons its all good:)
- I discovered the world of towel art. See if you can spot two sets of swans and a pair of elephants!
- We went to the island of Phi Phi in Thailand (lovely for photos... not so lovely for fresh water)
- I knitted a lot of booties....
- I crafted... I crafted so much i got to be in "Handmade in Melbourne" with lots of my lovely etsy friends:)
- I rediscovered Melbourne's grafitti... and how much i like to take pictures of it... and doors... pretty doors....
- We sold our first house! And bought a new block which we are trying to build on!
- My only niece turned 1, learnt to walk and has possibly said my name! But she could have said banana... not entirely sure... so similar...
- I started an obsession with Japanese maples... I now have 3... and they are very excitedly growing!
- I started growing succulent babies:))
- I found the joy of edging hole punches that make your paper look lacey. And hence... new packaging! hehe

These are only some of my excitements... what a big year! Hopefully 2010 will be just as exciting!:)