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Garden Gnome How

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25.01.2022 If you’ve been looking into ordering your roses, you might have come across some terminology that may have thrown you off. To help your decision making process, here are some pointers.. Hybrid Tea Rose or Floribunda what’s the difference? To me, hybrid tea roses are the typical, traditional rose with either a single flower or several on one stem. They’re great for cut flowers....Continue reading

24.01.2022 I just saw this on Insta and know lots of you are keen to get your veggie patches going. Jeffries range and quality of soil, compost and mulch is awesome and I've always had great customer service from them too. Their website also has a calculator so you can work out the quantities you need. They're my go to supplier for the school veggie gardens I set up. Worth checking out...... www.jeffries.com.au See more

24.01.2022 If you’ve been looking into ordering your roses, you might have come across some terminology that may have thrown you off. To help your decision making process, here are some pointers.. Hybrid Tea Rose or Floribunda what’s the difference? To me, hybrid tea roses are the typical, traditional rose with either a single flower or several on one stem. They’re great for cut flowers....Continue reading

24.01.2022 40 degrees in ye ol' Adelaide town today. Take a moment to cover your delicates....plants, delicate plants! And give your pot plants extra water today! Stay cool everyone. Loving my friend, Mel G's, stroke of genius

22.01.2022 Just seven days! Peas, cauli, broccolini, snow peas, beetroot, leeks and spring onions. I'm toying with the idea of doing a free, group Zoom chat so I can show you (and have a chat at the same time) how to make these mini hot houses. If you're keen, feel free to send me a message or text 0432 988 750. www.gardengnomehow.com.au

21.01.2022 Tip #2 ~ Have a Plan I’m not talking about a drawn up plan of the garden design itself here. I mean a plan of what you want to achieve, the order in which you’ll do it, what assistance do you need, what quotes do you need, how much you should budget that kind of thing. Now this is somewhat determined by what you are working with; whether you have a completely blank slate or you are reinventing what is already there. Be realistic about a rough timeline that will work for you.... This can take into account: Your budget what you can afford to do when. How much will you do yourself, will you hire various contractors? What trades are required - how much time is needed to gather quotes, what time do you have available to be present to meet with tradies to discuss what you want, when will the tradesperson be able to fit your job in. What kind of pace can you work at? Are you doing everything yourself or will a landscaper do the lot? This might be the difference between a job taking several days to several months. Even consider when you get all your plants. If you are doing all the planting yourself and if there are a lot of plants, it’s a good idea to tackle it in manageable portions which might mean taking staggered delivery of your plants. Determine your priorities, what areas do you want to work on first is privacy the most important thing? Do you need lawn down so the dog isn’t running around in a mud bowl? Do you need to rip existing plants out before you can commence, will you need assistance with that? What order do things need to happen fences up, demolish an old shed, paths laid, soil improvement, retaining. Think about the times of year you are working in. Summer is a great time to come up with plans and ideas followed by planting over the cooler months to allow time for establishment before next summer’s heat. Contact Rebecca at Garden Gnome How if you need a hand. Ph: 0432 988 750 E: [email protected] www.gardengnomehow.com.au

20.01.2022 Tip #4 ~ Practicalities Maintenance Be real here. You might want that amazing brimming garden but do you have the time, desire, know how and tools required to maintain it? Be realistic with your time availability. Do you want to have to dedicate Saturday mornings to the garden, or is your ideal having a big clean up once or twice a year? Or, can you afford to pay a regular gardener to come in and maintain it for you....Continue reading

19.01.2022 Community service announcement, if you're not of the mollusc family that is. With all this glorious rain, remember to top up your snail bait in your veggie patch if you've got new seedlings in. The rain will bring out the snails and if you previously had snail bait out, chances are it's withered away to not much left.... Happy Friday! www.gardengnomehow.com.au

18.01.2022 Just seven days! Peas, cauli, broccolini, snow peas, beetroot, leeks and spring onions. I'm toying with the idea of doing a free, group Zoom chat so I can show you (and have a chat at the same time) how to make these mini hot houses. If you're keen, feel free to send me a message or text 0432 988 750. www.gardengnomehow.com.au

17.01.2022 Tip #4 ~ Practicalities Maintenance Be real here. You might want that amazing brimming garden but do you have the time, desire, know how and tools required to maintain it? Be realistic with your time availability. Do you want to have to dedicate Saturday mornings to the garden, or is your ideal having a big clean up once or twice a year? Or, can you afford to pay a regular gardener to come in and maintain it for you....Continue reading

17.01.2022 Tip # 7 ~ Coming up With a Design If you’ve covered off tips one to six you have: Looked at the overall space to think about focal points, sun and shade, how you want to use the space Developed a plan of priorities, budget, timeframes... Gathered up your plant inspiration and have a clearer idea of what you love and just as importantly, what you don’t like Considered the practicalities like maintenance, irrigation, access, and soil Thought about achieving a sense of balance, proportion, rhythm and interest and Indulging the senses. Tip number 7coming up with a design you love. Take that sketch of your garden from back in tip number three and flesh it out a bit more. Add in the measurements of the areas. Jot down side notes like where the focal points are, where is the sun brightest, areas of frost pockets, particularly windy aspects, splash back from pool water etc. Go back to the photos of plants and their labels. Use these as a guide for mature sizes of plants and their sun requirements. This will help you fill in the drawing with the plants you want and the spacing that will be required which will narrow down what you need to order. Key points to remember: do not overplant group plants according to their water requirements choose plants suited to the soil type get the right size plant for the area or the end goal pay attention to the sun requirements be realistic with what you can maintain, think pruning, watering, fertilising. Most of all, enjoy the process! Rome wasn’t built in a day, establishing your garden does not have to be achieved all at once either. There is nothing wrong with letting it evolve over time. If at any point you need a hand, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Garden Gnome How ~ Your Horticultural Helper was established to share the love of gardening and get more people into the garden with confidence, joy and success. I do this through teaching gardening fundamentals, helping out with horticultural problems, designing the garden space or getting the children in your world into the garden. Feel free to call me, Rebecca, on 0432 988 750, email [email protected] or visit www.gardengnomehow.com.au to discuss how Garden Gnome How can be your horticultural helper. I really hope these garden design tips have helped you to get started with creating your dream garden. See you in the garden!

17.01.2022 Hi! I'd like to invite you to stay tuned in over coming days for a series of posts I’ve created called Seven Super Helpful Tips To Create Your Dream Garden. They've been written so you can read them from the perspective of designing your own garden, doing all or part of it yourself. Alternatively you may use a garden designer and/or landscaper, in which case these tips will help you understand exactly what your garden designer will be doing, what they are assessing and creati...Continue reading

13.01.2022 So your seeds are germinating and growing... but what to do next and when? When a seedling first emerges two sets of leaves appear called cotyledons. They are actually part of the seed and act as a food source for the sprouting seedling. We are waiting for the first set of ‘true leaves’ which look more like the plant’s regular leaves. The seedling uses the true leaves to actively photosynthesize.... When true leaves appear we can ‘prick them out’ which means move them into their own individual seedling cell. Fill individual seed cells with good quality potting mix enriched with compost. Use a dibber (or pencil or finger), to poke a hole in the mix to accommodate the new seedling. Gently place the individual seedling into the hole (don't put the stem in any deeper than where it came from) and carefully firm the soil around it. Mist with a spray bottle. While they're settling, just for a few days, keep them out of direct sunlight. When they're upright again it's time to start hardening them off. This basically means toughening them up to acclimatise them for life outdoors. Over the course of the next couple of weeks build up the time they're exposed to the outdoors. A few days out in the sunshine but out of the way of harsh winds. After that, when there is no risk of frost, leave them out all day and night. Remember to keep watering them. After they've spent full days and nights outside they can be planted. Photo number two shows my beetroot seedlings. You can just see, inside the blue circles, the true leaves just starting to form. The big leaves are the cotyledons. I expect these will be ready to prick out in the next week or so. Photo three and four shows my peas and snow peas. They have done all this growing in just 17 days!! These are big enough to cope with being planted straight into the veggie bed. Their quick growth has caught me unawares and I've only just had time today to prepare the veggie bed. So I'll harden them off and put them straight into the garden. www.gardengnomehow.com.au

12.01.2022 One of my most favourite things to do is get children into gardening and one of the ways I do that is with terrarium making. These sessions are fun for children of all ages. They are suitable for in-class activities during the school term or are a great session for Vacation Care programs. I come to your site and facilitate the session and I provide all the supplies. The best bit is the children get to take home their own terrarium! Contact me, Rebecca*, at Garden Gnome How... on 0432 988 750 or [email protected] to enquire or make your Vacation Care program school holiday booking. *full DCSI clearance

11.01.2022 Tip # 1~ Look at the Space Stating the obvious right? I mean really look at it. Wander around. Look at all of it, at different times of day and night, from different angles, in different weather and if time is on your side, even in different seasons. What are the views; both within your immediate garden and borrowed views? Is there a lovely big tree in a neighbour’s yard or a pretty sky line that you would like to be able to see? ... What are the focal points, both good and bad? What would you like to highlight? What would you like to disguise? As you are wandering around think about how you would like to use the areas and the practicality of that. Where will children play? Are there dogs or chooks to cater for? Consider access; can you get wheelbarrows and machinery in, where are the entry and exit points to the house, where are the taps? Pay attention to what gets the most sun and shade. This will be important for plant selection and how you use the space. Think of what time of day you will do most of your entertaining, when do you enjoy your cup of coffee or a glass of wine? Take your time to really get to know the space and how you want to use it and how you want to feel when you are in it. Contact Rebecca at Garden Gnome How if you need a hand. Ph: 0432 988 750 E: [email protected] www.gardengnomehow.com.au

08.01.2022 School holidays are looming! For something a bit different, Garden Gnome How has put together the Make Your Own Terrarium Kit. The Terrarium Kits come with everything you need for the kids to make their own terrarium at home. Be quick! Orders close 22 September 2020.

07.01.2022 Tip #3 ~ Plant Inspiration For this part I’m going to suppress the inner horticultural nerd and not lecture you on the importance of knowing your soil, site aspect etc because we’re not yet talking about the actual selection of plants. This tip is just about your personal taste, likes and dislikes both with regard to garden style and the plants within it. My number one suggestion here is go to nurseries for inspiration and ideas. Sure, there’s loads of information online ...Continue reading

06.01.2022 Tip # 5 ~ Proportion, Balance, Colour and Interest Aim for the right proportions and balance in your garden space. Keep the plantings relative to the space and structures. A good garden design reveals the garden in stages. A sense of rhythm and intrigue should be achieved, considering the journey of movement through the space. Contrast, in the right amount, also creates interest but too much creates a sense of chaos. The use of repetition and unity should be employed and ca...n be achieved by thoughtful use of materials and repetitive plantings. Generally speaking simplicity makes for a better design than an overcomplicated jumble of plants and fixtures. Elements within a garden should feel balanced both in terms of mass and size. The proportion and scale is important too. For example the proportion would feel all wrong if a large two storey house had a garden with only low growing plants. The garden should appeal to all the senses with year round interest. Interest is provided by plant selection, fixtures, furnishings and materials that provide different colours, textures, finishes and heights, harmonising light and shade, soft and hard, cool and warm. When it comes to plant selection think of the overall look of the entire garden and how it will look throughout the whole year. There is not much point choosing plants that all flower in spring time with it looking drab the rest of the year. If you love a garden with flowers, choose plants that will ensure staggered flowering times throughout the entire year. Also look to plants that have interesting foliage colour, shapes and size or trees that have beautiful bark colours and patterns as well as lovely leaves. If you are wanting to attract beneficial insects be sure to provide food sources for them with flowers of all different sizes and colours. Contact Rebecca at Garden Gnome How if you need a hand. Ph: 0432 988 750 E: [email protected] www.gardengnomehow.com.au

04.01.2022 Tip # 6 ~ Indulge your Senses If we are lucky we have been blessed with all our senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. A garden is the perfect place to indulge all your senses! Gardening is so good for us. Gardens allow us to switch off from the busyness of everyday life and tune into nature and into ourselves. The physical benefits of gardening are obvious, we are exercising, getting our heart rates up, building bone density with heavy lifting, our eyes get to ...Continue reading