Sunday Bits #68
- themarigoldgc
- Mar 3, 2024
- 6 min read
Happy Sunday! I have been a bit out of sorts this past week. You know when you are just feeling a bit off, kind of sad, kind of grumpy, and you just want to hide away from people till you feel better? Yeah, that has been me this past week. I think it is both cabin fever and the weather... winter came back with a vengeance, while I am so very ready for spring.
Too bad there isn't a greenhouse or garden shop around here that needed someone who cannot walk or carry things but can give gardening advice, run workshops, talk up a gardening storm, transplant seedlings like no one's business, take cuttings, make baskets, plant bare root roses... hahaha!
If you are new to the blog, this is a bit funny as that is what I used to do till we moved here. I had a small greenhouse business where I did all of those things and more, plus met the loveliest people. Nothing like puttering in a greenhouse and talking gardening to get out of a funk ; )
Oh, hey... I just saw the trailer for Tiny Beautiful Things so that is on my list of things to watch. It looks amazing! I am still reading the Penny Reid knitting series (which is not really about knitting at all, but rather a rom-com). All of her books are witty and smart, very well written. I laugh a lot. Nothing like a good laugh to get over a funk, eh?
So, without further ado, as they say... here is today's Bits post that I have put together for you with lots of gardening ideas and reads, plus a few recipes, diy's and homey things, too.
Gardening Bits
Making a moon garden. Here are 20 more white flowers you might want to add to your moon garden. I, personally, love white. White everything, including flowers. Some prefer to stay away from white and just have colour in our short summers, but I think of white as the perfect backdrop, the perfect companion flower to make the other colours pop.
How to direct sow poppies in winter!
How to grow Sea Thrift. Great rock garden plant, a flower that loves poor soil, rocky soil, thrives in roadside or seaside beds as it is salt tolerant. And... it is so pretty, too. Like a lollipop!
Here are 21 lovely dogwood trees and shrubs. Tough, hardy, pretty.
Transform your perennial border gardens with these ideas from this lake house. The flowers really brought the borders to life! Plus, this lavender hued garden, all shades of purple.
Fun fact: The borders from that lavender garden inspired my pathway beds at the acreage a few years back. I still love this planting and would do it all over again.
The benefits of growing in raised beds! I love raised beds. They became a necessity when I lived on Vancouver Island as we lived on pure shale. The island is one big rock, you cannot go down so you have to go up. After I had started growing in raised beds, I fell in love. They are so much easier to maintain, are virtually weed free, make gardening so much easier.
Check out this vegetable garden with fairy garden. It is so pretty! I must admit though, I would be totally overwhelmed if I had to start with that large blank slate each spring!
The cheapest veggies to grow to get the biggest bank for your buck.
How to grow the best peppers by Charles Dowding.
How to grow brussels sprouts.
Fast growing, cool weather loving, early spring vegetables. I love the parsley tip! I bought some seeds to do this very thing!
Guide to growing hops. I have fallen in love with hops! When we moved to this property, I found them growing on one side of this arbour. I love the green little pinecone like flowers that dry so well and look so pretty. The vine always looks spectacular, is pretty from spring through fall. Check out how the leaves go white in late summer. Is it not splendid?
I must add though, they are very prone to leafhoppers so do not plant one right beside your patio dining table, or seating area. I just spray it with a jet of water occasionally and feed with compost to keep it thriving and healthy. All pesticides kill all the bugs, even the 'organic' ones (soap sprays) so keeping buggy plants healthy is the best way to deal with the bugs. Plus, hey, think of all the sweet baby birds you are feeding : )
Which is a good segue to this article/podcast. If you, like me, are very worried about the use of pesticides in home gardens, you'll want to read this article. It breaks my heart every time I hear that someone is out there using Dawn dish soap in the garden, thinking they are just killing the one bug and being 'organic'.
Floret still has some of their floret originals left, in case you want to spend big bucks on seeds (like I did, hah!). They have the most amazing dahlias from seed, very pretty colours. I purchased the Petite Florets but now wish I had bought the Bee's Choice.
I also bought a packet of the Precious Metals zinnias. They had so many combos that I wanted, was very hard to choose. If you love celosias, the choices are amazing there, as well. Check out the Rose Gold (above) and Summer Sunset. Wow!
Following that up with this article about how to grow dahlias. That little snip early on is important! Btw, did you know that dahlias grown from seed make tubers in summer so can be lifted in the fall?
Compost tumblers to thwart pests (rats, mice, raccoons) and make compost a whole lot faster. I have one of these tumbling ones and love it. Will show you how lovely the compost is in a few weeks time, after this cold snap is over and the yard set up begins.
I want/need one more bin (especially handy for fall garden clean up) and so am considering the one in the article. A reader mentioned that she has shoulder issues and so cannot easily spin the tumblers. She bought one of these and says it is worth every pricey penny. I love how easy it is to spin, but best of all I love that it collects the (ahem) compost juices. Mix that liquid with water to make the best compost tea imaginable. Organic fertiliser for your potted plants, garden beds, dahlias, roses, seedlings.... that you make yourself! How great is that, eh?
*As an Amazon affiliate, if you purchase an item from one of these links, I make a teeny bit of money to support my blog. It does not cost you a penny more than it would if you went to the item on your own, without my link. Huge thanks : )
Homey Bits
These cute pantry labels are free printables!
This cute Easter basket for the front door. Easy to make and super cute.
Did you all watch Leanne Ford on HGTV a couple years back? Check out Leanne's guest cabin here and see what you think. I love that table and chairs. Give me chippy any time ; )
Hmm, this homemade laundry soap recipe sounds super easy to make. Maybe with lavender scented castile soap? Or the citrus? I use this lemony one for washing the dogs as it is supposed to organically repel fleas and ticks.
If you have the castile soap, here is a recipe for homemade handsoap, too! I am so making this!
This is what I use for most everything though. I just got in my refill order from Mint Cleaning (a small organic, environmentally friendly Canadian product ), just love the scent of their floor wash and laundry soap. If you have not yet tried this stuff, you really should! The floor wash is the best stuff ever, smells great, cleans (of course, and best of all... also gets rid of hard water stains and build up. It is also a great toilet cleaner ; )
Recipes
Brown butter Iced Espresso Cardamom Buns. Like bougie upscale cinnamon buns but super easy to make from store bought pizza dough!
Not sure what to think of this... does this beer bread sound good? or weird?
How about cooking with tahini? Yes or no? I really want to like tahini, but am not a fan of any kind of nut butter. Thinking this stuff pretty similar in taste and texture. It would be so good for me... if I could just get over hating it, lol. However, maybe if I hide it in a dessert? Or in pasta salad? I think I can do that, maybe. Check out these These recipes to hide tahini in all sorts of good.... bonus, these recipes are also gf.
I've been enjoying watching the wee birds swooping in for seeds from these sunflowers that I harvested and dried for them last summer.
Wishing us all a warmer week ahead with lots of Vitamin D filled sunshine. If you cannot get away for a holiday, read a good book, watch a funny show, laugh a lot, have coffee with friends, and exercise a little (or a lot).
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