Welcome back to Sweet Miah and Jessica's farm! They've been keeping an eye on this Blue Star Creeper, helping it grow healthy and happy. I've had trouble growing this is the past, but at this point, I think I need to get these succulents out and allow this ground cover to fully take over. It's beautiful!
I love receiving photos from My Fairy Folks that invite me into their garden and expose me to their DIY projects. Recently I received an email from a reader who was inspired by some of my DIY projects to repurpose this ladder that used to be attached to an above ground pool. It now acts as shelving for her outdoor succulents.
This container garden may look familiar to My Fairy Folks with a few additions. The majority of it came straight from my visit to Myrtle Creek last month with the addition of the elf in the rear, the tiny glass ladybug and wooden fence up front. These last three items arrived in My Fairy Crate subscription box from July. I created a few other gardens using the rest of the items in that package.
This lovely bird fountain arrived in July's My Fairy Crate. The succulents in this double container garden are clippings from my yard. The purple succulent in the middle rear and surrounding baby clippings are the only plants actually inside the shallow terra cotta garden (previously featured in my Garden A Day series). The flower on the left is a beautiful petunia and on the right is salvia. I decided to boost the foliage feel of this container garden by placing it inside a larger container with existing plants to create the illusion.
Finally, this postbox is the final piece from July's My Fairy Crate. All other decor in this scene was purchased from Hobby Lobby within the last year. I'm excited to show you the lovely things I received from the August subscription box! Are you a subscriber of any subscription boxes related to gardening? I'd love to know about them!
Earlier this month Armstrong Garden Centers hosted a class on the topic of growing succulents and cacti. This class took place at multiple locations but we attended the one in Claremont.
Just moments before taking this picture, staff opened these gates. We were not the only car parked in the lot, awaiting for the clock to reach 8:30 am.
I was so in love with this arrangement. I would love to have a similar display in my yard. At a certain angle, the middle of these flowers have a lilac hue.
Above is a video I had my grandson put together showing many of the plants, supplies and decor I saw during my very first visit.
Our instructor John Burke introduce himself promptly at 9 am as he passed around some literature to those in attendance, space out under shade umbrellas. John explained that he went to school for Horticulture and would be happy to answer any questions throughout the lecture and after, even if it was off topic. Our literature included a breakdown of talking points on succulents and cacti including reasons to grow, requirements, prep and care.
I was happy to learn a few new things about one of the largest plant groups (succulents). Due to a terrible slew of fires in our area in the past week, John made it known that succulents and cacti are a very resilient plant and can often be fire resistant, making them a smart option to border your property line and possibly save your house! He stressed the importance of visual watering, being sure to saturate the soil (for potted succulents, water will need to leak from the drainage holes) so that the roots can have access to the water.
Overall, I was very pleased with the class and the nursery selection. I look forward to attending more classes in the future. My granddaughter and I filled out the survey for the class and spent another hour exploring the plants and supplies. We each made a purchase and used our 10% off coupon received during the class and I learned that Wednesday is senior discount day! That was great news since I only brought enough cash with me to purchase necessary items for my garden but a few decorative things caught my eye that I'll need to return for.
My granddaughter purchased these two succulents to put in her garden. I have quite a bit of the succulent on the left, but this particular cutting shows variegation in the leaves whereas my plants are a solid, darker green. I've never seen the succulent on the right before, but it sure has a unique look and shape to it.
This tiny garden was created with clipping from my garden. I purchased the tiny terra cotta pot for $1 at Dollar Tree. All of the miniature decorations were Christmas gifts from my son and daughter-in-law.
This new path from Jo-Ann ($2 on sale) leads to a fairy home I've had for a while. While most of the succulents in this container garden are clippings from my garden, I did pay $2.50 for the clippings on the left and right (Home Depot) of the house.
I purchased this succulent (left) for its rusty color that matched with the existing cutting to the right. I also purchased this particular path specifically for the orange that fits this container theme.
I have many decorative pieces for my garden that make creating new scenes possible with little to no money. Some stay inside after a photo shoot, some stay outside in the garden and because of this, begin to show age.
This particular house above was one of the first ever purchased for what I thought would be a fun past-time that turned into a hobby that currently envelopes all my free time.
To the left is a picture of it in my humble beginnings back in 2014. It has already been repainted once but it is definitely ready for new paint. All flora in this scene are clippings from my yard.
This new path was purchased from Jo-Ann at $2 on sale. The tiny clippings that line the pathway are from my yard.
I purchased this tiny bicycle planter from Jo-Ann for $2 on sale. I feel like it needs a repaint to make it stand out more. Moss, soil and a tiny succulent cutting fill the basket to a miniature container garden inside a container garden! The pebbles were purchased at Home Depot.
