September Wildflowers
I went hunting for blackberries in the hedgerows today but instead came back with a fistful of wildflowers. Though the bloom of summer is coming to an end I found quite a few pretty things: Montbretia,...
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Oven Dried Peppermint
I have several patches of peppermint growing at home and though I occasionally use it for tea, most of it is now been delegated for use in my handmade mint soap. It’s merrily prolific but downright...
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Building a Permanent Chicken Coop
Week four of our DIY Homesteading series brings us back to the topic of chickens with this piece on building your own coop by Staci from Life at Cobble Hill Farm. As many have already found out for...
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DIY Sea Glass Stepping Stone
After spending a week in Venice I had a couple of days to myself before having an old friend visit me in the Isle of Man. I hadn’t seen her in over a year and we spent the time listening to music from...
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How to create a Wildflower Cottage Garden
The beginning of this year saw me pondering the triangular garden bed at the front of the house. Last year it was a headache due to its infestation of weeds that continued to strangle the plants I’d...
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Foraging and Drying Porcini…a wild mushroom also known as the Cep
I was in the shop last night and noticed small sachets of dried Porcini for sale in the produce section. The price made me both shocked and smug – £3 for 40g? After last weekend’s foraging expedition I...
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Giveaway of The Crafted Garden, Stylish projects inspired by Nature
Have you ever gone on a walk and found some twigs, nuts, stones, flowers, or berries that were simply so beautiful that you took them home? You might have put them into a vase or tucked them into a...
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How to make a Succulent Terrarium
I first spotted The Bees Knees succulent terrariums hanging in the window of local Laxey shop, Mother T’s. Multi-textured green leaves spilled out of tear-drop glasses dangling in the sunshine – how...
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Book Giveaway | Terrariums Gardens Under Glass
As winter nears many of us are clearing our gardens and putting them to bed for the season. That means that we won’t be having our gardening fix for some months to come unless we create our own mini...
View ArticleGardening Project: Gold Succulent Planter
Recycle a large metal can into a modern succulent planter. All you need is the can, a few tools, spray paint, and the plants to fill it up with. It’s a great project for giving old containers new life...
View ArticleRecycled & Frugal Gardening Projects
Gardening doesn’t have to be an expensive hobby Like this succulent planter I created out of an empty food tin, many things you use and decorate with in the garden can be made from ‘junk’. Some...
View ArticleBuilding a Wildlife Pond in the Vegetable Garden
Build a small pond in the garden to attract frogs. Frogs are an organic gardener’s best friend since they love eating slugs and other garden pests. Although I try my best to garden organically there is...
View ArticleHow to plant a Strawberry Pallet Planter
How to fill a DIY Strawberry Pallet Planter with up to 20 plants. This planter is great for patios and small spaces! Three years ago I shared how to make a Better Strawberry Pallet Planter and since...
View ArticlePropagating Aloe Vera Plants
How to pot up baby Aloe Vera plants that have grown off a parent plant If you have an aloe vera plant or are considering getting one to use in beauty products (and as a treatment for sunburn) then you...
View ArticleGarden Recycling: Growing Greens in an Old Sink
One person’s trash is another person’s planter Last year I noticed an old beat up Belfast sink at our allotment community garden. There’s a path that leads from the carpark to the field and someone had...
View ArticleHow does a Public Food Forest work?
The Beacon Food Forest aims to “provide food free to the people, by the people, and for the people” Four or five years ago I came across something amazing on the internet – news of a public edible...
View ArticleHow to propagate Scented Geraniums
Growing Scented Geraniums from Cuttings by Karen Creel of Garden Chick People often ask me how can they have a great garden when they don’t have a lot of money. My answer is always the same. Buy...
View ArticleHow to Make a Better Strawberry Pallet Planter
Over the past year I’ve come across scores of diy pallet projects, some of them intriguing and others not quite there yet but still having potential. One that I see time and again is the idea of using...
View ArticleCraft Project: Create a Seed Book from a Photo Album
Last year I received a gift that I wasn’t quite sure what to do with – a spiral-bound photo album with the beautiful print of a cheetah on the cover. Though I love cats, traveling and taking photos, I...
View ArticlePlant Spring Flowers on your Doorstep
Plant bulbs in the autumn for spring displays A springtime planter is one of the prettiest and easiest gardening projects you can put together. My container requires next to no effort and can be relied...
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