Family Resources Kid's Resources
Family Support
The Parlor Join us on our message boards for conversation, introductions, support, encouragement and chit chat. Stop by and introduce yourself Here!
Recipes
Tea
Crafts
Garden
Forums
Dish Gardens for Indoor Beauty
By Brenda Hyde
Dish gardens are a great project for kids and adult, plus they make
wonderful holiday gifts! I did a little checking and a purchased dish
garden from a florist will run you $40-$50 for a medium sized display.
Not only is this expensive, but the ones I saw really lacked a personal
touch! Dish gardens are not permanent-they will become overcrowded
in a year or less BUT at this point the plants can be repotted and a
new dish garden can be created! Why not write up a nice instruction
sheet and include it with your gift, so the person you give it to can
make their own next time?
You will need a container that will hold at least three inches of soil, and
have room enough for the plants you want to include without crowding
them. You'll need to start with about an inch of pebbles or gravel in the
bottom of the container-aquarium gravel will work nicely. (Mix in a little
charcoal for freshness if you wish.) The soil should be a mixture of
potting soil and either sand, peat moss or vermiculite-a half and half mix.
Check your garden centers for terra cotta containers because many of
them are marking down this time of year and you will find some good
deals. A shallow pot or tray will work well that is anywhere from 8-12
inches round (other shapes are fine too) Also, small garden ornaments
can be used along with the plants. Some are on fairly tall wires or stakes,
but you can use a saw or wire cutters to trim the length down. I also found
some small 3 inch high resin gnomes that worked well! Lastly, you will
need your plants, and some type of cover to place over the soil such as
coarse sand gravel or sphagnum moss.
You now need to choose your plants. Put together a fun cactus garden
with a Southwestern theme. Perhaps add some Native American accents,
a small ceramic steer skull or cutouts made from tin or copper. This would
be a neat gift for a college student! Use tongs or gloves when handling the
cactus. Small ones are less expensive and you can use terra cotta trays
for the pot. Add a little more sand than with other dish gardens and use a
light layer of gravel on top of the soil, rather than the moss. The cacti
also
grow much slower.
When choosing your plants take the container with you if you aren't buying
it in the same store, and place the pots in the container to see how they
look. Play around a little bit and be creative. You don't want them all the
same height, and try to mix different types of foliage. Do match light
levels
though. Plants such as Irish moss, philodendron, ferns, peperomia, spider
plant, aluminum plant or baby tears are all good choices and require some
light, but not direct sun. Buy as small as you can find so they can remain
in the dish garden as long as possible.
When you are ready to plant, be sure to remove plants carefully
from their pots and place in a hole dug in the soil-pack gently around the
plants one at a time and water gently when finished. Add your layer of
gravel or moss, and insert your ornamental accents.
You have a special
gift for the holidays, a housewarming present, a surprise for a homebound
friend of family member or a wonderful dish garden for yourself!
About The Author
Brenda Hyde is a freelance writer living on ten acres in rural Michigan with her husband and three kids. Stop by and visit her garden blog, Garden of Grace & Whimsy, and her photography blog, A Dance of Words & Photos.
SeptemberLady "Born and have lived in Southern MD most of my life. My husband and I just finished building a new home on the family farm, where I hope to retire in the near future.
My interests: Doll collecting, cookbook collector (especially old ones), antiques, family/friend get-togethers, cooking/baking, flower and vegetable gardening, bird-watching."
Memorial Day: Backyard Grilling Memorial Day signals the start of barbecue season. Everyone wants to light that fire and charcoal that first meal. A few tips might pre- vent your entree from becoming a "Burnt Offering."
Read these tips for plenty of grilling ideas, make this year's barbecue perfect!
Growing and Using Garlic Chives Garlic chives, Allium tuberosum, is a hardy perennial (Zones 3-9) that will grow to about 12 inches high. The stems are skinnier and flat, instead of hollow as are regular chives, with greenish white blooms that are about an inch wide and not as rounded. They bloom in the summer rather than spring. The bloom stalks grow much taller than the leaves, sometimes up to 30 inches.
The stems and blooms are both edible and have a mild garlic onion taste. I've noticed many writers will list this as primarily as an Asian herb, as they are also known as Chinese chives, Chinese leeks, ku chai (China) or Nira (Japan), but it has many other uses as well!
The Perfect Porch Swing Perhaps it is the soothing rhythm or the reassuring creak of the porch swing that attracts us. Perhaps it is the companionable silence or quiet conversation. Or maybe swings simply remind us of more genteel times.
Although porch swings can be purchased in a wide range of materials, the most common are wicker and wood. You can also make your own porch swing from one of the myriad of woodworking patterns available at garden centers, hardware stores, or on the Internet.