Showing posts with label Garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Garden. Show all posts

Monday 25 September 2023

The Wonderful World of Curry Leaf Gardening: A Green Adventure


Welcome to the Creative Garden! Today, I'm thrilled to share the story of my amazing Curry Leaf tree that is growing in my food forest.  You can check out the video below.


I originally brought a small Curry Leaf plant, and it's grown into a thriving tree that can grow up to 20 feet, whilst I don't want mine growing that tall here are a few things I noted:

1. The Unexpected pests

When I first got my Curry Leaf plant, it was a tiny sapling.  I currently face some challenges when it flowers and it gets attacked by the small black fly which then attracts the ants, they have this symbiotic relationship.

I had to make the difficult decision to trim it back quite hard and wondered how it would respond. To my amazement, it bounced back stronger and healthier than ever. 

2. A Bounty of Seeds and Saplings

Once the Curry Leaf tree blooms and produces flowers, it also starts to produce seeds. These seeds are not only edible but also give rise to an army of tiny Curry Leaf saplings. I discovered several mini plants surrounding the mother tree! They all sprouted from the fallen seeds.

Some have even grown into sturdy young plants that I've carefully transplanted to different parts of my garden. However, propagating these saplings from seeds or cuttings requires a delicate touch, as they don't like to be disturbed.

3. Cooking 

The Curry Leaf tree is native to India and is also found in Australia, Barbados and other places around the world. It's known for its aromatic leaves that are widely used in Indian cuisine, adding that unique flavor to curries and other dishes. I often use the leaves in cooking, especially stews and soups, it adds a lovely flavor to the dishes.  

4. Gardening Hacks: Pest Control and Bird Partnerships

In the world of organic gardening, pest control can be a challenge. One of the most effective ways I have found to keep pests at bay is by attracting birds to my garden and other garden friends to help - such as the lizards, frogs and toads.  There are also a number of natural ways that you can deter pests in your garden such as Neem Oil, picking the pests off by hand, soapy water and other solutions depending on the pests.  



5. Future Plans and Maintenance

As my Curry Leaf tree continues to thrive, I have plans to shape it so that it can stay at a manageable height, around six feet or so, to ensure easy harvesting of the leaves. Pruning and occasional spraying with neem oil will help maintain its health and shape.  Additionally, I'll be relocating some of the young saplings to better spots in the garden.


That said some great tips for the Curry leaf plant.  If it is not something that you are able to grow, think about how being out in your garden space or outdoors positively impacts on your health and well-being.  Here are a few reasons to spend time in the outdoors:

Here are some Benefits of Gardening on Health

Gardening isn't just about growing plants; it also has health benefits as well:

1. Stress Reduction: Gardening provides a calming environment that can reduce stress levels.

2. Physical Exercise: Tending to your garden involves physical activity, helping you stay active and fit.

3. Fresh Air and Vitamin D: Spending time outdoors exposes you to fresh air and sunlight, essential for good health.

4. Mental Wellbeing: Gardening can improve your mood, reduce symptoms of depression, and boost overall mental wellbeing.

5. Healthy Eating: Growing your own fruits and vegetables encourages a healthier diet, rich in fresh, organic produce.

My Curry Leaf tree has been a great addition to my garden.  If you have any questions or want to share your gardening experiences, please leave a comment below. Let's grow together!

Until next time, happy gardening!








Thursday 18 May 2023

Creative Garden - Creating a Bird-Friendly Haven in Your Garden

Creating a Bird-Friendly Haven in Your Garden

Welcome to my garden, a sanctuary where creativity meets nature. One of my primary goals is to provide a comfortable environment for birds, allowing them to thrive and build their nests. In today's video, I'll take you on a tour of the birds favorite spots. 




One of the key elements in attracting birds is offering trees of varying heights. By doing so, I provide them with options for nesting. The diversity of trees in my garden ensures that different bird species can find their perfect nesting grounds.

Apart from providing trees of varying heights, offering a plentiful food supply is another crucial aspect of attracting and sustaining birds in the garden. In my garden, the tall pomegranate trees have a unique purpose. Some of them have split open, rendering them unsuitable for human consumption. However, these fruits make perfect feeding stations for the birds. Their high water content makes them a refreshing treat, especially during hot days we have been getting - with more to come!.


Observing the birds enjoying the environment as they build their nests is also a fascinating process, and you can witness some of the materials birds use from the garden. They incorporate cotton and grass, both of which I have intentionally placed in various spots and every so often they find some strips of fabric that are also added to the nest. 

The birds also aid in insect control. Birds are natural predators, and their appetite for insects helps maintain the balance in the garden. I am grateful for their presence as they munch on insects, keeping their populations in check. Without them, I would likely encounter more issues with pests in my garden.


Birds aren't the only garden helpers - we have lizards, toads, and at dusk the bats come out. Lizards also play a vital role in insect control. I'm fortunate to have a diverse array of lizard species residing in my garden. They diligently feast on insects, including moths, contributing to the overall harmony.




I am privileged to host an array of bird species, including wood pigeons, hummingbirds, parakeets, and several other varieties. The bird song creates a symphony that resonates throughout the garden in the early hours of the morning.  It's a joy to witness these birds in their element, congregating and making themselves at home.

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey. I look forward to sharing more delightful moments from my garden with you in future blog posts. Until then, remember to take a moment to appreciate the beauty and diversity that surrounds us in the natural world. Happy gardening, and may your garden become a thriving sanctuary for both humans and feathered friends alike.

Tuesday 31 January 2023

Tropical Black Sage - In my Creative Garden


Welcome to the garden! I am wearing my creative gardener hat today and we are going to look at my Tropical Black Sage - also known as Varronia curassavica. Its journey developed from a simple plant cutting to a full-grown tree.  I have it growing within a tyre in the garden and whilst I wasn't going to let it grow into a tree by regular pruning - I am glad I did as it has got a really lovely shape to it. 


As the tropical black sage was growing, it encountered various pests that I have had to deal with. One such pest was a small moth with a lilac color that liked to feed on the tip of the shoots and lay its eggs on the undersides of the leaves. At first, I thought they were cute, but soon I realized they were a real problem and have drifted on to other plants.  Over time I tried different natural solutions, such as spraying soapy water and oil, and even made my own neem oil, and the ladybirds also help when they can.    


In addition to dealing with the pests, I have allowed the tropical black sage to grow in different areas of my garden and it seems to love it, I keep them trimmed regularly to reduce their size. The birds are the ones that have dropped the seeds in different areas and depending on where they are growing some of the leaves have been really large in size.  I use the leaves in tea and for cooking and also create smudging sticks.

Check out the video of the Tropical Black Sage Plant above

Another interesting aspect of the tropical black sage is the wood. It's a fairly strong and semi-hardwood that I'm still experimenting with in terms of creative use. I will keep you updated on what I come up with.  


Also check out some of these gardening resources:




Tuesday 5 April 2022

Creativity and the Garden

 


One of the things that I love doing is spending time in my garden.  I have been creating a 'Food Forest' for the past 5 years and have a range of trees and plants.

I try and spend time on a daily basis to take note of what is happening, how plants are growing and check up on the birds that call my garden home.

We have around 7 species of bird in the garden and the main ones that seem to build their nests in the trees are the 'Banana Quits'.

In the video above I share with you the different families that we currently have boarding with us.  Check out some of the other videos I have on my channel HERE.

Foam Stamps

I am also on day 53 of the 100 Days of Foam stamps and they too happen to be a series of birds that I am sharing over the next week or so.

Here are the birds that have been shared over the past few days





If you would like to see the stamps daily you can check out my Instagram HERE


I am also taking part in the Ultimate Blog Challenge and you can check out the posts HERE


DAY 5


********************************************

Mixed Media Art Courses to Check out


SALE - Enjoy $10 OFF all courses until 30th April Click on the image to see the course.

Use the Code at the checkout - create2






Sunday 12 April 2020

Agrofest - Yearly Agricultural Event in Barbados



Agrofest is an annual agricultural event held in Barbados
Join me in the video below and check out some of the other videos available if you would like to start 'Growing Your Own on a Budget.




I only got a snippet of Agrofest as my main focus was getting some plants which I did.  Namely - Breadnut, Pommerac, Red Ginger Lilly and Sea Grapes.  All apart the breadnut is doing well - (those pesky slugs)






Recycling initiative taking place


Lots of different animals and plants on display and it is definitely well worth visiting over the 3 days of events.

Come and check out some of the other videos that I have available HERE





Saturday 11 April 2020

Creative Gardening - New Posts - What are you Growing?




Come and check out what I get up to in the Garden - my Tropical Garden





The New Normal

Things are looking very different for many around the world, how is this impacting on you.




What Food are you growing

Now might be the time that you consider growing your own food regardless of the type of space that you have, from a garden to a plant pot.


Stay blessed and be a blessing



Monday 1 January 2018

Happy New Year - New 31 Days challenges!

 Happy New Year 
to You and your family!!!. 

I hope that your dreams and desires for this year are realized.  As you break all the tasks down and take small steps every day before you know it you will have achieved what ever it is you are striving for.

This month I will be working on a new YouTube channel called - The Creative Gardener, which looks at all the plants that I love growing in my garden and the tropical environment (which means that everything grows so much bigger).  


I want to share my journey of starting from scratch in the garden to developing a tropical paradise, and I am also keen to learn about the medicinal and nutritional properties of plants.  The artist in me has to come out as well and I will and will also be sharing a few outdoor creative projects.



The other thing I will be doing for this month is sharing with you my 31 Art Studio Essentials for creativity.  


It can be hard to find time for some creative play and over the next 31 days I will be sharing with you some of the ways in which I manage to find time, and they are very easy things that you can incorporate into your day as well.



Look forward to seeing you on this journey.  I will be sharing the first posts later on today!

Blessings await for 2018!!

Thursday 2 June 2016

Mixed Media Art Painting - Transformation - Dala



Transformation Series  


Welcome to the series, it is great to have you back again this week to see what else I have in store for you.  This week we meet another character, with her own story and we meet her in what looks like a snapshot of her life..

'Dala sat in her garden surrounded by red flowers and blue skies, and at that moment she felt at peace gazing at the flowers she breathed deeply trying to soak in everything that her senses could pick up.  The delicate aromas, the breeze that made the hairs on her skin dance, and the warmth of the sun that made her feel part of something so much bigger'



A week doesn't go by where I create a painting on what looks like a scrap of paint spattered paper, card or fabric.  I guess it is part of the challenge for myself to be flexible and work with what I have.



It is important to spend how ever long you have creating, whether you pick up a paint brush, or just sort through some supplies, it is a good idea to make a regular practice that feeds the creative soul.


Finding that quiet space that you can get lost in the creative process, and not worry about what something will look like, or as you are creating what unfolding before you.


I play with textures, colors, and when it feels right I stop, or I take the painting in a different direction.  If you check out some of the videos on my youtube, you will see that some start out one way and then totally change.  Feeling comfortable and not getting too precious over the painting helps the flow.  There have been times that I looked back at a video and thought I loved the painting before I totally changed it, but that is all part of the growing process.

She sat in her garden surrounded by red flowers and blue skies


I hope you enjoyed watching the video, check out my others when you get a chance.  Stay blessed and be a blessing!





Friday 26 September 2014

Gratitude's and Celebration - Week 58 - Seeds

You can count the amount of seeds in an apple, but you can't count the amount of apples in a seed...Anonymous 


I love getting out into the garden and working with the soil, clipping back plants, perhaps moving a plant to a new location.  I find spending time outdoors a really relaxing activity.  Even when I didn't have access to a garden I had a lot of houseplants and would regularly nurture them with a song or two - there are studies that show that plants respond to touch and sound.....

The thing I enjoy most with gardening is finding a new plant the seeds of which find a good location depending on where the bird has managed to drop it as it has flown past.  These little surprises brings with it a new variety of plant.  But the key is where the seed falls which will determine it's success.

We also have to be mindful about where we plant our seeds - the words we speak to others, the gifts and talents that we have within us.  We have to not only be encouraging but make the most of each and every opportunity, building up the lives of others rather than tearing down. Are we sowing on good ground, nurturing and watering to ensure growth?

I am grateful and celebrate the gifts that I have been given to share, and I am thankful for the growing confidence to step out each and every day so that I can be an encouraging light for someone else.  

What type of seeds do you have within you and what type of soil are you sowing in?

I look forward to the journey and hope you come along and join me. Why not start your own journal, keep it as simple or complex as you wish, but do something!
Gratitude and Celebration Journal

Friday 1 August 2014

Friday Feeling....Out and about

Well hello, It has been a lovely day weather wise,  and I am really enjoying my time both in the studio, hot though it is at times, the sunny weather always seems to bring out an increase in ideas and techniques to try I will show you a few images later.  Equally I have been spending time enjoying the garden without having to dig up anything or weeding.

Honeysuckle plant

The colours are coming together in the garden, I went for pinks, purples, lilacs, 
Lavender

The lavender not only gave a lovely scent when you touched them, but the colour was very pretty as well

Lavatera

My lavatera has grown into a tree, it has a tendency of growing a bit wild, but I made sure that after the last winter I cut it back a third, this helped it and the flowers are out in abundance, attracting bees and butterflies,  it is a shame that it doesn't have a scent as well

Sweetpea
 The sweetpea come out year after year, and I haven't yet trained this plant to grow along the fence so they tumble down around the other plants.
Daisy

 The giant daisy is another one that comes up each year and is spreading, I might have to dig some of the clumps up and plant in other parts of the garden to break up the purples and pinks
Bindweed - flowers are lovely
 Another plant that while is a nuisance, has some very pretty flowers, and this is the bindweed, it wraps it self around other plants and can be difficult to separate, but I like the trumpet shaped flowers that it produces
 ......and so I allow them to grow and then remove in places where I want to keep it free from the bindweed.

Plums are also something we get to enjoy from the garden, and the fruit are beginning to turn purple, so over the next few weeks they should be ripe to pick.  I will have to think about some recipes to make with the plums as well as hand some out to the neighbours.

I appreciate having the outdoor space that enables me to get away from it all and stop and think about the life that continues to happen without my input.  Things grow and die down, they change and adapt, and I allow myself to reflect on my life, my relationships that are so important.

We want like the blooms and the plums to be fruitful in our own lives, to be a blessing, and encouragement and support to someone else and we need to make sure that we invest in ourselves.  This could take the form of exercise, eating the right food and spending time being creative.  That said, I did a couple of new pieces, and will have more to share over the next few weeks.



I made a decision to get more work complete before I go onto the next idea.  It is always a joy to see the ideas grow, and what was a splodge on the paper, grows into something totally different.

 In this painting, I was imagining myself on a boat, and the feeling you get as you know you are going forward, but you have your eyes closed and you can feel the sea breeze on your skin, and the feeling of freedom as you imagine yourself flying or spreading out your arms like Kate Winslet on the film Titanic

The hat was the first thing that was formed in this painting, and I was thinking about someone is a rice field, - then the staff appeared in the painting and it brought back memories of the film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and there is a particular scene where they are chasing each other through the trees, it is beautifully shot, and I recommend it if you get a chance to see it.

Next Friday will see the return of Gratitude's and Celebration, and I will continue to use it as a reminder of all the things we should be thankful for, as I spend time creating a journal page.

Hope you have a great weekend.  Tomorrow I will be sharing a recycled project, so remember to pass on back this way.

Blessings!

Wednesday 9 July 2014

Cat ....at the end of the Garden

The Painting starting out

My neighbors cat for some reason prefers to sit at the end of my garden, and he brings his friends along to sprawl under the palm tree, as if they are having a conference!. 


Every morning he strolls across the grass, after spending the night chasing mice and other things and gazes at my plum tree where I have the hanging bird feeder, hoping that one of the many birds that feast on the nuts and seeds would slip up and provide him some breakfast - as he waits to pounce on them.
He switches his tale backwards and forwards, until I open the garden door to shoo him away, surprized he makes a bolt for it to his own garden, caught in the act.

Other times you will find him stretching out on garage roofs, climbing walls and darting in and out of the hanging plants chasing the butterflies. 

But every now and again he sits on his window ledge, watching the world go by, I think that he secretly has dreams of making his escape much further afield than my garden and into other neighborhoods. But there is no time to dawdle evening comes round and the day dreaming takes a back seat to the coming adventures that await his night time pursuits.


Cat - Mixed media Painting

Wednesday 1 January 2014

Garden - Memories of Home


Well, it is the first day of the year and I wish you a very Happy New Year. I hope you enjoyed your celebrations seeing the new year in and where ever you are.

Welcome to Memories of Home, if you would like to find out more information about the series, Click here

Being in a supportive environment is important to our growth as individuals, not everyone has had that opportunity and as adults we try and create an environment that will nurture and bless our children and indeed ourselves.

Garden

With the new year brings exciting changes for all. I took time yesterday morning to spend it in the garden seeing what needed to be cut back in preparation for the spring, what needed to be cleared. I really enjoy this time as what you do now can impact the development of the plant and prepares it for the next stage of development.

When we were smaller we lived in a flat (apartment). We had a balcony which was small, but no garden space. My mother loved plants and had a wide array of houseplants dotted around the home. She would take her time walking round to each tending to them applying water and removing the dead leaves. She seemed in her own world and would often be humming or singing a song. Watching her and spending time in my own garden I realise the therapeutic benefits that she enjoyed as she spent time with the plants. 

I too find it relaxing, regardless of what I am doing even if it is getting rid of fallen branches. It is a lovely feeling to know what will be coming and how the plants will take shape as the weather gets milder. I have a plant that produced bright yellow flowers in the spring and yesterday noticed that one of them had decided to come out early and give me a visual taster.


This is the plant in its full glory and the flowers will last until the summer.  It truly is lovely to feast your eyes on it. Whether big or small do you have a space to grow plants, what is your favorite plant you have grown?

I would love to hear what type of plants you have in your own home environment that allows you to be comfortable. I hope you continue to join me on my journey over the weeks, as I share my mixed media houses and look back to the memories of home. I look forward to hearing about some some of your own memories. Blessings and peace to you!







Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...