Taking Inspiration from Nature - Creative Garden

Do you ever feel that you are creatively blocked? Then you should look no further than your own garden, green space or local park! 

We can find a wealth of inspiration when we take a walk in our gardens or green space, and there are so many ways in which we can look to nature and produce beautiful creative projects. 

Here are 5 tips for using the natural world to unlock your creativity:

1. Allow it to guide your art - Look at the kind of things that you might find to add that inspiration to an art project. It could be the twist of a branch that inspires a brushstroke, or the texture of bark or rocks recreated with modeling paste or gesso. Step outside your comfort zone and see where the natural world takes you.

2. Choose Your colors from natures palette. Nature offers a vast and vibrant range of colors. Observe the color combinations of a flowers petals, the contrast of a cloudy sky, or the variation of greens and browns that you find in a garden.

Choose colors that evoke the emotions and feelings you want to convey in your art, and let them be your guide. This plant is called the paddle plant and I love the color combination. I would never have thought to use it in my art.

To Read More - Join me as a FREE member on Patreon HERE

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.

A Garden of Imagination: Taking a Tour of the Creative March Garden

Check out my latest gardening video, I am excited to take you on a tour of the garden. Here are some highlights:

I currently have growing five papayas trees, one male and four female, but I am having some issues with slugs, snails, and even a monkey is taking bites out of the fruit  The male Papaya has a beautiful scent, and yellow flowers.

You will get to see some other plants in the garden, including, guinep, cassava, and five-fingered fruit. I am doing my best to keep them all healthy despite the challenges of the drier season and pests.  

The Suriname Cherry is in full bloom and looks gorgeous - I expect to see some fruit either later during the year or next year, and the mango tree has been flowering - so we should see some fruit in September, 

Despite the challenges and being on a budget there are so many lovely areas of the garden that helps you appreciate the work you put in.  

Join me in the video and stroll with me around the garden.

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:

The Backyard Homestead 

Medicinal Garden Kit 

Garden Freedom Micro Course

Creative Gardener - Looking at the Sweet Sop Plant

Sweetsop grown from seeds

Welcome to the garden, today we are looking at Sweet Sop plant also known as Sugar Apple or Annona squamosa.

My plants have been grown from seeds. One of them is fruiting. Both the fruit and the leaves have many benefits and are packed with vitamins and minerals such as B6, calcium and iron. It is one of my favorite fruits!

I will be trying the leaves to see how they taste as a tea and let you know. If you have tried it, please let me know what you think in the comments.

Check out some courses while you are at it!

Click HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Garden Stroll - Time to be Present

 

In todays video we take a stroll around the garden.  It is important to spend time just being present, seeing how things are growing, watch the bees as they make their way round from flower to flower, see the birds chase one another and hear their chatter.

Awaken the senses in your green space where you can, combined with the sunshine and a cool breeze all make for providing you with wonderful therapeutic benefits.

While you are there check out some of the other videos of plants that are growing in the garden.

How Does Your Garden Grow

Check out the Self-Directed, life-time access course How Does Your Garden Grow .

We take our inspiration from the garden, and the plants that you find, looking at the shapes and patterns and then we take what we have into our studio spaces and create mixed media art designs.

You also get a selection of background pages and downloads of images - plants, coloring book, patterns, and a digital print of the art produced for use in your own creativity

Check it out HERE

Stay blessed and be a blessing!

Growing Lemon grass - My Tropical Garden

 

Lemon grass in the Garden - it loves tropical environments

Growing Lemon Grass

I go out in my garden several times a day, choosing to do the bulk of the work that I need to do first thing in the morning - about 6.30am, it is cooler at that time so if you have any thing that might be strenuous you can get more done.

I have been growing lemongrass (also known as Fever Grass) and it's official name is Cymbopogon citratus and it is used widely around the Caribbean,  Asia and South America.  I started off with a small shop brought plant, and then it multiplied giving me 3 in total.  They don't like to dry out so I need to make sure especially in the dry season that I am providing it with water.

It has many traditional uses, can be used in cooking and a variety of dishes with the leaves and the stem being used and it also makes a delicious tea on its own or added to other teas.

Being in the garden for me is a very therapeutic activity - even when you have tasks to do.  It is important to reflect on progress and just enjoy being around the plants taking in the aromas, hearing the birds chattering and feeling the sun and the breeze on your skin.

When you break off a piece of the lemon grass you get a gorgeous scent, and it can also be dried and used later.  The oils are also extracted from the lemon grass and used in many cosmetic preparations.

I hope you enjoy taking a look at the state of play with my lemongrass plants and if you have any tips for care please leave your comments on the video.  You can also check out some lemon grass products HERE

Blessings, stay blessed and be a blessing.

100 Day Project - 100 Days of Foam Stamps

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

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

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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

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

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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

Experiments in the Garden

Come and join me in my Creative Garden and see some of the things that I use for my creative projects. Let me know what your getting up to in your green space.

You an also check out some of the other Gardening videos while you are there:

Join me the Creative Gardener

Creative Gardener - New Posts

Check out the Patreon Blog

I would love you to come and join me on my gardening Patreon Blog where I share my new post about working in the garden.  I hope that it goes on to inspire you to decide what you want to do in your garden space and bring your creative flair into growing your plants

Also Check out some creative projects made from the

wood in my garden,

Come and check out my Patreon Blog and see see some more information and some of the tiers on offer.

Creative Gardener

You can also check out my arts network

Check it out here