A garden in a bowl.

Just because you live in an apartment doesn't mean you can't have a garden!  Light-weight terrazzo bowls such as this one below make fantastic mini-gardens!

Here I've filled the bowl with a selection of sedum and other succulents; the centerpiece is a lovely Kalanchoe luciae 'Flapjack'. This plant selection is really easy to maintain, is very drought tolerant and only needs a little trimming back to keep it looking good.  You could easily fill a similar bowl with small viola or even a selection of different types of miniature ferns. You could even turn it into a 'kitchen garden' by grouping a number of herbs or soft-leaf vegetables together.


One thing to remember when constructing a 'container garden' is to group together plants that have a similar requirement for water and nutrients. Succulents like things fairly dry where as the ferns will like it quite moist and would require frequent 'misting' with water. The same goes for your vegetables and herbs.....rosemary,sage and thyme prefer dryer soil but coriander, basil, parsley and mint like a little extra water. If you plant a combination of the these together in the same bowl then one group is bound to suffer.


Another thing to keep in mind is the weight of the finished garden. That's why the light-weight 'terrazzo' style bowl is ideal. It makes it easy to move your 'garden' around to catch the sun for ease of watering.


So get creative....see what plant combinations you can come up with and enjoy container gardening!

Happy Australia Day

For my first official post I'd like to wish all Australian's a very happy and joyous 'Australia Day' for 2012.

Australia Day means many things to many people.....but Australia Day celebrates the day on the 26th January in 1788 when the First Fleet landed at Sydney Cove. While it is a day of celebration for many, the settlement of this wonderful country we call our home; it is also a day of controversy for some of our indigenous population. But whoever we are and whatever our background, I believe we are one of the luckiest nations in the world and we should be proud to call ourselves 'Aussies' and to call this beautiful country Australia our home.

Pictured above is the floral national emblem of Australia, the Acacia pycnantha Benth.


 When in flower this beautiful wattle displays the Australian colours of green and gold. It is also interesting to note that the Golden Wattle is the symbol of unity.


So in 'unity' I say, 'Happy Australia Day' to each and every Australian! 

WELCOME TO grounded GARDENS

What does one do when you can't get out into the garden and get your hands dirty?  You write about it!!!!!!

Being a frustrated gardener who resides in an inner city apartment I miss the opportunity I had while living in a suburban house to spend all day out in the garden. I could spend hours every day literally 'watching the grass grow'.  Well,  if the truth be told I hardly had any time to watch the grass grow as having a garden has it's fair share of responsibility, and hours could easily be spent attending to the many chores needing completion.

How often have you walked past a house and though 'you know, that place could be done up so nice...and imagine what you could do with the garden!' .....

Well that's me! I can't look at a house, an apartment, a garden, a balcony or a terrace without seeing it's potential. I love to browse through magazines and loose myself in the beautiful interiors and gardens. I guess that's why these magazines are so popular......we all have a little bit of the 'voyeur' in us. The same applies when looking at a dilapidated old ruin or a 'For Sale' sign in front of an apartment or house. I mentally wander through thinking of all the wonderful things I could do if it were mine......oh, and if I had plenty of money!!!

Well, even if you don't have wads of cash you can still make the most of the space you have around you. Sometimes it's as easy as a coat of paint on a drab wall or bright, colourful fabrics. It might be plants with lush green foliage or elegant flowers.  It's thinking outside the square and believing you have the ability to create something lovely.

'grounded GARDENS' is my little place in the world to let my imagination run free!