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Make room for MAGIC!!!!Ever wanted a magical garden? The other week, my 3 year old daughter asked me - if just like seeds - would a fairy garden grow from sprinkling glitter in the garden out the front? So I said - “Let’s find out!” And that’s what we’re doing! Making my daughters dreams come true and delighting her beautiful, growing imagination!
Materials
MAGIC FAIRY DUST! - as much as you can get!
VERGE COLLECTION!!! That magic must be working because it just so happens to be verge collection for green pick ups!!! Perfect timing! Thank you town of Vic Park!
PLANTS to put in the garden: I've got a nice collection of plants from my mum and best friend, Bunnings workshops as well as some fantastic verge pick up finds including succulents, frangipanis, geraniums, and even an aloe vera plant!!! At the moment I’m in the “experimental era” with the garden but here’s a more extensive list of what I’ll be throwing in:
- Seeds from Bunnings’ Garden Corner (GC) - carrot, lettuce and a Bee and Butterfly mix (aster, chrysanthemum, cornflower, dianthus, forget-me-not, lavender and snapdragon)
- Seedlings planted in egg cartons from GC @ Subiaco - peas, beetroot and baby bunting (broccolini)
- Strawberry Pot Plants from GC @ East Victoria Park
- Larkspur (giant imperial mix) by Mr Fothergill’s from GC @ Subiaco
- Succulents - already have - need reviving and landscaping!
- Verge collection finds - geraniums, frangipani, some unidentified succulents, an aloe vera plant and a random cactus
- Carnivorous plants - to eat the pests! Nom nom nom!
- Possibly a daisy? But I think it’s a weed... I’ll have to find out!
SOIL - Bailey's Potting Mix and Blood and Bone
SPACE to put your garden - like a flower bed 😄 but I’ve seen plenty of ideas on Pinterest as well as plenty of project inspiration on Bunnings Workshop - This garden by is absolutely sensational!!! @charionbotha
BUNNINGS WORKSHOPS!!!!! - a must! Plus learning is fun - especially at Bunnings! Bunnings DIY Workshop and Garden Corners are a great place to learn! Recently I've been hitting up a few of my local Bunnings’ for their DIY and Garden Corner Workshops. So far, I've wrapped kokedama balls, crushed it at mosaics and tile vases, planted strawberry pots, herb gardens and succulents! And I’ve even made art work out of gyprock!
Not to mention what we have been getting up to at the kids workshops on the weekend! From bee baths to bird houses, pet rocks and seed bombs - the kids workshops have provided us with an array of Fairy Garden goodies! Last week we made a flower spinner and I know where that’s going!
NB: PARENTS: if you're like me and struggled to find a fun, yet somewhat educational activity in your local community, then you might not have discovered that Bunnings have kids workshops on the weekends (I was stupidly late to the mark myself!) Now it’s become part of our life, I don't know what we would do without Bunnings!?! Audrey now wakes up on the weekends and instead of wanting to watch tv she looks up at me with a big smile and says "Bunnings?" I now have myself a handy little helper in the home and garden!
Check out your local Bunnings workshops here.
Huge thank you to Bunnings for a. providing these workshops (and for FREE!) and b. for the wonderfully patient staff who take the kids workshops!!!
Tools
- Chainsaw - ryobi chainsaw
- Shovel and rake - That magic again! I found these in the shed 😄
- Leaf scoops -
- Gloves - Adults and kids
- Hands - once the gloves are on, it's time to get dirty!
- A DIY “Grow Vegetables” handout from Bunnings - I found this to be a very useful read . Picture!
- Irrigation supplies -
- Bunnings bucket with a lid (cut the bottom off) - and make your own compost/ worm farm!
Steps
Step 1
Cut it down! We’re going to need sunshine for our flower beds so these trees have got to go! And thanks to my handy new chainsaw from Ryobi even I can cut down a tree... well it’s branches anyway!
NB: Obviously when I was actually trimming the trees I had my hair up and safety gear on - SAFETY FIRST PEOPLE!
Step 2
Clear it up!
Gotta love a greens pick up!! Just pick it up and throw it on the verge! Contact your local council to find out when your next one is!
Step 3
Clean it out!
Time to get your hands dirty! Get weeding and clear out those beds! Pull out all the nasties! I’m seperating the good from the bad because I’m keeping my succulents... I want to put them on the bed on the left side because I won’t be putting irrigation through that side and I need plants that will be a bit heartier and more forgiving of me for my forgetfullness!!!
Step 4
Tidy it up!
Ho up all that mess and make sure it looks clean and fresh like a blank (but dirty) canvas!
Right side is ready! And the left side has been cleared up too. I’ve kept the succulents that were in there as it will be the succulent section! So no point in disturbing them too much., right?
Now both beds (and the surrounding areas) are clean and ready for our next step - the soil!!!
What's that big bucket in the right side, you ask? - Well, I went to a Garden Corner on Worms with Tess at East Victoria Park and she showed us how to make our own compost to go in the middle of the bed! Genius!
Dig out a deep hole and place a bunnings tub (precut the bottom!) inside the hole - throw in all your food scraps and the worms will love you and your garden for it!!! Once it’s full, pull out the tub, spread out the mixture and cover with soil (worms don’t like the light and it will stop ferals from eating it!) then move it onto the next garden area!
BOOM!!! Instant compost!!!
Step 5
Soil -
For me, buying soil was a whole new experience! Who knew chemistry would come in handy? My scientific-plant knowledge is limited to photosynthesis and well ... that’s probably it!?! But PH’s and ____ levels are Klingon to me! But I’m proud to say I’m learning and I love it! If only I could go back in time to my high school self and say “hey ... write that down, it’s important!”
My beautiful bestie however simplified it for me a little
-
- she said that the soil in the beds will just need to be cleaned - and not how I just thought I had!
- CHARCOAL! Mixing charcoal into the soil will CLEAN it! AMAZING! Two bags was enough - one for each bed! Someone should tell Santa that charcoal isn’t really a bad present after all! Maybe I’ll get myself on the naughty list this year hehehe
+ 3-4 big bags of Baileys potting mix and some Blood and Bone - mix it up and throw it on top - let it all sit for a few days before planting!
Step 6
Irrigation - Plants need sunshine and water to survive. We’ve cleared the trees to allow for the sun to reach the beds, now we need to put in irrigation for watering!
It's so easy even Audrey could put it together! All we had to do was play lego with pipe and connectors!
Because there was already a pipe going under the bricks from the tap so that saved time and effort!
Originally going to have one pipe going down the centre then decided to have 3 extending down the length of the flower bed.
Step 7
Phew! Hard work! But it's paying off!!!
NEXT... we will be planting our fruits, veg and flowers and of course start putting together all our fairy goodies to make them feel at home! I think I'm most excited for the bird houses to go up!!! And my friend gave me a scarecrow - let's hope it keeps the birds away from our peas and strawberries!!!!
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