Wednesday 23 August 2017

Garden Diaries 1 : Godetia - Little Frills

Now you may be wondering what is going on here - Garden Diaries?!  I am not green-fingered at all, and no-one would call Rob and me keen gardeners!  However, we did have a little go at planting a few seeds and bulbs this year.  I thought I'd make a record here on the blog - mainly so that in future I will know the easy wins to plant again!

(If you are not into gardening and flowers, fear not - I doubt there will ever be very many of these posts!)

One such easy win was the Godetia seeds we sowed.

Are you looking for easy summer seeds to plant in the spring?  These Godetia seeds are so simple and easy to sew - no effort needed!  They grow into a riot of beautiful flowers - click to find out more!

We had cleared a little spot between some other plants and we just scattered the seeds onto it - I think you might be meant to cover lightly with soil, we may have just ruffled the earth a bit.  I can't remember exactly when we sowed them, but it was in the window of March to May suggested on the packet.  I think it was end of March/beginning of April, but not completely sure.

That was the extent of effort that went into planting them.  They were in an open bit of garden without much shelter, and a sunny spot for most of the day too.  

For a while nothing happened, we weren't sure they'd even grow at all.  Then little shoots appeared and before long the spot was full of green.  The plants either side grew a load and engulfed them a bit over the summer, but it didn't seem to affect them.

They flowered around June/July I think and it was a riot of gorgeous bright happy pink blooms!  I wish I'd taken a photograph when they were in their full glory!  However, by the time I thought of it recently, they'd died off.  (They were flowering a lot for quite a while, though, it wasn't a short window.)

Luckily, during this last week or so more have flowered, so I took a quick snap:

Are you looking for easy summer seeds to plant in the spring?  These Godetia seeds are so simple and easy to sew - no effort needed!  They grow into a riot of beautiful flowers - click to find out more!

These are mainly the whiter ones, but when they were all flowering there was a lovely mix of different pinks, as shown in the first picture.

You can see that they're quite crowded amongst the growth all around them.  Next year I think I'll find a better spot, so they can shine without any competition.  I'm thinking a big trough like pot or planter full of them!

SUMMARY

Ease of planting:  So easy - scatter seeds and forget about them!  (Maybe some watering when you remember!)

Sew:  Spring (March to May)

Flowers:  Summer (June to September)

Prettiness of flowers:  Gorgeous!  Colourful and cheerful.

Will I plant again:  Yes, definitely!

Tips for next year:  Plant them in their own spot/planter to show them off to the best!

Are you looking for easy summer seeds to plant in the spring?  These Godetia seeds are so simple and easy to sew - no effort needed!  They grow into a riot of beautiful flowers - click to find out more!


I've made a new page for these posts (in case I ever post any more!) you can find it at the Garden Diaries tab at the top of the page.


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Saturday 5 August 2017

Hello Sunshine Crochet Squares

A while back, the lovely Hattie from @petalshed did a call out on Instagram for pattern testers of a new crochet square design she had created.  I decided to volunteer.

The square is called the 'Hello Sunshine' square, and is such a pretty design.  There are instructions to make it multi-coloured...


Looking for a cute and pretty crochet square?  Give these colourful squares a go, a pretty new twist on the granny square!

... which I love!


Looking for a cute and pretty crochet square?  Give these colourful squares a go, a pretty new twist on the granny square!

And also in one colour...


Looking for a cute and pretty crochet square?  Give these colourful squares a go, a pretty new twist on the granny square!

... which means less ends to sew in!


Looking for a cute and pretty crochet square?  Give these colourful squares a go, a pretty new twist on the granny square!

I think a blanket or cushion made in a combination of one-colour and multi-coloured squares would look gorgeous.


Looking for a cute and pretty crochet square?  Give these colourful squares a go, a pretty new twist on the granny square!

Details:
Yarn: A mixture of King Cole Bamboo Cotton (DK) and King Cole Cotton Soft (DK)
Hook: 5mm (I have tight tension)
Square Size: 9.5cm x 9.5cm
Pattern: Hello Sunshine by Petalshed

Thanks for the opportunity to test your lovely pattern, Hattie - it was great getting involved!




Check out my completed crochet items here.


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