Succulent Hanging Planter...❥

I have decided to start a succulent collection.

Many years ago (and I'm talking about 25!), succulents and cacti were popular garden plants in rock gardens.

And all those many years ago, I had one.

But as time and trends changed, it went...I gave them all away.

And the cacti garden was removed when a puppy I was babysitting ended up with a face of prickles.  I remember the hours spent removing them, and I think my children remember many a time meeting up with a cactus, too.

But I met a cute little sedum...

And my succulent love was rekindled.

That was a year ago....

It was a tiny little plant then, but look at it now!

This is Sedum morganianum.

It's commonly called a donkey's or burro's tail.  

It is a native plant of Mexico and Honduras.

Here in New Zealand, we call it the jellybean plant.

Because one little jellybean-like piece will grow...
Just like this!  And then you have a brand new plant!

Where I live it grows on my covered and sheltered deck year-round.

It is also commonly grown as an indoor houseplant.

This plant does require sun or bright light.

Keep out of the wind and handle with care as the little nodule leaves will fall off if knocked.

It has clusters of star-shaped rose-pink flowers in the summer.

And the trails will grow up to 60cm in length.

Finally - do not overwater it.

And it will look fabulous all year!

And if you would like step-by-step instructions on how to make the rope hanger, you'll find it HERE.

If you are curious about the mosaic?

That is an old mirror that I upcycled into a mosaic artwork.

Just another idea for your covered patio or deck!

If you'd like to read more about the different varieties of succulent plants, then pop over to:
 https://plantedwell.com/succulent-plants/

You might like to also visit:
My art store at Fine Art America 

  

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#Sedum morganianum #donkeytail #succulent #hangingplants

'Reserved For The Cat' cushion...❥

Ever since I saw this cushion with words only on Etsy, I wanted one.

But cos I am a DIY'er, I had to create my own.

I found a stone coloured pure linen cushion reduced to $20 from $70!

I just love the simplicity of the fabric weave.

The first step was to design the wording, and I also added a crown image.

I printed this in black ink onto an A4 paper sheet.

You can copy, paste and print this design on your home computer to make your own 'Reserved For The Cat' cushion!

Then cut a piece of cotton fabric to the same size.

The Fabric was sellotaped to the paper.

On to a bright sunny window, this was taped.

Then I used a fabric marker pen, in black, to trace over the crown and wording.

Once it was dry, I removed it from the window and paper back.

Then I ironed the reverse side of the fabric to set the ink.

Fabric Marker Pens come in all colours, but I used black for this project.

With the iron, I pressed in place, 5cm edges to hem the fabric from fraying.

Next, I removed the cushion inner from the cover.

Measured the centre placement and pinned the fabric written wording onto the cushion cover.

It was just a matter of a quick double-stitched outline to keep it all in place, using a sewing machine.

Place the inner back into the cushion cover,

and...

voila - I now have my own 'Reserved For The Cat' Cushion.

Lovely little Lola the Rescue Kitty looks so tiny behind it...

The Lola story is yet to be told...

Another day.  :)

Until then, I am crushing on my cushion!

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by joining for free HERE.

#diy #cushion #design #reservedforthecat #sewing

Armeria - Potted Floral Balls of Pink!

Armeria flowers are the most delightful floral balls of bright pink!

The foliage is lush and grasslike.

The flowers grow on 20 cm stems and sit in all their floral ball delight above the grassy foilage.

I found an old terracotta squat pot and decided to add a painterly effect to the pot to before planting the Armeria...

  I used some old white paint.

And a dry brush

(Meaning no water is used at all)

Brush some paint onto the pot,

 and use a paper towel to spread it randomly.

Then I made crosshatch pattern

Brush this way...

Then the opposite way.

Do this all over the pot, softening the lines with the dry brush.

Once the pot was dry, the Armeria was planted into a quality potting mix.

Armeria are a perennial that produce masses of long lasting, rich pink flowers.

They are fabulous for planting in pots, a rockery, or as a front of garden border plant.

The flowering season is from Spring throughout summer.

The other thing to note about these cute little plants are they are exactly that...small and compact!

I can't wait till it is a mass of stemmed pink flowers.
My potted plant is on a sunny deck.
And Armeria are full sun lovers!
So it should be very happy here.  :)
Well - until it outgrows the pot,
Because one plant will grow into a clump of 30 to 40cm width.
I probably should have just planted one in the pot, 
but as I wanted an instant full effect, I used all six.
I'm not worried about it as I have a plan to then plant them into the front of the garden border.
I'm the kind of gardener that is constantly changing whats in pots.

You can buy Armeria in a punnet of six from the Garden Centre.
I purchased mine from Mitre 10 here in New Zealand.

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You might like to also visit:
My store at Fine Art America 


#armeria #pereninal #gardenplants #plantsforpots