See us on t.v with Michael Keelan

If you missed us on SALIFE you can see the segment here. Michael Keelan talks about styling your garden with Mum ( Marian) owner of Serenity Nursery.

Thanks for visiting SALIFE !!!

Vertical Gardening- Simple DIY

Vertical gardens are a great way to use spaces your garden that are sometime not utilised to their full potential. We have selected a mix of annual plants including polyanthus and silver dust but you could create an edible upright garden by choosing herbs and vegetables. Look out for tumbling tomatoes for a cascade effect.

 We have used breathable felt eco gardens for this project availble from Serenity Nursery.

I removed the plants from their cells and teased the root ball. I placed them in the pockets making sure different colours and textures were alternated. I used a good premium potting mix by Plants Plus called Terracotta & Tub. This potting mix contains a slow release fertiliser and wetting agent which prevents the soil drying too quickly. I carefully pushed the soil around the plants and watered in well with a seaweed tonic.

The vertical garden all planted up and displayed on the old stone feed shed in the nursery.

Whose shoes?

 Create it yourself: SHOE GARDEN

 

 Start with a pair of high heels or stilettos. I found these ones at a local op shop. I spray painted the black pair purple. You can use any colour you fancy. Then drill two -three holes right through the sole for drainage.

 

 

 

 

I used Amgro succulent and cacti potting mix. This mix is free draining and perfect for the plants chosen.

 

 

I had fun choosing some succulents from the nursery. The rosette formed succulent acts as a sort of shoe embellishment and the finer variegated succulent will cascade out of the shoe.

 

Fill the pointy toe part of the shoe with soil and then place the plants in. Back fill with soil and press firmly.

 

 

Succulent with pink tinges and pink flowers were matched with the pink stilettos.

Purple spotted succulents were teamed with the purple shoes.

 

Have fun with it.

 

 

 

These boots were made for walking

 

 

 Pretty in pink.

 

 

Thanks for visiting our blog.

Krystal

 

 

 



Mr & Mrs Serenity, how does your garden grow?

 

A potted display and chook ornament adorn the old cottage.

Let's take a little tour around the homestead at Serenity Nursery.

Dotted with stone cottages and buildings from the yester year, it's no wonder Marian and Rod aka Mum and Dad have a flair for the nostalgic and a little bit of country whim. Here they have potted some kalanchoe succulents and an aloe tree into a trio of terracotta pots in their private Serenity garden. The ivy backdrop, as wild as it can grow, always looks lush.



 

The old wagon parked next to heritage scrub.

Most of the trees you will find growing at the Serenity Gardens are native to the area. In fact 5 acres of the nursery property are heritage listed scrub land. The lawn areas are dotted with some ornamental trees that Mum and Dad have planted over the years. Gleditsia 'Sun Burst', ornamental pear "Aristocrat", and ash trees are all doing well in the Murray Bridge climate.

 

 A pretty cottage garden inspired by "Monet's garden" makes for a colourful display at the front of the homestead.

 Last year Mum and Dad removed all of the plants from the front of the homestead. The garden was getting tied and needed a fresh start. The concept for the new garden was Monet's Garden. We wanted lots of hot colours clashing together like one of Monet's Impressionist paintings.

Here they have lined the steps with standard roses ( Augusta Louise and Fire &  roses). Dwarf Polygalas with purple pea-like flowers are planted in between each standard rose.

Salvia "Ember's Wish" and Dwarf Buddleias for intense garden colour.

 Salvia "Ember's Wish" ( pictured left) sits along side purple flowers to make it vibrate even more. Salvia " Embers Wish" grows to 80cm x 1.20cm with a mass of bright coral flowers covering the plant in the warmer months- but don't be surprised if it flowers all year round.

 

The purple flowering dwarf buddleia ( pictured on the right) only grows to one metre making it quite compact compared to the buddleias we are used to seeing that tower over two metres tall. The deep purple elongated flowers attracts butterflies.

New realease Fire& Ice Rose.

A close up of "Fire & Ice" Rose. One of the prettiest two- tone roses around.


Salvia "Heatwave Glow", Alyssum "Snow Princess, Salvia "Caradonna" and trailing convolvulus envelope a
 historic church ornament.

Perennial Alyssum "Snow Princess" softens the edges of the garden and looks like a sea of heavy snow. Salvia "heat wave glow" features soft peachy flowers and Salvia "Caradonna" could almost be mistaken for Italian lavender. The mauve moon flowers of convolvulus trail over the moss rocks, closing their blooms at night and reopening for a fresh day.

Moon flowers teamed with deep pink ruffle flowers of  "The Princess Lavender"

The Princess Lavender ( pictured Right) is an easy to grow lavender with deep pink large flowers and fragrant foliage. The flowers will last well when picked for indoor display.



 

 And finally we couldn't plant "Monet's garden without growing one of the best flowering trees around, Crepe Myrtle "Tuscarora". The large flowers actually resemble crepe paper and are available in white, mauve and pink tones.

 

Hope you enjoyed our little tour.

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Cheers Krystal

 

Detail of plant images via PGA Plants Australia

Dad's Veggie House

 

Dad designed and created a enlosed veggie garden on his property in Murray Bridge.  He used  cement sleepers that he made to build up the veggie garden. For ergonomic reasons he built it up three sleepers high.

 

Dad created an island in the middle of the garden house which you can walk around. The island is filled with an abundance of leaffy vegetables. The perimeter is also filled with all kinds of eddibles including parsley, broccolli, spring onions and even ginger.

Outside of the garden house is a lovely freshly planted blueberry BURST. A new variety that produces extra large and flavoursome fruit.

 

Mum and Dad are proud of the chew marks in their cabbages!! No nasty chemicals are used to treat insects. This enables them to use the leafy greens for feeding their pet birds.

 

Dad shows Milton Vadoulis the hard work that has gone into making his dream veggie garden. The most important thing when gardening is getting the soil right and that's why Dad used alot of Plants Plus Groganic to improve the sandy loam when blending his mix.

 

 

Amazing Style Issue!

Wow! Our Teak Deer Head wall mount is featured in this months (August 2012) Real Living magazine- The amazing style issue!

Editor Deborah Bibby featured it in The Editors letter and said "The timber deer head is another classic and this piece is more affordable; in fact, it's a bargain buy! ( I hope that our finance whiz Mark Bouris is not reading this or I'm in trouble.)

Thanks Deborah. We love it when people see value in our items and their originality. We are Very happy and humbled to see one of our products in your magazine. xx

Winter trees in the nursery.

Dad forks the tree bins into our work area to be filled with soil.

Shortly after Toky-lui was taken into the house for a clean up and change of clothes. Spoilt thing!

Incredibly beautiful bare-root weeping mulberry trees are dug into the soil.

  Rain, hail or shine we are always outside working in the nursery. Mum balances her Plants Plus umrella, clip board and a cuppa!

Every year is the same, every winter our bare-root trees arrive and we set out to display all of the new stock. We order our trees several months before from several suppliers and today they arrived. Murphy's law had it that it poured with rain while we unpacked the delivery trucks and set up our trees (infact it just rained all day today). Even our dog Toky-liu chipped in to help. It was otherwise a gloomy day in the garden centre, but it was great to see some folk out to pick up vegy and flower seedlings. It's a great time to plant while the ground is moist.

More trees and roses are arriving soon, so we will be back into it again.

Enjoy the rain. Krystal.