Heat Lovers

 

I drove past this amazing bougainvillea climber this week in Kingston. If you want a splash of vivid colour in your garden this is the plant. Bougainvilleas are excellent in pots. Grow up a trellis support to hide an ugly fence. They are @ Serenity Nursery now, and it's the perfect time to plant them. It's best to get them planted before it gets too cold. Look out for dwarf varieties too.

Below: Potted bougainvilleas in assorted colours that I spotted on a holiday in Darwin, just goes to show that they love the heat.

 



Glam Gardening...

Bring out your feminine side with PGA's new plant release "The Princess Lavender".

It is so pretty you have to visit us a Serenity Nursery to see it!!

The Princess lavender features large, vibrant pink flowers and a long flowering time. The main flower flourish will be in Spring and will continue to flower through out the year. This is a compact lavender growing approx 70cm x 70cm. The foliage is aromatic and the cut flowers are ideal to use in arrangements.

Princess Lavender is easy to grow and requires little water once established.

Try Growing your Princess Lavender:

In your favourite container

As a small growing border

En Masse for great effect

Image via Plant Growers Australia

Bright Now.

Bright Red, Orange, Yellow and Green pots to add a pop of colour to your home or garden.

In store now @ 25% off. ( Offer until 30.6.12)

Front verandah make over...

This weekend I set out to make over our front verandah with some pots and plants. I have had the two cream glazed urns for a while now, we were growing cherry tomatoes in them in the back yard this summer. I  pulled out the tomatoes and planted two standard Murraya paniculata ( commonly known as Orange Jessamine)  and placed them either side of our front door. Murrayas are evergreen shrubs ideal for hedging with creamy white fragrant flowers. The cane chairs were an op shop find and go well with my green/ cream semi tropical theme.

I did a little garden centre shopping ( at Serenity Nursery of course) and picked up this large tapered cream pot and advanced philodendron .  I also had to grab one of Serenity's terracotta frogs which is now at home under our frangipani tree.

images by Krystal James

The height of Blue and White

 A snippet of blue and white lace cap hydrangeas, a dreamy blue gate way and blue gorgeous house that Marian and Rod visited this week.

 The blue milk can, cane chairs and bird cages were nostalgic elements found around the house and garden.

 Marian Loved the use of this blue glazed pot and said the hydrangeas and fuchsias were stunning.

 Love this look.

People from all over came to visit this pretty place.

Mum and Dads New Zealand adventures continued as they explored another beautiful house and garden. Laden with pretty cottage plants and magnificent established trees this place put a twinge in their heart.

Images by Serenity Nursery

Zen Zone V's kitsch

Have you seen our GIANT water lettuce?

They are AMAZING.

They look great floating in earthy

 or glazed water bowls.

 It's so easy to grow them just drop them in the water

 and they will multiply

 by growing little pups on the side.

( our zenned out Buddha's are cool too)

Have fun

 in your garden

with our kitsch pink flamingos

 and giant flower wall hangings.

Photos by Krystal

Martha's Garden



A perfect boxed garden owned by Martha Stuart.



Bay trees have been used throughout her gardens. They can be hedged or let it grow into a medium-sized evrgreen tree. They are hardy once established, look great in Tuscan or Enlish style gardens and the leaves can be used in cooking. We have a good range in the nursery including standard bay trees.

Morning Muse

I found this image at Japanese flower garden this morning and thought I would share it with you. I adore the combination of rustic hessian, twine and terracotta.

Have a great day.

Designer Plants

A snap shop of one of our plant displays. We have teamed bright green dianellas in black glossy pots. Black mondo grass surrounds the pots and a  dwarf native Conostylis Candicans with it silver foliage and yellow flowers sits in front.

 Cordyline 'Sundance'. It's been a popular one for years and years now. Excellent in pots and suitable for patios and verandas.

Featured in this pot is a Cordyine Electric Pink.

Come in and see all of our designer plants today.

Inovative Gardening

Grow bulbs in your lawn to form a word or a shape. when they flower it will look amazing.

Having lunch outdoors? why not add a little drama to your table setting and string up colourful flowers in galv. pots.

Add a quirky element to your lawn area like this! Petunias would work beautifully.

Build a living sofa and relax outdoors.

Serenity Style

My dad and brother started making cement statues, urns and garden wares in the late 90's for their business Serenity Garden Stone. Today the range has expanded to pavers and landscaping. There are so many classic pieces that still exist, which I love, like the rust wall plaque. Dad painted this old bathtub and his hand made cherubs with Porters rust paint. He has a knack of putting displays like this together really quickly and they look great.

Picture Above is of our showroom display with an interesting mix of wall art and home furnishings.

Native Beauty

Make a statement in your garden with Isopogon 'Candy Cones'. It's an Australian native featuring spectacular large mauve-pink cone flowers. Like many natives it is drought hardy, easy to grow and a low water use plant. Isopogon 'Candy Cones' can be grown as an informal hedge or in large containers. In the nursery now.

Get Ready to Garden

Here are some snaps from our garden centre today. We have new ladies goat skin leather gardening gloves and a deluxe new gardeners hand care range to inspire you into the garden. Our azaleas are in full bloom and looking fantastic.

Have fun in the sun!

Paint an outdoor feature wall, then match cushions, pots and even plants in the same colour to make an outdoor space pop.

Be adventurist and paint props like an old chair in a bright colour to add to your garden. For a quirky touch paint terracotta pots in your favourite hue and plant up with different herbs or flowers. An old wrought iron bed can make a beautiful outdoor daybed, and scour markets for old treasures to add to the mix.

Italian Garden Inspiration

The ivy planted in the Italian planter is a simple idea that looks great.

Little weathered pots in a row make an interesting display.

I love the way they have wrapped the topiary pots in hessian, it compliments the timber door.

I found these aged half wine barrels painted white at an antique fair. I loved them but they wouldn't fit in my suitcase. I will have to paint my own barrels white for my own garden one day and plant some conifer topiaries in them.

Images via Serenity Nursery

Tea cup planters

Think outside the square when looking for pots to grow plants in. Any containers like these teacups make a quirky display. If you are grow succulents like string of pearls (pictured) place gravel on the bottom of the teacup to allow water to drain away from the roots, as succulents don't like soggy feet.

Photo by Jasmine Fitzwilliam

Lush Living

Make an elegant statement in your garden with over sized urns. Create drama by placing large urns in small spaces or place a pair either side of an entrance way. Have fun filling them with your favourite annuals or a cascading plant like pictured here.

Check out our similar urns manufactured by Serenity Nursery.

Image via crushculdesac

In Flower Now!

I spotted these potted bougainvilleasas in Darwin and loved the Mediterranean look of having them in pots. We have lots of climbing bougainvilleas in the nursery at the moment including dwarf Bambinos which are ideal for potting.

Image via Serenity Nursery

Living Colour!

Take inspiration from this alleyway in Italy. Try this at home by gathering miss-matched pots and wall baskets and filling them with flowering plants. Think Hydrangeas, dwarf bougainvilleas and geraniums for upright growth and blue lobelia and trailing petunias for hanging baskets.

image via piccasso without painings & ysvoice

Feature Pot

Create drama in the garden with an oversized decorative pot. We have imported this terracotta pot from Indonesia. It features cut-out work and a frangapani motif. Perfect for a tropical style garden.