Chelsea Flower Show 2013 Winners...



A large Xanthorrhoea ( also known as a grass tree) Makes an amazing feature.



Natural elements have been selected. Timber, stone and bamboo enhance the green life.





A curved timber walkway leads the eye around the garden.



Simply Beautiful!

 

The talented team of Flemings Nursery.

Congratulations to Flemings Nursery for winning Best in Show for their garden design at the 2013 Chelsea Flower Show. I thought I would share the talent of this team with you and hope you like it as much as we do. We are proud stockists of Flemings trees so look out for them at Serenity very soon.

Enjoy

The Serenity Team

xx

A little bit about the garden:

Designed by Phillip Johnson, this garden reminds us that nature is the perfect reference for sustainable design, imperative in the twenty first century.

The focal points of the landscape are the Billabong, gorge and waterfalls, as well as the Studio perched on the edge of the gorge. The Studio roof includes solar panels with the capacity to generate enough power for the whole landscape.

Blue, green and all colours inbetween..

 

So a little trip away to Sydney has inspired me to revamp the gift shop.It's all about colour in your home and blue and green is one of my favourite combinations. 

What things do I love in this shot: The shell inlaid timber stools, the shabby chic hanging pendents, the fluro green and electric blue scarf and the mother in laws tongue plant. Indoor plants are big this season...stay tuned.

 

 

Pop in to our shop and you won't miss the brightly coloured owls. Owl cushions, doorstops and plush toys add a whimsical decorative touch to your home.

Strolling through the garden...

How lovely it is to see our customers take pride in their gardens. Our customer Helen Rodda  has built her magnificent garden up with large Shade trees, lovely flowering perennials and box hedging.

Helen's garden is called " Camelot Garden Stroll"and is situated at Kadina on South Australia's York Peninsula. Helen's Garden was open to the public in October and attracted over 300 people and helped raise funds for the local cancer council. Well done Helen, what a beautiful garden.

Take a look at the wonderful photos Helen sent into us...

Teak Garden Sculpture Balls from Serenity Nursery where strategically placed in a section of the garden.

Helen said "Everyone fell in love with them".  Comments like “Who made them”,  “Where did you get them from”,  “ I’ve got to have some of them”, to ‘I’ve never seen anything like them before” kept coming all the time.

Serenity Nursery's statue of Rose is enveloped by blooming roses and a metal garden arch.

Small wooden hearts from Serenity Nursery hang from the weeping mulberry tree.

Helen put together this nostalgic little nook. An old washer, washboard and basket

 complete the quirky display.

Today's Wimsy...

 

Hope your all enjoing the festive season.

Today's Dirt:

Image here

Boot Scootin

Look what I did with Dad's old boots...

How to: Drill a few holes in the bottom of the boots for drainage.
Filled them up with Succulent Potting mix.
Plant a selection of upright and cascading succulents for effect.

Arty Stuff..

 



 

A few images to inspire your creative side this spring...Krystal.

A dog in sheeps clothing...

 

 

If you are a regular customer at Serenity Nursery you would know Frank Aka Pierre and TokyLiu (picture above) ,the  resident toy poodles who roam the garden centre and follow their owners like little sheep.

 

I did see a slight resemblance between our cream and red poodles and these cute and woolly sheep when I found this picture today.

 



Garden Sculpture Balls...

Have you seen our garden sculpture balls made from teak wood chips?

Teak is a marvelous hardwood suitable for outdoors. If left untreated teak can take on a silver grey appearance and look great in any environment. I love them as a cluster of three but they can look equally as good scattered throughout a garden. Native grasses such as lomandras and dianellas can look great casually planted around them. Mimic the shape with your plantings, try  native rosemary clipped into low balls for a designer look.

For price and enquiry's contact Krystal:      admin@serenitygarden.com.au

Recyle me pretty.

Make your own pretty pot plants with recycled tin cans.

Here's How:

1. Remove the label off the can
2. Drill some holes in the bottom for drainage.
3. Paint the outside of the tin with house paint or any acrylic paint. You may need to paint 2-3 coats.
4. Once the paint has dried fill up with a premium potting mix such as Plants Plus Terracotta and Tub Potting Mix.
5.  Fill with any in season annuals like pansies or snap dragons.

Makes a cute hand made gift.

Enjoy! Krystal

Image via Makapar

Let's get creative...

 What a cute little idea. When the kids grow out of their gumboots turn them into garden art.

 What an innovative way to recycle plastic bottles. I have also seen old gutters mounted to walls and used as herb gardens.

Have some fun outdoors with this clever idea.

First two images here. Last Image here.

Hanging Tough

Our timber carved jackets arrived today.

Great heights

Our lifesize giraffe was one of the first things to make it into the garden centre.

You just have to see him in person.

Help us name him by going to our Facebook page.

The Pothole Gardener

 Pot hole before

Pot hole after.

Holes of happiness.

I stumbled across this quirky idea today. When you have no garden why not hit the streets with your green thumb. That's what Australian born Londoner and gardening guru Steeve wheen did with his 'The pot hole gardener' project. The left of field project is described by Wheen as an urban experiment and creative pursuit to bring a little greenery to the city streets one pot hole at a time.

Wheen fills East London’s problem potholes in roads and footpaths with soil and living plants, decorating them with miniature props to create gorgeous tiny worlds.

What do you think?

Quirky Potting Room

As Marian and Rod delved further into the gardens of New Zealand they discovered the quirky side of some home owners. This particular garden had the most adorable little potting shed ( so good it looks better than my kitchen). Complete with a working sink, useful garden tools and lots of baskets to harvest the produce from the garden.

Image by Serenity Nursery

Grow for Purple

Grow Purple Carrots for the Easter Bunny.

Hop in to the garden centre and grab some Purple Carrot Seedlings ( only $2.25 ea).

Healthier than chocolate, purple carrots are full of

 powerful antioxidants.

Growing Tip: Make sure you prepare your soil well before planting carrot seedlings. Break up the soil with a garden fork and remove any stones, this will make it easier for the delicate roots to grow. Grow purple carrots in a well drained sandy loam. Compacted or heavy clay soils are not ideal and will restrict the tap root.



Peek-a-Boo

What's inside: Stone candle holders, brass urns and a mirror vase.

Love Love Love our floral stone pots and heart hangers (over mirror)

I love to see our customers peep inside our little stone feed shed.

 We change the display all the time and this week Jen has teamed over-sized

 magnolia paintings with all things glitz.

I wander what the next themed display will be?

Photos by Krystal

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

Yucca Flowers & Gargoyles

I am in awe

 of the wonderful yucca flowers

 that I have seen popping up

 all over town this Autumn.

I discovered these ones today while wandering

 around the garden centre.

 Our hand-made

 lantern is spot on

 next to the

 giant

 architectural

yucca

 plant.

I pieced together this little display

 for the garden centre today.

I've used Dad's hand-made

 old finish gargoyles.

 A suar stool made from teak,

 stone steppers

 &

 striking canna plants for a rustic/gothic look.

Photos by Krystal

Peace

Happy

 New

Year.

 Wishing you  Peace, Good health, happiness, and all you wish for in 2012.

...and hopefully some time spent in the garden.

Thanks for stopping by at Serenity Nursery's Blog this year.

Stayed tuned in 2012!!