Today's Saying:

 

We are adoring the weather in Murray Bridge right now. 20 degrees sure beats 40 degrees.

Although we have been considering doing a rain dance...need more rain please!

 

Enjoy this fine Easter Monday.

Hooray for the Easter long weekend...

 

Happy Easter everyone.

 

Hope you have a safe and happy long weekend.

 

If your spending time at home and need something new for the home or garden or simply need inspiration we will be in the garden centre all week-end. Well someone needs to water the plants so we have opened our doors or should I say grand gates to let those of u who wish to stumble in at some stage.

 

 

Hope u get a chance to be outdoors in the garden!

 

Krystal

xx

Bead Hive

Bead Hive Necklaces $24.95 ea

I'm just about to display these scrumptios matt coloured bead necklaces.

I want one in every colour!

Industrial/ Country

Industrial/ Country display at Serenity Nursery

 

Another display I wish I could say that I whipped together, but being 6 months pregnant the merchandising process was a little slower than usual. I made use of the old wagon shed stone walls as an earthy back drop to our new home wares. Cream industrial stools, FOB Clock and lots of inspirational and quirky signs to make you laugh.

Gummies Sliders available now at Serenity Nursery.

 

We are loving the new range of Gummies sliders in red/ white polka dot.

 Perfect yard or gardening shoe. Pop into see our new range of leather gardening gloves in new new seasons colours.

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.

Freshly Picked:

Autumn is the perfect time to plant lemon trees or any citrus for that matter.

Grow cumquat's in pots for a Mediterranean feel or a lime tree along a fence for an edible screen.

 

It's no secret that I love dogs and while hunting the web I was delighted to stumble

 across these words of advise.

 

 Yellow roses, sunflowers and a lemon as a place card makes a pretty table setting. Use any type of fruit that is in season, your guest can take it home as a healthy snack!

 

 

A yellow feature wall is a dramatic backdrop to this climbing wisteria plant. Use paint in the garden to quickly and cheaply transform a space. Paint the side of an old shed, a fence or an old chair to introduce a new colour to a dull spot.

Plant tulips now and all Spring flowering bulbs. Love the yellow industrial stools? We have them in baby blue and cream @ Serenity Nursery now.

Hello Yellow!

So we have been on trend watch this week with a trip interstate and we have discovered

 a whole lot of colour.

There is no right or wrong colour combo. Be brave and mix things up.

...Pink teamed with yellow

Fluros with naturals...

We found yellow was a standout colour as was emerald green.

 Stay tuned to our new shop displays for a brightly coloured surprise.

 

SA Gardens

 

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Have you picked up the lastest Autumn/Winter edition of SA Gardens Magazine?

It's a beauty! It features some of SA's most beautiful gardens plus Micheal Keelan offers his top tips for what to do in the garden over the cooler months. Think Roses, Fruit trees and edibles!!!

Thought I would share some of the photos I took of our unique garden items that we featured in our latest advertisement for the SA Gardens magazine.

1. Rattan 4 piece patio setting $695, cream greyhound statues $229 ea, on floor; leather stripe rug $35.95, Indian pouffe $145, black ceramic garden stool $69.95. 2. Wave water feature $799  3. Teak Rocking chair $349, Indian hand embroidered cushion $119.95, on ground; Volcanic rocks from $3


Note: Prices are subject to change

Today's Saying...

Image here

Project with Pots..& faux plants...

 

So I've got the day off and finally have a few minutes up my sleeve to create this little project. I love indoor plants, and there are many available that are suited to low light conditions but this time I want to use artificial succulents in an arrangement. The style of pots are endless at Serenity Nursery from modern shiny ones to rustic metal. I have chosen heavy paper mache pots. I decided to group a cluster of artificial succulents for a natural/ earthy look.

 

I have used oasis to help hold the plants in place. there are two main types of oasis. The silver gritty foam type which is used in artificial arrangements ( see pic here)  and the green soft foam that holds water and living plants in place.

 

I have simply cut the oasis to fit snug into the pot and then begin to push the succulents into place. It's nice to combine different plant textures like the broad leaf and spiky type.

 

It comes together very quickly.



 

I love this faux greenery available in the gift shop. It's so handy for so many projects. I cut it up and push it in between the succulents to help hide the oasis. It looks real and natural.

 

I'm tucking the fine greenery in here. No need to glue down as it has wire fibres in it that help wrap it around the secure plants.

 

 



 

I love the finished pot displays. Great for those " Hard to Grow" spots in the house.

 

The display makes a cute little addition to my kitchen, well i think so.

 

Enjoy

Krystal xx

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.

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.

 



What's new at Serenity...

 

"White Caviar" Magnolia (Magnolia yunnanensis x figo) is a new evergreen Magnolia

 with large fragrant creamy flowers and glossy green leaves. It's a medium sized bushy shrub that grows 3-4m tall and 1.5-2m wide. With it's upright narrow habit this magnolia is ideal for screening or planted in small gardens. It also looks great in a large pot features. Flowers in Spring and Summer.

 

Image via Garden Assets

Fur Real.

Two dogs sound asleep in their hand-made pooch parlour.

Miniature rocking chair on the right of the balcony.

 

Pampered Pooch keeps watch on his grand palace. The metal balustrade is made from lace metal work and the hanging lanterns are from our gift shop. Astro turf completes the look.

 

One of the great things about running a garden centre is all of the lovely people we meet, most of whom are regular customers. It's fun hearing about every ones projects and what d.i.y jobs they are working on. One of our enthusiastic gardeners, David came in hunting around for a small dolls rocking chair, which we found...( not at all surprising as we stock so many random
 hard to find objects).

David explained to me he was buying the rocking chair for his dogs. Seriously? I asked.

So it turns out a few recent purchases from serenity were in fact going towards the construction and beatification of a lovely hand-crafted dog house made by our talented customer David.

Check it out, this is for real. The house sleeps three dogs, each with their own bed and a
 balcony to share.

This made my day! Krystal

Pruning Standard Lilly Pilly...

So the hot weather has past and left us with some scorched plants...It's time to clean up and prune any burnt new growth off your lilly pillys ( or any plants in the garden that copped it).

 

It is important to start with a good pair of garden shears. I have a quality pair of Wiltshires from Serenity Nursery. Keep them sharp with a sharpening file and clean them after each use with bleach or disinfectant, this will help prevent spread of disease.

 



This is my lilly pilly standard. It barely resembles a topiary as woody growth towers towards the sky and it has lost it's shape due to a little neglet. Lilly pillys are extremely vigorous growers and if planted in the ground can reach  up to 10m tall, so it is important to prune them regularly...guilty!

 

 

I always like to start by pruning some of the woodier branches with the hand secateurs. It is easier to get a cleaner more controlled cut with them. These branches can be cut in towards to middle of the topiary allot harder than the finer new growth, to prolong the time in between pruning and prevent the shrub getting too tall and woody in general.

 

 

It is always easiest to prune the finer new growth with the shears. I round the top first and then continue around the bottom. Here I have prune under the right side quite significantly to show how visually important it is to the form of the entire topiary. Prune right up to the main trunk to help create the sphear form.

 

 

Work around the topiary taking little bits off at a time. Stand back from time to time to assess the form from a distance and from all angles. One thing I learnt from my sculpture classes in art school was to leave the project and come back to it with fresh eyes, this may help you see the form better and see what areas need more pruning.

 

 

The finished product. I could probably spend another hour or so perfecting the shape..but this is a big enough improvement. Once I'm done pruning I give the shrub a treat...a good drink of liquid sea kelp to de-stress it after all of the hot weather we have had.

 

Enjoy your garden...

Krystal

Screen Queens

 

I was asked recently what a suitable screening plant was for a sunny position?
Here are my top 3 ...


1. Best "Grey Foliage screen" Westringia 'Wynyabbie Gem'
"Wynyabbie Gem" is a 1.5m tall x 1.5 m wide bushy shrub native to Australia. It is also know as native rosemary. This hardy shrub features grey/ green fine foliage. Pretty little mauve flowers appear in spring and throughout the year. I think it's a little under-used in today's gardens. There are so many great reasons to grow this screen. Team it with grey, silver and black foliage for a muted modern palette or use it as a back drop in formal gardens.

2. Best "Tough as Boots Screen"- Viburnum tinus.
I rave about this plant allot. It's an old fashioned shrub that can grow over 3m if left unpruned, but easy to maintain at a medium height. Plant viburnum in a row about 1m apart for a brilliant evergreen hedge or screen. The screen can be kept as low or tall as you like. The lush foliage is covered in clusters of white flowers with a flush of pink in spring. People will knock on my door asking "what is that screen?". It always looks lush, even in the hottest of weather.

3.Best "Red Hedge"- Lilly Pillys.
Pop into Serenity Nursery and you will see several varieties of Australian native lilly pilly. The lilly pilly come under three botanical names- Syzygium, Acmena and waterhousea.  If you are wanting a taller growing screen plant Lilly Pilly Backyard Bliss. It will grow 2-3m tall with magnificent red new growth. This particular lilly pilly is popular as it is psyllid free- so there will be no dimpled foliage in sight.  "Backyard bliss" responds well to pruning and can be pruned to any height.

Hope this will help solves your screening needs...Krystal

Out of the Square

 What a quirky idea for a garden gate. It is sometimes these hand-made off beat elements that can make a garden and give it a sense of personality. An"out of the square" detail can break up common garden elements such as lawn, retainer walls and hedging and give your garden life!

Image via Dying of Cute.

Yellow Cucumbers..to be or not to be...

Someone recently asked us...

Q. "How do I prevent my cucumbers turning yellow".

A. First we would suggest checking the variety of cucumber planted Check the seed packet or seedling label as there a many varieties of cucumber that are intended to be yellow, such as the armanian cucumber. Once you are certain the cucumber is a green variety check your harvest time. Cucumbers are generally ripe between 50-70 days. Cucumbers love a sunny spot and with the right care should thrive during the warmer months. They are fast growers with a shallow root system so frequent harvesting is important. Yellow cucumbers are often the result of over ripeness. Cucumbers should be picked when they are firm and bright green to dark green. If they are left to yellow on the bush they can become bitter and inedible.

Yellow By Design:
A cucumber that is yellow to cream in colour.

Armenia Cucumber (picture above). A yellow cucumber with a wonderful refreshing taste. We grow it in the organic nursery grow house. Sow the seeds in spring or summer. It can be trained up a trellis or left to sprawl.
Our Tip for Growing cucumbers: Use Plants Plus Organic Groganic soil improver to help prepare the soil structure. Fertilise with Neutrog Rocket Fuel, it's a fantastic organic pellitised fertiliser to use from 2 weeks right through the growing season. Keep cucumbers moist and choose a sunny spot in the garden.
Also try Crystal cucumbers a pale apple-sized cucumber that is juicy and lovely to eat on it's own.

Plant or chocolate? Have both!

Let's face it chocolate and Christmas go so well together and what an inovative way to get your chocolate fix with a Chocolate Cosmos plant. The chocolate flowers are heavenly perfumed of sweet chocolate and this plant will grow in a pot or out in the garden.

Chocolate Cosmos are in the garden centre now so be quick.