Country Style Vs Coastal Style

Country Style

• Gravel Pathways
• Rambling Roses
• Tuscan Teracotta
• Garden Sheds
• Pretty Cottages

Coast to Coast

A little bit of Coastal Style:
• Beige, White & Blue
• Natural woven materials
• Raw Timber
• Casual Comfort
• Lots of Light

                                                    I think I'm still a country girl at heart

Living Sculptures

Those of you who haven't seen our planted succulent chair in the garden centre, I would like to share it with you. We made this quirky living sculpture from scratch using an old wooden chair that we salvaged from a garage sale. We removed the padded seat and replaced it with flexible plastic mesh forming a shallow bowl shape. This was the covered with shade cloth. The bowl or pocket was then filled with a specialised succulent potting mix and small succulents were planted. We selected taller growing succulents and low growing forms such as sedums. A staple gun will come in hady to staple the mesh and shade cloth on.

Retro Plants

A bit of inspiration from my travels abroad. This 1950's/70s? hotel boasts some excellent retro plants. I adore the succulents dripping over the edge of the balcony's.

The circular wire balls with a climber in each one is a magnificent idea. Imagine growing a flowering mandevilla  or an ivy in a huge wire ball to hang in your patio.

Image by Krystal James

Grow your own Plant Sculpture

I saw this quirky garden sculpture at a theme park in Italy this June. I would love to try this in the garden centre. It looks like they have used the base of the car and built a wire frame over it. I think any self clinging or fine climber would work well grown over the frame. Succulents and plants would also look great but they would need soil pockets to grow.

Waste Not Want Not- Natural ways to garden.

1. Pencil Pines in a row or up a driveway can look impressive and are extremely water wise.
2. Lavender and salvias will grow well in an old bath tub.
3. Seedlings are available in biodegradable pots and can be planted straight into the ground.
4. Do you have a large glass jar or old fish bowl laying around? Plant in it and keep it indoors.
5. Gorgeous berry pie...from home grown berries we hope!
6. Succulents can look fab planted in an urn and are easily propagated from cuttings.

Word Art

Above: One of our show room displays by our instore interior designer. Jen has mixed black and white wall art with earthy timber elements.

Image above via (This Pretty Space). Worded signs are huge at the moment.

As Dorothy would say..This quirky tin wall plaque is instore now.



Resident Dog

Indoors or Out

Our new shipment included this lovely teak garden bench. Teak is a wonderful timber that can be left outdoors to weather if you choose. If untreated it will weather to a silvery grey which takes on a french country look. Alternatively the timber can be oiled to retain the golden colour.Pictured alongside is our teak Suar Stool-oh so comfy spot to rest in the garden.

 I found this image at Bright Bizarre. I would love any of these items in my house. Hey!..that's the red clock that we currently have in store.

This is an amazing sculpture hand carved from teak. We have three in store and they would look fabulous indoors or out. Each leaf is unique.

Modern Ethnic-Shop Display Today

 I was in my element setting up this display for our advertising campaign for Adelaide Hills Magazine- Spring Addition. Colour is making a come back.

A mix of rustic handmade urns that we have imported sit well against our charcoal wall. Over-sized bird cages, metal peacocks, mirrors and wall art add to the maximalism effect that we are know for.



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.

In Bloom Now

 Ameria 'Bees Ruby' is a low growing perennial ideal for borders, Japanese gardens, pots and rockeries. Amerias are an excellent plant for cut flowers and require very little maintenance.

 Dianthus 'Sugar Plum' has fragrant and frilly flowers with deep cherry markings appearing through Autumn and Spring. This low water use plant will grow to about 40cm and is great in small urns and mixed garden beds.

The range of 'Ruffle' Lavenders are really pretty. This one is Lavender 'Sweetberry' . It is bred in Australia making it ideal for our climate and it is rather compact making it suitable for a pot or low border. Come in and see the range today.

Think Pink

We love our kitsch pink flamingos, perfect for a tropical garden or parties.

They are flying out at our special price of $15ea

First Image: Turquoise and Tulips, Second Image: Serenity Nursery



What to do with excess lemons

 

Tip: Place a lemon cut in half  in the top draw of your dishwaher just befor you set it to wash. Your dishes with come out sparkling clean and the entire machine will smell better.

Lemon curd tartletts with candied lemon rind from Good Taste Magazine. Recipe can be found at Taste.com.au

Another idea is

Lucky Bamboo

Add some Zen to your living area with Lucky Bamboo. Lucky bamboo is not actually a bamboo, it's from the dracaena family( a plant found in the tropics). Lucky bamboo is s easy to care for making in a popular indoor plant. They are available potted in soil or bare rooted in water. Lucky Bamboo will grow in a vase of water too.
The curly ones are created by putting straight bamboo into low light tunnels, rotating them, and letting the in light.

Choose a spot out of direct sunlight. A well lit bathroom or kitchen is ideal.

Find more ideas at our Plant Nursery and Garden Center website:  www.serenitynursery.com.au

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.