Posted September 10th, 2010
by Carolyn Simmons
I’m currently working on the next book in the Jackson’s Garden series. The first book was received really well and so I’m working on the next story that introduces tiny readers to the merits of bees! It’s not quite finished yet, I still have a few pages left to draw and paint but the story is taking shape.
I just love the process of thinking up the story, planning the layout, drawing painting and seeing the whole thing come together. I find it very relaxing, a bit like gardening really.
Tags: Garden, Jackson’s Garden Posted in Gardening Consultant
Posted September 6th, 2010
by Carolyn Simmons
I’m currently shopping for Tulip bulbs online. Last year I grew a variety of tall, single Tulips in different colours. They were all pretty successful and Tulips are the perfect early cut flower since they flower in May (or thereabouts) and then you can lift the bulbs and use the ground for something else.
This time I think I’ll go for a limited palette as the multi-coloured approach didn’t really work for me. I’m thinking whites, peaches and purples.
Doubles really don’t look like Tulips to me and the Parrot varieties (the ruffled kind) didn’t do well last year in my garden. So I’m stic
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Tags: Bulbs, Tulip Bulbs Posted in Gardening Consultant
Posted September 5th, 2010
by Lawrence Mcloughlin
Dutch architects BogermanDill have transformed a former printing office in Amsterdam into a home they’ve named House Pinck-Heerkens.
To connect the space’s four floors and unify the main living areas, BogemanDill created a large void in the centre of the house. The first and second stories are interconnected by a wooden staircase without a balustrade, and a floating staircase leads up to the third floor; both are in keeping with the open-plan feel of the space.
Because the void cuts through the top floor of the house, its two rooms are joined by a floating bridge made from steel I-beams. Ove
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Tags: House, House Pinckheerkens Posted in Home Design Info
Posted September 5th, 2010
by Clifton Washburn
Combining the eco-friendly benefits of fast growing bamboo and refurbishable steel with the nostalgia-evoking shape of an elementary school seat, Alex Whitney’s ‘Pennyfields’ chair is a simple, elegant design for modern living. The chair has already received a Metamorphisis award from Metropolitan Works for its innovative design, and it’s set to launch at The Dock, Ladbroke Grove, hosted by Tom Dixon during the London Design Festival.
Tags: Alex Whitney’s, Steel Posted in Home Design Today
Posted September 3rd, 2010
by Carolyn Simmons
Chemical weedkillers aren’t the only option available. There are a number of other products which are handy weedkillers, but which don’t do as much damage as the chemical products. Oils added to water and sprayed over the foliage of plants in certain conditions will dehydrate or bleach the foliage, destroying everything growing above the ground.
Greenscape by Yates is such a product. It contains fatty acids from coconut oil, and if the concentrate is added to water then sprayed over weeds on a hot sunny day when the soil is on the dry side, the foliage of the sprayed plants will begin wilting very quickly – within minutes even. If it is applied in cooler weather, or when the soil is moist, the killing action will take longer, and might not even work at all.
Plants are at their most vulnerable in sunlight on hot sunny days when moisture levels in the soil are low. It is
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Tags: Alternative Weed, Weed Posted in Gardening Consultant