Little Herbs Garden

I think it's time to share this little gem of mine with all of you.
Having a balcony with full sun exposure is such a joy for me. I love growing herbs, I have always wanted to grow herbs. So, now is my chance :-)

When I first started, I only planted basil, thyme and spring onions.
They grew quite well even during winter season, surprisingly...
Maybe it's me going crazy with seaweed fertiliser. This photo was taken in May 2011.

After my initial success, I came across www.herbcottage.com.au and I bought bay leaves tree, curry leaves tree and chaste tree.
The didn't grow very well during winter. I thought I lost them, but they grew back since 1 month ago, as spring arrived.

 Chaste Tree

 Bay Leaves Tree

 Curry Leaves Tree

And for the potted herbs, I think they have grown wild now, especially the thyme. :-) Photos taken November 2011.

Collection of Herbs - There are 2 new ones, Rosemary and Sage

 Thyme

Thyme's Flowers

Slow Growing Succulents

So, when I moved to my new place at Narwee, the balcony is so full of sun. I thought it's perfect for growing succulents. So I bought a few of them from thesucculentgarden.com.au.

Initially I put some of them in separate vases to decorate my bathroom, study, etc. But they didn't thrive very well.

So I decided to put them all in one pot in the balcony. They got better after that. Even though they're slow growers. The jelly beans and bear paws are doing extremely well.

This photo was taken when I moved them to one pot in September 2011

And as you can see in the next 2 photos, they're growing and recovering. Photos taken in November 2011:

Succulents in pot: Jelly Beans, Tom Thumbs, Sedum Buritto, Crasulla Spring Time, Bear's Paws, Strings of Pearls << I loveeeee this one, so cute, Rabbit's Ears, there is one big flower like succulent in the middle that I can't remember the name.

At the beginning I was planning to make a succulent wreath for Christmas this year. But, I don't think they're ready yet. Maybe next year :-)

First Christmas in Narwee

I thought, what is the best way to celebrate this special Christmas in my new place? I think knowing me, you all should already guessed, that I’m making my decorations this year. And it’s gonna be big!

So, officially, I started my project on 2^nd November. This is the first Christmas thing that I made this year. It’s a caddy for coasters and the coasters. This is my first time working with plastic canvas and long stitch. I have to say I quite enjoy it. They’re not difficult, they’re fast and they’re pretty.

Before:

After:

(Completed in 6^th Nov 2011)

My One and Only White Rose – Pope John Paul II

When I bought a set of roses last time, I came across this white rose. It’s a relatively new breed and it’s the most fragrant white rose in the world. It’s the winner of

I didn’t have enough pots to plant all the roses initially, so this one had to wait a few weeks until it was planted properly in a correct pot size. So, its growth was a bit delayed. I was worried at the beginning that it might die.

However, as Sydney weather got warmer, the plant grew bigger and 3 rose buds appeared. I was so beyond excited because I couldn’t wait to smell it.

Until I woke up one morning and saw one of the rose bud had opened and then I smelled the flower. I have to say, it was the most wonderful fragrant I’ve ever experienced. It’s not pure rose fragrant, there is something else in it. It’s almost vanilla like smell.

Summer Colour Baby Blanket

A fellow blogger (BabyDolphin) and most importantly a great friend of mine is expecting her first child sometime around Christmas. So I made this baby blanket for her baby shower gift. I always want to try making a baby blanket because I think they’re cute and the colour is usually vibrant, like this one.

This blanket is not hard at all to make and look at the result. I can’t wait to see a baby wrap in it. J

The blanket took me 9 days to make. And it’s so worth it. I especially love the colour combination. Again, Garnstudio is marvellous, I salute their design team. They did a good a job and they keep getting better and better every single year.

I hope the baby loves it  J

(Completed 1^st Nov 2011)