Green Cocktails

Want to go green this Christmas but don't know how? A little over the traditional poinsettia in a pot? 

Maybe you have to buy for that hard to buy for person? You know the ones.  The ones that have the ability to acquire all that they want and don't really like home wares or nic knacks, or have a small family and aren't really into a movie gift card....

You want to get them something planty of course, but what plant?

Light bulb moment!

Cocktails, Thai takeaway, Italian lovers and an office romance sound like pretty good gifts but we are supposed to be talking plants ... 

I am talking plants, just looking at them from a different view. 

Cocktails

 All I need is a cocktail recipe and the ingredients.

I found the recipe for Real Lime Mojito - lime, mint, sugar, rum.

I planted one of Trevallan's dwarf Tahitian Limes in a terracotta pot and under planted it with mint. I used Searles' Peat 80 potting mix, fertilised it with my organic fertiliser 'Organic Link' and put some mulch on top (I used pine bark). I than printed the recipe onto some decorative paper, laminated it and attached it to the tree. Tall glass and rum was bought and I placed this under the tree and BOOM - cocktails done!

 

 

 So everyone wants to have a herb garden but herb garden as a gift seems soooo boring. 

Why not give someone an "Italian Lover" or "Thai Takeaway".
 

Italian Lover

A large terracotta pot with rosemary, thyme and parsley. 

Thai takeaway 

I collected a group of terracotta pots all in different sizes and planted lemongrass, ginger, mint, chillies and coriander. 

For both pots I used Searles' Peat 80 potting mix, fertilised it with 'Organic Link' and put some mulch on top.

Office Romance

Zanzibar Gem, one of the hardiest indoor plants, place it in a planter and take to work. A planter is a pot without a hole. You don't plant in these pots you just place your plant in them. Because they don't have a hole they are great for indoors - when you water, water doesn't go everywhere.

Another idea I had for those that have a vegetable garden already - I wrapped a box and filled it with organic fertilisers, organic pest control and a book on attracting good bugs to the garden.

So many ideas - it feels like I've got a 1000w light bulb moment!

If you are struggling to come up with present ideas for family members and friends, Trevallan may just be where you need to go shopping this weekend!

Trevallan would love to help you put some green back into Christmas this year. 

Don't Blame it on the Sunshine

What type of gardener are you?

I’m the one that has 15 minutes to spare so I’ll try to get as much done as possible. I don’t care what day, month or year it is. Things get trimmed, fertilised, sprayed and planted when I say so.  

Are you more of a follower of the rules, like only plant your sweet peas on St Patricks Day?’

Are you a seasonal gardener, only plant in the spring, trim in the summer and rest in the cooler months?

No matter what type of gardener you are does it ever feel like you are just unlucky in the garden and then once in a blue moon you hit jackpot and everything goes according to plan? Or are you always lucky and once in awhile things go astray and you just can’t explain it.

Have you ever tried to germinate seeds and sometimes you get 90% success rate and other times not one measlyseed grows yet you did nothing different?

It’s not just you. It happens to everyone.

The good thing is The Jackson 5 and myself may be able to explain it.

Don’t blame it on the sunshine,

Don’t blame it on the gardener,

Don’t blame it on the good soil,

Blame it on the Moon!

For thousands of years people have been practicing Moon Planting.  

Moon planting is based on the synodic period of the Moon from one New Moon to the next, an average period of 29.5 days.

 

Over this time, farmers observed that all aspects of farming seemed to be affected by the interaction of the gravitational forces between the Sun, the Moon and Earth. The plant geeks, scientists, have found variations in sap flow, biological functions in plants and the subtle changes in Earth’s electro-magnetic fields correspond to the Moon’s gravitational pull. For us non plant geeks just as the moon influences the seas tides, it also affects the motion of water in plants and soil. The ebb and flow of this water can have an impact on seed germination, flower development and fruit production.

Ok, so how do we unlock the secrets to moon planting? With a Moon Planting Calendar of course.

Moon Planting Calendars can help unlock the secrets of the lunar cycles with easy-to-follow directions on the right time to plant, when to fertilise, when to cultivate, when to harvest and when is best to time preserve fruit.  

My grandfather swears by Thomas Zimmer’s Moon Planting calendar. It is produced in Australia for Australian conditions.

This moon planting calendar is a detailed chart that gives the correct lunar and astrological planting times forfruiting and leafy vegetables and covers the best times to weed, transplant seedlings, prune, harvest and irrigate.There are even instructions for those new to gardening by the moon.  The calendar also contains astrological information such as moon phase, equinox, solstice and eclipse dates and times, including annual planting by the moon guides as well as an astrological commentary on the year to come.

2014 - who knows what it will bring but I’m sure if you follow Thomas Zimmer Moon Calendar your garden will be bountiful. I also promise when you come into Trevallan Lifestyle Centre to get your moon calendar I won’t serenade you with my Jackson 5 song!

Uncoordinated Wins Again

I’m not what you’d call a sportswoman. I’m a little uncoordinated.  At school I was the child the sports’ teachers would shake their heads at when they saw me coming.  I’m sure they were thinking there is no hope for this one.  Apart from winning most improved player for about three years in a row for basketball, I don’t have that many awards from childhood.

 

I’m sure making up for it now.

 Last Friday night I attended the Nursery and Garden Industry Queensland Award Ceremony.  During the night I had one of those “this is your life moments”. The presenter started to read a story about a girl who seemed to have accidentally fallen into horticulture while looking for her dream job. 15 years on that girl discovers she is working her dream job.

 As the presenter was reading this story I got thinking, this girl sounds a lot like me.

He then announced “The Queensland winner of the Heather Ramsey Young Leader Award goes to – Chelsea van Rijn.”

 It took a moment, hang on that’s me. Wow.

 I WON.

 But what does this mean?

The Heather Ramsey Young Leader Award recognizes and rewards the outstanding achievements of individuals in the Australian nursery and garden industry, who display exceptional commitment and passion towards their business, the industry and industry leadership potential.

That’s me. I’m young (this is my last year of being young though), I’m committed to this industry (long days and sometimes longer nights) and gardening is my passion.

 But it’s not just the physical aspect of gardening. It’s the sharing component I love. I love enabling others to enjoy gardening with my few simple tips. I love going to clubs and talking gardening. I love writing my gardening blog and using Trevallan’s Facebook page to keep you updated and informed. I don’t get paid to write my gardening column that appears in the Queensland Times, I do it because I want to share with you all this wondrous thing called gardening.

 It was an amazing experience to be recognised and awarded this award by my industry peers.   I couldn’t have won this award without you.

 It is because of my customers, my family and my mentors that this award was possible.

 The other day a gentleman came into Trevallan Lifestyle Centre to tell me he hated mowing. He read my lawn challenge article and thought I was crazy saying I loved to mow. He followed my simple steps and now he loves to mow. His granddaughter loves coming over and running barefoot on his lawn. He mows twice a week and loves sitting back to admire his handiwork.

It’s because of happy customers and family who are gardening enthusiasts that my passion has grown. It’s because of you I want to achieve more so I can give you more.

I am so proud to win this award. Thank you for helping me turn my passion turn into an award. I hope we can continue to share this passion for many years enabling us all to have amazing gardens.