Curviness: “A line that deviates from straightness in a smooth, continuous fashion.”
Sometimes I like straight lines. Other times I like more curviness in my design. Today was a curvy day and I found some items that I thought would make nice additions to the gardens of the curvey-inclined.
1 – This fabulous 12″ x 9″ iron welcome sign is from Modern Artisans. At $24.99 it is a “welcome” change from those ubiquitous lawn flags I see in Maryland suburbia.
2 – Do you Etsy? Etsy is the online store for handmade goods. This flower garden fabric is from Australian designer Danielle Smeets. Two pieces of 35 cm X 45 cm (about 13.77″ x 17.72″) fabric go for $14 in U.S. dollars. At that size, these would make colorful curvy pillows. Danielle also has other fabric products in her shop Of Paper and Thread.
3 – I love the furniture at Archie’s Island Furniture. I just ordered the Swedish bench in kiwi. But I wish I had a place for this bonfire-colored loveseat. Even at $875, you have to admit it’s a lot of wallop for the buck.
4 – My feathered friends are an important part of the garden. This pagoda nest box from Garden Artisans reminds me of a sleigh bed for birds! It’s a stylish birdhouse for $156.
And by the way…
This was my first attempt at a fancy PhotoShop montage. I took a PhotoShop class a while back and have been gradually expanding my skills. I consider this on the more advanced side.
I posted a new column at Examiner.com on creating your own test garden. You can check it out here.
I have posted photos of my vacation in Charleston here.
Robin
I am just crazy for anything I can grow and eat here at home…
…particularly in the winter, when the weather is inhospitable for gardening or even venturing out to a favorite restaurant. I keep herbs on the kitchen counter. That’s also why I sprout everything from wheat berries to mung beans to adzukis to alfalfa to add to breads, salads or other dishes. Sprouts boost the taste AND the nutrition in one fell swoop. So when I saw the recent proliferation in seed catalogs for microgreens, the cartoon light bulb over my head lit right up.
KA-PING!!! I bet I can grow these in my light garden! Then I can have gourmet greens in my own kitchen 12 months out of the year. Why didn’t I think of this before?
To get started, I ordered a set of microgreens seeds from Cook’s Garden, which included Beet Bull’s Blood, Broadleaf Cress, Kohlrabi Chancellor, Cutting Celery, Pea Green Arrow and Spinach Rembrandt. Each seed was packaged separately. Cost: $13.95 for six typical packets of seeds–.4 grams to 2 oz each. I also ordered the spicy microgreens mix from the Sprout People, which included Daikon Radish, Cress and Arugula. These seeds were mixed together. Cost: $9.95 for a one-pound bag of organic seeds.
Clearly, the Cook’s Garden quantities were minuscule compared with the Sprout People seeds, especially when you consider that the plants aren’t going to mature to big plants, but will be hacked off at the roots and eaten as baby plants. You will need quite a lot of seeds for microgreens.
I planted one box of soilless potting mix with the Cutting Celery and Broadleaf Cress from Cook’s Garden and one with the seed mix from the Sprout People. All of the seeds sprouted and grew beautifully in the light garden in just a few days. I was able to clip off just what I wanted to add to salads or to add atop sandwiches. The sprouts have stayed crisp, fresh and zingy for several weeks while I continue to clip them. Fabulous!
If you want to try your own microgreens, you can plant them in traditional plastic sprouting trays on a windowsill or under grow lights. The Sprout People also offer a hemp bag sprouter that looks quite handy and can be used for microgreens.
So now I can have teeny tiny salad greens year round. Now that’s a fabulous find!
Robin
